Chapter 5

Guido Bartoni stared at the black sedan and the two men who got out of it. He was accustomed to seeing salesmen call on his father because of the store. It was part of the business of being a store keeper. This time however, something about them seemed to be different. They didn't have sample cases or carry themselves like salesmen, and the way they looked, first at him, then at the surroundings, made him wonder what they might want.

Guido was working on the truck. When the men approached the store he burrowed back into the recesses beneath the hood and tugged at the wrench and nut which had been causing him so much trouble. He hadn't intended to do an overhaul job. He didn't know that much about motors and the folks wouldn't like it. It was his intention to remove the old carburetor and replace it with the one he had acquired through the moonlight shopping at Dent's. It never occurred to him that replacing the old one with a newer model wouldn't be sufficient to give the pep and economy he desired in the worn out panel truck.

"Your name Guido?" The voice took him by surprise and he jerked up, hitting his head on the underside of the hood and sending a stabbing pain across the top of his temple.

"Damn," he muttered and rubbed his head.

"Didn't mean to startle you," the voice said and he looked out from under the hood into the face of the taller of the two men. The stranger had a face that looked serious. "Didn't mean to startle you," he said apologetically. "Looking for Guido Bartoni."

"That's me," the boy said and pulled back from under the raised hood. The spot on his head hurt and he continued to rub it with the palm of his hand, then brushing back the hair from his eyes, he tried to see the men better. Once more that peculiar feeling was forming in his stomach and fear became his strongest emotion.

"I'm Guido," he admitted. "If you want the folks...."

"I'd rather talk to you," the man said. "I would like you to answer a couple of questions." He paused as though expecting the boy to pick up the conversation. Guido remained silent.

"Do you know Leonard Felton or a Victor Zigler?"

"Yes."

"Close friends?"

"I guess so." Guido wiped his hands on a grease rag and prepared for the worst. They had to be cops.

"You chase around with them?"

"Chase around?" He knew what the man meant but the words came out anyhow.

"Go for rides with them, spend time together, do things?"

"We go to the drags sometimes."

"With Victor's car?"

"Yes...."

"How about Leonard Felton?"

"He goes too."

The stranger looked absently at the tire of the panel truck. His hands were in his pockets and there was a thoughtful look on his face. "With his car?" he asked.

"He doesn't race it," Guido said.

"Why not?" inquired the stranger turning away from the panel truck. "I understand he has a very good one."

"It needs work on it."

"A new Corvette?" The man pushed his hat to the back of his head and leaned toward the raised hood of the truck. He was scrutinizing the signs of the replaced head, also noting the carburetor had been replaced.

"Leonard's car isn't new," explained Guido. "It has a good paint job but needs work."

"Isn't his father a dealer?"

"Yeah," Guido wished they would come to the point. He was beginning to feel uneasy with all the questioning and still not knowing what they wanted.

The taller man grunted and took a pipe from his pocket. "Doesn't he get parts to fix his car?"

"His Dad says he has to pay for the stuff he gets."

"He has to work to buy what he wants?"

"He gets an allowance ... at least that's what he says."

"Then he would like to get the stuff to fix his car up?"

Guido had that feeling again. Something in the man's tone was coming through to him. They weren't salesmen, they had to be cops. And the questions, the only reason for that must be what happened the other night at Dent's. They hadn't taken anything. Victor had dropped his box and Leonard didn't want used parts. There wasn't any thing stolen except ... except ... Unconsciously Guido's gaze moved to the carburetor atop the intake manifold. He dropped his eyes so the men wouldn't see and when he looked up, it was to stare point blank into the quizzical expression of the older man.

"Doing some tune up on the old buggy?" the man asked casually.

"New head gasket." Guido said pointing to the residue he had cut from the oversize blank. " I had to trim it down a bit to make it fit this block."

"How about the head? Did you have to mill that down?"

Guido shook his head in the negative. "Couldn't," he said. "I used two gaskets and pulled it down tight. It should take up the warp so it won't blow." He pointed toward the application on the block so they could see. "Can't do too much to this old wreck," he added.

"How old are you, son?" asked the tall man.

"Almost eighteen."

"Are you taking this in high school?" indicating the mechanical work with a jerked thumb. "I don't go any more."

The tall man showed a bit of surprise. "Oh, you quit?"

