Granderson and Johnny – Day 10

Crystal:”I promise we’ll find him together.” Ben:” It makes me feel better knowing you’ll be with me.” Ben turns towards me and cups my chin with his hand. He planted a small, tender kiss on my cheek, and another longer, more intimate one on my lips. It started to rain lightly. The sound of it patterns along the pavement and against Granderson´s office’s windows. I take a step closer to Ben as the water hits my face and chills my skin. Not long after, the first car pulls up to Granderson´s office building. The lawyer steps out and hurries up to the door. Moments later, the baker’s car arrives and he does the same. The two stood together by the door for a long while, huddled in hushed conversation. Then a third car pulls up. Granderson´s third and final mysterious associate. As the man steps out, I hear Ben’s breathing hitch. Ben:” That’s Sammy.” Crystal: “What is he doing here?” Ben:” That’s what I want to know. Come on. Everyone’s going inside. We need to follow them.” Ben takes me by my hand and leads me around the back of the building to an unlocked back door. I hurry inside and up a set of stairs before pausing at the corner of a hallway as the lawyer, banker, and Sammy all pile inside Granderson´s office. They shut the door behind them and Ben and I crept up to it and listened. “Ladies and Gentlemen, what’s this all about? Cut the crap, Granderson. You were the one who called this meeting. Meeting?” Crystal:”I did nothing of the sort. Is that my land deed? Why would you bring that here? You tell me. You told me to bring it. I did what?” Ben:” This isn’t going anywhere. We need that deed.” “I’ll knock on the door…” Martin:” No.” Johnny knows what you look like. He … ran a background check on you when we first started talking.” Crystal:”He did WHAT?” Ben:”I know. I know. I’m sorry. And if he’s in on this somehow … we can’t trust him not to rat you out to the others.” “So we need to get them out of that room with them seeing either of us…” Ben:” Looks like it. Any ideas?” Crystal: “Pull the fire alarm.” Wordlessly, I looked around the hall and saw a fire alarm on one wall. I make a short walk towards it and pull it down. Immediately, an alarm starts to sound and an automated voice from some unseen speaker demands that everyone evacuate the building. The two of us take off, run down the hallway and hide ourselves around a corner. I can’t see, but hear Granderson´s office door open, panicked voices, and the sound of footsteps rushing away. Ben and I leave our hiding spot and head inside Granderson´s office. Fulcencio Granderson´s office looks as rich as he is, and even without seeing the man, I find I hate him more, knowing his taste for opulence. I step inside behind Ben, who makes a beeline for the desk. Ben:” We might not have a lot of time. Can you see the deed anywhere?” I rushed around the room in search of the deed but couldn’t find it anywhere. I spun around towards the open office door and saw a man blocking the doorway. Ben:” Sammy … tell me you don’t have anything to do with this.” Sammy:” Leave now, Ben. And I won’t hurt you.” Crystal:”Why would you do that?!” Sammy:” It’s not personal. It’s business.” Ben:” After all these years, Sammy?”