Maggie Thom's Blog - Posts Tagged "chapter-three"

Tainted Waters (to be published April 30th, 2013)

Chapter Three

Keegan grabbed his book off the passenger seat, his gaze or maybe it was his guilt, caught by the mess in the back. It was so unlike him. Not that he was a neat freak but he did like to know where stuff was and he was generally pretty good at putting things away. Or at least he had been. The obsession to finish his latest book was fed by his need to deal with the real reason he was now living in Bentley. And now he was finally free of those commitments so he could focus on what he’d really come there to do. Get answers. The question was would he get what he’d come there to get?

After taking a minute to collect himself and strengthen his resolve that this was the right thing to do, he rolled his shoulders forward and climbed out of his car. A few cars passed by him on the main thoroughfare. He walked around to the sidewalk and the empty meter. He’d been tempted to pass by it but after watching the place for a few days, he knew that a guy came around fairly regularly to check them. Since he didn’t want to draw attention to himself, he needed to feed the hungry beast. The bit of change he’d thrown in his pocket earlier seemed to have fallen to the far reaches, halfway down his leg. Each coin made a distinctive plunk as he dropped it in the machine. When he saw that he’d only bought himself forty minutes, he swore. It wouldn’t give him much time to snoop around. He’d have to get in and get out. Maybe he’d be lucky and it wouldn't matter as much because it was the end of the day. He hoped so because if the guy talked anything like he did on the phone he could ramble on for hours. Hopefully the devices his army friend had given him really did work and were as easy to use as he’d said.

The scribbler was nothing more than a cheap notebook he’d picked up at the dollar store but it held very important information. He flipped it open, skimming his notes, which was more of an exercise to help him calm his nerves as he’d committed them all to memory. He knew them by heart. Had known them for a long time. Somehow he had to get someone to shed some light on them as he had more questions than answers.

The guilt of not acting sooner had him closing the book with a snap. This was a few years overdue. Pushing away his thoughts he looked at the seven-story building. Sunlight shone off the glass-encased monstrosity – although he was probably the only person who saw it as such – like a light-house beam through a fog. It was almost blinding. He and his grandfather had argued about the design on many occasions. His grandfather had said it had been built that way on purpose and was nothing but elegant. In its day, forty years before, it had been the tallest building in town. It had been in a class of its own. Now it was just one of several.

Keegan took a long steadying breath as the thoughts of his grandfather, his mentor, his friend, left him feeling shaky. The man who meant the world to him... the reason he was doing this.

Stepping forward, he brushed his hand down the tailored suit, a size and a half too big for him but the price had been right for his budget - cheap. To him it made him stand out like a sparrow bird amongst hawks but knew his grandfather would tell him it was the other way around. He was now a hawk amongst the sparrows. When you knew what you were doing you were the one in charge. Keegan just wasn’t sure that he really did know what he was doing.

He tugged at the neck of the shirt and tie feeling like he was choking, when in fact he had enough space to put his whole hand in there. His grandfather had taught him well though – ‘if people think you have money, they are more likely to talk to you than if you look like a bum off the street’. Jeans and a t-shirt were his preference in clothing but wouldn’t have done anything to convince people he had money.

His grandfather had always told him, ‛if people think you’re rich and are kind of pathetic, they’ll be more likely to bend over backwards to help you.’ Play on their pity.

I guess I’ll find out.

The man, whom he wasn’t even supposed to have met but who had turned out to be such a big part of his life. A big secret in his life. His family had no idea that he’d spent twelve years getting to know his grandfather, a man that he wasn’t supposed to know existed. And now he was gone. As it always did when Keegan thought of him and all that
he’d brought to his life, a deep sadness settled over him.

I miss you, Gramps. This is for you.

The smile he pasted on, felt a bit weak and was one he sure didn’t feel. He hunched his shoulders as he reached for the large glass door. A woman came barrelling through, knocking him backwards. She brushed past him without stopping or acknowledging him. Her long mane of auburn hair flying out behind her as she scurried down the sidewalk. He managed to right himself just as a big man came bumbling his way out, chasing after the woman who’d just left. It didn’t matter that the man was calling out to her and asking her to wait up; she wasn’t slowing down at all. About halfway down the block, the man finally convinced her to stop. If she hadn’t, he never would have caught her. The fact that he was...

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