The Book In The Bag

Allison buckled her fanny pack to her waist and strode to the back of the bar. She set the alarm, stepped into the alley, and locked the door. An athletic man staggered towards her as she turned around. He clutched a small paper bag in one hand and clasped one side of his neck with the other hand. Blood gashed around his hand and fingers. He pinned her bodily to the door, pushing the paper bag into her hand.

“Cassandra Papadopoulou. Harrison Regal Hotel. Only you know about this. Hurry!” He crumpled to the ground, exhaling for the last time.

“Ugh.” Allison gagged as waves of nausea hit her. Stepping over his body, Allison braced her body against the wall and retched. Unzipping her pack, she grabbed a tissue, wiped her mouth, and zipped the pack closed. She looked around and listeneed: the coast was clear. Allison darted for the end of the alley. A bright light startled her. She shielded her eyes with her arm.

”Are you okay, ma’am?” A voice near the light spoke. “Are you hurt? Is this your blood?”

”I, uh, no.” She turned and pointed behind her.

The cop stopped to her left and swept his flashlight back and forth. He caught sight of the body and straightened his back.

“Get your hands up! Put them up now!” He drew his pistol and aimed at Allison. Gunfire errupted from nearby. The cop jerked and fell towards her right. A man in dark clothing stepped towards her from her left.

“Put the bag down and walk away,” he called to her. ”You don’t want to get involved In this.”

Allison tensed her body. She glanced between the body behind her, the cop in front of her, and the man nearby.

“Why?”

”This isn’t your fight.” He took a step towards her. A noisy engine caught her attention. Someone was driving by. Allison sprinted up the sidewalk towards the engine sound. Gunshots whizzed past her as she rounded the building. A bus passed her and slowed to collect a waiting passenger. Allison leapt inside and flashed her rider’s pass at the driver. He dropped his chin as his darted up and down.

”Are you okay?”

She stood motionless, quivering slightly.

“Lady, are you okay?”

Allison nodded and moved down the aisle. She didn’t notice her persuer slip through the door quietly behind her. Passengers scattered throughout the bus stared warily at her as she settled into a seat across the back door. The paper bag thumped against the seat next to her as the bus pulled forward. Allison peeked inside the bag and scowled. A black book rested on four bank wrapped stacks of one hundred dollar bills. Who carries $20,000 cash and a black book in a paper bag? She plucked the book from the bag and skimmed through the handwritten notes, pausing at one page. Her eyes widened as she reread the notes. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Allison muffled a cry and covered her mouth with her hand. This information could mean the end of mankind, she thought. Tears welled in her eyes. The man in dark clothing sat doqn on the seat ahead of her. He rotated sideways, leaning against the bus wall.

“That book isn’t worth your life.” The man lifted his black sweatshirt, revealing a pistol tucked in his waistband.

“Hand it over now, and you’ll walk away safely.”

”And if I don’t?”

”Plenty of dark alleys downtown.” He looked her up and down. “I might take my time.” He raised his eyebrows.

Chills ran down Allison’s body as the nausea returned. Was the book really worth her safety? She didn’t know the guy who burdened her with it, let alone this Cassandra he mentioned. The bus slowed to turn towards the downtown transit center. She dropped the book back into the paper bag and rolled the top closed while she surreptitiously unzipped her fanny pack. He held his hand out expectantly. The bus turned into the transit center and rolled to a stop as the door opened. She yanked taser out of her pack, pressed it to his neck, and pushed the button. He jerked, landing loudly on the floor between the seats. Allison bolted through the back doors as he recovered and squirmed to his knees. He grabbed her left foot, sending her sprawling to the bus floor. Allison rolled onto her back and curled into a ball. He stood and pulled the gun out of his pants. She thrust her right heel between the man’s legs. The gun fell to the floor while the man fell and howled in pain. Allison scrambled to her feet, kicked the gun out of his reach, and sprinted west. The man pushed himself up, grabbed his pistol and took off in pursuit. Allison’s lungs burned with every breath as she ran. A bullet struck the building next to her as she turned out of sight. THe hotel stood a block away. Another bullet whistled past her head. Yet another one zipped between her legs, striking the sidewalk inches from her feet. She rounded the corner to see two men and a woman and in a pantsuit standing in front of an SUV. The two men standing on either side of the woman spotted Allison and reached for their guns. Allison skidded to stop several feet in front of the trio. She held her arms up with the bag in one hand.

“Help! This guy is pursuing me.“.

The man pursuing her turned the corner, fixed his gaze on Allison, and raised his pistol. Allison dove sideways while the men ahead of her opened fire at him. The man dropped limply to the ground. One of the two men darted forward and nudged the body with his foot before holstering his gun. The second man holstered his gun. Allison crawled to the sidewalk and sat on the curb clutching her knees.

”Who the hell are you?” The woman she had seen standing between the men strode forcefully towards Allison.

”Allison McReady. Who are you?”

”My name is Cassandra. Where is David?” The woman took the bag from Allison, extracted the book, flipped through the pages, and nodded her approbal. She handed the paper bag back to Allison.

“He died.”

”I can see that!” Cassandra gestured at Allison’s bloody clothing. How’d you kill him?”

“I didn’t kill him!” Allison glowered at her, trembling. “Someone stabbed him before he shoved this damned bag in my hand.”

“Humph.” Cassandra stared at Allison for what seemed an eternity. “You saved a lot of lives tonight.” She crouched in front of Allison. “Care to come to work for me? I have an opening.”

“What?” Allison huffed. “Hell, no! Three people died because of that book.”

“Billions more may have died had you not brought this to me.” She held the book up and nodded her head.

Allison sat silently. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Cassandra stood up and held her hand out. Allison grabbed it and rose to her feet.

“You’ll be okay. Marcus will take you home.” She produced a metal case from her pocket and withdrew two cards. Cassandra held them out to Allison. “The first is my card, in case you change your mind. The second is for a shrink. He can help you process what happened.” She headed for the SUV.

“What do I do with this?” Allison held the paper bag of money out in front of her?”

The woman paused and turned her head. “That is for your trouble.” She disappeared into the back of the SUV.

“I’m parked over here.” Marcus motioned to a nearby car.

”No, thanks.” Allison looked him in the eye. “I’ll make my own way home.” She walked away.