The Psionic Thief

by Dave Renol

“I would prefer to just buy up the whole city block for my purposes.”

  “Did I mention that I own the only full scale construction company in town? If you don’t want to work with me, it’ll take you forever and a day to get anything done.”

  “I usually prefer to do it myself. I’m quite used to bringing in my own men and buying my own heavy equipment. Heck, if you’re the only game in town for construction, maybe I might go all the way and form them into a full-fledged permanent company after I’m done with the project.”

  “I don’t really think you want to go down that road. I can be either your best friend by helping grease things along, or your worst enemy by putting up so many roadblocks that you’ll never get anywhere.”

  “I can also become your number one enemy, but let’s not talk of unpleasant things right now. Maybe we can work together on this after all, since we seem to think alike.”

  “Confrontation always lowers profits, and I like mine as high as possible.”

  “Tentatively speaking then, let’s call it a joint venture… partner.”

  “Partners,” he said, shaking my hand again.

  “Since you’re the local expert, why don’t you look into the properties you don’t own and see if the current owners would be willing to sell them?”

  “I’m pretty sure I can get most of them with no problems, but there’s one guy who hates me and might refuse out of spite.”

  “I can look into that one if you want.”

  “I’ll get you his info. I’ll warn you though; he’s an ornery old cuss.”

  “I’ve dealt with that type before.”

  “Excellent,” he said, rising. “Something like this shouldn’t be talked about in public, so let’s go up to my office and hash out a few more details. We can also exchange some info on each other to make our lives easier.”

  “Easier?”

  “Yes, since we seem to think alike in some things, I’m going to assume you’ll be looking me up to find out what kind of man I am. You can bet I’ll be doing the same, so let’s save ourselves some time.”

  “I can tell that this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship… or at least a profitable business relationship.”

  ***

  “How did it go?” Mark asked.

  “In brief, he took the bait and came out to see what I was doing. We got to talking and I offered to buy his properties on the block. He thought it sounded like a fairly profitable venture, so he strong-armed me into a partnership.”

  “So in other words, he took it hook, line, and sinker.”

  “Yup,” I said with a grin. “Not only did he fall for it, but he was friendly, helpful, and cheerful. That means it’s a guarantee he’ll be trying to screw me over in no time flat.”

  “Two deliveries came for you while you were gone.”

  “That must be the rest of the investigation info I asked for. There’ll be one more report coming, but nothing new in it since the only purpose of the last one is to be sloppy enough getting the info that he’ll know I researched him.”

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “No, but half the fun in this is making it up as I go along.”

  “Carl…” he began.

  “I’m just kidding,” I interrupted. “How’s it going with you guys?”

  “We’ll need at least a day, maybe two before we’re ready.”

  “That should work out fine. I don’t have much time to chat right now, so let me get to my reports. I’m meeting him this afternoon for a round of golf so we can get to know each other better.”

  “Good luck, you haven’t had a chance to golf in close to a year.”

  “I won’t need luck,” I said with a smirk.

  The look on his face when he realized what I meant was priceless.

  ***

  “Nice shot,” he said, watching my ball hit the green and roll up to the pin.

  “Thanks,” I said, doing my best to keep a straight face. “This new set of clubs was the best the pro shop had, but I’m still getting used to them.”

  “I hear you were one of the people involved in that ruckus last year with the murders and such. Do I need to be worried about stuff like that in the future?”

  “Naw, I was just an innocent bystander for all that crap.”

  “Homeland Security doesn’t put many innocent people on no-fly lists as suspected terrorists.”

  “That was just a misunderstanding and I was cleared of all that. By the way, my compliments for getting my dossier so fast; I won’t get yours until later today.”

  “That’s just one of the benefits of having long standing local contacts. I’m sure if we were up in Canada then you would have gotten yours first.”

  “More than likely,” I agreed. “So what did they say about me?”

  “Oh, a bit of this and a bit of that; the important thing is you have the money to back your mouth, so I’m inclined to keep moving forward with our project.”

  “Fair enough… I’ve been anticipating moving forward so I’ve been putting together a file together on my laptop, detailing everything we’ll need to make this work. I should have a complete plan in a day or two and then we can start putting things in motion.”

  “I like a man who doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet. I’ve got feelers out already on most of the properties we’ll need, so I haven’t been wasting time either.”

  “The ‘ornery old cuss’ as you call him hasn’t returned my calls yet, but I’ll keep trying.”

  “I might be able to do something about him in a day or two, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “Ok, I won’t press it then. Two people inquiring about the same property at the same time will only drive the price through the roof.”

  “That’s for sure. Common sense isn’t too common these days, but I’m glad you seem to have a grip on it.”

  “It looks like we’ll both need a couple days to get everything ready, so let’s sit down then and start getting serious.”

  “That works for me. For today, though, I’m going to start getting serious about this game; it’s far too close for comfort.”

  “Lead on,” I calmly said. “Since it’s so close, is there any chance you want to put some money on it?”

