Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (4 page)

I
reached into the bottom dresser drawer and pulled out an old
fashioned lie detect, then turned to her.

“Is
there anything you need before we begin? This will be more reliable
if you’re relaxed.”

“Mouthwash
or toothpaste.”

She
probably needed the bathroom for more than that after the amount of
liquid she’d consumed the night before. I nodded in the direction of
the bathroom.

Eberhardt
looked at me and raised his eyebrows when we heard running water.

“Really?”
he asked.

I
shrugged. “As long as she doesn’t leave before we have time to
question her. I’ll make sure she’s not trying to sneak out the
window.”

I
rapped twice on the door, then opened it. Madeline was clearly
enjoying a hot bath, and she made no move to cover herself. It took
some effort, but I pulled my head back, took a deep breath and
motioned for Eberhardt to follow me into the living room.

Eventually,
Madeline emerged from the bathroom, wearing her skirt and pink top.
Wet hair only enhanced her beauty. It would be pertinent for me to
remain cautious. I realized that I was staring again and forced
myself to look away.
Her eyes! She looks almost like…

“Are
you ready to begin?” I asked and turned my attention to the lie
detect.

What
was I going to do with her? She knew I was part of the Resistance;
she was a liability. It would be disastrous if Elaine Ramsey learned
about that. I needed to determine exactly what Madeline knew. Then
I’d have to convince her not to talk – either that or Eberhardt
would have to…I couldn’t let it come to that.

My
first questions established how honest answers would be recorded.

“Does
Elaine Ramsey know about my ties to the Resistance?”

She
said, “I don’t think so, but maybe.”

The
lie detect confirmed what she’d told me earlier. Nevertheless,
Ramsey would remain a threat as long as she believed Oren Johnson was
alive. What was Madeline planning to tell her? For that matter, was
her name really Madeline?

“Is
Madeline Jones your real name?”

“No,
I’m Keira Maddock.” The lie detect recorded this as truth.
The resemblance was clear.

“Are
you related to Scott Maddock?”

She
looked surprised and responded with a question instead of an answer.
“How do you know Scott?”

That
changed everything. I turned off the machine and the recorder and
reached over to gently remove an electrode. She reached up and
removed the others.

“You
don’t have the money, do you?” I looked directly into her
eyes. “It was already gone when you got here.”

“Yes,
it was gone,” she replied without looking away. “I was
planning to steal it from you, but when I opened the safe, it wasn’t
there. Killing you prematurely would have only made the rest of my
job more difficult.” She finished with a shrug.

Her
indifference sent a shiver down my spine. She and Scott looked so
similar yet were undoubtedly different.

“How
do you know Scott?” she asked again.

Even
so…I ignored her question, reached into a small bag and extracted a
magnet. I picked up the recording cassette. “There will be no
record of our conversation.”

I
looked toward the door. “Eberhardt, please run out and pick up
some breakfast for all of us.” I returned my gaze to Keira.
“We have a lot to discuss.”

Before
he left, Eberhardt walked over and handed me his gun. He knew I’d
never use it, but Keira didn’t know that.

After
he left, I placed the gun on the table in front of me and answered
Keira’s question with a half truth. “Scott is one of my
clients.”

She
narrowed her eyes. “Maybe, but there’s more. How do you
really know him?”

This
was not where I’d expected the conversation to go when I’d suggested
the lie dectect. How much had Scott told her?

“I
met Scott when I first moved to Tkaron. We were in somewhat similar
situations. He worried about you and your sister and wanted you to
be safe and happy. Are you?”

“As
much as can be expected. I can take care of myself if that’s what
you’re really asking.”

“Scott
believes in the Motto of the Realm. Do you?”

“Reliance
on citizens makes us great,” she said bitterly. “That
used to mean all of us, working together, to better the whole.”

“Not
a few at the top relying on the rest,” I completed her thought.
“Yes Keira, I prefer the original meaning too. Earlier you
implied that you didn’t think it was a coincidence the money
disappeared last night. Who do you suspect?”

“Eberhardt
appears to have the know-how,” she began, but then hesitated.

