The Prophecy

32

While Payne got dressed in the living room, Jones stayed silent in the kitchen. He stood still, biting his tongue, patiently waiting for the appropriate time to make a joke. But because of their mission, he refused to do it if it would distract Payne. There would be plenty of time to tease him outside, once they were far away from Ashley’s apartment.

Payne walked towards his friend, braced for the onslaught that would eventually come. ‘Go on. Get it out of your system.’

Jones started to laugh. ‘Man, I’ve seen a lot of crazy things during our time together, but the whole I-just-got-done-banging-your-neighbour tactic has got to be the craziest. Did you learn that shit at the academy or during SEALs training?’

He shrugged off the comment. ‘It worked, didn’t it? That’s all that matters.’

‘I guess worked depends on your distorted definition.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Did it buy us some time? Yes. But now we have another issue to deal with.’

‘Which is?’

‘Miss Moore saw you and talked to you. Who do you think she’s going to blame for wrecking this place? I’ll give you a hint. He just finished boning a dead chick.’

Payne disagreed. ‘She saw three inches of me through the crack in the door. No way she can ID me from that.’

‘Dude, I’ve seen you in the shower. Three inches is all you got.’

Payne ignored the insult, trying to decide if he had anything to worry about. Ideally, he would have preferred not talking to anyone who could place him inside the apartment, but considering the unique situation he had been facing, he had utilized an unconventional tactic to do what he had to do — he kept Megan away from the apartment without harming her.

‘Listen,’ Payne declared, ‘it’s my ass on the line, not yours. So tease me all you want; I really don’t care. I made a gutsy, spur of the moment decision that proved to be successful. And if I had a chance to do it over, I would do the same damn thing.’

‘Are you sure? Because next time I’d suggest the full Monty. If you show ’em the package, they won’t look at your face as much.’

Payne shook his head. ‘I swear to God, I need to get a new best friend.’

‘If you don’t mind, can you order one later? For the time being, it’s probably best if we get out of here as soon as possible. Megan might come back for a second viewing.’

Payne wiped down the door, making sure his prints had been removed, before he peeked into the hallway. He glanced left and right and saw nobody out there. Jones stood behind him, waiting to exit the apartment, but he wouldn’t leave until Payne was holding the elevator at the far end of the hall. In their minds, it was the best way to minimize their exposure time.

Moving quietly, Payne slipped out of the apartment and turned left. He clutched his gun inside his coat pocket, ready to fire at all times. The odds were against the intruders returning — they had already trashed Ashley’s apartment — but he was prepared, just in case.

He pushed the down button and watched the numbers move above the three elevators, trying to time things perfectly. The one on the right had been in the lobby but was now climbing towards the sixth floor. It would be there any second. He glanced behind him, looking for interlopers, but saw no one in the corridor. With a quick whistle, he let Jones know that everything was clear.

Jones heard the signal and opened the door softly. Wasting no time, he slipped into the hallway and closed the door. Unfortunately, his timing couldn’t have been worse. A split-second after the lock clicked shut, Megan stepped out of her apartment, carrying a large bag of recyclables. Years of training had taught Jones to trust his senses, so he immediately pivoted towards the noise behind him and raised his gun in a shooting stance fully expecting to see an armed gunman. Instead, he saw a gorgeous brunette wearing a silk robe and bunny slippers.

Their eyes locked for a full three seconds before all hell broke loose.

Stunned by the development, Megan dropped her bag and unleashed a scream that caused dogs to bark a block away. Realizing his mistake, Jones tucked the gun into his pocket as quickly as he could and immediately started to apologize, but Megan was too frazzled to comprehend what he was saying.

‘Take the bag,’ she screamed. ‘You can have it! It’s just garbage!’

‘I’m sorry! I don’t want the bag!’

‘Then what do you want?’

‘Jon!’ he yelled, realizing he needed backup. ‘Come here!’

One by one, doors started to open throughout the sixth floor as nosy neighbours stuck their heads into the hallway like prairie dogs looking for predators. Completely exposed, Jones was tempted to run, but realized that would result in twenty people dialling 9-1-1 before he even reached the lobby. So he followed Payne’s lead from before and decided to improvise, even if it meant exposing himself to several potential witnesses.

Of course, his exposure would involve less nudity than Payne’s.

Jones whipped out his credentials, issued by the Pennsylvania Association of Licensed Investigators, and held it above his head. ‘Relax, everybody, I’m a detective. The woman startled me, and I overreacted. It’s completely my fault.’

