Road Trip (2018 Wattys Long List)

Chapter 24

Dan drove all night, hoping to catch up to his quarry in Calgary before they had time to move on again. So far they had managed to stay one step ahead of him at every turn. Now he hoped that he would change all of that.

It was nine am in the morning when his cell phone rang. Not many people had his number and he hoped that it was someone he had talked to recently, someone with new information on the case.

"Hello. Dan Colbeck, Glenwood Police Department".

"Dan! This is the chief. Peters. "These people back here who have a parent still missing, are really chewing on my ass. This is killing me, Dan. Where are you? What have you got?"

"Well, I'm just getting into Calgary, boss. I hope to stop these folks right here. Today. I know I've gone a lot further afield than we expected and this is taking a bit longer than we thought it would. The old codgers keep giving me the slip. They are a lot smarter than we thought I've come a long way I now know. It is what it mischief, and that is where it stands, as of now," Dan tried to explain himself.

"I don't give a shit why you haven't been able to catch them, just get it done! We pay you enough, surely you can find a bunch of elderly people, from an old folks home. If you can't, I'll get someone who can."

Damn, what a mess this was becoming. Even his job was on the line at this point. "I hear you, Chief. Leave it with me", Dan soothed.

"Wrap this up, Colbeck. I mean it. This has gone on long enough. I want these people found and back here pronto".

"Yes sir, I am doing my best", Dan replied.

"Get it done. Enough fooling around." The phone connection went dead.

Dan clicked off his cell phone and silently cursed under his breath.

He drove into the city using his GPS to locate the Calgary Bus Terminal. He would find out what coaches were leaving the terminal today. The bus that he suspected the old folks to have taken from Winnipeg would have arrived within the last few hours. Maybe they were somewhere in the city still waiting for their next ride. The question was where to? Considering the way they had been heading up until now, Dan figured that Vancouver might be his best bet. He checked the schedule and learned that the next express bus to Vancouver was scheduled to leave Calgary at 10:00 am. Perfect. He would be waiting. If he made the collar he could get them onto a flight back to Toronto tonight, and have someone waiting for them when they arrived. He would have to get his tire fixed and return home by car. But it would be a little more pleasant than the trip out here had been.

He settled in as inconspicuously as possible, to wait for the bus departure time. As is always the case at a bus station, there were people from all walks of life coming and going. There were young and old people, people who looked like they were down on their luck, and some rather colorful characters as well by Dan's estimation. He kept studying everyone, hoping to catch sight of the people he was seeking.

The bus that he had been patiently waiting for pulled into the terminal and people exited its cavernous interior rather stiffly, obviously sore, the result of sitting in one place for so many hours. The coach was emptied of its human cargo and a maintenance crew boarded to clean and service the bus before the next departure time which was fast approaching. Dan waited patiently while the workers went over the empty vehicle. It wouldn't be long now. There would not be another coach leaving for Vancouver until early in the afternoon. This had to be it.

It was finally almost time for the bus to depart from the terminal and people began congregating at the entry door. The driver was busy loading various pieces of luggage into the belly of the coach and collecting tickets, as the passengers themselves boarded, one by one.

Dan watched the open doors of the bus, surveying people as they entered and climbed the steps within. It was almost a full load by the time the parade of people ended. The uniformed driver closed up the doors of the cargo hold just as a tinny voice issued from a loudspeaker above the platform. The speaker was announcing the last call for coach one-oh-four, Vancouver. The driver mounted the steps of his vehicle. He was in the process of closing the pneumatic doors behind him, when Dan sprang into action, waving his badge and yelling, "Hold the bus; police officer!"

The doors hissed open again and Dan mounted the steps to wave his badge under the driver's nose.

"What's this all about? I have a schedule to keep", the man said.

"I'm looking for five people, four elderly individuals, one female and three males, plus a possible teen male in the group", Dan gave a very brief description of the people that he was seeking.

"Doesn't sound familiar. Take a look if you want, but make it quick. I gotta get going", the driver said, tersely.

"I understand that, but it will only take a minute to check the passengers". Dan moved down the aisle, scrutinizing the curious faces on both sides of the passageway as he went. He noted the occasional elderly looking person and a few teenaged males, but none that remotely matched the people he was seeking. They just were not here.

Frustrated, Dan climbed down from the coach, and with a hiss of air, the driver closed the doors, pulling out of the terminal, headed towards Vancouver. Dan watch it go, trying to decide on his next move. There would be one more coach to Vancouver this afternoon and he began to worry that these old people might be resting now, planning to be on the later one.

He would have to stay here until that one left, too. He would keep his eye on the folks entering and exiting the building in the meantime. While he had been waiting his mind had reviewed the possibilities. The old folks could take another bus from here, which was the most likely thing for them to do, but what about the train, maybe? He had called the local authorities and he knew there were two plainclothes detectives keeping an eye on the train station as well. The most likely bases were covered. All that he could do now was to wait and hope that these people did show up for the final bus of the day to Vancouver. He scanned the crowd, wishing that he was wearing a pair of sneakers instead of his unforgiving leather shoes.

He fervently hoped that he was right and the old people that he was seeking did show up in either the bus or the train station. His very career hung in the balance.