"Yeah, had to help the folks."

"Too bad," remarked the second man. "Pretty rough nowadays without an education."

"I get by," muttered Guido.

"Where were you Thursday night?" asked the tall man.

"Thursday night?" The feeling in his stomach increased in intensity. Now he knew they were cops. "I don't know."

"Think," suggested the second man. "You should be able to remember a few days back."

"I think we went down to the beach."

"Who were we," he inquired.

"Victor and Lenny." Guido said.

"No one else?"

"There was a girl."

"A girl?"

"The fellows call her Bunny."

"Where does she live?"

"I'm not sure. Leonard would know."

"Leonard Felton? Why him?"

"She's his girl."

"She went along? To the beach?"

"Yes." the boy said.

"Was she with you all evening?"

"Most of the time." The boy answered the questions even though he felt he might be telling something he shouldn't. Perhaps the matter wasn't the break-in at Dent's after all. Perhaps something had happened to Bunny.

"How late?" the man asked.

"I don't know...."

"Didn't you look at the time?"

"No-it was dark."

"Real dark."

"Pretty dark. The moon didn't show much."

"Then what did you do? "

"When?" Guido was becoming bothered. He wasn't certain what they were hinting at. "On the beach ... What did you do?"

"Just fooled around a bit."

"Nothing else?"

"Just Bunny and Leonard had a fight."

Now the tall man was interested. "Fight?" he echoed. "What kind of fight?"

"Leonard tried to rock her on the beach."

The tall man looked surprised and cast knowing looks to the second man, who grinned and seemed amused about something.

"What did he do?" inquired the tall man.

"To Bunny?"

"You said he tried to rock her ... isn't she his steady?"

"Yeah...." Guido paused for a moment. The tall man had a serious look about him but still seemed friendly. The boy decided to explain what he could. "Victor wanted to try her," he said. " ... and they got into a scuffle."

"Victor wanted to try her?" the tall man was puzzled but the man behind his was grinning from ear to ear.

"She has a reputation of giving out and Victor wanted some."

"This modern slang," snorted the tall man. "You have to be a college professor to keep up with them." He put tobacco in his pipe from a black pouch and tamped it with his finger. His face was blank to what the boy was insinuating.

"That's when they had the ... er ... scuffle?"

"Yeah ... when Victor and Leonard removed her...." The boy dropped his eyes and his voice stopped. The tall man sat a firm paw and urged the boy.

"Removed her what, Guido?"

"Her pants."

"What did she do?"

"She got mad and left."

"Then what did the boys do?"

"We drank the rest of the beer and horsed around on the beach."

"How long?" inquired the tall man.

"Until pretty late."

"Then where did you go?"

"I had to come home. The folks wanted me to come home early and I did."

"You didn't go anywhere else ... sure?"

"No." Guido hoped his face didn't show the uncertainty he felt. He wondered why all the questioning about a picky little thing like Joe Dent's Wrecking Yard. Everyone expected the kids to get parts there, and according to the word that went around, they all did.

"That all?" asked the second man.

"That's the bit." Guido said and hoped he sounded convincing.

The men turned back toward the sedan. The tall man said something to his companion and they both looked back at the boy.

"You let me know if you think of anything else," the tall man called across the space. "Just phone the station and ask for Inspector Hamilton."

"Ok." Guido said and opened the hood of the truck. Once more he burrowed into the maw of wires and rods and greasy metal. The door opened from the kitchen and a short dark haired woman peered through the screen. "What they want?" she demanded.

Guido crawled back from beneath the hood, turning to face his mother.

"Nothing Ma. Just a couple fellows checking around," and he dug back into the mysteries of the worn out truck.

Leonard Felton was both mentally and physically disturbed. The saga of the night on the beach had other reprecussions than the scrutiny of the law. It also created an estrangement between himself and Bunny. Not being able to submit his requirements to Bunny was creating a bad case of anxiety and frustration. His attentions were equally divided between the book he held in his hand and the long haired brunette who, doing the Frug squarely in his line of vision, continually turned her head in his direction to smile.

He opened the cover of the book and looked at the flyleaf:

The Art of making love!

How to have complete satisfaction!

Best positions and techniques.

The erogenous zones and how to caress them.

"Wow!" muttered Leonard as he read down the page and then turned to the first chapter.

"What is it?" asked Guido who sat across from him in the booth.

