Aura

By Wm. E. Bobb

Our country’s largest intelligence agency has a problem. In two weeks, Supreme Court Chief Justice Dulles is expected to hand down a decision that could effectively negate their ability to spy domestically by striking down congress’s Terrorist Act. Right now, he’s on his annual fishing vacation until court convenes.

The director dispatches his best operative—Alan—to make sure the old boy has a boating accident. Alan sequesters the judge in a cabin instead and shortly thereafter becomes the victim of a hit-and-run. Upon awakening the next day in a hospital, he doesn’t even know his name let alone anything about a missing chief justice or put him. Total amnesia.

Bits and pieces start to come back, and now Alan has to figure out how to get the judge to the courthouse on time alive because he, too, is being hunted by his own agency.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662458309

Book preview

Chapter 1

Her ride turned out to be a four-wheel-drive pickup with a matching camper. I like to go out in the woods from time to time, she said as I climbed in. I’d only known her for an hour, and I already liked her a lot. Was I this easily infatuated in my previous life, or had I just not had a life?

We listened to country-western music as she drove us to some out-of-the-way Mexican restaurant. The greeter obviously knew her and took us to a cozy table near the bar. Two margaritas magically appeared moments after we were seated.

Brilliant conversationalist that I am, I said, I take it you’ve been here before.

You might say that. I’m the half owner.

I kept my mouth shut after that and let her lead the conversation. I’d barely gotten into my drink when guacamole, queso, and chips arrived. After green Chile chicken enchiladas, two more bollas of margaritas you could stick a fork in me, I was done. I must have fallen asleep on the ride home because I woke up in front of a pre-WWII Craftsman-style house in the middle of an orange grove. Lois was smiling at me as I took it all in.

It was my grandparents’ place. They had hundreds of acres of citrus groves before it got sold off for taxes. This all that’s left. This house and forty acres the bank couldn’t take because it was homesteaded.

It was a snapshot of what Phoenix was like before urban sprawl and snowbirds. Somehow, I knew a lot about Phoenix. Things were coming back to me, slowly but surely. I took that as a good sign. Maybe one day I’d remember my name.

The inside was as cozy as it looked from the outside—carved western furniture with well-taken-care-of leather upholstery, Navajo rugs everywhere, and a river rock fireplace that spoke of splendor even today.

I figured I could live like this, no problem. What do you think? she asked.

I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.

Wait until you see the bedroom, she said, taking my hand and leading me up the staircase.

Chapter 2

It was still dark outside when I woke up to the smell of fresh-brewed coffee and bacon. I was ravenous. Apparently, I’d worked up an appetite overnight. I still hurt everywhere from being run over, but all the important parts were functioning just fine. I didn’t get much sleep, and I remember all of it. I hoped I wasn’t married because this was going to be a problem if I was.

I showered and dressed before I went downstairs. She was a loving person last night, but who knows what she was thinking when she woke up. I was hoping for a cup of coffee before she told me to hit the road, so I was pleasantly surprised when she handed me a cup and offered me a piece of bacon. After that, I got a kiss, so I guess I was still in play.

I sat down to a full country breakfast. She sat across from me with just coffee. She didn’t waste any time. What do you remember?

I took a few more bites. Nothing before waking up in the hospital. Everyday knowledge of things seems to be there, but things about my past are gone. Some kind of selective memory, I guess. Maybe my mind doesn’t want to remember who I was.

Why did you go to the casino?

I don’t know. I just felt pulled in that direction. It turned out to be a good decision, in more ways than one.

That got me a smile. Tell me about the lights again.

I’d told her about the phenomenon last night without mentioning what I suspected. I think she suspected the same thing now, so I told her. Some slot machines seem to glow different colors. The hotter the color may indicate the readiness of the machine to pay off. Algorithms in the chip dictate the rate of payout. I think that, for some reason, that readiness to pay is expressed in colors, electromagnetically. I can see them.

I didn’t know how more bluntly I could put it. It sounded pretty crazy even to me.

