The Paranoid Thief (20 page)

“Went home sick.
I’m covering while he’s out. So who’s this joker?” Jill said mildly, with no
real interest implied.

“Tom
Jenkers
,
ID 271712DC.
You say you’re taking over for Bran, how come I’ve never
seen you before?”

“I transferred in from
Stockwell
two days ago. Supposed to have a five-day leave to settle in when I was called
in to cover.” She made up the lie without batting an eye, sounding irritated.
“Disposition of prisoner?”

“Held over for trial.
Here’s the plastic workup on him.”

Jill reached and collected the plastic card
through the rotating container, dropping it next to Randolph as if by accident.
“Sorry,” she said, looking annoyed at her own clumsiness, “hold on a moment.”
She bent over to retrieve the card and asked in a whisper, “What do I do now?”

“You got me. I think I remember Bran using
that slot by your elbow when I came in the second time,” Randolph suggested.

With a nod, Jill sat back up, examined the
slot then flipped the card twice before sliding it in. “So,” the speaker began,
“are you going to be permanent here?”

“I don’t know yet,” Jill answered, looking
up at the screen, eying the information. “Damn, you’re my first customer and
your system’s entry information is different then I’m use too.” Jill looked
frustrated and apologized, “This may take a few minutes.”

“Don’t sweat it, uh…?” The speaker wanted
her name. Jill gave him a fake one and he continued. “Linda. Bran keeps an
instructional clipboard there on the wall.”

Jill swiveled her head, then pulled down
the clipboard with step-by-step instructions. “Damn, I’d forgotten about that.
How’d you know it was there?” she asked, easily following the instructions.

“Bran likes his baseball games. If there’s
a good match up, he’ll play sick to stay home and watch it.”

“So you’ve helped out others I take it?”
Jill asked, typing in the appropriate words in the empty boxes.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if they
cancelled his card at this easy gig and put him back on a beat.”

Randolph heard the buzzer go off that
allowed the new officers access to the hallway and frantically signaled Jill
“NO,” pointing at the door lock which was no longer there. Jill gave it a quick
glance before she pulled the card from its slot and met the men at the door to
keep their attention off the obvious entry point into the control room. “I’ll
just walk you back and forth to make certain I know the whole procedure, and if
you ask me out after only being here a few hours,” she said, blocking the door
with her body, “I’m going to be rather upset with you.”

“Um…all right, fine.” The officer agreed,
then took note of Jill’s clothes and shoeless feet, gesturing. “Uh…”

At which Jill folded her arms in a huff and
complained, “You try and get a set of fitting clothes when all yours are being
altered for this district’s dress code.”

Randolph wished he could see how the
situation was unfolding behind the door, but he dared not take a peek, even
when he heard them start to move off with Jill leading the way. But then he
felt a chill of apprehension, hearing one ask Jill who’d hired her on; for no
one asked such questions unless they perceived something amiss.

As Jill knew no names they would recognize,
Randolph stood and walked out. “Actually, no one hired us yet.”

Their reaction was every bit what Randolph
was hoping for, turning as one to his voice. Jill shoved the prisoner into one officer
and kicked the knee joint out of the second before either one knew what was
happening. In the next seconds, Jill silenced the pain-riddled man while
Randolph stormed down the hall, shoulder-blocking the prisoner and officer as
one, felling both as he stumbled and hit the floor rolling on past. Back on his
feet, Randolph found the other officer was far quicker then he and tried to
block his oncoming fist. This failed, as the officer’s fist connected with his
face, sending him back a step while Jill, a second or so late, swept the
officer’s feet out from under him. Randolph and Jill separated themselves to
either side of the downed officer while the prisoner, still having his hands
cuffed behind him, stepped into the second recovering officer, resulting in
distracting the man so Randolph and Jill could move.

Once the unconscious man hit the floor,
Randolph ignored the griping of the prisoner, who objected severely to Jill’s
insistence he get into his cell.

“Well, that went rather well,” Jill
commented, closing the door, “and I didn’t kill either of them,” she finished,
making sure Randolph knew she could have.

