by Elle Casey
Sarah seemed totally unconcerned. She walked up to the counter and said in a voice that was way too loud for Candi’s liking, “Do you have a computer we could use to go online?”
The guy gestured to the corner of the room where the single desktop machine sat humming away. “Right over there. It’s twenty bucks for a half hour.”
“Wow, that’s pretty steep,” she said. “How about ten?”
Candi rushed over the few remaining steps to the register and took Sarah by the elbow. “Never mind. Twenty’s fine.” She dragged her away from the bemused employees, wishing she could just yell at her right now and not have to worry about being arrested for disturbing the peace or whatever.
“What’s the problem?” asked Sarah, pulling her arm out of Candi’s grip. “I was just trying to negotiate a little. We have a budget you know.”
Candi whispered furiously near her ear, barely containing her frustration. “Yeah! And we also don’t want to call attention to ourselves! How many people come in here and try to negotiate the freaking online fees, do you think?”
Sarah’s face remained impassive.
“Exactly. None,” Candi said in a calmer voice. “So what you just did is memorialize our trip into town and into this plaza for those two guys. Thanks for that, Sarah. If I get my throat slit, I’m blaming you.”
Sarah pinched her hard on the arm as she sat down in the chair in front of the computer.
“Don’t do that!” Candi growled in Sarah’s ear, sitting down next to her using a nearby chair that she pulled over. She reached over and pinched Sarah’s leg.
Sarah jabbed Candi in the ribs with her elbow before reaching up to log on using the username and password printed on a small strip of paper stuck to the front of the computer.
Candi elbowed her back and jerked the keyboard over. “I’m surfing. You just sit there and try not to get us killed.” Out of the corner of her eye, Candi saw Sarah’s finger coming at her. “If you put that stupid finger on my forehead, I’m going to break it.”
The finger slowly withdrew. “Man, oh man, the stress is seriously getting to you, Sugar Lump. You should let me press your valve. You’ll feel much better, I promise.”
Candi stopped in mid-Google, turning to face Sarah. “What are you talking about?”
“Your valve.” Her gaze shifted up to Candi’s forehead. “The one in the middle of your head up there. It lets off the steam when I push on it.”
Candi shook her head in disbelief. “Where on earth did you get that idea?”
Sarah shrugged. “I just happened on it one day when I was really sick. I kept pressing there because I just couldn’t deal with the sickness, and it went away, like magic. It worked for you last night, you can’t deny it.”
“Pfft. That didn’t do anything other than confuse me.”
“Yeah, well confusion, steam valve … it works.” Her finger started to come up again. “Just let me press it once.”
Candi snatched Sarah’s finger and squeezed it. “I’ll totally do it to you, Sarah. I’ll break your finger right off. I’m like an inch away from totally losing my cool right now. Don’t tempt me.”
Sarah pulled back again. “Fine. But don’t come crying to me asking me to de-steamify you later.”
Candi shook her head. “This pregnancy is making you totally looney.” She went back to searching the website with all the motorcycle listings, taking a few deep breaths to try and center her anger. It wasn’t like her to get this freaked out, even when it was life or death situations. “Help me find our bike.”
She heard nothing more from Sarah as she fell into research mode, clicking on photos and reading descriptions. She checked over fifteen listings, but nothing felt right to her. The bikes were either too big or too fast-looking. Nothing was just a plain motorcycle, nondescript, and not over three thousand dollars.
Candi didn’t even notice that Sarah was gone until she sat down again and bumped into her arm, sending her mouse-click awry. “Hey, watch it, klutz.”
A white index card hit the keyboard, blocking Candi’s fingers from doing their next search. She took her hand from the mouse and picked it up. “What’s this?”
“Our motorcycle.”
“What do you mean, our motorcycle?” The index card had a description of a motorcycle for sale for two thousand dollars, and the photograph showed the bike she’d been searching for online and not been able to find. She smiled. “Hey, this is nice.”
