Apocalypse Drift by Joe Nobody Read Free Book Online

the time, I still hadn’t put two and two together. I told the guard Mr. Wallace was dead and to call the police. I believed it was your father’s murderer trying to use his badge.”
    The man across from Reed leaned forward and pointed his finger at the paper. “I’m convinced your dad knew something was wrong. I think that’s why he called you in Austin that morning. The car’s gas tank was full, topped off at a station ten miles north of the one where he was found. I saw the credit card transaction myself. Why would your father have stopped and filled up, and then stopped again ten minutes later? I also know your father used the restroom and purchased a cup of coffee when he stopped the first time. I interviewed the clerk who remembered him a few days later. Your d ad was executed, Reed, of that I’m sure. I can’t tell you who or why, but this was no robbery.”
    Reed’s head was spinning, and that was a condition he wasn’t accustomed to. This seemingly harmless, old man had sent his mind into analysis paralysis, and the attorney wasn’t comfortable with it. He managed to calm himself and started to push away from the table, but Mr. Agile wasn’t done yet.
    “Before I go, we should work on my last will and testament.”
    Reed absentmindedly responded, “I’m not the firm’s expert on wills, Mr. Agile. I’m afraid I wouldn’t do a good job for you.”
    The old man smiled, “It’s not for me, Reed. It’s for you. While I doubt anyone is paying attention to my activities anymore, there’s still that chance. You may need to explain why I was here, and I don’t think telling the truth would be wise.”
     
    As Reed ambled along the Washington side streets, he didn’t pay much attention to his immediate surroundings. Normally, when traveling through a new place, he would be looking at nearby sidewalk cafes, secondhand shops, or perhaps even people watching. Today, he was simply celebrating his arrival here.
    “Here” wasn’t a location on a map. It had nothing do with the status of having been elected to a national office. By Reed’s way of thinking, here was a place that provided the best odds of uncovering the facts surrounding his father’s murder.
    Reed paused, checking the street signs to verify he was turning toward the temporary offices. He waited for the walk signal to change before crossing the wide avenue, his mind drifting back to Dallas and how that one old man had changed everything.
    After his visit with Mr. Agile, Reed initially ignored the man’s claim. Combined, Reed’s job and family required every spare minute of every waking hour. He simply couldn’t justify repurposing time from the obligations of the here and now to dwell on vague allegations about past events. Deep down inside, he wondered if he were deluding himself about the reality of the allegations, or simply procrastinating from exploring them further. Some small voice kept telling him Mr. Agile’s visit was a life-altering event. In so many ways, Reed didn’t want his life to change. But Mr. Agile’s voice kept haunting him, the man’s words popping into his consciousness at the oddest times. Reed finally decided there was no choice but to spend time either debunking the old man’s story or discovering what really happened.
    Two years and two private detectives later, Reed was convinced Mr. Agile had told him the truth. The paid investigators brought him very little fresh information. A little excursion to Miami did bear fruit, however. The Austin police lieutenant who investigated the case was still sound of mind and subsiding on his pension in southern Florida.
    When Reed phoned the retired cop, the fellow instantly remembered the case. “That whole set of circumstances was weird…just plain weird. For one thing, we never interviewed any real witnesses. No one heard or saw anything, yet the black Volvo sedan was parked no more than 50 feet from a very busy island of gas pumps – in broad daylight. The