About Henry Fellows
Post 108
On Killing and Innocence: The Chronicles of Henry Fellows
Episode 23
Chapter Seven Concluded
“It’s a black hole,” I mutter, surveying all the thinking going on in the room. Terrains I’ve plotted time and time again.
“It is all very strange,” Marie says. “But I don’t know… maybe you should reach out to what’s his name—Jansen. Weren’t the two of you close?”
“Yeah, we were close. But he doesn’t know anything, didn’t know anything.” I put a pillow over my head and think of Mr. Jansen. He was more a father to me than my actual father. A very smart guy; he used to say things in weird little ways. Taught me people skills, the way to get around people just by using words. But in the end, smarts weren’t enough for good Mr. Jansen. My dad seized more and more of the company, leaving him out in the cold. Don’t think I ever heard him say a thing during a board meeting those last few years. It bothered me, watching a great man, a founder of the company, basically marginalized. It was one of those things I used to argue with my father about. Mr. Jansen would advise me to keep my wits, don’t get overruled by emotion, that kind of thing. Had some weird expression for it: Illegitimi non carborundum. Some bastardized Latin thing he said he picked up from a commanding officer during the war. Guess it was another way of telling an overwrought son not to get beaten down by an overstepping father. Not sure. I suck at languages. “Let’s leave Jansen out of this,” I say. “Much as I miss the old guy.”
Marie’s not satisfied. Again she says, “I don’t know.”
“Oh, you don’t? What we’ve got here is a nice theory, a theory that ends with the people of interest being most of the free world. That, and now you’re telling me that Captain America is on my ass—a guy who if he doesn’t shoot me will throw a ninety mile-an-hour Beretta at my head.”
“That was pretty cool, now that I think about it,” Billy says.
“I appreciate it, guys. Take any payment you want, but I’m out of here. Nobody else is getting caught up in this.”
I stand up to go. Really don’t see what good any of this is. Marie hops up and blocks my way. I stop out of respect for her… you know.
“Hold it. Think I’ve got an idea—actually it’s your idea. How about you turn yourself in?”
My shoulders slink so low I think I hear one of them hit the floor. From behind, Billy’s sounding off as well. “Something else. If we can’t kill this Trevor Hawker guy, maybe we should just kidnap him.” There goes the other shoulder.
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Floyd says. It sounds like he’s serious. I’ve run out of shoulders.
Yes. This is my life.
