The outdoor amphitheater was bigger than I expected.
According to Tony Hill, it seated 2,500 people, and by my estimation, there were probably fifty people presently in attendance.
“ The amphitheater is designed primarily for concerts. We even had Pat Boone here a few months ago.”
“ Very nice.”
“ You a fan?”
“ Who isn’t? Anyone Elvis opened for is all right in my book.”
“ We might get his daughter next month. Debby.”
“ Lucky you.”
From the van, which I had parked near the entrance, we could see some of the stage and about the first third of the amphitheater seating. People seemed to be deeply engrossed and generally enjoying themselves. The lights were low and the stage was brightly lit.
We were both scanning the parking lot. I had parked in some shadows and killed the engine. The lot was surprisingly full. I wondered where the rest of the 2,450 guests parked. The VW had been a neutral color. Neutral colors mean nothing to me. Hell, they might as well be called blah, because that’s what they look like to me.
But I knew what a Volkswagen looked like, and soon I spotted the sucker in the far corner of the lot. I pointed it out to Tony Hill, whose first instinct was to charge it.
“ Easy, tiger,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be better to catch him in the act?”
“ I’d rather not.”
“ How about just before the act?”
“ A little better.”
We waited. There seemed to be some movement in the little Volkswagen, but I couldn’t be sure from our distance.
“ So what’s his M.O.?” asked Tony Hill.
“ He ditches his clothes for the robe in his car, flashes the old folks, slips away somewhere, then works his way back to his car.”
“ Where he changes again and waits for the heat to die down.”
We waited some more. Ten minutes later, applause didn’t necessarily erupt from the amphitheater, but it did spring forth energetically.
The VW’s driver’s side door opened. A dark shadow slipped out. The shadow worked its way near some trees and shrubs that surrounded the exterior of the amphitheater.
“ Did you see that?” I said.
“ Hard to miss.”
Theater-goers began trickling out. Husbands and wives, small groups, big groups, and individuals. Many got into their cars, but a few headed toward the far end of the parking lot. Toward the figure hiding in shadows.
“ He’s near the shuttle pick-up, which will be here in a few minutes.”
“ Then I suggest,” I said, opening my door quietly, “that we catch ourselves a flasher.”
Tony Hill looked at me sideways. “Why do you sound like you’re enjoying yourself?”
“ What’s not to love?” I said. “Adventure, intrigue, free willies.”
“ Brother. Let’s go.”
We both got out of the van, and slipped in behind some of the exiting theater-goers. Tony Hill and I fell back, keeping mostly to the shadows. Up ahead, a nearby pool of light with a bench was undoubtedly their destination. The shuttle pick-up.
But between theater-goers and the shuttle pick-up was a dense row of bushes.
Still walking with the group and ducking a little to keep a low profile, I saw movement in the bushes. So did Tony Hill, who suddenly broke into an all-out sprint. Although the head of security had me by about twenty years, he didn’t have a gimp leg, and soon he was covering ground much faster than I could.
He might have also been driven by adrenaline. I’m sure he was taking it personally that the residents had hired outside help. I’m also sure, having been around the guy a few times now, that he took it personally that such attacks were taking place under his watch.
And so it really came as no surprise that when I saw the lanky young man step out of the shadows, wearing only a light-colored bathrobe and a black wig, Tony Hill was in an all-out sprint.
One of the old ladies turned and saw Tony Hill running and screamed. Another woman saw the young man in the robe and black wig and screamed. A third turned, saw me and screamed, too. Hey, what did I do?
Finally, the young man, in the very act of exposing himself, turned and saw the older security guard bearing down on him. He screamed, too, just as Tony Hill tackled him to the ground.
While the two rolled around in the grass, with the flasher’s robe spilling open, I wanted to scream, too.