Serreptitious

She stood quickly and slipped into her cardigan. The cab pulled up behind the jeweler's and she ran across the wet street.

 “674 East Stone Street. Thanks Harry.”

 The cabby glanced back and handed her a small piece of paper with a signature on it.

 “Got this from his briefcase. Normally he won’t take just any cab but I got things worked out just right.”

 She studied the name on the small dirty paper.

 “You sure they don’t have a recent confirmation of this?”

 “A what?”

 “Did they check his signature after last month?”

 “I don’t know, but they did- That’s him you’d better go.”

She stepped out of the cab and walked slowly by her contact who fell in beside her. When he coughed she handed him the copied signature and glanced behind her. The couple then walked towards the double doors of the bank.

 The clerk looked up from her desk and smiled.

 “Can I help you?”

 “Yes I’d like to get into my safety deposit box.”

 “Do you have your key with you sir?”

 “Yes.”

 “Would you please sign here sir? And if you would follow me?”

 The clerk inserted the bank’s key and turned it. The man with her did the same. After the clerk was back at her desk, the couple placed the contents of the box in her purse.  They were just walking out the door when they heard from behind them;

 “Excuse me sir but you...”

 The couple froze and inside his coat, the man clutched his gun.

 “You forgot your key. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

 “No that’ll be all. Thanks.”

          They stepped outside and walked one block before climbing into the waiting cab.

          “You know where we’re going Harry. Tomas, you’re going to be a lot more careful next time!”

          “What’d I do?”

          “You can’t just pull your gun any time you think it’d be handy.”

          “I never did.”

          “You’re stupid enough to think nobody’d notice what you’re doing. Plenty of people could have known.”

          Tomas squirmed in his seat. Harry had told him to do this job with her, said she was a peach.

          “Tomas, next time you reach for your gun and the heat blows over without it, pull a cigarette out instead. That throws off any body watching.”

          Tomas began to smile.

          “Colene, I never knew you were such a peach.”

         Harry's back stiffened and Thomas's smile widened.

         She glanced over at him.

          “We’re here. Get out.”  


These characters fill lots of thoughts and spare time of mine.