Chapter 14
It was still Tuesday morning.
Back on the streets of Warner Robins, Detective Chambers pulled his Bel-air into the parking lot of the Peach Tree Motor Court. He figured Linus and Kent would stop here to pick up Kent’s suit and those Greyhound tickets. The same tickets he picked up the other night while searching Kent’s room. He figured he would outsmart them.
He got concerned when he didn’t see a green Rambler parked at the motor court.
“Detective Chambers,” Officer Peabody said from the Motorola radio in the squad car.
He picked up the mike. “What now, Lester? Did President Eisenhower show up to take away our prisoner?” he said into the radio mike.
“Ah, no, sir. But I did get a call from Elroy down at Elroy’s Gas Station up on Route twelve. He put gas in a green Rambler and recognized Kent and that fake FBI Agent. They headed north on Route twelve,” said Officer Peabody from the radio.
Detective Chambers dropped the radio mike, slammed his car into reverse.
The rear tires of the Bel-Air were smoking while Detective Chambers backed the car up and spun it around. He slammed it into drive, and the tires smoked again while he stomped on the accelerator.
Detective Chambers turned on his siren and two round red lights installed on the front bumper.
He made a screeching left turn out of the Peach Tree Motor Court’s parking lot onto Route 12.
A brand new yellow and white nineteen fifty-seven Ford Fairlane screeched on its brakes and came inches from crashing into the rear of Detective Chamber’s Bel-Air. The Fairlane’s driver’s heart stopped for a split second thinking about that scary close call.
The Fairlane driver refrained from cussing out the driver of the Bel-Air, as he knew it was Detective Chambers on a critical mission. He watched while Detective Chamber’s Bel-Air raced north on Route 12 with its siren blaring. He was so thankful that he didn’t get in an accident with the brand new car he bought three weeks ago.
The driver of the Fairlane slowly drove off on Route 12, keeping an Eagle eye on the other drivers.
Way down Route 12, Linus drove his Rambler at the speed limit so he wouldn’t attract the attention of any other police officers. He reached over and turned on the AM radio. The turned the tuner until a station was heard. It was station WNEX.
The song Gone by Ferlin Musky played on the radio.
“We probably won’t find any rock and roll in this part of the redneck hillbilly south,” said Linus.
“I know.”
It was a quiet drive down Route 12, and they figured they were in the clear.
Five minutes had passed, and the Ferlin Musky song ended, and the DJ came on.
“We have some breaking news from Warner Robins. The murder suspect,” said the DJ.
Hearing that perked up Linus and Kent’s ears and they knew this wasn’t going to be good.
“From the teenage Air Force dependent murder is on the run with a fake FBI Agent. Reports are they are heading north on Route twelve and in a green Rambler. Call the Macon police department if they are spotted,” said the DJ.
“Well, this puts us in another sticky wicket,” said Linus.
“I knew this was too,” said Kent but he stopped completing his sentence when the sound of a siren was heard behind them. “Good to be true,” he finished and glanced over his shoulder.
Linus heard the siren, and he glanced in his rearview mirror. “Crap!” he said when he saw a fifty-six black Bel-Air with two blinking red lights on the front bumper. The Bel-Air was racing down the road at them. Linus stomped on the gas pedal.
Kent was pushed back in his seat from the rapid acceleration of the Rambler. He was actually surprised this dorky looking car had that much power. He was impressed and grateful.
The Rambler soon reached the speed of seventy miles per hour.
Linus glanced in his rearview mirror and saw the black Bel-Air gaining ground on his rear bumper.
Kent glanced around and saw the Bel-Air gaining ground. “Damn!”
The Rambler was now at eighty miles per hour, and the road started to get a little curvy.
Linus glanced at his rearview mirror, and the Bel-Air was five feet behind his car. He didn’t recognize the driver. “I don’t know this cop behind us.”
Kent turned around. He cringed when he saw the driver in his brown suit and brown Fedora hat. “It’s Detective Chambers from Warner Robins, and boy does he hate me,” he said and turned back around. He hoped Linus could handle this Rambler at these high rates of speed.
