Mr. 20K

Mr. 20K

An icy tingle ran up Sarah’s spine as a mysterious stranger’s email pinged her phone. She stared at the address; [email protected]. Not two minutes earlier, the mysterious individual sent a questionable text.

There are many fish in the sea, but none as perfect as you!

Monitor your inbox.

-Mr. $20K

While having her morning coffee, Sarah had received a shocking bank notification stating twenty-thousand dollars had been deposited into her account. Assuming it must be a mistake, she called her bank. A woman on the phone confirmed the deposit to be legitimate, but couldn’t identify the gifter.

While on her lunch break, Sarah swallowed remnants of her homemade turkey sandwich. Her hand vibrated as she tapped it open.

Sarah,

I hope you enjoyed my gift. Money is such a precious commodity, but it cannot buy me love. Or can it?

Attached is a digital ticket for one of two private balcony seats for tonight’s performance of the opera The Magic Flute at Central Theater. I know how you love Mozart. Please join me.

-Mr. $20K

“Are you okay?” Sarah jumped upon hearing the voice of her friend and fellow ER nurse Joyce. “Sorry, girl. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“No. It’s okay. It’s just...” Sarah powered down her phone and sat it on the break table. “I’ve had a weird day.”

Janice plopped down across from Sarah and dug into a grilled chicken salad. “What kind of weird?”

Sarah leaned across the table, lowering her voice. “Some guy put twenty thousand dollars in my bank account this morning. He knows I love Mozart and bought me a ticket to see The Magic Flute tonight.”

“Shut the front door!” Janice’s fork landed with a thud as it fell from her hand into her bowl. “Who is he?”

“No idea,” Sarah shrugged, raising her voice back to normal. “Hope he’s not a stalker. I’m thinking maybe an ex?”

“If he’s an ex, maybe you can find him in your... watch’a call it? That little black notebook you keep in your purse.”

“My Moleskine?” Sarah’s face beamed as she retrieved the leather book from her purse. “Janice, you’re a genius!”

Sarah searched inside through a long list of old flames when three strangers, two men and a woman in FBI jackets, burst into the break room. Sarah and Janice witnessed the sudden intrusion with astonished faces. A white man sporting a dark goatee stepped forward, eyeing Sarah’s notebook before speaking.

“No need to search through your black book, Sarah. He’s not an old flame.”

“And who the hell are you?” Fear flooded Sarah’s eyes as she scanned the man up and down.

“Sorry, I overheard your conversation. I’m Agent Styles,” Styles introduced the two agents behind him. “This is Agent Jackson and Agent Lopez.”

Sarah exchanged confused eyes with Janice, who only remained quiet. “What’s this about?”

Agent Styles glanced at Sarah’s phone resting on the table. “We believe the guy who put that money in your account this morning is the Dream Date Killer. His real name is Steven Marcus Johnson. He deposits fake checks into his victims accounts to woo them into his good graces. His victims are dead by the time the checks bounce.” He paused to let the words settle. “Sarah? We need your help in apprehending him.”

***

That evening, Sarah found herself seated next to agent Styles inside an FBI van around the corner from Central Theater. She wore a stunning A-line red satin dress that matched her heels and lipstick. Despite how amazing she may have looked, she couldn’t have felt much worse. A desk full of surveillance monitors and computers ran along the van wall behind her, manned by two busy agents in street clothes.

“I feel like I’m going to be sick, Agent Styles.” Sarah resisted the urge to vomit on the van’s floor.

“Just breathe, Sarah.” Agent Styles gently placed a hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “And remember, call me David. Nothing is going to happen to you. Agents Jackson and Lopez are already posing as a couple in the private balcony next to yours. Alright? You’ll be safe.” David pointed to his own ear reminding her of the comm device he had placed in her right ear. “Go ahead. Talk to them.”

Sarah swallowed a knot she didn’t realize sat in her throat and followed David’s instructions. “This is Sarah. Can you hear me?”

“We read you, Sarah.” Agent Jackson’s femnine voice piped into her ear. “You can do this.”

David searched Sarah’s eyes for signs of composure. “Tell me the plan again, Sarah. Walk me through it”

Sarah stared at the van floor as she answered. “I go up to the balcony and meet him. I sit with him and watch the opera. Afterwards, I let him take me to his car where you guys will arrest him.”

“Good.” David squatted down in front of Sarah, taking her hands in his as he lifted her face to stare into her eyes. “You’re going to do fine. It’s okay to be nervous. Just stick to the plan and this will all be over soon. Okay?”

“Okay.” A tear formed in the corner of Sarah’s eye, but David wiped it away before it fell down her face.

***

Sarah wasn’t sure how she made it through the opera. Her hands and legs shook infrequently. Steven Marcus Johnson, the so-called Dream Date Killer couldn’t have been more kind to her, which only ramped up the apprehension she felt. He’d hardly spoken a word since she arrived.

