World Traveler, or Smuggler? Molly didn't know what she was getting into. (standard:adventure, 4019 words)
Author: Oscar A Rat	Added: Jul 02 2020	Views/Reads: 1374/966	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Travel agent Molly McGuire dreamt about traveling but didn’t have the money. A chance meeting changed her fate.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

When she entered the diner, carefully walking around the ladder and not
looking at the anxious painter, she was surprised to see Elmore 
following her in. 

He lightly clutched her arm and said, “Why don't we have a cup of coffee
or something and talk about it first?”  He also had two points on his 
license.  Most of his were taken off for speeding. 

He ordered coffee and she asked for a cup of espresso.  Elmore admitted
that he couldn't afford the points for a moving traffic violation, and 
she accepted a vastly inflated check from him.  They seemed to hit it 
off, her impressed with his charm and apparent riches. 

The two agreed to let him buy her lunch.  Elmore went out to move his
car before the police intervened. 

“What do you do for a living, Elmore?” she asked, waiting for the food. 

“Mostly, I travel around with Papa's money,”  he told her, playing shyly
with the silverware.  “The family kind of likes me out of the way.” 

“Why would they want that?” 

“I have no business sense.  Papa once put me in charge of a small import
company and I had it bankrupt in six months,”  he admitted.  “After 
that, they don't trust me.” 

“Oh, how I dream of traveling like that.”  She felt forced to tell him,
along with a drawn-out sigh. 

“Have dinner with me tonight and I might have a proposition for you?” 
he asked. "I'll have to ask Papa first." 

“What kind of a girl do you think I am?”  Molly retorted in mock anger,
wondering herself. 

“No! No.  I don't mean it that way,” he answered, but failed to clarify.


“All right, since I don't have any other plans, where do you want to
meet?”  I never have any other plans, she thought. 

“How about I see you in front of the ‘Purple Swan' at seven?” 

One of the most expensive restaurants in town.  Oh, my god, she thought,
what can I wear in there? 

*** 

Molly parked her car three blocks away and walked to the restaurant. 
Elmore was standing out front, smoking.  Another hurdle overcome.  She 
had purposely not smoked a cigarette since meeting him, to avoid the 
smell on her breath.  Now she could light one up, herself. 

Once they had been seated in the frigid room and given their orders to
the waiter, they made small talk while waiting for the food.  After the 
meal Elmore got down to business. 

“How would you like to travel all over the Far East?  You'd be well
paid.” 

Molly didn't know what to say to him.  The offer was beyond her fondest
dreams. 

“What would I have to do?”  It was too good to be true. 

“You'd take specific tramp steamers.  My Papa owns a steamer line and
needs someone to check up on the ships.  What time they actually sail 
and when they arrive.  You would have to take copious notes,”  he told 
her, over mutual cigarettes and wine, “... to write down all the stops 
and anything you notice about the crew. I'll furnish you with hidden 
cameras and a small tape recorder to use.  We need a spy to keep an eye 
on them. To keep them on their toes, so to speak.  There have been 
rumors that some of the captains and crew are smuggling on the side.” 

“Why me, specifically?”  It sounded easy, so far. 

“For several reasons.  As a very pretty young lady, you can learn more
as a passenger than I can as a representative of the company.  Also, we 
need someone who can stand to be almost alone for long periods of 
time,”  Elmore told her, flicking an ash into the ashtray.  “And, being 
a travel agent, you know a little bit about the destinations and 
shouldn't have any trouble getting visas for yourself.”   He finished 
with, “I can fly to your destinations and debrief you there.” 

She liked the thought of seeing him in all those far away exotic places.
 Solitude would be no problem for her, and it was her chance to see 
those destinations she had only read about. 

“I'll take it. I'll take the job,”  Molly blurted out, elbow knocking
over his drink. 

