The Secret Manuscript (17 page)

“You’re right,
that is pretty crazy, but let me try to convince you anyway.”

Ben took the
financial paper that was in front of him and slid it across the
table to Kyle.

“What’s
this?”

“That my
friend is today’s newspaper with yesterday’s stock report. Remember
those winnings I made on the Grey Cup? I took them into a financial
firm where I opened a trading account. I then bought stock in a
small company called Lucius Labs — you may have heard of them.
Yeah, as it turns out they released this really promising drug to
treat the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and their stock surged.
Fortunately for me, I happened to have placed a buy order before
the news was announced. Call it a hunch,” Ben said smugly as he
winked at Kyle.

The expression
on Kyle’s face was of total disapproval.

“Ben, how can
you be so foolish!” he said “You can’t just walk into a brokerage
firm, buy a large stake of a company nobody has ever heard of, and
then sell it the day after they announce their new drug.”

“No, Kyle,
you’re wrong, you can do that! That’s exactly what I did.”

“Ben, don’t
get smart with me. I’m being serious, you could get into serious
trouble.”

“How so?”

“Don’t you
think it’s a little fishy that a person who was broke, suddenly
goes on a hot streak and everything he touches turns to gold like
he’s King Midas? They investigate this kind of stuff, and once they
find out your roommate works for a competing drug lab, they’ll
assume I gave you insider information. Both of us could get
arrested and go to jail.”

“But you
didn’t give me insider information.”

“Good luck
proving that. Besides, what are you going to tell them when they
asked you how you got the money for the stock?”

“I’ll tell
them the truth, I got it from my Sports Select winnings.”

“Okay, and
where did you get the money for the Sports Select?”

“I’ll say I
found it.”

“Oh great, you
found eight grand, which happens to be the exact amount stolen from
a bank in your neighbourhood, which you are a suspect in the case!
Come on, Ben. You have to be smart about this stuff.”

Although Ben
did not want to admit it, Kyle was making a lot of sense. Ben was
starting to feel quite anxious. To calm his nerves, he poured
himself a glass of Scotch and choked it back.

With every
dime he owned tied up in the investment account, Ben was back to
being broke. The only things of value he had left were the
manuscript and his computer, which he decided to move down to the
secret room in case people came after him.

“Do me a
favour Ben, don’t mess with fate anymore. Your actions could have
serious unforeseen ramifications on human history.”

“Yeah, but
that is true regardless of what I do. The future isn’t written yet,
Kyle.”

“Yes, it is,
and it’s in that little book of yours.”

“It’s not a
book, it’s a manuscript. A book is what a manuscript becomes once
it’s published.”

“Well,
whatever it is, I say you destroy it.”

“But what
about the science behind it?”

“What science?
We don’t know where that thing came from. The only other person who
knew about it is now dead, the day after he won the lottery. The
universe has a way of self-correcting. If you’re not supposed to
have all that money, the universe will make sure you don’t end up
with it.”

“So now you
are an expert on the universe?”

“I’m just
saying, you shouldn’t poke a stick at something you’re unfamiliar
with. Eventually, it will bite back.”

“That’s great.
You’ll have a lot of time to sit around and think of really witty
metaphors now that you’re broke and out of work. Meanwhile, I will
be living the good life. You’re welcome to join me if you
reconsider.”

Ben and Kyle
agreed to disagree. Kyle went upstairs and Ben went downstairs into
the secret room to read more of the manuscript. Reading the
manuscript became an addiction for Ben. This time, he was not
necessarily looking for ways to profit from it. Instead he was
trying to find out what happens to him. Kyle had planted the idea
in his head that all the things he had done to make money would
raise some red flags. If the SEC or the RCMP were to question him,
he would have a hard time talking his way out of it.

Another
problem Ben had was the manuscript no longer reflected his life. He
had altered his destiny and veered so far from the storyline that
it was becoming ever more difficult to use it to predict the
outcome of his life. Unless he found a way to realign himself with
the story, his future would be unknown to him. Page after page, Ben
continued to read events that did not happen to him.

