Chapter 30
A little while later that afternoon, Bernard had his Hudson parked in his driveway.
He had the hose out, and he washed his car.
Wendy helped by soaping down the car while Hudson rinsed.
Agnes was busy doing her daily activity from across the street.
Today Agnes used a pair of binoculars while she peeked out her living room curtains to spy on Bernard and Wendy. With those binoculars, she was able to get a closeup view of Bernard and Wendy while they washed the Hudson.
Back in his driveway, Bernard had a weird feeling. He glanced across the street and saw peeking out her living room window with binoculars.
"This town sure has a bunch of nosy people," Bernard told Wendy while he turned the hose away from the car.
"What do you mean?" she said while she looked up from washing the trunk.
"Besides that pansy next door, there's this old lady across the street that always peeks out her living room window. Now she's using a pair of binoculars on us," he said and motioned to look at Agnes house across the street.
Wendy looked at Agnes house across the street. She saw Agnes peeking in the window with those binoculars. Wendy waved at Agnes then motioned for her to come over and help wash the Hudson.
They both saw Agnes disappear from her living room curtains.
Bernard and Wendy chuckled then returned to washing the car.
Over in her house, Agnes rushed away from her living room window. She looked scared while she headed off to her kitchen.
She got weak in the knees and almost fell to the floor. She grabbed the wall and carefully walked into her kitchen.
She looked white as a ghost while she carefully sat down at her kitchen table. Her hands trembled while she glanced over at her phone that hung on the opposite wall by the refrigerator.
The afternoon was actually slow at the Gibsland Police Station.
Desk Sergeant Wally Reynolds sat behind his desk drinking a cup of coffee and enjoying a chocolate donut. This was his fourth donut so far and would only eat them at work since his wife did not allow them at home.
His desk phone rang. He quickly swallowed his donut, then picked up the phone.
"Gibsland police department. How may I help you?" Sergeant Reynolds answered the call.
There were a few seconds of silence.
"Gibsland police department. How may I help you?" Sergeant Reynolds repeated his response.
"Ah, I want to report two gangsters that are living across the street from me," Agnes finally replied from the phone.
Wally paused for as second as this voice sounded very familiar. It took a few seconds for it to dawn on him the identification of the caller.
"Hello Misses Moore. So, you believe you have two mobsters living across the street?"
There were a few seconds of silence when Agnes realized she could not disguise her voice. "Yes, I do. Come and arrest them."
"And who might these two gangsters be? Al Capone and Bugsy Moran?" Sergeant Reynolds said and did a little chuckle while he covered the phone with his hand.
"No. I know that those gangsters are dead. But I'm positive that my new neighbors across the street are Hud Hudson and Ester Walker," Agnes replied and sounded serious.
"Okay Misses Moore, I'll send in a report to the FBI. Have a nice day Misses Moore," Sergeant Reynolds said then hung up his phone. He started a little chuckle.
Police Officer Phil Peterson walked by his desk and heard his chuckle. "What's so funny, Wally?" he asked and looked curious.
"Misses Moore called again."
"What now?" Officer Peterson curiously asked as he's been at her house for numerous calls in the past.
"She believes that her new neighbors across her street are the famous outlaws Hud Hudson and Ester Walker," Sergeant Reynolds said and chuckled again.
Officer Peterson chuckled while he thought about the call. "That's a good one. I'm ready for her to call that Elvis lives next door."
"That might be next month's call," Sergeant Reynolds replied then he returned to his half-eaten chocolate donut.
Officer Peterson walked away to the front entrance to get to his police car and patrol the streets of Gibsland.
Back in Agnes' kitchen, she sat back down at her kitchen table. Her hands still trembled while she thought about Bernard and Wendy living across her house.
James house was quiet since Cindy was over in Evansville with her mom.
James entered the kitchen still looking down. He had a six-pack of Budweiser beer cans in hand.
He saw a note stuck to the refrigerator door.
He walked over and looked at the note.
"TV Dinner in the fridge for tonight's meal. Be home tomorrow afternoon. Love, Cindy" was written on the note.
He opened the refrigerator door and placed the beer inside.
He closed the door and walked out of the kitchen.
James headed down the hallway and went into his bedroom. He started undressing out of his security guard's uniform and changed into some blue jeans and a golf shirt.
A little while later in James' home, he ate his cooked TV dinner that consisted of fried chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, and a brownie. He also drank one of his Budweiser beers.
The phone on the wall in the kitchen rang.
James got up from the table and headed into the kitchen.
