The Third Eye
You figure the more money you get today, the less work you're going to have to do down the line. You decide to follow the man in the suit.
He keeps looking over his shoulder. He is a very nervous man. He rounds a corner into an alleyway and you follow him. When you round the bend he is staring at you.
"Who the hell are you?" He asks. You introduce yourself. "And again," he says, "Who the hell are you?"
"I have come to collect a debt." You tell him, hoping to pass for one of the crime lords' goons.
"No, no. Fat Tony said only to give the money to him. No one else." He says to you, shaking his head. "So screw off. It's not going to work." He turns and begins to walk away.
"What was it that Katy said before you put her head under the water?" You ask him. He stops and turns back to you.
"I don't know what you're talking about, mister. But you need to go back to wherever you came from while you still can." He tells you. He's trying to sound threatening.
"'I promise I won't tell anyone'" You say, quoting the girls final words to him. "Isn't that what she said?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." He says.
"And then what did you say, with your infinite wit?" You continue, watching with detatched amusement as his eyes widen with fear. "You said, 'You're right about that, kid.' You said. 'You're right about that.' That was a good line, Frank. Real Hollywood style. Like the gangsters of old. Back when they had class." He swallows hard. "Except the gangsters of old weren't murdering little children, were they?"
He walks towards you, his voice above a whisper. "How could you know that? No one was there. I never told anyone. How the hell can you know that?"
"What does it matter, Frank? The point is, I know. Now give me that money or the whole world will know."
He shakes his head.
"Hand over the money, Frank." You tell him, holding out your hand for the briefcase.
"Not a chance in hell." He tells you.
"Then I will have no choice but to turn you in to the authorities." You meet his stare. He is scared, but not budging. He is trying to think of how he can get out of this. You know what he's going to say before he says it because you are hearing his thoughts.
"That's blackmail." He says to you.
You shrug. "Call it what you like."
"Tell me why I shouldn't shoot you where you stand." He says to you, reaching behind his back where he presumably has a gun.
"Because you left your gun on the stand beside your bed this morning. You can't shoot me without a gun, Frank." You say all of this with a calm detatchment as you watch confusion and fear play across his face.
"Now give me the money and you'll have no more troubles from me." You tell him.
Slowly, hesitantly, he sets the briefcase down on the ground and steps back. "I will be reporting this to Tony." He tells you in a last ditch attempt to save his ass.
You pick the briefcase up as you give your reply. "Tony won't believe you Frank. You've taken too long to get the money to him in the first place. You'll be lucky if you make it out of the meeting alive."
He swallows hard. What you say is true, and he knows it.
"Get out of town while you still can you murderous bastard." You tell him.
He takes off running, looking back once or twice to see if you're following. You stand there and watch him go.
You hear footsteps behind you and feel the press of a steel barrel against your back. "Hand over the case, punk." You hear a gruff voice from behind you.
What do you do?
He keeps looking over his shoulder. He is a very nervous man. He rounds a corner into an alleyway and you follow him. When you round the bend he is staring at you.
"Who the hell are you?" He asks. You introduce yourself. "And again," he says, "Who the hell are you?"
"I have come to collect a debt." You tell him, hoping to pass for one of the crime lords' goons.
"No, no. Fat Tony said only to give the money to him. No one else." He says to you, shaking his head. "So screw off. It's not going to work." He turns and begins to walk away.
"What was it that Katy said before you put her head under the water?" You ask him. He stops and turns back to you.
"I don't know what you're talking about, mister. But you need to go back to wherever you came from while you still can." He tells you. He's trying to sound threatening.
"'I promise I won't tell anyone'" You say, quoting the girls final words to him. "Isn't that what she said?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." He says.
"And then what did you say, with your infinite wit?" You continue, watching with detatched amusement as his eyes widen with fear. "You said, 'You're right about that, kid.' You said. 'You're right about that.' That was a good line, Frank. Real Hollywood style. Like the gangsters of old. Back when they had class." He swallows hard. "Except the gangsters of old weren't murdering little children, were they?"
He walks towards you, his voice above a whisper. "How could you know that? No one was there. I never told anyone. How the hell can you know that?"
"What does it matter, Frank? The point is, I know. Now give me that money or the whole world will know."
He shakes his head.
"Hand over the money, Frank." You tell him, holding out your hand for the briefcase.
"Not a chance in hell." He tells you.
"Then I will have no choice but to turn you in to the authorities." You meet his stare. He is scared, but not budging. He is trying to think of how he can get out of this. You know what he's going to say before he says it because you are hearing his thoughts.
"That's blackmail." He says to you.
You shrug. "Call it what you like."
"Tell me why I shouldn't shoot you where you stand." He says to you, reaching behind his back where he presumably has a gun.
"Because you left your gun on the stand beside your bed this morning. You can't shoot me without a gun, Frank." You say all of this with a calm detatchment as you watch confusion and fear play across his face.
"Now give me the money and you'll have no more troubles from me." You tell him.
Slowly, hesitantly, he sets the briefcase down on the ground and steps back. "I will be reporting this to Tony." He tells you in a last ditch attempt to save his ass.
You pick the briefcase up as you give your reply. "Tony won't believe you Frank. You've taken too long to get the money to him in the first place. You'll be lucky if you make it out of the meeting alive."
He swallows hard. What you say is true, and he knows it.
"Get out of town while you still can you murderous bastard." You tell him.
He takes off running, looking back once or twice to see if you're following. You stand there and watch him go.
You hear footsteps behind you and feel the press of a steel barrel against your back. "Hand over the case, punk." You hear a gruff voice from behind you.
What do you do?