Cold Case 8-16: Speed Trap

[valrush]

Stillman and Darius had Bradley Weisman in the conference room later that night. “So you and your brother were from New Jersey?” asked Stillman.

Brad nodded. “Me, Chuck, and Trent Yardley. We all used to race on the streets of Camden County. They said you found my brother’s remains in the river.”

“Along with the remains of the blue Chevy he drove back then. Does the name ‘Mach 3’ mean anything to you?” asked Darius.

Brad nodded once more. “That was his tag from back before they left. It was ‘Mach 3’, ‘Viper’, and I was ‘Thunder’.”

“In other words, they knew each other before they tried to join the Black Star Racers. That would explain why he took losing so hard,” insisted Andrew.

“So Chuck made it, and look where it got him. Amazing, I spent all of those years being jealous of my brother for nothing,” insisted Brad.

“Jealous how?” asked Stillman.

“Chuck didn’t just decide to move on to the big city on his own. Trent had been doing some digging around on the street. One night I overheard them talking, and Trent tells him that there’s big money to be made racing in Philly…”

[valrush]

Sly Fox: “Let’s Go All the Way”

 
“Chuck and I worked at this Sheetz gas station in Camden back then. That night I was carrying trash bags to the dumpster, and Chuck was on the full service pumps. I turned around and saw Trent’s red Dodge Viper had pulled up to Chuck’s service station. ‘This sounds like a scam to me.’

“’I’m telling you, it’s totally straight,’ Trent insisted.

“’And I’m supposed to just trust this guy that I’ve never met before?’ asked Chuck.

“’I wouldn’t do you wrong, would I? I’m telling you, my guy ‘Torch’ is totally cool! He runs this crew in Philly called the Black Star Racers, and he says they make major money there,’ Trent explained.

“’We race for money here all of the time. How would this be different?’ asked Chuck.

“’We do pissy little hustles on the streets of this pissy little county. ‘Torch’ says we can make ten times as much as we do if we run with his crew. But there is a catch,’ Trent informed.

“’No kidding, what is it?” asked Chuck.

“’We’re only prospects right now. There’s an initiation, we would have to race him and a few members of his crew. We’re also not the only prospects,” Trent explained.

“’Damn it, Trent, why do you tell me about this stuff—‘

“’What are you afraid of? With our skills behind the wheel we’re in. There is nothing to worry about,’ insisted Trent.

“Chuck froze. ‘All right, I’ll check it out. But don’t expect me to cover your hot-headed ass when this goes south.’.”

[valrush]

“I asked him what that was all about later, and all he said was that he had to check out the scene and that he would try to set me up if he made it. Then time went by and I never heard from him. I had just assumed that he left me behind,” Brad added.

“Trust me, any money that your brother made with them came at a price,” insisted Andrew.

“We think your brother got mixed up with some very dangerous people. Trent might be able to help us identify them. Do you have any idea where he might be?” asked Stillman.

“I heard a rumor that he came back to Camden, but I haven’t seen him for years,” Brad informed.

[valrush]

Stillman and Darius rang the bell at the red, oak door in front of the green, one floor home on Collings Rd. in Camden, New Jersey. A tall, white male in blue coveralls answered the door. “Trent Yardley?” asked Stillman.

“Who the hell are you?” asked the man.

“Detectives Stillman and Darius, Philadelphia police,” insisted Stillman.

“Philadelphia? You’re a little lost, and I’m a little late for work if you haven’t noticed,” insisted the man.

“Then you might want to just answer our questions,” insisted Darius. “A body washed up along the shore of the Delaware a few days ago. We have reason to believe you knew him, Mr. Yardley.”

“Do you remember anyone by the name of Chuck Weisman?” asked Stillman.

The man shook his head. “I am Trent Yardley, but I don’t know that name.”

“How about ‘Mach 3’? That was Chuck’s name from his days in the late 1980s as an underground street racer/drug mule for a group called the Black Star Racers,” Darius added.

Trent started to sweat. “I don’t know anything about that.”

“Don’t bother, we already know about your history with the Black Stars,” insisted Andrew. He then turned away from Trent and noticed the red Honda CRV parked outside his house. “You still have a fondness for red cars I see. Do you still have that snake tattoo on your arm, ‘Viper’? Or if you don’t remember him, then how about their old leader, Danny ‘Torch’ Eurich—“ Andrew turned back around to find himself face to face with Trent’s fist. It caught him square in the right eye knocking his head back and to the left. Trent bull rushed his way past the officers to his car knocking Andrew to the ground.

