Beauty and the Blackmailer

by Amorette Anderson

This isn’t about me, she reminded herself. It’s about the company. And the sooner I get done with this filming, the sooner I can get back to investigating.

  I wonder who Phoenix DeBuque is?

  For the next fifteen minutes, she searched the corners of her mind for any memory of the name. At the same time, she helped her crew provide drinks and food items to the café patrons who ordered.

  Sebastian was functioning like an old pro at the register. He was spending enough time with each customer to make them feel appreciated and welcome, while still keeping the line moving.

  Bridget was in the middle of loading a few fresh gallons of skim milk into the fridge beneath the espresso machine when she heard a commotion.

  “What’s he doing?” Sean asked.

  “Is he leaving the register... again?” Christine said. “I thought he learned his lesson about that the last time.”

  “When he walked Pat to her seat?” Adrienne said with a laugh.

  Bridget finished loading the milks, and then stood up from her kneeling position and looked around for Sebastian to see what the fuss was about.

  She saw Sebastian making his way out from behind the counter. He walked with purpose toward the customer who was first in line—a man with a worn sun hat on, glasses, and a thick black cape that looked closer to a trash bag than an actual clothing item. Bridget had seen this customer many times; he was the homeless man who often posted up out front of the doors, collecting change until he had enough money for a cup of hot coffee or maybe a breakfast sandwich.

  Oh great, Bridget thought. What’s he doing? He needs to stay behind the register.

  The homeless man, who referred to himself as Rollins, was often angry and sometimes downright rude. Bridget hoped that Rollins had not said anything provocative to Sebastian. What if Rollins insulted Sebastian, and Sebastian was about to go retaliate?

  The cameras were rolling, which made Bridget feel even worse. Whatever Sebastian was about to do, it was going to be caught on film.

  Heads turned in the café as Sebastian’s strange behavior grabbed people’s curiosity.

  Sebastian widened his arms as he approached Rollins. “Come here, brother,” he said. “I think you need a hug.”

  To everyone’s surprise, Sebastian enveloped the homeless man in the warmest, most heartfelt hug that Bridget had ever witnessed. The elderly homeless man had tears in his eyes as he laid his head against Sebastian’s shoulders and patted his back in return. “Thank you, brother,” Rollins said in return. “You don’t know how rough it’s been for me... you don’t know how much I needed that.”

  “Yeah, I do,” Sebastian said in return. “And we’re all in this together. A good friend of mine told me once that we’re all connected. I just realized she’s right.”

  The two held onto each other, and a hushed silence filled the café. People were swept up in the emotion of the embrace. More than a few eyes in the place glistened with tears. Bridget felt her own eyes tear up, too. Sebastian’s act of kindness truly touched her heart.

  All my worry about Dad’s right to his invention have been so prominent in my mind over this last week, that I’ve lost touch of what’s important—this connection, she realized.

  She used the back of her hand to wipe away a tear. Sebastian and Rollins parted, and now instead of his usual grumpy grimace, Rollins was smiling. His eyes were shining just a little bit brighter.

  Sebastian returned to his position behind the register, and Bridget sidled up to him.

  “What was that all about?” Bridget asked.

  “I’ve been doing that trick you taught me,” Sebastian said. “The one where you look into another person’s eyes. I was trying to figure out a way to help Rollins. I was about to buy him a coffee with my leftover tip money, but then when I looked into his eyes, I realized that wasn’t what he really needed. What he really needed—the thing that would be most helpful to him, I realized—was love. Maybe that’s all any of us really needs”

  Bridget smiled. She was still teary eyed, but despite her blurry vision, she noticed Sara and the cameraman departing. Bridget was happy that the filming was over. “I think you’re right,” she said to Sebastian, while wiping away another tear. “I’ve been so caught up in this blackmail investigation, I really lost sight of that. Maybe that’s even what whoever the blackmailer is actually needs.”

  She heard a sob. It came from behind her. She turned and saw Adrienne, also teary eyed, with one hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide. And just like that, Bridget knew.

