Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Vol. 51, No. 7 & 8, July/August 2006

The Bond That Ties by R. T. Lawton

“I know there’s been a problem or two, sir, but...”

Theodore Oscar Alan Dewey, Bail Agent for the Twin Brothers Bail Bond company, was in the middle of rationalizing to Mr. Cletis Johnston, sole proprietor of said business, why once again he, Theodore, had failed to live up to the high achievement expectations of the firm. And further, as he expounded on his side of the matter, he hoped that his few minor mishaps and miscalculations over the last several months would not be reflected adversely on his annual employee evaluation, which they were now in the process of conducting. As Theodore well knew, a bad rating could be murder to his career.

“...but I am doing the best I can under the current circumstances,” he continued.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” replied the proprietor.

In this precarious moment of profuse perspiration, Theodore ran his left hand — the one with the now permanently rigid pinky finger sporting a two-carat yellow diamond ring — over his pale balding head to squeegee off the excess moisture gathered on his crown. The resulting shadow displayed onto the proprietor’s rich mahogany desk from a baby spotlight in the ceiling gave the appearance that Theodore had suddenly grown a horn from the top of his head. This intriguing illusion, formed by the juxtaposition of head and uplifted pinky finger, caused Theodore to pause in place as his mind drifted over into a search for the proper label for this strange silhouette overlaying the executive desktop. After a moment’s contemplation, his brain finally progressed along the word path from “eulogy” to “unicorn.” It was at this point that the proprietor’s telephone began to beep.

Theodore quickly closed his mouth and shifted his attention away from the aberrant image of the one-horned beast outlined on the mahogany surface. As Theodore saw the situation, any distraction in the current evaluation process was a saving grace. Thus, he immediately took three steps backward to give Mr. Johnston a semblance of privacy. The irregular shadow abruptly disappeared.

Two minutes later, Mr. Johnston hung up the telephone, leaned back in his executive leather chair, and stared off into the dark recesses of the inner sanctum’s high ceiling. As though deep in thought, he tented his long ebony fingers under the point of his chin.

Theodore observed quietly, hoping not to draw unwanted attention to himself.

The clock on the wall ticked off the minutes.

In time, the proprietor slowly began to stroke the silky black sides of the long bandido mustache that adorned the almost Oriental features of his midnight face.

Recognizing this familiar gesture for what it was, Theodore realized the firm had just taken on a new case, a difficult one, and therefore he, Theodore, was being granted a temporary reprieve on his recent failings. The employee evaluation was forgotten for the moment.

“That was my old friend the precinct captain calling from a cell phone untraceable back to him,” murmured the proprietor. “It seems there was a strong-arm robbery at the Computer and Software Exposition at the Bay City Convention Center this morning.”

The office grew quiet again.

After several minutes of listening to more silence, Theodore’s curiosity prompted him to venture a question. “Somebody stole a computer at gunpoint?”

Giving an almost imperceptible sideways shake of his clean-shaven head, Cletis Johnston fixed his gaze on Theodore as if seeing him for the very first time. “It wasn’t a computer the robber took.”

“Oh,” replied Theodore, who up until now had been mentally picturing a man dressed in a black ski mask and tan trench coat running away from the scene of the crime while juggling a monitor, minitower, and keyboard in one hand, and a large automatic pistol in the other. “So what did he steal?”

“A secure digital memory card.”

“You mean like I got for my new digital camera? Those cards aren’t too expensive. The guy should just buy a new one.”

“In this case,” said the proprietor, “the card had a much larger memory, and it contained the full program for a new operating system that the Nouveau Software Company planned to demonstrate at the convention. A program to revolutionize the computing world.”

Theodore rubbed the bulbous tips of his short, almost webbed fingers over the stubble ends of his black, pencil-thin mustache as he tried to grasp the magnitude of the problem.

“Pardon me for asking, sir, but how did the robber pull off this theft?”

The proprietor arched one eyebrow. “According to the precinct captain, it was a highly professional operation. Someone disabled all the security cameras in the convention center at the precise moment the courier with the memory card, and his armed guard, entered the vendors’ hallway from the parking lot as they headed toward the arena floor. Whoever planned this had the timetable for delivery, the exact route of the courier, and the power schematic for the security system.”

“So, the thief stands to make a lot of money from this memory card?”

“That was his intention...” began the proprietor as he rose to his feet. With a deft, open-palm movement, Cletis Johnston smoothed flat the bottom half of his bright yellow silk tie against the backdrop of his pale blue shirt. The yellow tie, held in the upper middle with a black pearl stickpin that harmonized with his midnight skin, was surrounded by a new suit of shantung silk in a light shade of summer beige. Above all this, the proprietor’s long drooping mustache gave the impression of a Caribbean pirate.

