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Description
I'll Meet You On Route 62
(A Disney/Pixar Cars fanfic)

Chapter Fourteen:
Sheriff's Grudge

Sheriff parked outside Doc’s clinic, idling to keep warm in the early morning chill. He did not have long to wait. The old Hornet pulled up shortly after and frowned slightly upon seeing him. “Morning, Sheriff,” he said, the little warmth in his greeting escaping in a misty puff of breath. He moved toward the clinic door and paused in the act of unlocking it. “What brings you here at this hour? Normally I have to drag you in here for your checkups.”

“I need to use your phone,” Sheriff replied gruffly, without returning his greeting. “Galdarn scanner’s gone haywire and I need to run that Chrysler’s VIN number.” Doc narrowed his eyes. “Of course,” he replied, not bothering to hide his distaste. He unlocked the door, pushed it halfway open, and peeked inside. Just as he’d suspected, Vee was fast asleep. Doc shut the door quietly and turned back to Sheriff.

“Can it wait a little while? Miss Vroom’s still asleep and I’d rather not wake her right now. Which reminds me…” without further explanation, Doc turned and drove off down the road. He headed for Sarge’s Surplus Hut, where the veteran jeep was preparing to raise his flag and play “Reveille.” Sheriff smirked, then turned and snuck carefully into the clinic.

In the dim morning light filtering through the windows, he studied the sleeping Chrysler. Vee twitched and mumbled in her sleep, and the squad car moved in closer to hear her better. It was hard to tell in the gloom, but he was almost certain that she looked upset. Her full lips quivered and formed silent words before she spoke again, this time more clearly.

“N-no. I don’t… I can’t… please…” This was followed by a whimper, like that of a frightened child, as Vee struggled against the invisible bonds of a nightmare. Curious, Sheriff moved even closer. Vee whimpered some more, then suddenly her eyes shot open and she screamed. Sheriff jumped back, startled. Her eyes, still glazed with sleep, narrowed in a deadly glare. With a roar of her engine she lurched forward, attacking him. Sheriff shoved her back and pinned her against a metal cabinet. The cabinet door buckled and several tools and parts from within spilled out onto the floor. Vee struggled against him, yelling incoherently and beating at him with her tires. “No! No! No! It’s a lie! You bastard!” was all Sheriff could make out, along with a few obscenities and the name Slade, shouted repeatedly.

“Calm down!” he ordered. “You’ll wake the whole dang town! Miss Vroom -” but Vee couldn’t be calmed. She shook her hood fiercely, gnashing her teeth and growling. One good swipe with her tire and she managed to crack one of Sheriff’s headlights. If he hadn’t been having such a hard time holding her down, he probably would’ve struck her back. Vee’s violent struggle was causing the cabinet she was pinned against to crush like a beer can.

“HEY! WHAT IN FORD’S NAME IS GOING ON IN HERE?!” boomed a loud voice. A light flicked on above. Sheriff let go of Vee and turned to find Doc standing in the doorway, looking livid. The still-sleeping Vee took that opportunity to make a break for it. She dove toward the door, straight toward Doc. She struck him hard in the face with an earsplitting crash of metal. Being a more sturdily built vehicle than a Chrysler, Doc sustained little more than some mild dents in his fender and grille. Vee practically bounced off him. Wide awake now, she gave a loud cry and looked around, panic in her eyes.

“Wha - where am - wh-what the hell - why -?” she gasped, breathless and trembling. Doc drove toward her and placed a firm tire on her side. “Ssshhhh. It’s all right. Calm down, Miss Vroom. You’re okay. You’re safe. There’s no one here to hurt you.” He flashed an icy glare at Sheriff as he said this that caused the squad car to cringe. Doc turned to face him fully. “Now,” he said, in a voice colder than his glare, “would you care to explain to me what you were doing coming into my clinic, without my permission, and harassing my patient, when I thought I made it perfectly clear NOT to?”

