BLACK in the Box

by Russell Blake

  “They could do that?”

  “Brave new world, my friend. They can do anything.”

  “How would I tell? The room’s sealed.”

  “Taped, or sealed?”

  “Taped, I think.”

  “I didn’t tell you to do this, but I get the sense from McCarthy that if you opened the door and took a peek without going inside, he’d never know the difference.”

  “You talked to him?”

  “He’s working a double murder right now. Promised to call. Sounded really excited to meet new people and chat.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “Just don’t cross the line, Black. If you can open the door and see in, you haven’t contaminated anything. And for God’s sake, wear gloves, and don’t let anyone catch you doing it. That could get complicated.”

  “Like me ironing-shirts-for-my-new-prison-husband complicated.”

  “Seeing as you’re single now.”

  “I’m not single. Sylvia and I had a disagreement. That’s all. It happens.”

  “Whatever you say. Just don’t get caught. I don’t want to have to visit you in lockup.”

  “I’ll be a ghost.”

  Chapter 38

  Black returned to the office and Roxie greeted him with her usual enthusiasm.

  “No Mugsy, I see.”

  “You find a key logger?”

  “Nope. System’s clean. Although he could have one locally on his terminal. Only way to know is to get on it.”

  “That’s not going to happen tonight.”

  “I put that together all by myself.”

  Black put his hands in his trouser pockets and rocked forward and back on his feet. “Talked to Stan.”

  “And?”

  “He told me I can’t do anything illegal like open the door to Alec’s office and look around for a camera.” Black explained about the covert cam theory.

  “Stan’s not as dumb as he looks. Although if there’s such a thing as a keyboard skimmer that’s not software, I’ve never heard of it.”

  “I figured you’d know.”

  “Good guess.” She looked him up and down. “So what are you going to do?”

  “I was thinking about looking around. But I’d need someone to keep an eye out to make sure nobody’s watching.”

  “The technical term’s ‘aiding and abetting in the commission of a felony.’”

  “See, put like that, it sounds bad. I’m just asking you to holler if you see anyone coming.”

  “Holler? Are we at a rodeo or a hog-roping contest now?”

  “Roxie, humor me.”

  “Y’all have got to be kidding, Tex.”

  “Just give me a heads-up if someone comes by. I’ll only take a second.”

  “Right. What about the gloves?”

  “I figured I could use a plastic bag or something.”

  “Lot of those lying around, are there?”

  “I saw one in the break room.” He reached into his jacket and extracted a black bag. “Looked a lot like this.”

  “I will totally testify against you if this blows up.”

  “Good to know you got my back.”

  “First Mugsy, and now this. Unbelievable.” She stood. “You’re really going to do it?”

  “We’re out of gas, unless you’ve got a miracle up your sleeve.”

  “I’m wearing a tank top.”

  “Figuratively speaking.”

  Roxie gave an exasperated exhalation. “I’ll keep watch. But I have no idea what you’re up to.”

  “Of course you don’t.”

  They exited the office, and Roxie trailed Black to the access door. “Just keep this cracked open and…call out if you see anyone.”

  “Didn’t we already cover this?”

  “Okay. Here I go.”

  “The excitement is driving me wild. Hope I don’t faint.”

  Black paused, overcome by an urge he didn’t entirely understand. “Roxie, can you be serious for just one second?”

  “I am serious.”

  “I have a hypothetical question.”

  “Is this really the time?”

  “It’s important.”

  “Does it involve one train leaving New York and another leaving Chicago?”

  “No.”

  “Good. I flunked that class.”

  Black drew a deep breath. “If you were living with someone and they consistently seemed to choose their job over you, what would you do?”

  “After I was done torching their clothes and changing the locks?”

  “I think you just answered my question.”

  “So Sylvia’s had it, huh?”

  “It was hypothetical.”

  “Right.”

  Black let out a fatigued breath. “Sorry about dragging you away from the party.”

  “Is this you stalling because you’re chicken?”

  “I just wanted to say that.”

  “Now you’re totally creeping me out.”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  “Are you going to tell me about your special friend Jesus next?”

  “I’m going now.”

  “Be still, my beating heart.”

  Black jogged down the hall to the door and slipped the bag over his hand, and frowned as his fingers slipped into some kind of greasy residue inside. He withdrew his hand and his nose twitched. Whatever had been in the bag smelled like dead rat. But there was no going back. He forced his fingers back in and reached for the handle, and then jumped when Roxie called out.

  “Oh, crap.”

  He stepped back. “What?”

  “It’s the cops.”

  “Really?”

  She shook her head. “No. I just wanted to see you freak.”

  “So the coast is clear?”

  “Felony away, Kemosabe.”

  He struggled to bring his heart rate down as he again reached for the door. When he gripped the lever and twisted, it didn’t budge.

  “It’s locked,” he said.

  “Use the power of your mind to melt it.”

  “Hang on. I can pick it.”

  “This keeps getting better. Do you mind if I film it on my cell?”

