Utopian Day by C.L. Wells Page A

everything that had been said. James slowly nodded his
head up and down. “O.k., let’s make a plan. But like she said,
we’re just talking. I’m not ready to commit to anything
either.”
    Satisfied that they had at least agreed to talk
about making a plan together, J.T. stood up from his chair and
walked over to the starboard portal, where he could just see the
sun setting in the distance. He stared at it for several minutes,
finishing his glass of wine and watching the darkness descend.
     
     
    Silas McGruder immediately spotted the slightly
beat-up silver van and the lanky driver who was sticking his long
arm out of the window and waving at him as he exited the terminal
at Owen Roberts International Airport. He ambled over to the
passenger side of the vehicle and deposited his tired body in the
seat, uttering a tired greeting to his driver as he did.
    “ Hi, Marty.”
    “ Helloo, Mr. Silas,” came the
cheery response. “Welcome back, my friend.”
    Marty pulled the van away from the curb and guided
the van back towards George Town.
    “ Tell me everything you saw,”
Silas prompted him wearily.
    “ I see dah man in dah nice suit
from dah picture you sent me. He came in with tree otha people.” He
held up three fingers to emphasize the point.
    “ You mean three other people?”
Silas asked.
    “ Dat is what I said, mon, tree
otha people,” Marty continued. “One of dem look like dah man in dah
orange shirt wit dah beard, but he had shaved it off.”
    “ Yeah, I could tell from the
pictures you sent me. What I want to know is, where did they go
after they left the bank?”
    “ I try to follow dem, but dey take
da narrow streets, mon. I could not follow dem o dey see me. So I
did what you tell me to do. I stop an’ call you.”
    “ Good job, Marty. Good job. Now
get me to my hotel before I pass out.”
    The rhythmic noise and vibrations from the road
lulled Silas to sleep as he leaned his head against the window.
When he awoke, the van was pulling in to the hotel that he had
booked the night before on the internet. He turned to Marty as he
got out of the van.
    “ Pick me up tomorrow morning at
6:00 a.m. I want to make sure we get everything ready before they
come back to the bank tomorrow.”
    “ O.k., Mr. Silas, I see you
den.”
    Silas checked in to his room and sat down in one of
the chairs. He took out his cell phone and began scrolling through
the pictures that Marty had sent to him. From the pictures, he
could tell that the two unidentified men were probably the hired
security. It wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but he had
about ten days or so to plan things, so time was on his side. He
set the alarm on his phone for 5 a.m., took off his shoes, and laid
down on the bed. As he fell asleep, he thought to himself, “J.T.
Thornbacker may have pulled off the great escape, but the game is
definitely not over, not by a long shot.”

Chapter Twenty
     
    The alarm on his phone was blaring and Silas wearily
opened his eyes, willing the alarm to silence and allow him another
hour of sleep. After a few seconds of fumbling, he retrieved the
phone and turned off the alarm. He located an energy drink he had
purchased at the airport the day before, opened it up, and drained
the bottle. He was going to need all of his wits about him, and
quickly, if he wanted to get the jump on these guys.
    He grabbed a cream-cheese bagel at the continental
breakfast bar provided by the hotel and was finishing off the last
bite as Marty drove up under the awning to pick him up. It was one
of the things he liked about Marty – he was punctual.
    He had Marty drive him to the bank and go over
everything, step by step. Next, he had him drive the route that
Thornbacker’s car had taken once they had left the bank. Marty
stopped at the narrow alleyway where he had lost the car the day
before. “And dat is where I stopped following dem,” Marty said,
pointing at the entrance to the alleyway.
    “ Drive down the alleyway,”