What’s Blue and Doesn’t Weigh Very Much?
WHAT’S BLUE AND DOESN’T WEIGH VERY MUCH?
Glennon
In the darkness, she felt the vibration of her phone.
Pushing herself off the floor of the derelict building, Glennon groaned.
The tiny town of Puente del Inca was sleeping, but as soon as the sun began its ascent, the locals would stir in the market.
By the time the first shop raised its shuttered window, the climbers would begin arriving.
After what felt like an eternity on the road, she’d finally made her way to the small village that served as a popular stopping point for those climbers brave enough to take on Aconcagua.
Stopping here was a calculated risk. However, an American white woman wouldn’t necessarily stand out since there would be others in the small village and wandering the trails before attempting to scale the mountain.
She twisted one direction, cracking her back, then turned the opposite direction to crack it again.
Too many years of sleeping in Guillermo’s bed, whether at the compound or in luxury hotels, had caused her to get soft.
The aches and pains she was feeling now would be with her for a while.
Or until Guillermo found her. She preferred the aches and pains, thank you very much.
Once she was stretched out and her thoughts clearer, she pulled her phone from her back pocket and turned away from the window to prevent the screen from lighting up her face for anyone who might peek inside the building.
Granted, the window was caked with dirt, and she could only see the barest outlines of the town when she looked out from the inside, but it paid to be careful.
She also dimmed her screen as low as she could and changed the background to dark mode so any light it shone would be minimal.
It was a single text.
M:I HAVE A JOB LEAD
A sudden rush of air expelled itself from her lungs without thought. It wasn’t until this exact moment that she realized how desperate she felt. When he’d answered her initial texts, her adrenaline pumped too hard to take in the astronomical odds that she’d reached him.
After their exchange, her brain decided to push her into paranoia.
What if it wasn’t him? What if it was someone from the CIA using his old number and the conversation to locate her?
She should ditch the phone and head in a different direction.
Get to the coast. See if she could somehow get herself down to Tierra del Fuego and attach herself to an ecotourism group.
Maybe she could get back into the States or somewhere in Europe.
Within two minutes, the panic had subsided. But still. Could she trust him? Just because he didn’t work for the CIA didn’t mean he wouldn’t hesitate to turn her location over to them. She’d have to be careful.
G: DO I NEED A RESUME?
M: NOT YET
M: QUIET THERE?
G: YES
M: WHEN YOUR PHONE RINGS PICK UP
It was half a minute before her phone vibrated again. This time, the screen showed an incoming call from a different number. Trust him? Don’t trust him?
The phone was on its fourth ring before she decided she had nothing to lose.
“I’m here,” she answered.
“What’s blue and doesn’t weigh very much?”
She stood there, stunned. Then she had to cover her mouth to keep the hysterics from running rampant. It was really him.
Not wanting to let on how tired and scared she was, she worked hard to include the signature snark she’d always wielded with him. “I hoped your jokes would have gotten better over the years.”
“Hey, G. You secure?”
She looked around the darkened room. “Depends on what you mean by secure. I’m alone. For now.” She paused, allowing a hint of vulnerability through. “I honestly didn’t think your number would work anymore.”
“It probably shouldn’t have.” She heard him move in the background, the slide of material against material, like he was trying to get more comfortable in a chair. “I don’t want to keep you on the line long.”
“Probably a good idea.”
“Can you tell me where you are?”
She hesitated. The thought of giving her location out loud over the phone was something she’d been trained never to do.
“G, it’s going to be hard to help you if I don’t have ground zero.”
It was a test. In an instant, she realized that, like the joke conversation starter he used to prove it was him, he needed a show of faith that she was, in fact, who she said she was.
The distrust of alphabet-agent operatives was legendary.
They required proof. What could she give him to show it was actually her?
“If you’re as smart as you always claimed you were, then you know exactly where I am. Probably down to within a few feet.”
She heard the smile in his voice. “It’s definitely you. As for my being as smart as I used to be, I’m still that smart.” She heard a couple of key clicks. “Blue building, east of the tracks?”
“Close.”
“Ah. Red one then. They share a wall.” She heard a few more clicks. “What do you have with you that you need to relocate?”
“Just me and a backpack.”
“You have any cash, or do you need an advance?”
“My bank account is empty, so a loan would be nice.”
“One second.”
The line went silent, signaling he’d muted the sound on his end. She hooked a finger through a side belt loop of her stolen pants, tugging on it as she waited. Finally, he opened the channel back up.
“Sorry about that. I needed to make sure I had a way to get you some funds.”
“Appreciate that,” she acknowledged.
“Memorize this phone number, but add two to the final digit. As soon as we’re off this call, remove the SIM card, crush it, then dump the pieces into a rain barrel or something deep with a lot of liquid in it.”
“Got it.”
“When was the last time you ate?” he asked.
Huh? Food wasn’t her biggest worry right now. “I have some jerky and crackers to get me through. I’m good.”
“I’ve got a contact for you. There’s a stall in the market that’s run by a young man named Ollie.
He sells hand-knitted hats, scarves, etc.
There’s a blue pair of mittens that will be hanging off the front window to identify him.
You’re going to go to him and inquire about those mittens.
He’s going to offer you a matching hat as part of his upsell.
Take it. Inside the hat will be enough cash to last you a couple of days.
“When you get there, put your bag on the ground at your feet. Everything you have, including all the burner phones you’ve bought, needs to be in that bag.
I want you to dump everything you have on you, down to the tiniest detail, except for your shirt, pants, and whatever shoes you have on.