*** 

Her first trip was to Hong Kong on a decrepit and ancient Liberty Ship
from WWII.  The captain was a slob and none of the crew spoke English.  
There were only two other passengers, an old Ukrainian couple in their 
eighties.  With several other stops, which Molly dutifully recorded, it 
took well over a month to reach that port.  Molly kept busy reading and 
teasing the crew by lying out on deck with little on. 

The fat grumpy captain was forced to restrict her behavior to an upper
deck, where he alone could see her from the bridge. 

When the ship docked, Molly found Elmore waiting just inside the
Immigration Section.  He helped carry her bags to a taxi.  They then 
went to a hotel where he had reserved a room for her.  After she had 
checked in, he took her film, cassette tapes, and notes.  Elmore also 
asked many questions about the trip and jotted down her answers. 

She had three days until the next ship left for the US.  He was sorry
that he had to fly back immediately, but would see her there.  He left 
a suitcase of his own for her to take back on the ship.  He had no room 
on the flight because of taking gifts back to friends. 

It seemed that the young lady had lucked out on her dream job. 

Molly had a good time in Hong Kong, seeing all the sights.  When the
time came, she found the second vessel was a small cruise ship.  It 
would have cost her thousands of dollars to take it on her own. 

She really got into her job, having a good time while pretending to be
wealthy.  There were even a couple of nice men on that trip to see the 
sights with her.  It stopped at several ports on its way to the US, 
including Japan, Guam, and Hawaii.  Molly had the time of her life and 
even got paid for it. 

Going through customs was as easy as walking past the custom agents,
whom were too busy checking the more sinister-looking people to bother 
with her.  Again, Elmore met her and took his suitcase, along with the 
notes, tapes, and movies she had made. 

After that she found it was a steady job, going back and forth across
the Pacific.  It did get boring after a while.  Elmore became more 
distant.  Molly almost gave up on a dreamlike romance with him.  He 
would simply show up and give or take suitcases and information at each 
end of the voyage. 

The customs agents at the different stops briefly took an interest of
her.  For a while, they would inspect her at almost every stop, but 
soon became tired of the effort and only nodded or smiled at Molly as 
she walked by.  She explained over and over about her job and they were 
used to seeing her. 

One thing she noticed was that Elmore gave her more and more suitcases
to carry with her.  They were all different.  Different sizes, colors, 
and styles.  Soon she was dropping and picking them up at different 
points on her route, sometimes even getting another in return.  It was 
a minor matter that she didn't pay a lot of attention to. 

Molly came out of her shell, the one she had worn all her life, becoming
more vivacious as she progressed to being a world traveler.  Along with 
an increase in self-confidence her inattentive accidents ceased.  She 
regularly flirted with crews and custom agents. 

*** 

One day it all ended, her bubble bursting.  Molly had just finished a
run back to San Francisco on a sugar freighter, when a custom's 
inspector motioned her over to his long table. 

“Guess it's your turn, Molly.  Sorry, but it's slow today.  This won't
take long.” 

“Aw, Sam.  We have to stop meeting like this,”  Molly replied with a
smile. 

Another agent helped her lift heavy luggage from a four-wheeled cart and
onto the table.  Molly had gotten wise and purchased a folding cart to 
carry with her. 

“Thanks Harry, how are the kids?” she asked as she thanked him. 

“Do'in good, Molly, do'in good.”  Harry left to go back to his own
station while Molly and Sam opened the half-dozen cases Molly carried 
with her.  The ones belonging to Elmore were locked, and Molly didn't 
have a key.  Molly wondered, for the first time, about what they 
contained and why she never had keys to them. 

“I have to see in this one too, Molly.  Are you sure you don't have a
key for it?” 

“It belongs to my boss, Sam.  It's silly of me, but I never asked for
one.” 

“Well, I have to see inside.  Tell you what, let me take them for a few
minutes and I'll put them under an x-ray machine.  That should do it.  
But after this make sure you have keys to everything.” 

He shoved the entire table toward a doorway, leaving an unconcerned
Molly to pack and restore her other things. 