“...but, I think the Twin Brothers Bail Bond firm is the one that stands to make the money here, Theodore. Especially if we do it right. Seems the thief was caught inside the convention center; however the memory card was not recovered. Now the Nouveau Software Company is offering a huge reward for the safe return of their property... But perhaps there is a greater financial return for us if we sell the card and its program to the highest bidder. In any case, I believe it is in our best interests to take on the captured thief as one of our special clients. That way, we can find out what he did with the secure digital memory card.”

It was at moments like these that the interior of Theodore’s stomach dropped an inch or two. After all, the firm had gone the bail for several special clients who had met with timely accidents. Some had fallen from airplanes, or encountered rampaging taxicabs while crossing the dangerous streets of the city — albeit in all fairness it should be noted that the about-to-be deceased were walking outside of the painted crosswalks. Other clients had gone swimming at sea without the appropriate flotation devices, or had somehow otherwise managed to take up temporary residence in the county morgue. And in the end, it was the Twin Brothers Bail Bond Company that had made an extraordinary profit upon the demise of their clients.

But it wasn’t the fate of the clients that bothered Theodore. Nope, it was his own self he was concerned about. Once again, Theodore had a fair idea which bail bond employee was about to end up on the pointed end of the stick. Therefore, his forehead now tilted toward the floor.

“What do you want me to do, Mr. Johnston?”

“Your part is very simple this time, Theodore. Since the precinct captain believes that Internal Affairs is looking over his shoulder — concerning some rather small indiscretions on his part during the last few years — he is not currently able to meet with me in person in order to provide the rest of the robbery details that we need. And he is afraid of scanners picking up his cell phone traffic in any prolonged conversations, which therefore precludes passing on the information in that fashion. However, he will have a trusted subordinate, with copies of all reports, waiting for you at a restaurant out on the wharf.”

The proprietor scribbled an address on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk as he continued his instructions.

“You, Theodore, are to take a seat in the booth farthest from the front door. You will sit facing the rear wall. The informant will take a seat in the booth behind you, verify your identity, and then hand over the reports without you ever seeing his face. Any questions?”

“Yes, sir. What about the thief in police custody?”

“I’m sending Moklal Feringheea to obtain the thief’s cooperation into what we will assure him is a joint venture of his interests and ours. Moklal will then make arrangements for the man’s bail.”

“But, sir, our pet Thuggee... I mean, our executive secretary, has no experience with our standard bonding contracts. You know our under-the-table agreements can be tricky. Let me go to the jail instead.”

“Time is of the essence here, Theodore. Someone else might stumble over the memory card’s hiding place before we determine its location. So you will be the one to retrieve the police reports, which will assist us in our planning. As for the Hindu, since he has attached himself to us for his own personal reasons, we may as well compromise him through his negotiations with the thief. That way it is in Moklal’s best interests to keep the secrets of our firm until the day he dies.”

“I see,” replied Theodore as he considered the import of this last statement. He then turned for the door and hurried out of the inner sanctum as fast as his short stubby legs would allow.

Two hours later, Theodore, with a large manila envelope under his arm, returned to the bail bond firm. He was observant enough to note that the executive secretary’s office outside of the inner sanctum no longer had that malevolent presence to bar his entry. That Thuggee must still be at the jail was his conclusion. Good. Theodore hoped the Hindu had gotten into some kind of trouble this time, instead of himself being the one to make a mistake and then having to face the wrath of the proprietor.

Without knocking, Theodore opened the door, advanced across the plush carpet and onto the priceless Oriental rug lying in front of the proprietor’s mahogany desk.

Cletis Johnston looked up from the paperwork before him.

“You have the police reports?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you read them?”

Not sure what the proper response was, but wishing to appear as if he were on top of the situation and therefore prepared to be a team player with something to contribute, Theodore took a chance. At the same time, he tried to rationalize his answer just in case it was the wrong reply.

“Yes, sir, I did... but the envelope wasn’t sealed, you see, so I didn’t think you’d mind.”

The proprietor tapped his right index finger rapidly on the desktop.

“Very well then, give me the details on the robbery.”

Theodore extracted several reports from the manila envelope and arranged them in chronological order to give a timeline on the events at the convention center. He started with the prelude to the robbery.

