With a mechanical noise, the pinwheel spun as Joey raced through the main entrance to the Magic Kingdom. At this time of day, the lines were shorter than usual but there were still plenty of tourists in the park.
-AND? Noreen asked through the earpiece.
"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack," Joey said as he effortlessly joined the crowd slowly making its way through the streets of the park. Surrounded on one side by a group of yelling high school kids and on the other by sobbing twins, Joey fought her way through the madness, ran under the overpass that housed the railway station, and found himself face to face with the twenty-foot-tall Christmas tree and the colorful storefronts of Main Street. Are you sure it's here? Her," she asked Noreen.
"I'm looking at her online map right now," Noreen replied. It should be directly to your left...
"Got it," Joey said, turning left and running away from the crowd heading for the exits. Ahead of her, next to the bright red fire station, was the main entrance to City Hall. Joey took a quick look around her, stopped dead, removed the receiver from her ear, and made her best panicked expression. Oh no…" she began to say quietly. Please don't tell me that... Help! She screamed-. Please someone help me! A few seconds later she heard hurried footsteps from inside City Hall, which was not only the Visitor Relations headquarters, but also happened to be one of the closest places patrolled by Walt Security. Disney World. Why go to them, Joey asked Noreen, when they can come to you?
Joey counted to himself. Three, two, one...
"What is it, ma'am?" What happened to it? a tall guard in a crew cut and silver badge asked quickly.
-He is okay? asked a black man in a blue shirt.
"My wallet!" Joey yelled at the
two men-. I opened the bag and my wallet was gone! I had all the money... my three-day pass...!
"Don't worry…it's okay," the tall guard said, resting his hand on his wrist.
"Do you remember when you last saw him?" asked the black man.
As the two guards tried to calm her down, Joey could see the way they were both looking at the crowd of hicks watching the scene. It was clear that the show had to go on.
"Okay, folks," the tall guard announced to the onlookers. has only lost wallet
When the onlookers continued their
Along the way, the guards surrounded Joey and escorted her to a nearby wooden bench.
— Could she have fallen on one of the attractions? asked the black guard.
"Or maybe in one of the restaurants?" added the other.
"Are you sure you don't have it in your bag?" the first one asked, pointing to the wallet sticking out of Joey's bag.
Joey stopped short and looked at the bag.
"My God," he said, laughing. I feel so ashamed... I could have sworn she wasn't there when I...
"Don't worry," said the tall guard. The same thing happens to me with the keys.
Joey got up from the bench, thanked the two security guards for their help, and apologized again.
"I'm really sorry, next time I'll make sure to…take a better look in my bag."
"Have a good night, ma'am," the tall guard said.
Joey backed back into the crowd and waited for the guards to disappear. Once he was out of sight of them, he turned quickly, replaced the headset, and strode purposefully up Main Street.
-And good? Noreen asked.
"That's what I always tell you..." Joey began. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a black police radio with the word "Security" on it. When you go on vacation you should be careful with pickpockets.
He turned up the volume and brought the device to his ear. He just had to listen.
"We can get out of here, Oliver. All you have to do is have a little faith," says Gallo. His shrill voice comes from the back corner of the silent warehouse.
Crouching behind the bow of the pirate ship, I close my eyes and review the events of the past few days: from the moment we met Gillian… to our night of scuba diving… to everything in between.
"It's the truth," Gallo yells.
Even if you're afraid to believe it.
Once again, I hope Gillian counters her point. Once again, she
she is nowhere.
"Come on, Oliver, are you really
so surprised? You know very well what is at stake here... you found the worm. From the way her shoes drag on the concrete, it looks like Gallo is walking down one of the back hallways. It's amazing, don't you think? All from a small piece of computer code. You cut it in half and it keeps growing. Rooster laughs. When you think about it, that show is the true son of Duckworth. Wherever you are, Gillian remain silent.
What does that silence mean?
Oliver? Do you feel hurt in your feelings? Have you never had a knife in your back? Please, son—I know your bosses at the bank—they pay you to take it off your back every day. And what about all those rich clients who pretend to appreciate you? You should be a real liar expert. For that alone, Gillian's hoax should have failed. You should have realized that all his background they looked dubious, or did you ever bother to find out where he got that New York accent? Besides, you've only known that girl for two days; Were you so upset to...?
Rooster is interrupted. And again, he lets out a deep, guttural laugh.
"Oh Oliver...
He closes his eyes but the image doesn't go away.
"...you really thought he liked you, didn't you?" Rooster asks.
I slide to the ground, scraping my back against the hull of the ship.
At a corner, Gallo stops and retraces his steps. He knows I'm there. Like the best of predators, he can smell despair.
A few seconds later he heads towards my hiding place.
"How did Gillian get you to take the bait?" he asks, disguising the question. Was it just that bullshit story she told you, or was it something more physical?
From the sound of his footsteps, Gallo seems to have returned to the front of the aisles that separate the floats.
"Let me guess: she sold you all that poor little orphan stuff and, for dessert, added the-chance-of-going-on-a-date-with-the-pretty-girl-who-you-didn't-love." did you-dare-ask-to-the-prom-dance. Add to that the thrilling escape, and suddenly you felt like your whole miserable life was changing. How am I doing, Oliver? Starting to sound familiar?
I try to find out the origin of his voice, although without taking my ass off the ground. He is now one hall away. I should start running. But I do not do it.
"And what about his age?" Gallo adds. What did she tell you? Wait... let me guess... Twenty-six? Twenty seven? He pauses just to enjoy the moment. She's thirty-four years old, Oliver. Does that break your heart or does it just make you feel a little more of an asshole?
I get up slowly knowing perfectly well the answer. I'm not sure where Gallo is located. And I'm not even sure I care.
—And let's not forget the name: Gillian... Gillian Duckworth, really good considering how little time they had to prepare the cut. Of course, if she used Sherry, no one would have known the difference.
Sherry?
At the front of the hallway, two cheap black shoes turn the corner and stop. I look towards the end of the line of floats. Rooster looks directly at me. He has the gun raised; mine hangs next to my leg. With his typical grin on his rat face, Gallo shakes his head in one last show of macho sneer. But at no time does he lose sight of my expression.
"You never really had the slightest suspicion, did you, Oliver?" He didn't answer.
"All this time you thought you were flying first class and then the stewardess slaps you awake and she tells you you're tied to a kamikaze...
As he studies my reaction, I look at the ground. It's covered in dust. Same as Gillian's side table. Charlie had told me.
"To be honest, I never thought they'd get it," Gallo adds. But if you had never seen her before, I suppose there was no way you could know that she was her wife.
He quickly raised his head.
"Was she whose wife?" I ask, finally breaking my silence.
Gallo smiles at the question.
"Come on, Oliver, use your brains just once. How do you think we got Duckworth's program past the Sec checks...?
Behind Gallo there is a deafening explosion. Before I can even blink, his chest explodes, scattering fine spatters of blood between the floats. I am about fifteen feet away when the last drops of blood spatter my face and shirt.