by R. K.
Sean handed it over to the smiling man before he disappeared behind a corner. As the minutes rolled by, Sean was getting impatient. He wasn’t much of a negotiator or shopper. His time in stores was limited to finding what he needed and then purchasing it. It wasn’t a pastime for him.
When the man finally returned he said, “I could only find some sporadic information on the coin. How did you come by it? Maybe if I knew that I could be more precise.”
Good try, Sean thought. “I’m only here to see if you are interested in buying it, nothing else.”
Seeing he wasn’t going to get any additional information the man offered, “Two-thousand. Probably more than I should, but you look like a nice fella.”
Sean looked him in the eye and held out his hand indicating he wanted the coin back. The man was unwilling to hand it over. “Eight-thousand,” Sean countered.
“Eight-thousand?”
“Yep, eight-thousand.” Sean affirmed.
Beads of sweat started to form on the man’s forehead and a serious look came over his face. It was obvious to Sean that the man before him, whose soft body indicated he saw little to no activity outside of his shop, relished this sort of game.
“Three-thousand.”
“Sorry, I don’t think I could take less than seven.”
After licking his lips the man said, “Four. But that’s as high as I go.”
Sean looked at him, realizing he would get a little more, but unwilling to give this man too much of a bargain said, “Five. I’m not interested in any other offer. You either give me five, or give me back the coin. That’s it.”
The man looked between the coin and the person standing on the other side of the counter. When he had done it enough times to satisfy some unasked and unanswered question in his mind, he nodded his head and walked back around the corner. After several minutes had passed, he returned with money in his hand. He counted out five-thousand dollars in a variety of denominations after he had Sean sign the transaction papers which included a photo-copy of the coin itself.
“You drive a hard bargain,” the man said.
Yeah, and you will make at least double what you paid for it. Sean thought to himself as he returned the man’s smile, accepting the compliment as he was supposed to.
Before they reached the door the shop keeper called out, “If you come across anymore of these,” he said as he held it up, “stop back in and I’ll see what I can do.”
Sean nodded his head and waved to him. He turned to Alex and said, “Like that will ever happen!”
With money in hand, they next found a shopping center. They purchased several sets of clothing and undergarments. They each bought a pair of low-cut casual work boots and a pair of leather tennis shoes. They piled their purchases in as few bags as possible and continued on. Toiletries, snacks, and a road atlas all found their way into their shopping cart. Before they left the last store, Sean purchased a disposable cell phone.
They returned everything to the truck at around lunch time. There was a bar and grill nearby, so they walked in. It was a comfortable and clean place, yet one that showed the signs of being in business for quite some time. Instead of what might be considered a ‘bar’ crowd, it was filled with businessmen and women who were apparently on their lunch breaks. Sean and Alex slipped into an open booth and opened the menus. They both chose the daily special and were pleasantly surprised when their overly-friendly waitress put the plates on the table. “Here ya’ll are. Will you gentlemen be needin’ anythin’ else?” she asked in her heavy southern drawl.
“No, ma’am. These look great,” Alex replied.
“If you do, just holler,” she said exposing a mouth full of teeth before she walked away to attend to other patrons.
The burgers were some of the best they ever had. Nothing was left on their plates by the time she returned to give them their ticket. They put their money on the table, finished their drinks, and left to complete their business.
Instead of considering a local dealership, they decided to go to the airport for the rental car. Sean reasoned it would be easier to return it to the same company at another airport. They didn’t know if they would be back, exactly where they were going yet, or how long they would be there.
When the young man behind the counter asked them if they would like insurance, Sean said, “Oh absolutely. You just never know.”
He looked up at Sean and smiled. He seemed uncomfortable at the response, but looked down once again as he continued to enter the information into the computer. “How long will the rental be for?” he asked without looking up again.
“Make it two weeks.”
When he was done with his typing he asked, “What card would you like to use?”
“No card, cash.”
As if this news was somehow disturbing, the man said, “We usually like to have a credit card to secure the rental.”
“But we can still get it without a card, correct?” Sean asked.
Not happy with the hassle of a cash transaction, the man walked over to a drawer and took out a self-duplicating form. “If you fill out this credit check, I will enter it into the system. When it clears,” he said assuming it would, “we can proceed with a cash transaction.”
Sean wasn’t sure how good his credit was. He knew Zybinski was less than happy when they last saw each other, but he didn’t know if that meant he had done anything about it yet that would affect him now. Sean filled out the form and handed it back to the young man.
They waited long enough to be made uncomfortable, but it turned out that his credit was sufficient to rent the vehicle. Once he had the keys, he handed them to Alex. They walked out to the mid-sized sedan and Alex drove him back to the truck. They followed one another back to the Carters’ residence.
~ Fourteen ~
They sat together for an elaborate dinner that evening. Rosie had surprised them with her culinary skills. They thought it was a result of their initial hunger when they first met, but she was indeed a first rate cook. After Alex commented on the fact, her husband provided the answer.
