laughing. Then she came closer and pulled Jack’s head up by the hair. She pointed her finger at his face. “You have many tricks up sleeve. Not nice!”
Carolyn could see the thin man getting impatient. More Chinese.
Chinese Shout. Translation: Come on! We need to go!
The two left the warehouse. Jack and Carolyn could hear their car squeal out.
“Are you okay?” asked Jack.
“Yeah.” Carolyn was grouchy from the whole episode. “I can’t believe they got me like that.”
“Things happen,” said Jack.
“You?” she asked.
“Yeah. Just a knot on the head. Were you able to contact anyone before they jumped you?” he asked.
“Yeah,” answered Carolyn “but it was broken mid-talk when they arrived.”
There they sat. Back to back, hand’s tied, and then roped to the other person as well.
After a while, Jack squirmed his head around to look at his watch. A half an hour had gone by. No help appeared. “This is an empty warehouse. We could be here forever,” said Carolyn, glum. Jack began to whistle. Not much to do when you’re tied up. This annoyed Carolyn.
“Jack! You should be thinking of a way to get us out of here.”
“Oh excuuuuse me, madam, I didn’t know you had assigned me that task.”
A sigh came from behind him. Then, “You know this is the second time the guilty party has hired you to take a case.”
“Thanks for rubbing it in.”
“I’m just saying,” said Carolyn as she struggled against the ropes, “that maybe you should vet your clients a little more carefully.”
“We’d still be tied up. This is a different case. Besides, Ms. Obvious, why hasn’t your genius boyfriend tracked us down yet?”
“Hey, that’s not his job. Not to mention that we should be able to get out of this ourselves. We have two perfectly good brains between us.”
“Make that one and a half, kiddo,” responded Jack with affection. “Mine is probably part pickled.”
“Yeah, well you used to be able to pull out last minute miracles. I’m sure you still can if you try.” She gave up struggling against the ropes. They were too tight.
Silence.
“See if you can reach in my right pocket,” said Jack, finally.
“I don’t really want to know if you’re happy to see me,” said Carolyn to lighten the situation.
He understood. If they thought too much about their eventual fate should they not be able to escape from here... Well, it wouldn’t be a good use of energy , to put it mildly. He continued: “I can’t reach it, but if we can bend around enough, you might be able to. There’s a lighter there.”
“Your lucky lighter?”
“The one and same.” Carolyn had given it to him many years ago when they were first dating.
“Okay,” she said, “scoot over to your left a little. No, more. More!”
“That’s as much as this butt will scoot. See if you can reach it.”
Carolyn tried with her hand behind her, but couldn’t quite get in the pocket deep enough. “Push up against me harder with your back.”
Jack tried to push against her. They rose up a little, awkwardly, but her hand was closer.
“I’ve almost got it. Don’t move. I don’t want to drop it.”
“I’m a statue.”
“Alllllllmost...”
“I’m a statue whose back is about to go into spasms.”
“Oh give me a break,” said Carolyn while still trying to grip the lighter. “It’s not like you’re a hundred.”
Jack started to say something about women in ten years, but Carolyn managed to grab the lighter.
“Got it! Now what? How do we do this without going up into flames?” She posed.
“I’ll risk the burn.”
“Why you?” asked Carolyn.
Oh good god. Women! Jack thought, but said instead: “Look, you got banged up last time. I’m just being fair. I’ll take the risk this time. Besides, it’s not like you won’t be affected if this gets out of control.
“Fine,” said Carolyn. She maneuvered the lighter closer to Jack’s ropes. “Tell me where, I can’t exactly see well here.
Carolyn could see the thin man getting impatient. More Chinese.
Chinese Shout. Translation: Come on! We need to go!
The two left the warehouse. Jack and Carolyn could hear their car squeal out.
“Are you okay?” asked Jack.
“Yeah.” Carolyn was grouchy from the whole episode. “I can’t believe they got me like that.”
“Things happen,” said Jack.
“You?” she asked.
“Yeah. Just a knot on the head. Were you able to contact anyone before they jumped you?” he asked.
“Yeah,” answered Carolyn “but it was broken mid-talk when they arrived.”
There they sat. Back to back, hand’s tied, and then roped to the other person as well.
After a while, Jack squirmed his head around to look at his watch. A half an hour had gone by. No help appeared. “This is an empty warehouse. We could be here forever,” said Carolyn, glum. Jack began to whistle. Not much to do when you’re tied up. This annoyed Carolyn.
“Jack! You should be thinking of a way to get us out of here.”
“Oh excuuuuse me, madam, I didn’t know you had assigned me that task.”
A sigh came from behind him. Then, “You know this is the second time the guilty party has hired you to take a case.”
“Thanks for rubbing it in.”
“I’m just saying,” said Carolyn as she struggled against the ropes, “that maybe you should vet your clients a little more carefully.”
“We’d still be tied up. This is a different case. Besides, Ms. Obvious, why hasn’t your genius boyfriend tracked us down yet?”
“Hey, that’s not his job. Not to mention that we should be able to get out of this ourselves. We have two perfectly good brains between us.”
“Make that one and a half, kiddo,” responded Jack with affection. “Mine is probably part pickled.”
“Yeah, well you used to be able to pull out last minute miracles. I’m sure you still can if you try.” She gave up struggling against the ropes. They were too tight.
Silence.
“See if you can reach in my right pocket,” said Jack, finally.
“I don’t really want to know if you’re happy to see me,” said Carolyn to lighten the situation.
He understood. If they thought too much about their eventual fate should they not be able to escape from here... Well, it wouldn’t be a good use of energy , to put it mildly. He continued: “I can’t reach it, but if we can bend around enough, you might be able to. There’s a lighter there.”
“Your lucky lighter?”
“The one and same.” Carolyn had given it to him many years ago when they were first dating.
“Okay,” she said, “scoot over to your left a little. No, more. More!”
“That’s as much as this butt will scoot. See if you can reach it.”
Carolyn tried with her hand behind her, but couldn’t quite get in the pocket deep enough. “Push up against me harder with your back.”
Jack tried to push against her. They rose up a little, awkwardly, but her hand was closer.
“I’ve almost got it. Don’t move. I don’t want to drop it.”
“I’m a statue.”
“Alllllllmost...”
“I’m a statue whose back is about to go into spasms.”
“Oh give me a break,” said Carolyn while still trying to grip the lighter. “It’s not like you’re a hundred.”
Jack started to say something about women in ten years, but Carolyn managed to grab the lighter.
“Got it! Now what? How do we do this without going up into flames?” She posed.
“I’ll risk the burn.”
“Why you?” asked Carolyn.
Oh good god. Women! Jack thought, but said instead: “Look, you got banged up last time. I’m just being fair. I’ll take the risk this time. Besides, it’s not like you won’t be affected if this gets out of control.
“Fine,” said Carolyn. She maneuvered the lighter closer to Jack’s ropes. “Tell me where, I can’t exactly see well here.
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