Add a J to that, and that's what we want Sue to find!!

Oh dear, that thought of nice fuzzy shower is fading..........!!! Marlo, if I didn't know you are a J/S fan, I'd be pulling out my hair along with biting my nails!!!

Joy

And? And?! And! Did they drug Jack, too? Are they still together or have they separated them? How far away is Myles? Where are you Marlo? Marlo?! MARLO!

Kim

Marlene what have you done??!!
First Jack and Sue disappear and Myles go to find them ( ), then Jack is binfolded (is it the word? I forgot ) and now Sue is in what apparently seems to be a mine and somebody drug her! and maybe Jack too!

Please come back and fix it

Tere

I think I need a hand to hold. This is getting scary. I hope they haven't been separated.

Big DITTO to that!!!!

Double DITTO!!!

Marlene, what are you doing to your poor readers?! This is torture I tell you! Oh, I don't like this. Not one little bit!

Myles gave a dubious look at the short and narrow bed pushed against the wall in the windowless room smaller than his entrance closet. His aggravation reached a new high when he realized he’d need to share the common bathroom at the end of the hallway.

For their sake, Jack and Sue better be in real danger if he ended up spending the week in that rathole. Grabbing his cell, he called Tara.

“Could you work those GSP coordinate again? I didn’t see any Green Jeep Cherokee parked in the street.”

At her answer, the hair on his nape rose. She’d lost the signal an hour ago—just before he arrived.

“How can you lose it?”

“That’s just it, Myles, I can’t. Someone deactivated it—a mechanic maybe. Auto shops are your best bets.”

Auto shops? He could tour the shops, pretending to search for a menial job while he waited for Wrinkley to show up. He looked at his watch—3pm. It gave him a few hours before dinner.

He found two auto shops—Coxley’s body repairs and Royal’s Automotive—one at each end of town. He opted for the grubby one first and entered Coxley’s.

The concrete floor of the empty garage was marred with cracks and oil patches. Not seeing anyone at the counter, Myles headed for the door leading to the backyard. Anything from car parts to bus carcasses littered the lot, but no green Jeep, or anything remotely close.

A grayish man wearing overall that long ago used to be blue approached him. “May I help you?”

“My name is Myles Carson. I’m looking for a job.”

“There ain’t any job in town, son. Go back where you come from.”

So much for local hospitality, Myles thought. If there were no jobs available, he’d need a different approach with Royale’s. He fiddled under the hood of his pickup and took it to the other garage, clucking and spurting.

Waiting for a diagnostic, Myles paced the well-maintained and well-equipped garage which also advertised used vehicles.

“Carson, between you and me, this is a piece of junk,” Roy observed.

“As soon as I get my hand on some money, I’ll ditch it and buy something nicer.”

“It’ll take me a few hours to fix this. You’re welcome to browse the lot. Something may catch your eyes and you may decide not to wait.”

To fix this would take any decent mechanic less than ten minutes and would cost less that twenty dollars, so Roy was either an idiot or a crook, or possibly both. Accepting the offer, Myles wandered between the rows of parked used cars when he spotted a green Jeep. He forced himself to examine a SUV and a truck in details before moving on to the Jeep. The license plate had been removed, but the make and model corresponded. Like the other vehicles, it wasn’t locked, so he checked the interior. After noting the VIN, he ran the pad of his finger over the numbers and letters. A fine residue stuck to his skin, like it had just been engraved.

“Interesting,” he muttered under his breath. He searched under the seats and found a paperclip—untwisted.

His mind reeling with possibilities, Myles carefully searched a fourth vehicle just to divert suspicion.

“Saw anything you like?” Roy asked. “I can give you a deal.”

So it seemed the owner had been keeping an eye on him. “Yeah—a nice red truck,” he lied, “but I can’t afford anything until I meet Wrinkley.”

“If I you choose to buy it, I’ll take the cost of your repair from the price of that red truck—or any other vehicle you may want.”

“Sounds fair—Thank you. How much do I owe you?”

“Well...” Roy rubbed his chin, leaving a streak of black grease on his skin. “I did a fair bit of repairs... How does two hundred sound?”

