========================================================================= Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 10:47:00 PST Reply-To: Mike Goldman Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Mike Goldman Subject: "Scavenger Hunt" (2/11)--HL Story NOTES: OK, for clarity's sake (whoever he/she may be) and because I forgot to put it in the 0/11 notes (whapping myself), * = emphasis and < > = thought. "Great." said Mac, as he pulled out into traffic. "Where are we going to find a free flyswatter in Seacouver at this time of night?" "Let's try that hog dog vendor Richie always goes to for lunch." Rory suggested. Several minutes later, they were downtown in the office district. Oscar, the hot dog vendor, looked to be closing down his stand for the night. Duncan did a U-turn and pulled up beside him at the curb, both he and Rory jumping out of the convertible. "Oscar!" Mac greeted the crusty old man as if he were a long lost friend. "You're not closing down for the night, are you?" The old man looked up and down the empty street with rheumy eyes. "Ayup." he said. , Mac thought. Out loud he asked, "Don't suppose you've got any hot dogs left?" Oscar peered closely at Duncan. "Ayup." "Could I get one?" Oscar seemed to consider this question gravely while Mac tried to ignore Rory suppressing her laughter while standing behind Oscar. "Ayup." The vendor just stood there. "Now?" Macleod prompted. After a small eternity, Oscar slowly pulled a hot dog out of the tepid water pot on his cart and began fixing it to Mac's specifications. As he did so, Rory casually walked around the cart as if gazing at the city at night. Coming around behind Oscar, she saw the flyswatter laid carelessly on a cart shelf and signaled Duncan she'd seen it. Duncan accepted the hot dog with an internal shudder, put it to his mouth, and then set it down as if surprised. "Oscar, have you seen this dent on the side of your cart?" "Nope." The old man shuffed to the side of the cart and laboriously bent down to see where Mac was pointing. As Mac kept Oscar's attention on the cart, Rory's hand darted in and grabbed the flyswatter, placing it underneath her trenchcoat. She then gave the "OK" sign to Duncan and began backing up towards the car. "Don't see nothin'." Oscar finally said. "Sorry, Oscar, must have been the way the streetlights are shining on the cart." Duncan apologized, picking up his hot dog yet again. "Gotta go." He walked quickly around to the other side of the car, got in, and started the car with one hand while holding on to the hot dog with the other. "Did you get it?" he asked Rory as they rejoined the traffic pattern. In response, Rory pulled the flyswatter out of her coat and held it up so he could see it, then placed it in her lap. At the first stoplight they came to, Mac put the hot dog in his mouth. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Rory advised as he bit down. "Why not?" he mumbled through a full mouth, swallowing, then taking another bite. As an answer, Rory again held up the flyswatter, this time pointing to the bits of fly wings and bodies that were stuck to the plastic. "Oh," he said, unable to repress a shudder as his back teeth crunched on something. Grinning slightly, Rory put the flyswatter under her seat as the light changed to green and Duncan tossed the rest of the hot dog out of the car as they drove off.