“No.”
I shook my head. “Some of this money was earmarked for his
family. Any other ideas?”

“How
well do you know Rose? Don’t you think it’s interesting that she
asked you for a large sum of money when I was in the very next room?
Maybe she wanted you to suspect me.”

I
thought about that. “Possibly. She’s greedy, but she’s also a
terrible liar, and had she known you were here, I think she would
have been jealous of another woman in my bed.”

I
continued to think about it. Had Rose ever been near me when I’d
opened the safe? Yes, she had been standing behind me when I put her
mother’s pendant in there for safekeeping. Why did she ask me to
keep it? I hadn’t kept a close eye on her every time she’d
visited because everything important was locked up or hidden away.

“She’s
had the opportunity,” I shared, “but she’s not cunning
enough to have planned something like this.”

“I
know someone who is. I think Elaine Ramsey has already retrieved her
money, and I believe she hired Rose to do that.”

“She
hired you to do that,” I said.

“I
think she wanted me to believe that.”

“But
why would Rose turn on me?” I wondered aloud.

“You
already answered that. ‘Rose is greedy,’ you said. And she was
dating a lowly gardener. Why?”

“I
met her when I was working undercover at her father’s estate. I
decided she would be a more valuable asset than what I’d been
planning to steal.”

“You
misunderstood my question. Why would a rich girl date a gardener,
and how did you ever convince her that Oren could afford a place like
this anyway?”

“I
told her I’d recently received a large inheritance from my uncle.”

“You’ve
only told her lies. She doesn’t even know your real name.”
She nodded. “That was good thinking. If Ramsey has been in
contact with Rose, your lies will probably end up saving you.”

Keira
was right – I’d never trusted Rose. We’d been
doomed from the start. She had every reason to turn on me.

“Richard,
retrieving the money was only part of the job, and there is no way
Ramsey would have convinced Rose to kill you, not someone like her –
that’s my job. We need to make it look like I killed Oren Johnson.
It’s the only way you’ll be safe.”

I
narrowed my eyes. “No, we’re talking about your safety.
However, I believe we can come to an agreement. If Elaine Ramsey
believes Oren Johnson is dead, she may leave us both alone.”

-Scott-

Introducing
Elaine Ramsey

I
was 16, the age of Eligibility, when I joined the military. It
didn’t matter that I hadn’t completed my traditional schooling. The
military took care of its own, and all training would be provided. I
knew it would be a lifelong commitment to a Gov I didn’t agree with
most of the time, but given the circumstances, I couldn’t really
think of a better option.

Those
who enlisted were given special tests. The doctors were pleased with
my results. They said I would be an asset to the realm and
registered me for the special operations regiment.

I
left home with high hopes. I would have a job. I would be able to
contribute to society. Better yet, I would be able to help my
family. Members of the SOR received extra provisions. I’d
immediately requested that my extras be sent home to help my sisters
who always had so little.

***

A
few weeks ago, Mrs. Elaine Ramsey requested a meeting with the
Lieutenant General. She also requested that I sit in as a witness.
It was a common practice, though why she requested me specifically, I
had no idea, and I didn’t ask. No one ever questioned the head of
Ramsey Corps, a tall and thin yet foreboding elderly woman. Near
the end of the meeting she shared a personal concern.

“General,
I’m embarrassed to say that I was recently robbed.”

The
general glanced at me and seemed to consider his words carefully
before he spoke. “I hope whatever was taken
wasn’t…invaluable.”

“No,
but it was a lot of money, and I would like it back. I was thinking
maybe we could send in some of the soldiers, discreetly.”

“If
our office gets involved, I’ll have to report it as part of the
public record. Would you still like our help?”

“No,
thank you,” she replied as she shook his hand. “I’ll
find another way.”

“Right
this way, Mrs. Ramsey.” I held open the door for her. “I’ll
be happy to escort you to your car.”

After
we’d left the building but before we reached her car, I continued
quietly, “I know someone who is in the business of solving
problems discreetly and off the record.”

“I’m
interested.” She smiled.

“There
would be a cost for her services.”

“Cost
is not an issue, soldier, if the work is of good quality.”

