Illusion of Luck 32

Larry parked the Jaguar around the corner from the steak­house—just in case. But wasn’t that hedging his bets? Why was he afraid to park the car right out front? A true believer would not give it a second thought. A true believer would jump off into the darkness, trusting his luck to protect him. Just like he had done at the football stadium. But maybe that hadn’t really been faith at all. Maybe it was pure desperation.

He hated to admit it, even to himself, but losing the lottery had put doubts in his mind. He had been so sure he would win. His faith had been completely blind. Oh, the sweet freedom of throwing caution to the wind, he thought. He would regain that kind of faith. But perhaps not tonight.

He opened the glove box and took out his .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol and suppressor. A typical suppressor changes the sound of a shot, but does little to reduce the volume. But this one took advantage of phase shifting technology. It’s simi­lar to how a person’s voice changes after breathing helium from a balloon. The sound of the shot gets phase shifted to a higher frequency than humans can hear.

He got out of the car, took off his jacket and threw it on the front seat. Then he opened the trunk and pulled a windbreaker out of his bag. It was a fairly chilly night, and the windbreaker didn’t provide much warmth, but it was part of his plan. He put it on and pulled the hood over his head.

The 40-something year old woman standing outside the store at the ATM didn’t seem to notice him approaching.

“Don’t move—I’ve got a gun.” His voice was soft, but intense.

“Please don’t hurt me.”

He put his left arm around her, pretending to be the hus­band. “I want you to withdraw $1,000.”

“I don’t know if I can—there’s a daily limit. I think it’s $500.”

“Okay, fine. But hurry up.”

Her hand was shaking so much she had to punch the but­tons very deliberately to be sure she didn’t make an error.

That’s good, he thought. She knows she’ll probably die if she makes a mistake or takes too long.

He looked around. Amazingly, there was nobody in sight, except in the store. But those people were too busy purchasing overpriced beer and junk food to notice what was happening outside.

“Okay. Here it is.” She started to hand it to him.

“No. Hold on to it. Now do exactly as I say and you won’t get hurt.”

“I will.”

“We’re going to walk around to the side of the building.”

“Okay.”

Larry kept his arm around her as they walked around the corner, and then to the back. He released her and pulled out the pistol.

She held out the cash. “Here’s your money. Now please let me go.”

He took the cash and aimed the gun at her.

“Please. I’ve got a husband and three kids. I promise I won’t tell anybody.”

“Oh, I’m sure you won’t.” He squeezed the trigger.

The bullet ripped through her chest like a hatchet through crepe paper. He watched her lifeless body fall to the ground. It was the first time he had killed with a gun. He was surprised how good it made him feel.

He pulled the hood back and walked around the other side of the store and walked inside. Going so long without food was starting to bring on a dull headache. A couple of Excedrin would fix him up.

“Beautiful evening,” said the middle-aged female clerk.

“Brisk,” he said. “I love it.” He pointed to the steakhouse across the street. “Do you know how late they’re open?”

“Usually ‘til about eleven.”

“Usually?”

“Yeah. But they quit taking orders at 10:00.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s 9:50, so you’ll be fine if you get on over there.”

“Great—I’m starved.”

Larry stepped out of the store and took a deep breath. Wonderful evening, he thought. He walked across the street to the steakhouse. When he saw the police cruiser pulling into the one available spot in the front, he figured the food must be good.

Then it occurred to him that cops could be trouble. Why hadn’t that been his first impulse? Because his luck was back—big time. He could feel it running through his veins. Let them serve and protect all they want, he thought. Nobody can touch me.

The place was packed and it smelled fantastic. A young lady showed him to a table in the back near the kitchen. He realized right away it would be a noisy place to sit. Why should he have to put up with the sound of pots and pans clanging, and cooks yelling? The cops got a great seat in the front. Maybe he’d call the manager over and complain.

Nah. He didn’t mind pushing his luck, but no sense wasting it on something trivial.

**********

Larry had been very impressed with his steak and the gen­erous serving of fries. Even their home-style apple pie was excellent.

And the cops seemed to be enjoying their meal as well—until a man came running in and went straight to their table. Almost immediately, they jumped up, put on their hats, and ran out.

It seemed like Larry might have stayed a little too long. How could he exit unnoticed?

His waiter brought the check and poured him another cup of coffee.

“What was that all about with the police officers?” said Larry.

“Something happened at the mini-mart across the street. I don’t know if they got robbed or what.”

“I see. Well, I just hope nobody got hurt.”

The waitress shook her head. “Yeah. I always thought of this as a safe area.”

“Well, you just never know, I guess.”

As soon as she walked away, Larry pulled two twenties out of the ATM envelope and threw them on the table. He had not intended to be a big tipper tonight, but he didn’t have time to wait for change.

He ducked into the kitchen and hurried toward the back, looking for the exit.

“Hey, what are you doing back here? It’s employees only.”

What I’m doing back here is putting a bullet right between your eyes, thought Larry. Be careful what you say, Dude, or you’ll be as dead as the beef hanging in the freezer.

But Larry didn’t have time for any more trouble right now. “I’m sorry, but I was sitting next to the kitchen and I started feeling really sick.” He acted like he was about to barf. “I need to throw up, Man. Where’s the back door?”

“Oh, don’t throw up in here. There—go through there. And hurry. And don’t puke on the sidewalk either. Go way out there in the grass.”

Larry ran out holding his hand over his mouth. Once he was outside, he casually made his way to the sidewalk, and down to the Jaguar.

He drove out of town at the speed limit, and knew he was safe. Nobody had seen his car and nobody had seen him kill her. The ATM camera probably got a good shot of him, but with the hood pulled down over his face, all they got was a mouth sur­rounded by beard. They had nothing.

Larry had executed his plan flawlessly. Murder by gun suited him well. He decided to make it his new weapon of choice.

**********

After a second round of lovemaking, Greg was tired, sore and very happy. And although he was sleepy, he needed to make a quick trip to the bathroom.

He had washed his hands and he was about to turn off the light and go back to bed when he glanced at himself in the mir­ror.

“Do you have any idea how lucky you are?” his reflection said.

“Of course I do.”

“No, really. I don’t think you do. I mean, you’re a nice guy, and not bad looking. And you’ve got a pretty good sense of humor, but come on. Are you kidding me? The girl is fabulous, Man. She’s a supermodel. Can’t you see that?”

“Sure. But she says it’s what’s on the inside that counts.”

“Well, then you’d better keep your insides in tip top shape, Buddy. ‘Cause you don’t want to ever lose that lady.”

“I know, I know. Now be quiet while I say a prayer. Lord, I thank you again for Cynthia. I’ll never feel like I deserve her, but I promise to care for her and love her with all my heart every day for the rest of my life. Amen.”

“That prayer sounded a lot like your wedding vows,” said his reflection.

“And I’m serious about those vows.”

Then he heard Cynthia calling to him from the bed. “Greg? Who are you talking to?”

He opened the door. “Nobody. Well…actually, I was talking to myself.”

“I see. And just what was yourself telling you?”

“He was telling me how lucky I am to have you.”

She smiled. “Well then, you can tell yourself he’s a pretty smart guy.”

“I think he already knows that. He’s kind of a smart aleck, really.”

“Well, bring him over here anyway, because I want to kiss both of you.”

“Whoa. This is getting kinda kinky.”

“That’s right. Think you can handle it?”

Suddenly, he wasn’t tired at all.