New Days [Completed]

New Days: Seventeen (II)

He emerged from the house looking perfectly healthy – not that, I reminded myself, he’d ever claimed to be sick, because I hadn’t bothered to ask. He emerged from the house clad in black, looking like a thief. His furtive glances about the area made the picture more firm in mind…and it piqued my interest.

What was he up to?

I’d been smart enough to park across a corner, and watch him through a pair of binoculars behind a bush, so he hadn’t seen me. Satisfied that nobody was around, he entered the car, and drove off.

I wasn’t far behind. He’d followed the road that led away from me, so turning around the corner and going straight on wasn’t difficult, but I had to be slow enough. He’d made it clear that he was on the lookout for someone, anyone, so he would be likely to notice if he saw a car tailing him. A car he was used to seeing.

We turned left and onto the A17 Highway, and we kept driving. It wasn’t too late by then, still about eight thirty, so there were a few cars around. I allowed two to overtake me, which was enough to hide me from John, but also enough to make me not lose sight of him. I matched his pace, when he drove slowly, as though about to turn, I slowed down too, and when he picked up the pace, so did I.

I noticed, quite interestingly enough, that he’d been giving many false signals. He’d indicate he was about to turn, then suddenly speed up to the other side of the highway. I thought it was foolish of him to do that, because anybody watching him would know that it was still him, but then I realized that that wasn’t the case. His car was silver, like most others on the road, but the only reason I could keep up with him was because I knew his car well. This car too, I realized with a start, that he normally drove a red one.

He came to a stop soon enough – he went off the highway and into a little clearing. It was where the Hoffman shack, and old wooden hut that had been scheduled for demolition, but the council had never really come around to it.

I didn’t park in right after he did, of course not, but drove on and doubled back when I got the chance to. I’d say fifteen minutes had passed since he’d gotten in, which would have been enough to end any suspicion that he’d been followed, I think.

I brought the car close to the area, but not where it could be seen directly, and trekked to the building on foot. Another car was present too, another very familiar car. Mark.

The two of them were there!

I walked quietly towards the door, then positioned myself so that my ear was pressed against it. Their voices were as clear as could be.

*

“The new shipment will be in tomorrow, we’ve got to go collect it. You know, right?”

“Duh, it’s not something I would have forgotten.” That was John’s voice. Which meant that Mark had been the first to speak.

“No, no, of course not. Who’d forget about the one thing that gets them so much dough? Free money!” The smile in Mark’s voice was evident.

“Yeah, it’s weird. I hadn’t thought I’d be up for it, but when I saw how easy this all was…” John smirked back – I knew him well enough.

“Yep, just don’t get caught,” Mark agreed gleefully.

“What saw we give a toast to that?” John proposed.

Silence followed, and then the sound of two glasses clinking.

What the-? So these guys were just a couple of agents for some drug lord? Doing this because…they could get free money? How pathetic was that?