Sheriff matched Doc’s glare with one of his own. “First of all,” he growled, “I did not harass her! I merely came in to get out of the cold when she went crazy and attacked me! I was defending myself, in case you hadn’t been paying attention. Just look what she did to my headlight! Second of all,” he continued, flashing Vee an even colder glare, “something’s obviously wrong with her. Keeps going psycho on everyone. She did it to you when you were fixin’ her, and now she’s done it to me! And don’t you dare give me any of your ‘collision trauma’ BS. That ain’t it at all! There’s something very wrong with that girl. Something no amount of fixing’s ever gonna cure. She’s trouble. Mark my words.”

For a long moment, the three vehicles exchanged troubled looks. Then Vee, who was still trembling, spoke up. “W-what’s he talking about?” she asked Doc, her voice frail. Before he could answer her, Sheriff growled. “Don’t play dumb with us! You know very well what you did, and you’re paying for my headlight, you hear me?”

Vee frowned at him. “What -” she started, then stopped when she noticed his damaged headlight. “Are you saying I did that?”

Sheriff smirked. “What do you think?” he growled. He pulled forward until he was face to face with her, ignoring Doc’s protests as he spoke. “I don’t know what kind of stunt you’re trying to pull here, but I ain’t buying it. You can yell and scream for Slade all you want, but I -”

“What did you say?” Vee interrupted, staring at Sheriff in shock.

“You heard me,” he growled. “Now I don’t know who Slade is, but I’ll bet he’s -”

Vee gasped. “Slade?” Her eyes widened in fear and she backed away, bumping into the half-crushed cabinet. “W-where is he?” she asked, trembling even harder. Doc approached her, looking concerned. “There’s no one here by that name,” he said softly. Vee looked at him doubtfully. “Then how does he know -?” she asked, nodding toward Sheriff. Doc gave him a questioning look.

“She was yellin’ it in her sleep,” he explained. “Right before she went psycho on me.”

Doc met her frightened gaze. “I seem to remember you saying that name after your crash. You woke up on the lift and panicked. I couldn’t make out much of what you were yelling except ‘Slade’ and ‘leave me alone.’ Took some time to calm you down, but you don’t remember that, do you?”

Vee shook her hood. She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. Her eyes darted to Sheriff, who was still frowning at her, then back to Doc. His gaze was so intense that she dropped her eyes to her hood, blushing. She gave a fluttery sigh that sounded more like a sob, then startled slightly when she felt something brush her tire. She looked at Doc again.

“Vee,” he said gently, and she knew it was his tire pressed soothingly against hers. “Who is Slade?” Vee’s engine skipped at the sound of that name.

“H-he was my employer,” she replied. “Back when I worked at… well, my last job, anyway.” A resounding silence fell over the clinic, and it quickly became obvious that Vee did not wish to discuss the matter further. After several seconds, Sheriff cleared his throat.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a phone call to make,” he said. Doc moved aside grudgingly as the squad car drove over to his desk to use the phone. Vee pointedly avoided his glare as he recited her VIN number into the receiver. She looked down at the floor and noticed for the first time the mess she had made. She reached out a tire to gather up some sparkplugs.

“Don’t worry about that,” Doc told her, shooing her away. “I’ve got it.” She watched as he started picking things up.

“No,” she said firmly, snatching a socket wrench out from under his tire. “I made this mess, and I’ll clean it up.” Stunned by her determination, Doc smiled and stood back, allowing her to do the job.

Meanwhile, Sheriff was taking down the info he’d received on Vee. “Yes. Interesting,” he muttered. His eyes roamed past his notes and settled on something on the far side of the desk. “Hold on a sec,” he said, then reached over and pulled the bent license plate closer so he could read it. “I’ve got something else I need you to check,” he said over the phone. “It’s the number on that plate that Chrysler was wearing when I caught her. It ain’t hers. No. It’s a truck plate. Yeah. California. Here, lemme give you the number…”

When Vee had gathered up all the tools and parts, she turned around to put them away. She nearly dropped everything when she saw the damaged cabinet. “Oh my Dodge,” she whispered. “Doc, I am SO sorry! I didn’t -”

“It’s all right,” he assured her. “Just put everything on the counter for now. I’ll sort it out later.”

