They cordon off Empire Valley on all sides, and we had to hop on the freeway to get out. It was Saturday, so the traffic was light, and it only took us about twenty minutes to get to the Bean’s garage.“Wow,” Neily said as we got out of the car. “It’s like Beamer heaven. The gleam of the sun off the expensive German parts is blinding.” He shielded his eyes.We went into the front office and approached the receptionist. “Hi,” I said. “I’m here to see Toby Pinto? He’s one of your mechanics.”“I know who he is,” the girl said haughtily. She looked about sixteen. “The Bean is my boyfriend.”“So they’re still calling him ‘the Bean,’” Neily whispered. I swatted at him and he retreated to a corner, burying his face in an old issue of Foreign Auto.“You’re Toby’s girlfriend? That’s really great,” I said.“Who are you?”“Just an old friend from high school. I wanted to stop by and pay a visit. It’s been a really long time.”“Not that long.
