Free Abducted: A Jake Badger Mystery Thriller by Glenn Rogers

have. Moller isn’t one.”
    Susan was quiet for a moment,
thinking and making mental notes. After Alex had merged onto the 15, she asked,
“So who's next?”
    “Guy named Albert
Humphries,” Alex said. “A violent man who belongs to a violent motorcycle gang
called the Marauders.”

 

 
    Chapter 12
    Wednesday Noon

 
    The hot wind was still
blowing. The further inland you went, the hotter it got. It was just over a
hundred degrees on its way up to a hundred and five.
    Fontana was one of the cities
off Interstate 10 that comprised what is sometimes called the Inland Empire:
communities at the foot of the San Bernardino mountains: San Bernardino,
Redlands, Colton, Loma Linda, Realto , Fontana, and a
few others. Some parts of Realto and Fontana were
better than others. I suspected the Marauders’ clubs, Tops and Bottoms, and
Pandora's Box , were in areas that were not considered the
better areas.
    We had no way of knowing
where we'd find Albert Humphries. We decided to go by his home address. Maybe
we'd get lucky. If not, we'd go to each of the clubs. Frank had faxed a mug
shot of Albert, so we knew what he looked like. If we were lucky, someone would
point him out to us. If not, we’d work from the photo and hope he hadn’t
changed much from when the photo was taken.
    Alex drove by his house. It
was normal looking enough. The yard needing mowing; the trim
on the house needing painting. The garage door was down. Alex turned
around at the end of the street and came back, parking in front. We all got out
and went up to the door. Alex knocked. No answer. He knocked again. Nothing. He
called out, identifying himself. No response. Alex knocked again.
    While we were waiting, a
young woman came out of the house next door. She was short, overweight, wearing
flip- flops, stretchy pink shorts, a baggy blue tee
shirt, and had a baby on her hip. “Al ain't home,” she said. “Never home during
the day.”
    “Any idea where we might find
him?” Alex asked.
    “Most likely at Pandora's Box
or Tops and Bottoms.”
    She seemed to think that we
would know what those names referred to. We did, but it struck me that she
would simply assume that we would.
    “Okay, thanks,” Alex said.
    We went back to our car. I
used my iPhone to look up the addresses of the clubs and told Alex where
Pandora's Box was.
    “So, we're going to a strip
club,” Susan said.
    “You go where the job takes
you,” Alex said.
    “Hu-huh,” Susan said. “How
are you going to interview people with your eyes closed?”
    I turned in the seat to look
at her. “Have you ever been to a strip club?”
    “I certainly have not.”
    “Well, then, this trip is
going to be quite a learning experience for you, isn't it? That is what you
wanted out of this ride along, right, to learn something? This is going to be
an eye-opener.”
    She narrowed her eyes at me. “I
expect both of you to maintain strict professional detachment,” she said, “and
not enjoy yourselves at all.”
    Alex said, “Who are you, the
Grinch who stole carnal pleasure?”
    “Just as I always suspected,”
Susan said, “my brother, the pig.”
    “Why don't you reserve
judgment until after we've left the club,” I said, “and then decide?”
    Alex found Pandora's Box . It was lunchtime and the parking lot was nearly
full—motorcycles, new cars, old cars, expensive cars, cheap cars, pickups
and SUVs. Alex found a spot next to a Mercedes S class. As we got out of the
car, I noticed Susan shaking her head.
    “What?” I asked.
    “I can't believe this many
guys are spending their lunch hour doing this sort of thing.”
    I smiled.
    We could hear the music as we
approached the door. There was a ten-dollar cover charge. Alex paid for all
three of us. The club floor was dimly lit and we stood just inside the entrance
while our eyes adjusted. In the front of the club, there were two stages, one
on either side of the room. A naked girl writhed rhythmically and seductively
on each of the