Chapter 31
It was now Tuesday morning.
Over in Agnes house, she just got up out of bed.
She headed over to her closet and grabbed an old shoebox packed away on the top shelf.
She walked the box over to her bed and lifted up the lid.
Inside were a bunch of old black and white photos from a life long gone. She rummaged through the photos then found a small old faded white envelope. She opened the envelope and removed two black and one photo.
She looked at one of the photos, and it showed Hud Hudson, passed out, on what seemed like an operating table. His large nose was still on his face. She dropped that photo to the bed.
She looked at another photo, and it showed Hud on that operating table with his nose smaller but all cut up. She dropped that photo to the bed.
She looked at the other photo, and it showed Ester passed out on the operating table. Her double chin was still on her face. She dropped that photo to the bed.
She looked at another photo, and it showed Ester on that operating table with her chin all cut up. She dropped that photo to the bed.
She gathered up all the other photos except the four of Hud and Ester.
She dropped the other photos in the shoebox. She tucked the ones of Hud and Ester under her pillow.
She walked the shoe box and tucked it away back on the shelf of the closet.
She walked out of her bedroom.
Over in James home, he entered his kitchen in his tee-shirt and boxers. He loved those times when he was home alone, as he could run around in nothing but his tee shirt and boxers. Plus his boss Larry gave him the day off since James worked on Sunday.
He yawned while he walked over to the coffee pot on the counter.
He grabbed the pot and walked over to the sink. He filled it up with water, then took it back to the counter. He opened up the cabinet and removed a can of Folgers coffee.
He proceeded to make his morning pot of wake up juice.
Over in Bernard's home, he and Wendy lay in his bed sound asleep on their sides with their backs facing each other.
A little while later, back in James home, he was still in his tee-shirt and boxers. He sat at the dining room table and ate a bowl of Cocoa Krispies and drank his coffee. He had a smirk on his face while he munched on his chocolate cereal delight.
Across the street in Agnes' living room, she was camped out by her living room window peeking out her curtains. She was ready to witness the FBI and local police arrest Hud and Ester.
Then Agnes turned her eyes over at James house. She watched while James walked out of his front door with his Steve's Science Shop shopping bag in hand.
She kept her eyes on James while he walked over and got inside his Impala.
She continued to watch while he backed down his driveway then drove off down Montvale Street.
Agnes returned her eyes on Bernard's home.
"When are they coming?" she asked while she could not wait for the cops to raid Bernard's house and arrest him.
A little while later, James pulled his car into the driveway of Marvin's house located on Rancher Avenue.
James parked his Impala next to Marvin's 1977 unmarked Chevrolet Impala in the driveway.
James turned off his engine, grabbed his shopping bag then rushed out of his car.
He rushed over to Marvin's front door and started pounding on it.
After a few more seconds of pounding, the door opened, and Marvin appeared in his tee-shirt and boxers. "What do you want, James?" he said and looked a little irritated to have a visitor this early on his day off.
James looked antsy, so he barged inside Marvin's living room, almost knocking him down.
Marvin looked like he wanted to punch James while he closed his living room door.
James looked excited. "I have proof that my neighbor is Hud Hudson and he now has Ester Walker staying with him."
Marvin looked a little bothered. "Please James. Let it go. Both of them are dead. Just ask the FBI."
James reached in his shopping bag and removed the black and white photo and flashed it up at Marvin's face.
Marvin did a double-take then grabbed the photo out of James' hand.
He glanced at the photo that showed Ester and Hud naked in bed.
Marvin was a little shocked for a few seconds. "How did you get this picture?"
"A little detective work," James replied with a proud smile and puffed out his chest.
"A little detective work? What does that mean? And how did you get it? I mean, this is something someone would keep buried in a shoebox stuffed in a closet or in an attic," Marvin asked, and then it dawned on him the only possible answer. "Don't tell me that you?" Marvin said then gave James his detective stare.
"Yep, I got it from my neighbor's bedroom," James replied, not thinking about the consequence.
"The official term is called breaking and entering," Marvin replied with his detective glare.
"I know, but I also got some prints off some glasses, and the refrigerator door," James said then held up his shopping bag.
Marvin looked curious but also a little upset with James. "What am I going to do with you? "
"You could send the prints off to the FBI to verify that they really are Hud Hudson and Ester Walker."
Marvin looked back at the nude photo of Hud and Ester. "Wow. She was actually hot back then," he replied, then looked curiously at James. "Is she still hot looking today?" he asked James but was not going to mention Hud's huge penis.