  13

  Beauty

  Bridget remembered Jeremiah’s words: “the main character is a hero of mine,” and “the protagonist is sort of known for rising up out of the ashes.”

  It all made so much sense now.

  She met Adrienne’s eye, and didn’t look away as she said, “He did it for you, didn’t he?”

  “Huh?” said Christine, turning to look at Adrienne, too. “Who did what?”

  Bridget ignored this. She spoke only to Adrienne. “You spotted the folder under the stack of books that Christine brought to the back. You tucked it away somewhere out of sight, and later brought it to Jeremiah along with his mocha. Then he handled the rest. I’m guessing you got nervous that I was going to figure it out, and that’s why you tried to frame Sean. You lied and said he was in the back, turning on the music. Then, you even stuffed one of my dad’s pages in Sean’s sweater pocket.”

  “You did what?” said Sean. “Adrienne, seriously?”

  “I don’t want Jeremiah to go to jail!” Adrienne said. Tears began rolling down her cheeks. “He took it all so far... I brought him the folder because it was the first time I’d ever come into contact with something that was worth millions of dollars. I felt like the papers were going to end up in a museum one day, behind glass. You know how famous papers get saved like that?”

  A bagel dropped off of the toaster’s conveyor belt, but she ignored it. “So I wanted to show him how cool it all was. I told him about how crazy smart your dad is, Bridge, and then he got the idea to hold the papers hostage for a payment. I tried to talk him out of it, I swear.”

  She sobbed. “But he did it for me - and more importantly, for Henry. Jeremiah said that I could use the money for Henry’s tuition to the new school he wants so badly to go to.”

  “The school for gifted kids,” said Christine. “That’s so sweet!”

  “It’s not sweet—it’s against the law,” said Sean.

  “Um... can I get my coffee, please? I’m in a bit of a rush,” said the man behind the register.

  “Oh, right. Yes sir, coming right up,” said Christine. While she poured steaming coffee out of a carafe she said, “I think it’s sweet. Jeremiah’s trying to win Adrienne’s heart by being her knight in shining armor.”

  “Just like the hero in the stories he loves,” Bridget said. “The Galaxy Rider series by Buster Leeman. I’m guessing the main character’s name is Phoenix DeBuque?”

  “Do you read them too?” Adrienne asked.

  Bridget shook her head. “Just a wild guess,” I said.

  Christine handed the man his coffee, and then turned to Bridget. “Bridget, that was an amazing guess. Are you some sort of super genius like your dad?”

  Bridget was too busy thinking about Jeremiah to answer. “Adrienne, do you think Jeremiah would publish my dad’s papers? If we confronted him, could we convince him not to publish, even if he doesn’t get paid?”

  “I don’t know,” Adrienne said, wiping her eyes. “I just don’t want him to go to jail for this.”

  “I don't want it to come to that, either,” Bridget said, thinking hard.

  “He’s not here, anyway,” Adrienne said. “He took a half day off. I think he was too nervous to be around you this afternoon, what with the hand off coming up and everything.”

  A woman near the pick-up zone raised her hand. “Is my bagel ready by any chance? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

  “I’ll get that for you,�
� Sean said. He reached around Adrienne for the bagel and started spreading butter over it.

  Sebastian spoke up “So let me get this straight. If we try to confront Jeremiah, he might publish the papers. And if we go to the police and they try to confront him, he might publish the papers, too.”

  “Right,” said Bridget. “What should we do?”

  A familiar voice out in the café answered. “We have to pay him.”

  Bridget looked out past the small line that was forming at the register. She saw her father approaching. He was smiling, and the sparkle was back in his eyes. He was carrying a small backpack.

  “Dad, we can’t do that,” Bridget said. “That’d be letting him win. Besides, you don’t have the money.”

  “I took out a loan,” Danny said calmly. “I also sold some of my lab equipment. I’ll replace it when I get paid. It was time. Sold my bike, too.”

  Bridget spoke. “But Dad, if for some reason you can’t sell this design, you’ll have nothing!”

  “Nonsense,” Danny said. “I’ll still have my family, my creativity, and my love for science. If I don’t sell this invention, I’ll come up with another.”