He answered the phone. "Hello."
"It's me, honey. Just calling to let you know I'm in Evansville and mom's doing great," Cindy replied from the phone.
"That's nice."
"Marvin said he saw you at the mall and you looked a little down. Now, if you just forget about our neighbor, you'll feel better. So, why don't you spend the entire night working on that new manuscript?" Cindy said in her motherly tone.
"Yeah, you're right, I will," James replied but knew he had other plans.
"Good, now I love you, and I should be home in the early tomorrow. Have a great night."
"I love you too," James replied, then hung up the phone.
He walked back into the dining room and sat down at the table.
He finished his dinner and drank his Budweiser.
Over at Bernard's home, he and Wendy sat at the kitchen table and ate a steak dinner, baked potato, and corn. Their drink tonight was coffee.
His transistor radio was on the counter to add some ambiance with their dinner.
The song The Very Thought of You by Billie Holiday started playing on the radio.
Wendy's eyes lit up the second she heard Billie Holiday's voice. "I love that song," she said.
"I remember it," Bernard said.
"I'm livin' in a kind of daydream," Wendy sang out along with Billie. She stopped singing, then looked at Bernard. "Remember when we first heard this song?"
Bernard had to think for a few seconds. "Yeah, it was when we were hiding out in Florida. Ray Noble and his orchestra played it on the radio when we were in Orlando."
"That's right," she replied, then hummed along with the song. "Oh, I thought I would bake you a batch of my chocolate chip cookies while I'm here," she told him.
Bernard thought about what she said for a few seconds. "I remember those cookies. The guys sure loved them."
They were quiet while they listened to the rest of that song.
Across the street over in Agnes' kitchen, she had her phone book out on the counter.
She had the phone to her left ear while she looked at a number in the white pages of the book.
She dialed the number and anxiously waited for an answer.
An FBI field office was located in Springfield, Illinois.
FBI Agent Sam Summerfield sat behind his desk. He wanted to go home early, but he had some paperwork that required his attention. His desk phone rang. He hesitated but realized it could be an urgent call. So he picked up the phone.
"FBI, Springfield office, Agent Summerfield. How may I help you?" he answered the call.
Back at Agnes' kitchen, she looked a little paranoid after hearing Sam's voice.
"Hello," Agent Summerfield said from the phone.
Agnes looked over her shoulder to make sure Bernard or Wendy was in her kitchen. The coast was clear. "My name is Agnes Moore, and I live in Gibsland. I want to report that gangsters Hud Hudson and Ester Walker are living across the street from me," she finally dared to blurt out.
A few seconds of silence from the phone.
"Ma-am, did you say that Hud Hudson and Ester Walker are living across the street from you in Gibsland?" Agent Summerfield said to make sure he heard Agnes correctly.
"Yes sir and I'm afraid they came into town to kill me," Agnes replied and sounded serious and scared.
"Why would they want to kill you Misses Moore?" said Agent Summerfield.
A few seconds of silence while Agnes still looked scared. "Because I know something about them that could prove who they really are."
"Okay, we'll send some agents down there to investigate," Agent Summerfield replied.
Agnes heard Agent Summerfield hang up his end of the call. So she hung up her phone and looked proud of herself. She actually believed that the FBI would be at Bernard's house first thing in the morning and arrest the pair of criminals.
She walked out of her living room and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.
She returned into the kitchen and rushed over to her counter by the phone. She opened the phone book on the yellow pages.
She dialed a phone number from the book.
"Abby's Real Estate Office, how may I help you?" Abby answered the call.
"I'm Agnes Moore, and I live off Montvale Street. I want to sell my house," she said into the phone.
Back at the FBI field office in Springfield, Agent Summerfield chuckled while he looked at his phone.
FBI Agent Roger Nichols sat down at his nearby desk with a cup of coffee in hand. He noticed Summerfield chuckling at his phone. "What's so funny?"
"I had this Agnes Moore from Gibsland just called. She claimed that public enemies Hud Hudson and Ester Walker are living across the street from her. And they are there to kill her."
Agent Nichols chuckled. "Some of the old-timers would tell stories of people calling in years ago with the same claim back in the fifties."
"Reminds me of a call I had last year when someone claimed that the CIA Director, George Bush was involved in the Kennedy Assassination," said Agent Summerfield.
Agent Nichols got a strange gut feeling. "Did you say this old lady was from Gibsland?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I went grew up in Gibsland. I have an old high buddy that's a detective down there. I'll have to give him a call," Agent Nichols replied.