“She watches all of those cooking shows on cable. She’s gotten pretty good over the years,” he said as he sat back in his chair and ran his hand across his stomach. “I have to watch myself.”
Rosie beamed from both the compliments and the attention.
Shortly after dinner, the boys informed them they would be leaving in the morning. The Carters understood but looked as if they would miss them. The boys felt the same way. They made small talk for the remainder of the evening and then went to bed.
When morning came, they packed everything they purchased, as well as the wooden staff, into the trunk of the rental car. They came back into the house for a hearty breakfast to send them on their way. Rosie hugged each of them in turn, as a mother would, and then wished them a safe trip.
Sam shook their hands and said, “Whenever you finish what it is you have to do, you need to stop by and let us know what it was all about.”
Sean looked at him and nodded his head in agreement. “We’ll do that.”
“We’ll burn some steaks and drink some beer,” Sam offered.
“Sounds good to me,” Sean replied.
“Me too,” Alex agreed.
Having nothing left to say, and feeling as though they were leaving the company of endearing friends, Sean and Alex waved goodbye as they backed their car out of the driveway.
After travelling on U.S Route 278 for several miles, Sean pulled into a large truck stop before entering the Interstate highway. Instead of pulling in front of the main building, he parked off to the side where they would not be stared at by everyone entering and leaving the busy facility.
“What are we doing here?” Alex asked.
“We need to find out where we are going.” Before Alex could suggest the obvious, he said, “I’m not about to call Mr. Chandler. He already has enough of an advantage on us. We’ll meet him on our terms not his.”
Alex shrugged in
understanding.
Sean flipped open the cell phone as they sat in the car and punched in a number from memory. The call was answered after three rings.
“Hello,” a refined female voice said.
“Hey mom, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Sean? Is everything all right? Are you okay?” she asked in a worried voice.
“Yes, mother. Everything is fine, and I’m fine. I just need you to do me a small favor.” Sean was anticipating the reaction from his mother. It was very rarely that he ever called home, while Dee talked to their mother at least once a week. He only hoped he could avoid any discussion involving her right now.
“What do you need me to do?” she asked hesitantly.
Sean thought to himself, No mother, I don’t need you to put yourself out; nothing that will involve breaking a nail or anything like that. “I just need a phone number. If you go to my room, I have a small blue address book in the top drawer of my night stand. When you get there, I’ll tell you the name.”
“Okay. Give me a minute. I’ve been busy all day. First I couldn’t . . .” Sean moved the phone from his ear estimating the time it would take her to get to his room. Alex looked at him in question, wondering what he was doing. After a few moments he understood. When Sean placed the phone back to his ear, he heard “and I can’t tell you how much . . .” before lowering it again. By the time he listened in again everything was quiet. “I said whose number are you looking for?”
“Sorry mother. His name is Cody Daniels.”
“I don’t think I know him, do I?” she asked as she read aloud several different names before she came to his.
“No mother. He was a friend from the Navy.”
“Here he is. Do you want his address too?”
“Just the phone number, mother.”
“There are two numbers here. One has the same area code as your father’s work place.”
“Give me both of them.”
She read the numbers to him as Sean repeated them out loud so that Alex could write them down.
“Thank you mother. Tell dad I said hi.”
“Are you going to be coming home again soon? I know you were just here, but we don’t really get to see you very often. Is Dee with you?”
“Mom, I really have to go. I’ll let you know about coming for a visit another time. I’ll talk to you later. Thanks, bye,” he said as he ended the call.
“A little short with her, weren’t you?”
“Sebastian, I’ll tell you what. You can go live with my mother for a few months and then get back to me about my relationship with her. Okay?”
Alex looked at his friend through blaring eyes. He knew he called him by his first name on purpose, but it did little to suppress the instant reaction he always had to it.
Before he could say anything Sean said, “Give me the top number first. He’s probably at work now.”
Alex looked down, and before giving him the number he asked, “You think he’ll help us? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. And if I’m not mistaken, you didn’t always treat him all that well. Even worse than you treat me,” he challenged.
“That’s because I love you,” he said as he looked at him as if he had amorous intentions.
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re an asshole?” He read the number while Sean punched the keypad.
They sat there for close to ten minutes watching the trucks pull in and out of the terminals, as the recorded message service navigated its way through the many options. Sean looked at Alex and said, “Remind me to ask him for a more direct number.”
Alex nodded.
When he finally heard the first human voice he said, “I’d like to speak to agent Cody Daniels.”
“Can I ask who’s calling?” a businesslike feminine voice said on the other end of the line.
“Sean Rylan. I was a friend of Cody’s from the Navy.”
“One moment please.”
“Friend?” Alex asked with a raised brow.
“Well, you know.”
