The Tale of Love & Racing: Sarina's Story

Chapter 61: "Do I want to know?"

The pair of practices both went smoothly, but perhaps not the way Chase would've absolutely hoped for. He was 20th in the first session, followed by placing 18th in the second. The only hope he had going into Sunday was they were getting better in speed and handling, so at least Alan was heading in the right direction. If they continued down that path, then maybe they could turn Sunday into something decent.

Rather than taking in the XFINITY Series race as originally planned, Chase hung out in the lounge of the trailer watching the late model qualifying coverage to see how Sarina made out. Seeing she had ended up 13th, it was certainly better than how practice had gone for her as well.

Chase hears a knock on the lounge door, actually surprised as nobody the crew guys would just burst their way in. He watches as it opens slowly, seeing John standing there.

"Jordan and Alan are hoping you can make your way out here for a second," John Gianninto says, causing Chase to be a little confused. "They said it was important." Chase knew if the boys were saying that, it meant business. He could only wonder what they had to offer.

Chase follows the crew member back through the trailer to the front where the pair stood, along with an officer. Chase could only look concerned as he glanced between them.

"Do I want to know?" He questions and Jordan gives a questioning glance to Alan.

"Actually, you may want to know," Alan answers, as Chase simply crosses his arms. "Remember how we spoke about someone important being responsible for Alison's weekly entrances?" Chase nods his head.

"A fan came forward with a photo we believe you should see," the officer states, handing the photo to Chase. He simply takes the images, glancing it over before shaking his head. He felt disgust run through him in seeing the image before him. It was certainly a possibility, but the reality seemed to hit harder. "I don't think any words are necessary."

"You were right after all," was all Chase could manage as he handed it back to the officer. The image certainly showcased what they knew as you recognized Alison standing beside one of the NASCAR officials.

"The fan stated they were going through images shot from the day, and noticed something that looked interesting, taking a closer glance. He said if he would've known it was her right away, he would've said something but he didn't realize." Chase could only chuckle in response. It was always one excuse or another when it came to Alison and how she slipped through the cracks. Nothing surprised him anymore.

"Hidden in plain sight like she was does, right?"

"One of my fellow officers has already gone to NASCAR with the image to see if we can match it with an official's description. Given we can only see part of them, there's no clues to identity so we will have to see if it can be matched. We will also be questioning all the officials, as well." Chase just rolled his eyes. The bucket of excuses just grew with each passing second.

"Talk to us..." Alan says, noticing the glances right away. He knew something was on Chase's mind, and figured it was probably necessary for these officers to hear it.

"Our suspicion is confirmed, but what can we do from here?" He questions. "There's nothing we can do if we don't know who and what they're doing. So she's just going to keep getting away with it. Needless to say, I'm not reassured yet." Alan glances back over towards the officer, satisfied with his driver's sentiments and feeling the same way. 

"Clearly you can see that so far, you guys have done nothing to comfort him or assure him and make him feel safe. Clearly, it seems like you've failed to do your job because she's been running around since January terrorizing everybody. Every race for the past couple of weeks – Martinsville and California – he has seen her in the flesh. He also saw her at an appearance that he made one weekend, too. When are you going to step up and do your job?"

"We are doing the best that we can given the circumst-" the officer starts as Alan shakes his head. He had heard the phrase repeatedly weekly. It was almost rehearsed by this point in time.

"I don't want to hear any more excuses. We're done. I was done the minute that bitch took a pop shot at me because I was trying to be a friend to him. I mean, if I was you, I would have security on him at all times knowing what it is possible. I would make sure that someone is always watching knowing what she's planning to do. But hey, what do I know? I'm just a crew chief." Alan walks away heading for the lounge as Chase glances back in that direction. It was very rare for Alan to get mad at someone, so if he was lashing out, things had certainly crossed a line.

"If you want security, I can arrange for that to happen." Chase then looks back towards the officer. He almost wanted to laugh at the comment. 

"So it takes someone suggesting it to you for you to do that? I think you know my answer..." He then turns to follow in Alan's direction as Jordan is left standing there stunned. Chase slowly enters the lounge, finding the crew chief relaxing back on the couch. "Hey..."

"Hey," Alan says as he takes a sip from a bottle of water, watching Chase enter and close the door. He could only wonder what he was going to say after the outburst outside of  the trailer at this point. 

"I want to apologize," Chase starts as he leans back against the door. He felt so bad for everything, and wore it on his shoulders. It caused him to not want to be closer to the crew chief in knowing he was the target of the frustration. "I'm so sorry for bringing you into the midd-"

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for this, right?" Chase nods his head as he glances towards the ground.

"I still feel like shit. You shouldn't have to deal with this and while you want to sit here and tell me that it'll be fine and whatever, I can tell that it's getting under your skin." Alan couldn't deny that as he pulled out his laptop.

"I just want to know that you, and every single one of my guys is safe and doesn't have to worry about someone being right over their shoulder constantly. I thought we could trust everybody in this garage and it turns out, we can't. My frustration isn't with you. It is with someone being able to do within NASCAR's staff. It is with the officers for taking their damn sweet time to find her." Alan lets out a sigh. "I'm sorry I blew up there..."

"Don't be." Chase comes over and takes a seat beside the crew chief. With an understanding between them said out loud, he felt it was safe to enter Alan's space. He also felt some relief on his shoulders after the discussion. "We all have our moments. As long as we stick together, we'll get through this and come out stronger in the end – in victory lane for that matter." Alan smiles, nodding his head in agreement. "So, what's the hot ticket set-up for tomorrow?"

"I was just about to start working on that because I'm not sure yet..." Chase glances over concerned as Alan looks up. He could already begin to wonder what Chase was thinking about, and didn't need that. "Don't' worry – I won't let you down. I'll give you something to work with."

"I wouldn't expect otherwise. Care to watch a Late Model race while you work?" Alan focuses back on his laptop.

"Be my guest. I want to see if she can kick some ass."