Run into Trouble (10 page)

“Phil.”

“And your partner is?”

“Brian.”

The names rang a bell, but the bodies were
interchangeable.

“Let’s have each of us give our name and
indicate our teammate. I’m Drake and this is Melody.”

“We know who you are.”

General laughter. However, they did as they
were told. That helped a little. Drake suspected that he was the
only one, with the possible exception of Melody, who didn’t know
all the others.

“I thought we’d get together without the
beanstalk gang to see how everyone is doing, any complaints, that
sort of thing. Anybody want to lead off?”

“This running in sand is for the birds,”
Brian said.

“Especially when we have to run through a
flock of seagulls,” someone else cut in.

“I’m serious. It’s hard work and slows us
down.”

“It slows everybody down equally.”

“Except those who cheat.”

All eyes looked at the speaker who Drake
identified as Glen.

Feeling the stares he continued, “I’m not
naming names, but several teams have been running on the street
when they were supposed to run on the beach.”

“One team got penalized.”

That was common knowledge, because any
penalties, in the form of minutes added to their times, were posted
along with the rankings. Drake remembered that it was the team of
Harrison and Danny.

Harrison stood up. He had black hair, and
his body had a darker tan than most. “We weren’t the only ones.
Others did it too, but they weren’t caught. Fred showed us a
picture someone took of us. We didn’t see the photographer. They
have people watching us we don’t know about.”

“Other than Fred, Peaches, and Grace?”
Melody asked.

A five-minute discussion ensued, resulting
in agreement that Giganticorp had plainclothes people along the
route keeping an eye on the runners. Several of the runners thought
they knew what a couple of them looked like.

Drake ended the talk by saying, “There’s
nothing in the rules that says they can’t do this. They’re trying
to make sure
we’re
abiding by the rules.”

“Speaking of rules, what about the rule that
says we have to share a room?” Phil looked at Drake and Melody.
“Apparently it doesn’t apply to you two.”

“He thinks you two should be sleeping
together.”

Brian winked at Melody while the other
runners broke up.

Phil wasn’t laughing. “Melody could room
with Grace. Drake could room with…”

“Peaches?”

More laughter.

“We’ll draw straws to see who rooms with
Grace.”

“And Melody.”

Drake wanted to keep the meeting from
degenerating into a bull session. “Another subject. Has anybody had
any security problems? Losing things out of rooms, suitcases, et
cetera?”

The room quieted down.

Danny said, “Why do you ask?”

“No special reason. Security can be a
problem when you’re traveling, especially in a group as large as
this one.”

“We have Peaches to protect us and our
things.”

The mention of Peaches seemed to provoke
hilarity. Nobody admitted to losing anything or mentioned that
their belongings had been disturbed.

Drake had one more question. “Has anybody
been approached to…alter your running in any way and either been
threatened or promised something?”

When the resulting buzz died down, a man
Drake recognized as Winthrop said, “Are you saying that someone is
betting on the race?”

“I’m not saying anything. I’m just
asking.”

Nobody volunteered any information. Drake
didn’t want to make an issue of it.

“I have a complaint about the prize
money.”

All eyes looked at Mike, Aki’s teammate.

“There’s only one prize. It’s
winner-take-all. What does the team that finishes second get?”

“A case of Rice-A-Roni.”

“An all-expense-paid tour of the California
coast.”

“Tom and Jerry aren’t complaining.”

Their lead had increased to over fifteen
minutes.

Tom spoke up. “It’s a long race, guys.
Anything can happen. You know, we’re taking it one day at a
time.”

Cliché city, but it made him a few points. A
vigorous discussion ensued. Drake argued that having one prize
fostered competition. His argument lost some force, at least for
himself, because he and Melody were being paid to run. It was a
good thing the other runners didn’t know that. He rationalized it
by telling himself that it was an appearance fee, like some elite
runners received for entering marathons. Although why he and Melody
deserved an appearance fee he didn’t know.

One thing everybody agreed on was that the
publicity would help them with their running careers. It was also a
great vacation and beat working for a living.

CHAPTER 11

Today’s run starts at MacArthur Blvd. on
Route 1. Follow the road through Newport Beach and across the Santa
Ana River, being careful to obey all traffic laws. Run on the beach
starting on the far side of the river, through the long and
beautiful Huntington Beach, then Bolsa Chica State Beach, and
Sunset Beach. Return to Route 1 at the far end of Sunset Beach and
follow it into Seal Beach. Jog left on Marina Drive and follow it
across the San Gabriel River into Los Angeles County. The run ends
at 2
^nd
Street.

