It Was One of Those Days - Part XXXVI

Raven

Here - watch THIS!
Joined
May 24, 2001
So… we were now obviously in a very, very bad way.

Jim was captive to what had to be a very powerful criminal element, most likely connected to who ever was involved in the overseas commerce concerning illegally garnered vehicles. It’s no secret that auto theft is a multi-billion dollar industry. The movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” only scratched the surface of what truly IS a problem in this country and beyond our borders... And now, in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of night, we were face to face with the kind of people who deal in this trade.

I had no idea how these guys had kept Jim’s deputies away but after seeing Jim’s face, I guessed that they must have forced him to tell them to stand down in some manner. But – that logic was flawed by the presence of Rob, the tech guy who had wired us. HE was on Jim’s side, or so I had thought. But now, it definitely was clear he was NOT with Jim at all.

Strangely, I did not see the forest for the trees… ”And make DAMN sure you KNOW who your friends are…”

“Mr. and Mrs. Morton?”

The leader broke my random train of thought…

“Yes?”

“I think it’s about time to let you know what is going on here.” *I just HATE it when people pause for effect, don’t you?* I just nodded. I think I heard B or someone murmur a “Uh-huh” but I wasn’t sure…

“Before I tell you what’s happened here tonight, I want to fill you in on something. If you remember only one thing from tonight’s events, remember this….” He paused again…

“Remember that often, things are NEVER what they seem and people are often NEVER who you think they are. Got it?”

We nodded again, most likely in unison…

“Let me give you an example…. This man before you - this man who obviously is not having a good night – is a man who you think you know very well, right?”

We just were listening now. To hell with nodding….

“Most of you know him as the Sheriff of your county. Well let me tell you this – he no longer is the law around here… let’s just say that for now, I am the law.”

Cold fear now crept around my brain.

We could now easily see our breath in the cold night air… small white vaporous clouds were being exhaled and it was easy to see who was holding their breath… He continued… but in a different vein.

“You’ve met my associate over here, right? You THINK you know HIM as Bill Reynolds, correct?” He nodded towards Bill and Bill just nodded his head in affirmation.

“So?” Somehow, I found my voice.

“Well, Steve… that man is not Bill Reynolds either. He works for me. And on top of that, he is one of the best at what he does.” Ok…. Where was he going with this?

“You may think you know this man here, right?” He nodded in Rob’s direction.

“You may know him as someone named Rob who you were told works for Jim as a Surveillance Officer, right?” More silence…

“Well, Rob works for me. And of course, Rob is NOT his real name either but one of his specialties IS surveillance equipment – along with clandestine information gathering. But that’s no surprise, now is it Steve?”

I shrugged my very heavy shoulders… I felt even more tired now and I was really, really worried for Kelly, Brandon and Stacy. What had I gotten us all into?

“Well, Steve, who do you think I am?” He didn’t give me time to answer… but I had to admit to myself that, at this point, I had no friggin’ clue who he was…

“I’m guessing you are thinking I’m a very powerful guy in the underworld, right?” I nodded yes….

“Well, in a way, I guess I am. But that’s only because those in organized crime fear me and my people very much…” He almost chuckled with that remark, I noted.

“Steve, Kelly, Brandon, Stacy – yes, I know who all of you are. Some of my associates have been – shall we say – ‘observing’ you for some time now.” Now, fear was gone in an instant – I was PISSED. “Observing” us? Who the hell does he think he is?

But then, I realized he was the one with the men who had very powerful guns…. And, who had beat Jim’s face to a pulp. Or at least the guy I thought was Jim??? Good heavens – who was WHO???

He walked on over and stood directly in front of me now.

“Steve, who I am in name is truly of no importance to you. If you wish, you may call me Mr. Smith. But I am about to show you some identification that will answer SOME of your questions right now…”

He reached into his breast pocket again and pulled out a small leather object that looked to be about the size of a wallet. Opening it, I saw light reflect off something that appeared to be gold. It was a badge. As he handed it to me, MagLight guy shined it on the badge. Kelly leaned in as B and Stacy moved over to see what I was now holding…

This is what it looked like and what it said upon it…

3379951520342117689.jpg


The FBI? WTF???