“Yeah. It was on that bulletin board over there,” said Sarah, gesturing towards the back of the store.
“Should we call this person?” asked Candi, gesturing towards the name. “Mike.” Her heart rate picked up at the idea of contacting a person while on the run. So much risk …
“I already did.”
“What?” Candi was confused.
“I said, I already called him. Geez, what’s your problem? You’re acting like you’re on drugs or something.”
Candi shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m just … I guess I thought you were sitting next to me this whole time. And I’ve been looking for something for …” she checked the clock on the computer, “…for twenty minutes, and I haven’t found anything.”
“Yeah, well, I decided to take a look around since you were being boring. Oh, and I haven’t even told you the best part yet.”
Candi logged off and swiveled in her seat to face Sarah. “What’s that?”
“He’s selling two helmets as part of the deal.”
Candi grinned again, for the first time feeling a little lighter in the chest area. “That is awesome news. I hadn’t even thought of that part. Did you ask him why he’s selling?”
“He said his wife just had a baby, and she told him he’s not allowed to take risks like riding motorcycles anymore.”
“Are you worried about that? I mean, with being pregnant?”
“Yes. But I’m more worried about being killed by a crazy Russian mafia assassin, so I’ll just pick the less dangerous thing.”
“And that would be the motorcycle,” said Candi in full agreement.
“Exactly. So let’s go do our shopping. I told him to meet us here in a half hour.”
“Perfect.” Candi felt like singing, everything was going so well. “Do you have our shopping list?”
“Do bears go poo in the woods?”
Candi stood, smiling. “I assume they do. I’ve never caught one in a port-a-potty.”
Sarah took her by the hand and led her over to the front desk so they could pay for their online time.
Candi was just about to crack a joke about what bears use for toilet paper, when the words froze in her throat. She squeezed Sarah’s hand so hard, Sarah yanked it out of her grasp and started to complain. But one look at Candi’s face had her turning around to see what was sending her into such a panic.
A police car had pulled up to the curb and parked, and the officer behind the wheel was getting out. Sarah turned to face Candi, her complexion now very pale. Candi looked back at the clerk, hurriedly passing him a twenty-dollar bill, sweat popping out on her upper lip as she waited for him to get her change together. He couldn’t do the math in his head, and he hadn’t put the correct amount that she’d given him into his keyboard, so he was trying to figure everything out.
“The change is like two bucks, it’s no big deal if it’s not exact,” said Candi, trying to keep herself from sneaking glances towards the door. She nearly peed herself when the bell hanging on the door jingled, signaling the entrance of a customer. Please don’t let him come over here! Please please please!
“Hello, Brandon,” said a voice from the door.
The clerk looked up and smiled. “Hello, Officer Amalong. How are you today?”
“Fine, I’m fine. How’s business?”
“Pretty good. Just sold some online time to these ladies.”
Candi heard footsteps coming up behind her.
“Hello,” said Sarah, sounding totally self-assured - maybe even a little coc
ky.
Candi’s face burned with fear and embarrassment. She was afraid she was going to throw up right there on the counter.
“Hello. You girls from out of town?”
“Yep,” said Sarah. “Out of town. Waaay out of town. Just passing through. Had to check emails.”
“Good. I was a little concerned when I drove by and saw you two in here. I thought I had some truants on my hands.”
Candi tried to laugh, but it came out more like a strangled squeak.
Sarah nudged her hard. “Nope. We’re not in school at the moment. We’re on break.”
“What kind of break happens in the last month of school?” asked the clerk, frowning at Candi and Sarah alternately.
Sarah continued to speak to the cop when she answered. “We go to private school, so our year doesn’t end until the end of June. It’s not really the very end of the year for us, where we’re from. Which isn’t here.”
Candi held her hand out for the change that still hadn’t come.
