Manny didn’t wake up until close to eight o’clock. About 8:30 he cut the tape on my hands and legs and allowed me to do the morning routine minus a shower. I rushed through washing up, brushing teeth, brushing my hair. The bathroom had no windows, no way to escape.
I started breakfast and I only had two eggs left, then I was short on bread so I got out a sticky pad and started a list, more out of habit than anything else. Eggs, bread, toothpaste… He never yelled at me for writing so I filled the front page with bogus grocery items and turned to the second page and wrote, “Help me get out of here. Call the police. Have them seal the neighborhood. Send someone at 6:00 p.m. ARMED. No uniforms, pretend to be a neighbor with a question.” Extra insurance. Boy Scout motto “Always be prepared.” I tore off the list and the note and silently slid them into my pocket. Occasionally I would take the list out and add to it. One time with the list out I turned and quickly separated the two sheets of paper stuffing them in different pockets. I made sure the list was in my left pocket and the note was in my right pocket, the pocket that would be handy if I had to answer the door. I kept cooking, giving up my two eggs but silently celebrating the fact that I had the note. I wasn’t hungry anyway. I was too tense to be hungry.
Later in the morning the doorbell rang. I almost jumped out of my skin. I looked up. Manny gave a slight nod that I took as permission to answer. I knew the rule, just get rid of them. He stood behind me at the door out of sight. I opened it slightly, felt the gun against my side and looked out. I almost sank to my knees right then and there because at my door was a man with a badge. Not only that, he was the most handsome detective I ever saw, even on TV. I didn’t even think they grew them like that! He was dressed in jeans and a tweed sport coat but he would have made anything look good. His sandy hair was windblown and set off his blue eyes, serious at the moment, they held the promise of a quick smile. More importantly, I had to keep my head on straight here. Think Cass, think! I wasn’t thinking. I was only hoping. My heart was doing a hundred miles an hour and my hands were shaking and he hadn’t said a word yet. His eyes took me in and I think just my expression might have tipped him off that something was going on here.
I tried to speak, but a lump formed in my throat.
“I’m detective Rusty Michaels,” he said displaying his badge. His deep voice rumbled like soft thunder. He snapped his badge closed and dropped it in his shirt pocket. “I was wondering if you’ve seen this man.” He held up a piece of paper with Manny’s picture on it. Manuel Silva it said. Finally, I had a name.
I leaned in closer to the door pretending to look at the paper closely, but I was really blocking Silva’s view of my pocket.
“N-no”, I said shakily handing back the piece of paper, “I don’t know him and I haven’t seen him.”
“I have a witness that says your Jeep was leaving the High Desert Bank when a man fitting Silva’s description jumped into your vehicle and took off in a big hurry. The plate number and description match your Jeep.”
“Oh, um,” I stammered. Think, think! “That was my brother. I was there loading groceries at the store and John got hungry and said he was running over to McDonald’s. He went to McDonald’s, got a snack and I picked him up on my way out of the parking lot.” My hand slipped into my pocket and I silently stuck the note on the front of the door. Michaels glanced at the note and gently pulled it off the door. His expression grew serious. He knew Silva was here but didn’t want to leave me in this predicament. He didn’t know if others were involved or not. He didn’t know anything except that I had something in mind and it happened at 6:00 p.m. He ran his hand through his hair, thinking, trying not to act, trying to keep his cool. Hoo, boy.
“So, what was the big hurry leaving the parking lot?” he asked. We had to play this out now, even though he knew he had Silva cornered.
“I was really late for something and thought I wouldn’t get there in time. I didn’t realize I was going that fast. I was just rushed.”
“And you’ve never seen this man before?” I couldn’t help it, my eyes glanced left.
“No.”
“Here’s my card. Can you give me a call if you happen to think of anything that might help? This guy’s wanted for bank robbery and murder so we’re kind of in a rush to get him off the streets.” This last part didn’t seem to be information he’d pass on to a potential accessory. Of course, if I’d helped Manny with the getaway I’d probably know these things anyway.
He turned to go and I turned to close the door. It was very tempting to run for it right then but I felt the gun and I knew I could improve my chances at 6:00 p.m. I just prayed 6:00 got here before Oscar. When I turned around I saw anger, only anger. Silva knew the police were out there. This was a grim reminder.
“You were smart not to pull anything. Here’s what you can look forward to if you try anything. And I mean ANYTHING.” He hit me with a punch to my eye and another left punch to the stomach. I slumped forward and he brought his knee up cracking me in the jaw again. He then picked me up by the front of my shirt and tossed me across the room. I lay stunned and more determined than ever to beat this guy.
The day passed in a constant state of tension. I was fighting anxiety and at the same time trying to play up the little trust that Silva had in me. I’d stood up to the police once. He knew that. Actually the tension in the air made Silva think he had me scared and I guess in a way he was right. I wasn’t afraid of the pain. I’d felt pain in many ways before. It always goes away eventually. I was a little afraid of dying but I was too proud to think I’d let that happen. I was more afraid of failure. I didn’t want this guy to get away. In fact, I was determined to get Silva and Oscar both behind bars. It just seemed like a heavy responsibility.
When Shadow’s afternoon feeding came, I only pretended to feed him, dropping just enough kibble in his bowl to make noise. I got some thick, juicy steaks out of the freezer, defrosted them and put them in marinade. Seems like I marinade everything.
I baked potatoes. Four o’clock rolled around. Walking by the mirror I took a glance. I had a shiner of a black eye and a couple of lumps on my head from my airmail flight across the living room. Michaels would be sure to notice that if he came back at six. Nothing said it would be him that came, but I thought I could count on somebody. The clock seemed to stand still. I tried not to look at it too often.
At five o’clock I scooped the insides out of the baked potatoes, then mashed them up with some butter, sour cream, grated cheese, salt and pepper. I put the mess back in the potato skins and topped it all with cheese, then stuck the casserole dish with the two potatoes into the oven. I started the barbecue grill and heated it up. After scraping the chicken gunk off the rack I added the steaks. I prepared a salad and placed the bowl on the table. I was trying to stay busy so I wouldn’t panic. Panic was very close to the surface but I pushed it down. Shadow was following my every movement. He was hungry and I was counting on him to stay that way.
At ten till six I took up the steaks and set the food on the table. Five minutes later we sat down to eat. I could have sworn the clock died. Time stood still. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. Silva dug into his steak. I didn’t want him to finish eating before things started happening so I got up a few times to get things out of the fridge; steak sauce, then salad dressing. If he was tired of hot dogs and bologna, a good steak should keep his attention.
Shadow had his eye on the table. Good boy.
A few minutes after 6:00 p.m. the doorbell rang. I jumped. I looked at Silva for direction and he nodded, giving the okay. I walked to the door like a zombie. My legs wouldn’t work right. I had the shakes. Glancing behind me Silva was still
