S2W3: “Going Nowhere”

© 2021 Phylicia Joannis

Penny nodded in thanks as the prison guard pointed to a steel door. An alarm clicked, the door slid open, and she took cautious steps forward. She still wasn’t sure why she’d come. This relationship was going nowhere.

Her brother had lied to her, stolen from her, and shown no real signs of going anywhere but this place. Standing in the visitor’s section of a low security prison came as no real surprise to her. No, the surprising part was that her brother wasn’t the one she was here to see. Technically, her brother was a hero. It was his call that had saved the lives of several people trapped in a collapsed subway route. How ironic. The misfit was the hero, and the villain was . . .

“Hello, Penny.”

Penny’s eyes cut to her right as she sized up the man she was here for. He was charming, handsome, and utterly repulsive.

“Charles,” she replied curtly.

“Would you sit down?” he asked politely, rubbing the stubble on his face.  He pulled out a chair for her at a nearby table, and they both sat.

“You’ve got ten minutes,” Penny informed him.

“Then let’s not waste any time.” Chuck cleared his throat and began. “I was offered an opportunity for a lighter sentence.”

“Well, isn’t that good for you?” Penny quipped.

“Yeah.” Chuck averted his eyes. “All I have to do is pay a fine, do a six week program on anger management, three months of community service, and . . .”

“And what?” Penny’s eyes narrowed.

“And I have to help them take down the mayor.”

“What does he have to do with anything?” Penny rolled her eyes.

“The mayor gave the order to keep that derailed train incident quiet. I have proof.”

“Proof they could easily get from someone who didn’t try to kill someone!” Penny snapped. “What does any of this have to do with me, anyway? Why did you send for me?”

“Penny, you’re the only friend I have right now.” Chuck sighed. “And Simon wants you on board.”

“No.” Penny stood. “This conversation is over.”

“Penny? Wait!” Chuck stood as well, but eyed the guards and returned to his seat. “Penny, please sit down,” he whispered. “I still have five more minutes.”

Penny rolled her eyes and sat, battling against her better judgment. “You have three.”

Chuck smirked. “Plenty of time for a cup of coffee.”

“I’m not drinking prison coffee.” Penny scowled. “What does Simon want?”

“He misses his plucky sidekick.” Chuck shrugged. “And he’ll be my lawyer, but only if you agree to help.”

“If he’s involved, nothing good can come from this,” Penny warned. Chuck’s eyes grew wide and Penny frowned. “I’m serious, Chuck. I don’t think you can trust him.”

“Shh!” Chuck cut her off and pointed to the muted television screen in the corner. Penny turned, and they both watched as a news reporter stood a few yards away from a fiery plane crash.

“So much for my ticket out of here,” Chuck muttered.

***

 Sydney Allen finished her take and turned around to take in the scene. The fire department was still trying to get the blaze under control. The front of the plane had been incinerated, the middle torn in half, and the rear was still engulfed in flames.

“Horrible way to go.” Barry tsked from behind her. “Even for a dirty politician.”

“Yeah.” Sydney agreed. “Pretty convenient, though. With all the heat waiting for him at City Hall, he got lucky.”

“Except for the being dead part.” Barry chuckled.

Sydney shrugged. “They should have the black box in the next couple of days. As soon as I find out anything, I’ll call you, so be ready.”

Barry raised his camera in salute. Sydney pursed her lips as she took a final look at the crash. No bodies had been recovered yet, but there was no chance anyone had survived. There were only three people listed on the flight’s manifest. The pilot, the co-pilot and Mayor Mitchell Blume.