The clerk stared at her for a second before jerking his attention back to his task and tapping away at a calculator he had near the register. He finally reached inside the drawer after what seemed like forever to pull out her one dollar and eighty-five cents. Candi wished she’d just walked away from it earlier like she’d been tempted to do, before that cop had seen them. Trying to guess what would look suspicious and what wouldn’t was making her crazy.
“Where would that be now, this place that makes you stay in school for half the summer?” asked the police officer, sounding like he felt sorry for them.
Candi had to turn around now; she had no more excuse to keep her back to him. She faced him, forcing herself to look him in the eye. She could feel the heat rising up her neck to her ears and cheeks.
“California,” said Sarah. “San Francisco. It’s a boarding school, so we’re roommates. Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Officer. It’s a great town you have here. Too bad we can’t stay, but we have some groceries to buy, and then we have to get on the road. Time to get back home before school starts again.”
“You’re driving all the way across the country? Just the two of you?”
“Yep. We’re adventurous. We do this stuff all the time.” Sarah grabbed Candi’s hand and pulled her past the officer who stood with his thumbs in his belt.
Candi couldn’t help but drop her gaze to stare at the gun and club that rested at his hips. She nearly fainted when she looked up again and saw the expression on his face. He didn’t look convinced at all anymore, and he was staring at them like he was trying to place them from somewhere. Candi wasn’t sure if she was imagining his suspicion or not, and she didn’t trust herself to speak, so she just gave him a lame wave and let Sarah drag her from the store. She resisted the urge to run back to the car and peel out of the lot back to their cabin.
“Holy shit, was that guy a nosy asshole or what?” asked Sarah.
“You’re cussing,” said Candi, now finally realizing how scared Sarah was.
“Hell yes, I’m cussing! Shit, we almost got totally busted in there! I’m not sure if we should shop or run at this point!”
Candi took in a few deep breaths. It wasn’t working to calm her racing heart like she’d wanted it to. “Press the button,” she said, looking at Sarah sideways as her legs churned out strides she hoped looked natural to the cop who she knew was watching them leave.
Sarah reached over without breaking stride and smacked Candi in the forehead. “There. Button pressed. Now what?”
Candi couldn’t help but laugh through her shock. “Remind me not to ask for any of your nutty pregnancy therapy ever again.” She switched back into life-saving mode, not allowing herself the luxury of humor. “I think we should just go into the grocery store, shop fast, and get the hell out of here. Screw the motorcycle idea.”
“Okay. Fine. I’ll call the guy and tell him we’ll do it another time.” She pulled the phone out of her back pocket and dialed. Candi took her by the elbow to lead her into the store. She grabbed a cart and pushed it up to the first aisle, letting Sarah go once she was done dialing and could follow along without bumping into anything.
Sarah hung up the phone after a few long seconds. “He’s not answering.” Out of her pocket came her shopping list. “Here are the essentials. Just get this stuff and nothing else. It should cost no more than thirty bucks.”
Candi didn’t argue, she just turboed her way through the aisles, filling the cart about a quarter of the way with fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, pastas and rice, and then some eggs and meats.
“We’ll freeze some of this stuff to make it last longer. This should be good for a week.”
“A week? Kevin could eat all this in a day. Two, tops.”
“Hence the pasta and rice. He’s just going to have to step away from so much meat until we can get back to our normal lives.”
The cell phone rang.
“Who is it?” said Candi, instantly in a panic all over again.
Sarah pulled the phone out of her pocket and hit the green button. “Hello? Oh … hey, Mike. Yeah, I’m here. Where are you? … Okay, I’ll be right there.” Sarah hung up. “He’s on the north side of the plaza. I’m going to go over there and do this. You finish with the groceries and meet me at the car.” She unzipped the duffle bag and took out a pile of bills, folding them and shoving them into her pocket.
“You’re going to buy the motorcycle now?” asked Candi, freaking out. “I thought we decided to wait!”