"Nothing," muttered Leonard. He adjusted his dark glasses and read further down the page. "Preliminary Coital Technique: The best positions. "

"What's Coital Technique, Weedo? He asked his companion.

Guido grimaced. "I don't know-you go to school."

Leonard read on. He was becoming deeply engrossed in the visions the words were bringing to mind. He tingled with a sense of excitement which bolstered his ego and stimulated muscles already causing him too much discomfort. His thoughts were carrying him into a phase of daydreaming where he was master of all and his every wish satisfied. Right now he needed his desires satisfied ... desperately.

"Weedo!" a voice exclaimed and another boy pushed into the booth. Guido looked up into the face of Victor Zigler. He said "Hi Ziggie!"

"The beer's on you friend." Victor ventured hopefully.

"I'm broke," muttered Guido.

"Me too." Victor said. "Boy, I sure would like a beer." He looked across at Leonard who closed his book and stared back at him.

"What's up Lenny?"

"He's mooning over his lost love," observed Guido. He grinned at his friend and reached for the book. "He's still hunting Bunny."

"You Dope," accused Victor.

"Why me?" demanded Leonard. "I miss her...."

"You ain't seen her since the beach?"

Leonard twisted his head in a negative answer. "She won't answer the phone," he complained.

"Two men came to my house." Guido told Victor. "They were asking about things."

"How much did you tell them?"

"Nothing. Only that we went to the beach."

"Nothing that happened afterwards?" Victor wanted to be sure.

"No." Guido said again and reached for the book which Leonard had laid down. He opened it to the page Leonard had found so inticing and started reading the double spaced lines.

"Cops?" Victor asked.

"Two of them. They didn't say but I'm sure they were cops."

"They were." Leonard said reaching for his book. "They talked to Dad. He saw their badge."

"The creeps," muttered Victor. "Always nosing around ... trying to catch a guy at something."

"You too?" asked Guido. "They talk to you too?"

"Naw ... just the old man."

"Did they tell him?"

"Who cares." interrupted Victor. He adjusted his dark glasses and pushed the long hair back to one side. "Who cares what they tell an old man...?"

"Wouldn't he care?"

"Him!" Victor giggled and dug in his pocket for a cigarette. "Him! Hell, he wouldn't care if they drug me away for keeps."

"Oh," whispered Guido and his eyes dropped to the open page of the book.

"You readin' that crud too, Weedo?"

"Don't mean nothin'." He snapped the book shut and slid it across the table top to Leonard. "Just lookin' at it." he said.

"You're weird, man! Readin' books when you could be gettin' the real thing."

"What?" inquired Guido.

"Fuckin", stupid! What else is worth while?"

Guido blinked and seemed to shudder from the shock of the actual word. "How?" he asked suddenly becoming interested. "Where?"

"Girls."

"I know, but where?"

"Oh Christ!" blurted Victor. "Are you dumb." He looked at his friend as though expecting an explanation. None was forthcoming. "Anywhere," he said finally. "Anywhere there's girls."

Guido toyed with the coke glass and batted his eyes behind the dark glasses. He was thankful Victor couldn't see his eyes. "Of course." he said in his strongest masculine tone. "But where do you get the girls?"

Victor burst into a fit of laughter that made the other occupants of the Pink Rabbit stop and look about. "You're dead, really dead." he chortled. "You . ... Where do I find girls?" he mimicked, then loud laughter again. "Dead man! You are dead!"

"Well...." Guido bit the word off. He had intended to say something but thought better of it. He didn't fully understand Victor and, even though he wanted to be more like him, was afraid of the older boy.

"Ring 'um man!" Victor said and held out his hand. "Give 'em one of these." And displayed a cigarette he had taken from a package.

Guido reached for the cylinder of tobacco but Victor jerked it back beyond his reach.

"Uh uh," he said waving a finger. "This is special stuff. You don't get any here."

"What is it?" Leonard asked looking at the brown coarse paper. "A Mexican cigarette?"

"It's a cigarette all right, you can bet that ... it's more." He looked at Leonard and then sideways to Guido. "You'd like it," he said. "It's a full flight into tomorrow, a night at the strip, an armful of angels, a full piece of ... of...." he paused, searching for the word. " ... poontang," he finished.

"Huh!" Guido blurted. "What's that?"

