Carl imagined what the kid told him. "Somebody paid me ten bucks to tell you to go into that Starbucks over there and buy some coffee."
If the musician had warned the police about a man who paid him four hundred dollars to get a briefcase out of a locker, Carl would see if anyone followed.
No one did. As the musician carried his guitar and the briefcase into the Starbucks front entrance, Carl came in from the side entrance, took the briefcase, gave him the other two hundred, and told him, "Nice to meet an honest man."
5
In one of the city's lovely parks, Carl sat, watched a bicyclist go past, nodded to a woman with a stroller, smiled at children on swings, and worked the combination lock on the briefcase. The case was dull brown, attracting no attention. He slid his hand inside and felt past five thousand dollars, a pistol, an extra magazine, fifty rounds of ammunition, a knife, small rolls of duct tape, fake ID, and other necessities. He gripped a cell phone. His previous phone had been destroyed by the river. He pulled the new one out, closed the briefcase, and enjoyed the pleasant morning.
Then he couldn't postpone his business any longer. He pressed numbers on the encryption-equipped phone and waited. After two rings, the connection was completed, although the person on the other end didn't speak, presumably waiting to learn which language to use.
"This is Bowie," Carl said.
"You disappoint us."
Carl felt his chest harden. "Things went wrong. They couldn't be helped."
"You accepted our money but did not produce results."
"I got some results. The mission isn't a total failure."
"You sound like a child making excuses."
Carl's muscles tightened, now because of anger. "It was a unique situation. The next time, the person who caused the problem won't exist."
"Your friend? If he had been available to us, the mission would have succeeded."
Carl bit the inside of his cheek.
"You will return the fee we already paid you," the voice said. "One million dollars. An electronic transfer. By noon tomorrow."
"Of course."
"You will also return the money we paid for expenses and preparations."
"You know it's been spent. Where am I going to find three million dollars?
"Perhaps from your friend," the voice said acidly. "We need to meet. To discuss what has happened."
I'd never survive the meeting, Carl thought. "Well, at the moment, that's a little difficult. The authorities are hunting me. I'm trying to get out of New Orleans."
"I don't mean today. That's impossible. I'm flying to the Philippines."
"And you feel comfortable talking about this on a plane?"
"A private jet. I arrive in an hour. When you reach a secure location, contact me again. I'll tell you where to meet me."
Carl felt a weightless sensation, as if a trap door opened beneath him. As soon as I arrange an electronic transfer of the money, he'll invite me to a meeting and have me killed. Perhaps he'll do it himself.
"On a plane? Are you passing the time, trying to figure out how to open the secret knife I gave you?"
"That's another way you disappoint me. Your ridiculous knife doesn't work. I tried every possible combination."
"Sure, it works. Have you got it with you?"
"In my pocket."
"On the top combination, turn the man in the moon to two o'clock. On the bottom combination, turn the arrow to Roman numeral X."
"I already tried that! Nothing happened!"
"Try it again."
Impatient, the voice said, "The same result! Nothing!"
"Did you release the catch?"
"What catch?"
"Recessed into the bottom of the handle. See the little hook?"
"You didn't say anything about that. It's barely visible!" the voice complained.
"Pull it."
"This had better-"
The transmission ended.
6
Near the Philippines, the newly married couple strolled the deck of the cruise ship. Holding hands, they admired the glorious radiance of the stars.
"You can't see this in Philadelphia," the man said. "All the light pollution in the city interferes with-"
The woman pointed. "What's that?"
"Oh, my God," the man said.
One of the stars exploded. It blossomed like a rocket on the Fourth of July. Flaming debris plummeted toward the water.
Seconds later, the rumble of the blast echoed over them.
7
"Don't call a knife I made 'ridiculous'," Carl said.
He shut off the phone, worked to calm his heartbeat, then directed a melancholy look at the children playing on the swings in the park. Detonating the explosive in the knife hadn't solved anything. There would be others to take the swarthy man's place, and those others, too, would demand the return of their money. He couldn't possibly come up with millions of dollars. When the electronic transfer did not occur, they would insist on meeting with him, something to be avoided with every effort. From now on, his life would be a matter of running and hiding.
No, blowing up the plane definitely didn't solve anything, Carl thought, but it certainly gave me a world of satisfaction. Maybe Aaron's right. Maybe I do need a few more lessons about keeping control.
The children. He couldn't take his sad gaze from the children. Hey, Aaron, wouldn't it be great if we could go back to being kids? If only life could be simple again.
The game. All that mattered now was the game. He picked up the newspaper he'd set next to him. After reading about Aaron and his wife one more time, he turned to the classified ads. The area's airports, train stations, bus depots, and car-rental agencies were being watched. But there were other ways to get out of town.
8
"Sounds a little rough," Carl said.
"Hey, I'm not pretending she don't need a tune-up. I figured that into the price."
"What about oil changes, regular maintenance, stuff like that?"
"Four months ago. Then the twins got born. I'm so tired working two jobs to pay the bills, I ain't driven her since. Truth is, I didn't take her out much before the twins got born. Guess I'm getting too old for kid stuff."
"Naw, you're never too old to act like a kid."
"Tell that to my old lady."
"Well, if you're sure you want to sell…"
"Need to. Don't have two jobs anymore. That's how you caught me at home. The factory where I worked my day job got shut down and moved to Mexico. I really need the money. But like I told you on the phone, I won't take a check."
"Don't blame you. Can't be too careful. Here's the three thousand in cash. Now all you need to do is sign the ownership papers, and I'll make sure the title's transferred to me."
"Hate to part with her."
"Well, you can count on me taking care of her for you."
"Thanks, mister."
"I don't suppose you've got a helmet."
"In the garage some place. My wife got it for me, but I never bothered. Always made me feel trapped."
"Bad for your health. Gotta stay safe you know."
"You're a decent enough guy. Tell you what, I'll throw in the helmet and my goggles."
"Naw, that wouldn't be right. Sounds like the twins are waking up. As you say, you can use the cash. I wouldn't want to take advantage. Here's another fifty bucks."
"Much obliged, mister."
A minute later, his helmet and goggles adjusted, Carl fired up the old Yamaha and drove from the modest neighborhood.
By then, it was twelve fifteen. The sun was pleasantly warm. The breeze created by the motorcycle soothed him. It had been years since he'd driven a bike, and now he wondered why he had ever stopped: the mobility, the freedom, the independence. Plus, unless you wore leathers and a Hells Angels' scowl, people tended not to pay attention to you, as the number of accidents in which cars ran into motorcycles confirmed.
Enjoying the vibration of the engine between his legs, Carl passed a police cruiser. Looking straight ahead, he concentrated on traffic and obeyed the speed limit, confident that the cops in the cruiser wouldn't pay attention to him. The goggles and helmet indicated how safety-conscious and law-abiding he was.