“And no one appreciates it more then
I,
save these two when they think about it.” Randolph
remarked, stripping the one closest to his size. Jill checked out the size of
the other man while Randolph went back to the console and assigned a room for
their uninvited guests. As he was punching in the last codes, the buzzer on the
console went off, indicating company coming. This time it was two men in black
suits.

“Damn it all, when it rains it pours!”

“What is it now?” Jill asked
,
looking on the screen as Randolph tilted his head up with
a silent plea of
Stop already with the
surprises.
He rubbed his face in frustration, his mind ragged with all this
improvising.

“Who are they after, me or you?” Jill
asked.

“No way to tell until I ask,” Randolph
shrugged. He pressed the intercom button and asked the men to explain their
business.

“Special Agent Grant and Agent Dunn to take
custody of Major Jill Wander,” the FBFC agent declared in a no-nonsense
monotone.

“All right Special Agent Grant, please step
into the hallway as I verify your request.” Randolph directed, watching the
pair move in as he rubbed his neck, thinking furiously.

“Have you any ideas?” Jill asked. When he
shook his head, signaling her to hush, Jill laid a hand on Randolph’s arm,
saying with a quirky smile, “Well I do. Give me a few minutes then send them to
my cell.” Randolph turned to eye Jill as she instructed, “Just make certain
you’re behind them after you open the door.”

“What are you up to?”

Jill laid a gentle hand to his face.
“You’ve been beautiful up to this point, but it’s time I started carrying my
own weight. Now do as I say, as we have little time to pull this off.”

Jill left him there questioning, pulling
off the tie. Somewhat perplexed by her touch and his own reaction to it,
Randolph shook himself and pushed the button which would open her door and
release Lieutenant Bran then opened the cell next to hers so she could stuff
the officers into it before turning to adjust his mind for the new party
crashers in the hallway.

After removing his video picture from the
board and pinning on Bran’s name tag, Randolph opened the hallway door and
waited as calmly as he could while the two men walked up to the window. With
confident movements, the older of the two handed over the documentation giving
them full custody of Jill, while the younger partner took in the room. Randolph
took up the paperwork and read over the pages, noting a word placed here or
there would make these documents invaluable in obtaining equipment he’d always
wanted—that was if he and Jill got out of this alive.

After some minutes to give Jill time,
Randolph nodded his acceptance, buzzed the door to allow them in the hallway,
and stepped out to block the damaged door. He motioned with his hand.
“This way, gentlemen.”

Once in front of her door, Randolph fumbled
out the card-key trying to prepare himself for anything Jill might do while
hoping his nervousness did not show. Tensing so he’d be prepared to aid in her
scheme, he pulled open the door, but what he and they all saw inside the cell
was nothing comparable to what he’d imagined in the short walk along the
hallway.

Instead of being set to deck one of the two
men upon the door opening, Jill sat astride Officer Bran’s hips facing them,
wearing absolutely nothing, sounding as if she were coming near to a climax as
she moaned and moved herself up and down on his uncovered lap. As with any male
whose mind is never very far from thoughts of sexual pleasures, Randolph and
the two agents stood a moment gaping on the scene till she lowered her head.
Opening her eyes, noting the trio watching her, she commented, “Come on, guys,
one at time, please!”

“All right, Lieutenant, what the hell’s
going on here?” Special Agent Grant turned. His partner did likewise as
Randolph
stammered
, trying to find an answer.

Jill leaped off of Bran’s lap, landing on
her coveralls between the two men on bent legs, and rammed her right palm
upward into Special Agent Grant’s family pride. The resulting blow even had
Randolph wincing as she repeated the action to the other agent with her left
hand. Not above capitalizing on any opportunity even as stunned as he was,
Randolph lifted Agent Grant’s wallet and shoved him into the cell as Jill used
the other agent as leverage in standing. She pulled him in further as she
bolted out and grabbed the door, swinging it shut.

When metal hit the magnetic lock, sealing
the door closed, Randolph couldn’t help himself. He grabbed Jill in a
bone-crushing hug of relief and gratitude. Jill’s first reaction to his sudden
affection was to tense up, but she soon melted in his arms after the first
couple of seconds and returned the embrace.

