Chapter 24
It was now Thursday morning, and Cindy and James were off at their jobs.
Back at Bernard's home, he was in his dress pants and tee shirt when he walked over to his bed.
He got on his knees and reached under his bed, pulled out one of his suitcases.
He opened the suitcase and removed a folded white shirt inside. He unfolded it then noticed a small cigarette burn through the hole in the left chest area of the shirt. "Damn it," he said, then dropped the shirt to the floor.
He thought for a second then he had another one of his mischievous cravings. A craving he decided to fulfill this morning. So he picked up the shirt and got dressed in it.
A little while later, Bernard dressed in one of his black suits, Fedora hat and sunglasses drove his Hudson down Harrison Avenue.
Bernard pulled his car into the parking lot of the Gibsland Mall and drove through the lot.
He parked his car in the lot close to JC Penny's.
He got out and walked to the glass doors of JC Penny's.
Inside the Gibsland Mall in the upper concourse across from Steve's Science Shop, James sat on a bench and read his book.
"Randall, where are you?" the voice of Larry his boss was heard from the Motorola two-way radio in a holster on James belt.
James removed the radio. "Here on the upper concourse by Steve's Science Shop," he answered the call into the radio.
"Head on down to the men's clothing section of Penny's and talk to Doris at the checkout counter there. She called about a possible shoplifter," Larry replied from the radio.
James looked disappointed while he really wanted to continue reading his book. "I'm on it," he replied back into the radio.
He stood up from the bench and placed his radio back in its holster.
He rushed off down the upper concourse with his book in hand.
James rushed down the escalator with his book in hand to the lower concourse.
James rushed down the lower concourse where JC Penny's was visible way down the other end.
James rushed through the entrance of JC Penny's.
He rushed through the aisles and eventually arrived at the men's clothing section.
James walked up to Doris, who waited behind the checkout counter. "Did you call in about a possible shoplifter?" he asked.
Doris looked a little irritated. "It took you long enough to respond. He's long gone."
James removed a small pad and pen from his pocket. "Can you at least describe the perpetrator?" he asked and tried to sound like a police officer.
Doris rolled her eyes, thinking James was a jerk. "Perpetrator? I believe you mean shoplifter?"
"Yeah, I mean shoplifter."
Doris thought about the shoplifter for a few seconds. "He was an old man that wore a black Fedora hat and a suit. He had on sunglasses and had a white goatee," she said.
"Black Fedora hat, glasses and white goatee," James said to himself while he jotted down the description.
"Oh, and he coughed occasionally," she added.
"Coughed occasionally," James said to himself while he jotted down that additional piece of information.
"He discreetly tucked a white dress shirt into his suit jacket while he walked off toward the exit. But I saw him from the corner of my eye while I was busy ringing up a large sale to run after him," said Doris.
James jotted that down that information on his pad. "Did he leave through that exit?" he asked and pointed to the exit off to the left.
"Yes," she replied.
"Thanks," James replied, then rushed off to that exit.
James rushed out the glass doors and stood outside by the exit. He scanned the area and could not see an old man in a suit walking through the parking lot
Then he looked across the lot and saw an old green Hudson that looked just like Bernard's car. It pulled out of the lot and onto Harrison Avenue.
James looked suspicious while he watched the old green Hudson drive off down Harrison.
He turned around and walked back inside JC Penny's.
For the rest of James' work shift, all he could think about was Bernard and why he felt like he's seen that man before. He tried to remember, but could not place a finger on it.
It was evening, and James drove his Impala down Montvale Street. He whistled to the song Werewolves of London song by Warren Zevon. And James whistling was just as bad as his off-key singing. But since he was alone in the car, he would entertain himself by singing and whistling. But when Cindy was in the car, he was as quiet as a mouse.
While he got near Bernard's house, he saw Bernard washing his green Hudson in the driveway. He wore an old ratty long sleeve shirt with old trousers. He was too busy wiping the chrome grill of his Hudson to notice James' eyes on him when his Impala drove by.
Bernard also did not notice Agnes, who also peeked out the curtains of her living room window across the street.
James made a left turn into his driveway and parked his car by Cindy's Monza.
He got out of his Impala and glanced at Bernard rinsing off the soapy water from his chrome grill.
"Hey there, Bernard," James called out while he stood by his Impala.
Bernard looked at James by his Impala. "I hate people that are too friendly," he said to himself then gave James a little friendly wave.
James got curious and headed over to Bernard's house.
"That's great. Now the shit is coming over here to bug me," Bernard said under his breath. He removed his pack of Camel' from his pants pocket then lit a cigarette. He rinsed off the front hood of his car while James walked over.
"Hello, Bernard. How are you doing today?" James asked while he walked up to James.
Bernard blew out some cigarette smoke in James' direction. "Fine."
James walked around the Hudson, checking it out. "She's in beautiful shape. What type of car and year is she?"
"Fifty-three, Hudson Hornet," Bernard replied while he suspiciously eyed James while he checked out the grill.
"Ah, yes, I see the Hudson emblem. I'm not familiar with these cars. I'm more of a Chevrolet man myself," James replied while he walked over and peeked through the driver's window and checked out the interior.
"A Chevrolet man, you say?"
"Yep, I drive a sixty-eight Impala," James said while pointed at his car with his thumb.
Bernard looked over at James' Impala. "I never liked Chevys," he said while he turned off his hose nozzle. He coughed a little. "I need to go inside and make something to eat. So if you excuse me," he said then started to roll up his hose.
James took this as a sign that Bernard wanted him to leave. "Well, I'll talk with you another day," he said, then walked off and headed to his house.
"I fucking hope not," Bernard said under his breath while he watched James with suspicious eyes.
James went inside his home and walked through the living room.