“Yeah I know. Five bucks says he tells you to go pound sand.”
“Cody,” Sean said with a smile as he turned to look at Alex in a self-satisfying smirk, “how the hell are you?”
“What do you want, Rylan? I was told a friend of mine was on the line, and I couldn’t understand what that had to do with the name I was given,” a curt voice said to him in reply.
“I need a favor,” Sean said seriously.
“A favor? A favor!” he repeated, raising his voice a few octaves.
“Yeah, something that is right up your alley,” he said ignoring the retort. “You ever heard of a guy named Silas Chandler?”
At the mention of the name he could tell the attitude from his former ship-mate changed instantly. “What do you know about Silas Chandler?” he asked in a now calm voice.
“We did some business together. I just wanted to know if you would be able to give me his address and maybe his phone number.”
“If you did business with him, then you should already have that information,” he said smoothly.
“I know. I do,” he lied, “but I’m nowhere close to home right now and it’s important that I get in touch with him.”
“So in your infinite wisdom you thought, ‘Hey, I’ll call Cody. He knows everybody’s phone number and address.’”
“Cody, this is really important to me. I’ll owe you one.”
“Owe me one! One what? What the hell do you think you could do for me?” he asked in an angry voice.
The line went silent for a long minute when, after Cody apparently regained his composure, he heard, “Listen Rylan, you can explain to me one thing. What business dealings are you and Silas Chandler involved in?”
“I did some diving work for him,” Sean said evenly.
“What kind of diving work?”
“The kind where you go under water. Look Cody, if you can help out I’d really appreciate it.”
“For some reason I just don’t believe you, Rylan. You are not exactly the caliber of person someone like Silas Chandler would have any dealings with, and I highly doubt that he would be willing to talk to you. In fact, I think I’m about through talking to you myself.”
“I get it Cody. You think I’m an ass and maybe that’s so. But, Silas Chandler is a criminal. He happens to be holding my sister and my girlfriend against their will,” Sean said, hoping to elicit his assistance.
The line went silent for a few seconds before he spoke. “If you are reporting a kidnapping, then you called the right number. I’ll switch you to the appropriate desk so that you can provide a statement,” he said, while trying to hide his now piqued interest.
Sean noticed the change in tone and did his best to bargain without revealing too much.
“What can you tell me about this guy?”
“Ah. Now it really is help you want, not just directory assistance,” Cody said. When he heard no response he continued, “Silas Chandler’s name frequently comes across our desk. Unfortunately, there is never anything we can do about it. Not only does he have ‘friends in high places’ in this country, he has them all over the world. We couldn’t get anywhere near him without a warrant from the Attorney General, and even then it would probably be a waste of time. So, if I have a hard time believing your story about having any personal dealings with him, or that you say he has abducted someone you know, you’ll have to forgive me,” he finished smugly.
“Professor Kirby James. Look him up, Cody. Then, try to find him. You won’t because he is dead, killed by Chandler’s men. Tori James, his daughter, I’m reporting her as kidnapped. Deidra Rylan, my sister, I’m reporting her as kidnapped too. You’ll discover that the professor and his daughter hired a treasure hunting boat: Atlantic Treasures Unlimited. That is my business and my boat. It was sunk by Chandler’s men. I can verify that I was rescued after they sank my boat, but I’ll not give out the names of the people who did that unless it is absolutely necessary.
Now I’m sure this call has been recorded, so if you don’t get off your ass and act on it I’ll sell the story and your part in it to every news agency possible. You know I have resources Cody, don’t try me.”
“Are you threatening me Rylan?”
“I’m telling you the truth. At least give me his address. That will give you time to check up on the rest. I’ll call you back after you’ve had time to do so.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” he said, trying to regain control of the conversation.
“I’m running out of time Cody. I’ve got people who are counting on me and I don’t know where the hell they are.”
Realizing there was something more to this than what he was being told, and the fact that Rylan must have known that if this was a prank he could be in serious trouble, he said, “I don’t have his number on me, but I do know he has a house in the Hamptons and another near one of the Finger Lakes. The thing is, he could be anywhere in the world; he travels quite extensively. He also has a private security team—read army—protecting him at all times. Why don’t you let me check on your story and we’ll go from there.”
“I expect you to check on the story. I also hope you realize that when you come to a dead end with every lead I gave you, you will understand that it is too much to be a coincidence.”
As Sean was about to end their call, Alex got his attention and pointed to the numbers on the pad, “Do you have a direct line I can reach you at?”
After he gave him the number to his cell phone he said, “Listen Rylan, if what you are saying is true, you stay away from him. He is so far out of your league that you will only get burned if you try anything. You’ll never get near him. Where are you now?”
“I’m at a friend’s house,” he lied.
“Okay. Stay there and I’ll get back to you. I got your number.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Sean said before he hung up and turned his phone off.
“That went about as bad as I thought it would,” Alex said.
