Good morning and Happy Hump Day ! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.
The saga of Ethan's Uncle Benny continues in this week's chapter of Rose and Thorne 6. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to! Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
Surely I hadn’t heard Benny correctly. “The
Smithsonian? Like in Washington DC? That
Smithsonian?”
Benny chuckled, probably at the look of disbelief on
my face. “Yep, that one,” he confirmed.
Ethan gave a low whistle. “That guy certainly has
delusions of grandeur, doesn’t he? What made him think he could pull off
something like that? I mean, he got caught just robbing a bank?”
Benny nodded. “That he did. And he even served more
time than I did. Maybe that’s the problem. He talked to some guys where he was,
and he believed some of the stories they told him. You’d be amazed how much
guys in prison will lie just to keep from being bored.” He shook his head. “And
why he thought I was a good choice to help him with his little project, I’ll
never know. Maybe just because I was there. And maybe he thought he could
manipulate me the way he did all those years ago.”
Benny paused, and for a moment, his expression
seemed far away and distant, as if he was remembering his younger, more foolish
self. “Well, once he explained it to me, how could I resist the opportunity to
really screw him over but good?”
“I can certainly understand that,” Ethan said and I
nodded my agreement.
“Okay, quiz time,” Benny said. “Do you know who
controls the Smithsonian?”
Ethan and I looked at one another. I knew I didn’t
know the answer to that question, and I wasn’t sure Ethan did either, judging
by his blank look.
“I would assume some sort of board of regents,” he
said. “I’m not exactly sure how museums work. I’m sure Sarah would know.”
I’d completely forgotten that Ethan’s sister worked
at a history museum. Or at least she did at one time. I wasn’t sure what she
was doing now, other than trying to hook up with her baby daddy.
“True, very true, but this is no ordinary board of
regents,” Benny told us. “This is a rather prestigious group indeed. One that
consists of the vice president, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, three
members of the Senate, three members of the House of Representatives, and nine
citizens.”
Well, that was impressive. I had no idea, and
neither did Ethan, But he was quicker drawing conclusions regarding that new
knowledge than I was. My boy is certainly brilliant, I’ll hand him that.
“So what he did was automatically a federal crime.
Or rather what he wanted to do. I suspect you kept that from happening.”
Benny broke into a very broad grin as he pointed one
finger at Ethan. “Bingo! Right you are! You’d think he would have learned after
the first time. Not like robbing a bank isn’t a federal crime too. That man is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier
by any means.”
I had a feeling that part of that critique was meant
to apply to Benny himself, for falling for that asshole’s particular brand of
bullshit. But I wasn’t about to point that out. I was no psychologist, not even
of the armchair variety.
“You were young,” Ethan said softly. “Doesn’t make
you stupid.” What did I tell you? Sexy and
perceptive.
“Thank you,” Benny quietly replied, and for a
moment, nothing was spoken.
At that point, my curiosity got the better of me as
I broke the silence. “What exactly did he intend to steal from a museum the
size of the Smithsonian? And how did he possibly think he could get away with
it?”
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