Don Bruns: Stuff to spy for

I couldn’t help but smile. “I did. I did. Didn’t really care about their lives.”

“You saved mine. You saved James.”

“Yeah. Come to think of it-”

Ellen DeGeneres was on the flat-screen television. No sound. I could look out the window and see two stories below. There were three box trucks clustered by a construction site where workmen were building an expansion to the hospital. “The truck’s gone, right?”

“Yeah. James found another one. Not quite as good, but it’s the same model. He’s trying to pull some money together-”

“He’s nuts.”

“He’s your best friend.”

“Other than you.”

The phone rang and I flipped it open. “Yeah.”

“Amigo. I’d be there today, but I’m working two shifts at Cap’n Crab. Got to make some extra money for a new truck.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sorry I blew up your old one.”

“Could have been me, Skip. I owe you so much, I’ll never, ever be able to pay you back for this one.”

“You know, you showed me how to dispose of a bomb. I just didn’t think I’d ever have to use your example.”

He chuckled. “Called Riley at DOD, pard. He’s not there.”

“Like, not in?”

“Like, doesn’t work there.”

“James, I talked to him. Tried to get him to cancel the codes.”

“Very hush-hush. I don’t know if they downloaded from the computers or not.”

Em smiled at me. Beaming. She’d had that smile since she walked in.

“What about the money? Did Chen have the millions?”

“I get the impression, no. But no one’s talking.” James and I would probably never hear all the details.

“And Synco Systems?”

“Closed. I don’t know what’s going to happen.” I did. They weren’t going to pay the bill. Carol Conroy couldn’t pay the bill, and the best I could hope for with Sarah was to take it out in trade. And with Em in my corner, that wasn’t ever going to happen.

“Hey, James, did you thank J.J.? I mean, he gave us the plan.”

“He did. Cops took the sound card from The Sound Max and they’re going to use it as part of the case against Chen. They’ve got him on explosive charges, attempted murder, kidnapping-”

“But no stealing codes. International espionage or whatever it’s called?”

“No proof.”

“Anyway, thank J.J.”

“Never got a chance, Kemo Sabe. He moved out a couple days after you died.”

“So tell me, James, did the date with Eden ever happen?”

“Number three coming up this weekend. And number three is the magic one, right pally?”

“Good luck, James.”

“Good looks and charm, Skip. That’s all you need.”

I suddenly felt tired. Not sleepy, but like at the end of a long workday, or at the end of a long vacation where you partied just a little too hard. I said good-bye to James and closed my eyes.

“Hey, I’m going to stay awhile. If you want to sleep-”

“Maybe.” I opened my eyes again. “Do I still have a job?” Flowers from Michael were on the desk. I think he bought them in the discount bin at Wal-Mart.

“I think so. Obviously things are a little crazy at Jaystone right now.”

I smiled. I hoped I had a job. I needed the money. I owed Jody Stacy for a smoke detector, GPS unit, and The Sound Max. The cops were keeping that as evidence. Jody apparently had called Em several times. Checking up on me, probably checking up on when he’d be paid, and I’m certain he was checking up on Em. Another reason to bust out of this joint as soon as possible.

“So no one is looking into the fact that secrets were stolen? That the DOD was compromised?” I gazed at her. God, she looked good.

“Oh, I think they’re looking into it every minute. I think the government is scared out of their minds right now. I think, because of you-because of you-” she started crying. “Because of you, Skip Moore, I’m alive.”

“Hey.”

“No. Let me say this. I didn’t make this up, someone said it before me, but I mean this so much. So much.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “To be your friend was all I ever wanted. To be your lover was all I ever dreamed.” She hugged me and hugged me and hugged me, and I hugged her back.

Damn. Now Emily was doing obscure quotes and I had nothing to give her back.