Fugitive

Chapter 27

As the man reached the corner he kept going. I was in a conspicuous fighting stance. It was then I got a good look at him. He was wearing proper running shoes, basketball shorts and a singlet. He had earbuds in. Listenign to music. He nodded as he ran past. Just a runner. Just a runner, I repeated to myself. Paranoia again. Great. I started running again, with a fresh mind. I got a few strange looks as I ran. My boots definitely weren't ideal footwear. I kept going. Before long I made it to a store just down the road from Dennis's house. I went up to the man behind the counter. He was writing in a notebook. "Excuse me sir, Could I borrow that pen and a piece of paper for two seconds"? He looked at me as if I was stupid. "Fine, whatever. But you have to buy something first". I picked up a chocolate bar beside me and placed it on the counter. He scanned it while I scribbled the address of the warehouse and instructions to Dennis. By the time I was finished the man was about to hand over my change. I ripped the page from the book and took the change. "Thanks". I folded the paper and placed it in my pocket. On the way out I ripped the wrapper and took a bite of the chocolate bar. It felt good to taste chocolate again. When we were little Cat and I got chocolate all the time. Mom worked with a man whose son worked at a chocolate store, or a factory or something. His son got the left overs and gave some to him. Then he would give some to Mom when he came into work. It was a pretty good arrangement. Chocolate cake was Cat's favourite. I'm more of a cheese cake person myself. Once for Cat's birthday Mom made a triple chocolate cake. It was a milk chocolate cake with dark chocolate icing and shards of white chocolate sticking out of the top. It was three layers high. All of Kat's friends were amazed. I used to try and get their attention a lot. Some of my first ever crushes came from Cat's group of friends. I must have only been about seven at the time. Cat is older than me, by a couple of years. So, her friends were always out of my league and only saw me as Cat's baby brother. But still, I tried. I got some water from my bag and took a big sip. I made note to buy some more water soon. I kept walking until I reached Dennis's house. As I slipped the note into the mailbox I made eye contact with him through the window. I glared. He just closed the curtain and disappeared from view. I ran to the bus stop knowing I would be a tad late. I rounded the corner just as the bus was heading off. I chased after it and banged on the door. "Wait"! it pulled over and stopped. The bus driving looked pissed at me. "Sorry", I muttered. I paid and took a seat at the front. That way no one could look back and see my face. The bus driver didn't seem to pay enough attention to anything let alone notice me. He almost hit a kid crossing the road. It was the kids fault really but still, he didn't even slow down. By the end of the trip I was seriously considering that he was blind. My Uncle is blind. Cat and I used to make fun of him. We were horrible really. No wonder he never came to visit. He always wore a trench coat. Even in summer. He had a dog, Cassie. A golden Labrador that helped him walk around. We used to take his cane and move it so he woudn't be able to find it when he stood up. It was never our intention to be mean. We were just having fun. It didn't stop the scolding we got when he left. He always left pretty good presents for us, you know, for a blind guy. Who had no idea what we looked like, what we enjoyed, what we wore. I think for a good few years he thought it was Cat talking when it was me. I must have had a pretty squeaky voice. As I exited the bus someone on a bike almost ran straight into me. I held back a smart remark and kept walking. The restaurant was just down the street. This is actually where Tony met Letty. She was a waitress. I was there. Tony made the mistake of mentioning he thought she was hot in front of the boys. He was right of course. She was hot. But we made fun of him the entire night. He kept asking for more drinks or more food in hopes that he could stay long enough to gain the courage to actually ask her out. He never did. In the end he was too chicken. It didn't matter though, because Letty had written her number on the bill. "Give this to your friend", she said. I knew she was talking about Tony. I smiled. "I will". And I did. Later that night when the others had moved on to something else. I passed it over as casually as I could. "You're welcome", I said to him. So really, I am the reason they got married. And the reason they had two children. I know Letty wants more though. We started spending more time together then. At that point I was home for bit. The next time I returned home they were getting married. I was able to attend their wedding. I was best man. And that time up at the front next to Tony in front of all their family was probably scarier than walking into a night raid. They had arranged it so I would make it. I was grateful. It was a nice wedding. One of the only occasions I've ever worn my suit. I went straight into the bathroom avoiding the