Chapter 22
Walter's Diner was again empty except for Walter and his cook.
The 1955 rusty Ford sedan and 1962 Ford Galaxy convertible parked was again parked the far end of the lot.
The front doors of the Diner again had the "Closed" sign and the "Private Party" signs hanging in the window of the doors.
Walter and Harvey sat again on stools at the food counter. They each had a cup of coffee in front of them to help pass the time.
It was still quiet outside the Diner.
Then the sound of air brakes was heard with the sound of a Corvette engine while the two vehicles slowed down and pulled into the diners gravel parking lot
The Rocking Tones bus drove over the right side of the Diner. The bus backed up to the right side of the Diner where its rear was again not visible from the diner front windows.
Roger's Corvette parked on the other side of the bus, and his car was again out of view of the Diner's windows.
The engine of the bus turned off. The Corvette engine turned off.
The front door of the bus opened.
Gus walked down the small steps and stepped out of the bus. He stretched the second his feet hit the ground.
Roger walked over to the front of the bus while The Rocking Tones started getting out of the bus.
"I'm fucking starving," Carter said the second he stepped on the gravel parking lot.
"Me too," added Jackie after he stepped off the bus.
Sig, Burt then Delmar all stepped off the bus.
Then Danny and Cindy stepped off the bus, and they both looked at each other. They were worried what the upcoming hours would bring and how they could alter time.
"They're waiting for us inside," Roger told them while he kept a watchful eye on the other entrance into the lot at the far end of the property. Then Roger gave a disapproving look while he glanced at Cindy and Danny. He still hated them being on the trip.
Roger, Gus, The Rocking Tones, Danny, and Cindy all walked to the front doors of the Diner.
When they got to the door, Walter was already there at the front door unlocking it for his special guests.
They all went inside the Diner.
Once they were inside the Diner, Walter took them to their booths located at the left end of the building.
Sig sat with Cindy while Danny and Jackie sat on the other side of them in the same booth.
Delmar, Carter, and Burt sat in their own booth while Roger and Gus sat in the booth behind them.
Walter handed them some menus then he walked back to the counter and sat back down with Harvey. They drank their coffee while they waited for everybody to decide on their orders.
"I'm going to go get my cigarettes out of my car," Roger told Gus then he got out of his booth,
Danny watched while Roger walked to the front doors and stepped outside.
Once he was outside the Diner, Roger stepped into the shadows over by the right corner of the building. He waited while he stared at the front of the bus.
Then a few seconds later, he saw Victor walk over to the front of the bus.
Roger reached in his suit coat and removed an envelope that was tucked away inside.
He dropped the envelope to the ground.
"Texas beat Army, seventeen to six. You owe Galvin," Victor said from the front of the bus.
Roger turned. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath while he headed back inside the Diner.
Fifteen minutes had passed.
Harvey had cooked up nine Rib Eye Black Angus steak dinners, with mashed potatoes, green beans, and iced tea. After he placed their plates in front of their guests, he headed back to the counter.
"I hate that fucking rock and roll music," Walter said the second Harvey sat down next to him.
Harvey nodded in agreement. "Just like those hairy fagot English guys that are running amok in our country."
"Yeah. I can't stand The Beatles or those Rolling Stones. They're nothing but a bunch of pussies," Walter said then he took a drink of his coffee.
"They say I want to hold your hand. They're probably thinking, I want to hold your prick," Harvey jokingly said.
"Now Dean Martin, there's one of our great singers," said Walter.
Harvey nodded in agreement.
Walter chuckled then grew a smile. "But what the hell, their manager is paying me good money for this private part. Thanks to my cousin in New York."
While Danny ate his steak dinner, he kept a watchful eye on while Roger two booths over. He knew that that bomb was installed and Roger must have previously stepped outside to get a visual confirmation it was in work.
Danny looked at Cindy. "I'm going to the restroom," he said, got out of the booth.
Nobody paid attention to Danny while he got up and walked over to the counter.
"Where's the restroom?" he asked Walter.
