My Dad, the Private Eye: Keep on Truckin'

CHAPTER 11

Back at the motel, I was still sleeping away. But, for some reason, I woke up around midnight. I usually sleep right through the night; you pretty much have to pour cold water on me to get me out of bed in the morning. But something woke me up early this time. Maybe it was a bad dream. Maybe it was a spring from the cheap motel mattress sticking me in the back.

Or maybe it was because I somehow knew that something was seriously wrong.

I called out for Dad, but I got no answer. Looking around, I realized he wasn't there. Okay, I said to myself, you don't have to freak out. Knowing Dad, he's probably just out doing some snooping. But snooping for what? And where?

I picked up my phone and was about to call him, but I stopped myself. What if he was spying on someone and his phone rang? I realized I'd have to take that chance. I know I almost blew it for him when I called him at that funeral home morgue when he was trying to get a lock of Patty Delaroy's hair, but this was different. It was the middle of the night in a strange town, and he could be getting himself into some real trouble!

So I called him. No answer, just voicemail. And it was one of those calls where the voicemail answers right away meaning it didn't even ring because the phone was probably out of range or something. I tried calling again just in case. Voicemail again.

This was bad.

Then again, maybe Dad had just turned off his phone because he didn't want any interruptions while he was doing a stake-out or something. I realized that I should probably have some confidence in him. He was doing a stake-out that he could only do alone. He knew it would hurt my feelings if I knew he wanted to do it without me, so he planned to get the job done and be back before I even woke up. So Dad had everything under control. This was good!

Who was I kidding? Dad was missing, and I had no way to reach him. This was bad. Very very bad!

And it was all my fault. After all, I'd encouraged Dad to become a private eye. Okay, not at first, but once things got going, and once I discovered how fun it was, I'd told him to stick with it. I mean, I thought I was doing the right thing! I thought he could really succeed. I wanted him to succeed so, so bad! But Dad wasn't a private eye. He was just Dad the ex-mailman. And now he was about to become Dad the ex-Dad!

But I wasn't going to let that happen. I was going to save him!

I tried to remember what Dad and I had talked about before we went to bed... Yes, Dad had wanted to get the driving logs from Gator's truck. Was it possible he went to get them now?

Knowing Dad, yes it was.

I threw on my clothes fast, but I didn't exactly have a plan. I had to get to Dad, but I didn't know the address of that warehouse where Gator had parked.

Think, I told myself. Think!

Okay, wherever that place was, how did he get there? He must've taken an Uber! I whipped out my phone and booked an Uber right away. Not knowing exactly where I was going, I entered a random address as my destination. I was really operating 'on the fly' now!

The five minute wait for the Uber was probably the longest five minutes of my life. That little car on the app screen looked like it was hitting every red light. But, finally, a white Toyota Prius pulled up, driven by a guy named Sanjay.

I jumped in the Uber and, before Sanjay could start, said, "Listen, I'm not really going to the address I entered. I'm going to this warehouse out by the freeway. I don't know what it is or exactly where it is, but a lot of tanker trucks go there. Please tell me you know where it is, please please pleeease!"

"Uh... you mean the same place that I took that guy before?" Sanjay asked.

My eyes lit up. "That guy before? You were here before?!"

"Yeah, about an hour ago."

"Yes!" I screamed. "Take me to the same place. That's my dad!"

Dad forced his eyes open in the total darkness of Gator's tank. He was still trying desperately to stay awake and not be knocked out by the wine fumes. But things were looking more and more hopeless. And sleep was becoming more and more inviting. Dad just wanted to drift away... just stop struggling and let all his cares and worries go...

But then... did he hear something? Dad pried his eyes back open. Was that a voice? He listened closely. Finally, he heard a female voice saying, "Hello? Hello?"

Barely conscious, Dad gasped, "Hello! Hello! I'm in the tank! Help!" He listened again, but there was nothing. "Hello!!" he forced out, as loud as he could, but that just left him coughing. But then he heard footsteps walking up the outside of the tank. Then somebody opened the hatch! Dad looked up, barely conscious. He couldn't make out who was there.

Of course, it was me! "Dad?" I aimed my phone flashlight into the tank and saw Dad nearly passed out at the bottom. "Dad!" I whispered in astonishment and relief, trying not to alert Gator who I figured must be nearby.

"Krista?!" Dad said as he stared up at me in shock.

"C'mon! Get out of there!" I cried quietly.

"What're you doing here?!" Dad asked as he struggled to get up.

"What're you talking about?" I said. "You're my Dad! And you're my partner!"

Dad climbed out of the tank, and he gave me the biggest hug ever. And I gave him the biggest hug ever right back. It was the greatest feeling in the world.

Then he looked at me. "Honey... you saved my life," he said, almost with tears in his eyes.

I tried not to start bawling myself as I looked back at him. And I realized something. Even though Dad almost died here, he was a great private eye. This was the right thing for him to do – but only with me there to help him! He couldn't do this without me, and I certainly couldn't do it without him. Ours was a real partnership because we backed each other up. We watched each other's backs – always!

Dad and I climbed down the tank stairs and took off out of that place with Gator snoozing through the whole thing. Ocean waves rocked him in a deep sleep as the two of us slipped out under the fence.

"Wait a minute," Dad said as we brushed ourselves off. "How'd you find me?"

"I got the same Uber driver as you," I snickered.

Dad shook his head and smiled. "Good thing I gave that guy a good rating!" he cracked as we ran off to (hopefully) wrap up the case.