The Devil's Copper by Jamie Crothall (ebook audio reader .TXT) 📗

“I have a man on the inside, I need you to back him up.”

“The police?”

“No,” he laughed.  “The fucking mining company.”

Walter’s solemn look dropped momentarily, replaced with skepticism.  “What?”

“Unionized, aren’t they?  Waste a shit ton of money on a daily basis.  No questions asked, otherwise they file a grievance.  Top brass is too afraid to do anything about it.  They hand out purchase orders like it’s penny candy.”

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s true,” I said.  “I see it all the time.” When they realized I wasn’t being belligerent they let me continue.  I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but it was the best I could think of. “Drivers come back from jobs there all the time with new tools.  The guys at the mine sites buy them, use them once, then hand them out.  It’s like they think it’s a game.”

Frankie tilted his head towards me.  “See?  Sound fact.”

“So what do you want me to do?” asked Walter.

“My man Campbell will get you in.  You work your magic, get the password routines for the ordering system, then report back to him.  When he verifies it, he’ll tell me.  Then I’ll know you’ve done good.”

“All this, just for some lousy purchase order scam?”

“You let me worry about how to profit from this.  You just worry about how to get the goods.  I mean really, we could have had this resolved by Monday if you had just answered your damn phone.”

Walter shook his head.  “I do this, and you let Jack go?”

“I told you,” he said with feigned exasperation, “I don’t have Jack.  But I can help you get him back.  If, that is, you make me a happy man.”

“When?”

“Right now.  The boys here will drop you off.  I trust you’ve had a good sleep.”

“What about Billie?  Can she go free?”

He scoffed.  “Like hell.  My man Shay here will keep her company.  Right here.  Until you get back.  So there’s no need to take your time, is there?”

“It’s okay,” I said.  “I’ll be okay.”

“See?  Everything will be just fine if you do as you’re told.”

Walter looked over at me.  “I’ll be quick.”

“Just be careful.”

“All right.  Spare the dramatics,” he sighed.  He gestured his generic thugs forward.  “Let’s get going,”

They ushered Walter out the door.

Frankie looked back to me.  “You be good to Shay, and he’ll be good to you.  No promises though.”

With that, everyone left but the man with the gun.  He never moved.  Not even an inch.  He just stood, stoic as a statue.  I couldn’t see his eyes, but I could feel them peering through me.

“…can I sit?” I asked.

He didn’t reply.  I assumed it would be acceptable, so I sat on the couch.  I sat for a good ten minutes, though it felt more like an hour.  I tried to figure out what to do.  I wasn’t necessarily trying to devise a plan as determine how to stay alive.  After half an hour, (which felt like five), the silence got to me.

“Can I turn on the TV?”

“No,” was his short and simple response.

Another ten minutes dragged by.  I noted my purse on the floor by the couch.

“Can I go to the bathroom?”

“No.”

Okay.  How can I advance from here?”

“It’s…y’know…feminine stuff,” I said.

“Right.”

“Look,” I replied, a slight build up of emotion coming over me like a wave.  “You’re a man with a gun and I’m…well…I’m nobody.  I’m not brave enough or dumb enough to try anything.  You can trust me.”

“Trust you?” he scoffed.

“Yeah.”

“Prove it.”

My hands shook as much as my voice did.  “How?”

He looked at me and a smirk grew on his face.  I saw one eyebrow raise over his sunglasses.

“Pick a number between one and ten.”

My heart skipped a beat.  Was this a coincidence?  It had to be a coincidence.  The walls closed in on me.  My own heartbeat became deafening.  His taunting expression was overwhelming.

“…what?”

“You heard me.”

“I…”

He shifted his weight, and by doing so, he flashed his gun.  All part of a scripted move I’m sure.

“Okay,” I gasped.  “I picked one.”

“Ten?” he asked.

I debated how to reply.  Was this a game?  Was this a test?  I wasn’t sure how to answer.

“Y-yes…”

He stared right through me for at least ten long seconds with that same damn smirk before he made any kind of response.  Finally, he nudged his head toward the bathroom door.

“Thank you…” I gasped.

I picked up my purse and backed into the bathroom.

“Don’t lock it,” he stated firmly.

I closed the door, refraining from locking it, as I toppled backwards and landed on the toilet seat.  Fortunately, the lid was down. I clutched my purse with shaking hands. Tears streamed from my eyes.  I was already way out of my depth.  Why did the water level keep getting deeper?  I rooted around in my purse for a tissue, oblivious to the roll of toilet paper beside me, when I was suddenly reminded of the revolver in my purse.  I was so numb I barely noticed its extra weight.

This began a long series of thoughts.  Was Shay like Walter?  Was it a coincidence he used the same test?  Or did he know Walter’s little ploy?  And was he teasing me with it?  That man Frankie said Shay was a really good shot.  And if Walter was to be believed, he lost me in several attempts to take action.  Did that mean in some other timelines I just died several times that morning?  Oh, god! There was no time to think about that at the moment.  What would happen if two men with the same ability tried to one-up each other?  Did Walter know Shay had the same ability?  Assuming either of