Don Bruns - Stuff to spy for

I wanted to go right through the phone and strangle him. “I’m going in to Sandy Conroy’s office this morning, Michael. I’ll confront him and get at least half the money. Can we turn it on for half the money?”

“You get half and I’ll see what I can do, Skip. I’ll see, okay?” He waited for an answer I never gave him.

I flipped the phone closed. Conroy didn’t know what we knew. He didn’t have a clue. He was still playing it straight up, like everything was okay. Maybe he’d give me the down payment. Maybe he’d give me the entire amount. Sure, this was doable. Sandy Conroy wanted everyone to assume that it was business as usual. He wanted to be the upstanding businessman. Therefore he’d pay the bill. If he paid the bill, then everything would appear to be all right. And right now, just before all hell broke loose, Conroy needed things to appear to be all right. Right? This was going to work out. I was convinced. For that moment.

“I’m going in for the money, James.” James was no longer there. He’d gone inside to take a shower, get dressed for work, take a powder. Whatever it was, he’d left me on the porch by myself. “I’m going to walk into Conroy’s office and walk out with a check,” I yelled through the back door. Damn the neighbors. I was working my ass off, almost getting killed in the process, and somebody was going to pay me for my time.

J ames drove the truck. Minus the Water Connection signs. We’d left early enough that last night’s caller was probably unaware I’d stripped the signs from the doors. James just shrugged his shoulder and tossed the rolled up vinyl on the floor.

“What are you going to say, pard?”

“That we’ve done the work and haven’t been paid.”

“Sarah was supposed to-”

“Forget Sarah. Remember? She’s going to be the first one they throw under the bus.” I had no idea where that statement started, but it seemed to fit.

“We could tell her.”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what we want to do. Tell the hooker that she’s going to be betrayed. Listen, James, I want my money. We’re-I’m walking a very thin line here. I still stand to make a lot of money. I’m not giving up on that dream. You, James, you screw it up and I’ll make your life miserable.”

“Screw it up?”

“Yeah. Get a moment of moral superiority and tell Sarah? Or mention this to someone else.”

“Amigo-”

“Don’t amigo me.”

“You’re my roommate, Skip.”

“Yeah?”

“My best friend.”

“Thanks, man.” I softened.

“No, what I’m saying is that you hired me for this job.”

“I did.”

“You got me into this mess.”

I had no comeback.

“And ever since we’ve been working for Synco Systems, my life has been miserable, so how is this going to change things?”

I refrained from slugging him.

We arrived fifteen minutes early. I didn’t see the yellow sports car, but then again I’d never seen it any other morning. Maybe he parked it in a private spot.

“There’s one good thing about today, pard.”

“Name one thing, James. I’d love to hear it.”

“It’s Friday.”

“Yeah?”

“Date night.”

“Ah, yes, the lovely Eden Callahan.”

“Who knows, man?”

“I hope she doesn’t bring the tear gas and the gun.”

“Handcuffs maybe.” He grinned. We got out of the truck.

Sarah met us at the door in a short, silver skirt and scarlet blouse. “He’s not in a good mood, guys.” She wore a fragile frown.

“Something we did?”

“Something about a smoke detector? And it appears that someone hacked his computer last night.”

My chest tightened up, and I had trouble catching the next breath. I just didn’t think that was going to happen.

“How do you do that?” James asked. His nervousness was apparent. “How would anyone hack Mr. Conroy’s computer?”

“Well, I’m not sure, but I know that he called me in this morning, and-” I detected the tremor in her voice, “and he showed me the screen. He said there was a record of the sites that were visited and he asked me if I’d been-” she sniffed and I knew right away she was going to cry. “Oh, God, Skip. I wouldn’t know how to hack anyone’s computer.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and I felt about as low as I could. Not low enough to admit that I’d hacked it, but almost that low.

“Hey, I’m sorry. The guy can apparently be a jerk, huh?” I took a tentative step toward her and gave her a hug, feeling her softness press into me. At that moment she felt very tender and frail.

“You know who I think used his computer?” Wiping her face with her hand, she pushed off me and stared into my eyes. Then she shifted to James.

“Maybe we don’t want to know.”

“Oh, I think you should know.” She sniffed, and with her delicate condition it was hard to picture this creature as a call girl.

“Sarah, this isn’t any of our business.” James took a step back.

My dream of getting paid today was fading fast. Conroy was not a happy camper. We’d missed something last night. Some way to erase our activity on his computer. Sooner or later he’d figure it out. Sooner or later he’d realize that I had access last night. And there wasn’t any feeble excuse I could think of to lie my way out of this. “Okay, who do you think used his computer?”

“The bitch. His high-and-mighty wife.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Somebody saw her here last night. Early this morning.”

Oh, man. If they saw her they probably saw us. “Who?”

“Follow me, Skip.”

“Where are we going?”

“No. Follow my story. Sandy came in this morning and said his computer had been hacked.”

“Okay.”

“He tried to figure out who had access, and for some reason he thought of me. Me, Skip. And he knows how I feel about him.”

“And you just told me you’d never do that.”

“That’s right. And he said if it wasn’t me, then maybe it was Carol. He drove by last night and thought he saw her walking by the building.”

“What?” James was giving her a very strange look. I tried to ward him off, giving him a “safe” sign with my hands.

“Maybe she went into the building and got into his computer. I think she did.”

I felt certain that Carol Conroy was setting Sandy and Sarah up for a hard landing. She was planning on getting $75,000,000 and leaving the two of them and Feng to take the fall. I couldn’t even fathom the depth of deception. But here was Sandy Conroy trying to blame his wife for rifling through his files.

“Sarah, do you think he’s right? I mean, she’s his wife.”

I wanted him to shut up. Let the “bitch” suffer the consequences. It was okay with me, because I didn’t want any blame.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders. “Anyway,” she said, “the wicked witch is in his office right now, and I’m sure it’s not pleasant.” Sarah wiped her eyes, reached out and squeezed my hand, then walked back to her office. I stood there with my mouth hanging open.

“Dude, deception is the point! Any man can counter strength. But now he has to counter what he can’t see.” I thought he was done as he paused, but I was wrong. “And fear what he doesn’t know.” He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

I stared at him. “What the hell are you saying?”

“It’s from The 13th Warrior, Skip.”

“Yeah?”

“I love that quote.”

“What does it mean?”

James squinted and stroked his chin. “Doesn’t it sort of fit this situation?”

“I asked you before, what does it mean?”

“I have no idea, Skip. No idea. I’ve just been waiting for an excuse to use it.”