Jump When Ready by David Pandolfe

Author:David Pandolfe [Pandolfe, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

10

A Cockroach Driving Dangerously

Martha had convinced me to get some rest and let Jamie and Nikki continue looking after Bethany. She’d told me I’d know when I was strong enough to go back and she was right. After our walk together, I slept soundly and I took it as a good sign that I didn’t have any bad dreams. By the next day, simply concentrating on Bethany landed me right outside the cabin.

Will and Karen stood on opposite ends of the front porch staring straight ahead, neither speaking while Jamie and Nikki watched them. It seemed like I’d landed in some weird moment frozen in time where no one was talking or moving.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“They’re arguing,” Jamie said.

“Again,” Nikki said.

At that moment, Karen turned to face Will. “It isn’t right!” she said. “I never would have signed on for that! And you knew it, didn’t you?”

Will smirked. “Well, when you think about it, what about this is right? I thought we both agreed that some definitions of right and wrong need to be redefined. For example, is it right that one percent of the population is three-hundred times richer than the rest? Is it right that people in this stupid country are slaves to their jobs just for health insurance? Corporations are criminals but all their crimes are legal. What’s right about that? How is this crime any different?”

Karen rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Don’t play that card right now. You know what I mean.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I also know how you’d like it to be. Easy. That’s how you always want it to be. But I’m almost ready, okay?”

Karen exhaled and crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what’s the deal now? You have some sort of algorithm or code or something that determines how long it takes before her parents finally think she’s dead?”

Those words hit me like a punch in the stomach. Why would they want my parents to think Bethany was dead?

“Wish I did,” Will said. “Now, that would make things easy. But I did a study.”

“You did a study.”

“Yes, I examined cases. Typically, those who waited until the trail went cold got their money and didn’t get caught. Those who moved too quickly didn’t fare all that well. Since 2002, there were ten cases where—”

“Wouldn’t it just get riskier?” Karen said, her voice rising in pitch. “That’s what I’m thinking. We need to get this done!”

“No, you’re wrong. Here’s the deal. After two weeks, the cops start to pack it in. They don’t say it, of course, but they assume it’s a lost cause and turn their attention elsewhere. They’re spread thin—everyone knows that. They keep telling the family they’re working on it but they’ve written the victim off as dead.”

“Then what happens?”

“Usually, nothing. Because the cops are right, the victim’s dead. Meanwhile, the family is having a total meltdown. They’ve lost a kid, the police have bailed. Worst case scenario nightmare.”

“But she’s not dead,” Karen said.

“Exactly. So, we wait until our girl is written off.

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