  “I’ll be right back. Any signs of life?”

  “Out there or in here?”

  Black was back in thirty seconds with a paper clip and a letter opener from the office. He straightened the clip and bent the end into an L shape, and inserted it and the opener into the lock. He brushed the tumblers as he exerted gentle pressure on the opener, and was rewarded with a click.

  “Got it.”

  “Hurry up.”

  “Is someone there?”

  “No.”

  “Here goes.”

  “Great.”

  Black eased the door wide and flipped the wall switch. Light flooded the room, and Black eyed the interior. Any camera would have to be somewhere it could capture Alec’s keystrokes, which limited the search to behind his desk and the ceiling. His gaze roved over the walls, which were barren, and stopped at the acoustic tile on the ceiling. He squinted and then switched the lights off and relocked the door.

  “Well?” Roxie asked as he neared.

  “I can’t be sure, but there’s an area of the ceiling that might be suspicious.”

  “Like, what, it looks nervous?”

  “No, like there’s a broken corner that could hide a camera.”

  She nodded. “Could be. So now what?”

  Black glanced up at the tiles. “Now I get dirty.”

  Chapter 39

  “He’s getting too close. He’s asking about drugs. I think he’s onto us.”

  Two figures stood in the shadows near the loading area, the last truck come and gone, only one more delivery scheduled for later.

  “There’s no way he could be. You’re letting your imagination run away with you.”

  “No, I’m not. He’s not as stupid as he looks.”

  “How could he be?”

  “We need
to do something.”

  “Like what?”

  “Have somebody take care of him.”

  “That’s not how it works.”

  “He trips to this, we’re history.”

  “He’s looking for Alec’s murderer, nothing more. Our thing is incidental.”

  “You think.”

  “Look, if I’d have known somebody was going to off Alec, I could have taken precautions.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s spilt milk.”

  “Right, but now we’re in the middle of a murder investigation. Don’t you think that’s going to make our partners…nervous?”

  “What I think is that we need to make Black their problem, not ours.”

  “It’ll cost. And I’m tapped out from fronting you for our little expedition.”

  “They should know by now we’re good for it. Maybe they’ll do it for free. We just need them to beat him up. Take him out of commission. That’ll buy us time to hide the evidence. Come tomorrow, we’re clean.”

  “Or we’re crawling with cops trying to figure out why he was assaulted.”

  “They don’t do it inside the store. Better to wait until he takes another cigarette break. Or goes for more coffee.”

  “That could work, I suppose. This is a rough neighborhood.”

  “Exactly. If he’s stupid enough to be out at this hour…”

  “Fine. I’ll make a call. Now will you chill?”

  “I’ll relax once he’s not turning over rocks.”

  “All I can do is ask them. In the meantime, don’t do anything stupid.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Like the forklift.”

  “That should have worked. I can’t believe he walked away from that.”

  “Seems like you’re getting a lot wrong lately.”

  “I’ll take care of my end. You work on yours.”

  “No more of that kind of crap, though. Agreed?”

  “Okay. I’ll keep my head down. Satisfied?”

  “For now.”

  The first speaker split off and vanished into the bowels of the store. The second slipped an iPhone from his shirt pocket, scrolled through the menu, and played back a few seconds at low volume to verify that the discussion had been captured with sufficient clarity. This was insurance, in case anyone got cold feet or had bright ideas of rolling over. Enough had gone unexpectedly wrong in the last twenty-four hours to completely alter the dynamics of their agreement, and the second figure was taking no chances. This way, everyone was exposed. Mutually assured destruction.

  And an important bargaining chip, if it came down to that.

  Which hopefully it wouldn’t.

  Still, the other speaker had gone off the reservation, and events had taken on a life of their own. Alec’s death changed everything. Or rather, the clumsy murder had drawn unwanted attention. Not so much from the cops, who were clueless. But nobody could have predicted the private investigator. He was the wild card, and apparently willing to devote sufficient time to poking around to pose a risk.

  A threat that needed to be neutralized.

  But carefully.

  No further stunts like the one with the pallets. An isolated instance could be written off as an unfortunate accident; more failed attempts would be a red flag and draw precisely the sort of attention they wanted to avoid.

  Chapter 40

  Black saw Brent across the store and called out to him. “Brent, got a minute?”

  “What’s up, Mr. Black? Everything okay?”

  “Yes. But I need a ladder.”

  “A ladder? What for?”

  Black ignored the question. “Do you have one?”

  “Sure. Over in the maintenance area. You want me to bring it?”

  “Please.”

  Black waited for him by the door that led to the administrative office hallway and checked the time. Every muscle now ached and he could feel bruises all over from the pallets. His belief that he’d gotten off light had been mistaken, he thought, as he probed his lower back with his fingers.

  Brent came back carrying an aluminum ten-foot ladder. “Where do you want it?”

  “I can deal with it.”

  “If you need a bulb or something changed, just say the word. That’s my job.”