Despite his apologies, Megan backed away from Jones, not willing to trust the man who had just pulled a gun on her. She stared at him the entire time, reluctant to shift her gaze from him until her neighbour across the hall opened his door. Brad was a scrawny man with a large Adam’s apple that bulged from his neck like a massive ravioli, but at least he was a friendly face to Megan. She rushed to his side even though he couldn’t have protected her from a gust of wind, let alone an ex-MANIAC like Jones.

Meanwhile, Payne hustled down the centre of the hallway, trying to calm everyone else on the floor. As he did, he held his wallet in the air — even though he didn’t have a badge of any kind. He did it all for show. ‘Don’t worry, people, everything is fine. We didn’t mean to disturb your evening. Please go back inside, and we’ll get things settled.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Jones assured her. ‘I didn’t know it was you.’

She slid behind Brad, who didn’t seem pleased by the development. ‘Who did you think it was?’

Jones shrugged, not sure how to answer. ‘I heard a noise behind me and my instincts took over. I’m sorry if I scared you. I really am.’

‘Who let you in?’ she demanded.

‘Excuse me?’

‘This is a secured building,’ she explained. ‘Who let you in the building?’

‘Yeah,’ Brad said, puffing out his chest. ‘Who let you in?’

Jones stammered. ‘I, um, don’t—’

‘I did,’ Payne said as he stepped in front of Jones.

‘And who the hell are you?’ Megan demanded.

Payne pointed to Ashley’s apartment. ‘I’m Jon. We talked earlier.’

She blinked a few times, trying to absorb the information. ‘Ashley’s friend?’

‘Yes, Ashley’s friend.’

She stared at Payne, sizing him up. ‘And you know this guy?’

Payne nodded. ‘Yes, he’s a friend of mine. He came to give me a ride.’

‘A ride? Why does he have a gun?’

‘Like he said, he’s a professional detective.’ Payne grabbed Jones’s ID and showed it to Megan and Brad, who was now standing behind her as if he was the one who needed protection. ‘He’s fully licensed and has a permit for the weapon. I assure you, he’s not a threat.’

‘I’ll be the judge of that,’ she said tersely. ‘He pulled his gun on me in my hallway.’

‘I know he did, and he’s obviously sorry about it. Just look at him. He looks like a puppy dog that peed on the carpet.’

She stared at Jones, who appeared mortified by everything that was going on. ‘He does look kind of pathetic.’

Payne nodded. ‘Completely pathetic.’

‘And you’re willing to vouch for him?’

‘I’ve known him half my life. I promise, he’s not dangerous.’

‘Yeah, well, he seemed pretty dangerous with that gun in his hand.’

‘I bet he did, but I swear to you he’s not a threat. In fact, if you want, we can take him into the alley and kick the shit out of him together. Will that make you feel better?’

She smiled. ‘No, that isn’t necessary. But thank you for asking.’

Payne took a step closer and lowered his voice. ‘Megan, if it’s all right with you, please do me a favour and tell everyone you’re okay. The sooner that happens, the sooner everyone will leave the hallway, and we can get out of your life for good.’

She glanced at her neighbour. ‘What do you think, Brad?’

Payne glared at him. ‘Yeah, Brad, what do you think?’

Brad gulped and nodded.

‘Fine! I’ll forgive him. But keep him away from me. I don’t trust the guy.’

Payne quickly agreed. ‘No problem at all. DJ, go wait by the elevator.’

Jones scurried away as quickly as he could.

As he did, Megan cleared her throat and stepped into the middle of the hallway so everyone could see her. ‘Excuse me, everybody! Thank you for coming to my rescue, but I swear I’m okay. It was just a false alarm. Feel free to go back to your TVs. Everything is fine.’

She looked at Payne for his approval. ‘How was that?’

He glanced down the hall and watched her neighbours retreat, one by one. ‘That was perfect.’

‘Well, I aim to please.’

Payne flashed a smile. ‘That’s good to know.’

‘So,’ she said as she blushed slightly, ‘the show’s finally over. I guess you and your driver can leave now.’

‘I guess so. Thanks for being so understanding. You, too, Brad.’

Brad gulped again, then slipped into his apartment without saying a word.

Megan smiled at Brad’s skittish behaviour. ‘So, where’s Ashley? Is she inside?’

Payne nodded, not sure how to respond. He had lied to Megan enough already, and the more he did, the guiltier he felt about it — especially since her friend was dead and he was keeping that from her. Not only that, but if the intruders returned, Megan could be in harm’s way.

She took a step towards Ashley’s door. ‘Good. That means I can finally get my package.’

‘Actually,’ Payne said as he touched her arm, ‘that’s not a good idea.’

‘Why not? Did you wear her out?’

Payne shook his head, realizing he owed her the truth. No matter how painful it was.