A LOT OF WORK... & play too (Part 159p)

A LOT OF WORK… & play too (Part 158p)

We sat and talked for about twenty minutes and the more I talked the more I felt ‘violated’. All I’d tried to do was be a good samaritan and ended up being suspected of doing something wrong. Elle wanted to get supper started so I went and changed clothes. I was not ‘good company' at supper and when I said I was going to work on the racer she was all for it. Opening night was Saturday and, even though we’d looked the car over after the one practice we’d attended, Cliffy wanted every nut and bolt checked. I was under the rear end when Cliffy, on a creeper, pulled up along side of me. He’d noticed that I wasn’t really focusing and asked what was bothering me. I really didn’t want to talk about it but since he wouldn’t go away I told him about the drunk lady and the crash… and the accusation that I’d taken something from the woman.

At this point I need to give some background about Cliffy and his father and brother. The father ran a service garage and both his sons worked there. They did a little of everything including having a tow truck to go pick up wrecked cars. There was always a wrecked car or two in the yard waiting for the insurance companies to come and get them. So, as I told him about my situation he motioned for me to come out from under the car. When I did he took me outside to a wreck parked out by the road. I had no idea why but I followed. Once at the car he showed me that the car had run off the road and into a ditch and had come to a quick, violent stop when it did. Then he told me what appeared to be a somewhat similar story about personal goods going missing. The woman had some small items on the front seat beside her and after the accident and she’d been removed she asked if someone could find her things. Cliffy said his father went into the car and found some but not all of them. She was quite upset but didn’t make an accusation. The next morning, Cliffy’s father made another inspection and found the missing items in the passenger footwell up underneath the floor mats. As I was listening to him my mind was going 60 miles per hour. Before I could utter a word he asked me who towed the car away. I’d been inside the bank at the time so I didn’t see which towing company did it. However, I pretty much knew I could get the information from the police. I remember being somewhat excited at the prospect of having a solution to the missing handbag/purse.

Before leaving the garage we established our working plan for Saturday afternoon and heading for the races. The other guys would load the car on the hauler and then pick me up at my house about 3pm. The women would come later in Cliffy's station wagon with the hibachis and food. With some of the pressure of the day relieved I started getting excited about going to the races. The other guys were ‘flying high’ in anticipation especially since we’d be only one of two cars using the new ’sticky’ tires. On that subject we were somewhat like ostriches sticking our heads in the sand because we had no idea how many laps we could get out of a set of tires. As of 10pm or so on that Wednesday night we didn’t care.

I was at the police station at 8am the next morning. The desk clerk was reluctant to give out any information about either of the cars. I was about to leave when one of the cops going off duty stopped by and asked why I wanted to know. I explained to him my situation and my thoughts about searching the car. Much to my surprise, he offered to go with me. I suppose I could have found it on my own since there were really only two towing companies in town but I was glad he was with me. On our way I told him about Cliffy’s father and what he’d said. He asked if it was the same Cliff who owned race cars and had raced them at the local track. When I told him it was we ‘bonded’ right then and there. I told him I was a partner with the man’s son in a modified class race car that would be racing on Saturday night. He was disappointed that we wouldn’t be racing at the local track but said he’d try to get to the races to take a look at it.

The car we were looking for was right out in front of the big barn that served as the office for the junk yard. I’d only seen the two crashed cars joined together at the entrance to the bank parking lot and was somewhat taken aback by how far the other car had penetrated the driver’s door of the drunk lady. The cop got out and went right to the passenger door and opened it. I stood behind him as he started reaching around on the floor and up under the dash and within seconds he pulled out a leather purse/handbag.  I wanted to let out a big yell but stifled it. I remember my knees being weak as he opened it to look inside. Bret had told me the woman’s name so when the cop read the name on the ID I knew I was home free. We chatted for a minute and he surmised that the bag being leather and being on leather seats, went sliding forward with the sudden stop the car made. He agreed to take it back to the police station and write the report.

As soon as I got to my desk I called Elle. I told her to “find a home for the kids” for the night because I was taking her out to dinner to celebrate. I explained everything from Cliffy’s involvement from the night before right up to the cop and I going to the wreck and finding the missing item. I could hear her voice pick up as well and as she hung up the phone told me “not to tarry”. I had a good idea what she was alluding to and had no intention of ‘tarrying’. Bret could see that I was ‘hyper’ and asked why. I’d decided not to say much, if anything, about the whole incident and wasn’t going to do it then. I told him that it was just that it was a glorious day, smiled and then tried to get to work on finding a blanket supplier.

To be continued…