"Girl stuff!" snorted Victor. "A handful of Pud, a ticket to some all night fuckin' ... that's what!

"Shhhhhhh!" Leonard said hissing. He was certain the explanation had been heard all over the Pink Rabbit.

Victor looked across the room to the bouncing dancers who never seemed to stop. "You kill me." he chortled. "Who cares what we talk about ... You think they don't say the same things?" He beat his hand on the table in accompanyment of the 'Swampers and Their Golden Bucket'. The clatter of sound held the same level of decibels as a pneumatic pavement hammer. Anything heard above that would have to be in the realm of an atomic blast.

"Savvy?" he asked grinning across at Leonard. "It's loud even if it isn't groovy."

Leonard Felton could see he was right. No one was paying attention to them. Every one in the Pink Rabbit had projections of their own to take care of. "What is it?" he asked, indicating the cigarette.

"Pot," stated Victor. "The soft float, the big dream ... It's wild man!" He was twisting the cylinder in his fingers and carressing it like a lost love.

"What?" asked Guido.

"Pot," he said, then held the tube so they could see it more clearly. "Smell it." he suggested.

"It stinks," muttered Guido.

"It smells like a dank weed." remarked Leonard trying to remember something to compare it with. "What is it ... really...?"

"A flight to the moon ... With a girl ... a piece of ass for sure"

"You're kidding!"

"Try one."

"When could we do it?"

Victor looked at Leonard who had been most enthused in his descriptions. "When will you have money for beer and stuff?"

Leonard twisted uneasily in his seat. "I'm flat." he stated. "Dad says I'm borrowed too far ahead to get anymore."

"Weedo?"

"Flat," explained Guido. "I'm a poor boy, remember?"

"Jeeeezusssssss!" groaned Victor removing his glasses. "What a situation." His eyes narrowed in the light of the room and he quickly replaced the shades. "God damn!" he mumbled. "What a situation."

"Next week maybe?" suggested Leonard.

"What's with next week?" Victor was becoming calm now which meant he was once more interested in listening to suggestions.

"Presentation week."

"Presentation what?"

"Cars." Leonard said and began to wonder if he had said too much already.

"Give Creep, make with the plan. What's with cars?"

"His folks are going to Detroit." He turned grinning at Leonard. "I can learn things to," he explained.

"Happy day!" breathed Victor. "What day?"

Leonard thought for a moment. "Middle of the week, Wednesday, I think."

Victor liked the sound of that. The middle of the week would be fine. "Can you have a party?"

"I'll ask mom."

"All alone?" Victor pressed for more information.

"Alone?" Leonard was puzzled.

"Will you be alone when they go?"

Leonard nodded in the affirmative. "Except for maybe Edith."

"Happy day!" exploded Victor. "Hear that Weedo? Happy day!"

Guido Bartoni had been lost to the thread of conversation. He couldn't see what Leonard's folks going to Detroit had to do with the little cigarettes that would make girls give him what he wanted. "How come?" he inquired.

Victor was overcome by elation. "We'll throw us a real party," he exclaimed happily. "Beer, reefers, and oodles and oodles of girls! Boy what a day."

"I didn't say...." Leonard said trying to recapture his statement.

"You'll do it, Lenny? Won't you?" Victor stated. His tone was chiding and indicated that NO was not the answer he expected.

"I guess so." Leonard agreed reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You comin' Weedo?"

"There's going to be girls?"

"Sure. Lenny's gonna invite 'um, ain't ya' Lenny?" Victor was leering at his friend and even the glasses which hid his eyes couldn't hide the full degree of his rapture.

"Sure," Leonard said but his heart wasn't in it.

"Count me in," decided Guido. "I'm building up a real good storm!"

"And you'll invite Bunny," stated Victor. He laid the brown cigarette down on the table and pushed it across toward Leonard. He was toying with it, moving it a fraction of an inch at a time and carressing it with his finger. Leonard watched fascinated.

"OK, OK," he said giving in. "If I can get her to come."

Victor nodded his assent. "Sure, sure." After all, he wasn't that interested in Bunny. There were other girls. He turned his attention to the Malt bar and the kids dancing in between. One long haired doll attracted him and he wanted to do a little serious watching.

"I'll go call her," Leonard offered and headed for the phone booth in the corner.