After only a short time, Jill pushed
herself away, but caressed his face with her hand and sought his eyes. “As much
as I’m learning to enjoy being in your arms, I’d suggest you let go so I can
get dressed before I pull your pants down and jump your bones.”

Jill gave Randolph a quirky smile as he
backed off, coughed into his fist and nodded. “Yeah, I guess that would be
wise.”

“Now if you’ll be so kind as to open your
cell, I’ll get dressed.” Jill smiled up at him, patting his face.

Randolph nodded and returned to the control
room, which was not doing its job, and explored the agent’s wallet. While he
was engrossed in the many possibilities an FBFC’s credentials could contribute,
Jill entered and donned a second pair of socks before trying on the smallest
pair of shoes present.

“So what’s the plan now, sweetie?” Jill
asked, tying the laces for a snugger fit.

“We get the hell out of here is the plan,
and we’ll be doing it by walking out the front doors, as I’m tired of changing
clothes.”

Jill eyed him speculatively, shrugged, and
gave him a big kiss for good luck.

Thirty minutes later, Jill and Randolph
were in deep discussion as they walked right out the front doors and continued
their lively talk along the block, right into the first clothing store crossing
their path. The pair picked out new clothes to replace the uniforms, and used
Bran’s credit account to pay for their new wardrobe while Randolph refrained
from waving at the video camera, sighing. It would be unprofessional of him to
do so; however, he couldn’t resist giving a wink to the video camera as they
left, just to let them know he knew they would find this video shortly after he
left.

Each had purchased two sets of clothing,
wearing one set upon leaving. Jill and Randolph sought out public bathrooms to
change into the second set to make it harder for the computer technicians to
use the clothing store’s video on the streets to locate them.

Using public conveyances till dusk,
Randolph and Jill traveled all over town till he hot-wired a conveniently
located car and sold it to a junk dealer for hard credits to rent out a hotel
room, where the couple lay arm in arm for some hours, expressing their joy in
being alive and free.

But once settled in with some rest under
his belt, Randolph’s mind returned to reality and began wondering if they
shouldn’t split up. “After all,” he explained, “By now my face will be—
Ow
! What’s that for?” he complained to her stinging slap.

“Now you just shut it!” Jill ordered,
stabbing a finger into his chest, causing him to sit on the bed. “It’s my fault
this happened, and you damn well knew what would happen when you bailed my
worthless butt out of the slammer. So don’t you dare sit there and say you care
nothing for me! That hug you gave me back in the station was not just out of
gratitude for my actions—you feel something for me as I know my other self is
in love with you. So you can trash those thoughts and tell me what are we going
to do next?”

Randolph looked up on Jill’s stern stance
of immovability, rubbed his cheek and admitted, “I’ve no idea what course to
take now. I’ve been running on adrenalin for so long, I need a day of rest and
time to clear my head.”

Jill closed her eyes and rubbed her temple.
“This is
all my
fault, but I have to ask, are we safe
here for a day or two?”

“Yeah, we're safe. The staff never saw my
face and we’re paid up till next week,” Randolph assured her, breaking out into
a yawn, his body no longer active.

“All right lover boy,” Jill said, taking up
his robe and hauling him physically off the bed. “We both need a shower, after
which you can sleep as long as you like.” With her body and voice giving out
orders, Randolph knew it to be futile to argue with her, so he did as bidden
and never felt his head hitting the pillow.

The body can only take so much, after which
it needs a respite, and Randolph’s body had decided a full day was a good
beginning before any nourishment was requested to continue replenishing itself.
As for Jill, her body felt just as badly as Randolph’s, for when he finally
stirred, she was deeply asleep, curled up as close to his body as she could
get. Trying not to disturb her, Randolph slid out from under the warmth of the
covers and sought out the bathroom. He then took a good hard look in the mirror
on the face he’d chosen during his last facial change and ran his hand over the
stubble, wondering if any crooked doctor would have anything to do with him,
now that he had the city police and the FBFC after him. Randolph leaned his
exposed butt up on the cold porcelain sink, folded his arms and wondered.
For that matter, would one even see Jill
even if she allowed it?
Still pondering after some minutes, Randolph heard
movement in the next room moments before Jill walked in wearing a robe.