"Right where that sign restroom states," Walter said while he pointed at the other end of the Diner.
Danny saw the sign and headed off to the restrooms.
"Too stupid to read signs," Walter whispered to Harvey.
"The effects of listening to that rock and roll," Harvey replied.
Walter nodded in agreement.
While Walter and Harvey drank their coffee and kept an eye on their guests,
They did not notice while Danny made a discreet detour and went out the back door.
"Please excuse me, I also need to go powder my nose," Cindy told Jackie and Sig.
Jackie and Sig smiled at Cindy while she got out of the booth.
Cindy headed off in the direction of the restrooms.
Roger glanced over his shoulder, and he got a little suspicious with Danny and Cindy heading off to the bathroom.
"I need a smoke," he told Gus while he reached inside his suit and removed his pack of Winston's from his shirt pocket. He got out of his booth and headed off to the front doors.
Danny managed to slip outside to the rear of the Diner. He waited in the shadows of the night behind the back of the building.
Then Cindy walked out the rear door of the Diner.
"It's done," she quietly said the second she walked up to him.
"I hope this works," he told Cindy then motioned for them to head over to the bus.
They rushed over to the rear of the bus but did not hear the sound of car tires driving over the gravel parking lot.
Danny immediately opened up the rear engine compartment door of the bus.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Cindy asked Danny while he looked at the engine.
"I thought if I just start yanking out wires, that should disable the engine from starting. Then maybe Gus will notice the bomb under the bus while he tries to figure out why it won't start," Danny replied while he looked inside the dark engine compartment.
The second Danny reached his right hand into the engine compartment the sound of footsteps was heard behind them.
Danny and Cindy glanced back and saw Bruno towering over them. "What the fuck are you two doing to the bus?" he asked and snarled his teeth at them to let them know that he was pissed.
Then Arnold walked over. "Victor said you might need a flashlight?" he said the second he walked up next to Bruno. "Who are these two?" he asked the second he spotted Danny and Cindy.
"These two were snooping around the engine," Bruno told Arnold.
"Better take them to Victor," Arnold replied.
Bruno nodded in agreement then he reached down and grabbed Danny by the collar of his shirt. He yanked him up to his feet.
Arnold grabbed Cindy's left arm.
Bruno and Arnold escorted their prisoners over to Victor's 1952 Bel-Air.
"What the hell is this?" Victor asked while he opened up his car door and stepped outside.
"We caught these two trying to mess with the engine of the bus," Bruno replied.
"Fuck," Victor called out and looked pissed.
"What's going on?" Roger asked the second he walked over to the Bel-Air with a lit cigarette in his mouth.
"Caught these two trying to mess with the engine of the bus," Victor told them.
"I knew I couldn't trust these two. But Jackie insisted they tag along. Why? I can't figure that out," Roger said, and he was furious while he looked at Danny and Cindy.
Danny and Cindy started to get scared, not knowing what they would do with them.
Victor removed his 38 Special tucked behind his back in his pants. "Want me to take them out in the woods and silence them forever?" he asked Roger.
Danny and Cindy looked at Victor's revolver and knew they would be dead in a matter of minutes. They now both regretted going on this mission.
Roger thought about Victor's offer for a few seconds. "No, everybody in the diner will hear the gunshots," he said, then pondered for another solution for a few seconds. His eyes widened. "There's a closet in the rear of the bus. Tie them up, and we'll hide them in there. They'll be silenced later on this morning with the rest of them," he told Victor.
"Search them for any knives or weapons," Victor told Bruno and Arnold.
Bruno started searching for Danny's pants pockets while Arnold searched Cindy's purse.
Arnold saw Cindy's pad of paper with the notes she took about the story of The Rocking Tones. He shoved it back in her purse and closed it.
Bruno removed the iTravel 2 device out of Danny's right pants pocket. He looked at it. "Found something extraordinary," he said while he held it up.
Roger snatched it out of Bruno's hand. He looked it over. "This looks weird," he said then looked at Danny. "What is this?"
