The Secret Manuscript (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-One

Kyle came home at two in the afternoon, a time when he was normally at work. He walked in, hung his coat, and came into the kitchen where Ben was sitting at the table. Ben was reading a newspaper, and eating a mid-afternoon snack. 

"Hey, man," Ben greeted him with a mouth full of food. 

Kyle let out a big sigh and was noticeably perturbed. "I'm having the worst week," he said. "First my team loses and now this." 

"Let me guess, the new treatment your team was working on to stave off the effects of Alzheimer's disease was developed by Lucius Labs?" 

"Yeah, how did you-" 

"I believe they are based out of Switzerland if I'm not mistaken," Ben said with a smirk. By this point, Kyle made the connection and realized Ben's secret manuscript had let him know in advance. 

"As you know, Kyle, whoever goes to market first has a huge advantage. I suspect your funding will be cut and you will have to start an entirely new thesis. It definitely sucks, unless of course you have Alzheimer's, but there's really nothing you can do about it, right?" 

"What are you getting at, and why do you have that stupid grin on your face?" 

"My friend, do you remember the time I was getting beat up and you came to my rescue?" 

"Which one?" 

"Good point. I suppose it doesn't really matter. What I'm getting at is you've always been there for me. You're a very loyal friend and I've never really had the chance to repay my debt to you. As a matter of fact, I haven't even really said thank you." 

"Ben, enough with the theatrics, what are you trying to say?" 

"First, I want to say thank you for being such a good friend to me. Second, we don't have to worry about money for a little while." 

"What did you do, Ben?" Kyle said, not sharing Ben's enthusiasm. 

"I think it's best if you don't know too much. You should remain innocent?" 

"Ben, if you've done something illegal, I want to know about it. As you said, our fates are entwined. Whatever you do affects me too." 

"If you must know, it all started when I robbed the robber a few weeks ago." 

"You didn't." 

"Oh I did," Ben said proudly. "Why don't you have a seat, I think you're going to like this one." 

Kyle pulled out a chair opposite to Ben and sat down. 

"So the night I asked you to rob the robber, I ended up going on my own." 

"Wait, how did you know where the robber lived?" 

"Sorry, I thought I told you. I followed him." 

Kyle stared back with a blank look on his face. 

"I knew the bank was going to be robbed, so I waited outside for the robber to come out and when he did, I followed him. Actually, it wasn't my original intent, I thought I had lost him, but we coincidentally ended up sitting next to each other on the bus." 

"Strange coincidence." 

"I know, right? Anyway, I went back to his house at night, but I went prepared. I brought a knife, some rope, and some other supplies. Oh, and I was dressed head to toe in black so I would be camouflaged." 

Kyle rolled his eyes. 

"I made my way onto the roof like a ninja and unfastened the chimney crown. The thing was awkward and heavy, and I was also trying not to make a lot of noise. I struggled to remove it, and when I did, I ended up just resting it against the side of the chimney while finding the sweet spot to balance it on the peak of the roof. Keep this in mind because it's going to become an integral part of the story later."