"I don't know. I only heard her voice," James replied.
"What do you mean you only heard her voice?" Marvin asked then was concerned about the potential answer.
James hesitated to answer that question. "Well, I sorta got trapped inside the trunk of his Hudson," he replied and cringed thinking Marvin would blow up.
"Shit James," Marvin said while he thought about what James told him. "This could blow up in your face, and then I'll have to deal with Cindy crying because you're behind bars for years," he said then paced back and forth a little.
He stopped pacing, then looked at the shopping bag in James' hand. "Are the prints you lifted in there?"
James gave Marvin a proud nod while he dropped to the floor then removed the kit.
He opened up the box. He reached inside and handed Marvin the four backing cards with the prints.
"Okay, I have an old high school buddy up at the FBI office in Springfield. I'll give him a call. Then we'll go from there," Marvin replied while he took possession of the backing cards.
"Let me know the second you verify them."
"I will."
"So, how long should it take to have them verified?" James asked and looked antsy.
"Maybe a few days if I call in a favor."
"Okay. Thanks, Marvin".
James turned and headed to the front door. Then his eyes widened when he remembered something. He turned around. "There's something else. When Hud picked up Ester Walker at the bus station the other night. They talked about doing one last bank job."
Marvin looked a little curious yet leery. "And how do you know this?"
"When I got trapped inside the trunk of his car. I heard them mention it. You know, one last trip down memory lane," James replied.
Marvin pondered that piece of information. "I can't go to the captain with that information. Especially if your neighbor turns out not to be who you believe he is," he said then started to pace back and forth a little. "We'll just have to wait until the prints come back then go from there," he told James then paused. "Now, I don't want you coming within twenty feet of your neighbor. If he called in a report that his neighbor is trespassing on his property, you'd be screwed for a while. Do you understand?"
James looked like a schoolboy being scolded. "I understand."
"Good, now I'll get these prints off, and we'll react according to the results. And if they're not the prints of Hud Hudson or Ester Walker, you'll stop this nonsense for the rest of your life. Do you also understand that?" Marvin said and looked dead serious.
"I do Marvin."
"Good, now get back home before Cindy calls about your whereabouts," Marvin added.
James nodded in agreement while he picked up his Fingerprinting Kit Box.
He turned around and went out the front door.
"What a screwball," Marvin said while he looked at his closed front door.
Marvin walked away and headed into his kitchen with those fingerprint backing cards in one hand and the naked photo in his other hand.
Once Marvin walked into his kitchen, he headed over to his table.
While he set the cards and naked photo on the table, his phone on the nearby wall rang.
Marvin rolled his eyes. "And here's Cindy," he said while he walked over and picked up the phone.
"Hello, Cindy. James just left," he answered the call.
"Hey, Marvin. It's me, Roger Nichols. Not Cindy," FBI Nichols replied from the phone.
Marvin's eyes widened with a little surprise to hear the voice of his old buddy. "Roger, what a surprise. Your ears must have been burning. I was just mentioning you to my brother in-law. Why the call?"
"Well, we had a funny call from an Agnes Moore from Gibsland yesterday. She claims that her neighbors across her street are the real Hud Hudson and Ester Walker. And she claims that they moved into town to kill her," Agent Nichols said then chucked.
Marvin started to get a strange feeling in his gut when he thought about Roger's response.
"This is really strange that you called because my brother-in-law was just here," Marvin said while he glanced over at the nude photo of Ester on his kitchen table. "He makes the same claim that Hud Hudson and Ester Walker are living next door to him. He actually found an old black and white photo that shows Hud and Ester in the nude."
There were a few seconds of silence from the phone.
"Did you say nude?" Agent Nichols replied from the phone.
"Yep, nude. Plus he was able to pull off four prints using one of those Fingerprinting Kits sold at stores."
There were a few seconds of silence from the phone. "I think such a photo would only come from Hud or Ester Because someone would have sold that to Playboy or someone else years ago for a huge profit," Agent Nichols replied.
"Yep. That's what I'm thinking," Marvin replied.
"So, how did your brother-in-law obtain these items?" Agent Nichols curiously asked.
Marvin hesitated for a few seconds. "You don't want to know," he said and hoped Roger would not pry too much.
"Okay, I won't ask, so you won't have to tell," Agent Nichols said.
"Thanks, buddy," Marvin said and looked a little relieved.
"This could be big if it turns out to be true. So, when can you send me those prints?"
"I can get them out to you within the hour."
