Chapter 10: “Monopoly” by Zuhair Abbas
“Yanviel, this is a very legitimate issue.” I said sipping my
cappuccino. “Bryan, there is no point in relying on the book.” he had to be
defensive at a time like this. A lot of strange things had been occurring lately
and the evidences consisted a fair amount of half-smoked Benson & Hedges ®,
a ripped off diary containing absolutely nothing suspicious, a pack of Centrum ® tablets, soft mints and paper money
from a Monopoly ® game.
What could you call us two? Teenager masterminds behind all those arrests in our
little town Hopewell, Richmond, USA. This is not a story about some crime
fighting friends but a person who...... “Bryan, it’s some Angel for you.”
“Hello Bryan, Angel here, I want to meet you today, 5:30, near
Fiscal Bank, tell you the details afterwards.... Bye.” she spoke as though on
a pay phone in a rush. “Yanviel, we have to leave, gather the camera and the
flashlights.” It was already 4:58, and it would have taken us about thirty
five minutes for the drive. As we passed through the Urufe Boulevard, I spotted
something in a distance. “Yanviel..” Yanviel stopped the car with a jolt. I
got out of the car and headed for the pine tree near the mailbox of Urufe
Boulevard. There to my uttermost surprise, I saw a Monopoly ® play piece, a Frisbee and a page, as though ripped off from a
diary. The same diary which was with me, but to make it more difficult, most of
this had been washed away.
“Yanviel, put all of these in the car, and let’s head for the
Fiscal Bank” when, “Bryan, I think we have a little engine problem, and to
make it worse, there is no fuel in our car.” Yanviel cried, examining the car
by lifting up it’s hood. “Yanviel, don’t light anything, the fuel has been
leaking out.” I shouted in complete bewilderment conjecturing something.
Someone is stopping us from reaching Fiscal Bank to have a meeting with Angel,
but who is that? and why? Perhaps Angel knows something dangerous, which may
prove deadly for the culprits behind the recent actions. But what? I discussed
my suspicions with Yanviel who thought that the best way to clear the suspicions
is to .......... “Bryan, dinner’s ready.” called out mum, breaking my
thoughts. “There’s something strange, definitely” I told Dad, my mouth
full of Swedish Strawberries Mom made for dessert.
“You’re right somehow, but don’t you think it would be wise
to call Angel here, so that no one gets to know.” Dad had a point.
“But....... there is a problem, I don’t know her number, last time she
talked on a pay phone.” said I, “but, I have an idea.” “Which was
obvious.” I couldn’t have outsmarted Dad, but I did really have good ideas,
now. “Yanviel, trace the pay phone number, it’s 557-0987.” I read from the
caller Id number in my phone.
“It’s from new Jersey” he told me after a couple of minutes
after fast tracking. “New Jersey?
that’s where all the evediences appeared from. That day I went to the cinema
with Yanviel and his sister Jess. In between the movie, I hit something
underneath my chair, a popcorn packet with some crushed paper balls and a
Community Chest ® card
from the Monopoly ® game. This just keeps getting better!
I added the
evidences to my list, but had simply no idea, what the substantiations meant.
All it did was to bamboozle me further on. It was too dangerous to solve
a mystery as though Yanviel thought but I thought it was difficult but wasn’t
impossible. Few months had passed and there was no news from Angel, until one
day, the phone rang: “Hola, Bryan there?” said a croaky voice. “Yep,
who’s this?” I replied hoarsely. “I’m Lyla, Angel’s sister” and
after a long chat most of the secrets revealed successfully..... and “Thanks
Lyla, you were a great help.” I put the receiver back on.