Frustrated,
Ben went upstairs to get some fresh air. When he arrived at the top
of the stairs, he heard a loud knock. Curious and paranoid, Ben
cautiously approached the door. Whoever it was, he had no
intentions of opening it. He tiptoed to the peephole and peered
through. On the other side of the door were two well-dressed men,
but not the same two men as before. They knocked again and demanded
Ben open the door. It was as if they knew he was on the other side
looking at them.

Ben slowly
backed away from the door just as it was kicked off its hinges. The
thunderous crash struck fear into Ben’s heart. He panicked and
froze like a deer in headlights. Ben was staring at two large men,
neither one of whom presented any sort of ID or badge.

One of the men
lunged forward, grabbing Ben by his shirt. Ben struggled to get
free under the man’s powerful grip, but it was no use, the man
easily outmuscled him.

Even though
Ben had very little time to think, he wondered who the men were and
what they wanted. Whoever they were, they were not complying with
the standard protocol of a lawful arrest. This indicated they were
not law enforcers.

From upstairs,
Kyle heard the commotion and came running. Upon his descent down
the stairs, he witnessed two very large men apprehending Ben. The
two men were oblivious to Kyle standing in the stairwell and
proceeded to beat Ben to a pulp. For a moment, Kyle thought it
would be best to stay out of it since both men were humungous. They
were each around 6'5" and had athletic builds. For all intents and
purposes, Kyle would not be of much help against the aggressors,
but he knew he had to do whatever he could.

Harbouring
recessed childhood memories, Kyle became enraged and leapt into
action. He grabbed the nearest man from behind, spun him around,
and punched him in the face. The man staggered backward and tripped
over his partner’s foot. Kyle then lunged forward with a superman
punch that landed squarely on the jaw of the second man, causing
him to let go of Ben. The punch was not enough to knock the man
over, but it at least backed him up. Kyle grabbed Ben and yelled at
him.

“Come on,
let’s go!” Kyle shouted.

With Kyle’s
help, Ben got back to his feet. Clutching his rib cage, he and Kyle
ran out of the house. The two men did not move as fast, but were
still quick to follow. As Ben and Kyle ran, the two men fired
several shots in their direction. A series of loud pulsating
gunshots echoed throughout the neighbourhood as speeding bullets
whizzed by Ben and Kyle’s heads, narrowly missing them.

“What have you
gotten me into this time?” Kyle asked.

“I have no
clue, just keep moving.”

Despite being
the beginning of December, there was very little snow on the
ground, which made it easier to run away. The temperature, however,
was frigid, but their constant movement and adrenaline negated the
chilling effects of the brutal Calgary winter. They both knew they
would be dead if they did not find some place to hide. They rounded
the side of a house, hopped a fence, and traipsed through several
backyards. Clothes lines, half melted snowmen, and various kiddy
toys were no match for the two as they darted over, around, and
through the backyard obstacles like they were CFL running-backs. It
was the fastest Ben had ever moved before. His legs were moving so
quickly, it was as if he were no longer in control and instead was
operating on pure reflexes.

The two thugs
soon realized they lacked the necessary agility to chase the two
younger men. They wisely abandoned their pursuit on foot, but
continued the chase in their car.

A few blocks
away, the sound of screeching tires could be heard, striking even
more fear into the two boys. Ben and Kyle decided to stay put,
finding refuge in a backyard storage shed huddled in the dark next
to a lawn mower, a tool bench, and some indeterminate junk. Unless
the men were to search every backyard in the neighbourhood, Ben and
Kyle figured they would be safe for a while.

“Who were
those guys?” Kyle asked in a whisper.

“I have no
idea,” Ben said, still panting heavily.

“What
happened?”

“They kicked
in the door and then proceeded to accost me.”

“Are you
okay?” Kyle asked.

“I’m a little
banged up, but I don’t think anything is broken,” Ben said, feeling
around for any damage. “Whoever those guys were, they’re definitely
not cops. I’m no expert in the law or anything, but I think they
should’ve showed me their badges or a warrant at least.”

