Chapter 26
It was now Saturday morning, and James walked out of his front door in his security guard uniform.
He headed off to his Impala, parked next to Cindy's Monza.
Cindy was inside sleeping late since she did not have to work on Saturday.
He got inside his Impala and started it up.
James backed his Impala down the driveway and into the street.
He turned left drove off down Montvale.
He eyed Bernard's house while he drove past it.
Later that morning, James moped around the lower concourse, where few were visible shopping. He was still disappointed with himself for chickening out last night with trying to lift some of Bernard's prints.
Back at Bernard's home, he entered his garage from the kitchen door and wore that stolen white dress shirt, dress slacks, and a black Fedora hat. His garage was bare except for a shovel that leaned against a corner on the back wall.
He walked over and opened up the garage door.
He went back to his Hudson and got behind the wheel. He started up his car and drove out of the garage.
Back at the upper concourse of the mall, James moped around the patrons that shopped.
Bernard looked like he was on a mission while he drove his Hudson down another Gibsland city street.
Back at the mall, James sat on a bench and drank some coffee. He was in deep thought about his neighbor.
Bernard drove his Hudson down Grant Avenue.
He pulled into the parking lot of the Gibsland Cemetery then parked in the first available parking spot.
He got out of his car and walked off to the entrance of the cemetery.
Back in the upper concourse of the mall, James sat alone in Dirk's Delightful Donut Shop. He munched on a white frosted donut while he drank another cup of coffee.
Back at the Gibsland Cemetery, Bernard walked through the grounds and checked out all the headstones.
He stopped and scanned the area over. He looked a little lost. "Where the hell was it?" he asked himself.
Bernard walked off and walked past a headstone for "Homer Randall." The name on that headstone did not have any meaning even though it should have.
He walked around some more then eventually stopped at a headstone that looked familiar. This headstone was for "Jimmy Peabody, Born August 4, 1883, and Died June 8, 1908."
Bernard smiled down at the cemetery. "It's good to see you again, old friend. I hope you enjoyed your forty-five-year rest," he said then scanned the cemetery over like he was casing the place.
He looked back down at the gravesite. "I'll be back, so don't you go anywhere," he said then he walked away with a hint of a smile on his face.
Way off in Oklahoma on Interstate 40 a Greyhound bus raced east down the hallway.
Inside the bus, Wendy sat by the window and read the "Is Hud Hudson Alive?" Book. She turned to the next page and saw the mug shots of Hud, Ester, Jack, Willie, and Harold.
She rubbed her chin while she looked at those pictures. She also smiled as those faces brought back some fond memories.
"Attention travelers, we'll be arriving in Oklahoma City in fifteen minutes. For those of you that will be continuing with us, we'll be departing for Cincinnati an hour after we arrive. That should be enough time to get some breakfast," the bus driver said over the loudspeakers of the bus.
Wendy turned the page and continued reading the book while the bus raced down the Interstate.
She then saw the photos that that reporter took during a bank job. It was in the newspapers and showed Hud, with the potato sack in hand, and Harold when they ran out of the bank. Then the other photo showed Willie when he ran out of the bank with his Thompson gun in hand.
Back inside the Security Office of the Gibsland Mall, James sat at a desk that had numerous monitors. He watched the monitors that showed the patrons of the mall in various locations on the lower and upper concourses.
Back at Bernard's home, he again washed his Hudson in his driveway.
He sensed something while he washed the trunk of his car. He looked across the street at Agnes' home.
He spotted her peeking out her living room window. He stopped washing his car and gave her his standard evil stare. "Who the fuck is that old hag?" he asked himself.
The curtains of Agnes living room window quickly closed.
Bernard returned to washing his car.
He did not notice Agnes' eyes that took another discreet peek out her living room curtains.
Back in Agnes' home, she looked a little worried while she discreetly eyed Bernard washing his car. "Could that be him?" she asked herself then walked away from the window and still looked concerned.
The afternoon rolled around, and another Greyhound bus was now heading north on Interstate 44 in Oklahoma. It was fifteen miles south of Joplin, Missouri.
Inside the bus, Wendy sat by the window and continued to read the "Is Hud Hudson Alive?" Book. She was three-quarters of the way through the book and really enjoyed it.
The bus headed north on the Interstate and entered the Joplin city limits.
Then the engine of the bus made a strange mechanical sound. It made a popping sound, and the bus started slowing down. The bus driver slowed the bus down some more. Then he pulled the bus into the emergency shoulder with the engine making more strange popping sounds.
The bus stopped on the emergency shoulder.
"I'm sorry folks, but it appears that we have some mechanical issues with the bus. Please remain seated until another bus can take everybody into the station at Joplin," the bus driver said from the loudspeaker.
The door to the bus opened, and the driver got out.
The sounds of the disappointed people were heard throughout the bus.
Wendy continued to read her book while the bus driver was visible while he walked to the rear of the bus.
The evening rolled around, and James drove his Impala back down his new path home.
