Along the River Road

EXCERPT:

Cassie removed the drone from its case and grabbed the controls, checking to ensure that all switches were on and ready for operation. After handing the drone to Dylan, Cassie turned to Sofia standing by the driver’s door with her own binoculars around her neck, car keys in one hand and cell phone clutched in the other.

“Remember, once you two are in position, and I get the drone ready to fly, I will conference call you both. We stay on the line and speak only if we see movement from anyone at Gus’s garage, got it?” Cassie stated with authority.

“I’ll be able to see anyone who drives up or walks in or out of Gus’s garage and junkyard. I will tell you when I see something,” Sofia held onto her binoculars with one hand before opening the driver’s car door and getting inside. Resting her elbows on the door of the open window, she held the binoculars up to her eyes and focused them, ready to survey the scene. Looking through the lenses, Sofia stated with some trepidation, “I do not have a clear view of the property behind the junkyard. So, Dylan will cover that, yes? If anyone walks toward the back of the junkyard, I will alert you, and Dylan will have to spot him once I can no longer see him.” Sofia over-directed as her nervousness gnawed at her confidence.

“Remember, Sofia,” Cassie cautioned, “if anyone sees you and starts to approach you, get out of here right away. If anyone spots us, you will be the get-away driver. If I tell you they’ve spotted us, you get the car started and be ready to drive away by the time we get back to the car. Okay?” Cassie looked at both of their taut faces as they nodded solemnly in agreement.

Walking away from the road and Sofia in the parked car, Dylan and Cassie strode deep into the cluster of trees and foliage. “Oh, sticker-bush, Cassie, watch-out.” Dylan mumbled. Coming to a flat area surrounded by trees, Dylan set the drone on a level spot as Cassie briefly tested the controls out of the sight lines of anyone over at the garage. Dylan continued walking closer to the back side of the junkyard, deciding on a large oak tree as his perch. The tree’s position afforded a full view of the back of the junkyard without anyone from the front of the garage being able to see him. The second limb gave him visual dominion over the entire junkyard and the area behind it. Once settling in the fork of two large limbs, Dylan did a quick survey of the area looking for anyone working or walking around. “The area’s clear of people, right now,” he whispered into his phone.

“Sofia,” Cassie’s barely audible voice queried the get-away driver, “you see anyone over at the front of the garage?”

“No, nadie es invisible, I hear two men speaking and some noises coming from the garage like they are working on a car, but no one is standing outside.”

Keeping a grove of trees between her and the junkyard, Cassie flipped the control switch, and eased power to the rotors of her quad-copter. A slight, low-pitched buzz emanated from the device. From her vantage point between large leafy tree limbs and barrel-chested trees, Cassie could see the side of the building up to the customer lounge side door all the way to the back of the property. Nudging the switch a little more, the buzz pitch jumped nearly an octave as the drone jumped straight up from the clearing and hovered above the trees. Cassie held her breath, hoping that no one in the garage noticed the steady hum.

“I’m sending the drone over the back half of the junkyard, Dylan, have you spotted the Camaro yet?” Cassie’s voice sounded hushed and anxious.

Scanning the junkyard with his binoculars, Dylan hummed quietly along with the quadcopter to ease the tension he felt throughout his body perched fifteen feet off the ground. Reaching the junkyard, Cassie urged the drone slowly along the rows turning the camera from one side to the other in search of either a glint of silver or a camouflage tarp. Starting mid-way through the junkyard, Cassie cautiously coaxed the drone toward the back of the property.

“I don’t see anything in that row Cassie, move to the middle row and I will start checking the property behind the junkyard fence.” Dylan croaked into his phone already feeling the evening heat.

Just then DeWayne stepped out from the garage, his hand clutching a mobile phone, his face red with anger as he yelled, “Where are yew, yew lazy ass? Yew were supposed to be here an hour ago with mah new truck and that covered car trailer! Oh, yew better be on yer way. Yew better already be on yer way.”

“Oh, Cassie, that big guy is standing out front and he is mad.” Sofia had a sense of urgency to her voice. “Someone else is coming soon with a truck and a trailer to carry a car in. Por favor, puedes apurarte. Please, can you hurry?”

Just then Dylan’s voice intoned over the phone, “Found it!”

Cassie gasped loudly, “Where?”

Dylan: “Send-the-drone-over-the-back-fence. There-are-two-trees-really-close-together-with-a-lot-of-tall-weeds-under-them. Stay-under-the-tree- limbs-and-above-those-bushes, and-the-car-is-under-a-brand-new, camo-tarp.”

Cassie: “I see the tarp. It will take some finessing, but I think I can get under the tree limbs.”

Dylan: “Come-over-closer-to-the-fence, I-think-the-bushes-are-lower-over-there, like-they’ve-been-trampled-down.”

Sofia: “Gus just stepped outside the garage. He and the big guy are talking, well, yelling at each other. It sounds like Gus is going to get the tow truck started and they will be moving the car. At least that is what it sounded like the big guy told him to do. Tell me you are almost done, please, hurry.”

Cassie: “The drone’s right on top of the car. I’m maneuvering the arm to grab the tarp. Dammit!”

Dylan: “Steady, gyrrrlll. You-almost-had-it.”

Three attempts later Cassie was able to get the tarp pulled back from the windshield. Pressing the button on her control pad, the video camera started recording. Moving to the side and then to the front of the car, Cassie got nearly half of the car recorded.