He saw the weird looks on our faces and continued…

“I am sorry for what you all went through tonight but regrettably, it was very necessary. I am – as far as you need to know – Special Forces Agent John Smith with the Department of Justice, FBI. I am the chief enforcement officer of a very low profile Law Enforcement team of the Department; sort of the CIA if you will but much more efficient and those bumblers...”

Some sort of inter-agency inside joke I guessed?... He continued…

“My other associates here are fellow agents and for the last year and a half, we have been gathering evidence in a very, very big part of organized crime’s involvement in auto theft and transportation of said autos across state lines and out of the country as well….”

The FBI???? THAT explained the vans!

“Your friend, Jim – if you still consider him such – is really no friend at all. Actually, we have evidence that will prove he is actually one of the highest ranking members of an inter-state ring of car thieves with international connections, all involved primarily with garnering cars via illegal street races and arranging to have them shipped out of state and out of country.”

My mind was torn to shreds… Jim? Sheesh!

“Actually, Jim and two of his former deputies – and I emphasize the word ‘former’ – were directly involved in the recent theft of a truck and trailer that I know you have heard about.”

Not JIM???? He must have seen me glance at Jim, or rather, the swollen face of a man I knew as Jim.

“Oh, and before you ask about Jim’s face. Let me say this…. Jim did not want to cooperate with us when we tried to take him into custody. Actually, to say he ‘Resisted Arrest’ would be a massive understatement – he shot one of my agents before we could subdue him and even then, he put up quite a fight. Regrettably, his face kept hitting one of my agent’s enforcement batons before he finally yielded. He’ll be ok… but it’s going to sting for some time.”

He grinned at that one…

“Ok, Agent ‘Smith’ or whatever your name is… why this? Why tonight? And where are the deputies?” I felt a little more bold now.

“Good questions, Steve.” It was ‘Bill’ who spoke now. “I can only say so much but here’s what I CAN tell you…”

“This group of people we’ve been trying to nail are very deeply imbedded in organized crime. They are very good at what they do and make no mistake, they are ruthless people. Jim, despite what you may think you know about him, was using YOU, Steve, to get some very desirable cars for one of their customers. One car he needed was on the trailer Agent Smith told you about. And this is going to knock your socks off, Steve…”

Hmmm?

“Another car that I have proof he had pre-sold for nearly $800,000 dollars to an overseas contact is your very Buick GSX. Regardless what you think might have happened tonight, Steve - Jim’s plans was to leave here tonight with your car, no matter what it took to get it.”

He let that sink in… to say we were stunned would have been an enormous understatement.

“Actually, Steve, if past experience is any indication, Jim would have had you – shall we say? – ‘taken out of the picture’ to get your car. Jim had told you he was your back up, right? That he was trying to nail the Reynolds’ gang and others?’

I nodded again, my head spinning much too fast to absorb what I was hearing…

“Well, partly that was correct. He wanted to nail me - along with Cy and Mort - but what he did not know was that I was a plant for the DOJ. Cy and Mort were eventual targets for Jim’s group… it was simply a matter of time. Cy and Mort and the others are actually with another crime family that is linked to scores of thefts and even a few murders. We actually were able to keep Cy and his bunch alive but just barely.”

Agent Smith spoke. We were reeling inside.

“Steve, this is really too much to absorb – I know that. But tonight had to be the night because we needed to have everyone in one place and most of all, I needed to make sure I had my teams here too. Had we not been able to coordinate this or if Jim’s group had been successful, things would have turned out very dark for everyone at the center. Sure, most of the people here are just auto enthusiasts. But not these guys, Steve. Jim and his kind – Mort, Cy, Billy, and so forth – they are very bad, bad people.

Again, I apologize for what you’ve been through because to be honest, we’ve let you be bait. But I can assure you – we were looking out for you. Bill – there’s one other thing too I almost overlooked – do you want to tell him?”

Bill grinned.

“You mean about the race?”

Agent Smith smiled and nodded an affirmative nod.

“Yes”

Bill walked over closer.

“Steve, those guys in the choppers have some very interesting technology, including radar-like equipment that can do much more than most people realize. The lead chopper was far enough away that he couldn’t be heard but he watched our race and knows who won.”

