Grumpy Best Friend

I nodded and looked over toward Jude. She squirmed slightly and stared out at the street lights. We were parked a couple blocks over from where the meeting was supposed to take place. It was late, a little after midnight, and Zeke said he’d show up at this little park near Passyunk Ave., a quiet spot with lots of trees and plenty of dark corners to hide in. I wanted to go somewhere public, but Butch insisted this was the perfect situation.

Hal put us in touch with the feds. Turned out, Hal knew a guy in the FBI, and things quickly escalated when they realized how serious our situation was. They sent a few agents out from their local branch, had me set up a meeting to swap the money for the photos, then drilled me repeatedly on how things were supposed to go down.

There was one flaw in the plan. I was insistent that Jude stay behind, but Zeke wanted her to come. I didn’t understand why—maybe it was a power thing, or maybe he didn’t trust me on my own. Either way, I wished she could stay somewhere safe, but she had to come along. Butch wasn’t happy about it either, but he said it was worth the risk.

Other agents waited nearby, in case something went wrong.

“You’ll be good,” Hal said, nodding to himself, and checked this watch. “You should get moving though.” He leaned closer before I could move. “You’ll be fine. Trust me.”

I trusted him, strangely enough. I picked up the duffel bag full of money. “Thanks, Hal.”

He opened the door and I stepped out the side. Jude climbed out from the passenger seat and stood with me on the sidewalk as Butch leaned across the center console and nodded to me through the window.

“We can hear you loud and clear through that microphone, so just holler if you need us,” he said. “We’ll be nearby. Don’t you worry. And don’t do anything stupid.”

He gave me a thumbs-up then drove off.

Jude watched them go and shook her head. “I feel like we’re being conned,” she said. “Like those guys aren’t actually feds.”

“It’s a shitty con then,” I said, “because there’s nowhere near five million cash in this bag.”

She laughed a little bit and we began to head toward the meeting spot. We didn’t speak much, but when I reached out to take her hand in mine, she squeezed and held on tight. I knew she was anxious, and I couldn’t blame her. We were walking into a very dangerous situation.

But I didn’t think Zeke wanted to get violent. He needed money, and was desperate enough to go through with this, but I didn’t think he wanted to hurt anyone.

Not that he wouldn’t, if pushed, but hopefully he’d hesitate.

We held hand as we walked around the corner, headed up a couple more blocks, and slowed as we approached the park. The lights were out, and the benches and pathways were shrouded in darkness from the long shadows past by the trees and the bushes. It was a small park, half a block total, and ringed by a large black fence.

Jude slipped her hand from mine. “Let’s do it,” she said.

“Stay close,” I said, and walked across the street, down the asphalt path, and toward the small, dry fountain that sat right in the middle of the shadiest section.

I looked around for Zeke but didn’t see anyone. He was specific in his instructions: bring Jude, come alone, and meet him around twelve thirty near the dry fountain. I stood next to its rim and looked at the carved flying babies with little bows and arrows, and tried to picture what it would’ve looked like when the water was running. Jude lingered nearby, looking nervous.

We didn’t talk. The park seemed exhaustingly silent, and the idea of breaking it by opening my mouth seemed daunting. I gripped the duffel bag, and hoped that Zeke didn’t actually know what five million in cash looked like—we had about half a million in hundreds, and the rest was fake, printed up to look real at first glance, but would never pass close scrutiny. The bundles were wrapped up with the real stuff on the outside, and the fake stuff on the inside.

Jude moved closer to me, and I met her eyes. She looked scared, and I wanted to comfort her, but I was suddenly very aware of the FBI agents back in that van listening in to everything I said, and to Zeke lingering nearby somewhere, maybe watching from the trees. I touched her arm, and she forced a smile, head tilted to one side—then her eyes went wide, and she nodded behind me with her chin.

I turned as Zeke strolled out from a section of bushes with Jakub just behind him.

“You came,” Zeke said, spreading his arms out like he wanted a hug. “I’m so happy, I really am.”