Tea Talk

Tea Talk

~ by Greg Gillis

           Patty’s hand trembled as she poured the steaming Orange Pekoe tea into the two cups that laid upon the counter in front of her. She lifted the two cups by the saucers that they sat on and carried them toward the table in the dining room that sat adjacent to the kitchen. Drops of tea splashed over the edges and onto her fingers, but she dared not expose her pain. She just kept on walking.

           At the table, sat a gentleman, in his mid-to-late-fifties. His greying hair was combed back neatly, and his clothes were tidy and pressed. He smiled at Patty’s approach and gently accepted the teacup from her.

           “Please, have a seat. Join me. I insist,” the man said.

           Patty sat quietly in a chair across from the man with her hands in her lap.

           “Delicious tea,” he stated. “It would be a shame if you let it get cold.”

           Patty nervously lifted the cup to her trembling lips and took a sip before returning it to the saucer.

           “Do I make you nervous, Patty?”

           Patty sat silently.

           “You don’t want me to think you are being impolite, do you? I thought we could have a pleasant conversation over a cup of tea. Will you talk to me, please Patty?”

           She nervously nodded to the man across the table from her, then she looked down at the handgun that sat in front of him. He noticed her gaze and laid his hand upon the gun, then spoke.

           “How rude of me. I see that this silly old thing makes you nervous. I will make you a deal, if you promise to talk to me, then I will put the gun away, deal?”

           Patty nodded again and the man slid the gun back into the holster beneath his dark trench coat. She thought back to the events that brought her to this moment.

THREE HOURS EARLIER:

           Patty sat at her desk in the Savings and Trust Bank where she worked as the Bank Manager. It was a typical day. There was a steady flow of customers all day, and other than a few disputes over refused loans, it was uneventful. Most of her day was spent going over the bank’s expenses trying to set yet another record for profits. It was a stressful job, but she was always up for a challenge.

           She stared at the time on her cellular phone and noticed that it was nearly closing hour. She finished off her work for the day, closed her laptop, and left her office. Once all the tills were counted and the cash was locked up safely in the vault, she left for home.

           One quick stop at the grocery store to pick up food for dinner, then up into the hills to the entrance to her property. She punched in a four-digit code on the keypad and the large iron gates swung open. She drove through and the gates closed behind her automatically once she passed the motion sensors.

           The long driveway snaked its way to the front of a two-story home. Two massive pillars guarded the entrance like sentries on patrol. At the double mahogany doors, she fumbled for the house key while trying to balance her briefcase, laptop, and groceries.

           She found the correct key and slid it into the lock. Just then, a strong gloved hand covered her mouth while something hard and cylindrical pressed up against her back. She was ordered inside.

           The man led her to the kitchen where he pushed her toward the counter. Patty saw her life pass before her eyes as she made impact with the granite countertop. She pictured this man sexually assaulting her before killing her. She felt defenceless. But instead, the man took a seat at the table in the dining room and asked her if she had any tea.

           ****

           “Do you know why I am here, Patty? May I call you Patty?” he asked politely. Patty shook her head but said nothing.

           “I apologize, I haven’t introduced myself. You can call me…Johnathan. Let me be honest. I would much rather be civil about this, but if you choose not to cooperate, I will be forced to lose my temper, and you do not want to see me angry. Trust me.”

           Patty fidgeted with her hands nervously beneath the table. It was then that she took a deep breath and decided to try to use the training that she was given when she was hired for her position. As managers, they needed to know how to oversee stressful situations like robberies. She could only assume that was what this man was after, although, he did not seem like the stereotypical bank robber.

           “Johnathan,” she began. “How is your tea? Can I get you something else? Some biscuits, perhaps?”

           Johnathan smiled with curiosity. Patty’s change of attitude intrigued him. Patty decided to play along with this stranger’s game and hopefully, she would be able to get out of this situation unscathed.

           “Biscuits would be wonderful, thank you,” he said.

           Patty retrieved the biscuits from the cupboard, emptied them onto a small plate and returned to the table. Johnathan dipped the edge of one of the biscuits into his tea before taking a bite.