"That would be good. I can call in a few favors and get a rush job on these. Should have something by tomorrow night, I hope," Agent Nichols replied from the phone.
"Thanks, buddy," Marvin replied.
"Hey, I'm a little curious about that photo. Ah, can I see it sometime soon?"
"Yeah, I can't give it to my captain. He'll start asking questions I don't have the answers for at the moment."
"Understand. I'll be in touch the second I get a verification," Agent Nichols said then hung up his end of the call.
Marvin hung up his phone, then rushed out of the kitchen.
James drove his Impala down Montvale Street. While he drove past Bernard's house, he noticed the "Abby's Real Estate Office For Sale" sign in Agnes front yard close to the street.
"The old snoop is finally leaving," he said while he slowed down and pulled into his driveway.
He parked his car, got out, and headed to the front door of his house.
The second James entered through his front door he did a little victory dance across his living room and danced down the hallway.
Over at the Gibsland Police Station, Sergeant Wally Reynolds sat behind the front desk drinking a cup of coffee.
Marvin entered through the front door with a plastic bag in hand that contained those four fingerprint backing cards inside.
Sergeant Reynolds saw Marvin. "Hey, detective. Why are you in today? I thought it was your day off?"
"It is, but something important came up a little while ago that required immediate attention," Marvin replied while he walked past the front desk.
Sergeant's Reynolds eyes lit up when he remembered something. "Oh detective, I had a funny call yesterday from an Agnes Moore."
Marvin stopped, turned around, and looked back at Sergeant Reynolds. "I know, she believes that her neighbors across the street are the famous Hud Hudson and Ester Walker."
Sergeant Reynolds looked surprised with Marvin knowing what he was going to tell him. "How did you know that?"
"I'm a detective. I know about stuff like that," Marvin replied then walked off and headed toward the Detectives Room.
Sergeant Reynolds looked impressed with Marvin's detective capabilities.
Back in James' home, he was in his den and sat at his desk typing on his typewriter.
He had a massive smile while his writer's block was now gone, and he was almost finished with the first page of Chapter 1.
"I'm home, honey," Cindy called out from the living room.
"I'm here in the den baby," James called out while he continued to bang away on the typewriter keys.
After a few seconds, Cindy entered the den.
"I guess Agnes across the street is selling her home," she said while she walked over to James.
"I know," James replied.
"I wonder why?"
"Maybe she's moving into a nursing home? So, How's your mom?"
"She's doing great and sends her love," Cindy replied while she walked over to James.
Cindy gave James a kiss on his cheek while she glanced at the manuscript he typed. "I'm glad you're working on your manuscript instead of harassing our neighbors."
"Yep," James replied while he continued to type.
Cindy gave him another kiss on his cheek.
"I'm going to take a little nap. I'm exhausted from the drive back from Evansville," she said while she walked away and headed to the door.
Back at the Gibsland Police Station, Marvin walked over and sat down at his desk with the four fingerprint backing cards in hand. He unlocked his desk drawer, dropped the cards in it then relocked the drawer. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Springfield FBI field office, Agent Nichols. How may I help you?" Agent Nichols answered the call.
"Roger, it's me, Marvin. The prints are on their way."
"I'll go look for them and get them in work," Agent Nichols replied.
"Call me as soon as you find out."
"Will do."
Marvin hung up his phone, got up, then walked away.
Detectives George and Peter entered the room and saw Marvin.
"What you doing here?" asked George.
"Just can't stay away, Marvin, can you?" asked Peter.
"Oh, something urgent came up and took me a few minutes," Marvin said then headed to the door.
George and Peter thought nothing of Marvin's appearance in the office during his day off. Especially since it's happened before in the past.
It was a quiet evening, and the night rolled on.
In their living room, James and Cindy watched the Taxi TV show.
The show was near the end, and Cindy's eyes started to droop a little.
While James watched the show, his earlier conservation with Marvin started coming back to him. "Is she still hot looking today?" James recalled Marvin's earlier question. Then James started to get extremely curious and wondered if Wendy still looked sexy today.
James glanced over at Cindy and saw that her eyes were almost closed.
"Yes," he quietly said to himself hoping she would go to bed.
He waited.
Then Taxi ended, and the ending credits started playing.
Cindy's eyes opened, and she yawned and stretched while she glanced at the TV. "I'm going to bed," she said, then got up.
"I'm going to stay up and watch Starsky and Hutch," he told her while she walked over to his side of the couch.
