Trapper the Cyber Snoop
Here with another Scoop
I was helping the boss with his writing this afternoon, by laying in his lap and watching. I like what he wrote, so he said that I could put it out under my name.
It sure looks like there will be a book 6 in the series
"Jasper, Street-Fighter, and Me"
Episode 6 - Concept
It felt funny to me to be running with Jasper and Street-Fighter and without Jim at our side. Jim had been staying at his dad’s house for the last two days. His father had had his right knee replaced, and had been released from the rehab center. Jim and I had re-arraigned his dad’s house so that he didn’t have to use the second floor for any reason, but Jim wanted to be there for a couple of days to make sure that his dad was going to be good and not try to go upstairs.
I had decided today to run at the city’s running park, where I had run with Jasper and Street-Fighter on many occasions. Jasper was running at my side, and Street-Fighter was riding in his new backpack, with his head out of the bag, and watching the world go-by. We had already made the turn at the 5-K point and were just about back to the parking lot when Jasper let out a sharp warning bark. I quickly looked for any sign of danger, but the only person I saw was the young man who had just run past us on the outbound side of the trail. I kept my eye on him, but he never looked back towards me, and just appeared to be running and listing to music on the headphone he was wearing.
Jasper had only let out a single bark and had not slowed or changed his pace. Even though no one else was within earshot, I mentally asked Jasper, “Why the alert bark Jasper?”
“Bad smell, I smelled explosives.”
“On the ground; or somebody on the trail?”
“No, the smell came from the runner that just went by.”
I let my head swing to the left and looked behind me at the runner that had gone past. He was still running at a normal joggers pace, and not looking around at all. There was nothing to indicate that he was carrying any type of explosive device on him since he was just wearing a tee shirt and shorts. I let it go, considering that, he might be a contractor that uses explosives as a part of his job, and continued towards the cut-off on the trail to where the truck was parked.
Once we got to the truck, I let Jasper and Street-Fighter free. As usual, they headed for the tree line to take care of nature’s calling, while I did my normal cool down lap around the lap of the parking lot. I was about half way when I heard Jasper let out a sharp warning bark once again. I looked towards where they should be and saw Jasper with Street-Fighter by his side, close to an unmarked pick-up truck.
I didn’t even have to ask, as I heard Jasper tell me, “Same smell as on the trail, no bomb, just residue. Street is going to walk under the truck, just to make sure.”
Before I could say no, I saw Street-Fighter, drop his tail into a submissive position and walk under the back bumper of the truck. I didn’t hear any exchange from either Jasper or Street-Fighter as he made his inspection of the bottom of the truck until he emerged from under the front of the truck, “Bottom is clear, no wires, no flashing lights, no single light, noting taped.”
As I walked over to the truck, I couldn’t help but say, “You two have been busy, when did you develop this?”
Street-Fighter was the one to answer, “After you thought Jeep, might be booby trapped that night on the trail.”
“Tell me Street-Fighter, how do you tell if something is attached to the bottom of a vehicle, that is not supposed to be there?”
“Mom, don’t forget I was a street cat before I found you and Jasper. I spent a lot of time under cars and trucks. Good place to get out of the sun or the rain, or find warmth in the winter. They all look pretty much the same from the bottom. I look for something different, something with a light, or something with silver tape.”
“How often do either of you get to check out the bottom of vehicles.”
I had gotten to know the sounds that they made when they thought something was funny, and I heard it from both of them in my head. Then it dawned on me, we have three vehicles at the house, The Truck, which we were using today, my 325i and Jim’s Yukon, at which point I heard Street-Fighter’s voice in my head. “She’s seen the light, Jas.” I bit my tongue, as I memorized the plate number, and told the boys that I would call Jim and have him run the plate. “Now, let’s get you both back in The Truck before somebody complains about you being off of your leashes.”
I heard their laugh sound again, and then Jasper telling Street-Fighter, “They wouldn’t complain about us, were famous, besides everybody loves us.”
“Almost everybody Jas. the bad guys, now they don’t like us at all. Hey, you think we might have just found our next case?”
“Could be Street, we’ll have to wait until Jim runs the plate for mommy. Like she said, it might just be a contractor that uses explosives, it’s not a strong smell, but it is there.”
“I’m betting that we have Jas. That truck was so clean underneath; it almost looked new, or just washed man.”
©February 11, 2017
Richard Nurse