“The monitor screens in the security room are fed by cameras focused on the arena floor and on the front and back doors. The supervisor claimed he was in the control room when all the screens suddenly went blank. The only monitor still maintaining a picture was from the camera installed in the vendors’ hallway between the back door and the arena floor. Turns out that particular camera had been temporarily installed the previous day just for the Software Convention, and therefore it was not hooked up to the main system. It didn’t go down along with the rest of the security system, which means it was the only camera to obtain a video of the robbery.”

“What was on the video?”

Theodore read farther down in the report.

“As the courier and the armed guard passed a janitor’s closet, the closet door swung open and a masked man disabled both courier and guard with some kind of spray from an aerosol can. When they collapsed, the robber grabbed the briefcase and removed the secure digital memory card. At that point, the rear door opened to admit a crowd of vendors, plus two security guards arriving for their next shift. At the sight of the uniformed guards, the robber panicked and ran toward the arena floor where the convention was set up.”

“What happened next?”

“The control room watching the one working monitor observed the crime in progress. They radioed the guards on the arena floor to apprehend the suspect.”

Theodore shuffled the reports until he found one written by a security guard that had been closest to the vendors’ hallway entrance onto the convention floor. The bail bond agent then continued reading.

“When the robber burst out into the arena, he quickly removed his ski mask and discarded it in a nearby trash can. The thief then slowed his pace and tried to blend in with the rest of the vendors. Unfortunately for him, the approaching security guard had already been alerted and therefore shouted for the robber to halt. Instead, the thief ran and the guard pursued.”

Theodore halted for breath.

“Go on,” said the proprietor.

“Well,” resumed Theodore, “the thief, while looking back over his shoulder, tripped over a mop bucket being used to clean up a soft drink spillage in one of the aisles. The guard subsequently lost his footing on the same slick area of the floor and crashed into the maintenance man pushing the bucket. He suffered a concussion as a result of the mishap. The guard that is, not the maintenance man.”

“Forget the maintenance man and get on with it,” rumbled the proprietor.

Theodore looked for the report of the next security guard. “Yes, sir. Here we are. A second guard that had joined the pursuit took up the chase. He said he watched the thief turn a corner, where the thief collided with a clown carrying a handful of mylar balloons filled with helium.”

“Tell me about the clown.”

“Yes, sir. He is a representative of an ISP company, and the balloons were a form of advertisement for said business. The clown was supposed to give the balloons out to the children of passing conference attendees. Both clown and robber fell to the floor with the thief on top.”

“And then?” inquired the proprietor.

“Both of them must’ve had the wind knocked out of them because a moment passed before the thief slowly got up and took off running again. The clown remained flat on the floor watching all of his balloons gradually trail up to the ceiling of the arena. That’s when the robber ran straight into the arms of a third security guard. This guard arrested the thief and searched him thoroughly, but found no memory card.”

“Something’s missing here,” said the proprietor. “Go back to the trash can and the ski mask.”

Theodore shuffled to the next report.

“The police arrived on the scene and took charge. They searched the trash can, but the only item of interest in there was the discarded ski mask and the aerosol can.”

“What about the maintenance man and the mop bucket?”

“The police searched the bucket, the mop, and the maintenance man who hadn’t yet left the scene of the collision. It was noted in the report that the man is a longtime employee with no criminal record.”

“How about the clown?”

“He was still lying on the floor muttering to himself when the cops showed up. They searched him anyway and checked his record. Nothing. At the request of Nouveau Software, the police then checked out the entire area and all nearby vendors on the thief’s route of flight. Once again, nothing. It was early enough in the morning that the convention attendees hadn’t been let onto the arena floor yet, so the police kept those people outside the building during the search and investigation. Only when all possibilities had been checked out was anyone allowed to enter or depart.”

Theodore waited patiently while the proprietor gazed up at... Well, Theodore had no idea what Mr. Johnston was looking at on the ceiling. This was all beyond his comprehension.

Finally, the proprietor spoke. “Turns out we have a problem.”

“In what way?” asked Theodore.

“Our captured thief was reported to be a Serbian male with no recourse to the English language. Plus, there is no record of his entry into the United States,” replied the proprietor.

The corner of Theodore’s lips turned up in a smile at the thought of Moklal possibly failing at his first bail bond attempt. Even if the problem was merely one of a language barrier, the Hindu had probably not been able to arrange their usual bond requirements, and therefore in comparison, the situation had to make him, Theodore, look somewhat better in the eyes of Mr. Johnston.

“So if the Serbian didn’t speak English, then Moklal couldn’t talk to him and find out where he put the memory card?”

