___________(9)___________
HANS
"How was your flight, Hans?" I asked from the back seat of the BMW, after we shook hands.
"Oh good, sat beside a young gal from New Jersey that yakked my ear off the whole way, couldn't understand a damn thing she said but she was a nice enough girl" Hans replied, fastening his seatbelt.
"I never realized it before, Hans, but I've missed hearing your stories ever since Andrea and me moved from the condos" I replied laughing.
Andrea, wearing her sexy sunglasses, smiled at me from within the car's review mirror. She then put the car in gear and we proceeded to drive away from the Tucson terminal now.
"I just tell it, the way I see it" Hans said holding up his palm and smiling.
"We're glad you came for a visit, Hon' " Andrea replied as we merged into traffic.
"Andrea tells me that you fly the B-17 now, Tim" Hans said turning his head toward me.
"Got tired of hauling dirt, so I decided to try something different, Hans" I said nonchalantly.
"I remember when there were B-17's on every Air Base in the Country, they were everywhere, Tim" Hans said seriously.
"Big, beautiful bird, Hans, I got to fly one because of that pretty lady beside you now" I replied, just as seriously.
"She is a pretty lady" Hans concurred, glancing toward Andrea.
"Flattery will get you everywhere, gentlemen" Andrea answered, smiling widely.
"It's not flattery, Andrea. You are pretty, you're gorgeous, woman" I said seriously, making eye contact with her in the mirror again.
Andrea nodded a kiss at me in the mirror.
Hans, ignoring Andrea's and my romantic flirtations, suddenly asked "What's this I hear about finding a couple of safes?"
"Oh yeah, - talk about weird, Hans. The one we did open had been permanently concealed behind a wall and stuffed with a bunch of expired driver's licenses and old credit cards that people had unintentionally left behind, after having their gas tanks filled throughout the years. ...We haven't opened the second safe yet. The more I think about it, the more I think the second safe was just disposed of. Apparently when they dug the hole for the first floor hoist, they just shoved the safe into the hole to be rid of it but we're going to have it opened anyway, just to make sure it's not full of money." I elaborated as I looked out the passenger's window.
"Be nice if it was full of money" Hans nodded.
"The first safe we found also contained birth certificates, Hans, and Vic can't quite figure them out. As a police officer, he has a lot more information available to him than the average person does. Something is strange about the birth cert's but Vic isn't quite sure exactly what, yet." Andrea now explained, interjecting herself into the conversation.
"Strange, how so?" Hans asked, looking at Andrea.
"So far, it seems, at least two of the birth certificates were those belonging to infants that had sadly died within their first year of life, yet both of these infants somehow ended up having driver's licenses issued to them, decades later. One child had been born in nineteen twenty nine and the other was born in nineteen thirty one. Vic said that before the advent of AFIS and other Law Enforcement computer automation, that criminals would sometimes search County records and then obtain a birth certificate of an infant that had died within their first year of life. The crooks would simply search until they'd find one of these birth certificates correlating to the year of their own birth; they'd then obtain that child's birth certificate for themselves and assume the name of the unfortunate child. The child's name and birth certificate would then allow a smart crook to form a new identity for himself, without any pending criminal record - infants don't usually rob banks or steal cars. At least, that's what Vic thinks may have happened, he's not completely sure yet. He's going to make a few calls, and he has a friend or two with the Feds." Andrea said, looking over her left shoulder and changing lanes now.
"When did he tell you all that, Honey?" I asked incredulously.
"Last night, after you went to bed, Tim" Andrea replied.
"I've heard of that trick before but I think it's much harder to do now with all the police computers and stuff" Hans replied, nodding slightly.
"In all honesty, I think Vic just needs something to do right now and the birth cert's are a good diversion for him" Andrea said to both of us, holding up her right palm while looking forward at the road.
"I understand, Andrea, any diversion is a good diversion when you've got a broken heart" I nodded.
"Want to stop someplace for coffee, you two?" Andrea suddenly asked.
"Yes, please" I answered for Hans and I both.
"K, we'll stop in a few then. How's everyone at the condo's, Hans?" Andrea now asked as she sped up the car and we merged onto I-10.
"Everyone's about the same as when you left, Andrea. I really haven't spent that much time there to be honest" Hans replied.
"Oh, where have you been hanging your hat then, Owen's spread?" Andrea inquired.