She got up and put her coffee cup in the sink. Finish up and don’t worry about the plate. I’m getting the truck started. We’re burning daylight.

I didn’t mention that the sun wasn’t even close to coming up yet. I just put my plate in the sink and followed her out the door. The lights of Phoenix glowed to the west.

So what’s the plan? I asked her as she pulled out of the grove and onto a paved road.

There are six casinos in the metropolitan area of Phoenix. I work in one of them. We can’t do it there, so that leaves five. We’re headed for the closest one.

I figured I knew why, but I had to ask. And why is that?

We’re going to test your theory. Either you’re a whacko or you’re on to something. How much money do you have on you?

I didn’t have to count it, and unless she rolled me last night, I knew exactly how much I had. Fourteen hundred and twenty dollars.

That’ll do. Give me a hundred now, she said, cranking up the radio. Some cowboy was singing about a woman driving him crazy. I think there was a warning in there somewhere, but I wasn’t paying attention. The sun was trying to wrest itself from the earth behind us. It was barely six in the morning. I hoped it wouldn’t be a long day.

The first casino was named after a piece of talking wood. Go figure. Lois parked the truck in the back lot. When we got to the front door, she strutted in like she owned the place. I got in front of her and started walking down the rows of slot machines. She was a half step behind me on my left. On the third aisle, I found what I was looking for—a Triple Lucky Seven $1 slot machine. She was throbbing red.

I whispered over my shoulder, Third machine on the left. Triple Lucky.

She peeled off and sat down in front of it, placing the hundred in the cash slot. I kept going, looking for a quarter machine to test my theory. If it panned out, I’d move up to dollars. If not, I wouldn’t lose my ass.

I found one that was turning from orange to red. I must be cautious by nature, so I only stuck a twenty in. That gave me a little over twenty-five pulls if I didn’t hit anything. I had almost exhausted my twenty when Lois sat down beside me. She pretended to put a rewards card in while talking out of the side of her mouth.

I hit the jackpot after three pulls. A grand. I think you’re on to something. What’s next?

Go put a dollar in a machine with a line of sight to the men’s room. When you see me come out, follow, and I’ll put you on to another one. Don’t get too close.

She didn’t respond but just got up and wandered off. I motioned to a passing change girl. When she approached, I handed her a five. Would you be so kind as to watch my seat while I go to the restroom? I asked as I put another twenty into the machine? Big spender.

She would have done it as a service, but the five helped. I would be happy to, she said with a smile. I took off like I had a bladder problem.

I wasted no time in the john, just washing my hands. I didn’t see Lois when I came out, but I hoped she saw me. I wandered down a couple of aisles before I found a dollar Ten by Ten slot glowing red. I stopped to study the machine and took out a twenty as if I were going to play it. Seeming to change my mind, I continued walking. As I turned the corner, I saw Lois take a seat in front of the machine. She’d gotten the hint.

I wasted no time getting back to my machine. She was shifting into the red spectrum by now, so I started playing the max. Six pulls later, I hit the jackpot—$500. That cinched it. I was ecstatic but with serious misgivings. The greed won over, however.

Lois had waited until I got paid out before approaching. Time to go, she said as she walked by on her way to the door. By the time I got out the door, she had the truck out in front. I barely got in before she took off.

How much have you got now? she asked.

Counting what I walked in with, $18,000 and change.

I’ve got three grand plus most of the hundred you gave me. She turned and smiled at me. Let’s take a run at the other four casinos and see what happens.

And that’s exactly what we did.

Chapter 3

Midafternoon found us in the kitchen of her restaurant counting a ton of money. Lois was tallying the amounts while I banded them and placed the bundles in a brown grocery sack. The kitchen help acted as if we were invisible.

She looked up from her legal pad. We made a little over $21,000. Legally.

I wasn’t sure the casino owners would agree with that assessment if they knew the facts. They damned sure wouldn’t let us back in the door. That’s why I had been so careful about us not looking like a couple, but it would only be a matter of time before they put two and two together. Then it would be crying time.

