Transparency by Charles Royce (children's books read aloud txt) 📕

“You’re welcome!” West gives a thumbs up just as the doors close.

His smile disappears. He presses the button for Sublevel One.

C h a p t e r   5 8

BILLY CROUCHES DOWN beside the pop tarts and gummy bears on the shelf. He can see a shadow through the louvered door of the pantry. He hears a knock, followed by a voice.

“FBI, open up.”

Billy moves to the back of the pantry. He listens as the agent jiggles the door handle. He hears scraping, then sees a knife sliding through the latch bolt.

He throws an open bag of flour at the door just as it opens.

The agent’s mouth fills with white powder. He begins coughing, waving his gun, shooting at random, sending potato chips and pieces of bread flying into the air. Billy grabs the gun, wrestling it with both hands. They dance around the pantry, knocking over shelves. Billy gets the upper hand and pushes the agent to the ground, straddling him, as both of them fight for control of the gun. Two cans fall on the agent’s face. Billy uses the agent’s momentary release to grab the gun.

He shoots the agent in the neck.

Out of exhaustion, Billy drops the gun on the agent’s chest. His hands fall to the ground to brace his weight, landing on either side of the agent’s body. Billy breathes heavily. Blood begins to ooze into the flour on the floor, forming a paste on Billy’s fingers. He digs the bullet from the agent’s neck with his index and thumb and shoves the bullet in his jacket pocket. He stands up, runs to the kitchen sink, turns on the faucet to wash off. He grabs a towel, dries his hands, then starts wiping down the faucet.

He grabs a set of gloves from underneath the sink and starts to work.

He takes the towel and a bottle of bleach and scrubs the mess in the pantry free of his fingerprints. He leaves the body on the floor.

He scours the bathroom, wipes down and bleaches any and all surfaces.

He cleans his bedroom of any evidence he was ever there. He grabs his hoodie from the closet, brings the rest of his clothes to the washing machine, starts a hot water cycle.

In West’s bedroom, he secures the burner phone from West’s dresser and his trusty silencer from West’s suit jacket.

He starts the gas fireplace, throws the gloves in the flames.

He puts on his hoodie, takes the business card with West’s cell phone number and shoves it in his jacket. He uses the towel to push down on the front door handle and closes the door. He tosses the towel inside just as the door slams shut.

He pulls the burner phone out of his pocket and calls down to the front desk.

C h a p t e r   5 9

“YEP, THAT’S HIS car. West is here already.” Josh opens the door to the van before it’s fully stopped.

The FBI van parks in another handicapped parking space behind West’s black Mercedes, just outside of Élan International, 12th Avenue and 45th street, next to the banks of the Hudson River.

Pillsbury gets out after Josh. She hands him a headset. She talks loudly to accommodate for the wind. “These are a bit different. Just press the earpiece to talk.”

“Got it. They’re just like the ones we’re using for the event.” Josh puts the headset on, presses the earpiece. “I don’t get a pen this time?”

Agent Pillsbury looks at the agents. They all laugh.

“What?” Josh asks, picking up his speed.

Agent Pillsbury runs beside him. “The earpiece was also the microphone. That pen? Some random pen I found on the floor of the van.”

Josh jumps up the curb. “That was mean.”

“I thought it was fun. I know how you like all the spy stuff.”

They all begin to take the stairs leading up to the building. Josh runs up more quickly than the rest of them.

“Everybody good?” Josh yells down at them from the top of the first tier of steps.

“Good back here!” Agent Pillsbury pauses midstep, then almost loses her balance. “Woah!”

A wind gust almost knocks her over as she tries to maneuver the second tier of stairs.

“You okay?” Josh talks over the straight-line winds. “Not sure what this is, it was supposed to be beautiful tonight!”

“You go on. I’ll catch up to you!”

Josh is already at the top of the final tier. The two male agents follow close behind.

“Josh!” Tracy runs up to him, gives him a huge hug. “Oh, thank God. What happened to your eye? Did they do this to you?”

“I’m fine. Have you seen West?” Josh asks.

“Yes, just a few minutes ago.”

“I gotta go. I’ll talk to you soon!” Josh runs up the final set of stairs to the lobby, looking around for West.

“I’ll let Shawn know you’re okay!” Tracy yells. “He’s here, you know!”

Josh hears one of the agents through his earpiece. “We’re at the lobby entrance. How to proceed?”

“Follow his lead,” he hears Agent Pillsbury say. “I’ll be up in a minute or two.”

Josh sees Jamal alone at security. “Jamal!”

He runs to the desk, the two agents close behind.

“Josh.” Jamal grabs a badge. “Man, it’s good to see you. You look like shit. What the hell happened, man?”

“Long story.” Josh catches his breath. “Have you seen West?”

“Yeah, just a few minutes ago. He headed to the elevators.”

“Jamal, I need an event headset and four VIP badges, please, one for me and three for my friends.” Josh is bouncing up and down, looking at the elevators.

“You already have a headset.”

“Different headset. This, this is for—this is for something else. Just need an event headset please, hurry. Where did West go?”

“No clue, man.” Jamal sees FBI on the back of one of the agent’s jackets. “Josh, here’s your badge and headset. We are now completely out of badges.”

“Jamal. I know how many badges there are. You can’t be out.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Did West put you up to this?”

“Nobody without clearance is to