“Actually,” said the proprietor, “the thief didn’t get a chance to speak with anyone. When the jail deputy escorted Moklal to the interview room and unlocked the door, it appears that the Serbian was already dead. He’d been strangled with a yellow silk scarf.”

“But that’s how our pet Thuggee kills people,” exclaimed Theodore.

The proprietor nodded his agreement.

“Exactly. And someone wanted it to look like Moklal’s work. Fortunately for the Hindu, his law enforcement escort at the time gives him an alibi for this murder. However, it was Moklal’s misfortune that the deputy jailer took his fingerprints anyway. As a result, the Hindu’s relationship to an old-time Thuggee family in the north of India has come to light. I’m told our executive secretary will now be deported to his native country, especially since he too illegally entered the U.S.A. without proper documents.”

Theodore was almost ecstatic.

“So that’s the last we’ll see of Mr. Moklal Feringheea.”

“I think not, Theodore. As porous as our national borders have become, you and I will arrive at work one day in the next few months only to find the Hindu sitting once more behind his desk in the outer office as if nothing had ever happened. And we still won’t know his true purpose for working at this firm. Quite sobering, if you think about it.”

Theodore definitely felt sober this afternoon. He’d often lain awake nights wondering if the proprietor’s twin brother had previously hired the Hindu with the intent of assassinating the proprietor at some future specified time. Only the order had obviously not been given before the twin brother went missing. Or as the proprietor liked to say, his twin had taken an extended vacation to parts unknown. But if the proprietor’s name was on a hit list, then Theodore figured his own name wasn’t far behind.

“Theodore, your thoughts are drifting again, and we have work to do.”

“Sorry, sir. What do we have to do?”

“Because of the nefarious planning involved by the memory card thieves, and the use of a non — English speaking Serbian for the actual robbery, I suspect that our recent nemesis is once again at play in our backyard.”

“You mean Herr Morden is here in the city?”

“This operation has all the markings of his style. The only question in my mind is, did the thief pass on the location of the memory card before his demise, or is Herr Morden’s organization still searching for it the same as we are? In either case, it would appear that Herr Morden has endeavored to entwine his venture into American criminal enterprise with our business of making money in our own special way. A true conflict of interests. I also fear he has not forgiven our interference in his earlier assassination attempt on the UN Secretary General, nor our subsequent escape from the trap he set for us at your cousin’s bonded wine warehouse in the industrial park by the bay. It would seem that our futures are tied to each other until one of us is destroyed.”

“What’s our next move then, boss?”

“My job is to do the thinking for the firm, Theodore. But your next move is to get me the blueprints for the heating and air-conditioning system that was installed in the convention center.”

“Where do I find those?”

“The Building Permits Office in City Hall should have copies. Go there.”

Theodore checked his wristwatch. “But sir, I think they’re already closed at this time of day.”

The proprietor smiled as he raised his open palms. “Then you will just have to find a way in.”

Theodore turned to depart the executive office. His mind raced ahead to alarm systems and a lock-picking gun. He also hoped he wouldn’t run into anyone else at the Building Permits Office. Otherwise, he might have need of a different type of gun, one that shot real bullets instead of merely jiggling lock tumblers until they fell into place.

Much later that evening, Theodore dragged himself back into the proprietor’s executive office. With a cautious step onto the expensive Oriental carpet in front of the mahogany desk, he kept his bulbous eyes downcast. His gray slacks and plaid jacket had several small tears in the fabric along with a couple of rather large rips on the outside, which exposed the cheap lining of his jacket.

The proprietor appeared not to notice the dishevelment of his minion.

“Theodore, I’ve been waiting patiently for your return.”

At this point, Theodore was quick to notice the long-barreled pistol that the proprietor’s right hand was resting on. Since the gun had no round cylinder to contain any bullets, Theodore assumed the weapon to be an automatic rather than a revolver, but not one of the small, easily concealed ones he was familiar with in his job description. Next, he wondered if the weapon had anything to do with his annual evaluation, which had been interrupted earlier this morning.

“You have the heating and air-conditioning blueprints?” inquired the proprietor.

“Not exactly, sir.”

Cletis Johnston leaned back in his leather executive chair as if this were going to be a long session. The automatic pistol trailed along loosely in his right hand.

“What do you mean, not exactly?”

“I encountered a guard dog as I left the Building Permits Office.”

“And?”

“And I dropped the blueprints and ran for my life. You should’ve seen the teeth on that dog. After I closed a glass door between us, and he couldn’t bite me any more... well, his fangs shredded the blueprints I had to leave behind. There ought to be a law against dogs like that.”