***

Drake and Melody actually had several other
teams in sight as they crossed the Santa Ana River. In addition,
Mike and Aki were behind them.

“There’s Grace to make sure we get on the
beach here.” Melody’s sharp eyes recognized her first.

“I’ll bet, from what we heard yesterday,
that Fred has cars driving up and down PCH making sure we stay on
the beach.”

As they approached Grace, standing on the
other side of the bridge, it struck Drake for the first time that
she was a very good looking young woman. Clad in shorts and a
Running California sleeveless top, she looked like a runner
herself. Her long dark hair was in a ponytail, like Melody’s, and
her legs were well defined, although she didn’t have the runner’s
calves Melody had.

Grace smiled at them as they came up to her.
“Congratulations. You’re within five minutes of four other teams.
Keep up the good work.”

They stopped momentarily and gulped water in
paper cups that Grace had set on a tray. Drake took an extra cup
and poured the contents over his head. They waved to her and
scrambled down from the highway onto the sand. When they regained
their strides on the beach, Drake spoke.

“There’s something about Grace. You know, I
don’t think she’s wearing a bra.”

“It took you long enough to figure that out.
I think I can say with certainty now that you’re back to being the
old Drake. That’s a relief.”

“It must be the hippie influence. I’m sure
she doesn’t dress like that when she’s in San Jose. She’d better be
careful, or the guys will be all over her.”

“The runners? They’re pussycats. I’ll tell
you who she has to worry about.”

“Who?”

“Fred.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“No I’m not. During the Pageant he put his
hand on my leg.”

“I didn’t see—”

“You were engrossed with what was happening
on the stage. It was okay; I’ve faced down men bigger than Fred and
ten times as vicious. I took hold of his little finger and bent it
back until he decided that his hand would be better occupied
elsewhere.”

“You could have broken it.”

“I considered doing that, but the crime
didn’t justify that punishment. I think he’s learned his lesson.
However, Grace doesn’t know the tricks I know. It might be a good
idea if we got to know her better.”

“I agree.”

***

They took Grace to an Italian
restaurant.

When they were seated, Melody said, “I hope
you like Italian food. We eat Italian a lot because it’s easy to
get both protein and carbohydrates in dishes like spaghetti and
meatballs.”

“I love it. In fact, I love almost all
food.”

“It doesn’t show on you. You have a
marvelous figure.”

“Oh, thank you. I like to run—of course not
as far as you two. I was on the track team in college. That’s one
reason I got to work on the race. I wish I were as thin as you,
though.”

“No you don’t. You only get this thin by
running fifteen or more miles a day. When the race is over, I’m
going to become a glutton and weigh three hundred pounds.”

The waitress came and took their order.
Melody ordered iced tea, and Grace ordered a glass of red wine.
Drake ordered the darkest beer they had, which wasn’t very dark. He
had gotten used to drinking Guinness Stout in England.

Drake knew that if he didn’t assert himself,
he might be shut out of the conversation.

“Grace, tell us about your ancestry.”

She had the kind of complexion with a
perfect balance between too light and too dark that you don’t get
out of a bottle or under the sun, although he wasn’t about to give
her another compliment and sound like one of the girls.

Grace laughed. “I’m a mixture of just about
everything: white, black, Japanese. I even have some Indian
blood—Apache, I think. What about you, Mr. Drake?”

“Please call me Drake.”

Melody put on what Drake knew as her
sarcastic smile. “He’s very humble.”

“Oh…sorry…Drake. What’s your ancestry?”

“Most of the European countries, if you go
back far enough. With emphasis on English, Scottish, Irish, and
German.”

Melody said that she was primarily English,
Dutch, and French. Drake wanted to steer the conversation to
Giganticorp. He asked Grace how long she had worked for them.

“Almost three years now.”

“You joined right out of college?”

“Yes.”

“And you love it.” Melody said it as a
statement, not a question.

“It’s a wonderful place to work. I’ve
learned so much.”

The way Grace gushed made it sound like a
conditioned response.

“How do you like working for Fred?”

