Chapter 188

word count 1212

Stephanie had just stepped off the curb when the worst thing happened. A pink Edsel ran the red light and struck her as she was crossing the street in front of the bus depot. Her packages went flying. She'd gotten up early to shop...a dress for the wedding, nothing fancy since it was a small ceremony, shoes, lingerie, and some small favors for the few guests they would have. She knew she was early shopping for a wedding still a few months away, but she was excited and couldn't wait. And then her world went spinning.

Algernon, upon seeing the woman, hit the brakes, but he was too late. The car went careening right into her. Blasted Dr. Bigelow! It was all his fault, and the bastard was still on his tail. Algie lept from the car to make it to her side, all the while thinking how the evil Dr. B. was practically upon him. And the key to the locker that held the gem was in his pocket.

Oh my Gawd! It's Hank Bower's girlfriend, he thought. “Darling, are you all right?” The words came through clenched teeth. He felt so tense he feared he would explode from it all. Through his peripheral vision, he caught sight of an enormous body getting out of a car nearby. Dr. Bigelow had arrived.

She looked at him, tears forming in her eyes. “I don't know. What happened? My leg! I can't move my leg!”

“There now, let me see,” he murmured. “Call 911!” He yelled it out to the gathering crowd, hoping someone would take heed and make the required call. He examined her leg, felt along the length of it. The bones in her right calf felt out of alignment. It appeared broken.

“My dress! My beautiful dress! Hank is going to love it. Where is it?” The woman slurred the words, in obvious pain and possibly near-delusional. But a survey around revealed a number of packages scattered about the street. As he looked in all directions, Algie spied Dr. B. The fellow stood close, resting his sizable body against a car, waiting. His eyes shot at Algernon with the velocity of speeding bullets.

At least I'm in this crowd of people and safe...for the moment anyway. I've got to get back-up here, he thought. Buzz was in hospital; Hank's lady friend was here injured, he'd be no help. That left Winnie or Gil. Winnie could be surprisingly resourceful in a pinch. He punched in her number on speed dial. No answer. He punched in Gil instead.

“I say, Gil, need your help here. I'm in front of the main bus depot downtown. There's been an accident involving Hank's friend, Stephanie. Her leg is broken, I think, paramedics are on the way. Could you tell him, but also...” He turned his head away from Dr. Bigelow and murmured, “I am about to get my hands on the Princess diamond, but I'm in trouble. I need back-up. I need it now.”

That was when he felt a gun in his back. A fat, pudgy hand lifted the cell from his fingers. Algie's blood ran cold. The son of a bitch, in this crowd of people, daring to approach him and stick a pistol in his back. The shaft poking him felt small, as though it might be a small gun easily hidden from prying eyes. But big enough to do a lot of damage, especially at close range.

“Hand it over.” The voice crackled in his ear, hot and ugly, dressed like a bad salad in garlic and onion fumes. “NOW!”

He'd lost. He knew it. But taking care of this lady was more important. Normally, he might fight back, leap up and jump kick the bastard before he knew what happened. But with Stephanie and a crowd of innocent people surrounding them, he had no choice but to cooperate so no harm came to anyone.

“Stay cool. I'll give you the key,” he murmured. “I don't want anyone here to get hurt. I'm reaching slowly into my pocket for it. No tricks.” He felt the gun's barrel poking into his back all the harder as he fished in his jacket and extracted the key. The enormous hand grabbed it up.

Algernon felt the doctor leave rather than see him go. He didn't dare turn around. The pressure against his back lifted and the shadowy remains of the big man departed. He felt crestfallen. The locker number was embossed on the key. It wouldn't take Dr. Bigelow long to figure out where to find the gem. He had failed. He, Algernon English, had failed his Queen. He didn't deserve to call himself an Englishman.

* * *
Gil didn't relish the prospect of talking to Hank, let alone tell him of Stephanie's misfortune. He debated whether to have a flunky call him. But his conscience got the best of him, and he made the call himself.

Hank had just stepped outside after his unsightly grilling of Mrs. Yoo. He knew Marisa was annoyed with him, but he had a rage inside he couldn't control. It was all because of Gil. When the bastard sent him on this inferior “mop-up” mission, interviewing family instead of being at ground zero, it was the last straw in a deteriorating relationship. His phone rang, and he barked, “Hello.”

“Hank, it's Gil. There's been an accident downtown in front of the main bus depot. Stephanie's been hurt. You need to get there right away. I'm on my way, too.”

He was surprised to hear Gil, as though his recent thoughts of animosity might have scared him off the planet for good. Then Hank realized what Gil said. Stephanie was hurt!

“What? I'm on my way!” he said.

* * *

The gruesome Dr. Bigelow made his way through the busy terminal, side-stepping rushing patrons, cursing them under his breath. He didn't like people very much, making his job as a physician all the more difficult. It was fortuitous how he got in with the mob. There was no need with them to sugar-coat conversation with mundane civility, no need to tell someone to “have a nice day.” The mob soldiers were as grim and lethal as him.

Even so, once he got his hands on this diamond, the much ballyhooed Princess diamond, he wouldn't have to work for anyone anymore. He'd take it somewhere remote and fence it, or maybe even issue a ransom note himself to the Royal family. The sky was the limit, just so long as he kept his cover secure.

He found the locker, in a row of monotonous doors, and yet such a treasure rested behind just this one. His heart rattled in his chest as he turned the key, The door sprung open to reveal a glass of soda. His heart lurched at first, thinking he'd been deceived. But once he lifted the glass and swished the amber liquid, he saw there was more. Reaching in, he pulled it out. The Princess Diana Diamond.

Pocketing the gem, he took off as fast as his barrel of a figure could take him, abandoning his car. Hailing a taxi, he boarded, and the cab blended into traffic.