“A re you sure you’ve got it installed properly?”
“Hey, you want to try it?”
James already knew that was the worst suggestion in the world. While my roommate was no whiz at the technology of computers, he could at least use the machine once it was hooked up. I’ve already pointed out that he was a whiz at Google, and the boy could kill at about a dozen online games. Texas Hold ’Em wasn’t one of them, however. He’d gotten into some real cash games, and I had to help bail him out once or twice.
“No. But if you followed all of the directions, we should be able to pick up Em’s car.”
“Don’t call her yet.”
James wanted to call Em and announce her location. I already knew her location. She was almost assuredly home. Probably working on Daddy’s books, and listening to the Flight of the Concords album.
“I’ll figure this out.” He punched in some numbers, referring again to the directions. “Okay, I’ll bet this does it.”
“Anything?” I was on the couch, my feet up, watching a Jerry Springer rerun.
“No.”
“You did something wrong.” Two heavy blonde women were trying to tackle each other as the guards kept them apart.
“Or didn’t do something right.”
“Yeah.” God forbid James would do something wrong.
“Where do you think she is?”
“Home.”
“Mmmm.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing. Where does she park when she’s home?”
“Condo has a garage.”
“Well, damn it. Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“What?”
“GPS works off a satellite. If the vehicle isn’t outside, there’s no way we can tell where it is.”
“So, should I call her?”
“Ask her to move the car outside.”
She was going to love this. I dialed her cell.
“Em. You parked in the garage, right?”
“Sure.”
“And the GPS works off-”
“A satellite. Skip, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Do you mind moving the-”
“Car outside? No. Tell James I’ll do it in the next five minutes.”
Em was full of surprises. We waited.
“James-”
“Yeah?”
“The people you are trying to follow-”
“What about them?”
“Are you going to call them and tell them to move their cars outside so you can find them?”
He sighed. I was apparently his burden to bear. James came over and gazed at Springer for a while. “Where do they get these strange people, Skip? It’s tough enough dealing with problems in private or with two or three of your friends. But to take it to Springer or weird Doctor Phil or Oprah? For God’s sake, what are they thinking?”
What had I been thinking, letting James take charge of this case?
The phone rang.
“Skip? The car is outside.”
James was already at the computer. He hit keys, dragged on the mouse, and I don’t know what all. Thirty seconds later he had a huge smile on his face. “Give me the phone, amigo.”
I handed him the phone.
“Em, you are at 1717 North Bayshore Drive.”
There was silence as she apparently said something to him, then he handed the phone back to me.
“Em?”
“Call me if you need me, Skip.” And she was gone.
“Congratulations, James. You got it to work.”
“I did. I proved your girlfriend was right where she was supposed to be. And, I proved that she thinks I’m extremely intelligent.”
I knew Emily well enough to know that she would never accuse James of being smart. “So what exactly did she say?”
“She verified the address.”
“And? How did you extrapolate the fact that she thought you had a brain?”
“It was the way she said it, pard. She came on the phone and said, congrats, Einstein. That’s where I live. Where the hell did you think I would be?”
I was glad to hear that Em and James were still getting along. It’s important that children play well together.