It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week we learned that the Escalade was purchased by a widow and since Cortez’s men have it and it was not reported stolen; only two states of nature can exist. 1. The widow is in cahoots with Cortez’s men. 2. The widow is no longer with us. Mike (The FBI agent) has called the Reno PD to check on the widow. In the meantime, our boys have sophisticated software to try and locate the Escalade. They are sitting in Mike Moore’s car, so we should go there and see what’s going on. It will be cramped, but we can all fit in. (This is fiction, after all)

 

“Anything on the Escalade yet?”

“Yes, but hold on. Here’s a call from the Reno PD. This is Agent Moore. Uh Huh. Yup. Okay then, Thank you.”

“What’s going on.”

“Ms. Tounsand was found in her bedroom. Looks like foul play. They’ll know more after the autopsy.”

“That’s a kick to the heart.”

“Yeah, I know. The poor old lady didn’t deserve that kind of ending. On a brighter note, I think we have a location for the Escalade.”

“That is great. How did you do that?”

“The Escalade is equipped with On-Star, and it is a matter of locking into the GPS feature. It took a little time, and we were lucky to have the VIN number. Otherwise, it would have been impossible.”

“So, where is it?”

“Let me see. It looks like it’s sitting in Squaw Valley.”

“Could it be near Cortez’s place? “

“We could only wish it was in his garage.”

“We could never be that lucky.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Let me pull up Cortez’s address and see how different it is from the address indicated on the screen.”

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

“Bingo. I can’t believe it. The damn thing is parked at his house.”

“We gotta get there.”

“We need back up. Hold on, let me call in a team. Also, we will need a warrant. I’ve got someone who can get that. One second, Larry. Hello Morris. Yeah, I’m going to need a team to help serve a warrant. Make it ten. I also need the warrant to be a search and arrest for suspicion of kidnapping. Yes, the perp has crossed state lines from Nevada to California and has three individuals, including ADA Thomas. Yeah, I know it’s amazing. Here’s the address. 7621 Country Club estates Squaw Valley California. The Owner’s name is Cortez. No, we don’t need local support. This is a federal matter. Okay then. Call me back when the team is ready to hit the road. I’m going to the location to make sure no one leaves. Tell the team we need them as soon as possible. Okay, thanks, Moore out.”

“Wow. I guess we are in it.”

“Yes. Let’s hope we are not too late.”

“Why on Earth would Cortez allow those thugs to come to his house?”

“That is very strange, and I have no answer.”

“He’s got to know that Escalade is stolen and that we can track it.’

“Maybe he doesn’t think anyone knows about it being stolen. You know it was plain luck we got that receipt and were able to see the video at the Chick-Fil-A.”

“I suppose you are right. There’s no reason to believe we had luck on our side. Those guys did burn the receipt.”

“May not be luck.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, never mind. I was just thinking about my wife, Gloria.”

“I’m confused.”

“Forget it. Let’s get rolling.”

 

It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week we found out that the light-colored Escalade used by Cortez’s thugs didn’t have any reports of being stolen. The plate on it belonged to a Prius. There was one Escalade stolen in LA, but it was black. We did speculate that it would be easy to repaint the car, but that was just a red herring. There was also a dealer name on the license plate surround. Our gang is off to visit the dealer to see if there is any information that can be found about the car. I see they are all at the dealer’s place, so we better get over there to check it out.

 

“Yes, that looks like an Escalade we sold. Let me check the records.”

“We’ll wait.”

“I can check them right here on my computer.”

“Of course.”

“Yes, that is a very unusual color. Inspiration crème. It was sold two weeks ago to a local person. A good customer. I have the name and address.”

“That would be great if you could let us have it.”

“You do know that we need to protect our customer information.”

“I understand. This is a matter of life or death. I could get a warrant.”

“No, no, that won’t be necessary. Her name is Shirley Tounsand.”

“Her name?”

“Yes, Miss Tounsand has bought many vehicles from us.”

“Miss Tounsand?”

“She is a widow and likes to get a car every couple of years.”

“So that is a 2020?”

“Yes, it was left in inventory, so we gave her a great buy.”

“I will need the VIN number.”

“VIN number. What for?”

“We believe this vehicle was involved in a kidnapping. The Vin will allow us to access the GPS and perhaps locate it.”

“You don’t believe Miss Thousand is involved, do you?”

“Let’s hope not, but in any case, she might be in danger. Could we have her address, please?”

“Yes, here it is.”

“Do you happen to have her phone number as well?”

“Yes. It is on that paper. Do me a favor.”

“Sure, What?”

“Let me know she’s okay.”

“We can do that. Thank you.”

“Hey, Mike?”

“Yes, Larry.”

“Let’s go outside.”

“Thank you for the information. We’ll be in touch. After you, Larry.”

“I don’t want to alarm anyone, but I have some concern for that widow.”

“Yeah, no kidding. I’m calling her now. The phone is ringing.”

“I hope she picks up.”

“Still ringing. Ah, to voice mail.”

“Hang up.”

“Gotcha.”

“We need to send someone over there for a welfare check. Knowing these guys, the widow could be in trouble.”

“Let me call the Reno PD.”