Grace hesitated. “In San Jose he was several
levels above me. I didn’t see him very much.”

“But here you’re working directly for
him.”

“Yes.”

Several expressions fought for control of
her face, none of them happy. It appeared that Melody was onto
something, Drake thought. Better that he didn’t interfere.

When Grace didn’t speak for several seconds,
Melody spoke again. “Let me tell you a little story. The other
night at the ‘Pageant of the Masters’ I sat beside Fred. During the
show he touched me inappropriately.”

A look of fright had gained control of
Grace’s face.

“I was wondering if anything like that had
happened to you.”

Grace remained silent for long seconds. Then
she spoke in a pleading voice. “I don’t want to lose my job.” She
looked at Drake.

Melody saw the look. “You can talk in front
of Drake. He’s safe. Nothing you say leaves the table.”

Grace’s expression changed to one of
determination. “Several nights ago when I was in my room there was
a knock on the door. I asked who it was. It was Fred. He said he
had something to tell me. When I let him in, he said something
inconsequential. Then he said how good the Running California shirt
looked on me. He began to trace the letters on the shirt with his
finger. I jumped back.”

Grace stopped to gain control of her voice.
“He told me not to be afraid. I let him trace the letters, hoping
that was all he was going to do. But then he put both hands under
my shirt.”

She stopped, shuddering.

Melody prompted her. “What did you do
then?”

“When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I told
him I was going to scream. He told me not to scream and that he was
just being friendly. Then he left the room. I felt dirty. I took a
long shower.”

“That does it,” Melody said. “Starting this
minute, you and I are rooming together.”

Grace’s scared expression returned. “No.
Fred wouldn’t like that.”

“I’ll handle Fred. I’ll tell him I’m afraid
of the dark. Don’t worry. He’ll agree to anything I say.”

Drake saw that Grace was wavering. “When
Melody is determined, she’s like a bulldozer. Nobody can stand in
her way. I know.” He smiled ruefully.

“Well…”

“There won’t be any repercussions for you.
Your job is safe. We guarantee it.” Drake smiled an empathy smile.
“You’re too good a person to have bad things happen to you.”

“Thank you. Oh, there’s one thing. Sometimes
I have to get up at night to run errands for Fred. I might disturb
you.”

It was Melody’s turn to smile. “As long as
the errands don’t involve him feeling you up, you won’t bother me.
I sleep like a stone.”

Grace looked from one of them to the other.
“You’re such good people.”

“Don’t let it get around,” Drake said with
mock concern. “You might ruin our reputations.” He saw the waitress
approaching with their plates. “Something smells delicious. Let’s
eat.”

CHAPTER 12

Today’s run is being split into two
parts. All of it is on hard surface. Start on 2
^nd
Street and head west into Long Beach. Jog left on
Livingston Drive. Jog right on Ocean Boulevard. Follow Ocean west
along the beach. Although you are permitted to run this section on
beach paths, Ocean is more direct, and if you stay on the left or
beach side of the street, you shouldn’t have a problem with cross
traffic. You will be able to see the Queen Mary at her permanent
dock. Continue on Ocean through downtown Long Beach and across the
Gerald Desmond Bridge to Terminal Island. On Terminal Island, Ocean
changes to Seaside Avenue. Stop at the entrance to the Vincent
Thomas Bridge where your time will be recorded.

The Vincent Thomas Bridge is normally not
open to foot traffic, but we have received a special dispensation
to have it open it for 30 minutes from 10 to 10:30 a.m. All runners
must cross the bridge during this time period. Your time will start
again when the bridge opens for us. After crossing the bridge, head
south (left). Jog west to Pacific Avenue or Gaffey Street and
continue heading south. It is also okay to run on the smaller
streets until you get to 25
^th
Street.
Turn right (west) on 25
^th
. You must
be on 25
^th
Street when you cross
Western Avenue. 25
^th
Street becomes
Palos Verdes Drive South. Circumnavigate the fabulous Palos Verdes
Peninsula on Palos Verdes Drive South and Palos Verdes Drive West.
You will pass Marineland of the Pacific with its orcas, dolphins,
and seals. Palos Verdes Drive West becomes Palos Verdes Drive North
near Malaga Cove. Jog left on Palos Verdes Boulevard and follow it
to Pacific Coast Highway in Redondo Beach where the run
ends.