“I really hope you have more than that for me to go on.”

“Well, sir, when I was searching for the correct blueprint, I had to look over each one carefully to ensure I had the right paperwork, so I think I can answer any questions you might have about the air system.”

The proprietor drummed his left fingertips on the desktop.

“Okay, Theodore, tell me about the air return vent for the main arena.”

As Theodore started his verbal presentation, his eyes rolled up toward the top of his head as if he could see the answers written on the underside of his skull. In less than five minutes, he had described the flow of air from the cooling coils, out through the various registers around the arena, the path of the conditioned air inside the building, and then the four air return ducts high up in the ceiling, each duct having a mesh grate to filter out foreign obstacles.

“I’m impressed,” commented the proprietor.

“Then this will be reflected on my annual evaluation?” asked Theodore.

Cletis Johnston leaned forward with the pistol in hand.

“That remains to be seen. We’re not finished yet tonight.”

Theodore felt a moment’s hesitation as he contemplated the possibility of a rapid departure, but soon concluded the distance to the front door of the inner sanctum was way too far for him to beat a safe retreat. He’d just have to tough it out.

“What did you have in mind, sir?”

“The balloons were mylar, Theodore.”

Theodore thought about mylar.

“Yes, sir. So?”

“Latex balloons usually lose their helium within twenty-four hours. Mylar is less permeable, thus it can hold its helium inflation for several days.”

Theodore scratched his bald dome.

“What’s that have to do with the memory card and the air-conditioning system?”

“Think, Theodore, think. The police search of all persons and property failed to turn up the secure digital card, so where could it have gone?”

“I don’t know.” Then Theodore thought of the helium balloons again. “Up?”

“Exactly,” exclaimed the proprietor. “I believe the thief’s collision with the clown was the moment he began to realize his chances of escape were rapidly deteriorating. That’s when the thief hit upon the idea of tying the memory card to one of the helium balloons. Using the balloon string, or some other sort of bonding device, he attached the card to the balloon and let it float up to the dome ceiling for recapture at a later time.”

“Where will we get a ladder tall enough to reach the dome?”

“We don’t, Theodore. By now, the building’s air return system will have sucked the mylar balloons close to one of the four mesh grates protecting the air-conditioning ducts from ingesting any floating objects.”

The bail bond agent frowned. “But how will we know which air duct the balloons are at?”

“Ah, Theodore, once more I’ve done all the real work, while your contribution to the firm’s success has been minimal. Therefore, tonight, you will proceed to crawl up into the metal catwalks below the dome ceiling until you find where the balloons have gathered.”

“How will I get them down?”

The proprietor slid the long-barreled pistol across the desk.

“With this high-powered pellet gun. You’ll just have to shoot down every balloon until you find the card.”

Theodore accepted the pellet pistol and stuck it in the pocket of his plaid sport jacket. He prepared to depart.

“One last item,” the proprietor’s voice carried softly across the room. “Don’t take too long; even now as we are having this little conversation, others may be conducting similar searches. And I don’t think you would enjoy any up close encounter with Herr Morden or his men. However, I am positive the return air ducts are where you will find the missing memory card. If you are successful in your endeavor, then we will continue your annual employee evaluation in the morning.”

On his way out the door, Theodore pursed his blubbery lips in deep thought. He started to wonder if maybe there was an easier way for him to advance his position in the corporate world, especially since the firm’s pet Thuggee — Theodore found it difficult to refer to him as the executive secretary — would be out of the country for the next few months. This gave him, Theodore, some running room. All he had to do now was come up with a plan to exploit Moklal’s absence.

But first there was the convention center to think about, the clandestine entry, followed by his fear of heights when he got way up on the dome catwalk, plus finding the right balloon and keeping a steady enough hand to shoot it down so he could recover the digital memory card. May as well shoot all the balloons. But if Herr Morden had also figured out where this same missing memory card had gone, then he, Theodore, would have to run a gauntlet of Herr Morden’s men in order to return safely home. More shooting.

Theodore sighed.

This bail bonding stuff was turning out to be a rather tricky business, to say nothing about dangerous, with scarce room for mistakes. Yep, when he had more time, he would definitely have to think more about his future in the firm, something along the lines of finding a better way up the ladder to success without all this violence. Maybe if he took some correspondence courses in business management from that university with the post office box number in Tijuana? At least it was a possibility. Some extra education on his résumé just might help his annual employee evaluations.

It was a long way to the convention center. Plenty of time to think.

Copyright 2006 R.T. Lawton