“You do, and I’ll put you underground.”
*******************************************************
Underground was a good way to describe where Teren’s contact lived. His small apartment was in the basement of a four story building. His windows were small and very high up on the wall. To complete the illusion, he had covered those small windows in tinfoil, effectively blocking sunlight from getting into the apartment.
Teren had parked in the alley behind the building, and she led Alex through the back door and down the stairs. She stopped at a door that was covered in peace signs, knocking three times, then twice more. A moment later they could hear bolts being pulled back, and the door opened just a fraction. Alex could see there were at least three chains on the door, and one of them was very thick.
“Who is it, and what do you want?” The voice asking was very gruff and low, between a whisper and a growl.
“Terry. Got a job for Leo.”
“Don’t know any Leo.”
“His last name’s Peacemonger.”
The door shut, and they could hear chains rattling. Then they were being ushered into a dark foyer, and into the apartment.
It was a one room place, with a small open kitchen at one end, and the door to the bathroom next to the front door. The walls were a dull off-white, and covered with newspaper clippings and covers of magazines. There were no book shelves, but there had to be at least a couple hundred books lining the walls under one of the covered windows.There was no couch, only a roll away bed that sat in one corner. There was no tv, nor any stereo, and only a few wooden chairs that looked like they had seen their best days several decades ago. There was one floor lamp, and the light it gave created shadows throughout the room.
The only place in the apartment that was well lit was a corner filled with computer equipment. Three large desks had been pulled together to create a small office, with the computer screens facing away from the door. There were three monitors, from what Alex could see, and several printers. A large flat bed scanner occupied the center of one desk, in between two large tower CPUs. A third tower sat on the floor underneath one of the desks. Alex could see a tripod with a mounted digital camera sitting behind the desks near the wall.
The sound of the man’s rough voice brought Alex’s attention back to Teren and her contact.
“Terry, it’s good to see you. Who’s your lovely friend?”
“This is Andrea. Andrea, this is Leo.”
Alex reached over to shake the man’s hand. “Hi, Leo. Nice to meet you.”
Leo took her hand and gently raised it to his lips. “Andrea, what a lovely name.”
Alex’s eyes went wide and she stuttered for a moment. Teren came to her aid, grinning.
“Cool it, Leo. She’s queer.”
“Aw, Terry —”
“She’s also taken.”
Alex raised her eyebrows at Teren who winked. Leo shrugged, and dropped her hand. “Well, nice to meet you anyway, Andrea. Either of you want a brew?”
“No, thanks.”
“Okay. What kind of job do you have for me, Terry?” Leo edged his way around to the back of the desk, and sat down in the office chair behind it.
“I need a full set of papers, for Andrea.”
“You got the cash?”
Teren smirked at him. “Don’t I always?”
He grinned back at her. “Simple enough. Can I ask why you need them?”
Teren shrugged. “I need to get her out of town.”
“Why?”
“She’s being blamed for something she didn’t do it.”
“How do you know she didn’t do it?”
“Cause when it happened, I was with her.”
Leo shrugged. “Fine with me. Okay, Andrea, step up to the camera.” He pulled the camera and tripod out and set it up facing the wall. When he had it positioned the way he wanted, he sat back down, making sure the connection was set. He nodded.
“Okay, just reach up there and pull that screen down.”
Alex reached up to the handle of what appeared to be a movie projector screen. When she pulled it down she found that it was a blue background.
“Fine. Now, put your back against that wall, and give me a smile.”
Alex did, and was blinded when the flash went off. She blinked.
“How real do you want this, Terry? I mean, you want her fingerprint, or someone else’s on the driver’s license?”
“Someone else’s, I think.”
“Fine. What year was she born?”
“1971. June seventeenth.”
“Where?”
“Um, surprise us. Just don’t make it anyplace too outlandish.”
“Where’s she living now?”
Alex jumped in with the answer. “Chicago.”
Leo looked up at Teren. “Okay?”
“Chicago’s fine. Her last name is Reed.”
“Middle initial?”
“E.”
Leo began typing, and switching from computer to computer. Alex began examining the walls, and the different articles Leo had pasted on them. She noticed that he had, in a protective sleeve, a copy of the Life Magazine with Lee Harvey Oswald on the cover. He also had a cover of Time Magazine featuring the riots in Chicago in 1968. That magazine was autographed by Abbie Hoffman.
“Hey, Andrea.”
It took Alex a moment to realize that was her, then she turned to Teren. “Hmm?”
“How tall are you?”
“Five foot six.”
“Weight?”
She grinned. “One-thirty-eight.”
“You’re kidding. No way.”
“Yep. Gotta remember, muscle weighs more than fat.” She thumped a fist against her stomach. “And I’ve got lots of muscles.”
For some reason, Teren turned red. “Make it one-thirty.”
Leo was grinning. “You’re cute when you blush, Terry.”
“Shut up, Leo, or you’ll be pulling your keyboard out of your ass.”
Leo chuckled but didn’t say anything more.
It didn’t really take long for the paperwork, and when it was finished, Alex had a new birth certificate, complete with the official seal of New York City, and a driver’s license from the State of Illinois. She also had a passport, a credit card, a gun permit, and a social security card with a totally new number.
“If I didn’t know better I’d say these were real. Nice job, Leo.”
“Thank you, Andrea. An artist always likes to get compliments on his work.” He grinned up at her. “Anything else I can do for you?”
“I think that’s it. Terry?”
Teren winked at Alex. “Yeah, that’s all. You did a great job as always.”
“Great. Now pay me.”
“I thought artists regarded compliments as their payment.”
“From her,” he nodded at Alex, “it’s payment. From you, it’s bullshit.”
Teren laughed, and pulled an envelope from her pocket. Alex watched as she counted out fifteen one hundred dollar bills, handing them to Leo.
“Nice doing business with you, Terry.”
“Same here, Leo. You take care, alright?”
“You, too.” He reached up to take Alex’s hand. “And you be careful and get out of town safe.” He winked at her and leered. “And good luck with her.”
Alex blushed, and smiled at him, then looked up to find Teren had turned red again.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine, thanks. I appreciate your help, Leo.”
“No thanks necessary. Just keep an eye on the tall dark and gorgeous one.”
Alex laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, I will.”
Teren rolled her eyes. “Come on, Andrea,” she said, placing an emphasis on the false name. “We’ve got a plane to catch.”
*******************************************************
Using Chris Fleming’s credit card, Alex and Teren spent an hour at the mall, making sure they had enough supplies for their trip. Alex had only those clothes she’d taken to Colorado, and one set had so many bloodstains she decided to toss them. Alex began to add up the bills in her head, and wondered who would ultimately pay for the purchases.
“Teren, did you inherit a few million dollars or something?”