With the grin on his face, it didn’t look to be good news.

“So, who won, Bill?”

He glanced around and then focused back in on me, our eyes locked.

“You did, Steve. Fair and square. Your Buick won by less than two-one-hundredths of a second. And when I asked you at the end of the track about who won? I knew – those clowns in the chopper had already radioed the information to my ear piece. Bastards…”

He let that sink in as he smiled some more...

“So, I guess I should give you these…”

He handed me a set of keys. The fob had a chrome Pentastar emblem that said “MOPAR” beneath it.

“The ‘Cuda is yours, Steve. The Department was just going to destroy it anyways but hey, you won the race, the car is yours.”

Kelly, B, and Stacy were now as shocked as I was!

“To make it clear, the FBI does NOT condone street racing, ok? So, the next time you and I race, it will be on the track. Remember our challenge a while back, Steve? Remember – we were going to race and Pink’s crew was planning on being there?”

OMG – I had nearly forgotten that!

“Yes, I DO remember that Bill – or, whatever your name is! Are we still on for that?”

He smiled. And to add to the surreal feel of the moment, so did the two holding the machine pistols.

“Oh, it’s still on Steve. It’s definitely still on for sure. But at least it will have a different feel, right?”

He stuck out his hand to shake mine. I took it and we shook hands….

“Congratulations Steve. And on behalf of the Department, thank you.”

A flood of emotions washed over me as well as everyone else standing there. I truly did not know what to say…

“Thanks, Bill. I guess you’re not such a jerk after all!”

We all laughed, even while we watched Jim, Cy, Mort, and the others being cuffed and stuffed into the vans while being read their Miranda Rights.

“I’ll be in touch, Steve, about the race. And I know the department will need you and Kelly, possibly your friends too, to give your statements and depositions at some point. Plus, you will most likely be subpoenaed to testify assuming this goes to trial, ok?”

“Bill, you can count on it. And yes, let me know about the race. I’ve got a trick or two still up my sleeve…”

He grinned as Kelly pulled close again, the smell of her hair now in my nostrils…

“Oh, Steve… and do I have something for you too, my friend!”

We shook hands again as well as with Agent Smith and some other lesser agents.

It was over….

“Well, what do we do now, Steve?”

Leave it to Brandon to always get us back to the moment…

I looked down at Kelly and gave in to the urge to kiss her. It was the best kiss ever and it made the night air feel not nearly as cold…

“Well, how about we go get a bite to eat. Can Stacy drive your Shelby? I’ve got a few cars to get home!”

Oh yeah… it’s GREAT to know who your REAL friends are.



To be continued...
 
Nice wrap up, thank god the last two parts were so close together.

Thanks again. :smile:
 
Thanks for keeping me up again raven, i got class at 8!

so worth it....wow! I NEVER saw any of that coming! still dont get parts...Ill have to re-read it a couple times in the AM, hopefully itll make more sense.


race yet to come? dun duuun DUUUN!!
 
Damn great story Raven.

To be continued... what?!?:eek:

Hope all is well with you now and hopefully get back to writing new stories.
 
Its nice to see you whipping out parts so fast. Fascinating as always, nice work.
 
well i'll be damned, finally a little closure! I've been reading these since you posted the first chapter a couple years ago or whatever, and you pretty much always end every chapter with some kind of cliffhanger.

of course there is that to be continued part, so I guess there could be some further twists ahead after all. Damn good story anyway. You ought to sell the script to Hollywood or something.

Of course they might butcher it like they frequently do when they adapt a script to the screen... they'd probably replace the buicks with camaros or mustangs or something to make it "appeal to a wider audience" or some BS, lol.
 
Thanks, guys, for being patient and especially for the kind words.

I hope to get another chapter or two out tonight or tomorrow but probably won't be able to get any more after that for a week or so. But - there WILL be more. I think there are about 3-5 chapters left in this one.

Also, I've got yet another story line that I believe you might enjoy even more than this one. I'll probably start it some time after the holidays depending upon available time.
 
Thanks, guys, for being patient and especially for the kind words.

I hope to get another chapter or two out tonight or tomorrow but probably won't be able to get any more after that for a week or so. But - there WILL be more. I think there are about 3-5 chapters left in this one.