  Bridget examined her father, searching for signs that he was putting on a brave face despite underlying uneasiness. There were none. He seemed peaceful and happy with his decision. “Okay, Dad,” she said. “How do you want to go about doing this?”

  For the rest of the afternoon, Bridget listened to her staff and her father’s input about how they might approach the situation with Jeremiah. In addition to planning, they also helped customers. At six, the doors to the public closed, and Bridget, her staff, and her father continued strategizing as they completed clean-up duties together.

  Sebastian even mopped the floors. “Hey, it’s kind of like dancing,” he said, as he swiped the mop across linoleum.

  Since Jeremiah had taken off for the day, Bridget also hustled over to the bookshop side of things to help the employee there finish his closing duties. While she was over there, Bridget used wrapping paper decorated with colorful spring flowers to wrap the shoe box of cash that her father had brought with him. She even tied a pretty robin’s egg blue ribbon around the box for a final flourish.

  At 6:30, with closing duties completed, the café crew and Danny exited Glitter Cup and stood together in a little knot as Bridget locked up the doors. She held the letter that they’d just helped Danny compose in her hands.

  With the doors locked, Bridget turned to the others. “Dad, read this aloud to us one more time. We can see if anything needs to be changed.” She handed the envelope containing the letter to Danny, who pulled the sheet of paper out and began to read aloud.

  “Dear Jeremiah. When Bridget was a very little girl, I taught her what I considered at the time—and still consider—to be the most vital truth for living beings. And it was this: we are all connected. I’ve been passionate about science for a very long time, and my studies confirm this truth, time and time again. So, my brother, on a quantum level, we’re connected. You asked for this money, and I choose to give it to you. Apparently, ‘you’ need it more than ‘I’ do. In terms of physics, it’s all the same. So, Jeremiah, take this gift. Also, I’m inside the restaurant, should you want to come and join us for a drink. Hope to see you inside, brother. Your friend, Danny.” As Danny finished reading, he looked up.

  Bridget smiled at him and nodded. “Dad, I think it’s perfect,” she said.

  “Do you think he’ll have a beer with you?” Christine asked.

  “I hope he does,” said Adrienne.

  “I could go for a beer myself,” Sean said.

  “Do they serve fish tacos on nights besides Thursdays?” Sebastian asked.

  Bridget chuckled. “You really liked those, didn’t you?”

  “Definitely beats instant noodles,” Sebastian said. “Which I managed to cook and eat last night, by the way.” He sounded very proud of himself.

  Christine laughed. “I don’t know if adding hot water to a cup qualifies as cooking, Sebastian.”

  He grinned. “It does for me!”

  Sean looked across the street at the restaurant. “Dude, they do serve those tacos every night, they just cost two dollars more. We made a lot in tips today. Who wants to go get some food?”

  “Yeah!” Christine said. “We could all wait with Danny, and see what Jeremiah does!”

  “As long as he doesn’t see us in the back alley, I think it’d be fine,” said Bridget, imagining a plate of her favorite food and a nice cold beer. I don’t want Dad to have to wait there alone, she thought.

  Then she remembered Mary at the library. “You know what? Let’s all go over to Big Bobby’s!”

  Everyone cheered and clapped, and Danny led the way. When they reached the doors, Bridget held back. “Can you guys save me a seat? I have to pop down to the library really quickly. There’s a woman there who helped me out this afternoon, and I want to invite her to dinner, too.”

  She smiled to herself as she recalled Mary’s interest in meeting Danny. “Save two seats for us, okay?”

  Within twenty minutes, she was walking into Big Bobby’s Burgers with Mary just behind her. It didn’t take long for the white-haired librarian to hit it off with Danny, and soon the two were talking about quarks, gluons, and string theory. It made Bridget so happy to see them hitting it off.

  Though they all finished eating by eight, everyone was so excited to see how the evening turned out that no one left to go home. Mary ordered a round of drinks for everyone, and Bridget was feeling loopy from the two beers by the time ten o’clock approached.

  “You got this, Dad?” she asked her father as he excused himself from the table with the small backpack in hand.

