Girl in a Fishbowl (Crowbar Book 1)

by Thomas A. Gilly

  “I knew it!” Walter exclaimed. “I knew it! I knew there was something this cult leader wanted from me.”

  “Conrad doesn’t know anything about this, it’s all my idea. And before you say no, it’s for my reconciliation with Marja.”

  Walter wiped his lips with his napkin. “No. You can reconcile without my help. You know what will happen if you don’t reconcile. That’s all there is to it.”

  Natalya continued with the condescending smile. “You see Dad, that is your pragmatism talking. Now listen to my ethics. If I am forced by blackmail to apologize it will be obvious to everyone that I’m not sincere, it will be uncomfortable for everyone and no one will believe there are real feelings behind it. But if it’s done my way I guarantee that my sincerity will be apparent to all—it might even make some people cry, it’ll be so sincere.”

  “Alright, I’m curious. You can tell me what you want but I’m still going to say no.”

  “I want you to convert one of your rooms in this hotel into a Blank Room.”

  “A Blank Room? Like in those police shows?”

  “They’re not just in police shows. They’re real things in real police stations.”

  “Why on Earth would you want me to put one of those into my hotel?”

  Two waiters appeared with their soups. The bowls were place in front of them and the waiters hurried away.

  Natalya said, “Conrad believes—and by the way his whole name is Conrad Hicks—that humans are no longer free because we no longer have privacy. Someone can always be recording us and as a consequence we are never free to express our true selves, out of fear of the judgment of others. Think of it, put a Blank Room in your hotel, a room where no one can record what’s going on. A place where people can come together and truly share their emotions, their feelings, without the possibility of the rest of the world knowing about it—a room where people can open themselves up to each other. If you make a Blank Room I will go into it with Marja. The world will see two enemies walk into the room—but when we come out smiling and holding hands they will see the power of what an honestly private moment can do for people. And it will be something that your hotels can provide for anyone.”

  “It should be enough for people to trust each other to shut off recording.”

  “Oh please, that’s the least pragmatic thing I think I’ve heard you say your entire life.”

  There was a long moment where the two of them stared each other down. Finally, Walter said, “You know, if it is just privacy you are looking for . . . for . . . things you don’t want generally known . . . there are already places for that. I’m surprised Sergei hasn’t brought you to any of them.”

  “In fact he did, for my eighteenth birthday. The place was . . . ugh . . . not really my scene. What I’m looking for is something for the general population, privacy that’s out in the open, if that makes any sense.”

  He scrutinized her. “I hope you’re not planning on starting some populist movement or something. Starting a populist movement is like starting a war . . . it never turns out like you planned. War may be good for business, but you can never guarantee it will be good for your business. The best thing for us and our people is predictability. As long as the world is predictable we have the resources to always guarantee that we stay on top.”

  “I’m not starting anything; it has already started. I simply want us to be on the right side of things.”

  Walter frowned and shook his head. “There are legal issues . . . security issues . . . if we put these Blank Rooms everywhere and then have a he-said she-said incident . . . it would be a disaster.”

  “I’ve already talked to legal and had them put together waivers people would have to sign before going in to a Blank Room—removing all of our legal responsibility. There’s far more good that can come from this than bad, I promise you.”

  Is she really serious about this? Walter wondered. He wanted to encourage this new maturity, and if it led to a reconciliation with Marja, all the better.

  “Very well,” he said, putting his spoon in his soup and stirring it. “I will build this one Blank Room, but only after looking at the legal issues myself. I’ll be watching closely. If this becomes some sort of cult thing, I’ll pull the plug.”

  Natalya beamed at her father. “You won’t regret this one bit!” she said and started on her soup.

  Chapter 32

  Two-Guns was drying her hair in the bathroom when she heard the doorbell. She turned off her blow drier and put her smart glasses on. “Oh shit,” she said when she saw who was at the door. With a hand gesture she turned on the intercom and said, “What are you doing here?”

  Captain Bates smiled in the image projected on the wall in her bathroom. “I have good news. Good news for both of us. As far as I’m concerned everything is good between us now. We’ve hit the lottery!”

  What the hell is he talking about?

  “Glad to hear you’re happy,” she said. “Now you can leave.”

  “No! No, they’ve got a deal for you. A new job! A great new job! You won’t have to worry about anything for the rest of your life.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Let me in and we’ll talk about it.”

  “You can tell me from the hallway.”

  “Oh no, no. This is all confidential. Just let me tell you about it and I’ll leave. That will be it. But once I tell you you’re going to love it. Believe me.”

  She knew it was a bad idea letting him into her apartment, but she had to know what was going on. Anyway, she would record it. “Alright, wait one second.”

  She went into her bedroom and put on her bathrobe. Going to the nightstand she took out her Kobra, quickly checking the magazine and pulling back the slide, chambering a round. She then went to the living room and put the gun in the drawer of the coffee table. Sitting on the couch and crossing her legs she looked at the door, unlocking it with a command to her glasses. She then said, “It’s unlocked.”

  Bates walked in and closed the door behind him. He pointed to couch and said, “Mind if I sit down?”

