The Reserve

by Matt Shaner

  On the way back to work and for the rest of the afternoon, I tried to picture some way to frame the situation. I could be like a Hollywood tough guy, maybe Robert DeNiro. I was tough. I was a hired killer. It would be inherently unsuccessful as Bryan now occupied the better part of a plant in his backyard, but that could be dealt with later. Lunch started in a mess and ended in a larger one. I drove home wondering how to go about the whole business of finding a dead man.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  That Week

  During the first few hours of my new side job as finder of Bryan, I debated whether or not to tell Shawn or Drew. They were in this as much as I was. They were getting phone calls from the police and that damn lawyer. Their lives were at stake, and they were there that night. Bryan’s image still hung in my head. His eyes looked into me, and his face still appeared from that fire.

  I planned on depositing $9000 every day over the next week and the rest of the balance on Friday. I knew, from financial work, that the IRS tracks everything over ten, and the last thing I needed was a tax problem while I tried to not get arrested for murder. Driving home from work, the money burning a hole in my glove compartment, things actually felt okay. No one could get me in the car. I pulled into the driveway, and Shawn was talking to Val outside; the last thing I needed. Val waved when I drove in, and Shawn kept talking. I parked, left the money in the glove compartment, and went out front to join in the conversation.

  I hugged Val and shook Shawn’s hand.

  “How was work?” I asked.

  “You mean between the press, cops and regular business?” he asked. I noticed his eyes were bloodshot.

  “How is the baby?”

  “Good. Not sleeping much right now but good.” He looked down. “Hey, uh, give me a call later okay?” He looked at both of us and walked back to his house.

  “Weird. Is everything alright?” Val asked. I assured her things were good and not to worry about Shawn or us. On the way in, she pointed to a van parked at the crest of the hill on the horizon. “It’s been there for two days now.”

  “Is that why Shawn was over?” I asked.

  “Yeah. He said he was getting frustrated and asked how we were doing. He also told me Erica wasn’t happy. He asked if you talked to me, and I was honest.” She said.

  I froze.

  “You don’t talk to me anymore.” Her voice cracked. I put my arm around her and held her close. I assured her that I had things under control. We went inside and made dinner.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Later That Night

  I told Val that the van was probably the police or some investigators keeping an eye on everything. I didn’t let on how worried I was that things had progressed to that point. There was my out. I could go up there, tell them that I was being blackmailed to kill Bryan, let everything fall apart, and maybe get away with less jail time and some respect. At least I could be in the house and not feel too paranoid. Shawn’s place backed closest to the road, and it had to be a bother in the least.

  After dinner, I dialed Shawn and walked into our back yard thinking I heard that clicking they say goes with every tapped phone line in every crime movie ever made. He picked up on the third ring.

  “It’s about time. So did you hear yet?” He asked.

  “Hear what?”

  “The women’s plan,” he paused, “the whole night out thing?” I glanced inside and Val was on her cell phone.

  “I have no idea,” I said. These kinds of things annoyed me.

  “You wife is talking to mine right now.”

  “Is Drew involved?”

  “He suggested it.” He sighed. “Well man, I have to go. Get ready because it’s tomorrow night.” He hung up. I walked back inside to get to the bottom of things. Val ended her call when I came inside. Before I could talk, she turned and went to the door. Erica and Sara came in, and they each embraced. They started talking.

  “So I hear we’re going out tomorrow?” I purposefully phrased it in the form of a question. Val spoke first.

  “Well honey, you know how you boys hang out all the time? We girls have been getting together, and we think it’s time to finally have the whole group out for a night of fun, especially after everything that’s happened.”

  “Oh girl, let’s not talk about that now,” Erica said. I wanted to ask if Val was going to tell me, but I knew better.

  “So where are we going?” I asked.

  “Jeremy’s, that new steak house,” Val said.

  I could tell from the look in her eyes that she wanted to make sure things were okay. The place was about a half an hour away and pricey. Exactly the way I wouldn’t want to spend my night.

  “Let’s go, the mall is still open,” Sara said. Val went and grabbed her purse. She pulled me over to the side.

  “I’m going to go with them to get an outfit and catch a movie. I’ll be back later,” she kissed my cheek. “Okay?”

  “Sure,” I answered, and as quick as they arrived, they left. I knew this needed some planning on my part. I didn’t know how much Erica or Sara knew; maybe they watched us bury Bryan. This would be the first time every player at risk came together, and I was certain that the police would be around. Our phones could be bugged. They could get tables near us; hell, our waiter could be a cop. I decided, the next day, I would call the guys from work.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The Next Day from Work

  One thing about working in a high tech office is that the phone and computer systems were up to date. Each phone had capacity for a conference call, and each person was available over a recorded and non-recorded line. The recorded line was for compliance purposes, and from what I always heard, saved our asses from major law suits more than once.

