The Countdown Begins

by Patrick Higgins

“If she’s innocent, why doesn’t she turn herself in and face the music?”

  “She’s terrified of being incarcerated. I don’t think you realize how hated she is here in the Big Apple. They wanna throw the book at her!”

  “I can appreciate that.” Charles paused a moment to let it all sink in. “For someone to do something so outrageous, her conversion must be genuine, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “Where’s she been staying?”

  “In her car in New Jersey with her pet cat.”

  “How’s her health?”

  “She’s a little on the thin side. And she has a leg infection that needs to be looked at ASAP. Other than that, she seems fine.”

  “That’s good. Do you think she’s ETSM worthy?”

  “All I can say is she had a dream.”

  “Our kind?”

  “Yup. Tell you more about it later.”

  “Should I call Braxton Rice?”

  “Yes. Call him.”

  “Check. Where will Tamika stay tonight?”

  “Got it covered, bro.”

  “Care to share it with me?”

  “Later.”

  “Check.”

  “Not to cut it short, but I need to shower and head to the airport.”

  “What time’s your flight?”

  “Noon. But I need to make a stop along the way,” Brian said, in a near whisper.

  “Call me later when you’re free to talk.”

  “You got it, man.”

  “Have a safe flight, Brian. Godspeed.”

  “Thanks, Charles. Wanna say hi to Tamika?”

  “Yeah, put her on.”

  Brian handed Tamika his phone. “Hey, Charles.”

  “How’s my dear sister in Christ?”

  “How would you be if you were me?”

  “Now, there’s a question! One thing I know is I’d be reading the Word day and night and praying for God’s constant protection.”

  “My Bible’s still at my apartment. Even if I had it, it would’ve been impossible to read it in the car when always on the lookout for the police.” Tamika scratched her head. “They think I’m a monster, Charles.”

  “Hang in there, sis. This, too, will pass.”

  “I can’t be locked up now. I just can’t be! Innocent or not, stealing forty-five thousand worth of stuff will get me at least five years. I can’t do that, especially for something I didn’t even do...”

  “We’ll figure something out. For now, just try to remain calm. And do your best to stay out of trouble.”

  Tamika took a sip of water. “I’m tryin’.”

  “So, you dug up your Grandpa’s grave. Looks like we have another ‘Doubting T’ on our hands...”

  “What do you mean, Charles?”

  “Instead of doubting Thomas, you’re doubting Tamika. I mean, look how far you went to try proving us wrong...”

  “Ha ha ha, very funny.” Tamika paused to take a breath, “Brian’s such an amazing friend. Don’t know what I’d do without him.”

  “Yeah, he’s a true brother. You can trust what he tells you.”

  “I believe that.”

  “We got your back, Tamika. Just hang in there. It’ll all work out.”

  “Thanks, Charles.”

  “No problem. Family always takes care of their own, right?” Calloway sighed. “You had us so concerned.”

  “Sorry, Charles.”

  “I forgive you. Just don’t let it happen again. Hear me?”

  “Loud and clear! It won’t happen again. Promise.”

  “Okay, sis, it’s over and done with. Least now we know why we haven’t heard from you. You’ve really been through it. Brian said you had a strange dream last night. Care to share with me?”

  “I was living somewhere far from here in a cottage in the woods. There were many cottages there. Brian and Jacquelyn were there too with many others I didn’t know. It felt like we was one big family. It was comforting.”

  Thank you, Lord! “Quite a dream you had.”

  “Didn’t tell Brian yet, but I had the same dream again last night.”

  Time to call Braxton Rice... “I gotta run now, Tamika. Nice hearing from you again. Praise God you’re safe. God bless and keep you.”

  “God bless and keep you, too, Charles.”

  The call ended, and Charles Calloway sent a text message to Braxton Rice, updating him on the developing situation...

  24

  BRIAN MULROONEY AND TAMIKA Moseley were en route to LaGuardia Airport.