Danny looked at Roger. "It's my, ah, it's," he fumbled with a response while he tried to come up with an answer.
"It's a time-traveling device," Cindy blurted out taking a gamble.
Roger looked at it along with Victor, Bruno, and Arnold. They all laughed.
"A time-traveling device. That's a good one," Roger said while he shoved in his left suit coat pocket figuring he would check it out later. "Get them in the bus," he told Victor.
"I'll get the duct tape," Victor said then he rushed off to the rear of the Bel-Air.
Roger glared at Danny and Cindy while he waited for Victor.
Victor rushed back with a roll of silver duct tape in hand.
"You just had to stick your noses in where it did not belong. Now you're going to pay the ultimate price," Roger told Danny and Cindy.
"You'll never get," said Danny then Victor slapped a piece of duct tape over Danny's mouth. "Away with it," Danny mumbled out behind that tape covering his mouth.
Victor then slapped a piece of duct tape over Cindy's mouth.
Roger walked off and headed back to the front of the Diner while Bruno and Arnold bounded Danny and Cindy's arms behind their backs with duct tape.
Bruno and Arnold Danny and Cindy to the front of the bus then walked them up the steps.
Once they got inside the bus, Bruno and Arnold escorted Danny and Cindy to the rear of the bus.
They stopped by the closet then they started to bound Danny and Cindy's ankles with the duct tape.
Then Bruno and Arnold removed their 38 Specials out from their suit coats. The immediately whacked Danny and Cindy on the back of their heads.
Danny and Cindy dropped to the floor of the bus out cold.
"That will make sure they're not detected," said Arnold.
Bruno nodded in agreement then he shoved Danny into the closet
Arnold shoved Cindy into the closet.
They closed the closet door and walked back to the front of the bus.
Once they left the bus, they rushed back over to the Bel-Air.
Victor slowly drove his car through the parking lot and headed back to the road.
Fifteen minutes had passed, and everybody was finished with their steak dinners.
But they got concerned when Danny and Cindy did not return to their booths.
So they went off in different directions and searched every room of the Diner.
Sig poked his head in the Ladies Room and saw the two toilet stall doors were opened and no feet on the floor indicating she was on the toilet.
"Sally," he called out in the Ladies Room. Nothing but silence. He closed the door and left.
"Chris," Jackie called out while he checked out the kitchen. He even looked inside the walk-in freezer. Nothing but frozen meats and other foods were found inside. He closed the door and left the kitchen.
After they searched the entire Diner, they could not find Danny and Cindy
The Rocking Tones, Roger, and Gus exited the Diner.
"Where the hell could they have gone?" Jackie said while he looked around the parking lot for signs of Danny and Cindy.
"Maybe they took off and hitched a ride to the nearest town," Roger replied.
"That's just way too weird for them to suddenly take off like that," Sig replied.
Gus and the other Rocking Tones all nodded in agreement.
"I wonder if they'll publish that article about us in the Cambridge Chronicle?" asked Burt.
Jackie and the other guys had their doubts now that Danny and Cindy simply vanished.
"That's too bad, but we better get back on the road and head to Chicago," said Roger then he paused for a few seconds. "And get some sleep, I got word while in the Ed Sullivan Theater that your concert in Chicago got moved up to noon. So you'll be performing as soon as we get there," said Roger.
"Noon? What kind of bullshit is that?" asked Delmar.
"Sorry, but that's show biz," Roger said then he looked at Walter. "Thanks for the use of your diner," he said then shook Walter's hand.
"Thank you," said Walter, as he liked the extra cash he earned.
Gus and The Rocking Tones all headed off to the bus hating moments like these with this business.
Walter watched while Roger turned around and headed off to his Corvette.
He went back inside his Diner and locked the front doors.
Roger opened his Corvette door and sat inside while he eyed the side of the bus. "I'm sorry guys, but you left me no choice you fucking bastards." He started up his car.
The engine of the bus started up and the front door closed.
The bus drove off through the parking lot and headed to the other exit to the road.
Roger's Corvette drove off after the bus through the lot.