“Good morning, love,” Jill’s softer side
greeted him, enveloping him in a tight embrace and a kiss before shifting her
robe to sit on the toilet. The way she casually took care of private business
while he stood inches away reminded Randolph so much of his parents, that is
until his father ran off with his mother’s entire savings. Childhood feelings
reemerged which left him uncomfortable. Guilt and blame followed on the heels
of his mother’s tears.
What if I’m like
my father? Is this why I never settled down?
Randolph tightened his arms
about himself, for a fierce chill ran through him.

The sound of water thankfully ended his
destructive feelings. This brought about awareness of his surroundings, and
with it, why they had enveloped him so.

When Jill finished up, she stood and
wrapped her robe around him. “The bed’s warm and much nicer with you in it. How
about ordering breakfast in bed, then afterwards we could use up the
newly-acquired energy?”

“Jill, we still have things to discuss,”
Randolph said trying to be serious, but in answer she buried her face in his
neck, nuzzling, pressing herself up against him so he could feel the warmth and
pleasure she was very willing to give. When his arousal grew near her hips, she
squeezed him even tighter, knowing he was capitulating, and affectionately
kissed his neck before drawing away, pulling his hand to draw him back to bed.

Sometime later, after they’d caught their
breath, Randolph sat up against the headboard while Jill lay besides him with a
possessive arm and leg intertwined with his own. “As nice as this is, we really
need to discuss events and how we wish to have them play out.”

Jill nuzzled his arm and kissed his elbow,
murmuring, “Such are things that can wait till tomorrow. Today I wish to show
you my appreciation for saving my life.”

“Did you not just do that?”

“That was more or less a bribe to get you
back in bed, and now that you are in bed, I plan on keeping you here all day
and throughout the night, of which I promise little will be used for sleeping.”
And in keeping to that promise, she shifted to sit astride his hips, though he
was far from being ready again, and holding the headboard to either side of his
head, Jill leaned into his face and demanded Randolph kiss her as she
passionately kissed his lips.

“Jill,” he tried when she pulled back a
little to catch her breath, “we really need to discuss the future.”

“The future can attend to its ugly self
today, as tomorrow will come soon enough. So let’s leave it outside the door
while we explore paradise here inside this room.” She sat back further to help
invigorate a response from Randolph’s lower half, and took both of his hands to
place them on her breasts. Then shaking out her lengthening hair, Jill moved
her hips over his two boys, trying to draw out the strength of the man between
them. After only a short time of encouragement, Jill smiled at his response
from her combined talents, and shifted, lowering a hand in aid of taking him in
with such a look of passion in her eyes, Randolph felt his heart flutter in
anticipation. He was going to give her multiple pleasures before he succumbed
to his own.

By nine that evening,
Randolph’s lips were beyond tired as he held Jill, slowly drifting off to
sleep.
Jill
kept astonishing
him with how often
she managed to get him up for more activity beyond what he felt a man was
capable of. And now as their hearts slowly began settling in for a
well-deserved rest, his mind took over, briefly comparing the two sides of Jill
which he’d seen today as they both shared equally their joining bodies.

The next morning as Jill finished off
breakfast, sitting Indian style with the bedclothes covering her bare legs, she
asked, “Well, what of the plan involving this Hilden character, can we still go
ahead with that?”

“Oh sure, if you want to start World War
Three,” Randolph remarked, wearing a brown robe, relaxing in a chair angled for
best viewing pleasure, and nursing a decent cup of coffee. He looked up into
the growing irritation in her eyes, and explained further. “After getting you
out of jail, there’s no way Mr. Hilden couldn’t know I’m a live and free,
practically on his front door step, and knowing this, he has to surmise I’m
rather pissed at him.” As she finished off her orange juice, Randolph
elaborated further, partly for his own good.
As I’d really like to do some serious damage
to that SOB.
“To have tied the noose so securely about my neck in
order to make certain of my participation in his murderous scheme, he’d had to
have gotten detailed records furnished to him by the police and possibly some
of my victims.”