           “Delicious!” he exclaimed as he took another bite.

           “I had them sent from Denmark. I fell in love with them when I visited there a few years ago. I am glad you like them.”

           Johnathan wiped the crumbs from his lips with a handkerchief that he had tucked inside his coat pocket. Patty noticed a red blotch on it as he dabbed his lips. He returned the handkerchief to his pocket, intertwined his fingers, and stretched his arms high into the air above his head. He let out a sigh and said, “Shall we get down to it then?”

           Patty wrapped her hands around her teacup and leaned back in her chair.

           “Please,” she said with false confidence.

           “Very well, I am glad you chose to take the civilised approach. We should have everything taken care quickly, then you can get on with your life. How does that sound?”

           “That sounds like a great plan,” Patty responded. “So, what do you need from me? The alarm code for the bank? The combination for the vault?”

           “Oh, I’m sorry Patty, but you misunderstand my intentions. I don’t want to rob your bank.”

           Patty sat with a confused look on her face. She couldn’t think what else this man could want from her if not access to the bank.

           “You see, I am collector of sorts, and I am here to collect something from you.”

           “Can you be a little more specific?” she asked.

           “I’m sorry, of course. I don’t mean to be so vague. You see, I represent a very influential person and there is something in your bank that he would like back.”

           “I thought you said that you did not want to rob the bank,” she stated bluntly.

           “I don’t intend to rob your bank, Patty. You are going to do it for me.”

           “And, if I refuse?”

           “You do not want to find out. I assure you,” he said.

           “What exactly am I expected to steal?”

           “Stealing is such a derogatory word. Let’s say that you would be obtaining my client’s private property for him. There is an envelope located inside safety deposit box number 334. You need to retrieve that envelope and deliver it to me. After that, you will be free to go, and I will not bother you again unless you go to the authorities about our arrangement.”

           “The safety deposit boxes require two keys. The bank has one, and the customer has the second. I cannot access it without that second key,” Patty stated, hoping he would give up on his crazy plan, but no such luck.

           “I have taken the liberty of retrieving said key from the person in question, and you can use your master key to open the other lock.”

           “It seems like you thought of everything. What happens when this person notices the envelope missing? They are going to investigate it.”

           “The video footage will show bank employees entering and leaving the room. There will be nothing unusual about that. You can tuck the envelope under your blouse until you enter your office. Nobody will suspect a thing.”

           “So, what guarantees do I have that I will be left alone after all this is over with? It seems to me that if I don’t do it, I will be meeting my maker, but if I do go along with this scheme, you could still kill me.”

           “True, that is always a possibility, but you have my word as a gentleman, that I will not harm you if you do as I instruct. Besides, if you end up dead, and the envelope turns up missing, they will be able to trace it back to my client, and that is something that none of us want to happen. Even with all his connections, it would be detrimental.”

           Patty thought for a moment and finally decided to do as Johnathan said. He gave her a burner phone and a number to text once the envelope was in her possession. He was insistent that she does not attempt to open the envelope, and if it appeared tampered with, she would be punished for it.

           Johnathan said that he would be expecting her text by the following afternoon, and left Patty’s house.

           The following day, when Patty entered the bank, she looked around nervously. She made a mental note of where each of the security cameras were placed and how much area they covered. She was standing in the middle of the lobby when she felt a hand grab onto her shoulder. She jumped and spun around with fists raised.

           Casper, the bank’s security guard chuckled as he jumped back with his hands raised as if to say he surrendered.

           “Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to say good morning,” Casper said.

           “I’m the one that needs to apologize, Casper. I’m a little on edge today. I didn’t sleep well. Maybe after I get some caffeine in my system, I will feel better,” she said to the security guard with a half-smile on her face.

           She went to her office at the back of the bank and shut the door behind her. Opening her laptop, she began to search for the customer who rented safety deposit box number 334, but before hitting the “ENTER” button, she decided that the less she knew about these people, the better off she would be.

