The Odds - Jeff Strand Page 0,12
dark sense of humor, and after revealing his joke and having a good laugh at Ethan’s expense, he’d disappear from his life forever.
There were lots of little kids in his neighborhood, so he drove as fast as possible while remaining fully alert for children running into the street. He managed to make it to the playground without running anybody over. As he parked, he saw that two very young children, probably pre-school age, were vigorously digging around in the sandbox, while their mother sat on the bench that was right next to it, looking at her phone.
Ethan sprinted over to the sandbox. “Ma’am! I need your kids to get out of the sandbox right away.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Somebody reported a hypodermic needle in the sand.”
The mother immediately got up. She took the children’s hands. “Let’s go play somewhere else, okay?”
The kids stood up and walked out of the sandbox without protest.
Ethan used his foot to gently dig in the sand as the mother led her kids to the swings. A couple of older accompanied kids were sitting on the slide, not actually sliding on it, but aside from that the playground was vacant. After searching for a couple of minutes, he started to think that maybe it was a bluff, but then his toe struck something, buried about a foot deep.
As he carefully moved the sand away, it looked very much like the plunger of a hypodermic needle.
He pulled it out with his fingers. Yes. It was a goddamn hypodermic needle, filled with a light brown liquid.
Ethan kept searching. It took him about ten minutes to find the other two needles. They also had the same liquid in them. He didn’t know his illegal drugs very well, so he guessed “heroin” but really had no idea.
He walked out of the sandbox with the needles. What the hell was he supposed to do with these?
The mother walked over to him. “Oh my God. Should we call the police?”
“Already done,” said Ethan.
“I guess I can’t take my kids here anymore.”
Ethan would’ve loved to reassure her that this was a one-time thing, but he had no idea what that psycho Rick had planned for after this. “That might be a good idea for a while, until they get some people out here to thoroughly check for more needles.”
Were there only three in the sandbox? Should he keep looking?
His phone rang. Rick.
“That’s the police calling me back,” said Ethan. “Sorry to have scared you.”
“Oh, no, I’m so glad you warned me!”
Ethan walked back toward his car as he answered. “I found them.”
“All three?”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations. I knew you could do it. In the far corner of the playground, on the ground behind a tree, you’ll find a small metal box. Put the needles in there so that they can be disposed of safely, and then immediately return home.”
“What’s in them?”
“Use your imagination. Are you headed toward the tree?”
“Now I am, yeah.”
Ethan walked across the playground over to the tree. The small tin box was on the other side of it. He crouched down next to it, then hesitated.
“How do I know this isn’t booby trapped?”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Ethan, just put the needles in the box.”
Ethan opened the lid. The box was empty. He put the hypodermic needles inside, replaced the lid, and stood back up. “I’m done.”
“Go back to your car.”
“What if a kid finds it?”
“They won’t, if you go straight to your car and drive home.”
Ethan decided that he didn’t have much of a choice. He hurried back to his car, jogging now that he didn’t have to worry about tripping and landing on the needles. He brushed the sand off his hands and pants, then got into the car.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” he demanded, after he started the engine.
“What do you mean?” asked Rick.
“Don’t play dumb with me. Those kids looked like they were three years old.”
“I know. Adults don’t usually play in sandboxes.”
“What if I’d been too late?”
“You would’ve lost this round. No Dom Perignon for you.”
“I mean it—stop playing dumb.”
“Are you asking if somebody would have stopped those very young children from digging through the sand with their bare hands?”
“Yes,” said Ethan.
“Absolutely not,” said Rick. “That’s the most important thing to understand about this game. There is no bluffing. If I say I’m going to shatter your arm, I will shatter your arm. If I say that children are in danger of jabbing themselves on a hypodermic needle, I mean it. Every single time I tell you the