Terry Neale - Jo-el

“I like the new you, Jason.” She smiled and allowed her nails to run down the side of my face. “They have lots of cash all over the place, confiscated mostly. There’s a couple of million in the Los Angeles office safe.”

“Ten thousand will be fine for now, too much to carry.”

“So smart. You want to get it now?”

“Is it guarded?”

“Just a couple of guys outside, but it’s a walk-in safe, lots of other stuff there, guns and drugs.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

Ten minutes later I was placing twenty thousand in the room safe and three thousand in hundreds in my jacket pocket. Slight change of plan.

“What about the kids?” Sally asked back in the hotel suite.

“They must be on their way to the east coast?”

“Actually, they’re keeping Maggie at Travis and flying Sean there to pick her up.”

“Cheap bastards.” Sally laughed.

“Have they tried to contact me?”

“No, not yet.”

“It’s late on Easter Sunday, I’m sure we’ll hear in the morning. Probably need to ensure their ducks are in a row.”

“Adrianna sent a message about ten minutes ago, you won’t like it.”

“Now what?”

“The US State Department have asked the Australian Government to delay the interview for a couple of days and they agreed.”

“How did they know?”

“Adrianna tweeted that she was interviewing you. That did it.”

“Damn!” I should have told her to keep quiet about it. Next time. “At least I’ll get some sleep tonight.”

Sally looked disappointed. I was fascinated, I went over to her and touched her face, her skin was smooth. I grinned at her. “What have you done?” She drifted away and flopped down onto the sofa, crossing her legs and beaming at me. “Sally, how can you do that?”

“I want to be real for you, Jo-el.” A devilish look pieced the air.

“Are you allreal?”

“Not yet, no, but I can touch,” she grinned.

I was at a loss. “Let’s have a drink, downstairs. It’s late but I could use something.”

That night Sally slept in the bed next to me. Well maybe she didn’t sleep but she was there. I heard her purr every so often. She lay on her side gazing at me, her eyes wide open, a smile etched on her face the whole night.

It was the last week of March; the miserable weather of winter was receding, giving way to the joy of spring and the dream of summer. The sun was electric, bright, unencumbered by clouds, the forecast was glorious weather all day. I awoke with a rush of fear. Fear for my children, now grown up but caught in a tangle of my making.

Sally had allowed me to sleep until my natural clock chimed. It was gone seven on the west coast of America, already mid-morning in Virginia. I ordered room service and told registration I’d be staying for two more nights. Sally was curled up on the sofa like a contented kitten waiting my instructions.

“Where is Sean and Maggie?”

“Underground at Langley.”

That was as I expected. “Messages?”

“From Alberton about an hour ago. He said, I’ll read it out to you, ‘Mr. Murphy, we have your children as I’m sure you are aware. We mean them no harm; we will release them as soon as you give yourself up and join me here at Langley.’”

“Is he underground?”

“No, he’s in his office.”

“He thinks he’s got the upper hand.” Dumb ass. “Does he have any children?”

Sally eyes widened, she immediately understood where I was going. A moment passed. “One, Becky, twenty years old, she’s at George Mason University, a Junior. She’s there now, just back from spring break.”

“Who else is on the team searching for me?”

“Pippa, General Kale and Georgina Lambert, plus some others.”

“Pippa has Billy,” I waited for Sally to continue.

“The General has two boys, both presently in Afghanistan, Lambert has three grown children, two boys and a girl, all are married, she also has two grandkids.”

“Find a deserted house, maybe a vacation home, better if it is owned by a crook. No cell service and no internet and miles from the nearest town.”

I could sense the excitement oozing from the sofa. “How about a cabin in Alaska?”

“It needs to have facilities. Heating, water, electric.”

“Okay.”

I waited as Sally did her thing. I didn’t particularly like what I was planning to do but I had had enough of the bullshit and it was time to fight fire with fire. Hopefully this whole episode would be finished by the end of the day.

“Perfect, five bedrooms, everything in place. The owners were there over Easter. They plan to be back in a month so they left a bunch of tinned food and there’s plenty of wood.”

“Show me.”

Sally placed the disc monitor in the air. The lakefront cabin was spectacular. Alone on a small peninsular that jutted out onto the frozen lake. She showed me inside. Wood frame everywhere, mahogany beams, elegant fittings and tasteful art depicting wooded vistas, wild animals and distant scenery. “Let’s go check it out.” I bounced to the cabin and spent five minutes investigating. Wonderful what money can buy. I turned up the heating and checked the fridge, it was empty, I’d have to fix that.

“A cleaner comes in every two weeks, she’s not due back for thirteen days.” Sally said.

“Who does it belong to?”

“Gerald Bale, financier, from New York.”

“He’s a crook?”

“The worst, his hedge fund collapsed in the recession, he managed to hide more than two hundred million.”

“Good, well, you know what I mean. Okay, let’s round up the tenants. Becky Alberton first. What’s she up to?”

“She just showered and dressed, she has a class at eleven. She’s alone in her dorm room.”

“Perfect, anybody in the corridor?”

“Yes, couple of girls heading for the stairs.”

“Bounce me in as soon as it’s empty.” I changed back to Jo-el and waited. Next moment I was in an ill-lit corridor, pastel, lime-green walls, room two-zero-seven was right ahead, a Becks bear label stuck under the number, very apt. I knocked and tried the handle, it was open, I went inside. Becky Alberton was stuffing books into a backpack, she looked up, surprised but unconcerned, continuing her task. I’m not sure if she recognized me, it didn’t matter. There were two beds, she had a room-mate, both unmade, quilts strewn haphazard, sheets creased. Becky was slim, flat chested, her hair short, she wore glasses with thick brown rims. Her jeans were frayed with slits at the knee and she wore a George Mason Sweatshirt. Typical college student attire, she reminded me of Maggie, when she was at Cal Poly.

“Who are you?” she asked, calmly.

“My name is Jo-el.” That got an immediate response, she jerked upwards and stared at me.

“The birdman?” She was excited. I nodded. She waited for me to explain why I was in her dorm room. The initial excitement turned quickly to trepidation as she tried to figure out what was happening.

I’d done it again. I hadn’t thought through what on earth I was going to say.

“I’m going to take you to a cabin.”

“Like fuck, you are,” she spat out, blood rushed to her face.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

Then she screamed. The loudest scream I’d ever heard. Oh crap! I grabbed her left arm with both of my hands. “Bounce me, Sally.”

Moments later we were standing in the living room of the lakefront cabin. Becky recognized she wasn’t in her dorm room and fainted. I managed to catch her, she was a wisp of a girl, I carried her over to the large sofa, adorned with bear rugs and laid her down carefully. I felt awful. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. I stood watching her for a couple of minutes, she was breathing slowly. Sally appeared.