Vee obeyed, then turned to him with a guilty face. “I’ll work it off,” she announced, and it wasn’t a question. Doc opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. “I insist,” she said firmly. “You’ve done far too much for me already. I owe you, and I will repay you. I promise.”

For a moment, it looked like Doc was going to argue, but when he opened his mouth again, all that came out was a sigh, followed by a smile. “Well, I could always use an assistant,” he said, and Vee returned his smile tenfold.

“Goodbye!” Sheriff said, then hung up the phone. He turned to Doc and Vee, looking quite pleased. Doc narrowed his eyes at him.

“Well?” he said gruffly. “What did they say?” He knew whatever it was would not bode well for Vee.

Sheriff’s grille twitched as he appeared to hide a grin. “Well, I ran that plate number. Turns out it belongs to a pickup in L.A. name of Slade Ford.” He flashed Vee a glance before continuing. “Man’s self-employed. Runs a little business called Ford’s Escorts.” There was no mistaking the emphasis Sheriff put on the last two words. Doc frowned and Vee shivered. Sheriff smirked. “I also ran Miss Vroom’s VIN number and - are you ready for this? - she’s wanted for prostitution in California.”

Vee felt herself sinking to the floor. Sheriff was looming over her, suddenly much larger and more sinister-looking than ever. But he was not looking at her. He was looking at Doc. Vee forced herself to look at the Hornet and when she did so, she was surprised to see the anger in his eyes - eyes that were glaring heatedly at Sheriff and not her. Not to be discouraged by this, the squad car continued to grin self-righteously. Then he turned and smirked at Vee.

“Now all the pieces are falling into place,” he said. His haughty tone and smile made Vee want to punch out his other headlight. He moved closer to her and lowered his voice, though Doc could still hear him. “I think it’s only fair to warn you: prostitution’s illegal in this state, too.”

Vee glowered at the squad car and rose up on her axles, making herself look as big as possible. “I am NOT a prostitute,” she growled, in a voice dripping with venom. Sheriff looked intimidated, but only for a moment. He gave her a patronizing smile.

“No, you’re an escort,” he said, his tone matching his smile. “Which is just another fancy word for prostitute.”

“No!” Vee growled. “There’s a big difference!”

Sheriff snorted. “Oh yeah? Tell me then, do you charge men for sexual favors?”

“Sheriff!” Doc growled, but the squad car ignored him. He continued to match glares with Vee, who finally flinched at his question.

“Well, do you?” Vee didn’t have to answer him. The look in her eyes before she cast them to the floor told him what he wanted to know. Sheriff smirked. “I thought so. Sorry, madam, but that makes you a prostitute. And as you’re wanted on prostitution charges, I’m afraid it’s my duty to -”

“Lay one tread on her and you’ll regret it!” Doc growled, placing himself between them. Sheriff frowned.

“Why do you care about some snot-nosed little hooker?” he demanded.

“Why don’t you care?” Doc retorted. “Why are you so determined to find fault with her?”

For a moment, it seemed that Sheriff was at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. Then with a scowl he said, “I know trouble when I see it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when all hell breaks loose.” And with those words he turned and exited the clinic. Doc and Vee stared after him, silent.

Mack was just about to knock on the clinic door when Sheriff burst out, growling to himself. He didn’t appear to notice the big rig as he took to the street and disappeared down the road. Mack stared after him, curious, then shrugged and knocked on the door. Doc answered it immediately.

“Oh hello, Mack,” he said, though Mack sensed something off in his greeting. The Hornet seemed troubled. “Here to see Miss Vroom, I take it?”

“Yeah. She awake?”

Before Doc could answer him, Vee appeared at the clinic door, offering her friend a meek smile. Mack smiled back. “Hey, Vee. Join me for breakfast?”

Vee’s smile faded as she glanced sideways at Doc. “Go ahead,” he said, then backed slowly into the clinic. “We’ll talk later.” At Vee’s worried expression he smiled. “There’s a lot you’ll need to know if you want to be my assistant,” he explained, and her smile returned. “But there’ll be plenty of time to talk about that after breakfast.”

Vee sighed inwardly with relief, then rolled slowly outside. “Thanks, Doc,” she said, then pulled up beside Mack as the two headed down the street to Flo’s.

