Codename: Shadow

Chapter 6

“Drew Rhodes?” the man stared down at the file he held in his hands, his voice had a distinctly Asian accent. Then he looked back up at me as if I was some kind of mythical creature who’d galloped into his office carrying a leprechaun. It amused me, I admit.

The fake name I choose for my insurance company work was sort of a joke in itself. Not only do they get surprised when they hear how old I am, but with a name like Drew, they also believe that I’m a guy.

I looked up at him with a stoic expression, ignoring the smell of stale coffee grinds. “That’s the name, Mr. Robinson.”

He seemed unsure. I mean, I completely understand him. Someone—I hired—casually mentioned that the owner of James Howel’s Museum of Art might want to hire someone to check his security system. I knew after researching it was a pretty terrible one, but he didn’t need to know that. All Mr. Howel’s representative,  Mr. Robinson, needed to know was that I was good at what I did.

“How old are you?” he asked, still in awe as his eyes darted from the file in his hands, my file, to me, back to the file with my information again.

“Turning twenty in a few weeks.” I lied smoothly, sneaking a peak around the off-white office.

The desk he sat at was oak, kept up better than everything else in the small room. It must have been something he bought himself, or—I noted the initials CW carved into one of the legs in tiny letters—an heirloom. Had to be an heirloom.

Mr. Robinson really seemed unsure after hearing that. “Why in the world should I entrust the security of my museum to you, Ms.Rhodes?” he asked. It was a decent questions. Why should he let me break into his museum to test the security system?

“Because,” I shrugged at him, taking my eyes off the picture frames atop the metal filing cabinet, “I’m good at what I do, sir—and I’m not even the best in the business. If you can’t spot me, then you’ve got worse things to worry about then some first rate insurance company thief. We run the easy jobs. But, if you want someone like the Shadow to test your security system, I won’t stop you. You may lose all your paintings, however.”

Yes. I totally did use myself as an example to win him over. And he totally bought it.

“When can I expect your next visit to my museum, Ms. Rhodes?” he asked, jotting down something on a sticky note.

Standing, I smirked down at the man with Japanese set eyes. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out.”

With that, I did what I do best. I disappeared into the crowded streets.

~0o0~

                A good and proper heist is started and over in maybe twenty to thirty minutes. Then there’s the planning… That is complete and total overkill. It’s the reason that I disappear from home for weeks on end.

We spread out blueprints and other details across Jake’s coffee table and argue over the best entrance for hours until we finally come to an agreement.

The two of us track down other thieves to ask about security systems. We learn how to pick certain locks. We… I think you understand. There’s a lot of work put into each heist.

But yet, despite the planning that needed to happen, I found myself sitting in my living room, curled up on the sofa. Planning could wait until the next day, for at that time, all I really wanted to do was relax.

We’d ordered the plane tickets and I’d packed my suitcase, but I’d opted out of staying at Jake’s. I felt exhausted from the long ride to meet the representative from the Howel Museum of Art.