Exorbitant and dishonest, he almost answered. “Sounds reasonable.”

Myles drove two streets down and called Bobby. “I found the Jeep. It’s been recycled. Jack may have stumbled onto a car theft ring. The guy’s name is Cliff Roy and he owns Royale’s automotive.”

“Got it. I’ll get Tara to call you as soon as she finds something.”

Given the situation you've left Sue (and where's Jack---right there with her, I hope!) in, I'm kinda glad that I didn't catch up on this one before bed lastnight! I'm glad that Myles is finding some clues, and I hope they're able to pick up the trail soon!

Very interesting.

Poor Myles - he'll be talking about what he has had to endure for weeks!! He's not near as bad off as Jack and Sue though!!!

Well, he's found a crooked mechanic and possibly a car ring!! But, Marlo, how are they ever going to find Jack and Sue, now that they have obviously been moved out of town???

Joy

I agree with Myles, there - although the reason I quoted this is that ANYTHING that brings us back to one of Jack's boyish "quirks" is a good thing to quote, in my humble opinion . . .

Hope Myles will find them!

Tere

So he found a car theft ring... at least we should be happy he hadn't found a chop shop or there would be nothing left of the Jeep!

And he's finding clues. Jack and Sue had definately been there, but where they are now is the bigger question.

Who'd a thought one of Jack's quirks could save their lives

Good job Myles and very clever Marlo.

Now as for Jack and Sue

I agree with Anne

Very clever indeed Marlene re the paperclip! I loved it.

Now what about Sue and Jack?

Lynn

Yeah, another Marlo story! I can't wait for more and I hope Jack and Sue are okay.

I love a good mystery and you're definitely weaving one here. The twisted paper clip was undeniably clever.

More please?

Paula

Im with anne on this and I really hope myles finds jack and sue hope they at least kept the two together

Lin


HAVE A VERY TO YOU ALL

This a fantastic story, Marlo. You've got me hooked. Although I'm very concerned about Jack and Sues welfare... I hope they're together.

Myles is wonderful in his new undercover role.

I'm really looking forward to the next installment.


Take care,

Sairs

He caressed her cheek and she softly moaned. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

Her eyes fluttered, seeing without seeing yet. “Jack?”

“Were you expecting anyone else?” he teased, his nervous tension ebbing away as she responded to his touch.

“I... I didn’t get everything you said,” she whispered groggily.

He helped her to sit, allowing her back to rest against the rough wall.

“Are you all right?”

“I think so,” she groaned.

He pushed a curl of blond hair from her face and smiled.

“Where are we?” She looked around and winced.

“Easy. We were drugged, but the dizziness will pass.” When he’d woken up, it had taken a few minutes for his head to stop spinning, but it hadn’t looked like they’d hurt either of them.

She leaned against his shoulder and he enjoyed her proximity. He’d spent the last three weeks on the road searching for ways to turn their assignment into something more, but each time, something had come up and stopped him. Not this time. Before he could dissuade himself, he kissed her forehead. Braced for her reaction, he was delighted to see a smile curling up at the corners of her lips.

“That doesn’t tell me where we are, Jack,” she shyly observed. “Would you repeat?”

He gazed into her eyes, searching the many meanings he could give her request. Pushing his luck, he leaned his head and brushed her parched lips with a feathery light kiss.

Under his eyes, her smile grew wider—brighter. “Still doesn’t tell me where we are—Just that I like the place,” she murmured, her cheeks blushing a darker shade of red.

She was definitely flirting with him, and he loved it. “You like the place—or my kisses, Ms Thomas?” She nervously bit her bottom lip. Putting an end to her misery for the time being, he indicated their surrounding. “From the conversation I gathered while they drove us here, we’re inside an abandoned gold mine.”

“Gold—What?”

“They left us in an abandoned underground mine with an oil lamp and water.”

“I... I don’t understand. Why?”

“We stumbled onto their little operation,” not the he knew what that little operation might have been.

“Were they Mercer’s associates?”

