Chasing Gold

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Alicia stared out of the car window as it sped through the outskirts of Cincinnati, before negotiating slower roads, traffic lights and wide junctions. Austin was driving, and took every liberty he could think of, annoying the locals and attracting a chorus of honks from other drivers. Nevertheless, he didn’t slow down, tearing along the roads and often squealing around corners. Alicia clung on with white knuckles, heart pounding, desperate to get a look at the restaurant even if just to make sure they were on the right track. Russo believed they had caught up by at least two hours, but nobody could be sure. It was all conjecture at this point.

At last, Old Rybolt Road appeared, forcing all the car’s occupants to sit up. Alicia primed her weapon, along with the others. They were ready for anything, hoping that the mercenaries may have taken full meals at the eatery.

Austin drove slowly past the restaurant as Russo, Caitlyn and Alicia scrutinized every parked automobile. It was just past 6 p.m. now, so the lot was busy. Alicia decided they would have to pull in and split up, move fast and with purpose.

Austin parked, and the team were out, walking hurriedly among the cars. The evening air was warm, still, and replete with the aroma of cooked meat mixed with exhaust fumes. People sat in their cars, chatting or swiping at their phone screens in pre- or post-dinner rituals. It took Alicia three minutes of investigation to determine that, out of the thirty cars present, none contained their quarry.

Russo came to the same conclusion, now gliding up to her right shoulder.

“No luck.”

“Me too. Bollocks.”

“You think he got a chance to leave a clue?”

Alicia made a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, taking her time. “All I see is the steakhouse. C’mon, just watch my back.”

With Russo on guard, Alicia, Caitlyn and Austin headed swiftly toward the mostly brown painted restaurant, taking care to recon the thick bushes that stood outside and to their right. The door was a single panel, heavy, and opened with difficulty. Alicia saw dark paneled walls, floors and low lighting. Most of the seats were filled and the sound of loud conversation hit them first. Alicia noticed the restrooms to the right straight away.

“Look for gold,” she reminded them. “Anything you can find.”

She found nothing, meeting Russo just a few minutes later back at the lobby.

“Even checked every word of graffiti,” he complained. “Found bloody nothing.”

Alicia nodded as Caitlyn agreed. Together, they took a long look around the restaurant, ignoring the waitress and patrons, before meeting once more near the lobby. As two more waitresses approached, Alicia produced a photo of Crouch and the two thieves.

“We’re looking for friends,” she said. “Have you seen these people?”

The first shook her head without taking much of a look; clearly uninterested in anything but closing time. The second narrowed her eyes and nodded.

“Yeah, they came in earlier. It was just after my shift started — about four hours ago. Used the toilet and left.”

Alicia didn’t have to hide her despair. “Four hours?”

“Did they say where they were going?” Austin asked the key question.

The waitress shook her head. “No, just used the restrooms…” She paused. “The lady though… she didn’t seem happy at first. Almost caused a scene. But then everything was okay.” She shrugged.

Alicia thanked her and turned away. Together, they left the restaurant, standing outside as the sun dropped away and grayness started to infiltrate the sunset. Lamps lit up all around the parking lot. Alicia stared out, across the tops of the cars and toward distant skies.

Crouch was out there, somewhere.

“They were here.”

Russo also stared at the dying sunset. “But where to now?”

Alicia fought off a feeling of helplessness. She would never give up. Most of her life had revolved around moving on, moving forward, chasing a better future. It was in her blood, in her being. And surrender was not a word she recognized. She had lost count of the number of times Michael Crouch had helped her out in the past. She would be there for him now.

She turned to Russo, and saw the gold right behind him.

“Now that’s brilliant,” she gasped and then laughed. “Can’t believe we missed this, guys.”

The restaurant’s side window was festooned with local flyers, advertising a martial arts club, a gym and several other social activity centers. The one that caught her eye though was a yellowing piece of photographic paper, perhaps once gold, and entitled Goldfingers.

“Crouch, you beauty.”

She moved in on the window and the flyer. It was a leaflet advertising a strip club — only 3.1 miles away! — and comprised the silhouette of a dancer leaning against a pole wearing a top hat and carrying an umbrella. Opening times and discounts were scattered around the page but it was the single line scrawled across the middle that caught Alicia’s eye.

“AM,” she read aloud. “Here is your Busch and Cardinals, a home of gateways and ashes, and so to rest at Black Jack before Eagle Springs makes us fly.”

A surge of excitement rushed through her body. Yes! We’re on the bloody trail, all right! It was the first real confirmation, breaking through her wall of sadness. If they’d made up two hours to this clue, they could make up even more to the next.

“We have it,” Russo exulted. “The only problem is… what the hell does it mean?”

“Some US city and place,” Caitlyn said. “It has to be. Just get in the car and we’ll figure it out on the way.”

“Which way?” Austin said practically. “No point steaming off in the wrong direction.”

“Kid has a point,” Alicia said, taking a photo of the flyer. “C’mon.”

They all headed back to the car and squeezed inside. Darkness pressed against the glass now, so they turned on the interior lights, grabbed food and bottles of drink, and tried to figure out the next clue.

“Not sure what he means about my bush,” Alicia started with. “Bit rude that. And what’s he mean by my ‘cardinal’? Is that slang for something even smuttier?”

Caitlyn shook her cellphone to catch attention. “It’s addressed to you, Alicia, but not about you. Busch is spelt with a ‘c’, and is the name of a brewing company. The Cardinals are a baseball team, that plays at Busch stadium and are owned by several Buschs. They’re headed to St. Louis.”

Austin needed no urging to start the car and program the satnav. Within a minute he was heading out, twin headlight beans cutting through the night. Alicia sat back, ready to study the rest of the clues as Caitlyn did the same.

“It’s a five-hour drive,” Austin told them. “At least, to St Louis.”

“Step on it, kid,” Russo said unnecessarily.

Austin was already tearing up the road, eliciting honks and angry stares. Very quickly, he’d managed to plot a route that took them away from the worst of the traffic. It occurred to Alicia then that their quarry most likely hadn’t thought of doing that.

Even better.

More time saved. The gap was closing. Austin was pushing it at every opportunity, which was impressive. Happy with that she read the rest of the clue to herself.

A home of gateways and arches. And so to rest at Black Jack before Eagle Springs makes us fly.

Even she knew about the St Louis gateway arch, the hugely impressive monument that stood 630 feet high and was clad in stainless steel. Caitlyn now informed her it was the world’s tallest arch and the tallest man-made monument in the western hemisphere. The Gateway Arch then, it made sense.

She stared out into the dark night. “Hang on, Michael,” she whispered for herself. “We’re coming. We’re bloody coming.”