Sly Cooper 5: Promises Made By Thieves

Chapter 35: Murray

I haven't felt this happy in ages. In fact, I can't remember the last time I've ever been this happy, or any one of us have been.

We go around the table in one of the motel rooms, and take turns spinning an empty water bottle. The person it lands on then decides whether to truth or dare. Bentley ends up getting the bottle first, and I dare him to burp as loud as possible. Thought it would be good remembering our lemonade bar days.

The bottle then lands on Sly, and he decides to go for dare too, and he is dared by McSweeney to spin in place as fast as he can for fifteen seconds. He ends up falling on the bed by the thirteenth. But he was really fast at it.

I then got the bottle, and went for Truth. Sly asked me how many times I've cried "like a baby" thinking about him while he was away. I made a face of half rage half grin at the little guy, and when it seemed like I would punch him, I decided to do a sequel to Bentley's dare and give Sly a good belch. We all laughed so loud it was louder than my burp. Even Dimitri laughed.

It was then McSweeney's turn, and he decided on truth. Bentley asked him if he ever dated anyone when he was in jail. McSweeney bit his cheek and said he didn't really feel like he could, but it was possible he could now meet new people. I could tell there was more than he was letting on, but since he wasn't up for sharing, Bentley asked for the bottle to be spun again and I followed along.

We keep playing the game, including over pizza. I decide to pay out of my own pocket and think about my expenses when I realize I haven't told my boss all that has happened. Realizing I'm going to have to call in sick or something, I think about just saying I have to leave. The Murray can find another gig after some much needed time to be with my family now full again. And if we run low on money, maybe we can steal something.

Sly ends up devouring the slices of pizza even faster than me, and I think I even see him regaining some weight he lost in that prison. Seeing that alone was worth saving him from Egypt.

When we've exhausted each other with embarrassing ourselves or spilling our secrets, we switch to various card games with a deck in the corner, then Carmelita flings the door open, startling us all.

"I was right," she says, quite angry. Fitting for her, I guess. "Something is truly wrong."

Carmelita doesn't even bother with some leftover pie we saved for her, even though it looks like she hasn't eaten since we last saw her seven hours ago and she must've spent most of this time on the road. She immediately sits down on the bed and dares for us to change the subject or not listen to her.

"So I went to Heathrow and asked Barkley about Raleigh. Barkley got all the prisoners to return to their cells, and we went over to Raleigh's cell. It was occupied."

"Really?!" says Sly incredulously.

"By a rock," she adds. "In his bed under some covers."

"Wait a minute," says McSweeney. "You're telling me for the last two and a half months, a prisoner was mistaken for a rock in his bed, and no one was the wiser? My guards always did more homework than that on me. Much, much more!"

"I seriously doubt no one was the wiser too," continues Carmelita. "The process is guards make a count of each prisoner every night and morning, and there are three different guards who take turns doing so. I brought each of them forward and they feigned innocence. But it was more like incompetency. I've read Raleigh's profile. I know he's very rich. I suspect he bribed the guards to shut them up. Barkley fired each of them and now he's gonna be in a bad mood doing counts by himself. But that's not all we discovered."

"What?" asks McSweeney.

"We have another escape. Someone else got away under the radar."

"Who?" all five of us ask in unison.

Carmelita sighs and looks over to McSweeney. "One Branwell Mapperson."