I didn’t say what I was thinking, but I think she picked up on my reservations. You don’t seem very happy about it.

I’m just a little concerned. That was an understatement. I hadn’t planned on how easy it had been to pull off what amounted to be a casino robbery. Casino management would eventually suspect something. Depending on how much we could get before then would determine whether it was leg-breaking time or just blackballed from every casino in the country.

I didn’t want to find out. Realistically, I had enough money now to find myself without getting a job. I liked Lois, but I think her enthusiasm was clouding her judgment. After all, with the exception of the last six months, she had spent all her life in academia. I don’t think she realized the danger out here—what could happen to her hanging around an obviously disreputable character like me.

Do you want to do it again tomorrow? she asked me. I was expecting it and had already made a decision. Maybe it was my seemingly cautious nature taking charge.

I locked eyes with her, so she knew I was being straight with her. No. I want to lay back and think about this. Call me paranoid, but that doesn’t mean somebody’s not on to us. We don’t know if they’ve put all the dots together yet, but if we hit them again, they’ll know something’s up and come knocking, and I don’t mean on doors.

She considered me for a moment. "Good thinking. Now I’m both excited and scared. Why don’t we have some carne asada, then go to my place and make mad passionate love before they come for us?"

Sounded like a plan to me, and that’s exactly what we did.

Chapter 4

Two miles away on the top floor of a federal building in Downtown Phoenix, three men were having a discussion.

What do you mean you lost him? The speaker was behind the desk. His suit was tailored, and his body fit for an eighty-year-old man. His hair was silver and buzz cut. The two men across the desk could have been his clones, albeit decades younger and with better haircuts.

One of them had the balls to answer. Apparently he wasn’t as badly injured as we were led to believe.

"What do you mean badly injured? He was supposed to be dead." His tone left nothing to the imagination. The man had the power to make people disappear.

The contractor was unable to ascertain that the injuries were fatal by the intervention of bystanders. He had to leave the scene. He tracked the target to Phoenix General where our source in there assured us that he had amnesia due to his concussion, was sedated, and wasn’t going anywhere soon. Apparently, that was incorrect. He was discharged before we were notified. We have no idea where he went. We do know, however, that he has little money and practically no proof of ID. That should limit his movements.

You checked with cab companies?

Yes, sir, but the area is rife with unlicensed cars, gypsy cabs, and nothing has shown up yet. He paused before continuing. He has no driver’s license, no credit cards or debit cards, so tracking him is difficult. We’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. We need more feet on the ground here.

The older man looked out the window that was a view bureaucrats here would kill for. This operation was tightly held. Only a handful of people knew the whole thing. There was a danger involving more people, even if they were loyal. And yet what his associate had said made sense. He needed more eyes.

Put together a team. I’m leaving, and I want this problem resolved before I land at National. Keep me informed.

The clones knew they were being dismissed and left.

The old man stared back out at the vista below, but he wasn’t seeing any of it. He was watching catastrophe rising above the horizon.

Chapter 5

I’ve noticed that I wake up before the sun. I don’t know if I’ve always been that way or if it’s been the roaming hands of my new girlfriend. How many have I had? Was I married? Engaged, with a sweetheart worried about me?

Maybe I was just a slut and this was my nature. In any event, I went with the flow and didn’t feel bad about it. I was starting with a clean slate, and life was good—so far.

After I was sexually assaulted, she dragged me into the shower. It was still dark outside. I’m an early riser, I guess, but this was ridiculous.

After some more calisthenics in the shower, she finally let me get dressed. Toast and coffee were waiting for me when I got downstairs.

She let me have a few sips before she spoke. I’ve been thinking about what you said. I may be the weak link. I work in the only casino we didn’t hit. Somebody in the ‘eye in the sky’ may have recognized me. I called in sick before you woke up, so we’ve got a couple of days to find out. I think we should take a vacation.

Great minds think alike.