  He pulled a white trash bag from his back pocket and wrapped the backpack in it. Then he slung it over his shoulder and winked at Bridget. “I’ve never been more ready,” he said. “I feel a bit like St, Nick, with his bag of gifts.”

  Bridget chuckled to herself as she watched him walk to the exit. Leave it to her father to turn a blackmail attempt into a sort of holiday—he’d always had a knack for seeing things in a way that others couldn’t. I think I take after him in that way.

  She looked back to her table, and her eyes swept over the happy faces of her friends. Her gaze settled on Sebastian. Like Sebastian, she thought. I think I see something in him that others don’t. As she looked at him, she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt. It was palpable, and she didn’t know what to do about it.

  Her father returned to the table just minutes later. “Well, it’s done! I deposited the trash bag into the dumpster. Now... we wait! What a delightful experiment!”

  He settled back into his seat and joined into the discussion taking place, which was all about Space Opera novels. Sean couldn’t wrap his mind around what the appeal was, while Adrienne argued that they were the best form of literature available to readers.

  When Sebastian admitted that he hadn’t picked up a book in years, but that he used to like science fiction as a child, Adrienne promised to give him some of her favorites. This led to a rousing discussion about how impossible it was to pick out favorite books, and Bridget found herself joining in and losing track of time altogether.

  She had no idea how long had passed since her father deposited the cash in the dumpster, but suddenly, Jeremiah appeared at the table. He held the shoebox of cash in his hand. The gift wrap was gone, but he’d replaced the ribbon.

  He stepped forward, and the chatter around the table hushed. He was wearing all black, as if he’d decided to fully commit to his role as a criminal by dressing the part. He even had two black smudges of paint beneath his eyes, but the paint was now runny and smudged, and Jeremiah’s eyes were puffy. It was clear he’d been crying. He placed the box ceremoniously down on the table.

  “Danny, I am so sorry,” he said. “I can’t accept this.”

  “Nonsense,” Danny said happily. “Son, I hear it’s for a good cause.”

>   “But it’s yours,” Jeremiah said. “And what I did was wrong.”

  Danny nodded thoughtfully. “I agree, you didn’t go about it in the right way, but everyone makes mistakes now and then. We learn from them and move on.”

  “Can we.... Can we move on from this?” Jeremiah asked. “Can you forgive me?” He looked around the table, as if he was proposing this to all, instead of just Danny.

  Slowly, heads began to nod. First Christine, then Sean, then Sebastian. Bridget felt a warm glow in her heart as she looked at Jeremiah and forgave him for his poor decision. Danny nodded too, and finally Adrienne spoke up. “We forgive you, Jeremiah.”

  This brought a faint smile to Jeremiah’s lips. “Oh, thank the stars,” he said. “You guys are the best.” He looked down at the cash. “Adrienne, I did this for you—for Henry, mostly. I wanted you to see that I could provide for you and your family. I went about it in all the wrong way. I’m not really that kind of person.”

  Danny spoke up. “Adrienne, your son’s tuition—it’s how much? Remind me.”

  “One hundred thousand,” Adrienne said sadly. “Way, way too much. I know it’s absurd.”

  “Young Henry knows what he wants,” Danny said. “I propose a toast—to the first ever Danny Belvue scholarship, which is hereby being offered to Henry, in the amount of 100,000 dollars.” He lifted his drink.

  Bridget watched Adrienne’s eyes get wide. A smile spread slowly across her lips, and then she leaped out of her chair. She practically tackled Danny, whose beer sloshed out of his mug with the impact. She placed a kiss on his cheek, which made Mary look slightly wary.

  “Oh, Danny!” Adrienne exclaimed. “You’re too wonderful! Henry is going to be over the moon!”

  “He might well be, one of these days,” Danny said as he tried to steady his mug while Adrienne squeezed him. “My prediction is that space travel is going to become privatized and much more accessible, one day very soon.”

  “To the Danny Belvue scholarship!” Sean said, while holding up his beer.

  Christine scooched her chair over, and Sebastian reached for an empty chair nearby. He motioned Jeremiah over to the seat, and Jeremiah joined the table.