Back home, I spent an hour in my apartment running title searches on the files Ernie gave me, seven in all. A couple were out of state, and I’d either deal with those later or kick them back to Ernie who had someone he could call for longer range jobs. The rest, I was able to get up-to-date information for.

      I packed the information into my briefcase and went to the bedroom to change into old jeans and a sweatshirt. Out on the street, I opened Matilda’s trunk and made sure I had everything we’d need. There were two flashlights, which I tested, a pack of extra batteries, the slim-jim for breaking into cars we didn’t have keys for, mace for dogs, and a fully charged stun gun for unpleasant human beings. I carry a gun too, but that’s more for show. Waving around a Glock is actually far more peaceful than zapping the shit out of some guy on his front lawn. The State of Florida disapproves of that in most cases, so I try to avoid it.

      It took me about an hour and a half to drive around town and check out the cars so I could decide which ones we’d try for first. Three of them weren’t there, but I found the addresses and scoped out the terrain. The other two were parked out front, and I hoped they’d still be there later on.

      When I had the legwork done, I stopped off at Hamm’s Cafe and picked up two huge bacon cheeseburgers, two orders of onion rings, and a six-pack of Coke. Then I headed for Ed’s Garage.

      Seth was nowhere to be seen when I went inside, so I set the food on the workbench and took a look in the office. He wasn’t there either. The only thing that appeared to be in the shop was the Fairlane. I figured he must have gone up to his apartment, and I headed for the side door.

      I was walking alongside the car, when a hand shot out and clamped around my ankle. I just about hit the roof. When my heart started beating again, I swore loudly, and yanked my leg free. “Get your ass out from under that car!”

      Seth rolled out, laughing like a hyena. “I’ve never heard anyone shriek like that.” He lay on the floor clutching his sides. “Are you sure you’re a badass private eye?”

      “Asshole. You want me to kick your scrawny little ass to prove it?”

      “I am not scrawny.”

      “And I do not shriek.”

      Seth lost it all over again. After a minute, he stopped and said, “Hey, I smell onion rings.”

      “That would be my dinner.” I wasn’t really pissed at him, but I couldn’t let him get away with it. I had to yank his chain at least a little. “You wanna grab me some napkins while you’re upstairs scraping Cheetos off the rug or whatever you plan on eating?”

      I kicked him in the ass and went to get my food and a can of Coke. There’s an old bench seat from a Ford pick-up sitting on the floor in the corner of the garage, with a couple of milk crates for tables. I sat down and flipped open the lid, inhaling the scent of fried things and moaning loudly.

      “You’re such a jerk,” Seth said as he got up and brushed off his hands and hair. “Here I’m gonna work all night for you, and you gotta’ be flaunting your hamburger in front of me.”

      “Yeah, well, I think the burger fairy left you a surprise on your workbench.”

      “Oh?” Seth came around the back of the car and smiled broadly. “Sweet. Thanks, dude.”

      “You’re welcome.”

      He took a couple of plastic cups off the beat up old refrigerator at the end of the bench and filled them with ice from the freezer, then came to join me, handing me a cup and opening up his food.

      “So, what did you find out?” he asked, stuffing the cheeseburger in his mouth. He’d barely started chewing when he tried to cram an onion ring in with it.

      “Were you born in a fucking barn?” I asked.

      “Yefff.”

      I shook my head. “Okay, we’ve got five possibles tonight, and I have keys for three of them. I scoped out all the locations and there’s nothing tricky at any of them. I’ve seen two. The others weren’t there at the time.”

      Seth somehow managed to swallow and asked, “Anything fun?”

      “As a matter of fact, yes,” I said, grinning at him. “There is one I think you’re gonna like. Seventy-eight Corvette. Sold for a pretty penny so it must be in good shape.”

      Seth groaned and turned huge doe eyes on me. “You’re gonna let me drive that one, aren’t you?”

      “Sure, why not? It’s your ass on the line out there too.”

      “Yes!” Seth pumped his fist and went back to attacking his burger like a wild animal.

      “But I gotta’ warn you, it’s in a pretty dicey neighborhood, so we’re going to have to do it carefully.”

      “Fine with me,” he said, swallowing a mouthful of onion ring and taking a swig of Coke. “I have zero interest in getting my ass shot off.”

      I was starving and concentrated on eating while we sat in a comfortable silence. When Seth finished, he got up and dumped his garbage in a rusty trash barrel standing against the wall. He came back holding a newsprint Auto Trader folded open.

      “Check it out,” he said, dropping back onto the seat next to me and holding the magazine in front of my face.

      I took it from him and ate my last onion ring. “Which one am I lookin’ at?”

      “That one.” He tapped his finger on an ad for a 1972 Chevy Chevelle, dark orange with white stripes. It was selling for a song. Seth had been in the market for a muscle car to work on for a while, but hadn’t found anything that caught his eye.

      “Nice.” The photos were small and grainy, but from what I could tell, it seemed to be in pretty good shape, body-wise. “What’s wrong with it?”

      “Doesn’t run at all. The guy said the engine’s seized up, and it’s been sitting in storage for about four years now.”

      “You go look at it yet?”

      “No, I just called on it today.” Seth took the magazine from me and leaned back against the seat gazing at it like it was a porno mag. “Thought you might want to take a run out there with me if you’re free some evening this week. Overhauling that engine would be a fuck of a lot of work, but what a blast.”

      I got up and threw away my garbage, brushing my hands off. “Yeah, I could do that. She’s a beaut. I think you might be on to something there.”

      We had some time