“Hey!” Stillman shouted, but Trent was already in his car with the engine on before Andrew recovered. “Stop your vehicle!” The car sped off into the street.

The detectives ran for their black sedan. Stillman started the engine on and called over the radio. “All officers in the area, this is Philadelphia detectives John Stillman and Andrew Darius! We’re currently in pursuit of a red Honda CRV on Collings Road! Be advised, suspect has assaulted an officer!” He turned to Andrew quickly. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. I just turned my head for one second … What Scotty told me when I first joined about cold case getting crazy, I think I get it now,” insisted Andrew.

[valrush]

Scotty leaned across the desk to see the file Lilly was reading. “Who the hell is Vanessa Hawkins?”

“A political protester from the mid1970s who was stabbed in FDR park,” Lilly explained.

“Did somebody come in with another one?” asked Scotty.

“Ryan. That’s why he wanted to see me last night. I figured he would help with our case if we helped with his. So I took the file,” Lilly informed.

“Are you sure that was all he wanted?” Scotty responded.

“Scotty, don’t start. I’m just helping with his case. It’s a favor for a favor—“

“We have to move!” Vera called as he and Miller charged up to them.

“What’s going on?” Lilly asked as they stood up.

“I just heard from Don Larken! Apparently he got a call from Stillman saying that he and Darius were questioning Trent in New Jersey! They brought up Danny Eurich’s name, and I guess that set him off because he took a swing at the rookie and bolted!” Vera informed.

“Okay, where are they now?” asked Scotty.

“Still chasing him around Camden, but Don wants us to assist with roadblocks and shutting down all traffic on the bridges!” Miller explained.

“Danny has lied to us about a few things now. You two handle the back-up; Scotty and I will deal with the prisoner,” Lilly told them as they ran from the office.

[valrush]

Scotty and Lilly met Danny Eurich once more in the visiting room at Graterford. “Your deal is off the table!” insisted Lilly.

“What?” he shouted.

“We found Carmen Mendoza; she told us a few things! Namely how your crew was riding dirty for a major meth pusher!” Scotty explained.

“We also found Trent Yardley, otherwise known as ‘Viper’! He’s been a little less cooperative! All we had to do was mention your name and he practically knocked out one of our guys and bailed! Given everything you didn’t tell us; I’m guessing there’s a connection!” Lilly added.

“I don’t know what it could be! You’ll just have to catch him and find out!” Danny replied.

“You think you have it bad in here; we can make it a lot worse! Do you know what Waynesburg Supermax is?” asked Scotty.

“Forget your girl; we can make sure you never see a window again!” Lilly added.

“The cops were busting your guys left and ride by this point; that was bad enough! Then suddenly this police scanner and this mysterious gun turn up, and now you don’t know who to trust!” Scotty continued.

“This was all around the time when ‘Viper’ was trying to get back into your crew! It has me thinking that maybe you planned a little initiation for him; like ordering a hit on Chuck Weisman!” Lilly added

“And I’m guessing you have proof of this?” Danny asked.

“We’ll get it! As we speak, we have guys out there chasing down Trent! So every second that you screw with us is another second that you get closer to Waynesburg!” Scotty insisted.

Danny sighed. “I don’t get why ‘Viper’ would be worried! He wasn’t the one I was questioning!”

“You had concerns about someone else?” asked Lilly.

“We had a major drop one night! We were running out of guys, so I had to use Chuck! But he was cracking under the pressure; I saw it before he left…”

[valrush]

Lita Ford: “Kiss Me Deadly”

 
“’Viper’ had already hit the street, but shortly after I heard Chuck and Carmen out behind the garage. ‘What do you mean? Nobody here knows engines better then you.’ Chuck said.

“’Why would you want me to help your car break down? Once you do this deal you’ll have fifty holes. You’ll be a made member of the Black Stars,” Carmen replied.

“’Well, maybe I don’t want to be made if this is what it takes. Street racing was so much simpler back where I used to live. Maybe I should just leave the crew and head back to New Jersey. I know people there, and this way nobody gets hurt,” Chuck insisted.

“Carmen leaned in and kissed him briefly. ‘You know that’s not true.’

“’I don’t want to, but I don’t think I want to touch this stuff either. I’ve read newspapers; once you’re in with a guy like Marquez there are only two ways out, federal prison or a grave,’ Chuck informed as he leaned in and returned the kiss. I didn’t think much of this though; like I said, ‘Cherry’ flirted with a lot of us.