"I'm home," he called out while he made a left turn and headed down the hallway.
The walls of the hallway were filled with memories of James and Cindy's career in the Air Force. There were pictures of their tours in French Morocco, Germany, Japan, England, and the United States.
James headed straight to the bathroom.
A little while later, Cindy placed hot dogs into some buns on a plate when James entered the kitchen.
Cindy looked up from the hot dogs and saw James. "You're a little late," she said.
"I know, I saw our new neighbor washing his antique car in his driveway. So I went over to check it out."
"That's nice, so how was your day?" she asked while she plopped some baked beans on the two plates.
"We had a shoplifter down at Penny's this afternoon."
"Did you catch him?" she asked while she picked up the two plates and headed into the dining room.
"No, but the description matched our new neighbor," James replied while he picked up the two glasses of iced tea off the counter and followed her into the dining room "Did you know that Hud Hudson loved driving a Hudson car?" he added while he placed the glasses on the table by the plates.
Cindy rolled her eyes. "Let's eat."
James nodded that he understood his order and sat down at the table with Cindy.
While James and Cindy ate their dinner, Bernard next door finished eating a plain ham and cheese sandwich. Then he spent the next few minutes and wiped down the counter, sink, and faucet. He left the kitchen spotless.
The night rolled on.
James and Cindy sat on the couch.
The opening credits to Barnaby Jones that was one of his favorite TV shows just started.
Cindy got up off the couch. "I'm going to take my shower and soak in the tub for a few minutes," she said, then walked away and headed to the hallway.
James looked mischievous while he eyed Cindy leaving the living room.
A few minutes passed, and James got up from the couch and headed to the hallway while Barney Jones started a new episode.
James gingerly walked down the hallway and headed to his bedroom door.
When he quietly entered his bedroom and walked to the bathroom door.
He peeked in the door and saw the shower was steamed and from the opaque glass shower doors. He saw the naked shape of Cindy taking her shower through the glass.
James gingerly rushed out of the bedroom.
A few minutes later, James snuck through his backyard in the dark.
James snuck over to the rear of Bernard's house.
He peeked into a bedroom window. It was dark inside that room.
He snuck over to another bedroom window where he noticed the light was just turn on inside that room.
James peeked in that bedroom window and saw Bernard in his white athletic tee shirt and white boxers and black socks stand by the bed.
He watched while Bernard picked up a pair of black dress slacks off the bed. While Bernard slipped on his pants, James saw a round scar on the upper right pecs muscle of Bernard. Then he also saw a three-inch by three-inch burn mark across Bernard's right bicep muscle.
James was instantly suspicious.
Then James saw Bernard while he removed a brand new white dress shirt from its package. While Bernard put on the shirt, James also spotted the black Fedora hat on the bed.
James walked away from that bedroom window extremely suspicious.
James quietly entered his garage from the side door.
He quietly rushed through the garage and headed to the kitchen door and went inside the house.
James stepped foot into his kitchen. Then his eyes lit up. "Ah," he gave out a little scream, as he got startled. He saw Cindy standing the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her naked body and a towel wrapped around her hair.
She looked suspicious of him. "What are you doing?"
"I ah, I mean, I, well, I ah," he stuttered while he tried to come up with a viable excuse
"I ah, I mean, I, well, I ah," she replied mocking James. "What you mean to say is that you were spying on our neighbor," she added while she crossed her arms to let him know that she was not happy with him at the moment.
"Ah, yes," he caved.
"Are you related to Agnes across the street? Maybe you should go live over there so you two can spy on everybody."
"Cindy, I'm starting to believe that our neighbor is the real Hud Hudson. The public enemy from the thirties that didn't get killed like the history books and the FBI state."
Cindy looked at James like he was nuts. "I thought you told me that that guy was killed back in some type of explosion with a house?" she asked.
"I did, but there are now indications that he faked his death and lived on. And I think we have a public enemy as our neighbor," James replied and looked convinced.
Cindy rolled her eyes. "Not again, James. You know what happened last year when you thought that Penny's janitor was an escaped felon. You almost got fired from your security guard's job and punched in the face."
James looked a little ashamed when she brought up that embarrassing memory. "I know, but this is different. I can feel it in my bones. There are signs that it might be him. A round scar on his chest that looks like an old bullet wound. A burn mark on his bicep that probably was once his "Hud" tattoo," he said and still looked convinced.
"Keep this up, and that old man might shoot you the next time thinking you're an intruder," she added and looked concerned. "Have you ever given that much thought?" she said.
"Ah, not really."
"Go in the living room, watch your TV show Barnaby Jones before it ends," she replied then turned around and headed to the doorway a little upset with him. "And don't go seeing my brother about this," she called out while she walked down the hallway and headed to the bedroom.
James walked out of the kitchen and headed into the living room in deep thought about what he saw over at Bernard's house.
He sat down on the couch and eyed the TV just in time to watch Barnaby Jones give the bad guy a Judo hold and subdued the criminal.
Back in Bernard's home, he was dressed in his black suit and headed into his garage and also wore his black Fedora hat.
Bernard walked over and opened the garage door.
He walked back and got inside his Hudson.
He started up his car and drove it out of his garage.
A little while later, Bernard pulled his Hudson into the parking lot of the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) off Harrison Avenue.
He went inside for dinner.
After his late-night steak dinner, Bernard drove his Hudson out of the IHOP and drove away down Harrison Avenue.
A little while later, he drove his car down Grant Avenue. He pulled his car off to the left and parked in the grass by the side of the road close to a small white picket fence.
From inside his car, he glanced at the entrance to the Gibsland Cemetery.
Way off in the darkness, Bernard saw the shadowy figure of the cemetery caretaker digging a new grave.
Bernard made a U-turn and headed back down Grant Avenue.