“But he’s here, and it’s perfect! Nothing’s changed, Candi … we still need the transportation. So just finish shopping, buy the stuff, pack it into the duffle bag, and meet me at the car. Go!” She pushed Candi on the back and sent her towards the checkout line. There were two people in the one she’d chosen, so Candi just stood there, gripping onto the cart like it was her lifeline, watching Sarah weave her way past the shoppers and displays towards the exit.
Passing her on the way in was the police officer from the copy shop. Candi wasn’t sure Sarah had seen him, but he’d definitely seen her. He turned to watch her go, and then continued into the store, his eyes scanning the whole front area. Candi backed up quickly, getting out of line and turning to run down the aisle towards the back of the store. She was pretty sure he hadn’t seen her, and she was going to do whatever she could to make sure he didn’t.
***
Sarah spotted the bike right away. The guy was standing next to it, using a cloth to buff the gas tank.
“Hey,” she said, walking up. “You’re Mike, right?”
“Yes. And you’re … Beulah?”
“Yeah. Beulah Mayberry. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand and shook his with a strong grip.
“You don’t look like a Beulah,” he said, studying her face.
“Yeah, well, I am one. So, what’s the deal?” she asked, gesturing towards the bike. “It run?”
“Heck yeah, it runs. Like a dream.”
“Why are you selling it so cheap?”
He smiled bitterly. “To save my marriage. This thing has to be gone, like, today or my old lady’s gonna make me sleep in the garage.”
“Damn. She sounds mad.”
“Yeah, well, she asked me to get rid of it months ago, and I just couldn’t do it. She finally put her foot down and you know … with the economy and everything, I just haven’t been able to find anyone.”
“I’ll give you fifteen hundred for it.”
He frowned, looking pissed. “Two grand is a steal for this bike.”
“Yeah, maybe. But it’s all I’ve got.” Sarah pulled the money out of her pocket. “Take it or leave it.” She looked over her shoulder at the cop car that was still parked by the copy shop. Asshole followed us to the store. What’s his friggin problem, anyway?
“You in some kind of hurry?” he asked, tucking the polishing cloth into his back pocket. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the money.
“Yeah, you could say that. The b
ike’s a surprise.”
“It’s not for you?”
“No. It’s for my … dad. Yeah, he’s been wanting a bike like this forever. He said he had one when he was younger and really misses it. He’ll take really good care of it, I promise. I’ve been saving for a year for this, waiting for the perfect bike to come along.” She decided to really lay it on thick, knowing he was close to caving. “It’s his birthday tomorrow. I can’t believe how lucky I was to find your ad today. It’s like a dream come true.”
The guy sighed heavily. “Fine. I’ll take your offer. But only because of your dad. I need to be sure it’s going to go to someone who’s going to love it like I do.”
Sarah held the money out, but didn’t let it go when he put his hand on it. “It includes those two helmets, right?” She gestured to the one hanging from the handle bar and the one strapped to the back with bungee cords.
“Yep.”
“And the title signed over right now, too, right?”
“Of course. You’re gonna have to go over to the DMV and get it put into your name, though. I’m not going to do that.”
“Fine,” said Sarah, thanking her lucky stars he wasn’t going to do that or anything of the sort. There was no way this bike was getting registered in her or Beulah’s name. “Are you going to need a ride or something?” she asked, looking around. He’d ridden the bike over, and she didn’t see any partner around to give him a lift.
He reached into a small bag that was hooked to the back of the bike’s seat, taking out some papers. He shuffled through them, pulling a light blue one on heavy stock from the middle. “Here’s the title. And nah, don’t worry about it. My wife gets off work in less than an hour, so she can pick me up here.”
“She works weird hours,” Sarah said, taking the document from him and waiting for him to get a pen from his bag. She handed him the money which he put in his shirt pocket, and he took the title back, signing his name at the bottom. She didn’t bother putting her name or Beulah’s on it. Better to remain as anonymous as possible.