  Black took the ladder from the maintenance man. “I’ll handle it.”

  “You positive? It’s no trouble.”

  “Thanks. I’ll return it in a few minutes.”

  “Take your time.” Brent studied his face. “You might want to see a doctor about your head. It’s turning purple.”

  “I intend to.”

  Brent nodded and moved off, humming to himself. Black watched until he disappeared around an aisle and then carried the ladder into the hall under Roxie’s skeptical gaze.

  “Are you serious, boss?”

  “Deadly.”

  “How do you even know what’s up there?”

  “Haven’t you ever seen those movies where the operatives use the drop ceiling to sneak up on their quarry?”

  “Oh, sure. I’ve also seen movies where vampires fly and people walk through walls. Since that’s your model, why not just do that?”

  “Never a dull moment with you, Roxie.” Black set the ladder down outside Alec’s door and opened it. He tested it for stability, and then shrugged his jacket off and handed it to Roxie, who held it with two fingers, exaggerated distaste written across her face. “Oh, that reminds me. The security guy found Mugsy.”

  “Really? Where is he?”

  “Or, more accurately, the fat turd found the security guy’s jacket while he was making a round and shredded it to hamburger.”

  “Is he okay? When did this happen?”

  “A little while ago.”

  “So where’s Mugsy?”

  “He escaped after unleashing mayhem.”

  She nodded. “How bad?”

  “The usual. Like a small war. Or a tornado.”

  “Poor Mugsy. He does that when he’s scared.”

  “He must have been terrified. Half the jacket’s an art project.”

  “This is all your fault, you know.”

  “Of course. Add it to the list.” Black peered into the corners of the ceiling. “Before we flay me, let me see if there’s a camera.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Keep an eye out.”

  “And if someone comes?”

  He shrugged. “Don’t look guilty.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “That’s it? That’s your strategy? Pretend nothing’s going on while I’m standing in the hall and you’re crashing around up there like a wounded rhino?”

  “I won’t be crashing around. I don’t think. I mean, I suppose I might.”

  She strode over to the door that opened to the store and twisted the lock on the handle so it wouldn’t open. “Or I could do this.”

  “I didn’t realize it locked.”

  “Right. Your keen powers of observation and deduction were otherwise occupied.”

  “Here I go.”

  “Write home.”

  Black climbed the rungs and pushed the nearest tile up and to the side. Light streamed through and dust showered down, coating his face in white. He coughed and Roxie laughed.

  “It’s open up here,” he said, looking around. “It’s just a single story inside the store.”

  “See anything suspicious? Like a guy in a striped shirt wearing a little eye mask or something?”

  “No.”

  He pulled himself through the gap and inched along the support beam until he arrived at the strut for the back wall. There, covered in dust, was a fine wire leading off to the far edge of the structure. He followed it along, taking his time, the roar of a forklift from the rear of the building echoing off the rafters above, until he reached the end of the offices. The cable looped down and disappeared into the area below.

  Black peered over the edge and quickly pulled his head back when motion caught
his eye in one of the aisles. Not wanting to be spotted, he remained still until a female and male voice drifted away.

  Roxie had an evil smirk on her face when he lowered himself back onto the ladder and slid the tile back into place.

  “Ho, ho, ho. Looks like it was snowing up there.”

  Black brushed ineffectively at his trousers, which were white from dust. “Let me hit the bathroom so I don’t look like I slept on the street.”

  “You want your jacket? The lice are getting lonely.”

  “Give me a second.”

  “I think one of them’s staring at me.”

  He adjusted his holster and slapped at his thighs. A cloud of sediment rose, and he coughed again. “Be right back.”

  Black removed his pants in the bathroom and beat at them with his hand until they were only lightly soiled, and then pulled them back on and used a wet paper towel to remove the rest of the filth. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and smiled. His hair was also streaked with white. “You kids get out of my yard!” he mouthed at his reflection, and made a face at the sight of his wound. Brent hadn’t been kidding – it looked ugly.

  Five minutes later Black emerged, relatively clean, and folded the ladder as Roxie watched wordlessly. She handed him the jacket and cocked an eyebrow. “So?”

  “There’s a camera. Wire disappears over the far edge.” He jerked his thumb towards the hallway. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  “Don’t you want me to continue looking for incriminating evidence on the server?”

  “After we see where the wire leads.”

  Black and Roxie exited the office area, and he leaned the ladder against the wall. They moved past the public restrooms to a door. Black tried the handle and found it locked.

  “Lock looks as crappy as Alec’s office. Wait here,” said Black.

  “In case the killer wants to off someone fresh?”

  “You can go kung fu on him. Or her.”

  “Why am I not reassured? I’m coming with you.”

  Black and Roxie retraced their steps, and he ducked into the office for his improvised lock pick kit. It took longer to get the outer door unlocked, but after an excruciating delay, he did.

  He stepped back and pulled the door open. They stared inside.

  Roxie nodded. “There’s your culprit.”