(xliv.)

"Hey, Tom, did'ya hear?"
"Did I hear what?"

The first officer clicked off the radar gun.

"Y'know that crazy guy? The one with the Ice Cream Truck?"
"Yeah..."
"He might not be crazy."
"What makes you think that?"
"An Ice Cream Truck exploded not 50 miles from here."
"No shit?"
"Seriously. There're still scorch marks on the road and everything."
"Where's the truck?"
"I heard they sent it to Jersey."
"The whole thing, or in pieces?"
"Well, it was a nasty burnt bottom half. But they sent the nasty burnt bottom half to Jersey."

The second officer took the radar gun from him, and clicked it back on.

"Why?"
"I don't know."
"That's stupid."
"The Ice Cream Truck company is probably in Jersey. They probably wanted to see it first-hand."
"You're shitting me."
"Nah-ah."

Something moved very fast in front of the windshield. The radar gun beeped.

"What the fuck was that?!"
"I don't know--"
"Was that a car?"
"No," the first officer said, climbing out of the police car. "I'm pretty sure it was out here--"

He fell backward, suddenly.

"...the fuck is going on?" He screamed, leaping out of the car and drawing his gun.

There was no one there.

"Hey, there you are. You finally got out of the car."

He spun around, to see Lorelei sitting on the roof of the police car.

"Who the fuck are you?"
"That's inconsequential at the moment,"
"What are you doing?"
"I need a car."
"But--"

She leapt off the car, bringing with her the small tree limb. She swung it as hard as she could, bringing it down on top of his left shoulder. "I'll hit you again if you don't give me this car."
"Take it!"

She smiled. "Thanks, man."

She slid into the drivers' seat, and shut the door. "Midge, c'mon!"

Midge ran up from the shrubbery nearby, and leapt into the passenger's side.

As they drove off, the officer could almost hear Midge say, "I can't believe that worked."


[chapter xlv.]