  I stopped sending emails and calling the others from our home phone. In the morning, I dropped a simple note inside their doors—feeling like I was back in high school—and waited for the lunchtime calls. Shawn called in first. I made sure the door was shut, did my customary check of the hallway and patched him into the speakerphone.

  “What’s the word on tonight?” I asked.

  “Hold on,” he said. I heard him mumble something in the background, and I heard a door shut. “Okay. Yeah, I don’t know. We need to organize.”

  “Do they know anything?”

  “Erica only knows the basics,” he said.

  “Which are?” I was getting annoyed.

  “So far, Bryan is missing. He sounded weird the last time we saw him. As far as we know, he just up and left in the middle of the night.” The line beeped, and Drew was calling in. I patched him through.

  “Shawn, Drew is on the line,” I said. Drew didn’t say anything.

  “Drew?”

  “I told Sara.” The words came out and hung in the air. I didn’t think I heard him right.

  “What did you just say?” Shawn repeated the question.

  “Last night. Late. We were lying in bed, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I told her what happened.” He waited for our response.

  “And what did she say?” Shawn asked. I could hear the frustration in his voice.

  “She cried. She told me it would be okay.”

  “You do realize we are supposed to get together tonight?” I asked. Since he dumped the secret, I thought about dumping mine.

  “I know. I know. She wanted to do it. It was her idea to get everything out in the open. She said we could all figure something out since it affects all of us.” He sounded relieved and defeated at the same time to get it off his chest.

  “I don’t believe you,” Shawn said.

  “You don’t have a choice.” I was surprised to hear Drew standing up for himself. I decided to step in.

  “We don’t have a choice.” Silence. “Let’s just play out tonight as it happens.
We can coordinate our efforts, bring things out slowly and see what the ladies say.”

  “Worse comes to worse, we lie our asses off,” Shawn said. I agreed. We decided to hang up and prepare for the night. I thought about the conversation. I thought about Drew finally standing up for himself and how, on top of everything, he sounded ready to lose it. We needed unity.

  I wondered if the police would be there. We didn’t know if Sara had called the police. The entire thing could be a set up. I decided that if everyone agreed, I would tell my secret. Julia wanted a report soon, and I needed to get her results. We were in bad shape with anything that would happen. The only solution, the only way to get our lives back, would be to show a united front. I hoped the women would agree, and Drew would stay strong.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Dinner

  Val was ready by the time I arrived home. She had on her black dress. I kept the work business casual attire, and she was rushing to put things together like always. Her hair was down, and she sprayed perfume on when I walked into the bedroom. I pictured bug microphones all over the room for a second and then shook the thought away. I wrapped my arms around her.

  “Are you ready?” I asked.

  “I will be as soon as you let me go,” she said. She kissed me quickly and walked out of the room and down to the kitchen. Val was good at rushing and seemed to defer to that strategy whenever she had the chance. I looked out of our bedroom window and saw Shawn letting a young girl, who I assumed was the babysitter, into the house. He wore a tie, and the same appearance of hurry. The routine played itself out in each of our houses.

  “Are we riding together?” I asked.

  “No, we’re meeting at the place.” Val said. Odd, since we lived in throwing distance of each other.

  “Why?”

  “Drew and Sara suggested it.” I didn’t like the thought. We put the rest of our things together and drove off.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Why Did We Go

  The steak place was stuck in a shopping center designed to look like your average main street. High-end shops lined both sides of a two-lane road. Streetlights lit the walkway. Iron benches gathered in groups sporadically down the line, and people ambled carrying their bags.

  Val and I arrived first. The hostess, a girl looking about fifteen years old but wearing an outfit that was too small and too tight, seated us in the overflow seating. This area put our backs to the restaurant across the street where a band played outside covering all the classic hits of the 70’s and 80’s. I made a quick mental inventory of the people in the area. A few couples sat around us. A larger party was on the end of the area opposite of our table.

  Sarah and Drew arrived next. Drew’s face looked flushed. Sarah was put together and a little cold. Sarah sat next to Val, and Drew sat away from me. I gave him a look but held myself back. There would be a time for everything, and this wasn’t it. Sarah and Val started with small talk. A thought hit me that I really didn’t like. I wondered if Val actually knew and was just stringing me along. Maybe this was it. Maybe they set us up, and this was the final sting. I thought I should really enjoy the steak. In five minutes, Shawn and Erica arrived. We exchanged the usual greetings.

  “I think we should toast since we’re here on this special night,” Sarah said. We all lifted our wine glasses. I looked at Shawn and Drew. “To The Reserve.”

  “So, how was that meeting?” I asked Shawn over more of the small talk. “Did you come to any conclusions?”

  “Yeah. We decided to play it out and see what happens. We formulated a backup plan in case of anything unexpected.” He looked like he had something in mind. I glanced at Drew, but he was only staring into his lap.

  “I think we need to talk.” Again it was Sarah taking the lead.

  “About what?” I thought I would play dumb. I could just jump out there. No one else took her bait.

