Pearl

Chapter Thirteen: Down by the Switch

Larry was waiting in a rented silver sedan for the damn cop to leave his house.

He had been waiting, parked along the street about four houses down, for over an hour already. The press conference didn't start for another three, but the officer seemed like an "on-time is late" kinda guy, so he and Gary had taken positions r-e-a-l early to make sure they didn't miss their chance.

He'd been spending his time making faces at the big, burly brown dog that lived in the fenced yard in front of the house he was parked at, and the big dumb thing kept drawing attention to the fact that the car was occupied by pouncing into the dirt and wagging his tail like Larry was gonna pop right out of the car and throw a ball.

Larry was not, in fact, going to do that.

Another hour went by, and Larry had to pinch himself to stay awake.

"Boof," barked the dog as a jogger went by, and Larry sank lower into the cloth seat.

He pulled his hat down and sighed, glancing over at the empty bottles of sports drinks on the passenger seat that he now very much regretted buying from the gas station on his way here that morning.

He noticed dirt flying from the corner of his eye, and realized that the dog was trying to dig its way out from under the fence.

The dog was a very good digger.

Larry watched the wagging back end of the mutt as it got deeper and deeper beneath the grass line. He shifted in his seat as he realized he may have to move to avoid being given away by the dog's jailbreak antics.

Just in time, the red door to the officer's house opened and Larry sat bolt upright as the man in question took a step out onto the slightly cracked front walkway.

The officer was wearing a his uniform, and a trim, professionally dressed Asain lady about his age gave him a quick peck on the lips and shooed him out the door to the car before retreating back inside the house.

The officer rubbed the back of his neck and took a brief survey of the neighborhood, causing Larry's already too-full bladder to tighten in fear as those observant eyes lazily slid over the parked cars lining the sides of the road.

He really just wasn't cut out for this shit, Larry realized. Too stressful. He was more of a messy and quick guy, not a slow and smooth one. It was only because he was the better driver that he was doing the stalking while Gary waited with the rammer down by the Switch.

The officer got into his patrol car and started the engine, and Larry reached for the burner phone Gary had given him, hitting the only number programed into the speed dial.

The ringer buzzed twice, three times, as the officer smoothly pulled out of his parking spot and began to move down the road. Larry let him get a few yards ahead before easing his ignition on.

"He moving?" Gary's digitized voice came on after the phone clicked through to connect.

"Yeah, 'e – JESUS CHRIST," Larry jumped in his seat and almost slammed his foot down on the wrong pedal as with a dull BANG the passenger-side window was suddenly and completely obstructed by long, dirty claws and an even longer tongue.

"Larry, what's happening?"

The big hairy beast was all tail wags and big-beast barks as it scrambled its paws against the glass and paint.

"Aw, c'mon--it's a rental!" Larry yelled at the dog as he set the car in motion, pulling away before he entirely lost the cop car.

The dog slid down the side of the car as it pulled away, watching the car go with a tilted head and a limp tail.