The next morning I went into town, trying my best to lay low. I had possibly the worst crick in my neck ever. I slid into a Starbucks. The bell above the door tinkled daintily when I stepped through the doorframe. The lady behind the counter looked up from her newspaper and smiled a forced sarcastic smile. She sighed “Welcome to Starbucks what’ll you be having today?” I glanced down out of curiosity at the newspaper. Uh-oh it said in huge letters “Wanted Ace of Diamonds Dead or Alive”. I cleared my throat and tried to sound calm. I’ll have a cappuccino with cinnamon spice. I looked around and gasped internally.
“A cop” I thought, “A whole squad!” once again I was in trouble. I needed to get out of town fast! “Make it to go.” I spurted out hastily.
The grumpy waitress rolled her eyes and made me wait even longer. Finally I got my coffee and paid. I had a whopping 3 cents left after paying. The police squad was right outside the door.
“Have a nice day.” Ms. Grumpy said without a trace of emotion. I strolled out of the coffee shop and passed the squadron of lawmen. My heart was pumping so incredibly loud I was sure the cops would hear. It was a pleasant 65 degrees outside yet I was sweating. One of the cops furrowed his brow but then shrugged and went back to eating his powder sugar doughnut. I ducked into an alley and through a back door.
I found myself in a post office. Suddenly I had an idea. I strolled over to the garage where the delivery trucks were kept. I was in luck one was departing right now. I hopped in the back and emptied the biggest box I could find and then searched another box; it had a laptop in it. I took it. After that I found my way back to the first box and concealed myself. I stayed in their all day. God was I starving and the coffee just made my hyperactive. The more I sat there the faster the caffeine worked my digestive system. Now I had to pee as well. Today was not my day. Finally the driver stopped for lunch at Tina’s Soups and Sandwiches. I figured now was a good time to get out. I crept out of the truck clutching the laptop and went into the restaurant.
I was famished and broke and that was a problem. But an easy one to fix all you’ve got to do is pick pocket! In ten minutes I had collected $7.00 already. I ordered my food and inhaled my grouper sandwich and opened “my” new laptop. First things first I needed to know where I was, so I pulled up Google Earth. I was in New York, not in the city but out in the rural area. I grinned this was working out perfectly! Soon I had set up my own e-mail account.
If you were wondering I was e-mailing my friend Malcolm. Malcolm was in the diamond ring I was in. Unfortunately he was kicked out by Salem when he made a mistake on feeding the security cameras a loop. Malcolm was our techie and he was a good one. He hacked his way into so many museum files that it was a sixth sense now. Any information we needed he plucked out of the files like tweezers plucks a thorn out of your hand. Not to mention he was my best friend. Here’s what my e-mail said.
Hey Malcolm just escaped “job” and in NY can I stay w/ u?
Ace
Of course Malcolm was on his laptop so I got an immediate reply. Here’s what he said.
Hey Ace. U can stay w/ me. Glad you alive fill me in later. My apartment # is 468 Blake place… c u whenever u get here.
Malcolm
I let out a sigh of relief. I had a place to stay now but how was I going to get there! I pulled up map quest and printed out my directions to Malcolm’s place. I gazed out the window blankly, wondering how to get to Malcolm’s apartment. I saw a sign it said Welcome to Fish Bank, New York told me I was right on the outskirts of the town. Then I had my best idea ever, I mean this one was brilliant. I went over to the counter and asked the cashier if there were any farms around here and that I was looking for my Brother Mike’s farm. She told me that she knew there were some farms just west of here. I thanked her, picked up my laptop and headed west.
Sure enough after about ten minutes of roaming the interstate I came across a cluster of farms equipped with horses, pigs, goats, cows and everything else but I wasn’t interested in those animals. I jumped a wooden fence and moved like a ghost over to the stables. Not even the horses noticed me when I made my entrance. I had never ridden a horse before, but how hard could it be? I pulled out the nail holding one of the stall doors closed, it opened with a groan. The horses were now aware of my presence. I walked over and snatched a saddle off the rack replacing it with the lap top as recompense. I went in a black horses’ stall it snorted at me. I reached out and touched its muzzle. Apparently I’d gone too far. The stallion whipped around and landed a thundering kick to my chest.
The blow knocked me down and sent me skidding backwards. The horse glared at me, pawed the ground and charged me I dove out of the way, and scrambled to my feet. The infuriated animal spun back around and ran at me. I thought fast. I sprang upward and landed on the horse. There was only one problem I was backwards! I swung my left leg around on the saddle now I was facing forward. I pulled back on the reigns and the hose skidded to a stop. The horse was panting and exhausted. I got off and led him to his water bowl (I had decided the horse was a boy.) I let him take a long drink, and then I got back in the saddle. Then the door opened and a farmer guy staggered out. He looked extremely drunk. I slid off the horse and said. “Hey man it’s Mike, your friend from high school.” “wah! Oh! grmp bro How ya doin’ Mike my old friend?” Suddenly he ran/staggered over and tried to hug me. I sidestepped the tipsy redneck and he hugged the horse who slammed him into the wall. Ouch. I stepped over the unconscious farmer and mounted the horse once again. He snorted but stayed still. I took a deep breath and snapped the reins. The horse shot out of the barn like one of my diamond bullets.
We thundered toward New York City. I had no idea what I was doing but I wasn’t dead so I was alright. We sped down the interstate directly toward New York City. I could see the city with all of its neon signs and skyscrapers in my head. We must have rode for an hour and a half before it was spread out in front of us. I tied the horse to a tree. You are probably wondering why I just got rid of my only means of transportation. I did it because it would be a bit odd entering New York City on horseback don’t you think? Riding in on a horse would draw attention and that was the last thing I wanted to happen.
Any ways I walked into the massive place it didn’t even look human. Finally I found Malcolm’s apartment building. It was tall, slender and modern. The building was painted a pale blue. I double checked the name and walked in. The cold blast of the air conditioning cooled my sweat. I walked over to the receptionist’s desk. She asked me who I was and whom I was here to see. I told her my name was Ace Miner and that I was here to see Malcolm Bloom. She nodded and told me to go on up. I thanked her and went over to the elevator. When the steel doors closed I pushed the button to take me to the fourth floor.
When the doors opened again I walked through the hall way trying to find room 468. I was physically spent. Evading guards and cops, almost getting shot by Salem and many other people, hiding in a UPS truck, battling a stallion and racing on him later on is pretty tiring. I rapped on the door. It swung open so fast that it slammed in to my head. I fell to the ground. “Oww” I groaned. I opened my eyes only to see Malcolm freckly face and big blue eyes staring at me. “Ooops” Malcolm said. Malcolm had always been a klutz but he really out did himself this time. “I’m so sorry Ace it’s just that-. I cut him off “Malcolm it’s okay I m alive so it’s okay.”
He smiled and helped me up. When I stepped inside I was impressed; Malcolm had a nice place. The apartment had two bedrooms, one bathroom a kitchen and a plasma screen TV. We sat in the living/dining room area and I told Malcolm all about my encounter with Salem. He listened contently and then we ordered Outback take out and I borrowed some of Malcolm’s clothes and put them on. After hearing my story Malcolm said “we need to keep an eye on Salem.” I laughed “and how exactly are you going to do that”. Malcolm grinned “like this” he answered. Malcolm pulled out his lap top and showed me several small squares of video feed. “What’s this” I said. “The security cameras at castle Banther” he told me. Once again Malcolm had really outdone himself.
