The Premise

by Andy Crossfield

  "What do you think is in the box?" Kyle asked, hoping to change the subject by drawing Colleen into his discovery.

  "I don't know but it'll have to wait." Colleen said coldly. "We're already late meeting up with Karen."

  Colleen tossed the key back to Kyle and headed off to The Bean at a brisk pace.

  Kyle quickly cinched up the backpack and threw a strap over his shoulder, then hurried to catch up with Colleen.

  "So, do you think this is the gun Mark used to…"

  "To what?" Colleen answered, snapping at Kyle over her shoulder.

  "You know, what Dr. Basra said, to kill somebody?"

  Colleen stopped and spun on her heel so fast that Kyle almost ran into her.

  "I don't know. And we really don't know if Ramy was just making all that up to frame Mark and save his own skin, do we?" Colleen paused then added "And even if it is, it doesn't change the fact that Mark was murdered, does it?"

  Colleen wanted to say something else but held her tongue, then headed off again at an even faster pace than before.

  Kyle had to dodge a family with little kids and almost ran into the grandmother as he tried to catch up to Colleen. "Are you mad at me because I found Mark's bag?" Kyle asked as he pulled up beside her.

  "No." Colleen said, trying to think why she was reacting so critically. "I guess I'm mad that you didn't tell us you had the key. It could have helped us figure out all this faster."

  "How? It's just a nondescript locker key?" Kyle asked again, this time with a pleading tone to his voice.

  Colleen stopped and turned again. "I don't know, Kyle" she said sternly, "you just should have been more upfront with us, that's all. We've all been putting our lives out there and it would be nice to know you were on the team."

  Colleen immediately regretted her words. As soon as she said them, she remembered how brilliantly he had saved Sam. She regretted her outburst, but couldn't bring herself to apologize.

  "Just do us a favor and don't go through any checkpoints that would search that thing. It can't be good for you to be carrying around a gun you know. Especially one that may have been used in a crime!"

  Kyle was hurt by Colleen's brusque reaction, and paranoia began to creep into his thoughts.

  "We didn't pass any on the way in did we?" Kyle said as he began scanning the plaza for security.

  "I don't think so, but just act casual, okay?"

  Kyle fell back a bit as he followed Colleen to the meet-up with Karen. He was confused and needed time to think. How could she be mad at him for figuring out a piece of the puzzle? And by what reasoning could she both defend Mark and think the gun had been used in a murder? This had been a very strange day, he thought.

  His emotions had swung from the high of freeing Sam and finding Mark's pack, to the low of now being someone Colleen avoided. An hour ago, he had put a perfect plan into place and saved Sam and Colleen from the City Boyz. No small feat in his estimation. Now he felt like he'd somehow let everybody down, and for the life of him he didn't know why. He only knew he liked being a hero much better than being a bum.

  When they all got back to the limo, Kyle sat in virtual silence, using his polite smile and as few words as possible when Karen would ask him to relate their experience with Winston. She was excited to be reunited, and wanted to hear all about Sam's abduction, and how he had worked Winston hard to convince him to even go to the lab.

  Karen's joy was infectious, and soon Colleen's mood faded and her broad smile had returned. Kyle wondered if she had forgiven him about the backpack, which now lay stuffed out of sight behind his legs. He wanted to open it, but decided he'd be better off waiting. Gradually he began to feel better as Colleen told Karen about their "negotiations" with Winston. He even managed a genuine smile when she bragged on him, and how he had taunted Winston and his 'imponeros' into the elevator, trapping them between floors.

  "I didn't know what Kyle was up to," Sam said. "The way he had Winston worked up, there's no way he'd let that go without somebody bleedin'! I'd never seen Winston so mad. I was worried that the boys were coming up there to kill you both! I jus hoped for th' best, and when you both came out of that stairway to get me, I thought it was a dream!"

  "Well, we weren't sure he would take the bait!" Colleen said as she started to laugh. "Plan B was a few bullets in a pistol and a one-shot stun gun. I'm glad it didn't come to that!"

  "One thing you can count on," added Sam, "Winston won't be forgettin' us anytime soon! I' d expect they'll go pretty hard on your lab."

  Colleen shrugged, and then smiled. "If losing my lab had happened before we escaped with our lives, I would have been a basket case now. But almost dying has a way of putting things into perspective. And as far as the lab goes, it's a rental."

  Everyone laughed, and Kyle started to feel part of the group again.

  "You know, we need to cut all ties to the lab, the condo, even your apartments," Kyle said looking at Karen and Colleen. Then he turned to Sam. "Sam, they still have your phone, did you have any of our numbers stored in it?"

  "Uh, yeah, yours and Colleen's; oh, and Jack's."

  "Great!" Kyle said sarcastically as he pulled his battery out of his phone. "Colleen, pull the card in your phone then remove the battery too. We need to ditch these before we get to the house tonight. Karen, text Jack and tell him to dump his in San Diego, we can't risk being tracked."

