Lost & Found

Charlie swam toward shore. He got out and dried off, taking his time in the glorious summer sun. He arched his back and tossed the towel down. He dressed and sat down next to his laptop. He sipped from his water holder, and then picked up the laptop and started typing. It was a struggle to start but he was soon in the zone.

* * * * *

A sedan drove up to the Rosewood Diner and Agents Dax and Fossetti got out. Agent Dax looked around. “So this is where it’s hiding. Quaint.”

Agent Fossetti smiled. “I bet they have a wonderful cherry pie.”

Agent Dax glared at him. “Yeah, whatever. The sooner we find that backpack the better.”

“Well, we do have a couple of days.”

The two agents walked into the diner, asked a few questions, and walked out. Agent Fossetti carried a small bag carrying two slices of cherry pie. Agent Dax looked at him. Agent Fossetti shrugged. “I had to make sure.” Agent Dax sighed as the two got back into the sedan.

* * * * *

The laptop dinged, and Charlie looked at his alarm. He quickly picked up his stuff and put it into his old backpack. He smiled at the banana slug stickers and then slipped it over his shoulder. It was hard not smiling; he had completed yet another seven-day mission and just had to upload it to his blog. He walked briskly to the bus stop, arriving just a minute before the bus. He would soon be back in town.

A few minutes later, a sedan passed the now empty bus stop.

* * * * *

Charlie stepped off the bus and walked to the Rosewood Diner. As he sat down and logged in, the waitress came up to him, grabbing her pad from her apron as she came up. “Two guys are looking for you. Didn’t catch the badge, but they were plenty scary.”

He barely looked up. “I’m just dodging an inheritance.” Her eyebrow cocked. “How’s the meatloaf today?”

She smiled. “Dangerous as usual.”

He grinned back. “The cheese lasagna, then.”

She wrote it down. She walked off. He realized he hadn’t asked for water, so he put up a finger, hoping to get her attention, and then dropped it as he figured he could ask her when she returned. He returned to uploading. By the time his lasagna had been delivered (and he had gotten his water) he had finished uploading the blog and accompanying pictures, and was deciding where he would be visiting the next week. He was having problems deciding between Arizona and South Dakota; he ended up flipping a coin. He picked up, left a few bills on the table, and departed to pick up his bus ticket.

* * * * *

The two agents were leaving the motel. Neither were happy. “So we missed him by a hair. He’s checked out.” Agent Dax glared into the distance.

“It also means that his week is almost over. He should be on the move and the backpack with him. So…think we’ll get lucky and he’s taking a bus?” Agent Fossetti pulled out his smartphone to check bus schedules.

“Yeah. He did some basic plumbing repairs for his room and picked up a photography assignment. He should be able to afford a ticket.” Agent Dax pulled up a file. “Yeah, that tracks. The missing person had been operating a small plumbing business for almost three decades.”

“Well, he’s about to leave on a bus. Or at least his body his.” Agent Fossetti looked at the schedules. “Okay, so there are four buses leaving in the next couple of hours. He’s coming from Austin, so that’s eliminated. And he was in San Francisco just last year. So I’d guess Phoenix or Rapid City.”

Agent Dax rubbed his eyes. “Well, Phoenix is always boring this time of year. That bike rally is in just a few weeks and the kid always wanted to see the motorcycles.”

Agent Fossetti looked up. “Poor kid; beat and then stabbed. Dead in a hospital before he started his trip across America.”

“Well, he’s seeing it now. One week at a time.” Agent Dax sighed. “I hate all of this ‘magic curse’ stuff.”

“Same.” Agent Fossetti put away his phone. “So we have a winner. We just have to hope we find the backpack before the bus leaves.” The two agents quickly mounted up and drove off.

* * * * *

Charlie had put the backpack under the bus but had kept a notepad and pencil. It would be a boring trip, but that meant that he would be getting a lot of sleep. After the last week, he would need it. He had no idea where he had picked up the ability to fix the pipes, but it had come in handy; he had been so mechanically inept as a kid that it took him an hour to fix a flat bike tire. He had just heard the knocking and suggested fixing the pipes in exchange for a room; his muscles were sore from all of the work he had put in.

He had picked up a lot of skills over the last few years that he had no idea where they had come from. The trip had been more successful than he would have expected; by breaking down his time into week-long chunks he had been able to focus on what he was doing and had become a successful blogger because of it. He was completing things and had control over his life. He was satisfied for the first time in a long time.

He was going places, and not just to Phoenix; he was beginning to see some real financial rewards and would be able to retire to a cabin in the woods in the next couple of years. He smiled; he was looking forward to leaving the highways of America. He decided to go to the facilities and then settle in for some writing.

* * * * *

Agents Dax and Fossetti were not happy. There was no sign of the backpack on the Dakota-bound bus. Well, this trip had been done as a favor anyway; they hoped someone else could find the backpack before it killed again. Agent Fossetti picked up his phone.

“Yeah, it escaped again. We think it’s on its way to Phoenix. We’d pursue but it left an hour ago. I doubt a full retrieval team is needed; just someone able to look through the cargo. Make sure whoever puts it into custody but does not take possession of it. Yeah, I love pedantic curses. Sure. Good luck.” He put his phone away. “Guess we’re headed back to Santa Cruz.”

Agent Dax just opened his door. “That jerk Donalds had better have my beer ready for this.”

* * * * *

Charlie pulled up his zipper and turned to the mirror. He fixed an errant strand of hair, and noticed the black eye. It was soon followed by the pain of broken ribs. He finally noticed the growing red splotch in his belly just below the ribs. He pulled his shirt to investigate and saw a deep incision.

He panicked and tried to staunch the flow of blood with a mass of paper towels. Soon the floor was covered in his blood. He fainted, overcome by blood loss. In minutes there was nothing left of Charlie. It was as if he had evaporated.

* * * * *

Agent Freidliner managed to get the bus driver to open up the cargo hold. He smiled as saw the backpack with the two banana slug patches. He looked at the tag and asked the driver who belonged to the bag. After a quick inquiry, no one claimed the bag. Agent Freidliner took the backpack into custody. He did a quick inventory: a laptop, a DSLR camera, a wallet, various writing implements, a few spare clothes, sundry toiletries. Nothing remarkable.

He put the backpack in his back seat and pulled out his phone. “Yeah, I’ve taken possession of the backpack. No sign of the accompanying entity. Yeah, the week must have expired. I’m only a few hours out but I should be home soon. Love you.” He put his phone up.

In a few moments, he pulled out and was heading home. Nice backpack, doesn’t look too scary…..