Finally, the play ended. Steven stood up to join in the applause. He urged her to join him, so she reluctantly obliged. David piped into her ear.

“You made it, Sarah. Well done. Now, we’re sure he’ll offer to take you somewhere afterwards to a drink or something. Go with him.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Steven smiled at her while clapping.

“Y-yes.” Sarah struggled to keep her nerves in check while applauding half-heartedly. “Thank you.”

Steven studied her. “Are you okay? I feel like you’ve been nervous since you got here?”

A skipped heart beat. Her blood flowed through her body like a pumping oil rig. “No!” Sarah answered too quickly. “I-I”m fine. Just… tired.”

“Too tired to join me for a drink?” The applause died throughout the theater. Bright lights came on overhead. “I know a nice place down the street. I was hoping you’d join me so we can get to know each other?”

“Sure.”

“You’re doing great, Sarah.” David’s soothing voice spoke into her ear. “It’s almost over.”

Steven escorted Sarah down to the main lobby and out the front exit of Central Theater. Sarah breathed deep, gladly taking in the fresh outside air. Her surroundings appeared blurred at times.

She’d gotten used to faking small talk and answering Steven’s questions while walking in a semi-catatonic state. Before she knew it, the two were approaching a black sedan. Steven pulled out a key fob and unlocked it. Lights flickered. A quick horn blast sounded. David’s voice boomed from the shadows beyond.

“Steven Marcus Johnson!” David shouted. He stepped into a street lamp’s light with his gun drawn. “FBI! Hands up where I can see them!”

While David drew Steven’s attention, Agents Jackson and Lopez came out of nowhere and rushed him. Sarah found the move impressive. Handcuffs were slapped on Steven’s wrists.

“Hey!” Steven’s eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. “What the hell is going on here? There must be some mistake? You’ve got the wrong guy!”

“Well done, Sarah,” Agent Jackson ignored him, turning to Sarah. “Hell of a job. You’ve got nerves of steel.”

“I agree.” Agent Lopez added, “Very impressive.”

“Listen, guys,” Steven struggled in his restraints. “This is all a misunderstanding. I’ve been set up here. I’m working for somebody. I swear!”

“Get him out of here.” David holstered his gun, approaching.

Agent Jackson walked Steven towards a patrol car that had pulled up amid the commotion.”My pleasure. See you back at the office.”

“Copy that.”

Sarah stood beside David as Jackson read Steven his Miranda rights. They watched as Steven entered the back of the patrol car. David placed his hands on Sarah’s arms and peered into her eyes. Her body wanted to drop to the ground, but she pushed through.

David smiled down at her. “I’m sorry this had to happen to you. I really am. But in the end, we got to save you. Like the way Papageno saved Papagena near the end of The Magic Flute.”

Sarah’s mind drifted to the opera, causing her to smile. “You paid attention?”

“Paid attention?” David scoffed playfully. “Are you kidding me? I love Mozart. The Magic Flute is one of my favorites. I’ve seen it twice.”

A chuckle escaped from Sarah. “If only we could get to live happily ever after.”

“Maybe we can.” David gently squeezed Sarah’s hands. “I’m sure you need another name to put in that black book of yours?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “No more names. I need something real.”

David winked. “I’m real. Up for a cup of coffee?”

Sarah only wanted to crawl up into a ball and waste away, but she enjoyed David’s company and agreed. “Sure.”

***

Hours later, Sarah found herself laughing and giggling. Over coffee, the events of her strange day melted away as her and David swapped life stories and bonded. Afterwards, she sat down in the passenger’s seat of David’s SUV as he cranked it up.

“That was fun!” Sarah strapped on her seatbelt wearing a smile so wide her teeth showed. “Thank you. I needed that.”

“I did too.” David patted her leg pulling onto the road.

The ringtone to Sarah’s phone sounded. An unfamiliar number. She looked to David as if asking permission to answer it. “You mind?”

“Go ahead.”

A panicked voice shouted into her ear as she answered. “Sarah? Are you with David?”

“Yea.” Sarah glanced at David, then gazed out her window. “Why? Who is this?”

“It’s Agent Jackson. Sarah, you’re in danger. Agent Styles came to us this morning from out of state to help with the Dream Date Killer case.”

“So?”

“I just got word his body was found dead in his hotel room. The killer hacked into our system to change his face and true identity. We’ve all been duped. David is not who he says he is.”

Her heart stopped. A sharp sting entered her neck as she turned to see David pull a syringe away.

“Sarah? Can you hear me?” Agent Jackson’s voice faded as Sarah’s phone fell to the floorboard. “You need to get to safety. Hello? Are you there?”

“But,” Sarah’s words slurred, exiting her mouth slower than normal. “You said maybe we could live happier ever after.”

David’s face contorted into a malicious snarl. He shrugged his shoulders playfully. “Spoiler alert. I lied.”

Sarah’s world went dark.