The scene switched to a picture of my dad and me in what looked like mug shots with our names under them. We were dressed up in our costumes, so they must have pulled the photos from the video we shot.
“Be on the lookout for a father-and-son team. David A. Dawson and his father Robert Dawson were on the set. It seems David A. Dawson was at the studio to audition for the role as the young Han Solo in an upcoming movie. He recently starred in
“My sources tell me that after the audition, the duo slipped into the hangar and stole the Millennium Falcon,” Crispin said.
The picture changed to one of the Millennium Falcon. Then the scene switched back to Crispin Maconochie, and he put his finger to his ear as if someone was talking to him through an earpiece.
“Hang on. I’m being told we have a video that David A. Dawson just leaked to the Internet, showing his brazen theft,” Crispin said.
The scene changed to what we’d shot. Mom and Coach Diamond both laughed when I ran onto the bridge. When our part ended, Crispin Maconochie was shown again.
“Police have issued a galaxy-wide request for any information on the whereabouts of the thieves, and a reward has been offered for the safe return of the Millennium Falcon.”
The screen split so the anchor could be seen, too.
“Crispin, any idea where they might have gone?”
“The RAF tracked the Millennium Falcon as it headed over the Atlantic towards the United States, but the fear is that they may have left the planet.”
“Thanks, Crispin. In other news, a kitten was stuck in a storm drain …”
That was where the video ended.
“That’s so cool,” I said.
“When will they release it?” Mom asked.
“Frank and his team are working on it,” I said and turned to Coach. “Frank Ingram is my publicist.”
“That looked like an actual newscast,” Coach Diamond said.
“Lucasfilm is tops at what they do.”
“So, you really are up for the role?” Coach asked.
“Yeah, I should know soon whether I got it or not.”
I told Coach Diamond that I’d arranged for Eve ‘Country Girl
◊◊◊
I went to my apartment and changed into my cowboy gear because Zoe had invited me over to go horseback riding. I’d been bad and told Fritz I wasn’t due back until tonight, so I planned to drive myself to the Pearson farm in the Jeep.
Having security and a driver was fine sometimes—I was able to actually get things done while I was being driven around—but I missed driving. I’m sure just about every teen would agree with me that it was a rite of passage and represented freedom.
Driving myself in the Jeep would have been fine, but I found that Peggy had taken it to her parents, so I grabbed the keys for the SUV. When I hit the county road and sped up, I discovered this beast was sneaky-fast. What felt like 45 mph turned out to be 60 when I looked down at the speedometer. Peggy had complained that she was sure she would get a ticket driving it, and now I knew why.
There wouldn’t be any traffic or police in the park, so I decided to see how the Ford Hennessey VelociRaptor SUV with a modified supercharged engine would handle. It was every bit as fast as my Charger had been. It didn’t corner like the Charger, but I felt safe taking the winding turns through the park. I vowed to take driving classes with it so I would know all its capabilities.
When I pulled into the farm, Zoe came out of the barn to greet me. She’d already done all her chores so we could go riding. As we finished saddling the horses, I received a call from Frank.
“We’ve had a fun idea. Do you have a warehouse or somewhere big you could hide the Millennium Falcon?”
“I have a barn that might work. Why, what are you planning?” I asked.
“Can you go there and take a picture of you in front of it with the doors opened?”
“Sure, but what did you want it for?”
“We’re not sure yet, but we’ve been kicking around some ideas. Just go take the picture and send it to me,” Frank said.
The shit hung up on me. I had an inkling of what they were planning.
“We need to ride over to my farm and take some pictures.”
Zoe, being a girl, wanted details. I tried to give her the facts but ended up having to tell her everything. I have no idea why stating, “I need to take a fake photo so it looks like I’m hiding a spaceship” wasn’t enough information.
◊◊◊
When we rode up the farm’s driveway, I saw my grandma had several people working. One was on a tractor, pulling a cart full of walnuts. They’d been cleaning up around the trees.
“What brings you out today?” Grandma Dawson asked.
“Zoe wanted to go for a ride, and I need to take some pictures of the barn for my publicist.”
The barn doors were open, so I handed Zoe my phone and stood in front of it.
“You want to be famous?” I asked her.
“Sure, why not?” she said.