  “About what happened with Bryan and all? My baby told me everything.” I noticed her putting her hand on his leg. His face sunk even more.

  “What exactly happened?” Shawn asked. He followed my lead.

  “You know, the whole mess with the killing and fire and stuff,” Erica said. Word spread. She whispered the word killing with an efficiency that made me uneasy. Shawn and I connected. He shook his head. The women must have talked.

  “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  “I told them,” Sarah said. I didn’t like how pleased she was with herself.

  “About what?” Shawn kept going. I had to admire him. All hope seemed to be lost. Our drinks and salads arrived at the table, and everyone stopped talking until the waitress left.

  “You really think the whole fire thing and disappearance and all was just chance?” Erica asked.

  “Hey we’ve all been harassed by the cops and that lawyer. I don’t know where you think you’re going with this, but it’s not true,” I said. Erica kept talking, but I was looking over her shoulder. A pair of guys in cheap suits sat at the table next to ours. They kept glancing at us. In the street next to the table, a plain white sedan pulled up. Two more men were inside. This started to look like something developing.

  “Come on man, give it up,” Drew said. We all stopped talking.

  “I can’t take much more of the phone calls,” Val said. I could read the hurt in her eyes. A police car cruised down the little main street. My blood pressure rose.

  “We need to tell the cops what happened. That van, the harassment; I can’t take it,” Drew said. He was enjoying the support from the women. I looked at Shawn.

  “I’ll be back. I need to hit the restroom,” he said. I followed him out.

  The restrooms were sleek and ultra modern. A row of urinals lined a black tiled wall. Four lights hung from the ceiling casting yellow circles on the gray floor. The sinks were four steel bowls in a deep counter top. I walked in as Shawn was done looking under the stalls.

  “I’ll kill him. Why can’t he see what we have to lose here? Why did he tell everyone else?” He leaned over a sink, ran water into his hands and wiped his eyes. He loosened his tie. This felt like a good time to recruit an ally.

  “Look, I didn’t know when to do this, but I have to,” I said. Shawn looked up at me with a glance that said he was close to snapping. “Two days ago, I received an email at work.”

  “So?”

  “Someone asked to meet me for lunch.” I wasn’t totally sure how to go.

  “Look, don’t waste my . . .”

  “Julia. We met and talked.” He looked like he didn’t know if he should believe me. “She made me an offer.”

  “Did you talk about that asshole brother of hers?” Shawn asked. He had hate in his eyes. I was suddenly regretting spreading the information about the family.

  “Yeah. She actually gave me a way out. She wants me to find Bryan.”

  “That should be easy.”

  “No, she thinks he just left. Remember our original excuse?” The temperature in the bathroom was rising. “One other thing, when I find him, she wants him dead.” He laughed.

  “And how do you plan on doing this? He is dead. He’s probably a plant by now back there.”

  “She is giving me money and wants to meet before the end of this week with a progress report.”

  “You’re fucked.” It sounded like a death sentence.

  “I don’t know what to do,” I said. I leaned over the sink. The weight of the entire thing was crushing.

  “We need to turn the game around. I have an idea,” Shawn said. We talked for another five minutes and figured out how to go from there. When I left the bathroom, things were looking much clearer.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  After the Dinner and the Update Meeting

  The people that were undercover investigators kept their places the entire dinner
, and I recognized two cars following us home. In a passing street light, I caught a glimpse of Detective Williams. The lawyer was pouring it on. I assumed that Julia was awaiting my first update and showing us that she meant business. Shawn and I worked out an idea. When we arrived home, we walked inside, and Val went upstairs to get into relax mode. I leaned on our kitchen island and dropped the keys into the drawer. I shut the drawer and stopped.

  We had a pile of papers in there and they were shuffled. Or maybe they weren’t. I looked to the sink, and it appeared that the two glasses we had sitting there were moved. I walked to the phone and picked it up, waiting for that click of a bug. Val was on with Sarah, so I hung up and went to the living room to collect my thoughts. We noticed that the van normally at the top of the hill was replaced with a SUV colored in the same blank white siding.

  The plan was simple. I would call Julia the next day to set up a meeting. I waited a half an hour for Val to get off the phone. I heard her in the shower, and I picked up the receiver. Over the noise from the water running directly above me, I heard a faint clicking. From then on, I would avoid the phone. I looked around the house and examined the different outlets, cracks, crevices and dark places for room to put microphones. My uncle told me he had a friend in the FBI who said, “If you knew every place we could hide a microphone, you would never be in your house again.” Suddenly, the urge to pack up and run hit me hard.

  Shawn and I talked about it in the men’s room earlier. We could gather our families, get money together and run away. We talked about locations, from the islands to Europe and even South America. We could split the money from Julia, get jobs and houses, and after a few years, go our separate ways and forget about all of this. With the political problems and issues over extradition, we figured we could at least pull a few years of freedom before everything fell down on us.