Page 174 of Storm over the Caribbean
“Sure thing, boss. I’ll do it right after my lunch brea—”
“Now!”
“Um…all right?”
Scurrying forward, Cooper snatched the cheque and dashed back to the door—where he stopped and glanced around. “Um, boss…are you sure I can’t eat lunch first? If I take care of this now, my stew will grow cold and—”
“Go!”
“Y-yes, bo—I mean Sir! Yes, Sir! Right away!” Face pale, Cooper scurried out of the room. Hutchinson didn’t really pay him any attention, being far more focused on the presence of a certain man who was, at this very moment, trying to turn him into a block of ice with an arctic stare alone.
“Ehem…” Shifting in his seat, the manager gave Mr Ambrose his best servile smile. “We hope that you are satisfied with our work. Our bank has long since been known for our superlative customer service.”
The man opposite him stared him down, one eyebrow rising about half a millimetre. “Indeed?”
“Um…yes?”
They continued to sit there, staring at each other. The only noise in the room was the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner, the buzzing of a fly near the ceiling, and the pounding ofHutchinson’s poor, stressed heart. He should probably go visit a doctor after this.
“I, um…am sure Cooper will be back directly.”
“Indeed.”
Hutchinson’s face twitched. Deep inside, he decided he was starting to hate that word.
More time passed. The bank manager felt sweat trickling down his neck. What had he been thinking earlier about the nice, warm weather?
He really should learn to not put his foot in his mouth.
Dang it, what is Cooper doing? Why is he taking this long? And why am I stuck in here and not the bugger who’s supposed to work for me?
“Ehem…” Clearing his throat, Hutchinson offered his guest a cigar. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Once again, those bloody arctic eyes pierced into him. “Hurry up.”
“Oh. Um…right.”
Hurry the hell up, Cooper!
As if in answer to his silent curses, the door swung open and Cooper staggered into the room, swaying under the weight of a massive, scuffed leather briefcase. It slammed down onto the desk, and from within issued a mix of rustling paper and jingling coins.
“He-here!” he panted. “Everything!”
The human iceberg grabbed hold of the briefcase, flipped it open, scanned the contents and…had that man just counted an entire suitcase full of money in three seconds?
Nah. That couldn’t be possible.
“Adequate.” With a sharpclack, Mr Ambrose snapped the case shut and lifted it off the desk. “I shall be on my way then.”
Hutchinson did his very best to keep his shoulders from sagging in relief. “Well, if you must. But if there is anything else we can do to be of service, don’t hesitate to—”
“Unnecessary.” Rising to his feet, Mr Ambrose turned and strode towards the door. This time, Hutchinson’s shouldersdidsag in relief—that is, until the tall, stony figure stopped in its tracks. “Oh, by the way…”
The bank manager swallowed. “Yes?”
“Where did the money come from?”
“Pardon me?”