Everything, G. This is important, so don’t blow me off.
Not a stitch of what you have currently stays with you.
While you’re talking to Ollie, it will quietly disappear and be destroyed. ”
“Got it.”
“After seeing him, go get something to eat.”
“Honestly, M, I’m fine. Eating is the last thing on my mind right now.”
“I don’t care if you’re thinking about it or not, or if you’re hungry or not. You’re going to eat because you never know when the next opportunity will come.” He muttered something under his breath, but she couldn’t quite make out what he said.“Promise you’ll eat, G.”
What was it with this man and his obsession with her eating? She was a damn adult and would eat when she was hungry.
She exhaled with a huff. “While I appreciate your concern, I’m a big girl, M. I think I can determine the need to eat or not on my own.”
“G, let’s get something straight right now.
You called me for help. If you want my help, this is the form it comes in.
You’re on the run and too close to this situation emotionally.
You’re running on adrenaline. Your body needs hydration, food, and rest to get through this, and you’re no good to your chances of getting out of Argentina and whatever’s chasing you if you pass out due to any or all of those needs not being met. Am I right?”
Well, this was not the easygoing jokester she remembered. Why did he have to be correct and give a shit? Nobody had cared in a long time.
She felt herself heat up at his tone.
Was it because he was being a dick? He was being a dick by telling her what to do, wasn’t he?
Or was she heating up because the bossiness turned her on? Because that was just weird. And wrong. But also true.
“I think I like bad-joke Agent M better. Could you put him back on the line?” she sassed. “His jokes suck, but he doesn’t boss me around like I’m twelve.”
“If you were twelve, I wouldn’t let you handle this on your own. But you’re a capable, badass woman, and I know that you know I’m right about what you need right now. Correct?”
Well, shit. Maybe he wasn’t being a dick. It would be easier if he were. And a lot less uncomfortable, dammit.
A part of her brain acknowledged that, technically, she knew he was right. But she’d been on her own for so long that taking direction from anyone, let alone him, felt weird.
Then again, if she wanted to be extra technical about things, she hadn’t really been making decisions on her own for a long time. As part of her cover, she did whatever Guillermo had told her to do.
So while she was autonomous in choosing to follow that guideline, she really never made choices for herself anymore. And apparently, she was really sucking at doing that right now, based on this conversation with him.
Lord, this was confusing, even to her. Was that because she was tired and hungry?
It was too hard to figure out right now. And rather than further irritate the person helping her, she figured she’d just tell him what he wanted to hear and then do what she wanted. How would he know?
“G, this is not a fuck-around-and-find-out situation. I know you’re considering playing along with me on my instructions. Just get some fucking food before you get on the road, yeah?”
What was the matter with her? Why was she fighting him over something so basic?
The man was totally putting himself out on a limb for her, and all he’d really asked for in return was to make sure she ate something.
Sound advice, considering she hadn’t eaten anything since fleeing the safe house last night.
He didn’t have to help her. If she didn’t get her shit together, he could easily hang up, walk away, and leave her stranded.
She swallowed down the smart-ass remark she wanted to make and made a concentrated effort to be cooperative. “I’ll make sure to eat.”
“Good.” The irritation went out of his voice with her agreement. “Did you sleep last night?”
What the hell? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, then let it out slowly.
Again, she had to admit, he wasn’t wrong.
Exhaustion could make a person sloppy. Could make it easier for her to get caught.
He was right to point out his concern, and no, he wasn’t being a dick about it.
Clear and precise so she didn’t misunderstand, yes. Bossy? Perhaps. But not a dick.
“Not great,” she admitted, grudgingly. “Managed a couple of hours while I waited for your call back.”
“After breakfast, go to the hostel and grab a couple hours of sleep. Then, pick up some water and some snacks, a new burner phone if you can, and then I need you to find another ride out of the village.
“Continue on Route 7. I know being in the open like that is against protocol, but if they know who you are, they won’t be expecting you to be on the main roads.
“When you get to Los Penitentes, check in at the Altas Cumbres Penitentes. Shouldn’t be hard to find. Check in under the name Giselle Zelinski.”
“I don’t have any ID.”
“Took care of that. Told them I was your brother, that you’d had your passport stolen during a mugging, so I’m trying to help you with a place to stay while you get your paperwork back together.
If they check, there’s a record at the embassy in Buenos Aires documenting the whole situation, as well as a fake police report.
I booked the room for four days, but you won’t be there that long.
I’m building in extra time in case someone is looking for you and is close by, so it’ll give you some misdirection if you need it. ”
“Thanks.”
He ignored her and kept giving her instructions. “When you get to Los Penitentes, buy everything new. Dump the few supplies you got on the way out of town in Puente del Inca, as well as the last pieces of clothing. It’s a ski resort area, so it’ll be a little pricey, but you’ll blend in there.
“When that’s all taken care of, I want you to use a new burner phone to call the new number. I’ll give you your next set of instructions then.”
She felt tightness in her belly and throat. She had to work around the reined-in emotion. “Thank you, M.” A sting began in her nose and behind her eyes. She rubbed her forehead where a dull ache started. “Those words sound so… inadequate right now. I know I just gave you a whole bunch of shit—”
“You’re welcome,” he said softly.
There was a pause before he spoke again. “So, G, you never took a guess. What’s blue and doesn’t weigh very much?”
She chuckled at his return to his opening line of the conversation. “I don’t know. A blueberry?”
“Light blue.”
She groaned at the obvious response.
“Talk to you soon, G.”
The connection severed.