"Okay," she replied, then bent down and gave James a quick kiss on his lips.
James looked glad while Cindy walked out of the living room and headed down the hallway to their bedroom.
James sat on the couch and watched an Atari video game commercial that stared Pete Rose, Pele, and Don Knots.
He got up and walked out of the living room,
James then headed down the hallway toward the bathroom.
While he went into the bathroom, he glanced in his bedroom and saw Cindy just getting under the covers in her nightgown.
Thirty minutes had passed, and James was still on the couch and watched Starsky and Hutch on the TV.
His curiosity about Wendy was eating away at James. He could not resist, so he got up off the couch and headed out of the living room.
He gingerly walked down the hallway and peeked inside his room. He saw that Cindy was sound asleep and snored a little.
He turned around and gingerly walked down the hallway with a smile.
He turned and went into his den.
He came out of his den with a small pad and pen in hand in case he overheard some critical information for his manuscript.
A few minutes later and James was outside in his backyard where there was a light rain.
James did not care, as he had to satisfy his curiosity.
He snuck through his backyard and headed over to the rear of Bernard's house.
James snuck over to the bedroom where the light was turned on.
He got the small pad of paper and pen ready when he got closer to the bedroom window.
He saw that the window was cracked opened to allow the night's cool air to enter the bedroom. He heard the transistor radio on the bedside radio play the Glenn Miller Moonlight Serenade song.
He stood by the side of the window and looked a little nervous. He cautiously peeked through the cracked opening of the window and saw Wendy and Bernard under the covers of his bed. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed that Wendy was topless and he could see her breasts. They were still small but not as perky as from that picture. They sagged. He was disappointed while he moved away from the window.
James kept his ear close to the cracked window to hear their conservation from their bed.
"Let's go over this again. We'll head out of here around two tomorrow and first steal a car," Bernard said.
"Where did Bruno get us a place to stay?" asked Wendy.
"It's a trailer in the mountains outside Boone, North Carolina."
"The mountains would be nice for once. Los Angeles had all that fucking smog. Hard to breath during some days."
"After the bank job and our dig at the cemetery, we'll get the fuck out of Gibsland and head off to Boone."
"When are we going to hit the cemetery? We can't do that in the daylight," Wendy replied.
"We'll go out in a couple of hours. I need my beauty sleep first," Bernard replied with a huge yawn.
"Do we really have that long?" Wendy jokingly said then followed with a chuckle.
"Bitch," Bernard replied.
"That costs twenty dollars extra," Wendy jokingly replied.
James glanced through the cracked opening of the window and saw Bernard and Wendy kissing.
James then glanced down at his small pad and started to jot down all he heard.
Then he looked concerned while he glanced back at the cracked window. He remembered that it would take a few days for the FBI to check out those fingerprints. James realized that Bernard and Wendy would be gone before the results were known. He pondered how he could stop them. Then his eyes lit up with an idea.
He rushed off to the garage while he shoved his small pad and pen in his rear pants pocket.
James rushed over to the side door of Bernard's garage. He used his credit car and unlocked the door.
James entered the garage through the side door. He stood there and looked at the Hudson parked in the garage.
He removed his small penknife from his pants pocket while he rushed down the right side of the Hudson.
He got to the right front tire and got down on his knees. He started to slice through the tire's air valve. Air began to hiss out of the air valve.
He stood up, then rushed over to the front grille. He fiddled around the grill then the hood popped open. He lifted up the hood then reached inside with his penknife. He sliced through one of the spark plug wires. He sliced through another one of the spark plug wires.
He sliced through another spark plug wire.
He slowly and quietly closed the hood.
He rushed down the right side of the car to the right rear tire.
He dropped to his knees and sliced the air valve.
Air began to hiss out of the air valve.
James rushed to the side door and quietly locked the door while he left the garage.
James ran through his back yard, kicking up his heels for his successful mission. He wanted to give out a loud holler but knew that would attract Bernard's attention. So he remained quiet while he ran back to the side door of his garage.
A few seconds later, James entered his bedroom with a satisfied smirk on his face.
He walked down his hallway and entered his bedroom.
Cindy was still sound asleep while James walked over to his bed and started undressing down to his underwear.
James slipped under the covers and lay on his back and smiled while he stared at the ceiling. He wished he could see the expression on Bernard's face tomorrow when he could not start up his car.
Cindy rolled over and rested her head on James' shoulder. She gave him a little kiss on his cheek; then she was soon fast asleep.
James lay awake with Bernard still on his mind.