  Today was a good day to be alive.

  ***

  I drove Claire to town for her morning meeting with Murphy. Like last time I let her out early and kept out of sight, but stayed close enough for an easy telepathic relay of the conversation.

  “I need you to finish your job tonight,” he said without preamble.

  “I think I can make it work tonight,” Claire replied.

  “Good. When you deliver it tomorrow I’ll have one small job for you right here at my office and then we’re done and I’ll tell you where you can find your friend.”

  “I’ll hold you to it.”

  “Until tomorrow then; you better not let me down.”

  “It’s not like I have a choice.”

  “I thought that went rather well,” I said, once Claire was back in my truck.

  “He had such a nasty grin on his face the whole time, I woulda given anything to be able to wipe it off.”

  “Patience, grasshopper; all will be well.

  “Why are you calling me a grasshopper?”

  “Never mind… let’s go tell the others that we’re on for tomorrow.”

  “This had better work.”

  “Of course it will,” I assured her.

  It was funny timing, her saying that; I had just thought the exact same thing.

  Chapter 25

  Claire: Bait and Switch

  “Is everyone ready?” I asked, nervous about all the things that could go wrong.

  “As ready as we’ll ever be,” Carl said. “You do your part and we’ll do ours.”

  “Ok, I’m gonna go before I chicken out.”

  “Good luck, and stay calm,” he said.

  Easier said than done, I thought to
myself as I started down the road. Why did I agree to go along with this half-assed plan? There was no way we could pull it off. I almost turned around to call it off, but I rounded the corner and we saw each other.

  Murphy nodded in my direction and then over to his office. He got up off the bench and headed inside to wait for me. Crap, there was no turning back now.

  “He saw me and went into his office to wait,” I sent to Carl. “Let the others know.”

  “We heard you. On our way,” Linda chimed in.

  “Operation Nail-the-Rich-Bastard is now underway.”

  “Couldn’t you think of a stupider name for it, you hoser?” Mark asked.

  “Nope, and I sure tried.”

  For some reason, their silly little banter made me feel better, and I felt a lot calmer as I stepped through his office door. He was standing in front of his window with his back to me and his hands clasped behind him.

  “Did you get what I asked for?” He asked without turning around.

  “Yeah, it’s right here,” I replied, putting it on his desk.

  “Excellent,” he said, turning and practically pouncing on it.

  He quickly plugged it into his computer and started clicking and clacking at it. I might have been invisible for all the attention he paid me at this point. A nasty smile appeared on his face and I guessed he found something he was looking for.

  “From the look on your face I’m gonna guess you got what you wanted.”

  “Yes, but now I need to concentrate on it.” He fumbled for his wallet and pulled out a twenty. “Here… take this and go get something to eat. Stay out of my hair for a while, but be back here at eleven. Don’t be late or the deal’s off.”

  “Ok, ok,” I said, snatching the bill and hurrying out the door.

  I was halfway down the street before I remembered I needed to keep Carl updated. “Hey, hoser,” I sent. “Are you there?”

  “Hoser?” he sent back, sounding surprised.

  “Yeah, that’s what your buddy keeps calling you. Is that wrong?”

  “No, you just caught me by surprise with it. What’s happening?”

  I filled him in on the details of my brief meeting since I forgot to relay it as it happened. He wasn’t mad at my forgetting, and seemed downright happy to hear the results. It seemed like our plan was working so far, but that was just the easy stuff.

  I remained nervous, but with twenty bucks in my hand, went to get some food. Never turn down a free meal. I found a newspaper and pretended to read it while killing time and taking advantage of free drink refills until it was almost eleven.

  I didn’t think he would nitpick over a few minutes, but didn’t want to take the chance; I arrived at his office just as the town hall clock began chiming the hour.

  “Punctuality is a lost art these days,” he said as I walked through the door. “I do so appreciate it when I find it. Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing toward one of the overstuffed leather chairs filling his office.

  He continued banging away at his computer for a few minutes before leaning back in his chair and looking up at me.

  “This last little job will be extremely important, but also extremely easy for one of your skills.”

  “What do I need to do?” I asked.

  “It’s simple. All you need to do is hide yourself in my closet until I leave. I’m about to have someone visit me and I’m going to convince him to leave his laptop here while we go out for lunch. Once we’re gone you can come out and plug the drive into his computer like you did before.”

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it,” he nodded. “Once you’re done I want you to put it in my middle desk drawer and then go to Fat Buddies Restaurant and give me the nod.”

  “Ok, that sounds simple enough. When are you gonna tell me where Sue is?”

  “I’ll let you know this very afternoon. Once you finish this last little task then I will no longer have any further need of your services. I’ll tell you where to find your friend, but that knowledge comes at an additional price.”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re going to have to leave town. To put it bluntly, you’re a firecracker waiting to explode and I don’t want you anywhere near me. I don’t care where you go, as long as you do.”

  “That wasn’t part of the deal, but I’ll do it.”

