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Chapter 5
Fox
Now
“Hell-o! Who is this and how did you get this number?”
I press the receiver closer to my ear as the dull, rumbling LAX crowd passes by the payphones. The woman in the booth next to mine makes eye contact with me before glancing down my black suit with a seductive smile. I turn my back to her and grip my bag a little tighter.
“Boxcar, it’s me,” I say.
“Me?”
“Yeah. Me.”
He pauses, going silent enough for me to hear the quick inhale of his breath. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I don’t know anybody named Me and even if I did, that’d be impossible.”
“Boxcar…”I glance around for prying ears.
“No, I want to hear you say it.” He chuckles darkly. “I want you to tell me that I died. How else could I be talking to a dead man right now?”
“You’re not dead and neither am I.”
“Obviously.”I hear the clacking of a keyboard beneath his voice. “I don’t suppose you’re about to bless me with an explanation?”
“Not just yet,” I say. “I need your help first.”
“Did you try turning it off and back on again?”
I smile. Same old Boxcar. “It’s a little more technical than that.” A man walks a little too close and I close my mouth. A nervous habit, but not unnecessary. “Are you in LA?” I ask once he’s moved on.
“No. I’m a bit farther east these days.”
“How far?”
“Boston.”
I roll my eyes. “That’s more than a bit.”
“Lucky for you, I’ll be in Denver this week,” he says. “Forty-eight hours from now, to be more exact.”
“Where?”
“The Botsford Plaza downtown. I’ve got a little party to attend.”
“Think you can spare a few minutes to decrypt a drive for me?”
He sighs. “And here I thought you had a challenge. Meet me at the hotel. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.”
“But if you’re not gonna explain this to me,” he says, “you should at least explain it to her. She is in LA these days.”
“I know.” I nod, swallowing hard. “See you soon.”
“Bye.”
I hang up and leave the terminal behind me.
The bright California sun blinds me as I step outside. There’s an energy in the air, a unique hustle one can’t find out in Iowa farm country. I can’t say I miss it, but I don’t hate it either. It’s been five years.
Home sweet home.