While he drove past Bernard's home, he glanced and saw it looked quiet inside. He wondered what his neighbor was doing at this exact moment.
He looked determined while he pulled left into his driveway and parked next to Cindy's Monza.
He got out of his car and discreetly eyed Bernard's home while he walked to his front door.
The night soon arrived, and after dinner, James and Cindy sat in the living room and watch The Love Boat TV show.
"Oh, by the way, since Doctor Spangler is closing his office down on Monday and Tuesday for a little vacation. I thought I would run up to see mom for a few days over in Evansville," Cindy told James.
"Okay," James replied, but what he said went in one ear and out the other since he was in deep thought about Bernard.
Over in Bernard' home, he relaxed in his bed while a transistor radio played the Glenn Miller's In The Mood song. He moved his feet to the rhythm of the swing song.
The phone from the kitchen was heard ringing.
Bernard got up and walked out of the living.
He walked down the hallway and into the kitchen where the phone still rang.
He walked over to the phone on the wall.
"Hello," he answered the call.
"It's me, Wendy," she said from the phone.
"Are you in town already?"
"No, our bus broke down outside Joplin, Missouri. I'm still here as I missed another bus to Saint Louis. The next one doesn't leave until the morning. I should be there tomorrow night."
Bernard looked disappointed. "Okay, call me when you arrive tomorrow night," he said.
"I will," she said then hung up her end of the call.
Bernard hung up his phone, then walked to the table and grabbed the Jack Daniels whiskey bottle. He looked at the bottle and saw it only had about two ounces left. He opened it up and drank the rest of the booze.
He walked over to the door and opened it and stepped inside his garage.
Bernard walked through the garage and went out the side door.
Once he was outside, he walked down to the metal garbage can by the front corner of the garage.
He opened up the can and dropped the bottle on top of the garbage bags inside.
He walked back to the side door and went back inside his garage.
Hours had passed, and it was in the middle of the night.
In James' bedroom, Cindy was sound asleep under the covers.
James lay awake and glanced over at her. She snored a little, so he felt the coast was clear.
He carefully got out from under the covers then gingerly walked to the door of the bedroom.
James snuck out of the side door of his garage. He rushed down his garage and then to his backyard.
James rushed through his backyard then headed over to Bernard's house.
He then snuck through Bernard's backyard, going past the first bedroom that was dark inside.
He snuck over to the bedroom with a light on. He peeked in the window and saw Bernard on his bed. He smoked a Camel while he cleaned his Colt 45 pistol while in deep thought.
James cautiously walked off and headed over to the side of Bernard's garage.
He saw the metal garbage can down by the front of the garage. He rushed down to it.
James lifted the lid of the garbage can and peeked inside at the trash.
He got a shiver at the sight of the trash. He got brave and started to rummage through the garbage.
Inside Bernard's home, he walked down the hallway with a white towel in hand.
He headed into the kitchen.
Out by the side of the garage, James found that empty Jack Daniels bottle inside the garbage can. He removed it with a satisfying smile.
Inside the garage, Bernard entered with that white towel in hand. He walked over to his Hudson and started to wipe down the hood.
While he wiped down the hood, he heard the lid to his garbage can being dropped and hitting the can.
He got suspicious and rushed over to the side door of the garage.
Bernard went out the side door and cautiously stepped outside.
He looked the area over and did not see anybody. But it was dark.
He spotted the lid to the garbage can on the ground by the can.
He rushed to the rear of his house and scanned his backyard.
He spotted James while he disappeared around the side of his own garage.
Bernard looked pissed while he walked back down the side of his garage and to the garbage can. He reinstalled the lid then picked up his garbage can.
He carried the can over to the side door.
He went back inside the garage with the garbage can.
James looked so proud of himself while he rushed into his garage.
He rushed over to the workbench with the Jack Daniels bottle in hand. He flicked on the light above the workbench.
He reached under the bench and removed Steve's Science Shop shopping bag. He removed his Fingerprinting Kit box.
He opened up the box and removed the contents.
Bernard was pissed then he walked back into his bedroom and over to his bed.
He grabbed his Colt 45 pistol off the bed, shoved it in the back of his pants and walked out of the room.
Over in James' garage, he dusted the flat surfaces of the Jack Daniels bottle for prints.
Outside, Bernard snuck through his backyard and headed to James' garage.
Once he got to the side door of James' garage, he removed his Colt 45 from the back of his pants. Bernard had the desire to kill in his eyes while he eyed James' side door. Then he thought some more about what he was doing. He shoved his Colt 45 back into the back of his pants.
He headed off back to his backyard.
Inside James' garage, he looked disappointed when he cannot find any good prints off the Jack Daniels bottle.
He walked away from the bench over and discarded the bottle into his metal trash can.
He moped over to the door, flicked off the light, and went inside the kitchen.
Over at the bus station in Joplin, Missouri, Wendy sat in a chair in the waiting area for the next bus to depart for Saint Louis at 6:00 a.m. She nodded off asleep and looked so uncomfortable.