The queue at the ticket counter at LAX was ten people deep. A large Greek family was spread out along the length of the counter, little kids playing on ride-on suitcases. Jessica stood tapping out messages on her phone as announcements sounded above her. Midday. She regretted not grabbing something to eat before she parked her car in the short-term lot, not excited about touring the sprawling food courts inside the airport.
In time she called a number on her phone listed as ‘Beans’.
‘What’s the story?’ she asked when the call connected. ‘You getting organised?’
‘I’m always organised,’ Beans yawned. She heard him groan as he stretched, the rumple of sheets and blankets down the line. ‘Cool it, chicky. This is going to be great.’
‘You have to be there after eight.’ Jessica moved a step forward in the queue. ‘He’s got night shift. If you go earlier it’ll all fall in a heap.’
‘No problem. We got this,’ Beans said. ‘So no one will be there when we arrive?’
‘No one.’
‘I like it. I like it. I like it,’ Beans said. ‘You know, I looked at the key you gave me. It’s a soap-bar copy, right? I haven’t seen one of these in years. That’s melted plastic, girl.’
‘So what? It’ll work.’
‘So that’s some old-school jailhouse shit.’ Beans laughed. ‘I admire your, like, cunning. I mean, who are you? MacGyver?’
‘You’re not old enough to know who MacGyver is,’ Jessica sighed.
‘You don’t have to do that no more, you know. You can copy a key from a photo if you’ve got something to show the scale.’
‘Never mind. It’ll work.’
‘I gotta know,’ Beans said. ‘Is this whole thing a prank?’
‘I’m not sure “prank” is a serious enough word for what this is,’ Jessica said.
‘Cool-cool-cool-cool. So it’s, like, revenge, is it?’
‘Now you’re getting closer.’
‘Dude.’ Beans snickered. ‘This is epic. We got to go all-out here. Big guns blazing. Cut loose, John Wick–style.’
‘You have clearance to launch, Beansie,’ Jessica said. She had reached the counter, so she ended the call. She put her badge and wallet on the desk and smiled. ‘San Francisco. Next available flight.’