  By the time they reached the safe house, Kyle felt better about their chances of surviving. He went inside first to check out the quarters, and then Colleen and Sam moved the luggage inside. Karen went for food and, as promised, got back before dark.

  Sam seemed to be getting more and more worried as night fell, so to help reassure him, Kyle sent the empty Private Cab off on a recon trip circling the lab and Jack's condo. He pulled the camera feed onto a monitor in the safe house and everyone watched the scene during dinner. Everything seemed quiet.

  "You feel better now Sam? Kyle asked after they watched the monitor for over an hour.

  "I'll be happier when I'm out of the state!"

  "Don't worry Sam, we'll be safe here for the night."

  "How do you know that Kyle? How you know somebody didn't follow us here?

  "Sam," said Colleen as she reached for Sam's hand, "aren't you being just a little paranoid?"

  "I think I got a right, you know?" Sam said getting agitated by Colleen's accusation. "Show 'a hands, who else here was kidnapped?"

  "Fair point" said Kyle. "But did you know the Private cabs can automatically track license plates in the traffic around them? I activated the feature on the way over here. If we were being followed, we would have been alerted."

  "No, They can do that? Really?"

  Kyle nodded.

  "Thas good. Thas real good. But how 'bout this house? How'd you find this place anyway?"

  "There's a secure website only accessible from in the car for all kinds of customer needs." Kyle smiled and pinched air quotes when he said needs to convey his point.

  "The whole site caters to, shall we say, a vigilant clientele?" Kyle chuckled. "I felt like a fugitive just going on there! They stress discretion and of course, privacy. No telling who else has stayed here while they were…."

  "On the lam?" Colleen added with a grin.

  Kyle was about to respond when Karen's cell buzzed with a text.

  "It's from Jack," she said. "Guess he got my message."

  "Hi all. Glad you're okay and safe. Kyle you're a genius. Will ditch my cell, hope to arrive 6:30 your time. Will text if things change. Be ready at gate. Loveya

  ____________________

  When everyone had turned in for the night, Kyle pulled the backpack out from under his bed and used his knife to cut the layers of duct tape on Mark's box. Carefully he pried one corner up and peered inside.

  It took him over an hour to count the bills three times. Each careful count was the same, $290,000 in stacks of $50's and $100's lay on his bed. More money than he had ever made in his entire l
ife lay before him. Now he knew first hand what he had always heard. Having money causes problems.

  Chapter 32 Dissention

  Kyle struggled most of the night to come to a solution, and by morning he was more confused than ever. As much as he needed the money, he realized he couldn’t keep a secret like this. He owed Colleen and Jack too much to part ways, and Colleen was already treating him differently. He knew she would never understand if he tried to hide this windfall from her.

  Besides, if Mark really did kill someone, there was always the probability the money was stolen. No telling to what lengths its rightful owner would go to get it back. Despite those drawbacks, he had realized one thing. He knew he wasn’t above a bit of theater if it would help Colleen decide in his favor.

  First thing the next morning, he lightly knocked on Colleen’s door. When she answered, he put his finger to his lips and motioned for her to follow him. They moved quietly past Sam’s door, then Karen’s. He opened his door for Colleen to enter, and followed her inside. The money filled the opened box in neat stacks. He had decided against the showier display of arranging the money so that it covered the bed.

  "Oh my God!" said Colleen in a partial whisper. "I guess it is true then."

  "What’s true?"

  "That Mark killed somebody!"

  "It looks like it, unless he kept his 401-k in cash, and in a locker at the skating rink!"

  Colleen sighed as the meaning of the situation sank in. She then realized the reason she was upset with Kyle was that his discovery forced her to confront the probability that Mark was a criminal.

  "How much is there?"

  "$290,000. I counted it three times! What do you think we should do with it?" Kyle asked in a tone that although rehearsed still came out sounding a bit too gleeful.

  Bringing her in on the decision wasn’t fair to her, but of his two choices; that being telling her or not telling her, it was the only one he could live with. The money’s fate was up to her now, whether she realized it or not.

  "I don’t know." Colleen said, completely oblivious to Kyle’s use of we. "The authorities will be interested in it for sure. But the question is, which authorities?"

  Kyle was ready for a lot of questions, but not that one.

  "Which authorities?" he asked with a disappointed look.

  "Well, maybe Chicago has jurisdiction, but remember? According to Ramy, that wasn’t where the murder occurred. It was some cheap motel outside of the city. I’m sure that police department has an interest too."

  Kyle regrouped and struggled to make his prepared response fit this unexpected tangent.

  "But, regardless of who investigates, if I bring it in now, don’t I become just another suspect who’s conscience got the better of them?"

  "Certainly not, Kyle" Colleen said as if on cue. "You weren’t even in Chicago when the murder happened."