           Patty watched the cameras from her office and waited until she was certain there was nobody in the room with the safety deposit boxes. She grabbed the two keys and casually walked toward the room, making sure none of the employees were paying attention.

           She quickly located box number 334 and inserted the two keys, then turned them to the right. She slid the box from the wall and set it on the table. After looking over her shoulder to make sure she was still alone, she opened the lid of the stainless-steel box.

           Inside, she noticed a few pieces of jewelry and a passport sitting on top of a manilla envelope. She removed the envelope and slid it under her blouse, tucking it into the back of her skirt. She then returned the box to its location and relocked it. As she was exiting the room, she bumped into one of the cashiers who was bringing a customer into the room to access one of the boxes. The cashier gave Patty an odd look and apologized to her boss. Patty thought she had been caught and hurried back to her office.

           She retrieved the cellular phone from her purse and texted Johnathan. He told her to meet him at the park down the block in ten minutes. She told her assistant manager that she was going to step out for a coffee, and he offered to join her, but she convinced him that they needed to have someone at the bank in case of emergencies, so he stayed behind.

           Patty jumped in her Mercedes and drove to the park. She spotted Johnathan sitting on a bench near the playground and walked over, constantly looking over her shoulder.

           She sat beside Johnathan and set the envelope on the bench beside her. He picked it up and slid it beneath his jacket. Patty saw the butt of his gun poking out from beneath his lapel.

           “You did good, Patty. As promised, I will leave you be, just remember to keep this incident between us.”

           Patty nodded and stood back up. She walked quickly back to the car and returned to work. The assistant manager stopped her as she passed his office. She thought the cashier might have told him about her unusual behavior.

           “Hey, Patty, I thought you were grabbing a coffee?” he asked.

           Patty had forgotten about that detail and considered how she should reply.

           “Um, yes, I went…but the line-up was so long that I decided to wait until later.”

           Her lie seemed to work, so she made her way back to her office before any more questions could be asked. She tried her best to get her mind off what had just happened. The guilt was eating away at her, and she needed answers, so once again, Patty searched for box number 334. The name of the customer was Jessica Watson.

           The name sounded familiar to Patty, so she did a Google search. The first result showed a woman named Jessica Watson was an aide to a U.S. Senator. She clicked on the link and an article opened describing rumors that had been dismissed about an affair between miss Watson and the senator. The prosecution could not find enough evidence to support the rumors.

           There was a picture of Jessica and the senator. She was an attractive brunette, at least ten years younger than he was. Patty assumed that the envelope must have contained the evidence that would have caused the senator to lose his position in the Senate. There was another photo in the article showing the senator with his wife and two children, so the scandal would likely end the senator’s marriage as well if it ever became known.

           Patty went on with her day, then headed back home. She checked every nook and cranny as she approached her house. She did not want to be caught off guard again. Once inside the house, she checked all the rooms until she was satisfied that she was alone.

           While preparing her dinner, Patty turned on the television and tuned in to Channel 7 News. The reporter was going over world events, and Patty couldn’t help but think of how little they discussed happy stories on these news broadcasts. Just as she was stirring up her sauteed onions, a news story caught her attention.

           “In local news,” the reporter began. “After a serious collision between two vehicles on Main Street in the downtown core, police recovered large sums of money and weapons from one of the vehicles involved. The occupants of that vehicle, two men in their fifties, were found dead on arrival. Both men were armed with concealed handguns according to sources. Their identities have yet to be released.”

           Patty considered the fact that Johnathan could have been one of those victims. She thought that fate was on her side if it was him.

           The following day, after another long day at work, Patty went home and followed her daily routine. She showered, prepared her meal, and watched the news. She wanted to see if there was any more mention about the victims in that died in the accident.

           Instead, the news was alive with talk of scandalous photos that had been discovered involving a senator and an unnamed aide. It appeared that despite all his money and power, the senator could not hide from his wrongdoings. Patty let out an unexpected laugh, then shut off the news and sat down with her stir-fry dinner and a hot cup of tea.