A few minutes later she could hear the telephone at Harry's station
ring.  Idly, she watched Harry answer and talk for a few moments.  He 
looked over at her, gave her a funny look and walked over. 

“Put your hands behind you, Molly.  I have to handcuff you.  You're
under arrest.” 

Molly was shocked.  What was happening? She hadn't done anything wrong? 
She stood frozen, reddening with embarrassment while Harry walked 
behind her and pulled her wrists together, handcuffing them behind her 
back. 

“Now do'n get excited girl.  It's proly jus' a mix-up of some kin'. 
Com' on.” 

They walked to an unmarked door against the wall and entered a small
room containing only a desk, two straight chairs and a female customs 
agent.  Molly didn't know her. 

“Sit down, lady,”  the large blond woman commanded, herself sitting down
behind the desk.  Molly sat also, wondering what was going on. 

“A good scam, lady, but we caught you this time.  You're going to do a
lot of time for this one.”  The agent glared at Molly as though at a 
cockroach in her cereal.  “We found cocaine in all four suitcases, 
lady. 

“The x-ray showed appropriately-shaped packages, then the dog gave his
signal for cocaine.”  The woman sat and glared at Molly, waiting for a 
reaction. 

Molly was shocked.  Elmore was so nice.  She had never expected that he
was a smuggler, or that she was one, too.  She was too nervous to think 
and could feel her legs shaking, along with a strong urge to go to the 
bathroom. 

“I have to pee,”  was all she managed to say, and that in a whisper. 

Molly was embarrassed to undo her pants and do her business with the
agent watching closely, even putting a seal on the lone toilet in a 
small room and not letting Molly flush. 

Still confused, Molly was questioned, quickly giving up her buddy,
Elmore. 

“When are you supposed to meet with him?”  A small white-haired man
wearing glasses, asked her. 

“I don't know.  He'll pop up sometime in the next few days.   I guess he
has a lot going on, what with traveling all the time.  He could be out 
front right now for all I know.”  She sobbed. “Please don't take me to 
jail.” 

“We both have to decide quickly then, young lady,” the man, Mr. Jeffrey
told her, frowning in thought while chewing on two sticks of Juicy 
Fruit gum, “Would you like to work for us?  It would go easier on you 
but might be dangerous.” 

“Anything. Just don't put me in jail.”  Molly wiped her nose on her
sleeve. 

“Oh, you'll go to jail, but not for long if we take out his network,” 
Mr. Jeffrey told her.  “He probably has other runners just like you.  
As well as suppliers and buyers.  Maybe, together, we can get them 
all?” 

They let her go, with instructions to go home and act normally.  Even
gave her the suitcases back with instructions to never attempt to open 
them.  Later that afternoon a couple of men came in and installed 
electronics in her apartment and on her telephone.  After that, Molly 
had to be careful what she said, even in her own home.  It felt 
strange.  Molly was used to singing to herself in the shower, but felt 
silly and had to quit. 

*** 

A couple of days later, Elmore came for the bags.  The cops had told her
they didn't need to open the suitcases, the x-rays and dog were good 
enough for them.  They told her that Elmore might have known if they 
had opened any and didn't want to take a chance that early in the game. 
 That he was experienced.  Such smugglers might well have sucked the 
air out, causing a vacuum inside and would know if they drilled into 
it. 

Elmore didn't stay long or say much, which suited Molly.  She was afraid
she would give herself away if he had stayed.   As usual, he was in a 
hurry, dropping off a new bag and tickets for her next trip.  This 
time, Molly found, she was going to Singapore.   She had been there 
five times already, even been on that same vessel twice before. 

A little while after Elmore left,  Mr. Jeffrey came in,   He was dressed
like a janitor and wore a straw hat, but she knew him right away.  He 
was trying to quit smoking and his jaw was full of chewing gum. 

He told her they were following Elmore and that she was to go on the
trip.  It would be her last one, and she should expect to be taken into 
custody when she returned.  That way they could follow him after he 
picked up the current case in Singapore, and hopefully get everybody 
involved. 