"Maybe he can go arrest Hud Hudson and Ester Walker," Agent Summerfield jokingly replied.
"Yeah. Maybe."
Agent Summerfield and Nichols returned to their paperwork.
Back at James' home, he sat at his desk and stared at what he wrote for Chapter 1. He had three paragraphs drafted out so far.
He picked up his Budweiser can and took a drink while he stared at his page. He suddenly had another bad case of writer's block.
He placed his fingers on the typewriter keys, and his mind was still blank. He pulled them back and took another drink of Budweiser while he tried to force his mind to think. It did not work.
A little while later that night, James sat on his couch and drank another Budweiser beer. He watched the Lou Grant show on the TV.
He half-watched the show while his mind was really focused on how to prove Bernard was really Hud Hudson.
Over in Bernard's kitchen, he and Wendy
Bernard and Wendy drank some whiskey and water in small clear glasses while they sat at the table.
A plate with four remaining chocolate chip cookies was in the center of the table. Bernard loved them, and they brought back more fond memories.
"We'll head out here in a couple of hours. It should be quiet," he told Wendy.
"Do you have a trusted fence?"
"Oh yeah, he's in Springfield. He's actually Jack's cousin."
Wendy thought for a second. "Oh yeah, Ernie. I didn't know he was still around," she said then her eyes lit up when she remembered something. "Remember that night before we first met Ernie? When you and Jack and I were in bed?"
"Yep. I still have that picture."
"I'll have to see it."
"Old Ernie's still slimy as a snake, but he can be trusted for fencing stuff with me. He knows I won't think twice about putting a piece of lead in his head," said Bernard.
Wendy looked at Bernard, then raised her glass in the air. "Here's to some more good times."
Bernard and Wendy clanked their glasses to toast some more adventures.
Thirty minutes later, Bernard showed Wendy that naked photo he had in his lockbox.
She smiled as it brought back some warm memories from that night.
"So, do you want to try it again?" she asked him while she looked at the photo.
Bernard looked disappointed. "It's no use. It doesn't work anymore," he said.
Wendy felt sorry for him.
Hours had passed, and it was a clear night with twinkling stars and a full Moon.
James brought out one of the dining room chairs and sat in his back yard. He gazed at the full Moon while he drank another can of Budweiser.
His ears perked up when he heard Bernard's garage door open.
James could not resist the temptation.
He got up and snuck over to the side of his house. He peeked around the corner of his house and saw Bernard's Hudson drive out of the garage.
He watched while Bernard, dressed in casual old clothes, got out of his car, rushed over and closed the garage door. He saw Wendy in the passenger seat while Bernard rushed back over and got behind the wheel.
Bernard drove his car down the driveway then made a left turn and headed off down Montvale Street.
James snuck down the side of his house and then to his driveway.
He looked and saw Bernard's Hudson make a left turn way down the street.
He looked back at Bernard's house. The urge was strong, and he could not resist.
He rushed around the corner of his house and headed to his driveway.
James rushed over to the trunk of his car. He opened it, reached inside and removed his Fingerprinting Kit box.
He closed his trunk then rushed over to Bernard's garage with his kit tucked under his right arm.
He stopped at the side door of Bernard's garage.
He used a credit card and unlocked the door. He went inside the garage.
James rushed through Bernard's garage and headed to the kitchen door.
He used his credit card and unlocked the door and stepped inside the kitchen.
James flicked on the light to the kitchen. He looked around then rushed over and placed his Fingerprinting Kit on the counter near him. He opened the kit and removed its contents and put them on the counter.
He looked around the kitchen then rushed over to the refrigerator.
He removed the print power jar. He shook it, then removed the lid. He placed the fingerprint brush inside the lid and collected some of the powder.
He gently spun the brush in his hand and applied light pressure on the area by the handle of the refrigerator. A print was visible.
He then applied the lifting tape smoothly and evenly on the print.
He gently pulled the tape off the refrigerator and applied it to the glossy side of the fingerprint-backing card.
James looked at the backing card and dropped the card into the box.
James repeated that same process and was able to pull off another print off the refrigerator.
James looked around the kitchen for some other possible areas to lift some print. His eyes widened the second he saw the glasses by the Jack Daniels bottle on the table.
He grabbed his kit and rushed over at the table.
He carefully grabbed one of the glasses and avoided getting his prints on the glass.
He removed the print power jar. He shook it, then removed the lid. He placed the fingerprint brush inside the lid and collected some of the powder.