“Maybe they
work for the same guy who robbed the bank — they could all be part
of one big criminal enterprise. When you… you know… got involved
and thwarted their operation, they must have found out who you were
and decided to teach you a lesson and get some payback.”

“They did try
to kill us,” Ben added.

“Yeah, that
sounds about right. Any idea how they found you? You didn’t leave
behind your ID when you ‘visited’ the robber, did you?”

“No, and
besides, my ID doesn’t have my new address on it. The only people
who knew I was at the bank were two detectives.”

“I’m assuming
there were also a handful of customers and bank personnel,
right?”

“Yeah, but
they wouldn’t know my name and where I live. I didn’t even step
foot in the bank, remember?”

“Well, the
detectives figured out you were there, maybe someone else did as
well. Or the detectives are on the take.”

“Corrupt
cops?” Ben said sarcastically. “That can’t be!”

“So hired
goons or corrupt cops, those are our two hypotheses?” Kyle
asked.

“Does it
really matter who they are? Right now we need to figure out where
we are going to sleep tonight. We definitely can’t go back to the
house, and neither one of us have any money. Any ideas?”

“Just one.
Come on, follow me.”

Ben and Kyle
waited until it was dark before they emerged from the storage shed
where they had been hiding. Their foggy breath dissipated in the
freezing air as they cautiously snuck through the backyards,
retracing their steps until they eventually reached their
house.

“You see
anything?” Kyle asked.

“Nah, nothing,
I think we’re clear.”

Continuing
past their house, they showed up at their neighbour’s backdoor.
Kyle gave a couple light knocks and then took a few steps back.
Gladys answered promptly and opened the door with delight.

“What are you
two boys doing outside with just those flimsy sweaters? Please come
inside before you two catch a cold.”

Ben and Kyle
gratefully stepped inside.

“Is there a
problem with the front door?” Gladys asked.

“It’s a long
story,” Ben said through chattering teeth.

“Let me fetch
you boys some blankets, and put on a pot of tea. Are you hungry?”
she asked. “I can heat up some leftovers.”

“That would be
great, thanks.”

“What was all
that commotion earlier? It sounded like someone setting off
fireworks.”

“Actually they
were gunshots,” Ben said.

“Gunshots?”
she repeated. “Oh my, this neighbourhood just isn’t what it used to
be.”

“I think the
neighbourhood is fine, Gladys. It wasn’t gang related or anything
like that. There were two men after us… well, after me.”

“Heavens, why
were they after you?”

“I’m not
sure,” Ben said. “Was Mr. Gringer involved with anything that would
have two goons show up at his house?”

“Charles? No,
of course not. He was a kind man and as far as I know he wasn’t
involved with anything like that?”

“Did he owe
anyone any money or…” Ben stopped.

“What is it?”
Kyle asked.

“Do you think
those men were after his lotto winnings?”

“I doubt it,”
Kyle responded. “If they thought you won the lottery, why would
they want to kill you? It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Whoever they
were, it’s a matter for the police,” Gladys said as she got up to
make a call.

“Gladys,” Ben
called out. “I would prefer if you did not get the police involved.
I… I just don’t know if I can trust the police.”

“What on earth
are you talking about? Of course you can trust the police.”

“The police
are just people and people are corruptible. I think for now I’d
like to just lay low for a while and figure out someplace safe we
can go.”

“You boys are
welcome to stay here as long as you like, that is if you don’t mind
sharing a bedroom with each other. There’s a spare room upstairs,
I’ll put on some fresh linens and give you boys some towels.”

“Thank you, we
really appreciate it.”

“If you need
to do laundry, I can put a load on as well.”

Ben and Kyle
stayed at the house and exchanged stories with their elderly
neighbour until it was time for bed. She had lived a fascinating
life and had a lot of wisdom to impart. To show their gratitude,
they offered to do any chores that needed to be done. Eventually,
Gladys showed the boys to their room and said a prayer with
them.