  “Yes I mind. You can stay right there.”

  “Alright,” he said, raising his hands up halfway in mock surrender. “I give up officer. I give up. You were right. But that’s okay because we got a job offer.”

  “We?”

  “Yes, we. A sweet deal. These things don’t come around for everyone. How would you like to—get this—be head of security at a mansion in Miami? These mansions are gorgeous, they’re huge, they have everything. And you will be in charge. They have tennis courts, flowriders, they’re right on the beach, and they are empty like fifty weeks out of the year. Essentially it is your mansion! They have their own cleaning staff, groundskeepers—you won’t have to do anything but order people around and make sure it’s a tight ship. And the pay is through the roof! It’s like ten times what you’re getting paid now. You’re all set! I’m all set! I’m getting a mansion too! It’s like you get to own the best piece of real estate in the world and you don’t have to pay taxes on it!”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Don’t you see? It’s pretty obvious to me. We just move down to Miami and not worry about anything that’s happening here. Nothing that’s happening here is our concern anymore. It’s like they want to take away our worries. I guess . . . I guess it’s easier than killing us.” He gave a nervous laugh, and Two-Guns could see behind the manic excitement about this ‘great deal’ that Bates was, in fact, terrified.

  “Who’s doing this for us,” Two-Guns said evenly.

  “Does it matter? I don’t think it matters. I have no fucking career. I have nothing left here. Thanks to you.” She saw the bitterness in his eyes until he realized that he was still selling something, so his grin grew wide again. “But that’s okay! In fact it’s great, or we wouldn’t be getting this opportunity! We hit the lottery kid.”

  “Who talked to you?”

  “It was jus
t a representative. I mean, officially we’ll be working for Felicity Black. One of their people talked to me. It’s all up and up. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Then why do you look worried?”

  “I’m fine. No worries. At least not anymore. Our ship has come in.”

  Two-Guns cocked her head to the side. “And what if I decide that I don’t want to take this amazing offer? What then?”

  Bates’ face became serious and sagged a little, showing his age. “What? No, there’s no turning this down. I mean,” he laughed, “you’d have to be an absolute idiot to turn this down. A moron. There’s no turning this down. This is a once in a lifetime thing.”

  “But what if I am an idiot? What if I am a moron?”

  “But you’re not! I know you. Come on! We’ll have mansions! I’ll just be down the road from you, it will be like a 24/7 party! Margaritas, cervezas, fun in the sun!”

  “We’ll be in someone’s pocket. We’ll owe them, so they’ll own us.”

  “No! It’s not like that! All they want is for us to keep out of whatever the fuck is going on here. Which I’m not even going to try to speculate about. That’s all there is to it. Once we’re in Miami they won’t care about us.”

  “And so there is something going on here?”

  Bates’ frustration cracked through. “How the fuck do I know! Listen, our ship has come in. That’s all we need to know. So get dressed, come with me, and we’ll be set for life.”

  Two-Guns leaned forward. “I don’t think so.”

  Bates gaped at her. “No, you can’t be turning this down.”

  “Yes, I am. You can go live in their paradise—I’m not going to live under their thumb.”

  “But I can’t!” he yelled at her. “I told them I would bring you in! I don’t get anything unless you’re in with me! What? Guns! What? You going to fuck me over again! What? Ruining my life once wasn’t enough for you?” He took a step forward.

  Two-Guns reached into the drawer and pulled out her Kobra 1911, pointing it at him.

  “Oh, hey! Come on!” Bates said, stopping in his tracks. “No need for that. Come on, we haven’t reached that point yet!”

  “Get out,” Two-Guns said quietly and firmly.

  “Guns, come on. After all we shared. Come on.”

  “Out.”

  Bates backed up. He could see the dead seriousness in her eyes. “This is . . . this . . . I just . . . not good Guns. Not good. Not the right play.” He felt for the door behind him, finding the knob. Opening the door he backed into the hall and repeated “Not good!” before leaving.

  Chapter 33

  Conrad was down to his t-shirt and jeans as he walked under the solar panels toward the base of Mount Fuji. Most of the last kilometer had been under solar panels, so he hadn’t had to run and dodge cameras. It felt good as the sweat he had accumulated during the stressful trek dried off of his body.

  Blink Dog had a running score on his HUD showing what percentage of the trip he had been recorded. It showed 21 percent. Hopefully with the different clothes he had on at the different times it would still be hard for someone to track him.

  He could see his destination at the edge of the solar panels. A concrete building with a metal door. That had to be the entrance to the Bergs. That was where his father had disappeared to. He commanded his tired legs to walk faster.

  He stopped at the edge of the solar panels. There was a gap of a couple of meters between the panels and the building. Blink Dog showed him that here were no cameras pointing at the space. He rushed forward to the metal door and turned the latch.

  Sunlight streamed into the small room. He was startled to see Terri crouched in the back over a metal hatch on the floor.

  “Hey! How did you get here already?” he said, stepping in and closing the door behind him. The only illumination now came from a small flashlight she had pointing at the hatch.

  “Someone’s out of shape,” she said, her half-smile barely illuminated by the white light. “I guess all those dance lessons with Natalya did some good for me after all.”