  Brian navigated the vehicle down the street, doing his best to conceal the excitement in his voice. “Where will you sleep tonight?”

  Tamika sighed, “Not sure yet. But definitely not here in the city. Probably go back to Jersey.”

  Brian shook his head. “Hmm.”

  “It’s okay, Brian. I’ll manage. Thanks to you, I had two days of much needed rest. It was badly needed. I feel rejuvenated.”

  Instead of taking the Queensboro Bridge to LaGuardia, Mulrooney went off in the opposite direction.

  “You’re going the wrong way,” the former taxi driver said.

  “I need to make a quick stop first.”

  “Where to?”

  “You’ll see soon enough.”

  When they arrived at the location, Brian parked the vehicle. “This may take a few minutes. Do your best not to be seen by anyone.”

  Tamika lowered the baseball cap on her head and watched Brian until he went inside a building across the street.

  “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” the heavyset woman said to Brian, blowing smoke from her cigarette in his direction. The smoke hit the bullet proof glass and scattered in all directions.

  “As promised, I’m back.” Talk about a chain smoker!

  “I see,” the woman said matter-of-factly.

  “Still have vacancies?”

  “Uh-huh!” It was almost as if she didn’t need his business.

  The cruise director on Titanic probably had a better attitude than this woman, even after hitting the iceberg! Mulrooney chuckled at the thought then cleared his throat. “I’d like a room in the back of the building please.”

  The woman stiffened then shifted her weight in her stool chair. “Oh, yeah, why’s that?”

  “Just a preference I have...”

  The heavyset woman pointed her plump stubby pointer finger through the cloud of smoke she’d created on her side of the bullet proof glass. Scowl on her face she said, “Listen, Mister, I don’t want no funny stuff at my establishment! Do you hear me?”

  “Okay, you got me. Truth is, I brought my pet cat to New York with me. Cocoa likes quiet places. I figured the back of the building would be the quietest.” Sorry, Lord...

  The woman’s eyes narrowed. “And just where is this cat of yours?”

  “Out in the car.”

  “Anything else I need to know before handing you room a key?”

  Mulrooney gulped hard, “No ma’am.”

  She glared at Brian suspiciously, “Hmm. Better not be!”

  Brian flashed a small wad of cash in her face. The greed factor kicked in and she refocused. “Before I pay you, I’d like to inspect the room to see if it’s as clean as the one I saw yesterday.” He didn’t want it to be so unpleasant that Tamika would say, “No thanks. I’d rather sleep in my car.”

  “ID?” Brian slid his Michigan driver’s license through the well beneath the bullet proof glass.

  The plump woman studied it this time as if something had changed since the last time she saw it. “I’d like to see the cat.” Before Brian could ask why, she said, “I always like knowing who’s staying at my establishment, including pets.”

  “You’ll see Cocoa when I come back with my things.”

  “Just don’t forget!” she said, sliding him a key to a room on the fourth floor.

  Brian glared at her angrily. He wanted to say, “Are you like this with all your guests?” But after hearing her yelling on t
he phone the other day, he knew the answer was yes. He took a deep breath, “Be right back.”

  Mulrooney took the stairs two at a time up to the fourth floor. After a quick inspection, he was satisfied and closed the door behind him. He paid for the room for two weeks, then crossed the street and stocked up on things Tamika would need for that amount of time. Seeing two large black suitcases for sale, Brian purchased them both and asked the clerk to hold them for him for a few minutes.

  Finally, he grabbed a bouquet of flowers, then spent a few minutes back in the room doing his best to make it as cozy as possible for his sister in Christ. She was clearly at a point where she needed something good to happen to her.

  Tamika silently rejoiced when she saw Brian walking toward her mother’s Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme carrying two black suitcases. “Are those for me?”

  “Yes, but that’s not all. See that building over there?”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s a boarding house. Consider it your home for the next two weeks.”

  Tamika’s face lit up. “Are you serious?”

  “I found it yesterday after meeting with my mother. Sorry for waiting so long but I wanted to surprise you.”

