The Interstellar Police Force, Book One: The Historic Mission by Raymond Klein (ebook reader 7 inch txt) 📕

“Twinkie?” he asked. “What is this?”

“It’s my part of the rent.”

“No, Twinkie,” Jeff said, handing it back to her. “No! We can’t take this!”

“No, I insist,” she said, refusing to take it back. “I feel like a mooch, please take it.”

“Twinkie, you do so much for us, this is not necessary.”

“Yes, it is. And I’m also going to start looking for a job, a different one!” She looked at Jeff, “So I can pay the bill for this really cool phone.” She turned to Genghis and held the smartphone out to him. “What do yah think, Genghis? Pretty cool huh!” Genghis instinctively started to sniff the phone. Why? He wasn’t sure. Smells like plastic.

Chapter Forty-Six

Bollar left his meeting with Prodor Moffit feeling very uneasy. What was with all the interest  in his next job, he thought as he drove back toward Old Town. Was Prodor planning on sending one of his cronies to try to get rid of him? Murray perhaps? Maybe even Taylor the Rodent? No, not him! He wouldn’t know which end of the gun to use.

Was Moffit going to make sure the local police were waiting for him? But why? He wasn’t a threat to Prodor. Not a threat to his warehouse operation and not a threat to his extra-curricular activities. Or was he?

He did see the Rodent opening a door leading to the basement in Moffit’s building and stupidly asked what was stored there. Moffit replied that he had some friends down there and would he like to have a look? Bollar had a very good idea what went on down there and thought it best not to know.

Colus Valda was out of the picture, but what of the others? He chose not to keep in contact with them, Valda was enough. But was Prodor systematically getting rid of the rest of the inmates that escaped with them? Was he the last? Maybe it was time to try to contact one of the others.

Bollar drove into Old Town and couldn’t help himself. He took a left turn onto Third Avenue to drive past the antique store. He slowed and looked through the large front window of the store, Fine Antiques On Third. It was very busy. He knew who was working at this particular time of day. A woman in her early forties by the name of Janice and a younger man, Michael. Their shift would end at 5 pm, and they would be replaced by the owner and another woman who would take over until closing. But this was the time he would hit the store. An older woman and younger man would be much easier to control. The store was on the corner of Third Avenue and Grant Street, and as he drove by he took a left on Grant to check the side of the building. As he passed, he saw no windows and only one back door.

Bollar continued down Grant, satisfied with his drive-by of the store, when he noticed someone. She was talking to a tall lanky black man on the opposite side of the street. She was familiar. Why? Where had he seen her before? Then he remembered. She was the girl who propositioned him that night when he was walking out of the park. It looked as if she was at it again. Then, to his amazement, he saw the white vehicle that the IPF agent drove. It was coming up the road toward him. Bollar didn’t panic, as he was fairly certain that the agent didn’t know what he was driving. He pulled to the curb so the agent could drive on by. But the agent didn’t, he too pulled to the curb not thirty feet from him on the other side of the road, which caused him much concern. Did the agent know the vehicle he was driving? Did the agent know what he looked like? Was the agent going to exit his vehicle and approach him? Try to arrest him? He reached for his A-56 Auto Loader and switched the safety off.

But then, the girl walked away from the man she was talking to, seemingly in a huff, and walked in the direction of the agent. She walked up to the vehicle and then she did something that utterly shocked Bollar – she opened the passenger door and got in! She didn’t proposition the driver, didn’t even seem to talk to him. She just climbed right in. She knows him!

Then the agent, the girl, and the humane canine pulled from the curb and slowly entered traffic. Bollar watched as they drove by him. He got a good look at the agent as he passed, while the agent in turn paid him no attention. So he didn’t know who he was. But then the canine turned, and at first Bollar thought the animal was looking right at him, but he quickly realized it was instead watching the man cross the street. Bollar thought about following the agent's vehicle, but knew that agent's were highly trained and would notice a tail no matter what precautions he took. But then an idea came to Bollar.

He eased his car forward along the curb about twenty feet and stopped. “Excuse me, Buddy?” He waited until the man he was calling turned in his direction. “Do you know that girl?” he asked Billy Bourbon. “The one you were just talking to?”

Billy walked up to the car and leaned his elbows on the open passenger-side window. “Yeah, I do. Why? You in need for a little companionship?”

“Well to be honest, friend, it’s not her I’m interested in.”

“Oh! I get where you coming from, friend.” Billy straightened up. “I have many working for me.” He casually looked around, then leaned in again. “In fact, I have this nice strapping young man that I can set up for you. No problem a‘tall.”

Bollar understood the mistake immediately and rolled his