Duplicate Minds

Thirty

The barista is just handing him his coffee when his phone goes off. He's getting a new pickup request.

He thanks the barista, places the coffee in the cupholder, and pulls out of the drive-thru and into a parking space. He glances at the information on the phone: The customer is five minutes away, her destination is about six miles away, and the estimated driver earnings are ten bucks. He accepts the trip. He sips his coffee as he drives to the customer, debating in his head whether he'll make this the last fare of the night or try for a couple more. He's starting to get tired, but if he pushes himself he can make it a two-hundred dollar day.

The navigation leads him to a dingy dive bar on the outskirts of town. He pulls into the parking lot and idles. No one's outside, but just as he's about to call the customer, the door at the front of the bar opens and a young woman walks out and makes a beeline for his car. She's short, with a cherubic face and long brunette hair. She wears a tight-fitting jean jacket, a bright blue T-shirt and black leggings.

She opens the passenger-side door. "Rajeev?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"Samantha." He checks the name on the app: Samantha.

"How are you tonight?" he asks as he confirms the trip on the app and pulls up the navigation to her destination.

"I'm fine. Just getting off work. How about you? Busy night?"

He shrugs. "No busier than usual, but I haven't had much trouble getting fares." He turns on the radio and lowers the volume to background-music status. He always sets it to a smooth jazz station when he's working. The relaxing music helps keep him from going insane.

The obligatory introductory chit-chat subsides and they drive in silence. It begins raining, just a trickle at first, then steady, then pouring. Rajeev drives onto the freeway, windshield wipers pounding at full speed.

"This is some crazy weather," he says. He has to talk more loudly than normal due to the din of the rain plinking against the roof of the car.

"I know. I thought we were done with rain for the season."

"Me too." He turns the radio off; even on a low volume, he finds it distracting with the road conditions requiring so much extra attention. The roads are slick, the sky is dark, and Rajeev recognizes the combination as a recipe for disaster.

The car hydroplanes for a split second, but he manages to steer out of it. He turns his head slightly and apologizes.

"No, it's not your fault," Samantha says. "This rain is horrible. What do you think, should we take the next exit and wait it out?"

"That's up to you. It's your dime. Part of the fare calculation is based on time."

"I'd rather pay a little more than wind up dead."

Rajeev shrugs. "Suit yourself. I'll—"

It happens faster than he can perceive. A pair of headlights that had been safely in one of the opposite lanes is suddenly blinding him. It overpowers his vision completely. He has just enough time to feel a mix of panic and overwhelming regret, and then everything fades to black.

***

Mira picked them up a few moments later. Dev insisted he and Rajeev ride in the trunk until they were well outside NLT's proximity, lest any of Maltek's goons spot them and take chase. After driving for about a half hour, Mira pulled into her driveway and popped open the trunk.