The Second Shooter

by E. A. Briginshaw

  Seeing there was an overpass connecting the QNC and MC buildings, David immediately headed toward the stairs. He was hoping the etched lines on the glass walls of the overpass would obscure his identity, but he was wrong.

  “There he is,” he heard one of the agents yell as he pointed out David’s location.

  David saw one of the agents head towards the MC building cutting off the way he wanted to go. The other agent sprinted toward the entrance to the QNC. He was trapped in a glass house with no place to hide.

  He raced back into the QNC and down a long hallway of offices. Every office door he tried was locked. He could hear the agents getting closer and closer.

  He needed a lucky break, and he got one. One of the office doors was unlocked. As David slowly opened the door, he could see a professor sitting at his desk staring at a computer screen that was running some kind of a simulation. As David closed the door behind him and slowly crept into the office, he realized the professor had fallen asleep.

  There were two desks in the office and David tip-toed by the professor’s desk and hid underneath the second. He could hear the professor’s gentle snoring, so he knew he had successfully snuck by him. He could also hear the agents as they raced around the building trying to find him. Suddenly the office door flew open.

  “RCMP,” the agent shouted. “Identify yourself.”

  The man snorted and his chair banged into the desk when he was jolted awake. “I’m Professor Nigel Livingston. What is the meaning of this?”

  “We’re trying to locate a fugitive. Have you seen anyone?”

  “Not a soul,” the professor said. “I’ve been working here all night.”

  “Sorry for the interruption,” the agent said as he closed the door.

  David heard the agents check the other offices in the hallway and then go racing off in another direction. He didn’t dare move or make a sound. He could hear the click of the keyboard as the professor resumed his work. David wondered how much longer this guy would be working before he called it a night. Hopefully not much longer – he was finding it harder and harder not to move or make a sound. To make matters worse, whoever’s desk he was hiding under had some ratty old sneakers and the smell of sweaty feet was over-powering.

  “I think it’s probably safe to come out now,” the professor said, “unless you prefer it down there under my TA’s desk.”

  The jig was up. David crawled out from under the desk. “How long have you known I was there?”

  “For quite some time now. I was just trying to calculate how long you could last down there before you passed out. Those shoes and sweaty socks have been there for the whole summer, so I’m sure they’re pretty ripe by now.”

  “They certainly are,” David said. “Why don’t you just throw them out?”

  “They belong to my TA and I refuse to clean up after him. It’s sort of become a battle of wills between us.”

  “I think he’s going to win,” David said.

  “Then you don’t know me very well. You have no idea how stubborn and persistent I can be.”

  David studied the professor. In some ways, he reminded David of his father. “Thanks for not giving me up.”

  “No thanks necessary. So who are you and what are they after you for?”

  “I’m David Shaw. I have no idea why they’re after me.”

  The professor peered at David over his glasses. “Yes you do. Is it something you did, or something you’ve got?”

  David could tell that this professor was no fool. “Probably something I’ve got.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “I have no idea.”

  The professor once again peered at him over his glasses.

  “Really, I don’t,” David said. “I’m just a courier. I have no idea what’s in these files.”

  “Show me,” the professor said.

  David dug into his soccer bag and pulled out the microchip. “I have a computer that copied a bunch of files onto this which I’m supposed to deliver, but I’m still waiting to hear from my contact to pick this one up.”

  “And who’s this contact supposed to be?”

  “I don’t know. I was just told that someone would be picking it up. And now the police seem to be after me.”

  “Well, let me take a look at that and we’ll try to find out what’s on it.”

  “I don’t think you can,” David said. “It’s encrypted.”

  “Well, it’s your lucky day son, because that’s what I do. I haven’t seen anything yet that I can’t unlock. Why don’t you leave it with me and we’ll see what all the fuss is about?”

  “I don’t know,” David said. “I should probably just hang onto it until I hear from my contact.”

  “Would you rather the police get it?”

  David contemplated his options. He could make a run for it and hope to avoid the police – but they would take the microchip from him for sure if he got caught. Or he could take a chance and trust the professor – someone who could have already turned him in. “No,” he finally said.

  “I didn’t think so. So why don’t you leave it here with me for safekeeping. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “How will I reach you when I want to pick it up again?”

  “Just pop by whenever you’re in the neighbourhood. As you can see, I practically live here. And if you can’t get here in person, just send me an email at Enigma on gmail.”

  David handed him the microchip. He watched as the professor taped it to the back of a picture on his desk. “My wife Debbie will keep it safe. She’s the one that takes care of me and looks after everything that’s important. Speaking of my wife, it’s probably time I headed home to her. You can stay here until you think it’s safe to leave.”

  David watched as the professor packed up his things. “Good luck,” he said as he went out the door.

  *** Chapter 9 ***

  As he left the MC building, Robert was oblivious to the events that had already occurred that night. He walked through the deserted campus back toward the residence shuffling through the Magic cards he had won in that night’s game.

