Charade

Benji

At noon, a sharp knock came ringing through the Hammond's apartment.

When I opened the door, he stood there wordlessly, posture impeccable and strong hands by his sides. The conman looked about forty, give or take, with dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes. I could tell he'd worked outdoors for some of his life, judging by the weathered, sun-kissed skin. But other than that, he was just an average-looking white guy, someone you'd never look twice at on the street. No wonder he was so good at his job – he was practically a chameleon.

Unsure what to say, I silently moved to the left as an invitation for him to come in, and he did. His eyes studied the apartment intently, catching every detail in his stare. It was one of those trained gazes that I guess every conman had, one that took in everything and gave nothing away.

"What's your real name?" I asked him as I caught the scent of Lynx that followed him in.

"Victor," he said, voice as sharp as his knock.

There was a moment of awkward silence where neither of us knew what to say. He already knew my name. Was I supposed to shake his hand or something? Doubtful, considering how he much he must've loathed me at the second. I gulped and couldn't quite meet his unwavering stare.

"This is how our partnership will work," he said bluntly. "I will teach you everything I know to make you successful. That is what was agreed. But I have rules, Benjamin, and they must be obeyed or you will not learn anything. Understand?"

I nodded. Straight forward. Direct. I almost liked this guy.

"Rule Number One: all profits go to me. This is non-negotiable."

I opened my mouth to argue, but faltered under that weighty glare of his. But I guess it was fair, considering I stole all his money. Besides, I could make it all back after we were finished.

"Fine." I said.

"Rule Number Two: respect. You don't have to like me or the way I'll teach you, but I expect you to respect me, just as I will respect you. This means doing as I say with no back-chatting, proper punctuality, meeting all the expectations and rules, and most importantly: absolute honesty. This means you will always tell me the truth, no matter its consequences. Part of your learning will include how to properly lie, but do not be so naïve to think that I will not know if you are not being truthful towards me – after all, I'm the one who taught you."

I saw the hint of a smile on that last line, but nothing more, and it was gone before I could be sure I'd seen it.

"Rule Number Three: no arrogance or ignorance. Understand that this is a dangerous life to lead, Benjamin. Sloppiness will result in jail time. Do not get comfortable, and do not believe for even a minute that you can't be caught, no matter what precautions you take. With this in mind, Rule Number Four: no supervised scams. You will follow through on the scams I tell you to, when I tell you to do it, and how I want you to do it. When we do partner work, you will play the parts I tell you to and nothing more. Do you understand?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Good," he said. "And the final rule is that you must return the money you stole."

I smiled.

"No," I said. "The money's my leverage."

"If you wish for leverage, keep the evidence. It's more than enough to convince a jury. But the money is mine, and you will return it before we begin. Is that clear?"

I considered it for a moment and decided it was fair. Besides, he was right. I could turn him in without the money and say that it wasn't with the evidence when I found it. And I was already pushing my luck enough as it was.

"Got it," I said. "I'll slip the money under your door by tomorrow morning."

"No," Vic said. "I want it now."

"So you can follow me to my hiding spot? I'm not that stupid."

Vic paused, studying me with cold eyes. It was like he was a robot, going through the motions with no feeling, like he was simply studying the world with no emotion – love and joy and pain and sadness, all lost to him. He was just there, watching my every move, trying to fool me into revealing where the money and the evidence were. Well guess what mate? You're going to have to try harder than that!

"No," he said emotionlessly, "you're not that stupid. Perhaps you do have some potential after all."

©  A.G. Travers 2015