Price of a Bounty

-Guy-

The Lie Detect



The next morning, I awoke early as usual and prepared for the day. Finally, Eberhardt called, “Rick! The girl is awake.”

When I entered the bedroom, I noticed that Madeline’s eyes went directly to the open safe. Just as I’d expected! Then she looked at Eberhardt and seemed to realize something.

It was troubling that she knew me as Guy Bensen, especially since she was working for Elaine Ramsey.

Most people who used my code name worked with me or needed my help. Madeline fell into neither category, and I feared that she knew too much. I needed to know exactly how much. It was time to use the lie detect.

“I don’t really trust old techno,” she said.

“Don’t worry, my lie detect works every time.”

“What do you mean?”

With a straight face, I said, “Eberhardt will break one of your fingers every time I suspect you’re lying.”

Eberhardt played along. He put away the gun, flexed his fingers and smiled at me. I smiled back.

“So…are you ready to begin?” I asked Madeline.

“Sure,” she said.

Was she a masochist, or was she was calling my bluff? I looked at her more closely then, and for the first time, I noticed a scar on her right forearm, an old knife wound perhaps. The sleeve covering her left shoulder had slipped down, and I could see another scar, an old burn in the shape of a circle. There was also a thin line of white scar tissue above her left eyebrow.

I reached into the bottom dresser drawer and pulled out an old fashioned lie detect, then turned to her.

“Is there anything you need before we begin? This will be more reliable if you’re relaxed.”

“Mouthwash or toothpaste.”

She probably needed the bathroom for more than that after the amount of liquid she’d consumed the night before. I nodded in the direction of the bathroom.

Eberhardt looked at me and raised his eyebrows when we heard running water.

“Really?” he asked.

I shrugged. “As long as she doesn’t leave before we have time to question her. I’ll make sure she’s not trying to sneak out the window.”

I rapped twice on the door, then opened it. Madeline was clearly enjoying a hot bath, and she made no move to cover herself. It took some effort, but I pulled my head back, took a deep breath and motioned for Eberhardt to follow me into the living room.

Eventually, Madeline emerged from the bathroom, wearing her skirt and pink top. Wet hair only enhanced her beauty. It would be pertinent for me to remain cautious. I realized that I was staring again and forced myself to look away. Her eyes! She looks almost like…

“Are you ready to begin?” I asked and turned my attention to the lie detect.

What was I going to do with her? She knew I was part of the Resistance; she was a liability. It would be disastrous if Elaine Ramsey learned about that. I needed to determine exactly what Madeline knew. Then I’d have to convince her not to talk – either that or Eberhardt would have to…I couldn’t let it come to that.

My first questions established how honest answers would be recorded.

“Does Elaine Ramsey know about my ties to the Resistance?”

She said, “I don’t think so, but maybe.”

The lie detect confirmed what she’d told me earlier. Nevertheless, Ramsey would remain a threat as long as she believed Oren Johnson was alive. What was Madeline planning to tell her? For that matter, was her name really Madeline?

“Is Madeline Jones your real name?”

“No, I’m Keira Maddock.” The lie detect recorded this as truth. The resemblance was clear.

“Are you related to Scott Maddock?”

She looked surprised and responded with a question instead of an answer. “How do you know Scott?”

That changed everything. I turned off the machine and the recorder and reached over to gently remove an electrode. She reached up and removed the others.

“You don’t have the money, do you?” I looked directly into her eyes. “It was already gone when you got here.”

“Yes, it was gone,” she replied without looking away. “I was planning to steal it from you, but when I opened the safe, it wasn’t there. Killing you prematurely would have only made the rest of my job more difficult.” She finished with a shrug.

Her indifference sent a shiver down my spine. She and Scott looked so similar yet were undoubtedly different.

“How do you know Scott?” she asked again.

Even so…I ignored her question, reached into a small bag and extracted a magnet. I picked up the recording cassette. “There will be no record of our conversation.”

I looked toward the door. “Eberhardt, please run out and pick up some breakfast for all of us.” I returned my gaze to Keira. “We have a lot to discuss.”

Before he left, Eberhardt walked over and handed me his gun. He knew I’d never use it, but Keira didn’t know that.

After he left, I placed the gun on the table in front of me and answered Keira’s question with a half truth. “Scott is one of my clients.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe, but there’s more. How do you really know him?”

This was not where I’d expected the conversation to go when I’d suggested the lie dectect. How much had Scott told her?

“I met Scott when I first moved to Tkaron. We were in somewhat similar situations. He worried about you and your sister and wanted you to be safe and happy. Are you?”

“As much as can be expected. I can take care of myself if that’s what you’re really asking.”

“Scott believes in the Motto of the Realm. Do you?”

“Reliance on citizens makes us great,” she said bitterly. “That used to mean all of us, working together, to better the whole.”

“Not a few at the top relying on the rest,” I completed her thought. “Yes Keira, I prefer the original meaning too. Earlier you implied that you didn’t think it was a coincidence the money disappeared last night. Who do you suspect?”

“Eberhardt appears to have the know-how,” she began, but then hesitated.

“No.” I shook my head. “Some of this money was earmarked for his family. Any other ideas?”

“How well do you know Rose? Don’t you think it’s interesting that she asked you for a large sum of money when I was in the very next room? Maybe she wanted you to suspect me.”

I thought about that. “Possibly. She’s greedy, but she’s also a terrible liar, and had she known you were here, I think she would have been jealous of another woman in my bed.”

I continued to think about it. Had Rose ever been near me when I’d opened the safe? Yes, she had been standing behind me when I put her mother’s pendant in there for safekeeping. Why did she ask me to keep it? I hadn’t kept a close eye on her every time she’d visited because everything important was locked up or hidden away.

“She’s had the opportunity,” I shared, “but she’s not cunning enough to have planned something like this.”

“I know someone who is. I think Elaine Ramsey has already retrieved her money, and I believe she hired Rose to do that.”

“She hired you to do that,” I said.

“I think she wanted me to believe that.”

“But why would Rose turn on me?” I wondered aloud.

“You already answered that. ‘Rose is greedy,’ you said. And she was dating a lowly gardener. Why?”

“I met her when I was working undercover at her father’s estate. I decided she would be a more valuable asset than what I’d been planning to steal.”

“You misunderstood my question. Why would a rich girl date a gardener, and how did you ever convince her that Oren could afford a place like this anyway?”

“I told her I’d recently received a large inheritance from my uncle.”

“You’ve only told her lies. She doesn’t even know your real name.” She nodded. “That was good thinking. If Ramsey has been in contact with Rose, your lies will probably end up saving you.”

Keira was right – I’d never trusted Rose. We’d been doomed from the start. She had every reason to turn on me.

“Richard, retrieving the money was only part of the job, and there is no way Ramsey would have convinced Rose to kill you, not someone like her – that’s my job. We need to make it look like I killed Oren Johnson. It’s the only way you’ll be safe.”

I narrowed my eyes. “No, we’re talking about your safety. However, I believe we can come to an agreement. If Elaine Ramsey believes Oren Johnson is dead, she may leave us both alone.”