Tom Simpson - Sink

“We walked down a tunnel from the main lobby.” Bill yelled up. “There are a lot of people trapped in there and a couple of crazy gunmen won’t let them out so we decided to find another way out of there.”

“Okay you guys. Hang tight and we’ll lower a ladder down. Then we’ll see how many people we can sneak out the back way.”

“Thanks. I guess I will donate to the firefighter’s fund next time they come collecting.”

“You know, that just might work.” Tyrone Washington said. “Since it is dark enough down here, you and Kathy might just be able to pull it off.”

Steve Sidel looked admiringly at Kathy Santos and replied.

“If I don’t put her in any danger then I believe we can do it.”

Steve slipped his suit jacket off and began untying his silk tie.

“I need to look like Stretch would look after he had been knocked out for a while.” He ruffled his hair and reached down and ran his hand across a pile of dirt that was lying near his feet. He streaked his face with the grayish dirt until his facial features resembled anything but the clean cut Steve Sidel from Datafuture. Tyrone handed him the revolver and patted him on the back.

“You two be really careful but, you have to hurry in case that albino finds your brother and brings him back.”

Kathy started walking slowly toward the opening with Steve directly behind her. They stopped about ten feet away from where Frankie was still holding a gun on the desk clerk but, they were still pretty much in the shadows.

“Hey Frankie. It’s me Stretch. Boy do I have a surprise for you.” Steve yelled over at Frankie Medford and Paula Howard, trying to imitate his brother’s voice. “I have a real hostage for you. Somebody that will make us a whole lot of money. Not like that cheap desk clerk whose family probably doesn’t have a red cent.”

“What are you talking about Stretch, and where have you been? I sent Carrie looking for you to see if you were dead or alive. I was really worried about you.”

“I doubt if you were really worried about me. You probably were just wondering if I was still going to be around to split the money you and Carrie got out of the safe. Never mind about that. You know the governor was supposed to be here for the grand opening but he couldn’t make it for some reason or another. Well, guess who did show up. His wife, and I have her right here.” He shoved Kathy forward a little and waved the gun at the side of her head. “You know the governor will pay big bucks to get his precious little wifey-poo back.”

“You, you criminal you.” Kathy replied a very indignant tone. “My husband wouldn’t pay ransom to a low life like you. I demand you set me free this instant.”

Steve stayed in the shadow behind Kathy and prayed that Frankie wouldn’t see that Kathy wasn’t the governor’s wife. He had noticed a very close resemblance the minute he set eyes on Kathy. They were both dark haired, heavily tanned, about the same height and build and both extremely attractive. That resemblance plus the fact he sounded a lot like his brother and that both had similar physical features had given him the idea for this plan and he just hoped he could pull it off. Kathy was playing her part perfectly and he thought they had a better than fifty percent chance of fooling Frankie.

“Stretch. I think that will really work but, I thought it was the governor’s wife who was sick and that’s why he wasn’t here.”

“Oh no Frankie. It was his mother from what I heard. She is really sick with cancer and he didn’t want to leave her side so he sent his wife here to represent the state. Right bitch?”

He prodded Kathy in the neck with the gun but, very gently.

“How dare you talk to me like that you ruffian? Just because my mother-in-law kept my husband from being here doesn’t give you the right to treat me like one of your kept hussies. I will have you and your friends thrown in jail and they will throw away the key. You will be sorry. Really Sorry.”

“Okay Stretch. As soon as Carrie gets back, we’ll take her and show her to the sheriff and make our ransom demands. Why don’t you bring her over here so I can get a good look at our new bankroll?”

“I think it would be better if we stayed back in the dark in case they try something funny. This way we’ll be out of range. Why don’t you let the desk clerk go and you could go find Carrie so we can hurry up and make our demands.”

“Good idea Stretch. I’m ready to get out of this black hole anyway. Take off girlie.”

He slapped Paula on the rear and cackled like a rooster. “Don’t trip on the way up the ramp.”

Paula looked back at Steve with a thank-you for saving my life look and hurried toward the ramp. Steve breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her legs disappear up the ramp and whispered to Kathy. “In a minute we can be right behind her.”

Frankie started walking in the direction, he had last seen Carrie when his feet went out from under him. The torrent of water that came rushing in was knee high and had the force of a small tidal wave. Steve lost his grip on the revolver when he got knocked over and he turned to look at Kathy but she had already disappeared from sight. He started sloshing around in the quickly moving water trying to locate her when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s me, Tyrone. Just when you had him fooled this had to happen. Did you lose Kathy?”

Tyrone had been watching the scenario play out from the shadow of a large beam that had fallen from the roof and he managed to maintain his balance when the water hit. He immediately headed for Steve and Kathy when he realized what happened. He lost track of them in the darkness but somehow managed to luckily bump into Steve and not Frankie.

“Yeah Tyrone. She was just here a minute ago. I don’t know how I could have lost her so fast. I’m really glad you are here but, we have to find her before the water gets any deeper. I can’t possibly lose her now. She is my future. Maybe that was a dumb idea trying to rescue that desk clerk anyway. He probably would have let her loose pretty soon.”

“You know as well as I do Steve that the maniac would have probably killed her. You saved her life and you know it. We’ll find Kathy. Don’t worry.”

Steve and Tyrone started wading in the direction of the water flow and to their horror they saw the level was climbing quite rapidly.

The closest fireman to Bill Forham and Kevin Backlin handed them both paper cups filled with ice water. He had a five-gallon yellow and white water cooler next to him on the ground and a cardboard container filled with cups.

“I figured you men could use a nice cold drink after being in that hole for a while.”

“Yes. Thank you very much.” Both men echoed in unison.

“Have you heard what’s happening at the other end of the hole? Are the people that got out still okay?” Asked Kevin with deep concern in his voice.

“Have those gunmen harmed anyone? We heard a shot before we found this back way out.” Added Bill Forham.

“Apparently, from what we heard on the radio from the sheriff, one of his deputies is badly wounded and the gunmen won’t let anyone in or out of the hole. We heard a rumor from someone that was on top of the ripped roof that the gunmen had the governor’s wife hostage but we double checked with the capitol and we know that she is still sick in bed. I don’t know what they are trying to pull but they can’t fool us in believing she is held hostage. Wait just a minute.”

The fireman heard a call come through on his radio and he put the box of cups down and picked up the radio that was sitting on the lid of the cooler.