  “Good girl, now scoot. My guest will be arriving at any moment.”

  I went into his closet and made myself a seat out of some bundles of paper; I wasn’t sure how long it would take Carl to get his arse in gear, so I figured I should make myself comfortable. At least I remembered to relay this time, so he knew it was his turn to join the game.

  I think it took him about eighty years before he knocked on the door, but I was never good at measuring time when I was nervous. It took him so long that I actually jumped when I heard his voice booming out with his ‘howdy, eh!’ greeting to Murphy. I leaned over and put my ear to the paper thin door.

  “Good morning to you, I trust you’re doing well today?” Murphy said.

  “Looks like a great day if it doesn’t snow,” Carl said with a chuckle.

  They soon got down to business and I started getting fidgety as they droned on and on over the details of their deal. I had mostly tuned them out, but the word ‘lunch’ caught my attention so I began listening again.

  “I would prefer to step away from business during lunch so we can come back fully refreshed,” Murphy said.

  “I can relate to that,” Carl agreed. “Will my stuff be safe here while we’re gone?”

  “Completely, since I have the only key.”

  “Ok, let’s go. Do you have any place in mind?”

  “Yes, I was…” his voice cut off as they stepped out and closed the door.

  The closet had gotten pretty stifling by this time so I wasted no time in opening the door. I pulled the drive out of my pocket and plugged it in, managing to get it the right way this time, even if I did fumble it a bit because of my shaking hands.

  While that one worked, I pulled out a second drive and plugged it in. This is the one I needed to keep secret from Murphy as insurance. While they were doing their thing, I reached out to check with Linda.

  “It’s going good here and I’m almost done,” I sent, quickly making contact this time with the way I was all fired up.

  “We’re not quite done yet, but it’s coming along fine. Probably twenty more minutes,” she replied.

  “Then I’ll keep working on it.”

  Talking to her was good for my nerves, but I didn’t want to distract them from their part. I let the connection drop and looked at the clock; I still needed to let the drives work for a few more minutes.

  I paced back and forth until I figured they had to be done and then quickly yanked them out. I put Murphy’s in his desk drawer and hid my insurance drive in my sock. As I was leaving, I let the door close and lock behind me; I thought that Murphy had probably told Carl the truth about having the only key to his office door, but having me inside was a sneaky way around it.

  This was a sneaky battle of the sneaks, but I had faith Carl could out sneak the snake.

  It didn’t take long to walk to the restaurant and spot them sitting at their table. Murphy must have been watching for me, as he inclined his head slightly in an inquisitive gesture the moment I came into view. A smile briefly twitched his lips when I gave him the nod and thumbs-up.

  I left and quickly scooted out of sight so I could lean up against a wall to try and steady myself. For better or worse, I’d done my sneaky parts and now I had to trust in Carl’s plan. I gave Carl an update and went back to the park bench to wait for Murphy and the info about Sue.

  I knew it would be a long wait, but I didn’t have anywhere to go or anything else to do. I was beginning to wonder if they were eating everything in the restaurant when I finally saw them going back to the office. I continued to wait.

  I thought I was in for the long haul, and was surprised to see Car
l step out onto the street after only about twenty minutes. He got in his truck and left without looking my way, but I knew he would only be going around the corner. I gave it another few minutes and then headed up to Murphy’s office.

  It was time for a showdown.

  “I’m going in,” I sent.

  “I’ve got your back and the others are almost here. Just stay strong and you’ll do fine.”

  “Easy for you to say; you’re not the one walking into the lion’s den.”

  “I’ll be up in a flash if things turn ugly, so just remember to keep up the relay.”

  “Yeah, I got it. Here we go.”

  “Did you get what you needed?” I asked as I stepped inside.

  “Yes, you did well. Although this was probably boring for a thief of your capabilities, it was just as necessary. You’ll have to tell me how you learned your trade and how you got into Henry’s house.”

  “My secrets are just that; mine.”

  “Well, I guess we can talk about that later. For now, I need to go over these files.”

  “What later? You’re gonna tell me where Sue is and I’m gonna scoot out of here.”

  “Not quite yet, I’m afraid. I’ve got one more teensy little job for you first.”

  “That wasn’t part of the deal! You tell me where Sue is right now or there’s gonna be trouble.”

  “Nothing has changed, and what kind of trouble do you think you can cause me that won’t reflect on both you and your friend?”

  “I may not have a lot of proper schooling, but that don’t mean I’m dumb. I knew you were gonna pull some kind of shit like this, so I took out an insurance policy.”

  “An insurance policy?” he asked, sounding amused. “What do you know of such things?”

  “Myself, not a lot,” I admitted. “That’s why I’m glad I asked a new friend for some help.”

  “What new friend?”

  “Me,” Carl said, walking in and flopping down into one of the overstuffed chairs.

  “What are you still doing here?” he demanded.

  “My good friend Claire had the suspicion that you would have ‘just one more job’ pretty much forever. We decided that would basically suck, so we took steps to get her out from under your heel.”