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Sue floated up to Bill and Sophie's condo. She wondered
what she would do if the windows were locked. If she
broke in, they would notice when they returned, but
perhaps that no longer mattered. Happily, the first
window she tried slid open noiselessly. She flew inside
and right away unlocked the front door. She knew the
basic layout of the place but she flew around anyway,
checking every room before she headed for the treasure.
It was still on display in their main room. Now that
she had time to look she noticed other pieces. Some
looked Egyptian, others Greek or Roman, perhaps. They
had good taste, but she wondered how many of them properly
belonged to Bill and Sophie.
Over her shoulder hung a satchel. She pulled it free
and wondered which pieces to take. She needed pieces
that were small and easily recognizable. The aim was
to take one piece to the museum, one to the police,
one to the New York Times, and one to a television station,
each accompanied by a note on American Invisible's smart
new stationery telling them where to find the rest.
She took her time to select an appropriate piece and
then, respectfully, wrapped it in tissue paper.
In the courtyard below James looked at his watch nervously.
It had been two hours. How could Sue take so long? He
would have liked to go back to the car to fetch a beer
but that was out of the question. Cadillac Joe provided
cover but he knew nothing of Sue's special talents.
So James hung around, bored and thirsty. He strolled
around the courtyard a couple of times and finally made
his way towards the guard's hut, purely for something
new to look at. The guard was a few feet away, looking
menacing for the tourists. Inside the room there was
a bag, and James could just see the neck of a bottle
sticking out.
On tiptoe he moved inside for a closer look. It was
a small bottle of Jim Beam with the cap still sealed.
This was fun. Sue must have such a great time sneaking
around. He wondered whether he dared take the bottle.
Would it be visible even though he was not?
Quietly he opened the cap and drank a little. He cast
a cautious glance towards the street. James almost never
drank whiskey but the warm feeling that it brought gave
him the strength to carry on when every molecule of
his being told him that this evening would likely end
his marriage.
He held the bottle up to the light but it remained
stubbornly visible, just like his arm. Could the guard
see it? He had no way of knowing. Could the guard see
the sidewalk if James touched that? Where did it end?
He had to find out. James set the bottle down and picked
up the guard's newspaper. He walked stealthily out onto
the sidewalk and waved the newspaper in front of the
man's eyes. Then, to be quite sure, he gently tapped
one of the tourists on the head with it. The tourist
seemed bewildered but it was clear that neither she
nor the guard could see the newspaper so James went
back for the bottle. In its place he left a ten dollar
bill, wondering whether that too would remain invisible
for the rest of its life.
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