  He walked in and crouched down next to her. “Have you tried to open it?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “There’s no place for me to grab onto. I don’t know if we can open it.”

  “I have a multi-tool,” he said, reaching into his fanny pack. He took it out and selected the flat head screwdriver. Slipping it into the thin space at the edge of the hatch, he wiggled it to get it down as far as he could before levering the hatch up. It lifted about a centimeter.

  “See if you can get your fingers underneath,” he said. “Careful, it’s heavy.”

  She grabbed hold of the edge. “I don’t know if I can get a firm grip,” she said.

  Keeping the multi-tool in place with one hand he tried to get his other hand under the lip of the hatch. “I think I got it,” he said. “Lift on three. One, two, three!”

  They both lifted and the hatch opened away from the floor. They got a firmer grip and pushed the hatch until it was fully open. Then they both looked down into the dark square hole. Terri pointed her flashlight into it. A shaft walled with concrete blocks going down into darkness. A metal rung ladder was on one wall of the shaft. Cool air hovered around the opening.

  “I was hot and sweaty when I got here,” Terri said. She was down to a t-shirt and jeans as well. “But now I wish I kept at least one sweatshirt.”

  “I don’t see the bottom,” Conrad said, taking out his own flashlight. “I wonder how far that goes.”

  “Do you think it really leads into the Bergs? All of the entrances are supposed to be blocked.”

  “One way to find out,” Conrad said. “I should have brought a head lamp. Dad always said I should keep a head lamp handy.”

  “Worried about rodents of unusual size?”

  “Yeah, those and other mutant things. Who knows what’s living down there.”

  “Like you said, there’s one way to find out.”

  They still didn’t move for several seconds. The unspoken question of, “Is this a smart thing to do?” was clear between the two of them. Finally, Conrad said, “Alright, let’s go!” He put his still lit flashlight into his belt pointing down and stood so he was facing away from the hatch. Then he crouched down and put his hands on the edge. As he lowered his feet into the hole he felt an instant of panic, realizing that he had no idea if the metal rungs could support his weight—if they were rusted and ready to break out of the wall, sending him into the unknown depths below.

  “Be careful,” Terri said.

  He hoped she didn’t see his panic. He placed a foot onto a rung of the ladder about a meter down. Only after it felt secure did he bring a hand from the edge to the top ladder rung. “It seems steady,” he said as nonchalantly as he could. He then carefully started to descend. After he had gone down a few meters he heard Terri get on the ladder above him.

  Dad had come down here. Dad had been angry with him, disappointed with him. He had come down into this darkness to get away from him—to get away from his failure of a son. He could understand Dad wanting to descend into a place like this, away from the world, into darkness, into obscurity, into an abyss of nothingness. He had to talk to Dad, to tell him he understood. And he felt he did understand his father, he could see his side of the story and see how he could reject the world. But Dad had lived in that old world—that world where there was such a thing as privacy. Dad had experienced it and the power of anonymity. I never lived in that world, Conrad thought. You tried to recreate that world for me, but because your old world isn’t real anymore I haven’t really lived.

  Conrad needed to find his father again so he could explain this to him—so they could have an understanding—so they could be father and son within the reality they were forced by circumstances to live in.

  He descended down into what seemed to him to be the very bowels of the earth. His arms were getting tired. He lowered his foot to the expected next rung and was surprised that nothing was there. H
is hands instinctively gripped harder at the rungs they were holding as his heart thudded in his chest. He looked down, but could see nothing, his leg was blocking the light of his flashlight.

  “Hold on!” Conrad called up to Terri. “There’s no more ladder!”

  “I hope that means we’re at the bottom,” Terri said.

  A light from above Conrad streamed down. Looking down he saw the concrete floor below.

  “Yes it does!” he said to her, extending his foot to the solid floor. He stepped out onto the concrete and moved away to make room for her. As she came down to join him he pulled out his flashlight and shone it around.

  They were at the beginning of a narrow hallway with thick pipes going along both walls. The hallway extended on into darkness, under Mount Fuji. The air was damp with moisture, condensation dripping from the pipes.

  He started walking forward. Terri followed wordlessly behind. Under the weight of the darkness Conrad became fully aware that no one knew they were here—no surveillance cameras going straight to the police in case they got into trouble. He was potentially taking them into real danger and Terri was following without hesitation or word of complaint. He could stop now, turn back and go to the police with what he knew. Tell them that Dad had gone under the Bergs, that they should go find him. It would be the safe thing to do, the smart thing to do. He was about to stop, to ask Terri if she really wanted to go forward, when she said excitedly, “Hey, I think that’s the end up there!” She moved ahead of him, rushing forward. Conrad hurried to keep up with her as the corridor ended at a metal door. She grabbed the rusted latch and looked at him. He was shining the light at the latch so her face was partially illuminated from below—he couldn’t see her eyes, just her chin, mouth, and the bottom of her nose.

  “Ready?” she whispered.

  He nodded, then realized she probably couldn’t see him. “Ready,” he whispered back. Maybe it’s locked. Maybe we can’t go any further.