Nathaniel's Chorus. Gary Lightfoot

pulls out a plastic bag. Inside the bag is a similar thumb drive. Neil quickly puts the drive into his pocket and tells Nathan they’ve got to get out of there.

      Nathan starts toward the exit but is stopped by the store manager,

      “Is there anything wrong?”

      “Nope, just looking, we’ll be right back.”

      The two brothers begin walking and then when they hear the sound of The Burb coming down the street, the brothers break into a full sprint.

      “Neil, what’s wrong?”

      “Junior, that’s not the thumb I left there.”

      As The Burb stops, the brothers jump through the third door and into the back seat and tell Chris to drive on. Chris pushes the gas pedal all the way to the floor. The 454 engine roars to life as The Burb spins the back wheels. Nathan wasn’t completely in the second seat and begins to roll over the back of the seat and falls into the back luggage area. As Nathan hits the floor he yells from the very back of The Burb,

      “Whoa Chris, easy on the GoodYears!”

      Chris answers, “Tires? You’re worried about tires? I’m watching for AK-47’s to be swinging out at us, and you’re worried about your tires?”

      The Burb weaves in and out of traffic as they drive out of Signal Hill and toward Long Beach. Nathan climbs back into the second seat and asks Neil for the thumb drive.

      “Neil, what’s wrong with the thumb?”

      Neil pulls the thumb drive out of his pocket and turns it over in his hand,

      “This is the same type, looks the same, but the one I left didn’t have the cover.”

      Nathan exams the end cap cover, pulls it off and exposes the plug end of the thumb drive, “Looks okay, why don’t we plug it into something and see what happens?”

      Chris looks into the mirror at Nathan, “Don’t be putting that thing in my laptop, I saw how you fixed my home computer!”

      “Don’t worry Chris, let’s find a computer store.”

      The Burb exits the freeway on their way to Footboards. It’s close to sunset and the sea breeze begins to cast a slight mist of salt spray into the air. Nathan directs Chris to a computer store that is in the same parking lot as the “Big Donut.” Chris turns into the parking lot and parks The Burb.

      Chris asks, “Hey guys, I haven’t had anything to eat yet. Would you two mind if Asela and I hang out at the donut shop while you guys break, I mean fix someone else’s computer?”

      Nathan answers, “That’s funny Chris, tell you what, could you pick up a cup of coffee with cream and two warm honey glazed for me?”

      “Sure, no problem, Neil you want anything?”

      Neil doesn’t answer but only waves “no thanks” and continues to walk across the lot. The two brothers walk into the computer store while Chris and Asela walk into the “Big Donut”. Nathan walks up to the counter at the computer store and asks the salesperson to show him to an inexpensive computer. The salesperson shows them to a demo table where the brothers sit down and plug the thumb drive into it. As the computer begins to boot up, Nathan asks Neil,

      “Did you tell anyone else about our hiding spot at SCMA?”

      Neil stares at the screen and then says, “The only other person that knew anything about it was when I shipped out on my first deployment overseas. I told her that if anything ever happened to me, to go there and take whatever was inside and give it to dad.”

      As Nathan moves the mouse over the icon for the drive, he hesitates, then says,

      “You ever talk to her?”

      Neil shakes his head, “I wouldn’t know how to get in touch with her.”

      As the icon for the drive opens there’s only one file inside and its labeled,

      “Love always and in all ways”.

      Nathan sits back in the chair and says, “Well bro, we’ve got to find her now.”

      Neil reads the label and says, “I think she already found us.”

      The brothers unplug the thumb drive, thank the computer salesperson and then walk across the parking lot. They climb inside The Burb and wait for Chris and Asela.

      Asela exits first carrying a box of doughnuts, Chris follows behind with a tray of coffee, he waves at the brothers in The Burb and says,

      “Susan says hi and to slap you two for not coming in.”

      “She’s a sweetheart,” Nathan says as he starts The Burb. Chris and Asela begin to open the third door and climb into the second seat, as they do, a black van pulls up behind them and nudges the bumper of The Burb.

      “What the heck?” Chris starts to get out of The Burb.

      Asela points across the street and says, “Look at that, any other time and we’d be waiting forever for a cop to show up.”

      They look across the street to see a police car turn on his lights and pull across the street and into the parking lot. The van that nudged the bumper of The Burb quickly reverses and squeals out of the parking lot. The police car stops in front of The Burb, the policeman gets out and walks up to the passenger window. Placing his hand on the windowsill he says to Neil,

      “We have a report of this vehicle being involved in an altercation.”

      Neil begins to argue, “There is no way that you got a report on what just happened.”

      Nathan corrects Neil, “I think he’s talking about the other day when a police car was hit here in the intersection.” Nathan motions toward the policeman, “Was that you?”

      The policeman begins to speak but is interrupted by a radio transmission heard over the microphone attached to the policeman’s uniform. The policeman responds to the call and begins to pull his hand away from the door. As he does, Neil looks down at the fraternity ring on the policeman’s hand,

      “That’s an unusual ring, where did you go to school?”

      The policeman pulls his hand away quickly and replies, “Sir we’re watching you and this suburban, best you be careful, and I would suggest that you take care of your brothers and stay out of trouble.”

      The police car pulls out of the parking lot and drives down the street. Nathan begins to pull out, then stops and says,

      “Wait a second, what about the van that pushed on my bumper?”

      The brothers jump out of The Burb and run to the back to inspect for damage. Neil bends down and feels the bumper, “Bro, other than this black paint left behind, I don’t think it hurt it one bit.”

      “That’s good,” Nathan sighs. “Do you know how hard it is to find a bumper for a 1972 3-door Suburban?”

      Chapter 6

      In Washington D.C, Nathaniel is awakened at midnight when his cell phone rings.

      “Hello, who’s this? How’d you get this number?”

      “Hey there Foot you awake?” the voice at the other end answers.

      “Sir, you do know it’s in the middle of the night.”

      “You know me Nathaniel, I do my best thinking at night. Listen son, they’re going to try and arrest you.”

      Nathaniel sits up and turns on the table light next to his bed; he clears his eyes and reaches for his writing pad, still lying next to him in bed.

      “Okay sir, I’m awake now. What do you want me to do?”

      “Nathaniel, I’ve been told that the media received a new tape from the tri-P, they’re going to air it in the morning. Some