— ( Surprise Trouble ) —
It was Friday. I was in Architecture class.
Veronica gave me a death-look when she walked past me to get to her seat.
No sign of Cal. Apparently, he was skipping today. He wasn’t much on Friday classes anyway..
I was about half-way through listening to the lecture when my phone vibrated.
It was Sophie.
I punched Connect and held the phone to my ear.
“Need to talk. Now.”
She never bugs me in class.
I start grabbing my shit and throwing it in my backpack.
Halfway to the door, the professor called my name, “Geoffrey?”
“Family emergency. I need to go find out what’s going on. Sorry. I’ll get the notes from somebody.”
My face must’ve looked sincere.
“Go. I’ll email them to you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“I hope everything is okay.”
“Me too, sir.”
In the hallway, I called her phone.
She answered. It’s weird sounding.
“Are you in a cave?”
“I’m in a box.”
“What?”
“Geoffrey! Listen!”
“Okay?”
“The apartment across the hall got a big Amazon box yesterday. I took the box and wrote our address on it and climbed inside to surprise you after class.”
“Aw, baby..”
“Geoffrey! I’m in Cal’s trunk!”
“.. the fuck?!”
“Get your truck. Move your ass! Call me when you’re in the Ranger and I’ll give you directions.”
It’s probably six blocks from my class to the parking lot. I sprinted the entire way.
I fumbled the keys, couldn’t get the right one, dropped them, they rolled, crawled under the truck to retrieve them, got them, hit my head getting back up, found the right key, had it upside-down, got it in the lock, opened the door, threw my pack in, shut my foot in the door, started the truck, threw it in reverse.. and nearly hit whoever was pulling in.
“Move! Fuck! Move!”
My Ranger is not the quietest — so hands-free is not really an option.
I was pulling up in front of the apartment, with the cellphone in my hand, when I saw the cop pull up behind me. He was already getting out.
I shut off the truck and met him half-way.
“I realize I’m going to sound like I’m insane but hear me out. My girlfriend is blind. She’s in somebody’s trunk and I’m calling her to get directions. Can you drive me?”
I held out the phone.
“This is Officer Donaldson. Is this guy lying to me?”
I couldn’t hear what she said because of the wind but he handed the phone back and said, “Get in.”
“Sophie?”
The officer put on his seatbelt and looked at me sternly. I threw mine on and looked back at him, apologetically.
“Geoffrey!”
“I’m here.”
“Up to University.”
I relayed the information.
“Left.”
“We’re at..”
“Just listen — I’m replaying this from memory — just keep doing what I tell you..”
“Got it.”
“Right at McDonough.”
“Okay?”
“Left at the highway.”
“Shit!”
The officer looked over at me. I held up a hand in surrender.
“Just keep listening.. I think he’s just heading to the landfill..”
“The what?!”
“Geoffrey. Knock it off.”
“Sophie..”
“Listen fucker, if you want to help me, you do what I say. It’s fine. I think he’s been drinking. He was banging on the door, yelling shit, and then I think he saw the box. Turn right on Airport Road.”
“She says right on Airport.”
“He heading to the landfill?”
“That’s what she thinks.”
“You know, most people wouldn’t be able to give directions this well.”
“She’s like fucking Daredevil.”
“Got it. What’s she saying?”
“Geoffrey,” she chided, “quit playing Chatty Kathy with the nice officer and come get my ass.”
“We’re coming, dear-heart. He’s even got the cherries & berries on.”
“Good. Anyway, Cal drug the box out the door and I thought he was just gonna drag it around back so I didn’t say anything. He was yelling and cussing the whole time — which is probably why the officer found you so fast — somebody probably called it in. Next thing I know, he’s picking the box up and I hear the trunk close.”
“Fuck!”
“What?” The officer looked at me again.
“Sorry! We’re still good I think. She’s just telling me how she ended up in the trunk.”
“She was kidnapped?”
“No, she was in a box and Cal swiped the box. I don’t think he knows she’s in there.”
“We’re two miles away. He’s gotta almost be to the landfill by now.”
“Sophie? Can you tell where you are?”
“I’m in a trunk.. in a box..”
“Helen..” I scolded.
“I thought her name was Sophie..”, Donaldson started.
“When I find a knife..”, Sophie warned.
“I love you too. We’re two miles from the dump.”
“We just turned right — into the drive, I think — oh — he’s stopping..”
I looked at the officer, “They’re at the landfill.”
“Tell her two minutes.”
“Two minutes, Soph. Hang on. Start yelling when he opens the trunk. Just in case he’s gonna do something stupid.. er.. stupider.”
We hit a pothole — damned roads — and I dropped the phone.
When I picked it up, the call had ended.
“Shit! Lost the call.”
We’d already been breaking plenty of normal-people laws, but Officer Donaldson mashed the gas pedal.