Nightshade

Shelly came to stay on release from a stint of almost a decade in a Federal prison, "five days short of the ten years", she said, "I almost could have had a milestone". For many men jail becomes soon enough just another club but I would once have thought to spend between thirty and forty there would be a hard time for a woman, but she was matter of fact about it when I met her from the plane. "A professional hazard" was how she put it. It had been a cold place in the winter and she felt it good to get some sun now that she was free to choose. I saw that she was travelling on a passport in her given name so I supposed it was a break whilst she got a new disguise. Convictions are a nuisance like that, brings things out into the open and I was glad then to have avoided that inconvenience.

We drove down to the village so Shelly could buy a bikini. "I have one somewhere but it has been ten years since I wore it". She was pale when she came but looked fit and trim "The food was lousy but the gym was good". It was her style to be cryptic before we necessarily lost touch and I smiled to see how she had kept the habit as part of coping.

She went to the beach, "be careful of the sunburn, you are rather pale". She was but she was in need of all that natural vitamin D. She swam a bit, the sea is very blue and warm and inviting in this place, got used again to the slinky feel of touch. In the evening, starting rather later than me, she drank some wine, "Not so used the pop these days, need to get some tolerance slowly"
Her rejuvenation came along quickly, "been planning it ever since I got that get out date", too quickly I thought when she said, a few weeks in, "Michael how 'bout you and me scheme a heist?"

I raised two eyebrows. Once the moment of surprise had gone I surmised that in her absence Shelley had remained unaware of Uncle Sam's increased ability and interest in checking out remote places, but even not knowing that it was a short time out to be thinking of getting in again. It was not as she needed the money, it is cheap to live in jail and we had kept her share, ten years of rinsing had made it very clean and it grown rather fluffy. Living outside costs a lot more,many of the stunts had cost a lot and not been designed to earn, others, more than enough had gone badly wrong. I was enjoying the quiet life and not a bit interested in coming out of retirement. Especially for a heist.

"Lost your nerve, Michael, dear?"

"I wonder that myself. But times have changed, or I have. The watchers are better these days, much better, and you having been convicted will be easy to clock."

Convictions, or any kind of belief are a nuisance. Unless you are a watcher.

I wondered if she was convinced or just thought I was old and soft from the beach. What I said was true enough, the watchers are so much better, I had done quite a bit of watching myself so I knew their skills and ways. I knew, in theory at least, the ways around them too. But for Shelly a heist now, just for the thrill would be very risky. At the time she had thought of pleading not guilty but the evidence against was decently strong and with out the plea she could have got double so she went for the bargain, the years and the conviction.

We hung around, I had got used to that, enjoyed it, so had Shelly but she had not had a choice so was keen to do something. She got stronger as she ate our good food, (I ran a pub) , we went to the local cocktail bar and she got up to speed on handling the pop. But still she was restless in a way I never am. I thought about what we might do. It is not as if we can mark time with conventional jobs, nor can we go anywhere without a lot of arrangement. Yet decent stunts are hard to find, risk free ones impossible. Shelly noticed my discomfort, relaxed a bit, I had the sense that she believed I would come up with something. Something that did not get her in parol violation whilst she had her real name and, more important, kept me obscure.

I said " We could have a go at doing some damage to Fat Greek"

"What you have aginst him? "

"Not so much really. Not so much I would bother if it was not for you. He messed up a stunt that was going well, but not so well as to be that much. But good for practice"

"Rich and powerfull?"

Certainly. No point in the pop otherwise.

"What advantage have we got"

"He does not know you"

"True, I have not been around for a while"

I looked, she smiles, women do. I have a weakness for jail birds. And I suppose I dont like Fat Greek. And they, and the watchers had named Shelly "Nightshade" because she was so deadly.