Genie for Hire by Neil Plakcy Read Free Book Online

your
files.”
    “ Chorosho ! When will you get them back?”
    “It’s not that easy. The man who stole them works for
Ovetschkin.”
    Sveta’s mouth dropped open. “But why? Why take pictures of
boss’s wife?”
    “That’s the question,” Biff said. “I don’t want to confront
him until I know more about what’s going on. “
    “But Ovetschkin want files. He threaten me.”
    “I know, Sveta. I’m working on it.” He looked at his watch. “As
matter of fact, I’m on my way to check something out.” He didn’t want to tell
Sveta he was breaking into Laskin’s safe deposit box or that he was talking to
a cop; that would only worry her. And he didn’t want to mention the AK-47s he
heard Ovetschkin and Laskin speaking about the night before either.
    She stood up. “I have photo session with baby. You will let
me know?”
    “Of course.” He jogged back to his townhouse, where he
changed from his jogging shorts and T-shirt into a conservative business suit
that disguised as much as possible his impressive musculature. Carrying his
laptop, he drove to the bank on Collins Avenue. He counted on there being so
much traffic through the bank that the clerk wouldn’t remember Laskin.
    But he was wrong. The clerk, a young Hispanic woman whose
name tag read Yunexis, looked at the ID and then at Biff. Then she looked at
the ID again. “Please wait here,” she said, and she got up from behind her
desk.
    “Is there a problem?”
    “I just need to get my manager to sign off. I’ll be right
back.”
    Biff could tell from the way she held herself stiffly and
avoided direct eye contact that she was lying. Either the cops had an alert on
Laskin, or she knew the man personally and realized Biff was an impostor.
    “That won’t be necessary,” Biff said. He smiled at her and
opened his third eye, sending a jangle of confusing signals to Yunexis’s brain.
    She stopped and looked at him, cocking her head like a bird.
“What was I doing?”
    “You were about to take me to the safe deposit vault.”
    “Oh. Yes. Come this way, please.” She pressed in ten numbers
on the key pad which Biff couldn’t help following and remembering. He figured
that you never knew when information would come in handy.
    Then she turned to face him. “I’m sorry, I forgot your box
number.”
    “No problem.” Biff read it off to her, and she found it in
the wall of similar boxes. She put her key in and turned it, and then Biff
inserted his.
    “When you’re finished, just stop by at my desk,” she said.
Once she stepped out of the room, Biff withdrew the box from its drawer.
    There was a neat stack of hundred-dollar bills, and another
of hundred-euro notes. A small velvet pouch which contained a half-dozen uncut
diamonds. A half-dozen gold coins in shrink-wrap. And beneath it all, a 2 MB
jump drive.
    He opened his laptop and turned it on. Then he inserted the
jump drive and viewed thumbnail shots of the contents. He established that they
were boudoir photos of a very beautiful young blonde woman. Each one was named
“douschka” with a number. Satisfied, he shut down the laptop and pocketed the
jump drive. Before he closed the box, though, he counted out a wad of cash to
cover his fee and expenses. After all, why should Sveta have to pay, when
Laskin had stolen from her? It fit his notion of justice.
    He returned the box to its slot and the lock snapped in
place. He waved at Yunexis as he walked past her desk, receiving only a
confused stare in return. Then he drove to home for a quick change of clothes,
then to the Bagel Bar, tucked away in an industrial complex off Ives Dairy Road
and only a few blocks away. He ordered a pumpernickel bagel for Jimmy, salt for
himself, along with a small tub of cream cheese and several strips of lox.
Coffee for Jimmy and orange juice for himself.  
    As Biff was sitting down at a table by the window, Jimmy
walked in. He was in his mid-fifties, a portly guy with a crew cut and a New
York accent.