© 2022 Phylicia Joannis
Chuck’s guard helped him settle into a chair in front of Simon, then left them to their visit.
“What happened to you?” Simon looked over Chuck’s puffy, bruised face.
“You gotta get me out of here.” Chuck winced as he spoke. “The guards here are dirty. They tried to kill me.”
Simon opened his briefcase. “Why would they want to do that?”
Chuck shrugged. “Maybe it’s got something to do with the information you’ve had me looking into, I don’t know. Look, I haven’t had a chance to find anything new since what I told Jim. But Simon, you’ve gotta get me out of here.”
“What now?” Simon ignored Chuck as he pulled out his buzzing cell phone. He smirked at the caller ID. “Looks like you came through for me after all, Chuck. Penny’s been calling me since last night. I’ll make her call again. Don’t want to seem desperate. What were you saying?”
“Penny is calling you?” Chuck wondered if he would let her talk to him. “Maybe you should answer it. She might not call again.”
Simon seemed to reconsider and answered the phone. “Simon Lowe, who is this?” Simon grinned from ear to ear. “Penny? I think you might have the wrong number. Oh! That Penny? What are the odds?” He chuckled. “How’s my lucky Penny?” Simon crooned. “Me? Same old tricks, you know. If you’ve called to tell me you’re tired of working for, well, pennies, then you’re in luck. I have a position for you. Who? Miracle Foster?” Simon grew silent for a moment. “Now’s not a good time. I’ll have to call you later.” Simon hung up the phone, visibly irritated.
Chuck frowned. He’d wanted to talk to her. “So, were you able to use any of the stuff I told Jim?” Chuck asked.
“Jim?” Simon gave Chuck a distracted look.
“Yeah, Jim. From your firm? He came to see me a little while ago, and I told him what I knew about the PilTech group.”
“Never heard of it.” Simon shook his head. “Jim, you say? Did you catch his last name?”
“I don’t remember, but he works at your firm.”
Simon sighed. “I’ll look into it. Just tell me what you know.”
Chuck gave Simon all the details of what he learned about the PilTech group and other subsidiaries in connection with the transportation system. Simon took notes, asking questions from time to time. When Chuck was finished, Simon closed his briefcase and stood.
“Thank you for your help, Chuck. We’ll be in touch.”
“Simon, you’ve gotta get me out of here.” Chuck tried again. “I’m glad you’re still on my case. You weren’t at my bail hearing, so I wasn’t sure. I thought you’d forgotten about me.”
“An attorney was assigned to your bail hearing and was present.” Simon shrugged.
“Yeah, but you’re the one with all the connections.” Chuck leaned in closer. “Simon, I’m scared. Someone’s trying to kill me in here.”
Simon stared at Chuck long and hard before taking a step closer. “I’ve always wondered, Charles. How do you sleep at night, knowing what you did to us down in those tunnels?”
Chuck’s face grew hot with shame, and he lowered his head. Simon leaned in.
“Let’s be clear. The only reason Charles Jameson is even a blip on my radar is because I want Penny on my team. I don’t care about you. I don’t care about your feelings. I don’t care about whether or not your bed has bugs or even if you feel safe here. If something happens to Charles Jameson, I will shrug in pity at the waste your life was, and then I will forget you. I will sleep soundly, with no regrets. Do you understand?”
Chuck nodded, eyes focused on the floor. He knew he deserved Simon’s hatred. But he was desperate. “I understand, Simon. I also understand that Penny and I have a connection. She visits me because she cares about me. You might be able to sleep if I die in here. But would she? And would she ever join your team knowing you could have done something for me, but you didn’t?” Chuck dared to look up at Simon’s calculating eyes, hoping his gamble would pay off. He couldn’t afford to lose him as an ally.
“I’ll see if I can get your bail posted in a few weeks,” Simon replied with a sniff. “Keep your head down until then.”
Chuck nodded in thanks and sent a silent prayer to heaven.
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