Linus made a screeching turn when the road curved to the right. Kent grabbed the edge of the seat and now wished the cars back in the fifties were installed with seat belts.
The Bel-Air made the same screeching turn on that same curve to the right.
Linus glanced at the rearview mirror and saw the Bel-Air was still hot on their rear.
Route 12 got a lot more country with no shoulder and nothing but pine and a few oak trees inches from the edge of the road. The palms of Linus and Kent’s hands started to sweat.
The road curved to the right and the Rambler and Bel-Air both took that curve with tires screeching.
The road was straight, but then it made a curve to the left.
Linus did a great job handling that curve with his tires screeching, and he was proud of his driving capabilities and of the Rambler.
“SHIT!” yelled out Kent.
Linus looked at Kent wondering what the matter was.
“TRUCK!” yelled out Kent while he pointed straight ahead.
Linus looked ahead, and his eyes widened in shock. There was an old truck that had its bed full of baskets of peaches broke down in the middle of the road.
Linus slammed on his brakes. Kent was flown forward, and his forehead slammed into the metal dashboard. He slumped down in his seat.
The Rambler fishtailed all over the road and side, causing Kent’s head to bang on the door.
The Rambler sideswiped the rear of that truck smashing into the rear passenger rear quarter of the Rambler.
The Bel-Air tires screeched to a stop, and it smashed into the other rear quarter panel of the Rambler.
It was quiet inside the Rambler except for the There You Go song by Johnny Cash playing on the radio.
Linus pressed on the gas pedal to see if he could getaway. The Rambler didn’t budge far, and the only sound heard was the sound of metal scraping against the rear of that truck.
“Get out with your hands up in the air,” yelled out Detective Chambers from outside Linus’ driver’s door.
Linus looked over and saw Kent slumped over in his seat. He thought he was dead.
Linus turned off the engine, opened up his door and cautiously stepped out with his hands up in the air. “Kent’s hurt,” he said while he stood by his car and saw that Detective Chambers had blood running down his face from a cut in the middle of his forehead.
Detective Chambers removed a set of handcuffs from his suit pocket. “Turn around, put your hands behind your back. If you run, I’ll put a bullet in the middle of your back,” he said.
“I won’t run,” said Linus obeying his orders.
Detective Chambers handcuffed Linus then forced him to sit in the road.
He went inside the Rambler and felt Kent’s neck. “He’s alive. He just knocked out,” he said then got out of the car.
“Stay put,” he said while he went to his Bel-Air. He sat inside and grabbed the radio mike. “Detective Chambers here. Come in HQ,” he said into the radio.
“Go, Detective Chambers,” said Officer Peabody from the radio.
“I’m here north on Route 12 about five miles south of Macon. I need an ambulance, and I need a squad car here to pick another prisoner and me up,” he said into his radio mike. “I also need two tow trucks.”
“Got it, did you catch them?” said Officer Peabody.
“I did, but we crashed.”
“In work,” said Officer Peabody from the radio.
Detective Chambers got out of his Bel-Air and walked over to Linus.
“You alright?” said an old farmer dressed in overalls when he walked over to the rear of his truck after it was safe.
“Yes. You okay?” said Detective Chambers.
“Yeah, scared the poop out of me, but I’m okay,” said the old farmer while he rubbed the rear seat of his overalls. He saw Linus sitting in the road handcuffed. “Criminals?”
“Yep.”
The old farmer inched backward. “I’ll wait by the front of my truck,” he said a little fearful of Linus.
The old farmer rushed away back to the front of his truck.
Detective Chambers stood guard by Linus.
Fifteen minutes had passed, and a red nineteen fifty-six Oldsmobile ambulance from the hospital in Warner Robins arrived with its siren and red bubble gum rooftop light flashing.
The ambulance stopped, and two hospital workers rushed out. They rushed to the rear of the ambulance, opened up the rear door and got the gurney out.
They rushed the gurney over to the Rambler.