He shrugged, the question haunting the back of his mind. “Not sure—I just know they left us to die in the tunnels.”

“But why the water and the lamp?”

“If anyone ever finds our bodies, they wanted us to look like tourists lost underground.”

She rubbed her wrists, reddened by a rope no longer there. “They didn’t hurt me, how about you?”

Just a punch to the stomach when he’d tried to get them to remove her blindfold so she could at least see. “No, I’m fine.”

“Jack, they didn’t leave of map of the mine by any chance, did they?”

He tapped the tip of her nose. “Very funny. When you’re up to it, we’ll walk back.”

“Walk back? Where?”

He pointed at the tire tracks the wheelers had left on the damp soil. “We follow the trail.”

Love those "repeat" directions! Good thing Jack is a quick study. SUe had him right where she wanted him!!!
Okay, get out your bloodhounds and follow those tracks....just not down a cliff or empty shaft or anything like that!!!

Jill

That was wonderful, Marlo!

Kim

Sheesh, you just gotta love stupid criminals.

A kiss to the forehead, and then to the lips and Sue is responding!!! Looks like Jack might have moved things along more than he thought during the last three weeks. (And the fact that they've been on the road that long with out us being privy to it has not escaped me. I'd be major miffed if he hadn't just kissed her. ) Now if only they weren't who knows how far inside a maze of tunnels.

On the bright side, they're going to be mighty muddy when they finally do get out....

Tina

I think that Tina is thinking in the feared 'S' word

Glad to know that Jack is with her

Tere

That was an awesome whiplash Marlene. From to with such a beautiful and cute post.

I can't believe Tina didn't ask for the S word in the mine.

Now getting out of the mine safely is another story It's lookin good so far, Jack is finding his way without a map to the mine

Wel-l-l-l-l-l-l.... now that you've got me thinking about it, I s'pose they could run into an underground waterfall.....

Im with you and tina I wonder if theres A after all it is A mine
they have been dumped in cant wait for more but please just keep jack and sue safe please pretty please marlene
Lin

You don't know how relieved I am to know they didn't separate Jack and Sue. And a kiss...I'm

But somehow I don't think those tracks are going to get them out as easily as they think, so I'm still

Of course, maybe...well, I'll wait to see if what I'm thinking is correct.

Lynn

I'm glad Jack and Sue are awake and okay. I hope they find away out of the tunnels.

Wow, Marlene, I just caught up! This is certainly tense and mystery (am I surprised?!) bit the thought most parmount in my mind is: Gosh darn there isn't a shower in sight!

kav

Tina, you took the words right out of my mouth! Of course they would be stupid enough to leave tracks... but that still doesn't keep my mind from racing and making me wonder what other kinds of dangers there are in this old mine....

I am just hoping that those stupid criminals are just as stupid as they appear to be. I am imagining all kinds of possibilities for what could transpire as Jack and Sue try to get out of that mine, some very good and some not so good. I wonder where Marlo will take us.

I was wondering how many posts it would take for the S word to surface
Stupid criminals?

+++++

Myles paced his tiny room listening to Tara.

The VIN of the Jeep didn’t match the record of the rental agency, not that it surprised him. He’d already determined it’d been falsified. He learned that Roy had a clean slate, which only meant he’d never been caught. It didn’t preclude or absolve his involvement in Jack and Sue’s disappearance, but it connected him at least indirectly to the people responsible. So tonight, under the cover of darkness, he’d make a secret visit to Royale’s. In the meantime, he’d go down for dinner.

Myles scanned large room. A counter lined up the left wall, and behind it, a barmaid served drinks to customers seated on stools. Facing him, past all the tables, was a stage where stood a karaoke machine and a mike on a post. And on his right, a fireplace was framed by huge windows covered with red and white checker drapes. Not very energy efficient, he thought as he searched for an empty table. He found one near the stage.

Hoping for a quiet evening, he sat facing the small crowd, a mixed of couples and single people. He’d almost finished his survey when he caught a movement at the corner of his eyes. In the shadow of the fireplace, he noticed red fiery hair. The sun setting through the window highlighted the red curls bouncing on her shoulders as she cocked her head. Fascinated by the woman, he never heard the waitress approach.

