“Oh, don’t worry about that. My friend Kyle is the best in the world with any sort of technology. All I have to do is tell him what he’s looking for, and he will find it. He will change the records and alter the videos, and I will rummage through the courthouse tonight and find the record that the typewriter lady was writing.”
“Stenographer.”
“Whatever. Do we have a deal? I promise you will be found guilty of the whole thing. Plus, there’s no double jeopardy, so it’s not like they can put you on trial for that again once we alter the record. The only record of it happening will be the memory of whoever was in that courthouse, and they’ll just be thought to be crazy since everything will be changed or burned.” Ali paused, looked at the water, then looked back at Ric. “I never said burned. Anyways, what do you say?”
“Well, I can’t really decline the offer now that you’ve already busted me out. Basically my choices now are to give you that favor in the future, or be a wanted man?”
“See? You get me. You understand how I work. And most importantly,” Ali stood and walked to the edge of the parking lot, staring at the ocean again, “you can start a new life. I recommend that great place called ‘elsewhere.’ It’s full of people that didn’t see you go on trial for murder.”
“I thought ‘elsewhere’ was full of cat people?” Ric laughed and stood up, still feeling a little nauseous.
“No, no no no. That’s not fair. I do the jokes, you do the laughing. So when I joke, you laugh. When you joke, you throw off the balance of you and me. By the way, until I reach you again, there is no ‘you and me.’ Smell ya later.” Ali waved, and the next thing Ric knew Ali was gone.