“But then she said something that made me wonder. ’Don’t quit the crew just yet. There might be something I can do,’ Cherry responded.”

[valrush]

“I got suspicious at that point, but later that night I got a page from the dealer saying that he got both packages,” Danny explained.

“I don’t get it; what was so special about getting fifty holes?” asked Scotty.

“It meant that he was made. In addition to any money he made from hustling racers on the street; he would also get a percentage from the distribution of the meth,” Danny told them.

“Chuck’s car was pulled up from the river with fifty holes in the dashboard. It looks like you didn’t have to worry about him. He made your deal,” Lilly insisted.

“I wasn’t so sure. ‘Viper’—this ‘Trent’—was in the crew after that night. Later the next day I saw Carmen had drilled him twice, and the ‘Mach 3’ car hadn’t been touched,” Danny explained.

“Trent was the only one seen with a gun. Maybe Chuck wanted something that Trent believed wasn’t his, and they got into it,” Scotty added.

[valrush]

“Officers in pursuit, this is Stillman giving you an update! Suspect is still running traveling northwest on Kenwood Ave. … Suspect is turning right! Suspect is turning right!” Stillman radioed in. He glanced down at his speed as he took the wide turn right: 90 mph. The turn sent his car well over the center line.

Still, they continued pursuit on Kaighns Ave until they reached an interchange. The red Honda made a left turn swerving across lanes. “Suspect has just made a hard left onto … … Admiral Wilson Blvd.?” Stillman added.

“That will take him right to the Ben Franklin Bridge. Tell me this guy isn’t that stupid,” Andrew responded.

Stillman called it in. “Philly PD, heads up! Suspect is headed in your direction!”

[valrush]

Miller and Vera arrived to fill in the right side of the roadblock spanning the center of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Soon after they heard Stillman’s call on the radio. “Looks like we arrived just in time,” insisted Vera.

Minutes later the red Honda appeared on the bridge speeding toward them. “That’s our guy, and he’s not slowing down,” Miller added.

“STOP YOUR VEHICLE!” Vera called out over the loud speaker.

But the car did not slow down. “He’s going to ram us!” Miller shouted. The next sound they heard was the shattering of glass as the red Honda slammed into their car.

[valrush]

5

Stillman rolled up behind the wreckage, pinning the Honda from behind. The pair exited their car and surrounded the Honda from both sides. “GET OUT OF THE CAR! GET OUT OF THE CAR!” Stillman shouted. He and Darius stepped toward the wreckage with weapons ready as Trent slowly began to emerge from behind the airbag that had deployed during the crash.

The airbags on Vera and Miller’s car had activated as will. Miller slowly came to and noticed her partner not moving. She began trying to violently shake him awake. “Vera! Vera, can you hear me?”

“Yes!” Vera shouted as started to wake up. “My leg hurts like hell though; I don’t think I can stand!”

Miller exited through the passenger door careful to step around the broken glass as she approached Stillman. “Get the paramedics down here; Vera’s injured!” Trent gradually started to exit his vehicle. Miller approached with her weapon drawn. “DOWN ON THE GROUND!”

Trent exited his car and looked around at all of the police officers surrounding him. “I would think twice about running again if I was you!” said another face that Trent soon locked eyes with. It was Don Larken.

“Assaulting my partner, trying to run a roadblock, not exactly the actions of an innocent man! I’d say you’re looking pretty good for your friend’s murder!” insisted Stillman.

“I didn’t kill Chuck!” Trent replied.

“Why should we believe you? We know Chuck tried to set you up! First he tried to wimp out of that meth drop that you were both supposed to do, and then he left you holding both bags!” Darius responded.

“His car broke down on him; I had to take that second bag!” insisted Trent.

“Suddenly, you feeling like talking! What if we told you that Chuck asked ‘Cherry’ to make that breakdown happen? He set you up, Trent!” Darius added.

“Some setup, even if that was true! I didn’t exactly get busted that night!” Trent informed.

“Yeah, in fact you were an official Black Star after that; your dashboard started out with two drill marks!” Stillman responded.

“We know you pulled a gun on Chuck once! What happened, he got angry at you figuring that one of those holes was his? So you challenge him to a race across the bridge and pull your gun on him again!” Darius asked.

“You two were rivals from way back; you were tired of Chuck getting in your way!” Miller intervened.

“I didn’t shoot Chuck!” insisted Trent.

“That’s just it; Chuck wasn’t shot!” Stillman replied.

“We found his old Chevy at the bottom of the river too! How else do you think we knew about ‘Mach 3’?” asked Miller.

