Running Out of Time (Part Seven)

            Arriving at her apartment building, Carmen sprinted up the wooden stairs to reach her home.  With hands shaking from adrenaline, she managed to slide her key into the lock and turn it. Opening the door, she rushed to her trash can and rummaged through it to find her father’s last words, which she had discarded in disgust after receiving them.

Uncovering the letter, Carmen took it out and brushed it off.  Uncrumpling the paper, she read it for the first time.

Dear Carmen,

            Honey, I know you are ashamed of my nefarious activities, as you have often called them, but I want you to know that I have always loved you. My life of crime was not always what it seemed to be. Regrettably, my crimes, rather than a wholesome job, put our food on the table, but I didn’t always steal for financial gain. Some items I have taken were to protect the innocent. I stole from those who didn’t regret harming others. These types of items are locked away in a secret safe I my office. With my passing, I entrust you with the sole access to this safe. Under no circumstances should the contents of this safe fall into the wrong hands. I am depending on you to keep them secure.

            Wonder and shock swam through Carmen’s thoughts as she skimmed the rest of the letter while memorizing his instruction. Her eyes reached the end of the crinkled page. Not believing what she saw, she reread the last lines of the letter, wanting more to have been written.

I can never express just how sorry I am to have caused you to hate me so much, but throughout it all, know that I did everything for you and your mother. I love you always.

For the last time,

Your Father

            Refolding the letter, Carmen tried to calm her mixed emotions. More questions rather than answers arose in her mind at the conclusion of her father’s words.

            Setting the letter on the floor, Carmen rose to her feet and made her way to the car in a daze. Slipping into the leather interior, she silently watched the landscape fade around the speeding car.

            Arriving at her father’s house, she cautiously took a step out of the car, feeling unsteady. Remembering she was on a time schedule, she glanced down and saw she had twenty minutes left.

            A sense of foreboding set in as Carmen shuffled to the front door, desiring to be anywhere else. She knocked and wanted to melt under the pressure from the memories assaulting her mind at revisiting her childhood home after seven years.

            The door opened to reveal the housekeeper, whose shocked expression prompted Carmen to speak, “Umm. Hi, Maryellen. I need to get something from my father’s office.”

            As Maryellen stood in astonishment for a few more moments, Carmen took that time to examine the changes to Maryellen that had befallen her over the past seven years. She noticed Maryellen’s shortly cropped hair had completely whitened and the wrinkles, from a hard life, had deepened.  Even with Maryellen’s obvious signs of aging, there was also a spark of fire behind her eyes that bespoke of an unending flow of energy and vigor.

            Maryellen hastily shook her head to dislodge her surprise. A pleasant smile bloomed upon her weathered face and she exclaimed, “Carmen, I never thought I would see your beautiful face again! It’s a great pleasure to see you again! Come right in.”

            Feeling comforted by Maryellen’s kind words, the stress Carmen had experience  over the course of the past few hours overflowed and her last bit of strength fled. Not being able to hold her tears back any longer, Carmen sobbed. Maryellen gently wrapped Carmen in her arms as she revealed her whole ordeal in a torrent of words.

            Minutes later, Carmen began to collect herself and she pushed out of Maryellen’s arms, only to immediately miss their soothing comfort. Remembering how Maryellen had been like a second mother to Carmen, she gratefully thanked Maryellen and wiped away the tearstains drenching her face.

            Unexpectedly, Maryellen grabbed hold of Carmen’s hand and dragged her to her father’s office. “Hurry child. Open the safe.” Maryellen prompted.

To Be Continued…

Photoshopping

Photography

Running Out of Time (Part Six)

            Picking up the phone, Carmen’s fingers flew over the buttons as her time limit ticked down to the last seconds.

3…

Pick up!

2…

Come on, pick up the phone!

1…

“You’re cutting it close this time.” The voice angrily stated.

“I’m touched you seem to care.” Carmen sarcastically commented as triumph seeped into her voice at her next statement, “I know what the message is.”

“Well.  What is it?” Impatience and irritation mingled together in his question.

“It says, ‘Where the quince blossoms are loved.’” Carmen proudly stated.

“What is that supposed to mean?” A short string of cuss words flowed from the other end of the phone-line, stinging Carmen’s ears.