Sofia: Aprisa, que ellos vienen! Gus is in the tow truck and backing it down the hill toward the car!” Sofia’s voice nearly exploded out of her throat with a muffled shout.

Dylan: “Cassie, DeWayne-is-walking-beside-the-tow-truck-now. He’s-yelling-at-someone-on-the-phone-oh-and-now-he’s-yelling-at-Gus.” Dylan giggled.

Cassie: “I can’t get a good angle on this windshield for the vin photo. I’m getting too much of a reflection. I need a few more minutes.”

Dylan: “Cassie, there’s-no-more-time. Get-the-drone-outta-there. DeWayne-has-the-cable-and-he’s-almost-at-the-end-of-the-fence. Cassie, move-it-NOW!”

Sofia: “Here comes the guy with the truck and the car trailer. It is that Sonny guy from the car dealership.” Sofia’s whisper was now heavy with panic.

Cassie, carefully navigated the drone out to the far side of the two trees, just as DeWayne turned the corner of the fence. DeWayne slapped his forearm as if annoyed by a mosquito, then turned back to yell at Gus to give him more slack on the cable.

Cassie: “Guys, I lost visual of the drone. I’m flying it using the camera, but I don’t know the terrain—Dylan, do you have a visual of the drone?

Dylan desperately searched through his lenses for the white flash of the drone: “I-see-it! You-cleared-the-trees. You-are-heading-directly-toward-the-tree-I’m-in. Watch-it! You’re-drifting-too-far-to-my-left. Cassie, you’re-too-high-now. Shit! Shut-it-off, you’re-caught-in-a-tree.”

Cassie: “I can’t see it. Is it closer to you, Dylan, or closer to the car?”

Dylan: “It’s-in-a-cluster-of-maples-that-are-closer-to-me-than-the-car. Give-me-five-minutes-and-I’ll-be-able-to-scoot-down-there. I’ll-follow-the-line-of-bushes-to-the-left-and-get-it.”

DeWayne, turning the corner of the fence while tugging on the cable, stopped up short when he saw the car with the tarp half off. “What the hell? Hey, Gus, this danged tarp’s blow’d off.

“What was that, DeWayne?” Gus hollered back over the steady roar of the tow truck’s engine, “You got all the slack I can give you on the cable. Did you get it attached?”

DeWayne, annoyance already bulging at his jugular vein in his thick neck, yelled back, “Give me a second, I gotta get under this thang and attach it.”

Dylan: “Going-in-to-get-the-drone, Cassie, keep-your-eyes-out-for-DeWayne—he’s-under-the-car-right-now.” With that, Dylan slid down the tree, hitting the ground solidly before breaking into a sprint along the line of bushes bordering the two properties. Coming up on the small grove of maples from behind, with one leap his outstretched arms wrapped around the lowest limb as his feet scraped the trunk’s bark for traction that lifted him enough, so he could wrap his legs around the tree limb in a horizontal bear hug. “Gee-Zeus, this-is-an-unflattering-position.” Dylan wheezed between gulps of air. While pulling his body up onto the limb and out of sight. Carefully, Dylan stood up on the lower limb, steadying himself against the trunk. Moving hand-over-hand on one of the tree’s upper limbs, Dylan walked gingerly along the second limb. “Gliding-like-a-super-model,” he murmured. Bending into a slight crouch, Dylan hung off the third limb while reaching out to grab the wedged drone. Snagging it by one of its rotors, Dylan eased his way back along the tree limbs until he got to the lowest limb.

Cassie: “DeWayne’s up, Dylan stay still.”

“Start crankin’!” DeWayne’s voice boomed across the hillside. Just then the tow truck lurched as the crank started its winding motion. “It’s holdin’! Keep a-pullin’!” DeWayne’s voice thundered above the din. DeWayne walked slowly backward halfway up the incline watching the silver Camaro sluggishly edge out from its hiding spot in the tall grass. Just then, DeWayne held up his arm, gesturing for Gus to stop the cable, “Whoa! Looks like it might be slippin’!” DeWayne bellowed back to Gus.

Just then, the sound of a whip crack split the air. A rustling sound from the grove of maples was followed by a yelp, a thud, and a groan. Dylan had fallen out of the tree, drone in hand. He rolled in the tall grass hoping no one saw him fall. Pulling out his phone he whispered, “Cassie, I’m going need help, I think I hurt my ankle. Meet me halfway by that little clearing. Tucking the drone into thick brush in the middle of the maple grove, Dylan half-ran, half-limped along the line of bushes. Cassie ran down the incline heading toward him at a full run. Pulling her phone to mouth, she spoke loudly, “Sofia, meet us at the end of the drive. You take Dylan to the car and get outta here. I’ll double-back and draw their attention away from you.”

“Hey, kid, stop! What the hell you doin’? Git back here!” DeWayne’s voice barked his orders, as Dylan continued moving without looking back. DeWayne broke into a run after Dylan. Losing him behind the dense foliage, DeWayne ran parallel to the line of shrubs trailing well behind Dylan. Tossing the drone controls into the bushes, Cassie intersected Dylan at the clearing and throwing Dylan’s arm over her shoulder, they did a three-legged run toward the drive. Handing Dylan off to Sofia, Cassie headed back down to the clearing and froze behind a tree as she saw DeWayne bending down to pull a handgun out of a holster strapped to his ankle.