"Some yes, I've spent most of my time going between Alaska and Nevada. A guy asked me if I wanted to drive some new motor homes from Nevada to Anchorage. Easy gig and it puts some walking around money in my pocket" Hans said, shrugging.
"They'd rather drive them than ship them?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's got about thirty of 'em headed that way and he's had some issues with damage when he's shipped them by sea. He figures that it's really about an even trade in cost but now he doesn't have damages to contend with every time they arrive in Anchorage, usually, other than a chipped windshield or two. He's got some good drivers and they're careful with the RV's. It's a fun job" Hans explained.
"...I had no idea about the birth certificates, Andrea, that's totally weird" I said a minute later, after thinking some more.
"You used to be able to go down to any courthouse and get a copy of your birth certificate, for two dollars, I remember. It figures that someone would figure out a way to cheat the system, using them" Hans said, cracking his window slightly.
"Why can't people just be honest?" I asked, suddenly disgusted.
"Nothing in this world has really changed since before the time of Caesar, Tim. There'll always be dishonest people" Hans answered nonchalantly.
"No, I guess not, Hans. The Lanes must have had some pretty shady people buying gas from them, is all I can say." I answered.
"Honey, the Desert Belle was the only station within miles, for many years. The Lane's obviously had customers of all types" Andrea now reasoned with me.
"...Yeah, you're right, Andrea. It'll be interesting to open that second safe - then we can get rid of it" I said with a sigh.
"Maybe Indio can help you with that when the guys come to remove the second car lifter, we could pay him a few bucks to haul off the damn safe." Andrea reasoned.
"I'd planned to ask him, assuming we can open it before they're done removing the second hoist, I just hope we don't find anything else weird." I answered, a little discouraged at the thought.
"Tim, someone just dumped an empty safe, to use as back-fill in the dirt hole. The birth cert's don't mean anything either, other than someone who was running illegal whiskey used phony driver's licenses, sixty years ago. Honey, you said yourself that your own grandfather, Oley, used to haul bathtub-gin back in the day. There's nothing too difficult to understand or so ominous with either the birth certificates or the two safes" Andrea said dismissively.
"Grandfather moved a few gallons of hooch a week back when but ...yeah, you're right Andrea. The birth cert's probably had something to do with moonshiners and fake driver's licenses" I nodded, after thinking about it for a few more seconds.
"Vic wants to make detective someday and he's just occupying his mind right now, simply for something to do, Tim. It's like a jigsaw puzzle for him, that's all. No agency in the world is going to arrest anyone for a phony driver's license, sixty years after the fact. " Andrea said, trying to reason with me.
"It'll be nice when the second safe and other floor hoist are finally gone, is all I can say" I replied, looking out the passenger's window.
"All in good time, Love" Andrea said, reassuringly.
...
"Black coffee for the gentlemen" Andrea said as she set down a styrofoam cup for Hans and I both.
"Thank you, Love" I said as Andrea leaned down and kissed me.
"Thank you, Andrea" Hans nodded.
"You're welcome, gentlemen" Andrea replied.
"You've got Buddy's number, you said, Tim?" Hans asked, sipping his coffee.
"Yes, here, I'll send it to you" I replied pulling out my phone as Andrea sat down beside me.
"You planning to haul gravel again this year, Tim?" Hans asked, pulling out his own phone from within his breast pocket.
"I'm taking the year off, Hans. Andrea and I are going to focus on the Gingerbread Ranch and Pippi this year" I replied, scrolling through my phone.
"Don't blame you, you've been in that truck a long time now" Hans said in reply.
"Hans, when it becomes drudgery, then it's time to find something else" I said bluntly.
"I never hauled dirt, year in and year out, the way you have. I'd haul gravel for a few years and then go haul freight here in the States or run the AlCan for a few years. What would this be, your fortieth year hauling dirt?" Hans asked.
"Thirty eight" I replied without emotion or looking up from my phone.
"He's got a 401K that Lovey set-up for him, Hans, and it's pretty healthy right now. I've decided that I'm going to transform Tim into a part time real-estate agent now" Andrea said seriously and looking at me from over her coffee cup brim.
"If anyone could do it, then it'd be you, Andrea" Hans concurred, nodding.
"OK, Buddy's number coming at you, Hans" I said as I pushed 'send'.
Hans's phone immediately pinged with my text.