“Calm down. I know exactly what it means.”

“Well…?” Hearing his tone, Carmen realized she should stop being cryptic and give him what he wanted.

“My mother loved quince blossoms and her grave is surrounded by their blooms.” A prick of sadness stabbed Carmen. Her mother had died nine years ago but the pain and longing never seemed to abate.

“Go there and find the next clue. You have thirty minutes.” Thirty minutes? The cemetery is over an hour away!

Carmen began to protest but the call had already ended. “Go to the Oak Hill Cemetery. Fast!” She commanded and felt the car rapidly accelerate.

As the scenery around her blurred by, Carmen futilely tried to get a grasp on her overpowering emotions. A wave of longing for her mother washed over her as she tried to keep her unshed tears from falling. I miss her so much.

Twenty-four minutes later, Carmen pushed aside her sorrowful thoughts of her mother and prepared herself for the task ahead. As the car started to slow, she jumped out of it, slightly dizzy from the swift speed, and raced to her mother’s grave. Slipping in the mud, wet from a recent rain, she managed to climb to her destination with two minutes to spare.

Carmen’s eyes glazed over the gravestone until they were caught on a small inscription she had never seen before.  Normally below the ground-level, the etching held her attention and she crouched closer. Running her fingers over the word, ‘carmenlove,’ she took a moment to contemplate why her father carved this word into the stone.

Realizing this was the next clue she needed, Carmen picked up the phone and waited for the voice she despised to answer.

“What did you find?” The voice demanded.

“Just one word, ‘carmenlove.’” Wonder filled her voice.

“Good. That must be the code.” The voice mumbled almost cryptically. “Your next task is to go to your father’s house. In his office, he has a safe. You need to get something from within it. I am sure you know how to open it.” The voice sneered.

“What?! This is the first time I have heard of that! How could I kn…” Carmen’s words died on her lips.

“Yes, I believe you do know how to open it.” The voice snickered. The call ended but Carmen hadn’t noticed because she was engrossed in her thoughts. The letter…

Carmen rushed back to the waiting car and ordered, “Go to my apartment. I need to pick up something.”

To Be Continued…

Photoshopping

Photography

Running Out of Time (Part Five)

            Carmen glanced down at her wrist the instant her time constraint reset to ten minutes.  Great, Carmen sarcastically thought to herself, he’s giving me all the time in the world, isn’t he?

            Pushing her frustration aside, she began to flip the vase around, examining every inch to find her father’s etching.

            Moments later, Carmen finally spotted the small words at the bottom rim of the vase.  She read:

“xizzg uif ywjogm dmpwaqnt ezg mpzmf.”

            Excited about her find, Carmen reached for the phone to call the menace giving her orders.  Realizing she was about to further help some psycho in his crazy scheme, she hesitated. Knowing she couldn’t waste more time, she redialed and called.

            “I found it.” Carmen informed the voice when he picked up.

            “Good, good.” The voice paused while the pleasure of getting one step closer to his goal washed over him.  “What does it say?”

            “It is unintelligible words, probably a code of some sort.” Carmen guessed.

            “Figure out what it really says.  I am giving you fifteen more minutes.” The line went dead and Carmen momentarily contemplated the brevity of the call this time.

            Before she could dwell on it longer, Carmen started her task.  Brainstorming on the type of code used, Carmen tried to remember her dad’s favorite method to encode messages…

            “Carmen, for this cipher, you will first need a date.” Her father instructed.

            “Umm.  What about my birthday?” Young Carmen’s excitement flowed through her words.

            “Okay, that is 11-4-82.  What you have to do is write your message out.” Her father wrote ‘I love you’ on a piece of paper. “Next, write the numbers under it; one number for each letter.  When you are done with that you shift the letters in your message to the right in the alphabet according to the number below it.” At Carmen’s confusion, her father explained further. “For example, the ‘i’ has a one under it, so it will be shifted to ‘j.’ Do you get it?”

            “I think so.” Carmen’s voice didn’t hold much confidence.

            Focusing back on the present, Carmen remembered how to reveal her father’s message.  Looking at the time she had left, she realized she only had 13 short minutes left.

