by S I Taylor
Chapter 22
Barbara paid the cab driver and searched through her backpack for the keys to the van. She went to the rear and changed into her exterminator uniform and went to the glove compartment to retrieve the items.
She sent Nixon a text and then instantly the watch was activated. The second step was to test the ear device, which seemed to work.
She turned on the van and headed toward the community to start the heist.
She waved to the guard, who remembered her from the first time she was there, and he let her in instantly. She drove around to the other homes in the same pattern as before.
When she reached her destination, she went to the back of the van and changed the mixture. She grabbed her backpack and the exterminating aerosol jug filled with carfentanil.
“Hey, ma’am,” a male voice said to her.
She felt her heart hammer and her adrenaline spike. She turned around to face the voice.
It was an older gentleman wearing a bright pink and green tracksuit. He looked like the old fitness videos that used to come on TV late at night when she was younger.
“Hi,” she said nervously, flashing a smile.
“What are you mixing there?” he asked, pointing.
Barbara looked back at the van, angled her body to obstruct the man’s view. She quickly stepped aside and with one fluid movement slightly closed the van door behind her.
“I’m preparing the exterminating fluid.” With a loud thud, she slammed the door shut and walked to the side of the van. “See, I’m an exterminator.” She pointed to the business name on the side of the van plastered in black bold letters—Southern Specialized Pest Control. “I was called by the association about the pest problem that was seen here. I was here two days ago. Aren’t the residents aware of the association’s decision? I mean I’m sure as a member of this community you would be informed of these types of decisions, no?”
The man thought about it and looked at the van company’s name.
He squinted looking into the distance as his thumb and forefingers made circles around his chin as if the gesture would spark his memory.
“Yes, I remember, but I thought that the board agreed on another company,” he said, inspecting the name on the side of the van again.
She felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead and thought that her plan was about to prematurely end.
I’ve got to act quickly, she thought.
“I can assure you that we were called to exterminate. In fact, you can get in touch with your association as they provided us with authorization to enter the gates.”
He continued to think and to look at the name and then shrugged.
“I don’t think I saw this name on the list, but then again I’m eighty years old and little details like that are sometimes hard to remember,” he finally said with a chuckle. “I live two houses over. Are you coming to my house too?” he asked.
“I’m not sure but I can take a look,” she said. “Just follow me so I can get my list.”
He followed her and to make light of the situation she kept talking. “I hope to have your enthusiasm when I get to be your age.”
“I hope you do too. Enjoy your youth. You have a long way before you’re my age,” he said as he smiled.
She looked at him and walked to the front of the van, opened the driver door and fished for the clipboard with the list of homes in the neighborhood. She looked at the list. He peered over her shoulder.
“Look, my house is the second one from this one on the list. I guess I’ll see you after you’re done here,” he said, smiling.
“It appears that I will be there exterminating as well,” she responded.
“Well, I won’t take any more of your time. The doctor recommended thirty minutes of walking a day and I’ve only walked for ten minutes and chitchatted for fifteen minutes,” he said as he looked at his watch. “More walking, less talking, my granddaughter would say.”
“No worries, I didn’t mind the talk and besides, you were a concerned citizen,” she said.
“Good luck, dear, and enjoy your day,” he said as he trotted away.
“You too, sir,” she replied.
“What was that all about?” Nixon said from the earpiece.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she mumbled.
Barbara watched him until he was a dot in the distance. She scanned the area for another “concerned” citizen before she proceeded. Her pace to the back of the van was quick as she hurriedly gathered her things and rushed to her target’s front door.
She knocked on the door and as expected no one answered and she proceeded to go inside.
She fumbled with the gas mask and almost inhaled the concoction as she sprayed. Soon the entire house was filled with an odorless and colorless fume that would knock anyone unconscious in two seconds from inhalation.
“Did you spray the entire house, Barbara?” Nixon spoke from the earpiece.
“Yes, except the laundry room, which I’m walking toward now,” she told him.
Once she was inside the targeted location, she locked the door, unrolled some black rubber tubing, and used it to seal the bottom of the door to prevent the fumes from seeping into the room. She didn’t remove the gas mask as precaution since fumes were permeating through the vents. She looked at the bright red dot on the watch as she slowly walked around the large space. Taking small, thoughtful steps, she waited until the red light stopped flashing, indicating that she reached the jewels.
“And Bingo was his name-O,” she said.
“You got it?” he asked.
“Not yet. I found its exact location though,” she responded.
Leaning against the dryer, she pushed the large metal box aside, scraping the tiles in the aftermath. Hidden underneath was nothing but more tiles.
“There’s nothing, Nixon!”
“Wait, look around. The indicator is flashing consistently. Maybe there’s a switch that activates something,” he said.
“Okay, let me search,” she told him, surveying the laundry room for anything out of place.