  Kyle gave a rehearsed sigh of relief. "Right! That’s right! I couldn’t be a suspect, 'cause I wasn’t even here!"

  "But you could be a conspirator." Colleen said reflexively.

  "Wait, huh?"

  "I’m afraid they would have a hard time believing your story about how you just happened onto the locker."

  Kyle dropped his head in his hands and sighed. Things were not going the way he’d planned.

  "You’re right. I’d have a hard time believing that myself."

  "Of course turning the money in would count for something. That sure isn’t consistent with what a conspirator would do. And maybe you could claim it if it isn’t proven to be ill-gotten or something."

  Colleen could see Kyle’s defeated expression.

  "Look, Kyle, you have to make this decision yourself. I can only offer my opinion, but in the end, you have to live with it. You know there are at least three law enforcement organizations looking into Mark’s actions here and his death out in Vegas. How is it going to look if they discover you stumbled onto hundreds of thousands of dollars using a piece of evidence you failed to divulge during questioning?"

  Kyle started to object but Colleen stared her now dark violet eyes right through him, muting his protest.

  "You know I’m right Kyle. I know, …I said I wouldn’t interfere in your decision, but you’ve already been in prison! What a shame it would be to go back and not have done anything to prevent it!"

  "So you think I should turn the money in?"

  Colleen shook her head in disbelief. "Don’t you?"

  "Uh, no." Kyle started to stutter. "N-nobody knows I have it. N-nobody’s gonna know I h-have it, unless…"

  "Don’t do that Kyle."

  "D-do what?"

  "Put this on me. … Make me the heavy for getting you to do the right thing!"

  "I’m not. I just need to know you would s-support me, whatever I decide."

  Colleen turned to leave the room without responding.

  "Well, will you? C-colleen?"

  _________________________

  Jack was getting worried. He hadn’t gotten a response from any of his texts to Karen and he was just an hour from touchdown. He was hoping to head on to DC after refueling to avoid an overnight in Chicago. The sooner they left the city the better.

  The Citation M2 was making its first banking maneuver to land when Jack’s phone began ringing.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi Jack, Karen. Sorry I didn’t respond to your texts, I thought the less contact we had the better… but I’m glad to have your new number."

  "Hi Karen, say, we’re about to land and I’ll need to get off here soon. Are you at the meeting spot?"

  "Yes" she said, picking up on his cautious omission of detail.

  "Any problems?"

  "None that can’t be solved soon enough!" Karen said, trying to match Jack’s cryptic tone.

  "Okay then. I’ll see you in a few."

  Chapter 33 Metamorphosis

  By the time Colleen, Kyle, Sam and Karen got to the gate, Jack had already landed and was waiting for them.

  Colleen rushed up ahead of the others and hugged Jack’s neck.

  "I missed you terribly," she whispered in his ear. Those four words melted all the doubt he had about her.

  "Yeah, yeah," Jack whispered back as he smiled. "That’s just the fear of dying talking!"

  Colleen smiled broadly and hugged him harder. "Maybe so." She said as she pulled back in his arms and looked into his eyes. "Ever notice I do that a lot around you? I mean right from the start, it seems I’m either choking, or getting knocked out, or …"

  "Hey, don’t get the idea I’m bad luck okay?" I wasn’t even here for the siege at the lab, remember?"

  Colleen gave Jack a look of mock objection and noticed something about Jack’s eyes that seemed different. They had always crinkled a bit around the edges when he smiled, but now she noticed they seemed "livelier" somehow.

  "I remember. Say, did you get your eyes done while you were gone?" Colleen asked playfully.

  "That depends, do I look younger?"

  "I’m not sure, they just look different to me today."

  "Well, I’m not owning up to anything that doesn’t make me look younger!" Jack smiled and Colleen noticed it again. Definitely livelier, but she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what had changed.

  "I’m not sure they make you look younger, but they definitely make you look sexier," she whispered as they turned to walk over to the group.

  "Worth every penny then" Jack whispered back.

  Initially, Sam and Karen had been reluctant to intrude on their reunion, but as Jack and Colleen approached, they were eager to tell him details about Sam’s kidnapping, the negotiations for his release, and the escape, what they now were calling the Bamboozle.

  "Man, I was toast, then Kyle dropped his four aces on 'em!" Sam said, suddenly aware that Kyle was not beside him. His voice quieted a bit as he scanned the waiting area, then started up again as he spotted Kyle exiting the men’s room.

  "Yo Kyle!" Sam said in a loud voice. "I’m fillin’ Jack in
on the Bamboozle! Get over here!"

  Jack could see something was wrong between Colleen and Kyle. Colleen wouldn’t even look at him, and Kyle was lagging back, reluctant to come any closer than ten feet.

  "Say, why the long face Kyle?" Jack said in an upbeat voice. "Last I heard from Colleen, you were a genius!"

  Colleen avoided looking in Kyle’s direction and stared out the concourse window at the jets on the tarmac.