An hour later, we hit I-17 north. All we took was the grocery sack of cash and the clothes on our back. Three hours later, we pulled into the Riverside Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. Along the way, she told me her life story. All I could tell her about mine started four days before I met her. It took about two minutes, and she already knew most of it. We listened to the Eagles and Willie Nelson along the way. I felt comfortable with her. I took that as a good sign, as Martha Stewart would say.

I was starting to get flashes of memory back, and they were disturbing. The first one was of an old man fishing in a boat. For some reason, I knew he was in mortal danger. The next image was of him in a cabin. That was it.

Something was surfacing, and I wasn’t feeling all warm and fuzzy about it. I also noticed that I spent a lot of time checking out my side-view mirror along the way. I was definitely paranoid, and I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t think I was crazy, but I suspect most crazy people would feel the same way. You can’t prove a negative.

Lois pulled into the north lot, which she said was where the locals parked. I guess she’d been here before. I was pretty sure I hadn’t.

The Riverside is a casino that caters to the RV generation. The ones that like what Vegas used to be rather than the Disney/Gomorrah that the city is now.

She got us a comp room, probably using the casino old buddy network, and handed me a key card as we headed for the bar overlooking the Colorado River. The only luggage we had was the brown paper bag. I figured a place like this would have shops that sold something better than grocery sacks, and I was planning on sending her off in search of one as soon as we got settled.

Along the way, I must have passed a hundred slot machines that were throwing off a rainbow of colors. Not just green to red but some blues and purples. I had no idea what that indicated. Good, bad, what?

Funny thing was, though, that once we got past that and into the bar, all the colors went away. The video poker machines embedded into the bar surfaces exhibited no emissions at all. It was soothing, actually, and I realized I was a lot calmer once I got away from the auras. For some reason, they were becoming unsettling to me.

I was learning to go with my gut now. Pulling out a C-note from the sack, I sent her off to find a backpack, deodorant, and some toothbrushes. After she was gone, I ordered a beer and stuck a twenty into the video machine in front of me. It was a quarter video poker machine but paid off a grand if you got a royal flush. Best of all, you got to play for a reasonable amount of time—time for me to think by myself.

The sun reflecting off the river through the panoramic windows behind the bar was fabulous but did nothing to tamp down my growing apprehension. I didn’t know why I was so paranoid, but it was there, lurking in my subconscious.

I was almost done with my twenty when Lois showed up with the stuff I requested. It was almost pleasant playing a machine that didn’t pay off right away. Weird.

I handed her the sack before she could get comfortable. Go up to the room and put a grand into the backpack and the rest into the room safe, I told her while I played my last hand. Then find me at the Aquarius, next door. When I see you, I’ll walk by some machines until I find one I like. I’ll do something next to it, then I’ll leave. When it hits, meet me back here.

She nodded, gave me a peck on the cheek, and took off. No questions. I liked that; she was my Bonnie, and I was feeling like Clyde. I’m not sure how I knew they were bank robbers. Maybe I’d read a book or seen a movie about them. I considered whether I had been a criminal a month ago or if it was just a latent trait surfacing in my new persona.

I was sliding comfortably into the role of a criminal. We had been seen together at the Riverside when we checked in and at the bar but not at the neighboring half-dozen other casinos. I had no intention of hitting any of the slots here at Riverside. You don’t crap in your own backyard. I was curious if my condition was just a one-off thing, semipermanent, or what. I was sending her to the Aquarius to test the waters. Depending on what happened there, I would decide what to do next. I finished my beer and headed for the Aquarius Hotel and Casino next door.

According to the brochure I’d pick up while Lois was checking us in, the fastest way to get from casino to casino along the strip was to take the River Walk. It turned out to be a six-foot-wide sidewalk festooned with flowers and shrubs running parallel with the clear running Colorado River. On my first glance at the water, a vision of that old man in the boat appeared and disappeared just as quickly. Maybe he’d been my grandfather. I didn’t have time to worry about it. I passed senior couples walking hand in hand, enjoying the view and in no hurry to get anywhere. I must have an impatient streak in me because as much as