  When he got to his room, he was surprised to see the door wide open and several people in it, including a technician wearing a white lab coat who was sitting at his computer. “Can I help you?” Robert asked.

  “Are you Robert Shaw?” Officer McKee asked from the other side of the room.

  “Yes. What’s going on?”

  “Where are the files you downloaded?”

  “What files?”

  “There’s no point playing dumb with us. I’d suggest you turn everything over to us unless you want to spend a long time in jail.”

  “Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” David protested. “If you tell me exactly what you’re looking for, I’ll be glad to help.”

  The man who had been searching Robert’s computer came over and whispered something into Officer McKee’s ear. Despite the whisper, Robert heard him say “His computer’s clean.”

  “Where’s your brother?” Officer McKee said, changing his focus.

  “I have no idea. He had a soccer game tonight. Maybe he’s still at the stadium.”

  “At 11:30 at night? I doubt the game lasted this long.”

  Robert glanced at his watch to confirm the time. “I don’t know. Maybe he went out for a beer with his teammates after the game.”

  “This computer’s clean as well,” said the other technician, the one who had been analyzing David’s computer.

  “I told you there must have been some mistake,” the building manager said from the hallway. Although Officer McKee had told him to leave, he had been hovering around all night. “These are both good kids. I told you they wouldn’t be involved in anything illegal.”

  “We’re going to keep searching until we find those files,” Officer McKee said, pointing a finger at Robert.

  Robert glanced around the room. “It looks like you’ve already searched everywhere,” he said
defiantly. “I presume you have a warrant for all of this.”

  Officer McKee shoved the warrant into Robert’s face. “Tell your brother he should just turn himself in.” He locked eyes with Robert before turning to his team of investigators. “Okay guys, I think we’re done for the night here.”

  Robert watched as they gathered up their stuff and left. He pulled out his cell phone to see that he had missed a couple of calls from his brother. When he tried to call him back, the call went unanswered. He left a voice-mail asking for David to return the call when he got the message. Robert didn’t know that the RCMP were already in possession of David’s cell phone.

  * * *

  It was about two-thirty in the morning when David decided that things were quiet enough for him to venture out of the professor’s office. Rather than walk outside, he decided to use the overpasses to get from the QNC to the Biology building and then through to the Earth Sciences building. However, when he saw someone walking below glance up at him, he suddenly felt like the whole world was watching him. Although he could tell the person who’d seen him was only a student, he still felt the fear slice through him.

  When he got to the Physics building, he decided to take the tunnels instead through the bowels of the Engineering Lecture Hall to the Douglas Wright Engineering Building. He remembered Robert had shown him this route one time when it was pouring outside. As he walked through the tunnels, every step he took seemed incredibly loud as it echoed off the concrete walls. If anyone was listening, they would hear him coming from a mile away. He started walking on his tiptoes. When he reached the DWE building, there was no choice now but to venture outdoors.

  He slowly crossed University Avenue on his trek back to the residence. He thought it best not to run to bring any undue attention to himself. Rather than walking down the main streets, he decided to walk along Laurel Trail which ran beside the railway tracks.

  When David finally got to the residence, he could see a police officer sitting in an unmarked car across the street.

  “Damn,” he said to himself. They were obviously watching for him there. He wondered if he could sneak into the building without the officer seeing him. As he crept along the side of the building, he noticed several rooms on the ground floor had their windows open. He thought he knew one person who would sneak him in, but he wasn’t sure which room was hers.

  He counted the windows as he crept along until he got to the one he wanted. “I hope this is the right room,” David said to himself as he tapped lightly on the window.

  There was no response, so he tapped again, this time a little louder.

  “Who’s there?” Bronx said as she slowly pulled back the curtains.

  David could see that she had pulled back the curtains with her left hand, but had a baseball bat in her right hand. “It’s me, David,” he whispered. “Let me in.”

  Bronx put down the bat, cranked the window open as far as it could go, and pinched the latches on the inside of the screen to remove it. Although it didn’t open very wide, it was big enough for David to squeeze through. He pushed his soccer bag through first and then shimmied through the opening.

  “Thanks,” he said as he fell to the floor. “And thanks for running interference for me earlier tonight.”

  “What did-ya do? Why are the cops after you?”

  “It’s probably better for you if I don’t tell you.”

  “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? Maybe I can help.”

  She had already helped him more that anyone could expect, but he wasn’t ready to tell her about the secret society and the microchip just yet. “I know you said your roommate hadn’t moved in yet. I was wondering if I could hide out here until things cool down a bit.”

  “Just for the night. She’s supposed to move in first thing in the morning, so you gotta be gone by then.”

  Bronx picked up the bat and David noticed it had a New York Yankees logo on it. He also noticed she was wearing a Yankee’s “Jeter” jersey as a nightshirt. “I thought you said you didn’t wear anything to bed.”

