The Dingo

Midwestern Misadventure Pt 5

Peter and Gloria arrived at Rick's store. They went in the back, and Peter introduced him to Gloria. Rick was in his late sixties. He had white hair, and a white mustache. He was sitting behind a table. Gloria sat down across from him. There wasn't another chair, so Peter had to remain standing. They filled in Rick on the situation.

Gloria asked, "Will my new phone have that walkie-talkie app?"

Peter asked, "Why? Do you need it?"

"I'm part of the team now. I need to be able to communicate with my teammates."

"Gloria, you are in our protective custody. You are not part of the team. When this is all over, you will go back to your life, and we will never cross paths again."

"Peter, I'm helping you just as much as you're helping me. I may need to talk to you, or one of the other team members, and you may not be with me when I need you. Please?"

"Okay...!" Throwing his hands in the air, Peter turned and walked away from her. He walked over by the doorway, and turned back to face Rick and Gloria.

Rick said, "She sure has some attitude. She really reminds me of a young man I met, some twelve years ago now. One big difference though, he wanted to be a lone wolf. He didn't see the value of a team."

She looked at Rick.

"I know Peter is the Dingo. He denies it, of course." He looked over his half-glasses at her.

"How do you know about the Dingo?"

Peter and Gloria were at the edge of the small town, and she was playing with her new phone. She'd accessed her text message account, and had messages from many of her friends.

"Peter, look at this one. It's from Margo. It just says, 'Gloria, I'm scared. Please call me.'"

"You mentioned her before, who is she again?"

"She's the one who's dad is a CIA agent. He's looking for you, as a hobby." She covered her mouth.

"OH MY GOD! Margo!" She turned to face him.

"Peter, I wonder if Margo's dad is in on the conspiracy?"

He said, "One way to find out. Call her and ask." They discussed how she should lead the discussion. If Gloria was careful, she could ascertain Margo's dad's place in the threat to the Judge, and his family.

Margo Mason had been Gloria's best friend since first grade. She's also eighteen, stands five foot three, and is a little heavy. She has curly dark hair, and hazel eyes. Gloria put it on speaker, and placed the call. It rang four times.

"Hello?"

"Margo, it's Gloria. Are you okay?"

"Gloria? Where are you? What's going on? The security guard at school was murdered, and I saw you being kidnapped. Did you get away?"

"No, I'm still with him. He didn't kidnap me. My family and I are safe because of him. There were two guys in a car. They chased us, but we got away. They're the ones who shot Officer Franks." In the background, they heard Margo's dad asking who she was talking to.

"It's Gloria. She says she's safe, as is her family."

He said, "Find out where they are staying. I really need to see her dad. I need to speak with him face to face." Gloria gave Peter a look. She sensed danger.

"Margo, are you still there?"

"Yes. My dad needs a face to face meeting with your dad. Where is it you said you were staying?"

"I didn't say. Margo, I can't tell you. Your text said you're scared. Was that a lie?"

"No, I really am a bit scared. Nellie had a shooting in front of her house last night. One car chased another into her street. It's a dead-end... Well, anyway, the one car turned to block the other one in, so it drove through her yard, and someone in it fired a bunch of shots at the first one." Gloria hung up, and burst out laughing. She laughed for a solid five minutes before she could calm down.

They arrived back at the farm. Gloria gave her parents their new phones, and told them about the phone call with Margo.

The Judge asked, "Peter, why do I feel like the only people I can trust are all right here in this room?" After dinner, Peter asked Gloria to call Margo again.

"Hi, Margo. It's Gloria. Sorry we got cut off earlier. We were on the road, and drove into a tunnel."

Margo asked, "Where are you?"

"You don't want to know. I just hope the sirens outside won't get too close. They never seem to stop in this part of the city." It was a pair of clever lies, there isn't a tunnel within two hundred miles of the farm.

Peter wondered, "Where did this girl get her training?"

He whispered to her, "Get to the point."

Gloria continued, "You told me there was a car that drove through Nellie's yard, and another one was shot at?"

"Yeah. The one that was shot was damaged. The two guys in it were trying to carjack one of Nellie's neighbors when the cops got there. They shot at the cops, and the cops killed them. Funny thing though, there hasn't been any mention of it, in any media."

The girls talked a little about school. There was background noise, so Gloria knew that Margo's dad was listening.

Margo's dad is Caucasian, in his mid-forties. Standing five foot nine, he has dark hair and hazel eyes. He was an analyst with the CIA. He'd always had a desk job. Margo's mom had abandoned them when Margo was fourteen, leaving her dad to raise her.

Margo texted Gloria, "Don't hang-up" while they talked about school, and said goodbye. Margo still had her phone in her hand.

She asked her dad, "Would you be willing to just talk to her dad on the phone? I'm sure she'd hand it to him."

"Margo, you need to know something. Gloria's dad is involved in a treasonous plan that could bring down the whole government. If it gets out who all is involved in the case he's scheduled to hear, the damage done would rip this country apart. Next time you talk to her, have her urge her dad to throw out the case." More rustling of papers. Gloria ended the call.