"You're not exactly in a position where you can ask for a favor." Chance raised an eyebrow and frowned at Tucker.
"Yeah, I know." He shrugged. "But I need to ask anyway. I mean the people that are after you most definitely know that I botched the entire thing. If you keep me, I might get to live a little longer. Set me free and I probably won't last until sunset."
"I'll hear you out but I can't promise anything."
"If you can't promise to help me, can you at least promise a painless death?" Tucker asked seriously.
"What kind of question is that?" Chance refused to take such a request to heart. There was no way he'd promise that.
"You see, I actually have a decent life insurance policy and my family could really use the money."
"I'm not going to kill you, Tucker."
Tucker should have left it at that. He should have noticed that Chance was getting annoyed, but he didn't.
"Hire someone to do it then. Like I said earlier, I'm as good as dead anyway so you could at least-"
"Shut up!" Chance indignantly cut him off. "What kind of person do you think I am!?"
"Sorry." Tucker closed his eyes and sighed. "I wasn't trying to insult you. I just... I don't want them to get to me first."
"So start explaining." Chance crossed his arms and waited.
"Rita, my wife, was in a bad car accident about a month before I was let go."
Tucker's statement caught Chance off guard and his expression softened involuntarily. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Oh, no, don't misunderstand. She is alive and doing fairly well in a recovery center. It's near her parents so they can keep her company while I'm working. Or while I was working." His mind wandered as he remembered his fruitless search for a job.
"Since getting forced out, I've had a tough time keeping a job. It got even worse when Addison Enterprises went belly up. I mean not only was I fired, I was fired by a company that couldn't keep itself afloat and let its CEO run amuck!"
Koty suddenly cleared his throat and glared at Tucker.
"What?"
"Allegedly."
"I'm not following."
"Allegedly ran amuck."
"Fine! Allegedly. Whatever." Tucker returned Koty's glare when he suddenly recalled where he'd seen him before.
"Ah! You're the guy that told me that my headlight is out." His memory from last night cleared up rapidly.
"Well, duh."
Tucker didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'It was that damned car. That was how they noticed something was wrong!'
"You couldn't find a job and your wife is institutionalized. How does that lead back to now?" Chance's patience was wearing thin.
Tucker took a deep breath and continued "Right, anyway, the bills started piling up and our savings were pretty much depleted. I sold off everything I could to make up for the deficit. I even sold our house and turned the money over to Rita's parents to manage." He thought a moment before adding, "On paper, I think I have about three thousand dollars to my name."
"In other words, you, or rather your wife's parents, currently have enough money to finish her treatment."
"Yes. That and her parents have offered us a place to stay for the time being." Tucker looked down to hide the guilt and regret in his eyes. "Everything should have been fine."
"Should have been?"
Tucker snapped his head up to look Chance in the eye. "Please, understand. I have nothing against you but my wife is far more important to me. So when they... I couldn't..." His voice trailed off and genuine distress twisted his expression.
Rita was completely innocent to any of this. Why should she have to be put in danger? He thought about his precious wife and wasn't sure how to say what needed to be said.
Koty managed to say it for him, albeit bluntly. "Someone offered you money and threatened your wife." He had easily guessed the rest and blurted it out.
"Bingo. They think I need money and they know I need Rita."
"What's stopping them from doing something to her now?" Chance asked.
Now that Tucker had vanished, surely they'd go after her to get to him.
"Just distance. The recovery center is in another city several hours from here. I haven't been back to B City since I was fired." Tucker held his head in his hands. "If I don't turn up soon, they'll be able to use her and lure me out. Time is ticking."
Chance just nodded and didn't say anything at first. What Tucker said made sense but there was not enough time to verify everything he had told them.
Although he wanted to believe it was the truth, it could just as easily be a trap.
"I still have a question." It was a question that had been with him ever since Fait told him his life was at risk.
"Only one?"
Chance stared at Tucker until the man started to squirm.
"Who are they?"