Collateral

VII. 4: 2077. October 9th, Saturday, 19:55

Rose is sitting in her car with Sophia next to her. She plugs the burner phone into a giant-looking tracking device.

"Do you know how to use this?" Rose asks.

Sophia shakes her head.

"Well, then you are gonna have to do the talking."

Rose dials the number and hands the phone to Sophia. Someone picks up on the other side, and Sophia looks terrified.

"John, I haven't heard from you in two days. What happened? Why didn't you call me?" a voice sounds from the phone.

Rose gestures to Sophia to keep him talking. At the moment, all the tracking device was saying was that the phone was located in Seattle. Not that useful.

"I am sorry sir. This isn't John. I found this phone in the street, I am trying to figure out whose it was, who to give it back to, and you were the only contact."

"Oh, I am sorry." The voice sounds calmer. "It is kind of you to want to return it, but John always buys a new phone after he lost or tosses his burner, so no point in returning it. Can you please destroy the phone?"

Rose checks the tracking device as it spits out an address. She raises her thumb.

"Ok, sir. I will. I am sorry for calling you."

"No problem."

Sophia hangs up the phone. "You got an address?"

"Damn right, I do."

❖

While the car is driving, Sophia reaches the back and opens her suitcase. She removes her shirt and trousers and puts on a green coat and shirt. Her hair goes in two ponytails, and she starts doing her makeup.

"What the hell are you doing, Sophia."

"I am disguising myself as a 13-year-old girl scout."

"I can see that. Great impression by the way, but why?"

"Cause there is nothing less intimidating than a 13-year-old girl selling cookies."

"Are they? Teenage girls are terrifying. I have a sixteen-year-old at home. When she was thirteen, she terrified me."

Sophia shrugs. "Maybe, but who would be suspicious of a girl scout selling cookies."

"Sounds like a good way to get attacked."

Sophia starts practically begging. "Please, can you park a block away and let me do the girl scout angle? You will be right there, you can come in guns blazing if things go wrong. But please, can I try it my way?"

"Fine," Rose says. "But don't do anything stupid. And if something goes wrong, I will step in."

"Thanks, you won't regret it," Sophia says while the car is parking.

Sophia gets out of the car and walks to the house, where she rings the bell. A middle-aged guy opens the door.

"Hello, Mister. Do you wanna buy some cookies?"

The guy looks at the girl in shock.

"Are you here alone?"

"Yes, I am here to sell cookies." Sophia smiles. Even her voice sounds younger now.

The guy steps outside and closes the door behind them. "This isn't a neighbourhood where a girl should walk around unsupervised. It is not safe here. I am driving you home. Where do you live?"

Sophia points in the direction where Rose is parked. Rose ducks away before the guy looks in her direction. "I live right there."

"Let me walk you home then."

The man starts walking with Sophia next to him. When they arrive at the van, Sophia knocks on the side of the van, and Rose gets out.

The man looks at Rose, very confused. "Are you this girl's mother?"

Rose laughs. "I am not." She turns to Sophia. "Get into the van and change your clothes back."

"But—"

"No buts."

After Sophia enters the van, the man addresses Rose. "What the hell is going on? Who is that girl? Why are you letting her run around in a dangerous neighbourhood like this."

"Are you Mr Dietrich?"

"Yes. You didn't answer my question."

"Do you know someone named Johnny Sterling?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Who the hell are you? How do you know my name?"

"We found a burner phone with your phone number in it. So we tracked you down."

"You found a burner phone? Where?"

"On John Sterling's body," Rose says, crossing her arms.

Mr Dietrich looks shocked. "Johnny is dead?"

"So you do know him. Yes. I am afraid he is dead. Someone swapped his medication. My boss sent me to recover a phone he owned."

Mr Dietrich looks at her. "I have no idea who you are or what you want. If I can give you any advice, it will be to stay out of this. You have no clue what is going on. Just leave. I have nothing to say to you." He walks away.

"He is definitely hiding something."

"I know. We should just have sneaked in."

"What do we do now."

"I have noticed there is an abandoned building across from his house. I suggest we park there and watch his house."

❖

The sun goes down, and the streets go dark. Within the first hour, Sophia is bored from the stakeout and falls asleep. But Rose can't sleep. She hasn't in years. Suddenly, Rose's phone rings, and she picks up.

"Hi, Mom", sounds Ellie's voice through the phone.

"I cracked the Chrome phone you gave me."

"Great!"

"I found a lot of info on it. Lots of folders with different names. Some I recognise as friends or family or employees of Sophia's dad. But most I do not recognise."

"So Mr Johnson was collecting blackmail material? And John Stirling stole it. That is a great find, Ellie. This phone is worth a lot of money."

"Mom, there was also a folder with your name on it."

"Please, darling, don't open it. You will see things you can never unsee."

"Too late, Mom. I already opened it. I saw a lot. Video of you shooting a woman in a parking lot. Of you pulling a gun on a hotel manager. Proof you rigged racing cars and made them crash. Proof of you shooting people in the streets, in clear daylight."

"Little Angel, I --" Rose stutters, but Ellie interrupts her.

"I knew you were a mercenary, Mom, but this is something else. You kill people, not in self-defence, or because you have no choice, but just because it is easier. Because of money. You are a serial killer."

Rose just stares in front of her, not knowing what to say. She always hoped her daughter would never discover this part of her. But she figures it was inevitable anyways.

Ellie continues "And worst of all, I saw a receipt of you buying nitrous oxide when you were sixteen years old. I looked it up, and it is a fuel additive. It makes cars faster but also makes them prone to explode. Mom, I am gonna ask you a single question now, do you promise to answer it honestly?"

Rose shakes her head. "I promise."

"Did my dad die because he added nitrous oxide to his gasoline?"

Rose sighs. "No darling, he didn't. I added it to his car without his knowledge."

Ellie screams. "O my god Mom, how could you do that? And how could you keep that from me all these years!"

Ellie hands up, and Rose hears a dial tone. She tries to call Ellie back, but she doesn't pick up. Rose looks at her phone in silence. She whispers to her phone, "Of course, I'll miss you. I love you." knowing fully that Ellie can't hear it.