you might be on to something there.”
We had some time to kill before dark, so we sat around talking about the Chevelle, about Matilda, and about the schedule for the evening. It was a pleasant way to spend the time, and it left me relaxed and ready for an unpredictable night of work.
That’s the thing about Seth. His antics are amusing and he’s got a lot of assets that make him a useful friend, but what I like most about him is how well we get along. It’s always comfortable being with him, and given the precious few people I actually like to be around, that’s important to me.
* * * *
Around nine thirty, we got everything we needed out of Matilda and loaded into Seth’s tow truck. I guess technically it would be Ed’s tow truck, but Seth was shaping up to be owner of the place through sheer habit if nothing else. I had a feeling the old guy was planning to leave it to him when he died. If he ever did.
Seth climbed behind the wheel and we took off. We drove out to the farthest car on our list, taking a route past each of the others to check on them. We had gotten pretty good at this and had a solid routine down.
Three of the five possible cars were at home, leaving only a Trailblazer and the Corvette unaccounted for. The Corvette didn’t surprise me in the least. I figured we’d have to wait until pretty damn late to get a shot at it. I really hoped we weren’t going to have to stay up until dawn to bring it in.
Reconnaissance was done in half an hour and we parked up the street from a newer model Mercury Sable. This was one of the cars I’d been able to have a key made for, and I didn’t expect any trouble claiming it.
Seth leaned on the steering wheel. “I’ll keep watch until you’re off and follow you to Ernie’s. Let’s hope they’re all this easy tonight.”
“No shit. Don’t count your chickens, though. See you on the other side.”
He grinned at me, and I jumped out of the truck. Walking casually across the street, I reached into my pocket and took out a penlight. I had a folded copy of the purchase agreement and used it to check the VIN number before I unlocked the car and got in. Smooth as butter, and not an ounce of trouble.
I drove it to Ernie’s and parked in the back of the lot, where he’d made room for us. Seth rolled right in behind me.
“Did you call it in?” he asked as I climbed back into the truck.
“Yep, on the way over. I told her we’d have a few more, so they’re expecting it.”
The next one on the list was an ’85 Chevy Caprice. Seth was disgusted. “Who the hell would take out a loan to buy a fuckin’ Caprice?”
With no keys, we had to pop the lock and tow it back to Ernie’s, but our luck was running good for the evening, and we didn’t raise any eyebrows with that one either.
The third car went just as smoothly, and the next time we checked on the Trailblazer, it was finally parked in the driveway. The bedroom light of the house was still on, so we sat in the truck until it went out twenty minutes later.
“Should we go for it?” Seth asked.
“Eh, let’s give it another ten. Maybe they’ll fall asleep fast.”
“Come on, Dino, don’t be a pussy, we’ve got keys for this one. Just go get it and let’s get the fuck out of here.”
I scowled at him. “I am not being a pussy, I just don’t wanna push our luck. We’ve had a good evening, and we still have the dangerous one to do. I think it’s worth taking a few extra minutes on this one.”
I’ve had it happen a couple times, where I’m sitting in the driver’s seat of some car cranking the key while the engine hacks away, not quite catching, and watching the house light up out of the corner of my eye. That’s when the thrill fades right off.
“Yeah, okay, Grandpa.”
“Here’s an idea,” I said, holding up the slim-jim. “Why don’t you shove this right up your ass? That should keep you amused for a while.”
“Well, I would, except that I’ll be needing it to get into the ’Vette later on.”
“Speaking of that, are you gonna be able to hotwire it?”
“Sure, no sweat,” he said. “Easy as pie.”
“If you can’t get it, you say so and we’ll hoist it up on the hook. I don’t want to be screwing around there any longer than necessary. I did a little checking on this Darryl Serrano, and he’s not opposed to causing trouble, if you know what I mean.”
Seth raised his eyebrows. “Does he have a rap sheet?”
“Nothing huge. A few arrests and a little jail time. He’s an idiot, and he pulls stupid shit like speeding and reckless driving after already losing his license. He’s just the type of moron to stand on his front step and blast you with a shotgun. Do not fuck around on this one.”
“It’ll be fine. This wouldn’t be the first time everything went right, you know.”
“And it wouldn’t be the first time we got our asses handed to us either,” I reminded him. Seth’s not stupid, but he can be reckless a lot of the time, and I had a feeling the lure of driving that flashy car was going to make him take chances.
I checked my watch and figured enough time had gone by. The sooner we got this one, the sooner we could get the ’Vette out of the way and go home.
Snatching the SUV was as slick as the rest, and soon I was parking it at Ernie’s while I put in a call to the front desk of the cop shop. I gave her the scoop and let her know we had one more to go for the night. She wished me luck and hung up.
I walked up to the truck as Seth came to a stop for me and got in. “Should we go find you a Corvette?” I asked.
“I have to use the can first,” he said. “And we could stand to get more gas before we finish. It would really suck if the truck died right in the middle of this dude’s street.”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
We drove across the street to the Hess station to fill up and use the bathroom, and I got a cup of coffee. I refused to let Seth get one of his caffeine bomb, battery acid drinks. The last thing in the world I needed was for him to slam twenty-seven grams of sugar before taking off in a hot Corvette.
When we got back in the truck, I took the driver’s side so Seth could be ready to jump out and hit the car running. Before I started it up, I went over the file with him again so he was sure of the details and had the VIN number.
“All right,” I said, pulling out of the gas station. “Let’s get this done. You be careful.”
Seth smiled broadly at me. He’s actually got a Cheshire grin when he smiles like that, and a couple of his teeth are pointy, so the whole effect is a little feral. It’s weirdly charming, but it often spells trouble.
“I am not shittin’ you, Seth,” I said, pointing at him. “We do this quick no matter how we have to, and we get the hell out of there.”
He