“What did I miss this time?” Mack asked teasingly. Vee chuckled and told him everything that had gone on in the clinic that morning. They parked at the far side of the lot, Vee just under the awning and Mack beside her. Mack saw something red out of the corner of his eye and looked over to see Tia driving toward him. The two made eye-contact and Mack blushed slightly, remembering last night. She must have been thinking the same thing because the moment their eyes met, Tia blushed also and turned to her sister, nudging her hard and whispering to her.

Mack watched them curiously. “No! I can’t! You do it!” he heard Tia whisper loudly, as Mia argued with her. With a frustrated sigh, Mia soon gave in. Tia returned to the café while her twin approached Mack with a smile. “Don’t mind Tia,” she said loftily. “She thinks she likes you, but she doesn’t, really.” Her smile turned into a smirk when she glanced at Vee. Vee smirked back. “So! What can I get you this morning?” Mia chirped, looking back at Mack.

“Eh, the usual,” Mack replied. Mia nodded and turned to Vee, smirk once again in place. Vee gave her order, then watched the Miata cruise back to the café. “I think they’re on to me,” she told Mack, who gave her a puzzled look.

“Huh?” was his only reply. He followed her gaze to the café door, where both girls now stood whispering back and forth and shooting occasional glances in Vee’s direction. “What, you don’t think they actually know about…? Because I certainly didn’t tell anyone!”

“I know you didn’t,” Vee answered, turning away from the café and looking up at Mack. “But Doc knows. And Sheriff.”

Mack nodded. “Yeah well, I’m sure Doc wouldn’t -”

“Gooooooood mornin’, Miss Vee!” said a cheerful voice. Vee and Mack both smiled to see Mater.

“Morning, Mater,” Vee replied. Her smile faded as his did and she looked at him curiously. “Something wrong?”

Mater blushed and looked down at the ground. “Aw well, Ah don’t know how tuh tell ya this, but… Ah jist heard a nasty rumor ‘bout ya, Miss Vee.”

“Oh? And what might that be?” she asked him calmly, though she was quite certain she already knew the answer.

Mater scuffed the ground with a tire. “Uhhh, well, Ah ain’t the kinda vehicle tuh go ‘round spreadin’ rumors, no matter what -”

“It’s okay, Mater,” Vee assured him. “If it’s about me, I’m bound to hear it sooner or later. Just tell me already.”

“All right, but jist ‘tween you an’ me, Ah don’t believe a word of it!” Mater glanced nervously around the café lot, then edged in close to Vee and lowered his voice. Mack leaned in closer to hear. “Someone jist got done tellin’ me you’re one o’ them, uh, you know…” he blushed, dropping his voice even lower, “…rental cars.”

Even though they’d been expecting it, both Mack and Vee were still surprised by Mater’s revelation. After a moment, Vee shook her hood and laughed. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but that one tops ‘em all!”

Mater chuckled too. “Yeah, well, Ah knew it weren’t true! Ya’s too good a car tuh rent yerself out, Miss Vee. Ol’ Sheriff must still be sore at ya fer outrunnin’ ‘im the other night!” Mater drove off laughing, not noticing that Vee was no longer laughing herself.

Mack looked down at Vee, who was watching Mater drive away. She sighed. Mack brushed a tire against hers. She looked up at him and smiled slightly. “Better than him knowing the truth,” she said, looking away again, this time letting her eyes roam around the lot, taking in the breakfast crowd. Mack tried to smile back, but knew it wouldn’t be sincere. The next few minutes were spent in silence. Mack only looked up when Mia appeared before them with their orders. At that moment, he spotted Sheriff going around a corner and frowned.

“I wonder who jammed a potato up his tailpipe,” Mack grumbled.

Vee shrugged. “Eh, who cares? He’s no different from the cops in L.A., and I know how to deal with them.” She took a sip of her coffee and sighed. “Although I think Mater has the right idea when it comes to guys like that.” Mack looked down at her and she grinned wickedly. “I just hope he has some firecrackers left over, ‘cuz I’m gonna need them!”