Also, I've got yet another story line that I believe you might enjoy even more than this one. I'll probably start it some time after the holidays depending upon available time.

We are not worthy!!!!


somebody make this into a movie script format....5 bucks says it wold be picked up by somebody.
 
glad to see all is well with your family, i agree seems it would be a damn good script for the big screen.
 
WOW!:eek: Somebody call Spielberg:cool: This could be the greatest cult car movie of all time!:cool: Just need a good looking driver like me to play a part in it!;)

Great as always! Looking forward to the rest! Raven, sorry can't even describe it. Great reading though!:p
 
Theres actually a guy at another board i go to, Ive always pictured steve looking like him

except he drives a 65 impy SS, not a GN
 
My first post here and I do not own a Buick (Ford Guy). I first read part of this story when it was posted on another site. The guy did not know where the original came from, so I went to searching. Raven, you have some serious writing talent. I agree with the others who have said that this should be a movie. Hell it would have made a better new Knight Rider than that crap they actually made.
 
My first post here and I do not own a Buick (Ford Guy). I first read part of this story when it was posted on another site. The guy did not know where the original came from, so I went to searching. Raven, you have some serious writing talent. I agree with the others who have said that this should be a movie. Hell it would have made a better new Knight Rider than that crap they actually made.

Thank you for your very kind comments - I really appreciate it.

And, welcome to the forum. I hope you hang around because in my view, any car enthusiast is welcome no matter what you drive. (I used to own an '07 Mustang GT myself - loved the car.)

Thanks again.
 
Thank you for your very kind comments - I really appreciate it.

And, welcome to the forum. I hope you hang around because in my view, any car enthusiast is welcome no matter what you drive. (I used to own an '07 Mustang GT myself - loved the car.)

Thanks again.

Thanks for the welcome. I currently drive an 03 Mustang GT, with just basic mods (gears, chip, intake and exhaust). I stopped doing any mods to the Mustang and am keeping it as a daily driver for now. Working on getting a project car though.
 
My first post here and I do not own a Buick (Ford Guy). I first read part of this story when it was posted on another site. The guy did not know where the original came from, so I went to searching. Raven, you have some serious writing talent. I agree with the others who have said that this should be a movie. Hell it would have made a better new Knight Rider than that crap they actually made.



This is my exact thought and what I'd have said nearly word for word. I too found this on another site, and have read it all (that I'm aware of) I am a fan of all cars, but muscle car motor oil is in my blood. I've always tried to have a decently quick, if not sorta fast, capable vehicles. While I have always and will always love straight line, who's the better man races, I am currently working on a 3rd gen camaro that I would like to be a decent cruiser, bit of a handler in the corners but not overly stiff. 91 TTop RS. while nothing special at the moment, is what I feel to be a good base.

Anyway I just wanted to e-troduce myself to an individual with FANTASTIC writing talent. Its been an interesting ride thus far and I eagerly anticipate the next part/chapter.

Eh just my $.02
 
This is my exact thought and what I'd have said nearly word for word. I too found this on another site, and have read it all (that I'm aware of) I am a fan of all cars, but muscle car motor oil is in my blood. I've always tried to have a decently quick, if not sorta fast, capable vehicles. While I have always and will always love straight line, who's the better man races, I am currently working on a 3rd gen camaro that I would like to be a decent cruiser, bit of a handler in the corners but not overly stiff. 91 TTop RS. while nothing special at the moment, is what I feel to be a good base.

Anyway I just wanted to e-troduce myself to an individual with FANTASTIC writing talent. Its been an interesting ride thus far and I eagerly anticipate the next part/chapter.

Eh just my $.02

Well, a hearty Welcome to you, Doc G! And thank you for the compliments - I appreciate that. Like you, I am a dyed in the wool muscle enthusiast and I can appreciate a fast car, no matter what manufacturer's name is on it.

I hope you hang around and join in here. These are a good bunch of people and I know they'll treat you well.

Also, the next couple of chapters will be up in a week or so. Plus, I've started the plot for the next series and I think you'll enjoy it as well. It's got some twists and turns and I KNOW everyone will be surprised who the central character is going to be.... and, what that person drives... uh-huh... that's right...

:eek:
 
Top