Chapter 15
A Friendly Ear
When Fred got back to his apartment, he was so worked up he couldn't go to sleep. He had to talk to someone, but he didn't want to talk to Steve because he was very religious and morally rigid. He would just chew Fred out for being stupid. Randy, on the other hand, would be more understanding and sympathetic. After searching a minute through his address book, he found his number and called him. After a minute, he answered.
“Fred? Is that you?”
“Yeah, I’m afraid so.”
“Huh. Didn’t expect to hear from until Christmas break.”
"I know. I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Okay,” Randy said cautiously. “So, how are you?”
"Not so good, I’m afraid.”
"What’s wrong?” he chuckled. “You still a virgin?”
“No. Actually, I’m not.”
“You’re not? Maria finally came through, huh?”
“No.”
“No! Who then?” he asked excitedly. “Tell me everything.”
Fred told him about Candy, how they’d met, her outrageous proposition, and their most recent encounter.
“Wow! I’m in shock. I can’t believe it. I thought you were hopelessly in love with Maria.”
“Well, I still love her, but circumstances are such that it won’t be possible for me and Maria to continue our relationship.”
“What circumstances?” Randy asked, bewildered.
“Someone is trying to set me up for a crime I didn’t commit. They stashed some money in my car hoping I’d be caught with it and take the fall for their heist. Come tomorrow morning, I’m going to be in very serious trouble, and I didn’t want to drag Maria into it.”
Randy sighed. "I can’t believe this."
“I’m going to need your help figuring out what to do next.”
“Of course. I can catch a flight out and be at LAX in five or six hours.”
“Good, but not today. I’ll call you when the time is right.”
“Okay. I’ll be on standby.”
“I’ll pay for your flight. I’ve got money.”
“Glad to hear it. Mine is in short supply these days.”
“You need me to send some now?”
“No. I got it covered.”
“What about your classes? Will missing a few days’ mess you up?”
“Not a problem brother. It sounds like you really need my expert guidance.”
“I do. Thank you.”
Fred felt better after he hung up the phone. It was good to have someone he could talk to candidly; someone he could trust. He knew tomorrow was the day of reckoning, the day when the vault would be opened. He’d have to either show up for work and act dumb or make a run for it.
If he was going to show up, he’d have to appear surprised and shocked by what had happened. He couldn’t act scared or nervous. Although he’d been able, so far, to put the matter out of his mind, it would be nearly impossible once the media got wind of the robbery and the FBI started to investigate.
He needed his sleep too. If he were tired, he might lose his focus and make a mistake. Normally, he had no trouble sleeping, as he’d developed an effective technique to combat insomnia. If he couldn't sleep, he would concentrate on something very pleasant. He had learned this from a motivational speaker he had listened to one time on the radio. Usually, he would focus his thoughts on a beautiful place, a beautiful woman, or a happy event from the past and imagine he was there. Tonight, nothing worked until he thought about Candy and ran their encounter over and over in his mind. Soon, he was asleep and began to dream.
He was alone, sitting on the shore of a pond. The sound of splashing water startled him. As he turned toward the sound, he saw a beautiful woman emerging from a pond of water surrounded by dense tropical vegetation. He could see her pretty face, her wet blond hair, her mysterious eyes, and those voluptuous breasts. She came toward him, smiling and laughing. She splashed water at him and giggled in delight. They embraced and kissed, and then she walked out of the pool with her back toward him. She walked a few steps, turned her head around at him, smiled, and winked. As he gazed delightfully at her naked body, his knees buckled, and he became overwhelmed with joy. He struggled to keep his composure. Surely he was in heaven. But then he heard her screaming. She turned toward him once again, and this time, there was terror in her eyes.
Fred woke up in a cold sweat, contemplated the dream for a while, then fell back asleep. When he opened his eyes again, the display on the clock radio read 6:45 a.m. Still feeling exhausted, he turned over and considered hitting the snooze button. Then he remembered it was Monday and all hell would be breaking loose at the bank. He groaned, wanting to call in sick, but he knew that would look bad. The only thing he could do was go to work and act like nothing had happened. He was confident his mind could repress all recollection of Friday night. It was possible; he knew it was possible. He'd keep his mind focused on Candy and all the fun they were going to have together.
Uncommon Thief Page 15
