L EVI REQUIRED A moment to recognize what that
sound was. The car he drove to work — when he could
afford to do so — often made strange noises but this
was different, almost rhythmic. Then his senses kicked
in and he saw the cell phone buzzing on the cracked
leather passenger seat. He pulled into the nearest
parking lot and picked it up. He hit a few random
buttons and heard Jenny’s voice on the other end.
“Hello? Levi?” she said over a bad signal.
“Yeah, Jenny. Hi, I’m here.”
“How’d you know it was me?” she asked.
“Nobody else has the number. Well, Russell’s wife
but that’s… no — I don’t mean like that… I just — it’s
his phone. Russell’s, I mean…”
“That was well spoken, Levi. Love the explanation.”
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“You busting my chops now, what is this?” he said,
smiling to himself. “How’s the kid?”
“She’ll be okay. I think. Doctor said she has a pretty
bad ulcer and gave her some meds. She seems to be
doing better today. At least she’s eating again.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said.
A long moment passed and Jenny asked, “You still
there?”
Levi took his time, debating whether it would be wise
to say something about this, but he couldn’t get it off
his mind. “Um, so listen — I have this thing, it’s like an
opportunity. I might be able to make some money.”
“Oh really? That sounds like a positive turn of
events. Did you tell Russell yet?”
“No, I haven’t actually decided to take the job. It
would involve some travel and… I’m just not sure yet. I
don’t know.”
“Well, okay. Violet is resting up at my place. If you
want to, feel free to drop in and say ‘hello’ during your
break.”
“Thanks, Jenny. I mean, thanks for taking care of
her. I know it’s not easy for you.”
“She’s a good kid. Bit of a klepto but, you know, we
all have our issues.”
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Levi smiled. If the girl weren’t a thief, he probably
never would have met her. He didn’t know if that was
good or bad.
• • •
The day passed without much incident. Levi was so
good at fixing things that he’d almost managed to work
himself out of a job. There were only so many loose
pipes and cracked tiles to replace. He figured maybe
he’d slow his pace the rest of the week, drop in on
Violet every now and then. He was glad to see that
she’d looked healthier when he’d seen her earlier
today.
Levi was greeted by a note when he entered the
apartment. He had been hoping to hear more from
K.S., but this wasn’t exactly what he wanted to read.
Carter Avenue and West Main. Bring the lamp to the
intersection. Don’t leave the apartment until ten minutes
past nine. Faithfully, K.S.
Levi was too nervous to eat much of the red beans
and rice dinner he’d made. The butterflies began
dancing in his belly after three bites. He went to the
fridge, pulled out a four-dollar bottle of Zinfandel and
gulped down a long sip.
“That’ll settle the nerves a bit,” he thought.
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The alcohol warmed his cheeks as well as his
courage. The final thirty minutes of waiting were pretty
excruciating though, so when the clock on his stove
flipped to 9:10pm, Levi grabbed his jacket from the
chair and took off out the door without hesitation. Best
to get this over with quickly.
He knew Carter Avenue was a fairly short drive;
fifteen minutes, tops. A thudding bass echoed from the
engine as the car rumbled through empty side streets.
It was early in the week so the volume of pedestrians
was low. Too bad, he thought — crowds made him feel
safer. But no one was cheering for him this time and
the roar of the crowd had been replaced by the roar of
his poorly tuned engine. Yet, the car kept pushing
forward and so did he. Pushing on into this night of
uncertainty.
His heart began working somewhat harder than
usual as he passed through Cheshire Street, just three
blocks from Carter Avenue.
The sharp sound of crackling gunshots rang out
suddenly. Four of them. Then squealing tires. Levi’s
gaze darted in every direction, checking his rearview.
He saw nothing. At least, not until he reached Carter
and West Main.
The young man was no more than sixteen, skinny
and short, with braided hair. He was face-down near
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the curb, a puddle of blood pooling up through a hole
in the back of his basketball jersey. The gold chains
around his neck were now splattered with crimson.
Levi hit the brakes hard and hopped out of the car,
his grip tight around the utility bag’s strap. Getting
closer to the dead teenager, Levi reached inside the
utility bag. The lamp was already pulsing with light,
apparently arming itself for action.
A vicious jolt shot from the lamp, knocking Levi
sideways and causing him to drop it onto the
pavement. A spray of blinding light shot through the
entire city block and the lamp spun where it had
landed, moving like a violent salad spinner as it
whirled around at impossible speed. The energy being
expelled from the lamp felt tangible against Levi’s body,
pressing into him to such an extent that he once more
thought he might be crushed by the power.
Then the light vanished and all was still.
Only seconds had passed. Levi rubbed his eyes,
desperately trying to find his vision. After at least thirty
seconds, he could make out the outline of a distant
building. Then more and more objects came into view.
The lamp now sat at his feet. It was perfectly cool to
the touch as he fumbled to place it back inside the
utility bag like nothing had happened. Out of sight, out
of mind.
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He stumbled around the street for a moment, dazed.
He felt like he’d just gone twelve rounds with a
heavyweight.
Then he saw the kid. The young teenage kid was
sitting up straight, confused out of his mind. It was
doubtful that he even knew he’d been shot just
moments earlier. He stood up and stared at Levi for a
long time.
Levi could see the fear in his eyes. The boy didn’t
know where he was or if Levi was a mugger or a
bystander.
The young man then took off in a full sprint, running
away from him down a side street, quickly
disappearing into the night. Levi turned around to
where his car had been parked and noticed an elderly
woman with a grocery bag, standing on the sidewalk.
She was frozen in place, her unblinking gaze locked on
Levi.
Levi casually swept his hand through the air. “Lovely
evening out, huh?”
The woman watched him walk back to his car, climb
inside, and drive away. Then she let go of the breath
she’d been holding.
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