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“How long have you all worked here?” I asked. I figured now might be as good a time to ask as any. I’d only started working here about a week ago, and at the start, everyone was pretty standoffish. Small talk was minimal, and I didn’t feel welcomed.
But I could feel them warming up to me with each passing day. I suppose I’d earned their respect.
“Two years,” Paul said. Then, he jabbed his hand toward Jimmy, who still looked sleepy and slightly irritated to be here. “Jimmy’s the longest at four years, and Chelsea just got hired a few months ago.”
“Ah,” I said, trying to keep the tone casual. Conversational. “So why are you guys so scared of him? Is he like, a bad guy?”
Paul frowned in thought. “Bad…isn’t the right word for it.”
“Terrifying,” Chelsea said. “Oh, you have no idea the things I’ve seen.”
My interest instantly perked up.Oh, this was just what I needed. “Like what?”
“Alright, if nothing is happening here, I’m going back to sleep,” Jimmy grouched suddenly and started walking away. His interruption shattered the slow camaraderie that had been forming, and Paul followed him out through the back door. Chelsea watched them leave and then shook her head before returning to her post at the opposite counter.
I waited a few seconds before approaching Chelsea again.
“Hey,” I said, and she glanced at me in curiosity. “You were saying something back there, about how the boss was dangerous. I mean, is he a criminal? I would just like to know who I’m dealing with.” I added the last part with a fearful look to make it seem like I was just trying to cover my ass.
Chelsea frowned and looked like she was thinking about it but then shook her head. “I mean, I wouldn’t say he was a criminal per se.”
“Chelsea!” Jimmy’s loud and intrusive voice came suddenly from the back, interrupting us once again. “Remember, you’re not supposed to yap on this job.”
“Right,” she responded, giving me an apologetic smile. “The boss hates when we gossip about stuff like this. He fired the last guy for something similar, and I really can’t afford to lose this job.”
Darn it, thwarted again. It seemed like the closer I got to finding out what I needed to find out about Chris, the further I got because something would happen to throw a wrench in my plans.
But I needed to know in order to save my life.
I knew I couldn’t ask Chelsea again without raising suspicions. I needed to take my time because if Chris caught on to what I was doing, I was going to be in even more trouble than I already was.
I finished the rest of the work day without any more incidents. We got two more clients, and we bought an ancient grandfather clock for two hundred from one of them.
After I closed up for the day, I started heading home, characteristically glancing back once a minute as I walked.
I didn’t think I could ever stop watching my back every time I walked, nor could I get rid of the tension in my spine. The sense of being followed crept over me..
Had they found me again?
I swallowed against the rising fear in my throat, trying to suppress it. They couldn’t have, the police assured me that they were going to keep an eye on the Moranos’ movement and would let me know if I needed to run.
As if on cue; my phone started ringing. I didn’t answer it because I knew who was calling, and it was far too dangerous to answer him while I was still walking. Anyone could overhear what we were talking about, and the type of people we were dealing with could have eyes and ears anywhere.
Only in the safety of my new apartment did I finally pull out my phone and return his call.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey.” There was tension in Angel’s voice. “What happened? You didn’t answer on time.”
“Yeah. I told you that I can’t always answer the phone at the assigned time. The hours at the pawnshop are weird and irregular.”
“But how will I know if he’s caught on to you?” That was Angel’s major concern from the beginning of this mission. He couldn’t come to Philly with me, and I couldn’t have police eyes on me either because if Chris caught on, it would jeopardize my life even more.
I sighed. “If I get caught, I’ll send out the bat signal on the phone. So, until I do, or if you haven’t heard from me in more than eight hours, then you can freak out.” I ran my hand through my greasy hair, making a mental note to wash it today. “Anyway, I just got home. I had to close up shop today and take inventory.”
“Did you find anything?” Angel inquired.
“No.” I knew he didn’t care about the minutiae of my day. Despite our previous friendship, Angel now only cared about one thing and one thing alone.