Chapter Fifteen: [link]

Description
I'll Meet You On Route 62
(A Disney/Pixar Cars fanfic)

Chapter Fourteen:
Sheriff's Grudge

Sheriff parked outside Doc’s clinic, idling to keep warm in the early morning chill. He did not have long to wait. The old Hornet pulled up shortly after and frowned slightly upon seeing him. “Morning, Sheriff,” he said, the little warmth in his greeting escaping in a misty puff of breath. He moved toward the clinic door and paused in the act of unlocking it. “What brings you here at this hour? Normally I have to drag you in here for your checkups.”

“I need to use your phone,” Sheriff replied gruffly, without returning his greeting. “Galdarn scanner’s gone haywire and I need to run that Chrysler’s VIN number.” Doc narrowed his eyes. “Of course,” he replied, not bothering to hide his distaste. He unlocked the door, pushed it halfway open, and peeked inside. Just as he’d suspected, Vee was fast asleep. Doc shut the door quietly and turned back to Sheriff.

“Can it wait a little while? Miss Vroom’s still asleep and I’d rather not wake her right now. Which reminds me…” without further explanation, Doc turned and drove off down the road. He headed for Sarge’s Surplus Hut, where the veteran jeep was preparing to raise his flag and play “Reveille.” Sheriff smirked, then turned and snuck carefully into the clinic.

In the dim morning light filtering through the windows, he studied the sleeping Chrysler. Vee twitched and mumbled in her sleep, and the squad car moved in closer to hear her better. It was hard to tell in the gloom, but he was almost certain that she looked upset. Her full lips quivered and formed silent words before she spoke again, this time more clearly.

“N-no. I don’t… I can’t… please…” This was followed by a whimper, like that of a frightened child, as Vee struggled against the invisible bonds of a nightmare. Curious, Sheriff moved even closer. Vee whimpered some more, then suddenly her eyes shot open and she screamed. Sheriff jumped back, startled. Her eyes, still glazed with sleep, narrowed in a deadly glare. With a roar of her engine she lurched forward, attacking him. Sheriff shoved her back and pinned her against a metal cabinet. The cabinet door buckled and several tools and parts from within spilled out onto the floor. Vee struggled against him, yelling incoherently and beating at him with her tires. “No! No! No! It’s a lie! You bastard!” was all Sheriff could make out, along with a few obscenities and the name Slade, shouted repeatedly.

“Calm down!” he ordered. “You’ll wake the whole dang town! Miss Vroom -” but Vee couldn’t be calmed. She shook her hood fiercely, gnashing her teeth and growling. One good swipe with her tire and she managed to crack one of Sheriff’s headlights. If he hadn’t been having such a hard time holding her down, he probably would’ve struck her back. Vee’s violent struggle was causing the cabinet she was pinned against to crush like a beer can.

“HEY! WHAT IN FORD’S NAME IS GOING ON IN HERE?!” boomed a loud voice. A light flicked on above. Sheriff let go of Vee and turned to find Doc standing in the doorway, looking livid. The still-sleeping Vee took that opportunity to make a break for it. She dove toward the door, straight toward Doc. She struck him hard in the face with an earsplitting crash of metal. Being a more sturdily built vehicle than a Chrysler, Doc sustained little more than some mild dents in his fender and grille. Vee practically bounced off him. Wide awake now, she gave a loud cry and looked around, panic in her eyes.

“Wha - where am - wh-what the hell - why -?” she gasped, breathless and trembling. Doc drove toward her and placed a firm tire on her side. “Ssshhhh. It’s all right. Calm down, Miss Vroom. You’re okay. You’re safe. There’s no one here to hurt you.” He flashed an icy glare at Sheriff as he said this that caused the squad car to cringe. Doc turned to face him fully. “Now,” he said, in a voice colder than his glare, “would you care to explain to me what you were doing coming into my clinic, without my permission, and harassing my patient, when I thought I made it perfectly clear NOT to?”