            Carmen pondered what date her father would have chosen. She tried her mother’s birthday and then her father’s birthday.  When neither date worked, she tried their anniversary.

            With five minutes left and still no luck at exposing the message, Carmen began to panic.  Worried thoughts swarmed her mind.  What if I can’t get this? What other date could I use? For all I know, it could be some date only he would remember. Why can’t my father’s legacy stop haunting me?!

            Breaking through her thoughts, the driver gruffly commanded, “Get back to work. I would prefer not to die because of you.” Carmen snapped out of her defeated thoughts as if the driver had thrown a bucket of icy water over her.

            Trying the last important date she could think of, Carmen hoped her birthday was the key.  Relief flooded her when she ended with an actual phrase.  As she celebrated over her accomplishment, she read over the message and immediately knew where to go next.

To Be Continued…

Photoshopping

Photography

Running Out of Time (Part Four)

            Inspecting the room, Carmen glanced at the camera swiveling for surveillance and noticed a slender cord, which was painted the same color as the walls to disguise it. Proud of her observation, Carmen asked, “Could I use your bathroom?”

            “Oh, yes. It’s down the hall, last door to the right.” Mrs. Wellington instructed.

            “Thanks.” Carmen left Mrs. Wellington to follow the track of the cord to its source.

            Passing through the kitchen, Carmen subtly grabbed a knife and slipped it in the sleeve of her soiled jacket, just as her father had taught her when she was young…

            “Is that how you do it, daddy?” Carmen’s innocent voice asked.

            “No, honey, it’s more like this.  Watch closely to what I am doing.” With skill and precision, Carmen’s father picked an item out of her pocket, which she didn’t feel being taken.

            “Wow, daddy! You’re so good at this. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get it right.” Young Carmen couldn’t stop a small tear from rolling down her face because of her disappointment in herself.

            Her father tenderly wiped away the tear rolling down Carmen’s cheek. “Carmen, dear, don’t worry. You will catch on. It just takes some practice.”

            Carmen shook her head to dislodge the memory. She had no desire to relive the times she had spent with her father, when he taught her all his tricks for being a criminal.

            Continuing to follow the path of the cord, Carmen constantly glanced at the cameras to find their blind spot.  She traced where the cord led, until it disappeared into the wall.  Stopping, she held the knife and began to saw the wires.

            As she worked, Carmen contemplated if a burst of electricity could fry the circuit in the explosive wristband she was wearing. Tempted to try it, she forced herself to remember that it could backfire and detonate instead.

            Breaking through the wires to the cameras, Carmen quickly turned and calmly rushed back to the room with the Qianlong vase. When she reached it, she was surprised to see Mrs. Wellington absent. She’s probably already been alerted to the security treat, Carmen thought.

            Quickly, Carmen grabbed the vase and moved to the window. Recalling the security system, she gently set down the vase and took the time to open the window rather that break through it.  Slipping out of the opening, she looked from side to side, hoping not to find any guards lurking.

            Picking up the vase again, she sprinted to her awaiting car and jumped in, “Go now!” Carmen commanded.

            Looking back, Carmen saw a swarm of guards charging toward the idle car. All the guards swiftly pulled out their firearms and started peppering the car with bullets. Ducking in her seat, for fear of getting hit, she eventually noticed the car was equipped with bullet-proof glass. “I should have guessed.” Carmen mumbled to herself.

            As the driver sped away from the house, the phone chirped a happy little melody. Grudgingly, Carmen answered, “I got your stupid vase.”

            “You made good time, ten minutes to spare. Truly, I didn’t think you could do it.”

            “Oh, thanks for the reassurance, scumbag.” Carmen’s anger got the better of her and she couldn’t hold her words back.

            “I wouldn’t talk like that if I was you.” The voice warned. “Don’t forget I can have you killed with just the push of a button.” Carmen heard the pride in his voice at the power he held over her. “Now, I need you to look at the vase to find some sort of etching your father carved into the vase.”

            Curious, Carmen had to know, “How do you know all this?”

            “A little security birdie from your father’s house.  It was really quite easy to loosen a few lips when the right price was negotiated.” Once again the voice rang through the phone with pride of his devious accomplishments. “Get to your task.”

            The line abruptly went dead.

To Be Continued…

Photography