  Tamika looked down as if to cry but was able to compose herself. “You never cease to amaze me, Brian! I don’t know what to say. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  “It’s not me, Tamika, but the Spirit of God at work inside me.”

  “I want the kind of faith you have.”

  “You already have it, sis. Just needs to be further developed.”

  “Hope so, cause time’s running out.”

  “You’re right about that. Let’s fill these suitcases with your belongings so I can take them up to your room. It’s in my name so you should be fine, so long as you don’t cause a disturbance. Even so, I wouldn’t recommend leaving unless absolutely necessary. Also, phone contact between us should be extremely limited. You never know, right?”

  Tamika lowered her head again, totally overwhelmed by her friend’s generosity.

  “Come on, Tamika, did you really think I’d leave you here all alone to fend for yourself?” Tamika flashed the biggest and brightest smile Brian Mulrooney had ever seen on her usually sullen face. “It isn’t the Ritz-Carlton, but at least it’s clean.”

  “It’s perfect, Brian. Just perfect. You just lifted a heavy weight off my shoulders.”

  Not wanting to violate his privilege by squandering away ETSM funds that weren’t his to begin with, Brian paid for the room, and everything else, with his own money.

  His Bible told him not to let his left hand know what his right hand was doing. All that mattered was that God knew, and that He loved a cheerful giver—especially an anonymous one. This was a good time for Brian to put that Godly principle into practice.

  “Thank you, Brian, from the bottom of my heart.”

  Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Mulrooney said, “You’re welcome, my dear sister.” It felt good doing this for her. It was evident in his blue eyes; they were fully sparkling.

  “It’s nice knowin’ I have a place to stay for the next two weeks. I’m all Jersey’d out. You’re taking a huge risk for me.”

  “I’m not too concerned about myself, but I am concerned about my family. I don’t want anyone linking you to them, especially the police. So please be extremely careful.”

  “I will, promise.”

  “After thinking it through and praying about it, I don’t think you should take me to the airport. Too risky. I also don’t think you should leave your car parked out on the streets. If you do, you’d have to keep feeding the meters, which means you’d constantly have to leave the room. Not good.”

  “What are you getting at, Brian?”

  “In friendship, trust goes both ways, right?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I need you to trust me with your mother’s car.”

  “In what way?”

  “I’m thinking I should drive myself to the airport and park the car there. If the cops ever link you to your mother’s car, it’s best they find it far from this place. If they find it at the airport, perhaps they’ll think you already left town.”

  “Hmm, not a bad thought.”

  “Don’t worry, I plan on coming back in two weeks to hopefully get you out of here. Once I land, they’ll be no need to rent a car. I’ll come get you in your mother’s car.”

  “What if something happens and I need the car?”

  “Do you have a second set of keys?”

  Tamika nodded yes.

  “Once I park it in the airport garage, I’ll text you with the exact parking space in case you need it. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “I heard that!” Tamika grimaced. “When you come back to get me, where will you take me?”

  “Not sure yet. All I know is God will lead the way. For now, just know Charles and I got your back.” Seeing Tamika getting emotional again, Brian backpedaled, “There’s a fridge in your room and a microwave, so you can reheat the leftover Chinese food from last night.”

  “Okay.”

  “Be careful with the woman who owns the place. She could pose a problem.”

  “Why?”

  Brian answered, “She’s not the friendliest woman on the planet. She runs a very tight ship so be sure to avoid her at all costs.”

  “I have no plans on introducing myself to her.”

  “Good, because if she sees you, no doubt you’ll be hammered with questions. Least she knows about Cocoa, so you should be fine there. Just hope your pet doesn’t get cabin fever being inside the room day and night.”

  “She’s a house cat. Long as she’s fed, she won’t be a problem.”

  “Very good then.” Brian looked at his watch. “Let’s focus on getting you safely up to your room. After I bring your things up there, I gotta jet.”

  “Understood.”