Sheriff matched Doc’s glare with one of his own. “First of all,” he growled, “I did not harass her! I merely came in to get out of the cold when she went crazy and attacked me! I was defending myself, in case you hadn’t been paying attention. Just look what she did to my headlight! Second of all,” he continued, flashing Vee an even colder glare, “something’s obviously wrong with her. Keeps going psycho on everyone. She did it to you when you were fixin’ her, and now she’s done it to me! And don’t you dare give me any of your ‘collision trauma’ BS. That ain’t it at all! There’s something very wrong with that girl. Something no amount of fixing’s ever gonna cure. She’s trouble. Mark my words.”

For a long moment, the three vehicles exchanged troubled looks. Then Vee, who was still trembling, spoke up. “W-what’s he talking about?” she asked Doc, her voice frail. Before he could answer her, Sheriff growled. “Don’t play dumb with us! You know very well what you did, and you’re paying for my headlight, you hear me?”

Vee frowned at him. “What -” she started, then stopped when she noticed his damaged headlight. “Are you saying I did that?”

Sheriff smirked. “What do you think?” he growled. He pulled forward until he was face to face with her, ignoring Doc’s protests as he spoke. “I don’t know what kind of stunt you’re trying to pull here, but I ain’t buying it. You can yell and scream for Slade all you want, but I -”

“What did you say?” Vee interrupted, staring at Sheriff in shock.

“You heard me,” he growled. “Now I don’t know who Slade is, but I’ll bet he’s -”

Vee gasped. “Slade?” Her eyes widened in fear and she backed away, bumping into the half-crushed cabinet. “W-where is he?” she asked, trembling even harder. Doc approached her, looking concerned. “There’s no one here by that name,” he said softly. Vee looked at him doubtfully. “Then how does he know -?” she asked, nodding toward Sheriff. Doc gave him a questioning look.

“She was yellin’ it in her sleep,” he explained. “Right before she went psycho on me.”

Doc met her frightened gaze. “I seem to remember you saying that name after your crash. You woke up on the lift and panicked. I couldn’t make out much of what you were yelling except ‘Slade’ and ‘leave me alone.’ Took some time to calm you down, but you don’t remember that, do you?”

Vee shook her hood. She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. Her eyes darted to Sheriff, who was still frowning at her, then back to Doc. His gaze was so intense that she dropped her eyes to her hood, blushing. She gave a fluttery sigh that sounded more like a sob, then startled slightly when she felt something brush her tire. She looked at Doc again.

“Vee,” he said gently, and she knew it was his tire pressed soothingly against hers. “Who is Slade?” Vee’s engine skipped at the sound of that name.

“H-he was my employer,” she replied. “Back when I worked at… well, my last job, anyway.” A resounding silence fell over the clinic, and it quickly became obvious that Vee did not wish to discuss the matter further. After several seconds, Sheriff cleared his throat.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a phone call to make,” he said. Doc moved aside grudgingly as the squad car drove over to his desk to use the phone. Vee pointedly avoided his glare as he recited her VIN number into the receiver. She looked down at the floor and noticed for the first time the mess she had made. She reached out a tire to gather up some sparkplugs.

“Don’t worry about that,” Doc told her, shooing her away. “I’ve got it.” She watched as he started picking things up.

“No,” she said firmly, snatching a socket wrench out from under his tire. “I made this mess, and I’ll clean it up.” Stunned by her determination, Doc smiled and stood back, allowing her to do the job.

Meanwhile, Sheriff was taking down the info he’d received on Vee. “Yes. Interesting,” he muttered. His eyes roamed past his notes and settled on something on the far side of the desk. “Hold on a sec,” he said, then reached over and pulled the bent license plate closer so he could read it. “I’ve got something else I need you to check,” he said over the phone. “It’s the number on that plate that Chrysler was wearing when I caught her. It ain’t hers. No. It’s a truck plate. Yeah. California. Here, lemme give you the number…”

When Vee had gathered up all the tools and parts, she turned around to put them away. She nearly dropped everything when she saw the damaged cabinet. “Oh my Dodge,” she whispered. “Doc, I am SO sorry! I didn’t -”

“It’s all right,” he assured her. “Just put everything on the counter for now. I’ll sort it out later.”

