All That Glitters - Chapter Three

 I've tackled a couple of short stories recently, and now I'm trying my hand at something a bit longer.  Every day this week I will drop one chapter of a five-chapter story I have written.  It is a globetrotting crime caper in which a young dreamer finds it difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality.  Here is the third part of "All That Glitters."

CHAPTER THREE

The skies over Kuala Lumpur were unusually clear.  Jan was hanging upside down from the skybridge connecting the Petronas Towers, an emerald necklace once worn by Catherine the Great shoved deep into the backpack that was slipping off his shoulders as the blood drained into the crown of his head.  The escape hadn’t gone quite as planned.

Max and Harald, standing on the bridge, leaned over gingerly, their lightweight black nylon jackets fluttering in the blustery wind.  Hands gripped tightly on the railing, they yelled down to him to toss them the bag.  

“Not until you haul me up!” Jan yelled, to no response.  His voice was lost in the howling wind, which was battering the cable wrapped around his waist, the only thing preventing him from plummeting to a grisly demise.  

Jan’s two accomplices lowered themselves to their knees and began the process of extricating him from his upended predicament.  Jan heard Samantha’s voice on the walkie talkie, asking how long this was going to take, as the getaway vehicle was garnering unwanted attention from citizens and cops alike.   

“Bright yellow Audi R8 Spyder may not have been subtle enough, Sam!” Harald hollered sarcastically.  “Drive around for a bit and then come back without looking too obvious.  Find another spot nearby if you need to; it’s not like we won’t be able to find you.”

Jan was starting to drift in and out of consciousness by the time Max and Harald were able to raise him up to the skybridge and roll him onto his back.  Catching his breath, it took a moment for him to realize the backpack was nowhere to be found.  

“Wha – where’s the emerald?” he sputtered as he was helped to his feet, then gasped as Max grabbed him by the throat and pushed him backwards towards the railing.  

“Oh, you won’t be needing it anymore,” sneered Harald, reaching into the bag and gingerly retrieving the precious gemstone.  He held up the piece of royal jewelry, looked through it and said, as he jerked his head towards Max, “There’s no place like home.”  

“Them’s rubies, not emeralds,” Jan heard Max begin to say.  The rest of the conversation was increasingly inaudible to Jan, as he fell further and further away from his two associates, landing with a splat on the pavement below.

To be continued ...