While the two hospital workers got Kent out of the Rambler and put him on the gurney, Henry drove up in his Bel-Air squad car.
He got out of his Bel-Air and walked to the rear of the ambulance while the two hospital guys put Kent’s gurney in the back of their ambulance. “Is he okay?”
“We think so,” one of the guys said while closing the rear door.
Henry walked over to Detective Chambers.
“You okay?” he said once he saw the Rambler and the Bel-Air smashed together.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Detective Chambers wiping the blood off his face with his handkerchief.
“Who is this guy?”
“A friend of Hollister that helped him escape by posing as a fake FBI agent.”
Linus looked up at Henry, and his eyes widened knowing this other police officer.
Henry looked at Linus had this strange feeling he knew this old guy. He started to wonder why he’s meeting strangers this week with these strange feelings he knows them. He shrugged off this feeling.
The ambulance made a u-turn and headed south on Route 12 with the red bubble gum light on the roof flashing and siren blaring.
“Take him to the station and book him for aiding in the escape of a murder suspect and posing as a fake FBI Agent,” said Detective Chambers and he grabbed hold of Linus’ arm and pulled him to his feet.
“I found it,” said Henry while they walked Linus to Henry’s squad car.
“Found what?”
“I found a movie camera and film cartridges in a bush out by the crime scene.”
Linus got a smile on his face.
Detective Chambers stopped and looked at Henry in disbelief. “You what?”
“I found a Bell and Howell movie camera in the bushes and a used film cartridge plus there was one in the camera. I’m having Clint getting the movie film developed in Macon. Rush order.”
“Mmmm. Well I’ll be,” said Detective Chambers while he opened up the rear door of Henry’s squad car. He placed Linus in the back seat and closed the door. “I’ll stay here for the tow trucks and ride back with them.”
“Okay,” said Henry and the opened up his driver’s door, got inside his squad car. He started up his engine while Detective Chambers walked back to the crash scene.
He made a u-turn and headed south on Route 12.
While he drove down the road, he glanced in his rearview mirror. “Do I know you?” he asked Linus.
“No sir,” said Linus, but he did know Henry. He remembered Henry, Brenda, and young Kent being up in Cambridge for Christmas seven months ago. “So you found the movie camera and film cartridges?”
“I did.”
“Good, the film will show Kent is innocent, and this Grant Bowers killed that young girl.”
“Is that why you broke Kent out of our jail cell? Because he was innocent?”
“Yes.”
“Where were you going to run to?”
Linus hesitated for a few seconds. “You would never believe it.”
“Whatever,” said Henry and figured they were probably heading to Canada.
Detective Chambers went back to his Bel-Air and sat inside. He started to think about Henry finding the movie camera and film cartridges. “Am I wrong?” he said and started to doubt his case on Kent.
It was later, and Henry booked Linus on charges for helping a murder suspect escape and posing as an FBI Agent. But he actually hoped that this film would free this old man, as there was something about him that he liked.
Linus sat in the first cell next to Kent’s cell. He sat on his bunk and started to get a little scared. But when he remembered Henry stating he found his movie camera and film cartridge, he felt confident that would help get them released.
Kent was placed in a hospital room with his left arm was handcuffed to the bed. He was still passed out.
Twenty minutes had passed.
Henry appeared in the doorway of Kent’s hospital room and saw Kent still passed out in the bed.
A nurse walked up behind Henry. “Are you family?” she asked Henry.
“No.”
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave now.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yes. He’s going to be fine,” said the nurse then she closed the room door leaving Henry out in the hallway.
He walked away, left the hospital, then headed back to the station.
The rest of the day was quiet at the station.
Henry got bored at the station and decided to spend time cruising around town to spot any possible crimes being committed.
Detective Chambers sat at his desk, reviewing the case file on Angie’s murder. He again started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he might be wrong about Kent Hollister. But the evidence so far pointed at Kent being the killer. But he still had that tiny nagging gut feeling otherwise. He decided to wait to see what that movie film revealed.