Paling Around
They made quite the pair riding around in a freshly waxed, newly restored fire engine red 1956 Buick super convertible. Sunrays glinted off the shining car’s exterior but the glare didn’t bother neither the driver nor his passenger. Both were equipped with matching reflective aviator sunglasses. Both had their hair parted on the left and neatly combed with a swoop towards the back over their right eyebrows. Father and son were often seen together this way, especially on sunny mornings that lent themselves to cruising.
Owen parked alongside the curb in the picturesque downtown Macrilan. He parked purposely so that Nicholas would exit on the sidewalk and he on the street. It spared his young son the responsibility of judging and anticipating the speed of oncoming traffic.
Nic had already fed some quarters into the parking meter when Owen joined him on the sidewalk. Owen rested his hand on his son’s shoulder and ushered him towards the cafe they were heading to for breakfast before Nic had to be at school.
Owen parked some ways down so that they could enjoy the stroll along the bricked sidewalks and quaint storefronts. Nic chattered at him about what he would be studying that day. Owen was half listening but acted as if he heard everyword.
It only took half a city block before Owen confirmed the suspicion he and Nicholas were being followed. He’d noticed a man in dark sunglasses driving a nondescript white sedan a careful two cars behind them all the way downtown. That same nondescript white sedan had been parked by the man in sunglasses up a side street with a convenient view of where Owen had parked. That same man kept a steady thirty paces behind and pretended every now and again to peak into a storefront.
While waiting for the crosswalk to signal, Owen touched Nic’s shoulder again.
“Take your sunglasses off - slowly. Hold them up as if you’re looking at some spot in the lens.”
The boy complied with his father’s instructions carefully but with a look of confusion that nearly twisted his mouth into a frown.
“Do you see the man with the sunglasses and grey windbreaker?”
The boy nodded. For a moment it seemed a fun game, spying people behind them in the reflection of the aviators. “Yep!”
“He’s following us.”
Nic glanced up at his father concern clouding the back of green eyes The walk way signaled for pedestrians and Owen ushered the boy quickly across. His free hand fished in his pocket and produced a currency bill in the amount of five which he handed off to his son while pointing to a nearby magazine, newspaper, and snack stand along the street.
“Go buy today’s paper and a pack of bubble gum.” He instructed the boy who looked askance at his father. Owen nodded once encouragingly. “It’s alright. Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
Trustingly Nic trotted off to the newspaper stand just down the way. He stood in line behind two other customers but found himself quickly purchasing the items his father had asked for. When he turned around to return to his dad, Nic didn’t see him on the corner anymore. His heart skipped a beat and increased its pace as he scanned the morning crowd that milled along the sidewalk. No sign of him.
But the man in dark sunglasses and a grey windbreaker was making a direct line for him.
Fearful green eyes cast about for the father not seen.
“Hey - kid!” The man started to greet but was damn near run over by another pedestrian. “Hey watch it -” he complained but his face went blank when presented with the man who he’d been following. That same man had directed his son to the paper stand. When he’d tried to keep eyes on the both of them, Owen had given him the slip in the crowd and was lost suddenly. He'd taken advantage of using his son as distraction and bait.
“Nic, there you are!” Faux relief tinged his voice. Owen passed his hand over the boy’s head for further effect. In truth he hadn't let his eyes off the child. “I told you never to wander away from me in the crowded street.” He offered his hand to the boy who looked momentarily betrayed before he accepted the hand. Owen pretended as if their pursuer hadn't even registered to him.
Owen wasn’t in the least bit concerned about Nic’s reaction and pulled him swiftly away from their stalker and into the breakfast joint. The boy, having been frightened and then partly reprimanded, maintained a sullen silence through the seating and taking of the order. Owen flipped through the paper scanning the local news.
When the food arrived, Nicholas picked at his eggs, feeding himself only the tiniest of bites. Almost a petty amount to be feeding himself.
Owen raised his brows, “What's the matter?”
The boy’s feet kicked under the table restlessly. “That man - why was he following us, dad? Why did you make me go to the newspaper stand and then you got mad at me? Why didn’t you ask him why he was following us? You just walked away.” The boy's questions turned into complaints.
By way of answer Owen reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet that didn’t belong to him. He grinned and his eyebrow arched mischievously over twinkling grey eyes. “So I could get this.”
Green eyes lit up and Nic’s jaw hung open in shock and awe. “Wow! Did you pick pocket him?” He asked not minding his volume.
Owen laughed and shushed the boy. “Quiet,” he instructed but nodded as he examined the identifications inside. A confidential informant working for the CAF it seemed. Owen tsked and put the cards back into place. His former employers didn’t seem keen on leaving him alone in his new life.
“Will you teach me, dad?” The boy asked. In his excitement he’d forgotten to be sullen about being scolded on the street and was shoveling eggs into his mouth.
