The Odds - Jeff Strand Page 0,50
do something we can do ourselves?” she asked.
“Excuse me?”
“You barely know Rick. We don’t know if the men he’d recommend are any good or not. When the people show up, why not fix the problem ourselves?”
“We don’t have a gun.”
“We have an axe.”
“We have an axe?”
“In the shed.”
“Why do we have an axe?” Ethan asked.
“You were going to start cutting firewood.”
“I don’t remember that.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“I’m not prepared to fight off somebody with an axe.”
“It wouldn’t be you,” said Jenny. “I’d do it. While they’re distracted by you, I’d take them by surprise.”
“Let me make completely sure I understand what you’re saying,” said Ethan. “You’re saying that you’re willing to kill some actors with an axe?”
“How dedicated are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“If they take an axe to the leg, do you think they’ll stick to the plan?”
“I honestly don’t know. I guess not. I wouldn’t.”
“I don’t want to do this,” Jenny clarified. “I’m only thinking about the future.”
“Oh, no, no, I totally get it. It’s just, I mean, it’s obviously kind of dangerous.”
“Extremely dangerous, I assume.”
“Right.”
“You came home and shouted at us to get out of bed immediately, no time to grab even a change of clothes, and we ran straight for the car to drive out of town. So we’re already in a dangerous situation. We might as well try to take control now, so that when we’re fleeing for our lives we’re at least fleeing with some money in our bank account.”
“That does make sense.”
“We’ll have to improvise,” said Jenny. “But I’ll have an axe ready, and when they show up, I’ll try to make them go away.”
Ethan hated, hated, hated this idea, but he had to admit that it seemed like the smartest move right now. Unless the actors killed Jenny, in which case he’d retroactively decide that it was the worst idea of all time. But for now, it seemed like the best move.
Nobody called as Rick drove back to where he’d left the van and the bodies. That was good. The less communication he had with his boss, the better. They probably wouldn’t have anticipated where Rick murdered his co-workers, so they wouldn’t be suspicious if they only spoke with him for a while.
When he turned onto the street where he’d left them behind, his stomach plunged.
The van was gone.
Stolen? Towed away? Removed by the Cleanup Crew?
All three of those scenarios were pure disaster.
Actually, every single scenario in which the van with the dead bodies was missing was a terrible one. This was so bad. This was “Why not just shove the barrel of the gun into your mouth and pull the trigger?” bad.
He remembered when working on this game had seemed like the ultimate dream job.
Much of his role involved problem solving, but how could he possibly solve this one? Unless somebody drove up in the van, apologized for accidentally taking the wrong vehicle, and assured him that they hadn’t bothered to look in the back, he was one hundred percent screwed.
His phone rang. His stomach somehow hurt even more when he saw that it was The Claw Man. He’d just have to give an Academy Award worthy performance in convincing his boss that everything was simply delightful.
“Hello,” Rick said. He hadn’t vomited immediately after speaking, so this conversation was off to a good start.
“Just checking in.”
“It’s all good. I convinced Ethan to return home with his family.”
“And you’re sure he’s actually doing it?”
“Yes. I’m not saying he won’t change his mind and do something stupid, but for now I think the situation is under control.”
“Good to hear, good to hear,” said The Claw Man. “And what about you, Rick? You were sounding a bit stressed out when we last spoke. I was starting to get a little concerned about your well being.”
“I’m fine now. I apologize for that. It won’t happen again.”
“Oh, no need to apologize. You’re under a lot of pressure and as your employer I should recognize that. So it’s really me who should be apologizing to you. I’m sorry.”
It really felt like The Claw Man was just toying with him, but Rick didn’t want to give up quite yet in case he was wrong. “Anyway, it’s all good.”
“And how are Butch and Gavin? This must be stressful for them, too.”
Now Rick was starting to feel as if he was passing a kidney stone. “They’re fine.”
“I’m very glad to hear it. I worry about those guys. It’s a relief to know that everything is fine with them. No need