Trent sighed. “You mentioned ‘Torch’, and I panicked. I thought maybe he was turning on me.”

“Danny Eurich. Trent, he’s locked up; he won’t be seeing anyone for a long time. You’re saying he wanted Chuck dead?” asked Miller.

“The crew was getting picked apart by the cops; ‘Torch’ got really fixated on Chuck when he found that police scanner in his car. He was convinced that Chuck was a cop, and, frankly, I didn’t know what was going on either. That’s why I agreed to help,” Trent explained.

“You helped Danny kill your friend, but you weren’t the shooter,” Stillman added.

“No, I was the tail…”

[valrush]

Cold Case Soundtrack: “The Park”

“’Torch’—Danny—wanted me to drive his car during that night. ‘They should eventually hit S Front St. There’s an alley near the I-95 interchange. Once they hit that, I want you to follow them until they hit the Ben Franklin. That’s where it should go down,’ Torch explained.

“’I get it, but remind me again why I have to use your bucket instead of my ride?’ I asked.

“’Because if the shooter gets any doubts, I want them to know that I’m watching them. I don’t know if that’s your gun or not—‘

“’It’s not,’ I told him.

“’Whatever, it will help us tonight. After this, I’ll finally know who I can trust around here,’ Danny responded.

“’Are you talking about ‘Mach 3’ or me?’ I asked.

“’We threw your ass back out on the street, and yet you were itching to come back. No, right now, I don’t trust you. Make sure that this goes down, and you’ll be a full blown partner too,’ Danny informed. I shook his hand, reluctantly accepting his terms. Like I said, I didn’t know if Chuck had turned either.”

[valrush]

“Ironic, this is just about where his car was pushed into the river,” Trent added.

“So you just watched your friend get wacked?” asked Darius.

“It wasn’t my proudest moment, but I hadn’t seen him for a while after I lost out the first time. That scanner he had made me suspicious too; I didn’t know if I could trust him anymore,” Trent replied.

“Who was the shooter?” asked Stillman.

“Stillman,” Miller called out as she approached him. “Lilly sent out a message a while ago; apparently her FBI contact came through. It appears both Charles Weisman and Andy Rickon both have legitimate Social Security numbers, and look at the date for when the Rickon one was issued.”

Stillman took Miller’s phone. “’June 7, 1989’, the same as on the license we found. There’s only a few select groups of people who have the power to do something like that. Danny was right; there had to have been a rat in the cage.”

“I think we found that rat too,” Miller said as she touched her screen to bring up a photograph. “Apparently the FBI had been doing recon on the Black Stars for some time before they sent one of their people inside. Does this picture look familiar to you?”

Stillman looked at the picture and threw up his hands. “You’ve got to be kidding me, another alias?”

[valrush]

Lilly and Scotty met Carmen outside of the Essington Avenue Honda dealer. “Detectives. Whatever you need, make it fast. I’m on a lunch break.”

“We just thought we would tell you that we think we know what happened to Chuck,” Scotty explained.

“It turns out the crew was right to paranoid. Somebody was working them from the inside,” Lilly added.

Carmen froze. “There was a cop in the crew?”

“Not quite. It turns out that the bullet recovered from Chuck’s tire matched a 10mm handgun; that’s never been a standard police weapon. But as it turns out, in 1989 it had just become the standard issue weapon for FBI agents,” Lilly explained.

Scotty pulled a photograph from the file he was carrying. It was of the Rickon license. “Do you recognize that name?” Carmen shook her head. “That’s surprising since it’s practically your name.”

Lilly started reading a report from her phone. “’March 10, 1988: FBI office in Philadelphia agrees to sign off on a deep cover operation to investigate a group of underground street racers known as the Black Star Racers. The goal of this operation is to examine any alleged connections between the Black Star Racers and the crystal methamphetamine trafficking network of reputed Mexican drug lord Filipe Marquez. The agent selected to be placed in the field: Andrea Recona.’, and there’s a note written next to that name that says ‘Risky.’ But I am more interested in this photograph they have on record for her.” She turned a page in the file revealing Carmen’s picture. “Look familiar?”

“You’re Andrea Recona, otherwise known as Andy. Carmen the mechanic; I have to admit, that was clever. I wish I could have done something like that,” Scotty added.

“What?”

“For what it’s worth I’m the last person who should judge. I worked undercover for narcotics once. It was a simple enough smuggling operation until I got a little too close to one of the girls who was muling for the crew. Due to my mistakes and a few things outside of my control; she was eventually killed,” Scotty informed. “It can be a seductive world when you’re under cover. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember whose side you’re really on?”