Vee obeyed, then turned to him with a guilty face. “I’ll work it off,” she announced, and it wasn’t a question. Doc opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. “I insist,” she said firmly. “You’ve done far too much for me already. I owe you, and I will repay you. I promise.”

For a moment, it looked like Doc was going to argue, but when he opened his mouth again, all that came out was a sigh, followed by a smile. “Well, I could always use an assistant,” he said, and Vee returned his smile tenfold.

“Goodbye!” Sheriff said, then hung up the phone. He turned to Doc and Vee, looking quite pleased. Doc narrowed his eyes at him.

“Well?” he said gruffly. “What did they say?” He knew whatever it was would not bode well for Vee.

Sheriff’s grille twitched as he appeared to hide a grin. “Well, I ran that plate number. Turns out it belongs to a pickup in L.A. name of Slade Ford.” He flashed Vee a glance before continuing. “Man’s self-employed. Runs a little business called Ford’s Escorts.” There was no mistaking the emphasis Sheriff put on the last two words. Doc frowned and Vee shivered. Sheriff smirked. “I also ran Miss Vroom’s VIN number and - are you ready for this? - she’s wanted for prostitution in California.”

Vee felt herself sinking to the floor. Sheriff was looming over her, suddenly much larger and more sinister-looking than ever. But he was not looking at her. He was looking at Doc. Vee forced herself to look at the Hornet and when she did so, she was surprised to see the anger in his eyes - eyes that were glaring heatedly at Sheriff and not her. Not to be discouraged by this, the squad car continued to grin self-righteously. Then he turned and smirked at Vee.

“Now all the pieces are falling into place,” he said. His haughty tone and smile made Vee want to punch out his other headlight. He moved closer to her and lowered his voice, though Doc could still hear him. “I think it’s only fair to warn you: prostitution’s illegal in this state, too.”

Vee glowered at the squad car and rose up on her axles, making herself look as big as possible. “I am NOT a prostitute,” she growled, in a voice dripping with venom. Sheriff looked intimidated, but only for a moment. He gave her a patronizing smile.

“No, you’re an escort,” he said, his tone matching his smile. “Which is just another fancy word for prostitute.”

“No!” Vee growled. “There’s a big difference!”

Sheriff snorted. “Oh yeah? Tell me then, do you charge men for sexual favors?”

“Sheriff!” Doc growled, but the squad car ignored him. He continued to match glares with Vee, who finally flinched at his question.

“Well, do you?” Vee didn’t have to answer him. The look in her eyes before she cast them to the floor told him what he wanted to know. Sheriff smirked. “I thought so. Sorry, madam, but that makes you a prostitute. And as you’re wanted on prostitution charges, I’m afraid it’s my duty to -”

“Lay one tread on her and you’ll regret it!” Doc growled, placing himself between them. Sheriff frowned.

“Why do you care about some snot-nosed little hooker?” he demanded.

“Why don’t you care?” Doc retorted. “Why are you so determined to find fault with her?”

For a moment, it seemed that Sheriff was at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. Then with a scowl he said, “I know trouble when I see it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when all hell breaks loose.” And with those words he turned and exited the clinic. Doc and Vee stared after him, silent.

Mack was just about to knock on the clinic door when Sheriff burst out, growling to himself. He didn’t appear to notice the big rig as he took to the street and disappeared down the road. Mack stared after him, curious, then shrugged and knocked on the door. Doc answered it immediately.

“Oh hello, Mack,” he said, though Mack sensed something off in his greeting. The Hornet seemed troubled. “Here to see Miss Vroom, I take it?”

“Yeah. She awake?”

Before Doc could answer him, Vee appeared at the clinic door, offering her friend a meek smile. Mack smiled back. “Hey, Vee. Join me for breakfast?”

Vee’s smile faded as she glanced sideways at Doc. “Go ahead,” he said, then backed slowly into the clinic. “We’ll talk later.” At Vee’s worried expression he smiled. “There’s a lot you’ll need to know if you want to be my assistant,” he explained, and her smile returned. “But there’ll be plenty of time to talk about that after breakfast.”

Vee sighed inwardly with relief, then rolled slowly outside. “Thanks, Doc,” she said, then pulled up beside Mack as the two headed down the street to Flo’s.