She touched every surface, ran her hand along the walls, and rattled every appliance, but nothing budged.
“I can’t find… wait,” she said.
Something caught her attention as she slowly walked. The tile underneath her boots were hollow where she originally moved the dryer as opposed to the other tiles.
“I think I got it. It’s a trap door, Nixon.”
She kneeled, running her fingers around the white grout that kept the tiles in place until one of the tiles had a spongy-like surrounding. She slammed her fist on the tile until a handle rose. She pulled it to reveal a hidden passageway to a set of stairs that led to an underground tunnel.
She climbed down the narrow steep steps one at a time. Her lungs were working twice as hard, as the hot humid air made it impossible to breathe easily.
“Fuck!” she yelped.
She landed flat on her ass on the slippery cement floor.
“Are… okay… happen… Barb?” Nixon said.
“Your transmission is not clear,” she told him.
“Comin… to… out… you!”
“I’m fine. Give me a few minutes.” she said as she vaguely could make out his words.
“Five… okay… Barb-a?”
Damn, it he can’t hear me either. I thought these gadgets were foolproof, she thought.
She crawled the rest of the way until she reached two shiny silver and gold boxes which were individually secured with a chain and a padlock. Barbara looked at it and wondered why the owner would go through such great lengths to hide the boxes and also have the boxes chained and locked. She was sure no one would know of its precise location unless told, just as she was told of its location and even then, she had to be clever enough to figure where it was. She had to take one box but didn’t know there was going to be two boxes. She couldn’t decide on which one to take so she took both of them. She figured that if she delivered both
she could bribe Iggy with the other to give her more money and really secure her future away from the criminal life.
She took them both and stuffed them in her backpack and quickly crawled out, catching her breath once she reached the surface.
This better be worth the trouble, she thought.
“I’m fine. I got the jewels. I’ll be out in a minute,” she told Nixon.
“Good, you got me worried. Now hurry, we have other homes to pretend to check,” he said.
“All right,” she replied.
The fumes in the air should be clear in a few hours before the cleaning crew or the homeowners arrived. She moved the few things back into their positions, placed her mask on, and left the home.
Barbara was exhausted, sweat running down her face and soaking her exterminator uniform, but she was relieved that she finished all the homes on the list. She gathered her equipment and walked into the hot afternoon humid air. She got in the driver’s seat of the van, blasted the A/C, and drove out of the complex and into the freeway.
When she was at a distance from the complex, she mashed the green button on the watch and as soon as she felt the earpiece unlatch, she quickly removed the ear thing, slamming it against the metal floor of the van, and called Nixon.
“There was a glitch in the earpiece. It seems that depth is not its strong suit,” she said. She rubbed her ears relieved that the device was no longer implanted.
“What happened in there?” he said.
“I had to go down a tunnel-like cave underneath the home to retrieve the jewels. There are two boxes in my backpack,” she said glancing at the back pack on the passenger seat.
“That’s great the two boxes were there. Do you know what the jewels look like?” he asked.
“No, I felt like my lungs were constricted in the tunnel and I didn’t want to waste time examining the contents of the boxes, so I just packed them and left.” Barbara paused for a second. “You said the two boxes were there as if you knew there were supposed to be two boxes.”
“I think you didn’t hear me correctly. I said that’s great that two boxes were there. Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. You’re right, I must have heard incorrectly.” They were working together, they always worked together on big jobs, and she had no reason to mistrust him.
“Do you have time now to look?” he asked.
“I think we should wait until we get to the meeting point. I don’t have any tools with me to open this lock.”
“I’m going to the meeting point. Be there in twenty minutes,” he said quickly.
“Okay, I’ll be there soon.”
Barbara drove, looking in her rearview mirror and side mirrors to make sure she was in the clear. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; cars were moving past her to her left and right.
“Nixon, wait! I think I’m being followed.” She was unsure if it was her nerves or if the car was in fact following her so she increased her speed and the car was moving faster.
He laughed. “I know you’re trying to get back at me for the other day,” he said.
“I’m fucking serious.” She looked in the rearview mirror again and saw the car fast approaching.
Barbara tugged her seatbelt on, gripped the steering wheels with both hands and her eyes moved frantically from the rearview mirror and the drive ahead.
She switched lanes several times to make sure that she wasn’t being paranoid but with every lane switch the car was still behind her. She slowed down and the car did the same. She increased speed and the car mimicked her. She was certain that they were following her, whoever they were.
She slammed her foot on the accelerator pad and increased her speed to ninety miles an hour, swerving around other cars on the freeway. The van began bouncing and everything inside was shifting and being tossed from side to side as she increased in speed.
“Lose them,” he said.
“If I can’t lose them, we have to move to our next phase of the plan, Nixon,” she shouted as she tried to drive and talk on the phone that was tossed on the passenger side.