“Something to drink, sir?”

Startled, he dropped his napkin.

“Yes, a char—” He stopped before saying Chardonnay. “Give me a whiskey.”

Moments later, the pretty brunette was back with his glass. “Are you ready to order?”

He picked whatever they recommended for the day, before inquiring about the mysterious woman.

“Storm—the owner’s daughter.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Ever since her husband’s death, she’s a bit weird. She comes in every night, always sits at the same table and draws sketches.”

Every night? He liked the sound of it. “What does she draw?”

She shrugged. “People—places—She owns a little studio on Pebble Street where she displays her work. But if I were you I’d stay clear. The owner doesn’t like it when patrons harass her.”

From what he’d gathered earlier, the owner was the same man who worked the registration desk and had given him a deal on his room. He wondered if his daughter lived with him in the house attached sideways to the Saloon. Smiling at the waitress, he thanked her for the warning.

“You’re welcome, darling. You know...” She fluttered her long eyelashes. “I’m free at eleven if you’re interested.”

It had been a long time since a woman had pursued him and the invitation flattered him. “Trust me, I’m not your type.”

“That’s too bad,” she chuckled. “I’ll get your order right up.”

Static burst from the speakers located in every corner of the room. He clenched his teeth in dreaded anticipation of one of the colorful lyrics he’d listened to while driving here. He was in no mood for A tequila to make her clothes fall off* or About getting paid by the hour and older by the minute**. With one radio station in the vicinity, only playing country music, this place didn’t make his top ten destination list. His glass hung in midair at the soft notes rising around him.

She's my kind of rain***
Like love in a drunken sky
She's confetti falling
Down all night

Taking a gulp, and hiding his distaste for the strong liquor burning his throat, his gaze traveled to the mysterious redhead.

She sits quietly there
Like water in a jar
Says, Baby why are you
Trembling like you are

Sitting quietly at her table, her hand trembled lightly as she drew a line. Her attention shifting, she lifted her chin and her hair caught on fire in the sunset.

She's the sun set shadows
She's like Rembrandt's light
She's the history that's played at night
She's my lost companion

For a brief instant, their gaze met. Her freckles twinkled like stars in a cold winter night and a shy smile adorned her lips.

She's my dreaming tree
Together in this brief eternity
Summer days, winter snows
She's all things to behold

A couple got up to leave, blocking his view of the remote table. When he looked again, like a shadow—she was gone.

+++++

* Lyrics from Tequila makes her clothes fall off by Joe Nichols
** Lyrics from It’s Five O’clock Somewhere by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett

***She’s my kind of rain by Tim McGraw

Hey Marlo! a possible romance for Myles?

Wonderful!!

Tere

Marlo, I'm so glad to see that Jack and Sue are together and all right!! I love Sue's flirting with Jack and asking for "more" directions!! I certainly hope that the criminals were stupid, but somehow I doubt they are as stupid as we would like them to be!!!

A fiery redhead named Storm!! Very intriquing!! And, I think Myles, other than having a personal interest in her, might think she can help him find our favorite couple!!!

Joy

that was fantastc and maybe someone for myles but will have to wait and see lets hope jack and sue are alright cant wait to find out more soon please pretty please
Lin

Oh Marlo... it never really goes away. It's always 'out there' circling in the mist, waiting to settle at just the right time...


In my mind, pretty much every criminal is 'stupid'. Unless your family is starving and you can find absolutely no help, or something of that ilk, then stupidity is the only excuse for criminal behavior. Now there ARE criminals with brain power enough to elude captors & get away with thier nefarious deeds, and I'm HOPING Marlo hasn't conjured up THOSE kind of criminals. I'm HOPING she isn't leading Jack and Sue into more danger. I'm HOPING she's going to take pity on us, and them, and make the walk out of that mine the easiest thing in the world. Of course, I wouldn't mind if they were forced to 'endure' each other's company for a bit while they find their way back to civilization, and had to rely on each other for warmth at night... I wouldn't mind that at all.