“Slow down. Chew your food, please.” Owen sipped at his coffee and glanced out the window. The man in the sunglasses had stationed himself on a bus stop bench caddy corner to their breakfast location. He’d acquired a baseball cap and abandoned his windbreaker and was pretending to read a paper. How amateur.
“Well, will you?” Nic pressed.
“Not until you’re older.”
“Aw man, that sucks!” He said too loudly.
“Hey. None of that.” Owen lifted his index finger to police the boy’s outburst. “You don’t need to be tempted to steal, it will only get you into trouble. Besides your mother wouldn’t like that very much. Finish your fruit.”
After breakfast, father and son loaded back up into the convertible.
“He’s still following us.” Nic complained. Much to Owen’s pride the boy had used the sunglasses trick he'd been taught not an hour before. Quick learner.
Owen patted Nic’s leg and slipped his aviator’s up the bridge of his nose. He revved the car engine. “Let’s dust ‘em.”
He sped off and took a wild illegal turn up a one way street while Nic laughed.
___
It was an hour ‘til he had to retrieve Nic from school when Owen arrived at the motel their stalker was staying at. It had only taken him a couple of excuses to Julianna for his absence and a few hours of leg work to find the man.
Owen knocked on the motel door number 207 and moved out of sight of the peephole. He heard two locks turn but not a chain lock. The door opened just enough for the man to peak out. It was held at the maximum length the chain lock would allow.
It was enough for two quick shots. Nobody would be alerted by the sound as he used a military grade silencer bought on the black market.
The man fell forward and his weight pushed the door shut. Owen shoved the door open which required enough force to bust the chain and shove the body aside with it.
The man was still alive and clutching a Colt .38 in his right hand. A CAF military issued sidearm. He was attempting to hold himself together with his left hand slick with the blood that couldn’t be stopped. Owen knew that desperate feeling well. With little sympathy, Owen kicked the man's gun aside. It skittered across the cheap linoleum flooring and bumped to a stop against a chair leg.
“Don’t you want to know who’s getting my reports? Who’s watching you?” The man groaned miserably with the effort of speaking while dying. “I had a price. I could have been bought.”
“I don’t give a fuck who it is. I’ll eliminate the informants they send one by one until he, or she, pops their little head up.” Owen said as he opened the man’s jacket and tucked his stolen wallet into the interior pocket.
“And then what?”
Owen placed the barrel of his pistol square between the man’s brows. “Bang.” He said just before pulling the trigger. The man slumped over once and for all.
__
“What did you do with that man’s wallet, dad?” Nic asked from behind his reflective lenses as they drove towards home into the setting sun.
“I gave it back to him.”
Nic smiled and fiddled with the radio. “That was nice of you.”
Owen patted the boy on the shoulder, “Yeah.”
"Hey dad," Nic asked cocking his head inquisitively seeking permission to ask another question.
"Yeah son?" Owen feared the boy would ask something that would require him to lie.
"Why did you have me buy the bubble gum?"
Owen grinned at the child before working at something in his mouth. He puffed his cheeks out to blow a rather impressive bubble that popped and stuck to the bottom of his sun glass rims.
Nic laughed and fed himself a piece of gum from the pack in the center console.
Bitch, I'm limited edition.
The following 1 user Likes saronym's post: megs
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 08-26-2015, 10:08 PM
Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 08-26-2015, 10:12 PM
Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 08-30-2015, 10:49 PM
Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-03-2015, 04:44 PM
Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-30-2015, 05:42 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 10-18-2015, 08:05 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 11-12-2015, 11:03 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 11-21-2015, 04:52 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 10-03-2016, 05:44 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 01-24-2016, 07:47 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-11-2016, 10:47 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-16-2016, 11:44 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-17-2016, 02:16 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-21-2016, 09:14 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-26-2016, 06:37 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-28-2016, 08:56 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 10-07-2016, 09:12 AM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 10-25-2016, 05:09 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 11-03-2016, 05:28 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 11-15-2016, 10:43 AM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 11-30-2016, 02:52 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 02-11-2017, 10:22 AM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 04-13-2017, 04:16 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 04-30-2017, 08:27 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 05-14-2017, 06:30 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 05-29-2017, 12:07 AM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 06-01-2017, 08:13 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 06-17-2017, 07:24 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 06-21-2017, 07:06 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 07-30-2017, 09:04 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 09-19-2017, 12:31 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 10-25-2017, 11:59 AM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 11-18-2017, 01:45 AM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 12-08-2017, 06:21 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 03-04-2018, 09:16 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 03-30-2018, 10:28 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 04-05-2018, 02:45 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 04-30-2018, 04:38 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 07-17-2018, 02:57 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 01-12-2019, 07:09 PM
RE: Artifacts [Read Only] - by saronym - 02-08-2019, 11:42 AM