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Authors: Laramie Dunaway
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you got home. Now, the store has a special gift
for you.” I handed her the bag. She took it tentatively. Before she could look inside, I pulled out my camera again. “Now,
I just need a couple more shots of you with the gift.” I snapped away. “Okay then, that should do it. We’ll be calling you
about showing up for a ceremony. Meantime, take the gift home, enjoy it and we’ll be in touch.” I started walking away. My
heart was pounding but I tried to stay calm, not walk too quickly.
I heard her behind me, rustling through the bag. Under her breath she muttered, “Holy shit.”
Her footsteps slapped pavement as she ran up to me. “Wait a second, ma’am.”
I turned to her and smiled. “What are you going to do with all that money, Beth? Spend it at Sears, I hope.”
“I don’t know. How much is it?”
“Fifty thousand dollars. Enough for college.”
“I guess I‘ll talk it over with my mom. I know we can use the money.”
Good, I thought. I relaxed, let the warmth from having done something good spread inside my chest. Somebody’s life was better
off than it had been before. That’s all I’d wanted.
“Listen,” Beth said, “I’m kinda embarrassed, but I have to go to the bathroom. I don’t want to go with all this money. Can
you go with me?”
I didn’t want to hang around now that I’d delivered themoney. I was uncomfortable lying to her and I had other people on my list. I had to make reservations for San Francisco. I
had to go to the bank and withdraw another fifty thousand dollars.
But I liked Beth. Besides, it might seem suspicious to refuse.
I walked with her to the restroom but waited outside the door holding the bag of money. Women kept going in and out. One woman
coming out gave me a strange look, as if I were some pervert loitering. After about ten minutes I started to get concerned
and went inside. Beth was washing her hands.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Sure.” She patted her stomach. “Nerves. I’ve never seen that much money before.”
I laughed. “Me neither.”
I walked her back into the mall corridor, shook her hand. “Take care, Beth. Good luck.”
“Thank you,” she said. But she didn’t move. She looked over my shoulder with an odd expression that made me look, too.
Two uniformed police, a man and woman, were walking very quickly straight for me.
CHAPTER FIVE
T HE DETECTIVE TORE OPEN A PURPLE FOIL PACKET AND REMOVED A purple tablet. He dropped it into the glass of water in front of him. The water foamed and fizzled as if it were boiling.
It turned purple. He looked up at me and grinned. “Cool, huh?”
I didn’t respond. I’d been sitting at the police station for over an hour before this guy finally came over and told me to
follow him. He was about fifty, but with a boyish Charles Grodin face and a fist-sized birthmark in the shape of Idaho on
his neck. He brought me into this little room. I looked around at the walls, which were covered with travel posters of Montana.
“There
isn’t
one,” he said, staring into the foaming glass.
“One what?” I said.
“One-way mirror. Like in the cop shows. This room doesn’t have any spy glass.”
“I thought that was two-way mirrors, because you can see through it both ways.”
“Common fallacy.” He sipped from the glass, licked the purple foam from his upper lip. He smiled happily. “Shit, that’s good.
Just like Fizzies. You ever have Fizzies?”
I shook my head.
“Too bad. When I was a kid, everybody had them. They were tablets, like Alka-Seltzer, except when you dropped them in water,
they turned the water into a soft drink. They had all kinds of flavors. Then they just disappeared. I wonder why.” He sipped
again, smacked his lips. “My nephew’s a food chemist for Kellogg, works on artificial flavoring for cereals. In his spare
time he made these new tablets, just like the old Fizzies but fortified with vitamin C. Wants me to invest in it. What do
for you.” I handed her the bag. She took it tentatively. Before she could look inside, I pulled out my camera again. “Now,
I just need a couple more shots of you with the gift.” I snapped away. “Okay then, that should do it. We’ll be calling you
about showing up for a ceremony. Meantime, take the gift home, enjoy it and we’ll be in touch.” I started walking away. My
heart was pounding but I tried to stay calm, not walk too quickly.
I heard her behind me, rustling through the bag. Under her breath she muttered, “Holy shit.”
Her footsteps slapped pavement as she ran up to me. “Wait a second, ma’am.”
I turned to her and smiled. “What are you going to do with all that money, Beth? Spend it at Sears, I hope.”
“I don’t know. How much is it?”
“Fifty thousand dollars. Enough for college.”
“I guess I‘ll talk it over with my mom. I know we can use the money.”
Good, I thought. I relaxed, let the warmth from having done something good spread inside my chest. Somebody’s life was better
off than it had been before. That’s all I’d wanted.
“Listen,” Beth said, “I’m kinda embarrassed, but I have to go to the bathroom. I don’t want to go with all this money. Can
you go with me?”
I didn’t want to hang around now that I’d delivered themoney. I was uncomfortable lying to her and I had other people on my list. I had to make reservations for San Francisco. I
had to go to the bank and withdraw another fifty thousand dollars.
But I liked Beth. Besides, it might seem suspicious to refuse.
I walked with her to the restroom but waited outside the door holding the bag of money. Women kept going in and out. One woman
coming out gave me a strange look, as if I were some pervert loitering. After about ten minutes I started to get concerned
and went inside. Beth was washing her hands.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Sure.” She patted her stomach. “Nerves. I’ve never seen that much money before.”
I laughed. “Me neither.”
I walked her back into the mall corridor, shook her hand. “Take care, Beth. Good luck.”
“Thank you,” she said. But she didn’t move. She looked over my shoulder with an odd expression that made me look, too.
Two uniformed police, a man and woman, were walking very quickly straight for me.
CHAPTER FIVE
T HE DETECTIVE TORE OPEN A PURPLE FOIL PACKET AND REMOVED A purple tablet. He dropped it into the glass of water in front of him. The water foamed and fizzled as if it were boiling.
It turned purple. He looked up at me and grinned. “Cool, huh?”
I didn’t respond. I’d been sitting at the police station for over an hour before this guy finally came over and told me to
follow him. He was about fifty, but with a boyish Charles Grodin face and a fist-sized birthmark in the shape of Idaho on
his neck. He brought me into this little room. I looked around at the walls, which were covered with travel posters of Montana.
“There
isn’t
one,” he said, staring into the foaming glass.
“One what?” I said.
“One-way mirror. Like in the cop shows. This room doesn’t have any spy glass.”
“I thought that was two-way mirrors, because you can see through it both ways.”
“Common fallacy.” He sipped from the glass, licked the purple foam from his upper lip. He smiled happily. “Shit, that’s good.
Just like Fizzies. You ever have Fizzies?”
I shook my head.
“Too bad. When I was a kid, everybody had them. They were tablets, like Alka-Seltzer, except when you dropped them in water,
they turned the water into a soft drink. They had all kinds of flavors. Then they just disappeared. I wonder why.” He sipped
again, smacked his lips. “My nephew’s a food chemist for Kellogg, works on artificial flavoring for cereals. In his spare
time he made these new tablets, just like the old Fizzies but fortified with vitamin C. Wants me to invest in it. What do
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