Joy, you're right. Anyone (weird or not) who watches people the way she does is an 'observer', and it's hard telling what she may have observed!!

Tina

Marlo, I've been playing catup-up, and might I say great reading. Myles in a plaid shirt, cowboyish, roggish and in an unfamiliar town looking for our fav couple. Now that is my kind of story. So, a possible romance on the card for him.

Never mind the fact Sue and Jack seem to be in darkness under foot, with only each other for company. Now this makes for a mighty great Spring Shower huh!!!!

As for the case, a great mystery, so many possibilites!!!!!

I'm excited. Maybe she can distract him long enough to keep him from interrupting something in the future, then help him save Jack and Sue.


Paula

I'm with Joy and Paula. The fact that she's an artist that just sits and observes, drawing the people in the bar, made me think of Jonathan, and the way he drew pictures of what he remembered, which eventually solved the case. If she's a GOOD artist, she probably caught something on paper that will help Myles save the day!!



I LIKE IT! Now, how are Jack and Sue doing finding their way out of the mine?? Hmmmm??

That was wonderful!

Kim

Happy Easter, everyone !!!!

+++++

She walked by his side, frequently glancing at him. Once a while, she’d wrinkle her nose and a small smile would reach her eyes.

“Are you going to tell me what’s so funny?” he asked.

At first, she stared blankly at him, not doubt trying to recapture the motion of his lips. He repeated his question, making sure the lamp in his hand didn’t create any shadows.

She bit her bottom lip, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie, and visions of mischievous blond children running around the kitchen table chasing Levi popped into his mind. From now on, there would be no turning back, no—

“Will you laugh if I tell you?”

“Probably,” he answered honestly, a smile already tugging at his mouth.

“In the truck, I wasn’t so afraid because I knew you were there. I could touch you and I could smell you, but...”

When she hesitated, he stopped and gave her his undivided attention. “But what?”

“After they put that thing on, the odor was so repugnant that I lost your scent. When they pull me out, I thought I’d lost you. I couldn’t see, or touch... or smell you.”

“I could hear you breathe.” He pulled her in his arms. “I was right beside you, Sue. I never left you.”

“I know... I just realized I’d never lost your scent, Jack... It... it had just changed... for the worse after the journey in the truck.”

He started laughing and she slapped him across the chest. Lifting her chin, he brushed the dirt baked on her skin with his thumb. “Are you saying I need a shower?”

She blushed under his intense gaze. “Maybe.”

“In that case, I’ll count on you to wash my back,” he teased, flustering her further. “Do we have a deal?” Her mouth opened and closed without making a sound. “I’ll take that as a yes, sweetheart.”

Her incoherent reply died on his lips.

Tina2's gonna love this!  You've all but promised her (well, that's how I'm interpreting it) a shower/bath scene. 


I love how you can weave your fan's wishes into your story without missing a beat. You go, girl!!!

I absolutely loved that line.

Paula

What a nice treat for Easter...

Imagining Jack in a is even better than

Thank you!

Happy Easter to you too!

Seriously Lisa, we are going to have to get you and several other members into SSA (Shower Scene Addicts) as soon as we can! I mean for goodness sake, what does your water bill look like every month??
Mind you.....I totally agree with you that any scene that involves the words Jack and shower are going to be FANTASTIC, but you really do need to seek out your local SSA as soon as possible!

Marlo, absolutely loving the story. I have a feeling that Storm is going to be a wonderful new character. And my oh my.....Jack and Sue.....ALONE....in an underground gold mine! What on earth are they going to do to pass the time?


HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Jack in a
cant wait to find out if sue washes his back more soon please pretty please
Lin



have a every one

I loved Sue's teasing. And I loved Jack's response. I think washing his back is the least she can do!

Kim

I hope Myles' got a receipt from the mechanic because all I could think of was that Randy is not going to be happy about a $200 bill for something Myles did on purpose. Of course I've had too many chocolate eggs already so that could be the problem!

As for the shower, do you promise it won't come in the version of a mine flood?