So
I gave her Keira’s alias and told her she should expect to hear from
Madeline within the next few days. I’d never approved of my sister’s
choice of occupation, yet I tried to help her out whenever an
opportunity presented itself.

-Keira-

Getting
Out

“Richard,
retrieving the money was only part of the job, and there is no way
Ramsey would have convinced Rose to kill you, not someone like her –
that’s my job. We need to make it look like I killed Oren Johnson.
It’s the only way you’ll be safe.”

“No,
we’re talking about your safety. However, I believe we can come to
an agreement. If Elaine Ramsey believes Oren Johnson is dead, she
may leave us both alone.”

I
nodded. All right then, we understood each other. “By the
way, what do you want me to call you?”

“Most
people call me Richard. My friends call me Rick.”

“And
you prefer Guy but only with people who know your secret.” I
paused for a beat, and then asked, “What does Scott call you?”

“That’s
a good question, and one that you should ask him. What would Scott
say about you, I wonder? Would he tell me to trust you?”

“Well,
I’m no longer planning on killing you, so that’s a plus.” I
smiled. “I’ll check in with Scott. If he thinks you’re worth
it, then you’ll have nothing to worry about, at least not from me.”

Just
then, Eberhardt opened the door and walked in with coffee and
muffins. He looked at the gun on the table and then at both of us.

I
turned back to Richard. “Do you have a contact on the police
force?”

“Of
course I do.” He walked briskly to his desk and reached for
his transceiver. He placed a call but kept the vidscreen turned off.
Instead, he gave a numerical code, which must have clearly
identified him to the party on the other end, before he explained the
reason for his call.

“What
did I miss?” Eberhardt set breakfast on the table and picked up
his gun.

I
reached for a raspberry muffin and a cup of coffee, black. “It’s
Rose. We think she’s working for Elaine Ramsey too.”

“No
shit! Really?”

I
smiled and licked some crumbs off my fingers.

Richard
rejoined us. “I underestimated her too,” he said to
Eberhardt. “The police will be here soon to investigate the
robbery and death of Oren Johnson. We need to be out of here in half
an hour.” He turned to me. “You’ll come with us?”

“No,
I have to go to work, and so does Eberhardt.”

Eberhardt
nodded. “I’ll stay and work with the police.”

I
looked at Richard. “Try to leave without being spotted, and
let me go first. I’ll be obvious and try to draw attention away from
the building. If Mrs. Ramsey has hired anyone else, hopefully
they’ll follow me. I’ll meet with her later this morning and tell
her what happened to Oren.”

I
retrieved my coat and purse from the bedroom and hurried to the front
door. Before I reached it, Richard was at my side, his hand on my
arm.

“Wait!
Exactly what do you plan to tell her?”

I
turned and gave him my full attention. “That I killed Oren
Johnson. Don’t worry, I won’t tell her anything else.”

“How
can I reach you?”

“It’s
probably best that you don’t, but if you need to, contact Scott.”

I
hurried through the hall, down the stairs and into the bright
sunlight. Once on the street, I projected an air of confidence as I
walked along, joining the flow of pedestrians and cyclists.
Eventually, I paused and knocked on the window of a cab. It was a
rusty old blue wagon. Hopefully, it would get me more than a few
blocks before breaking down. I gave the driver directions to The
String Bean, a restaurant a few blocks from my apartment.

I
frequented The String Bean, since it was so close to home. Over
time, the waitstaff and I had become friendly. Today, I walked in,
chatted for a bit, and then exited through a side door. One could
never be too cautious.

My
apartment, located in one of Tkaron’s nicer Working Class
neighborhoods, could have easily fit into Richard’s living room, but
it was familiar and comfortable. It was home.

I
kicked off my shoes and turned on an old techno musical device that
had belonged to my mother. A woman’s voice rang out clearly. “Just
direct your feet…to the sunny side of the street…” My
mother had enjoyed music from the early 20th Century. The upbeat
melodies and bright lyrics added color to our days. She’d told me
that it masked the prevalent hardships of the time, hardships that
seemed to be an ongoing experience for our people. I was drawn to
the music because of the irony and because it reminded me of my
mother.