  It took longer than expected for Brian to take Tamika’s things to the room. After seeing Cocoa with her own two eyes, the boarding house owner made him sign a waiver holding him responsible for any damage the cat might cause to the room, including carpet stains. Mulrooney nearly laughed. The carpets were already severely stained.

  When Brian returned to the car, Tamika was distraught.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Three cop cars came and went while you were gone...”

  “Remain vigilant, Tamika. We’re almost there. Cocoa’s safe in the room. After I take the last of your things upstairs, it’ll be your turn to move. Then no one will bother you. Okay?”

  Tamika nodded yes.

  “Okay, good. I’ll text you just before I leave the room. That’ll be your signal to head for the back door immediately. It’s the only door back there, so you won’t have any trouble finding it.

  “Once you’re there, I’ll be holding it open for you, key in hand. Then you’ll take the stairs up to the fourth floor as quickly as you can and pray she isn’t watching you on camera. Your room’s the first one on the left, number four-twenty-nine.”

  “Okay,” Tamika said, almost stuttering.

  Brian saw the fear in her eyes. “Everything’s gonna be fine. But I need you to stay focused. Can you do that for me?”

  Tamika nodded yes.

  “Good.” Brian looked at his watch. “We need to do this now.”

  “I’m ready.”

  Mulrooney dropped a few more coins in the parking meter, just in case, grabbed the rest of Tamika’s things and went back inside. The boarding house owner was on the phone yelling at someone, so Brian kept walking.

  After checking once more to make sure he hadn’t forgotten to do something, Brian closed the door and texted Tamika: It’s time...

  As Mulrooney descended the stairs two at a time, Tamika lowered the baseball cap over her head, pulled her bandanna up to cover her face and ran to the back door exit as quickly as she could.

  Brian was waiting for her, key in hand. “Whatever you do, don’t look up w
hile in the stairwell. There are cameras there.”

  “Okay.”

  Brian hugged Tamika and handed her the room key. “See you in two weeks.”

  “Have a safe flight.”

  “Love ya, sis! God be with you!”

  “Love you, too, Brian.”

  Brian slid behind the wheel of Tamika’s mother’s car and left for the airport. He was about to embark on the biggest journey of his life. He would purchase an engagement ring in the morning and ask Jacquelyn’s hand in marriage at church this upcoming Sunday.

  If all goes well, it’ll be Jacquelyn Mulrooney soon. Then they could move to Pennsylvania as husband and wife. A smile broke across Brian’s face. It was nice thinking happy thoughts again for a change.

  TAMIKA MOSELEY DASHED UP the stairs to the fourth floor and entered the room without incident. Locking the door behind her, she leaned up against it and closed her eyes. She lowered her bandanna. Her chest heaved up and down. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself.

  Once her breathing had stabilized, Tamika thanked God for delivering her safely to her room. For the next two weeks anyway.

  When she opened her eyes and saw flowers on the table, the tears came. Not only had Brian provided her with a place to stay for the next two weeks, he stocked the room with enough food—including cat food for Cocoa—to last throughout her stay, not to mention plenty of toiletries, including a new toothbrush, and even ointment for her leg.

  But that wasn’t the end of his generosity. Brian also left three-hundred dollars in cash, a few Crossword puzzle magazines, and most importantly, a new Bible for her.

  Tamika sat on the couch and shook her head. This was Christian love at its finest. Who would have ever thought that a chance encounter with Brian Mulrooney in a dented taxicab last November would have led to all this?

  Tamika wasn’t even supposed to work on that fateful day. If she needed further evidence that God still worked through His faithful servants in the most mysterious of ways, she had it.

  “Thank You, Lord, for blessing me with such wonderful friends,” Tamika said softly through her sniffles. “Please bless Brian and Charles for their kindness to me! I love them both dearly.”

  Tamika fed Cocoa, ate leftover Chinese food, then took a two-hour nap. She woke and made a pot of hot water for tea, then spent the rest of the evening reading the Word of God in peace and quiet, with four walls and a roof over her head.