“What did I miss this time?” Mack asked teasingly. Vee chuckled and told him everything that had gone on in the clinic that morning. They parked at the far side of the lot, Vee just under the awning and Mack beside her. Mack saw something red out of the corner of his eye and looked over to see Tia driving toward him. The two made eye-contact and Mack blushed slightly, remembering last night. She must have been thinking the same thing because the moment their eyes met, Tia blushed also and turned to her sister, nudging her hard and whispering to her.

Mack watched them curiously. “No! I can’t! You do it!” he heard Tia whisper loudly, as Mia argued with her. With a frustrated sigh, Mia soon gave in. Tia returned to the café while her twin approached Mack with a smile. “Don’t mind Tia,” she said loftily. “She thinks she likes you, but she doesn’t, really.” Her smile turned into a smirk when she glanced at Vee. Vee smirked back. “So! What can I get you this morning?” Mia chirped, looking back at Mack.

“Eh, the usual,” Mack replied. Mia nodded and turned to Vee, smirk once again in place. Vee gave her order, then watched the Miata cruise back to the café. “I think they’re on to me,” she told Mack, who gave her a puzzled look.

“Huh?” was his only reply. He followed her gaze to the café door, where both girls now stood whispering back and forth and shooting occasional glances in Vee’s direction. “What, you don’t think they actually know about…? Because I certainly didn’t tell anyone!”

“I know you didn’t,” Vee answered, turning away from the café and looking up at Mack. “But Doc knows. And Sheriff.”

Mack nodded. “Yeah well, I’m sure Doc wouldn’t -”

“Gooooooood mornin’, Miss Vee!” said a cheerful voice. Vee and Mack both smiled to see Mater.

“Morning, Mater,” Vee replied. Her smile faded as his did and she looked at him curiously. “Something wrong?”

Mater blushed and looked down at the ground. “Aw well, Ah don’t know how tuh tell ya this, but… Ah jist heard a nasty rumor ‘bout ya, Miss Vee.”

“Oh? And what might that be?” she asked him calmly, though she was quite certain she already knew the answer.

Mater scuffed the ground with a tire. “Uhhh, well, Ah ain’t the kinda vehicle tuh go ‘round spreadin’ rumors, no matter what -”

“It’s okay, Mater,” Vee assured him. “If it’s about me, I’m bound to hear it sooner or later. Just tell me already.”

“All right, but jist ‘tween you an’ me, Ah don’t believe a word of it!” Mater glanced nervously around the café lot, then edged in close to Vee and lowered his voice. Mack leaned in closer to hear. “Someone jist got done tellin’ me you’re one o’ them, uh, you know…” he blushed, dropping his voice even lower, “…rental cars.”

Even though they’d been expecting it, both Mack and Vee were still surprised by Mater’s revelation. After a moment, Vee shook her hood and laughed. “I’ve been called a lot of things, but that one tops ‘em all!”

Mater chuckled too. “Yeah, well, Ah knew it weren’t true! Ya’s too good a car tuh rent yerself out, Miss Vee. Ol’ Sheriff must still be sore at ya fer outrunnin’ ‘im the other night!” Mater drove off laughing, not noticing that Vee was no longer laughing herself.

Mack looked down at Vee, who was watching Mater drive away. She sighed. Mack brushed a tire against hers. She looked up at him and smiled slightly. “Better than him knowing the truth,” she said, looking away again, this time letting her eyes roam around the lot, taking in the breakfast crowd. Mack tried to smile back, but knew it wouldn’t be sincere. The next few minutes were spent in silence. Mack only looked up when Mia appeared before them with their orders. At that moment, he spotted Sheriff going around a corner and frowned.

“I wonder who jammed a potato up his tailpipe,” Mack grumbled.

Vee shrugged. “Eh, who cares? He’s no different from the cops in L.A., and I know how to deal with them.” She took a sip of her coffee and sighed. “Although I think Mater has the right idea when it comes to guys like that.” Mack looked down at her and she grinned wickedly. “I just hope he has some firecrackers left over, ‘cuz I’m gonna need them!”

Chapter Fifteen: [link]