“I didn’t agree to the next phase, Barbara!”
She reached for the phone and veered off the road and collided with a pickup truck ahead of her. Her head smashed into the steering wheel, but she had no time to think about what happened or get out to help. She needed to get away fast. She backed up quickly into traffic and from the rearview the car was moving toward her. She scraped the side of the van on the truck as she tried to drive away.
The crash with the truck almost slowed her down, but it didn’t slow her pursuer.
“It doesn’t matter. We don’t have a choice. I have to dispose of this phone and any evidence I have that can identify us,” she told him.
“Barbara. Be careful, love.”
“I can’t hear… the… phone… is cutting off.” She quickly hung up.
I thought I told him my true feelings. I wish he would understand. But I have no time to explain, she told herself. She brushed it off and concentrated on losing the car.
Chapter 23
Nixon paced the floor of the small, cramped hotel room, leaving a foot trail on the dirty carpet. He looked at his watch and noticed that it was three in the afternoon.
“I should have gone with her this time. Being the tech guy is frustrating at times,” he said aloud.
Her frantic call had made him nervous. He’d thought that she was home free. He’d thought that the countless hours he spent perfecting the DRTI, the ear device, and the watch were sufficient, but today it proved that his device needed more tweaking. Every time he thought he got the design ready something fucking happened to screw shit up.
I won’t be able to sleep if she’s not safe, he thought.
The second phase of their deal was something he didn’t want to do. But he knew that it must be done. He didn’t want to jeopardize Reagan’s and Lori’s safety but he had to go ahead with it and get them out of the house for a few days until Barbara got back and the danger was not present or lurking around.
He wondered who was following Barbara. He had an idea but they had an agreement. The jewels would be delivered and then he was free to do what he wanted. However, his contact was not aware of what was happening. This got him alarmed and he called Santino to proceed with the next phase. An hour had passed since he made the phone calls and he decided to walk to the reception desk to check out. He should’ve been on his way to the meeting point but instead he’s still at the Night Owl.
“Welcome to the Night Owl Motel,” the receptionist said.
She looked bored. She was chewing pink bubblegum that she constantly popped in her mouth. Her short bitten nails looked brittle and nasty, just as the place itself did.
“I was here since this morning and I need to check out.” He was sure it was the same girl from this morning but he had no time to address her stupidity. It was almost four in the afternoon the last time he checked his watch and Lori should be home in about ten minutes.
“Sure, I can help you with that. What was your room number, sir?”
“I was in room 301.”
“I don’t see a form of payment. Would you be paying with cash or card?”
“I’ll be paying with cash. How much is it?”
“Well, since you are leaving after checkout then you’ll have to pay for the full rate.”
“Okay, that’s fine. How much is it?” he repeated, annoyed.
She rolled her eyes and continued looking at the screen. “It’s going to be ninety-seven dollars and thirteen cents including taxes, sir.”
“Thank you,” he said and grabbed his wallet. He skipped the hundred-dollar bill and proceeded to count a fifty, one twenty, one ten, two fives, and eight singles and handed it to the receptionist. He was being a dick because she was acting stupid according to him.
“I’m going back upstairs to get my things and then I’ll leave,” he told her.
She nodded and waved her hands dismissively. “Yeah, whatever
.”
He clenched his jaw and balled his fists at his sides, staring at her, wanting to cut her hands off for being rude and disrespectful, but instead he kept his composure and walked out of the lobby. She wasn’t worth it. He had other things to take care of and walked up the three flights of stairs back to room 301.
He gathered his gadgets, his computer, and his equipment and headed out the door, making sure he didn’t forget anything.
He placed everything in the trunk and sat inside the car for a few minutes before starting it. He left the parking lot, driving toward the freeway, trying to clear his head and think coherently about the situation he’d gotten Barbara into.
His cell phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts.
“Barbara, are you all right?”
“It’s not Barbara. Is she all right?” Lori asked.
“No, I mean yes, she’s fine.”
“You scared me,” she said.
“Barbara and I were talking, and the call dropped,” he lied to calm her and avoid more questioning, “but are you okay? You sound like you were crying.”
Pause. For a few seconds he heard nothing but sobs.
“Hello?” he said, concerned.
From the other end the crying and sobbing continued.
“What’s wrong, Lori?”
“You have to come quickly.”
“Why, what happened? Is it Reagan?”
She was still crying. “Nixon, I’m scared, something terrible just happened,” she said.
“Are you safe?” he asked.
The line was quiet once more.
“Lori, are you safe?” he demanded.
“Yes, I’m safe and Reagan is safe too.”
“All right, that’s a start. Tell me what happened.”
“The police are here and I’m okay.”
“Why are the police there?”
“I was scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re not making any sense, Lori.”
“I just need you to come home.”
“Okay, I will. Just stay calm and stop crying.”