"I could sure use a beer," Victor said looking toward the bar. "I suppose they have beer here." He was becoming more interested in the girls. He liked to see them go through the high stepping routines of the modern jump dances. The skirts bounced so high on their legs and occasionally a doll would leave off everything underneath just so....

"No beer in here." Guido told him. "Just soft drinks."

"What a bunch of creeps," complained Victor. "A bar and no beer. Boy what creeps!"

"Yeah." echoed Weedo. "Creeps."

Victor was trying to see the booth where Leonard was phoning. "Damn, what I wouldn't give for a beer." He looked once more for the boy. " Get Lenny and we'll go have a beer bust, on him."

"He's over there." Guido said pointing to the booth. It was empty. "Well, he was over there."

Leonard came back with a good looking girl who had long hair and wore a miniskirt. He was carrying two glasses of coke and was intent in explaining something to her. Victor rose quickly to his feet, took her arm and offered the seat where Leonard had been before.

"Hello Doll," he said guiding her to the seat. "I'm Vic, who are you?"

The girl's look of surprise turned to one of amusement. She giggled and moved over so he could sit beside her. "Denise, Denise Wrigley."

"She's with me," blurted Leonard. "I invited her over."

"Thanks." Victor said putting a hand in the girl's lap. "I know she was dying to meet me." Leonard groaned in disappointment. "We were going to dance. Denny is showing me how to Frug."

"I'll have her show me something else." Victor paused for a moment and glared at Leonard, then added "Something much better."

"You going to get some beer?" inquired Denise.

"Lenny is." Victor said. He was still looking at Leonard who was becoming nervous from the gaze. "Ain't'cha Lenny?"

"She was with me," complained Leonard looking from Victor to Denise. "I saw her first."

"You can buy her her first beer," promised Victor. "I'll help her drink it."

"I'm broke." Leonard said staring at his new found girlfriend who appeared on the verge of becoming Victor's girl. "Nuts!" he retorted. "I'm going home."

"Me too," stated Guido. "Dad says be home at ten, I'm home at ten."

"Well!" muttered Victor. "At least they care!"

"Huh!" Guido said.

"Nothing," remarked Victor. "How about it Doll? You got money for beer? We could take a ride in the Imp and go down to the beach and after the beer we could dig in the sand and then if you were in the mind to...."

Guido pushed out from behind the table. "This is where I came in," he said and headed for the door.

Lenny started to follow, but Victor grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the seat beside him and the girl.

"Stick around, little buddy," Victor said, half threateningly, "and I'll show you how a man works it." He laughed roughly and hugged the girl to him." How's about it, Doll? Wanna go down to the beach and rock a little?"

She snuggled against him, enjoying his young arms around her. "Sure, Honey," she simpered. "Sure."

The Imp stood on the hilltop empty in the warm sunlight. Below the hill, the girl was giggling as Victor ran his hand along her naked legs towards her cunt.

"You like, Lenny?" Victor said, teasingly.

Leonard lowered his head, not quite daring to look at the young couple, almost embarrassed by their public display, and yet fascinated.

Victor grabbed Lenny's hand and pulled it to the girl's cunt. "Feel that, Man," he ordered, holding Lenny's hand on the moist opening. "Now that's how you know when to fuck a chick. When all her hot fuck juice starts running down her legs. Stick a finger in her hole, Stud. Get a good feel."

Lenny jerked his hand away from Victor's grasp. " Shit, man, I've felt a girl before. Screwed 'em, too."

"Ohhhhh! A big man, already. Well, what say we bang this chick. Me first, then you, until we both get satisfied.

"Ah," Lenny started to protest.

"You ain't goin' to be a chicken shit and try to get outta this, are ya, Stud," Vic said, with a heavy emphasis on the word Stud. "I mean, you got the tool, don't ya?" He reached over and punched Lenny's groin.

"Hey, Man, don't!" Lenny said. "I ain't goin' to chicken out. Ya wanna bang the bitch, let's bang her."

The girl lay back, exposing her vagina and her taut young breasts.

"Tell ya what, Lenny, Old Buddy, Old Stud, You take her ass and I'll screw her cunt."

Lenny squirmed a little, somewhat afraid, but even more fearful of losing Victor's respect. "Sure, Man. Sure."

They laid the girl between them, inserting their cocks, their hands rubbing her body fiercely.