staff. I hoped they wouldn't call me out for using the bathrooms but not buying anything. I went down the small corridor and into the men's' bathroom. There was another man in there, so I waited, pretending to be washing my hands until he left. As soon as the door shut again I lifted the bin for the paper towels. Sure enough, there was the little bag with a thin cardboard box inside. I opened the bag, then the box. Inside was a small bug. It was incredibly small. The back had a part that I could peel off and it would stick to different surfaces. There was also a much larger transmitter that I could use to hear what they're saying. It was perfect. By the time I caught the bus back I didn't have long until I was supposed to meet Dennis. I hadn't been on that many buses before. Our parents would always drive us, or we could walk. These past few days, I've used the bus more than I have in the last few years. It would take me a bit to get there. But I had time to pick up some food first. I got some Chipotle to takeaway. I was starving. I hadn't eaten much all day and the running I was doing was quite exhausting. I ate and walked at the same time. I got a pain in my side pretty quickly. I know I shouldn't have been eating and walking but I really didn't have time to stop. I got to the warehouse. Dennis wasn't there yet. I'd finished my Chipotle by then. I walked over to the other building and reached for the fire escape. On three, I jumped and grabbed the lower bar. I managed to pull myself up. From there I just climbed up a bit further. The top of the building was the best bet. So, I went right up. From there it was a great view of the warehouse and all the surrounding streets. Dennis showed up a couple of minutes before schedule, but I was ready. I watched and waited as he climbed out of his car and walking over to the door. He pulled out the note and put in the code, shutting the door behind him. I climbed down the fire escape as quickly as possible. I remained as out of sight as I could, in case he spontaneously left the building. When I was satisfied he wouldn't I ran to his car. An older model. I was getting ready to break in when I realised it wasn't even locked. So, I simply opened the door. I knelt one knee on the driver's seat to get a better look at the interior. Cans on the floor, screwed up receipts and a lone pen. Typical really. He didn't appear to have anything remotely valuable. Not even a weapon. No wonder he kept his car unlocked. I reached for the bug in my pocket. I peeled back the sticky part and placed the bug just behind and sort of under the head rest of the front seat. That way I would be able to hear what he was saying clearly. It was hidden from view unless you really started searching for it. Or if he removed the headrest. Which I mean, no one does right? After I checked the transmitter was working I shut the door and ran back inside. I put in the passcode and walked in. Dennis looked at his phone. "You're late". I shrugged casually. "Had to search the area". Dennis didn't say anything but there was a small change in his expression. I couldn't even tell you what happened. If his lips curled upwards or his eyebrows lowered. But something shifted slightly. I walked up the stairs. Dennis stood facing me. "Kat and Toby", I repeated, trying to make it seem like a real meeting. I didn't need him to say anything, but if he did it would save a hell of a lot of trouble. "I don't know who you're talking about". "My sister and my nephew. You killed them because you were a part of Bratva and they wanted to scare me". Again, this was beginning to get repetitive. He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else. I honestly don't know what you want me to say". That was convincing. I almost faltered. Almost started to doubt. I got rid of the thought before it had time to really take shape. No, this was him. This was Dennis. This was the guy. He is guilty. Just a very convincing liar. A con man. I took a few steps forward. "I want you to say you killed them. Admit it to me. Tell me it was you". Dennis shrugged. "Can't do that". "Why not"? he didn't get to answer. Then we both turned to the sound of a stray bullet outside. From the roof. "What the hell was that"? Before my mind could process what was happening I was hit square in the chest with another bullet. I stumbled backwards gasping for air. A pain sliced through me. Dennis looked around wide eyed and panicked. I hit the metal railings and crumpled to the floor. I moved my shaking hand to my chest. Blood was already staining the floor. I had no idea what had happened. My mind was buzzing but I couldn't focus on the thoughts. Dennis was leaving, I saw him running off to the side from the corner of my eye. It was an indescribable feeling. Like life itself was leaving my body. My breathing was unstable and shaking. I felt out of breath. I coughed once or twice. A metallic taste told me I was coughing up blood. Not a good sign. I had to keep my eyes open. I knew that. Someone would have heard the gun shot. I just had to stay awake. But I couldn't. I was just so tired. My eyes felt so heavy. They closed. Everything went black.