Chapter 1 - The Heavy Black Bag
Lily looked around the bright sandy beach to make sure no one was listening.
Her little fingers twisted the hem of my dress nervously.
"Daddy and Uncle Jim had a big black bag," she whispered softly.
She looked up at me with eyes full of innocent confusion.
"They took out lots of green paper and a shiny metal toy."
My heart slammed against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I forced a smile, trying not to scare her.
"A toy?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my best efforts.
"It looked like a heavy squirt gun, but it was made of cold silver," she replied.
I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead under the hot afternoon sun.
Bruce was a mild-mannered accountant who hated loud noises.
Jim was a soft-spoken software developer who barely left his desk.
Neither of them owned a firearm, let alone brought one on a family vacation.
I kissed Lily's forehead and handed her a bright yellow plastic shovel.
I told her to go play in the sand near the lifeguard stand.
I needed to check our hotel room immediately while the men were occupied.
The walk back to the resort felt like walking through thick mud.
The cheerful tropical music playing in the lobby sounded distorted to my panicked ears.
I swiped my keycard and waited for the electronic light to turn green.
I pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside.
The room was perfectly clean, smelling faintly of bleach and ocean salt.
I dropped to my knees and checked under the king-sized bed.
I threw open the closet doors and searched through our hanging clothes.
Nothing was out of the ordinary at first glance.
Then I noticed the white air conditioning vent mounted near the ceiling.
The metal screws holding it in place were completely stripped and hanging loose.
I pulled a heavy wooden chair over and climbed up carefully.
I pushed the loose metal grate aside with shaking fingers.
Inside the dark, dusty shaft sat a large black duffel bag.
I reached in and unzipped it just enough to see the contents.
Thick stacks of hundred-dollar bills bound in rubber bands stared back at me.
May you like
Right beside the mountain of cash lay a loaded silver handgun.
Suddenly, the electronic lock on the hotel room door clicked open.
