Price of a Bounty - By S. L. Wallace Page 0,2

me around. It was time to redirect the conversation.

“What do you do for a living, Richard?” I already knew the answer to that. Richard was the vice president of his father’s investment firm. He’d never had to really work for anything in his life.

“I work with investments.” His voice was cool and calm, but the look in his eyes was one of growing suspicion.

I stretched my arms and yawned. “It’s getting late, and I’ll have to get up early for work tomorrow. I should be going. Thank you very much for dinner and for your company.” As I stood, I made sure to stumble.

Richard jumped up to steady me. “Please, let my driver take you home.” He stood and helped me with my coat, then paused to pay the bill and place a call to his chauffeur.

I reached for his arm as we walked out the door together, and Richard led me to a sleek silver automobile that pulled up in front of the Café de Rivoli. I climbed in, impressed with the vehicle. This piece of old techno looked like it wouldn’t break down on the ride home. The upkeep must cost a fortune!

I simply said, “Nice.” Then I snuggled up next to Richard and pretended to fall asleep.

“Madeline?”

I made sure my breathing was even and let out a little sigh.

“We’d better not take her back in this condition,” he said to the driver. “Take us home.”

We soon arrived at an apartment that had been rented to a gardener named Oren Johnson. I wondered briefly if Richard’s father knew about this apartment. Probably not. I let him wake me just enough to guide me into the building. He led me to the elevator which whisked us up to the eighth floor.

When Richard opened the door to the apartment, I stumbled directly to a black leather couch and fell upon it. He picked me up and carried me into the bedroom. He gently placed me on the bed, removed my coat and shoes, then covered me with a downy comforter. Quietly, he returned to the living room and left the door ajar.

I held still and kept my eyes closed while I remembered the layout of the room. The door to the living room was just ahead and to the left. A large window that overlooked the cityscape was off to my right. A dark mahogany dresser stretched along the wall across from the bed and next to the door. The entrance to a large closet was on the far left next to a door to the master bath.

I’d cracked the safe in the closet a couple of days ago when I’d done a preliminary check of the apartment. The stolen gats were there, but it had been too soon. The money had certainly been tempting, but that wasn’t the whole job.

I heard Richard’s voice from the living room, one side of a conversation. Only the Elite could afford high techno devices such as personal transceivers, televiews and home security systems. I listened carefully.

“No, you shouldn’t come over tonight… I’m just tired… Well alright, if you’re already in the neighborhood.” He moved toward the bedroom and closed the door.

Immediately, I threw back the deep blue comforter, climbed out of bed and opened the safe. Inside was a handgun – guns weren’t my style. In my opinion, they left too much evidence behind, so I didn’t even touch it. I also found a gold pendant with a ruby, beautiful and expensive. Neither were what I’d come for, so I closed and locked the safe. I quickly scanned the rest of the closet. Where had he put the money, and why had he moved it?

I checked the master bath, a room I’d only glanced into before. I didn’t really expect to find the gats hidden in there, but I needed to make sure. The room was classy and clean. The decor, black and white with polished silver hardware. And also, a whirlpool bath. I’d heard of them but this was the first one I’d ever seen.

A knock from across the apartment caught my attention, followed by a woman’s voice, sugary sweet. “Hi, Oren! How was work?”

I moved closer to the bedroom door so that I wouldn’t miss anything. I guessed he was talking to Rose, his current girlfriend, an Elite socialite. I only knew of her because of my surveillance. She really wasn’t my concern. I remained quiet. It would be best that she not find me here.

Whatever they were doing, they did