“That would explain why you left the bureau in 1990,” Lilly added.

Andrea sighed. “Too many of the racers were getting busted for possession, and nobody was flipping. Marquez got spooked and stopped using them. Soon there was no more crew, and no more operation. What are you going to do?”

“As someone who has been in your shoes, I don’t want to do anything. But Chuck’s death didn’t just affect you,” Scotty insisted.

“He had family back in New Jersey, Andrea. One of them came forward, his brother. It seems they used to race together, and he’s spent the last 23 years thinking that Chuck abandoned him for the big city. He deserves some answers,” Lilly added.

“We also know you weren’t the only one involved in this. We have others in custody for the death of Chuck Weisman. If you testify against them, we might be able to help you with the FBI,” Scotty explained.

Andrea shook her head. “That would be ironic, wouldn’t it?”

“How is that?”

“I promised the same thing to Chuck. You said you worked in narcotics; then you know how narcotics works. It’s not enough to bust the junkies and the dealers; the cartel just replaces them. You have to get the suppliers, the people who supply them, the people who supply them, and the people who supply them going higher and higher up in the food chain before you can even get close to the top man. You have one body? I had hundreds of mangled, charred, mutilated, decapitated corpses! There’s a reason why they call Felipe Marquez ‘the butcher of Juarez’, and he’s still out there!

“We couldn’t get anyone to flip on the supplier for over a year; that’s why I took a calculated risk and told Chuck who I was. I thought we could help each other,” Andrea explained.

“Because you didn’t have to flip him,” Lilly added.

“He didn’t want anything to do with the meth; he just liked to race. I didn’t know how he would react when I told him that he would have to give that up once in witness protection,” Andrea informed. “My supervisor and I came up with a plan to save him. But ‘Torch’ had a plan too.”

“Danny Eurich?” Lilly asked.

“The race that night was his idea, and I thought I could control the situation. But Danny had other tricks up his sleeve, and I had to make a tough choice…”

[valrush]

Cold Case Soundtrack: “Forever Blue”

“We met behind our crew’s garage a few nights after that last delivery. We were about to begin Chuck’s final race, but I took a few minutes with him to review some things. ‘You understand the plan, right? They need to think that you are dead, so when we hit the bridge I shoot out your tire. You will need to decrease your speed once we hit the bridge. The car goes over the bridge and sinks into the river before I have time to reach you. Traffic should be minimal at this time of the night so the risk of witnesses should be low.’

“Chuck froze solid to the floor. ‘I’m still reeling from finding out your name is really Andrea, but I think I get it,’ he said pulling the new license that we had printed for him out of his pocket. ‘Although, I’m not too crazy about this new identity you came up with. ‘Gary, Indiana’? Do I really look like Indiana to you?’

“’We had to get you as far away from anyone who might recognize you as we could,’ I explained. ‘You do understand what you are giving up. Charles Weisman doesn’t exist after tonight. Once you are in witness protection, you cannot tell anyone where you are; you would only be putting yourself and them at risk. Secondly, when we call on you to testify against Marquez or any of his subordinates, you need to be ready. Thirdly, and I cannot stress this enough, you are not a street racer anymore. If you commit a felony while in witness protection, the FBI cannot protect you anymore.’

“’I get it, and you don’t need to worry. ‘Mach 3’ no longer exists. After what I’ve seen, I think I’m ready to hang up my keys,’ Chuck replied.

“’That leaves me with one last detail,’ I said as I headed back into the garage. I returned shortly with my cordless power drill. ‘I’m going to need your key.’ Chuck was slow to react to this request, but he returned the license to his shirt pocket and retrieved his car keys. I opened the passenger door of his blue Chevy and drilled one last hole in his dashboard.

“What was that about?’ Chuck asked.

“I pulled him in close to me and kissed him one last time. I didn’t realize at the time just how ominous my next statement really was. ‘I just gave you your 50th hole. It seemed fitting since I’m going to lose tonight.’ We separated. I entered. I entered my white Ford; he entered his blue Chevrolet and we started our engines. His last race had begun.

“We started picking up speed as we hit the streets. We remained side by side for most of the race. Then we hit S Front St. and turned on to I-95. I started to slow down allowing Chuck to pass me on my right side. I slipped in behind him to get in a better position as we were about to make the right turn onto the bridge.