  “I lied. I was just flirtin’ with ya. But I think you’ve made it quite clear that you’ve already got a serious girlfriend, so I won’t be hittin’ on you no-more.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I was probably a bit harsh earlier tonight.”

  Bronx looked away. “You can sleep on my roommate’s bed. There’s no sheets or nuthin, but I’m sure you can tough it out.”

  David headed across the hall, put his soccer bag on the floor and then threw himself onto the empty bed. It had been a long night and he was extremely tired. As he lay there, he was trying to think of his next move. He fell asleep before anything struck him.

  * * *

  David awoke with a start when he felt someone caressing his shoulder. “Time to rise-n-shine, sleepy head,” Bronx whispered.

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s still early. A little after seven-thirty, but I thought you’d wanna get outa here before too many people are up and about. My new roommate could show up at any time.” She was still caressing his shoulder.

  “You’re probably right.”

  David noticed that she was already dressed. Once again, she was wearing an “I Love New York” T-shirt, although this one was baby-blue which matched the colour of her eyes. David also noticed she was sporting a large purple bruise on her arm.

  “Is that from when you tackled the cop?”

  “Yeah. He was a big son-of-a-bitch. He must have been packin’ too cause I’ve got another big bruise on my side where his gun dug into my ribs.” She raised her shirt to show him.

  David had an overwhelming urge to kiss it better, but fought off the feeling. “Why did you help me – after I was so mean to you?”

  “Cause, like it or not, I’m part of your posse and we watch out for each other. In the Bronx, you learn you can’t make it on your own and you gotta watch each other’s back. It’s the code. You’d do the same for me, wouldn’t you?”

  “Absolutely,” David said.

  Bronx rose from the bed and tucked in her shirt. “I don’t think you should be seen crawlin’ out my window in the daylight. It’s probably best if you just walk out the front door like a regular student.”

  “There was a cop parked out front last night,” David said. “If he’s still there, there’s no way I’ll get by him.”

  “We’ll figure out a way.”

  When they got to the front of the building, David hung back while Bronx peered out the door to see if the cop was still there. “Piece-a-cake,” she said. “Just follow my lead.”

  She confidently strolled out of the building and headed toward the unmarked police car. “Look at the bruise you gave me,” she said to the officer. “I should probably sue you guys.”

  The officer got out of the car. “I’m sorry miss, but I was pursuing a fugitive.”

  “And I’ve got a bigger bruise on my ribs.” Bronx lifted up her shirt – high enough to reveal the lacy bra she was wearing. Although he was an officer of the law, he was also a guy and Bronx knew exactly how to manipulate him. He didn’t notice when David walked right by him and down the street.

  * * *

  David decided to head toward Alex’s place. He knew his best friend would let him hide out there – no questions asked. But when he got there, David saw another unmarked police car parked down the street.

  The sun was now up, so David knew that he would no longer be able to hide in the shadows. Just then, he saw two huge guys walk by, each carrying a duffel bag full of gear. David was only a couple of blocks away from University Stadium and he could tell that these were two football players heading off for an early morning practice. He decided that would be a good hiding place until he figured out what to do next. Since he was carrying his soccer bag, he didn’t look that conspicuous so he fell in behind them.

  When he got to the stadium, he sat down on a bench just inside the front entrance. He hadn’t slept much the night before so it wasn�
�t long until he dozed off.

  He awoke with a start when someone yelled his name and poked him on the shoulder. “David, let’s go,” the man said.

  It took David’s eyes a few seconds to come into focus to figure out it was the coach of the national team. “Let’s go,” the coach said again. “The bus is outside.”

  David had completely forgotten they were supposed to meet at the stadium to catch the bus to Chicago for their exhibition game. “Sorry coach. I must have dozed off.”

  He had been wondering where he could hide until things cooled off and the solution had just fallen into his lap. As he boarded the bus, he recognized the faces of a few of the players from the Under-19 team. He watched as the coach counted the players on the bus.

  “Okay, we’re good to go,” the coach yelled to the driver.

  “Wait,” David yelled. “We can’t go yet. Alex isn’t here.”

  “He’s not coming,” the coach said. “He called me this morning to say his knee was too swollen – said he wouldn’t be able to make it. He tried to call you to let you know. Didn’t you get the message?”

  “Sorry coach. Guess I misplaced my phone.”

  David slumped back into his seat to begin the journey. He didn’t know exactly where this road was going to lead him, but he knew it was better than staying where he was.

  * * *

  When David still hadn’t shown up at the residence by dawn, Robert decided it was time to call his father.

  “Hi, Robert. It’s pretty early for you to be calling. What’s up?”

  “There’s something strange going on. I think David might be in trouble.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The RCMP showed up at our room last night and searched our computers looking for some files they claim we illegally downloaded.”

  “What kind of files?”

  “I don’t know, but they didn’t find anything. After they searched our computers, they went off in search of David. I told them he had a soccer game, but David didn’t come home after the game.”