He gently spun the brush in his hand and applied light pressure over the greasy print on the glass. An impression was visible.
He gently pulled the tape off the glass and applied it to the glossy side of the fingerprint-backing card.
James looked at the backing card and dropped the card into the box.
Over on Grant Avenue, Bernard's Hudson was parked in the grass by the white fence of the Gibsland Cemetery.
Inside the Hudson, Bernard and Wendy glanced at the cemetery where they saw the caretaker digging a grave.
"Maybe we can come back tomorrow night," said Wendy.
"Yeah. I think you're right."
Bernard started up his car, made a U-turn then drove off back down the street.
Back in Bernard's kitchen, James placed another backing card with another lifted print on it in the box. So far he had four backing cards with what appeared to be good prints. He closed the Fingerprinting Kit box then did a little victory dance around the kitchen floor.
He grabbed his box and did another victory dance over to the door. He set the box on the floor by the door.
He rushed over to the table. He grabbed the two glasses, and Jack Daniels bottle and rushed them over to the sink.
He turned on the water started to wash the two glasses and the whiskey bottle.
He walked them back to the table and placed them pretty close in the same spot they were before.
He rushed to the counter, took the towel by the sink, and wiped down the refrigerator.
While he placed the towel back on the counter by the sink, his curiosity got to him again, and he could not resist.
He walked out of the kitchen and headed down the hallway.
He peeked inside the bedroom he knew Bernard used.
He stepped inside the room and flicked on the light. He looked around the room and only saw a bed, dresser and bedside table with a transistor radio on it.
He had a hunch while he stared back at the bed.
He walked over to the bed, dropped to his knees and peeked under it. He saw two suitcases, the old black lockbox with the key in the lock, and the violin case. He grabbed the lockbox and violin case and slid them out from under the bed.
He placed both items on the bed.
Down on Broadmoor Avenue, Bernard's Hudson drove down the street then stopped at a red stoplight.
Back in Bernard's bedroom, James had the violin case opened on the bed. He stared in shock at the Thompson sub-machine gun in pieces inside the case. "Whoa, this is just like in the movies," he said in awe of the machine gun. "Al Capone type of stuff."
He closed the case and slid it back under the bed in the approximate position it was when he found it.
He opened up the lockbox and saw the old faded white envelope with the pre-printed Meridian Star address inside. He got curious and took it out of the box.
He opened up the envelope, and those ten black and white photos dropped to the floor.
He scanned through the photos then his eyes widened in shock and picked up the photo of Hud and Ester naked in the bed. He stared at it in a little disbelief. "Whoa! Ester was really hot back then," he said while he could not keep his eyes off her perky breasts.
James could not resist and figured this would help. He shoved that photo in his shirt pocket. He then scooped up the rest of the photos and shoved them back in the envelope. He placed the envelope back in the lockbox.
He closed the lockbox and slid it back under the bed in the approximate place he found it.
He rushed to the door and flicked off the light when he left.
Down at the other end of Montvale Street, Bernard's Hudson turned right onto the street.
Back in Bernard's garage, James stepped inside from the kitchen door. He had his Fingerprinting Kit box in hand.
He headed to the side door of the garage.
When he got half-way across the garage, he heard Bernard's Hudson pull into the driveway and stop.
He ran to the side door. He opened it the second Bernard opened the garage door.
James slipped outside and closed the door; the second Bernard had the garage door fully opened.
Outside Bernard's house, James ran as fast as he could through the back yard and headed to his house.
He ran to his garage and headed down the side of it to the side door.
He went back inside the house.
Back in Bernard's kitchen, he and Wendy entered the kitchen from the garage.
"Drink?" he asked Wendy while he walked over to the table.
"I would love one," she replied while she walked over to the table.
Bernard opened up the Jack Daniels bottle and poured two stiff drinks into the clean glasses thanks to James.
He grabbed a glass and handed it to Wendy while she walked over to the table. He grabbed his drink.
"To us," he said while he raised his glass in the air.
"To us," Wendy replied while she raised her glass in the air.
They clanked glasses for a toast then sat down at the table.
Back in James' den, he sat at his desk with another can of Budweiser beer in hand. His Fingerprinting Kit box was on the floor by the desk.
He read the first paragraph of his new manuscript in the typewriter.
His eyes lit up with an idea. He started typing on the new paragraph of the manuscript.
The "Is Hud Hudson Alive?" book was on the desk by the typewriter. It had that naked photo of Hud and Ester in it as a bookmark.