“I started gaining some ground on Chuck once we hit the bridge. So I slowed down to reach for my gun and line up my shot. We were about midway through the bridge. He was still moving a little too fast for my liking, but we were running out of time and space so I fired. A second bang could be heard as the bullet struck his left rear tire. Chuck’s car jumped upward suddenly and started skidding to the right. Chuck frantically tried to apply the brakes, but forward momentum kept him going until the car hopped over the edge of the bridge taking out part of the suspension.

“The front of the car was hanging over the edge of the bridge. I slammed the brakes of my car and started to run to him shouting, ‘Chuck!’

“I looked into Chuck’s window when I reached him. I saw him moving inside the car; it was slowly but I still figured this was a good sign. I punched out the window and yelled, ‘Chuck, open the door and take my—‘ That’s when I turned around and noticed a pair of headlights coming slowly towards us from behind. Then just stopped, and I could see the silver hood and then the Black Star logo across the rear window.

“It was Danny’s car. I slowly realized that this race had been his idea. He had either been following me, or he had me followed. Either way I had a choice to make. Do I blow my cover and try to save Chuck, or do I try to get them to trust me in the hopes of getting closer to Marquez? In the end, Marquez’s graphic statistics won out. It’s a choice I’ve questioned for a long time.

“Chuck gradually started to open the door, but when he reached out his hand for mine he found that it was gone. He clung precariously to the door and craned his neck to look for me. That’s when he saw me pushing the car from behind. ‘What are you doing? This wasn’t the plan! We had a DEEEEEEEEEEALLLL!’

“The door came off the hinges as the car went over the edge. It turned over on its left side sending up what looked like a small geyser as it hit the water. Chuck must have gotten trapped under the wreckage. I watched as the car sank to the bottom of the river, and Chuck did not return. Then I turned to face the headlights in a fit of rage. ‘Are you happy now you bastard! It’s done!’

[valrush]

Bon Jovi: “Blaze of Glory”

 
At the Benjamin Franklin bridge crash site, the paramedics loaded Nick Vera on to a stretcher and placed him in an ambulance. John Stillman put Trent Yardley in handcuffs. He would be charged with conspiracy to commit a homicide.

Any deals pending with Danny Eurich now having been nullified, the alarm sounded at Graterford prison as two guards escorted him through the prison gates in chains. He was escorted to a police van for transport to the Waynesburg Supermaximum Security facility.

Two cars were lined up on the track at Speedsafe Raceway. Brian ‘Slick’ Taylor was about to start the race when Kat Miller and Don Larken approached him. They explained to him about the moments leading up to the death of his friend.

Back at the station Lilly Rush and FBI agent Ryan Cavanaugh watched as Andrea Recona signed off on her confession. As this concerned a prior FBI operation, Lilly handed her over to FBI custody. Her fate was now in their hands.

Scotty placed a copy of Andrea Recona’s confession into a large, brown box. He then sealed the box and slapped an address label on it. The information inside was to be sent to the police in Camden, New Jersey. Then he headed for the conference room where Bradley Weisman, who Scotty had called in earlier, had been waiting. He explained the events leading to his brother’s death. Then Bradley looked through the glass door at the ghost of his brother before he faded from view.

[valrush]

Audio PowerPoint slides also available.

[valrush]

AFTER THE SHOW

I do not really have much to say this time around.  You may recall me saying a few episodes back that there are some episodes that I am more proud of than others.  I wanted to be proud of this episode.  This idea sounded so much better in my head than in actual execution.  It wound up being another case of throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what stuck.  I would like to think an actual undercover operation would have been a little more organized than this.

I am a big computer gamer, and, if nothing else, I hope this serves as a lesson to the creators at "Need for Speed", "Grand Tourismo", "Forza", "The Crew", and other game franchises.  STOP TRYING TO GIVE RACING GAMES A STORY! Convoluted, blown up messes like this are what happens when you try to give street racing a story!

I guess I can do some notes about the music.  First off, I messed up one of the songs again, though it was not quite as bad in this case.  Frida's "I Know There's Something Going On" was released in 1982.  This is outside of my two year range, but at least it was in the earlier direction this time as opposed to the later direction which happened in a few previous episodes.  For my bookend songs, I went with Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart" because it was a pure adrenaline rush.  The term kickstart might be more applicable to motorcycles than cars, but this seemed like a good adrenaline rush to start off an episode about street racers.  I went with Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory" at the end because Chuck was effectively an outlaw and that last race was his last stand.

This took longer than I thought it would, but there it is.  You are now officially caught up.