Molly didn't want to go to jail, not at all -- even for a short while. 
She started thinking, and planning. 

She figured the police were following her, so she wrote her sister a
check for the amount in her bank account, to cash after she'd left the 
States.  In return, she managed to get cash off her sister, and said 
she would send for the rest later.  Molly figured that if she emptied 
her account before the trip, the police would find out and stop her or 
take the money.  She also bought two large boxes of Juicy Fruit gum -- 
ninety-six packs to a box  -- just in case Mr. Jeffrey would be on 
board the ship. 

*** 

“You surprised to see me?”  Mr. Jeffrey appeared at the rail as the ship
made its way out of San Francisco Harbor.  A whistle almost drowned out 
Molly's answer. 

“Not really,” she replied, leaning against the rail, enjoying a view of
the Golden Gate Bridge passing behind them, “I kind'a thought that 
since it was your case you would come along.  I even brought you a 
present.  I'll give it to you later.” 

“Might as well be now, Molly.  I gotta check the bag over, make certain
it wasn't tampered with.  Let's go to your cabin and get it over with.  
The x-ray picture on the first one wasn't very clear.  All we could 
tell was that it was the right size and shape.  With the dog 
identifying it, it couldn't be anything else.” 

They went back to Molly's cabin.  Mr. Jeffrey took out both a large key
ring and a small leather case.  Putting the bag flat on her bed, he 
began trying keys out. 

“What you got in that thing?” Molly asked, pointing at the little case. 

“Lock picks, just in case.” 

Molly heard a click as a key worked. 

“Stand back there.  No reason you should see what's inside.”  He turned
the suitcase so that she couldn't see into it and held a small strip of 
paper near the lid. If there were a vacuum, it would be sucked into the 
opening.  Slowly lifting the lid, Mr. Jeffrey looked quickly, whistled, 
then closed the case.  He locked it again and regained his composure.  
It must be important, Molly figured. 

“That's all.  From now on, ignore me when you see me aboard.  He might
have a spy on the ship.  We had to take a chance in checking out the 
suitcase.  Not much of one, since the crew will all be busy at the 
moment.  Too busy to watch you.  Good luck and I'll see you in 
Singapore.”  He grinned and started to leave. 

“Just a minute.”  Molly went to her bed and gave him a plastic shopping
bag with the chewing gum inside.  “I told you I had a present for you.  
Go ahead and take it, I don't chew.” 

He looked at her funny, and seemed undecided about the gift. Finally, he
shrugged and left with it. 

*** 

The night before they arrived at the port in Singapore, Molly forced the
bag open, trying to save the lock but having a tube of super-glue with 
her in case she needed it.  The bag was full of cash, not drugs, 
tightly wrapped bundles of US currency of different denominations.  
They were used bills, mostly twenties and fifties, with some hundreds 
included.  She didn't bother counting it, simply stacked it tightly 
into a cardboard box she had managed to sneak into her cabin. 

“Even better than coke,” she whispered. 

Molly placed that box, in turn, inside a slightly larger one.  Sealing
the entire thing, along with a note to her former employer at the 
Travel Agency, she addressed it and plastered stamps on the outside.  
She would pay the maid who cleaned her cabin to mail it when the ship 
returned to the States. 

Filling the suitcase with old clothes, she managed to close it tightly,
without the glue.  Now she was ready, but spent a restless night, 
wondering if she had covered all the bases. 

**** 

The next day, as the ship was docking, Molly stopped one of the ship's
officers for a moment. 

“I figure I should tell someone, sir.  You know that old passenger?  The
white-haired one with glasses?  I don't know his name.  Well, he 
bragged to me, the other day, that he was a smuggler.  That he had 
contraband hidden in his luggage.  He wanted me to help him celebrate 
after docking tonight,”  Molly stuttered, wide-eyed, to the officer.  
“Of course I refused.” 

“Thank you, miss.  I'll take care of it,”  he assured her. 

She hoped Mr. Jeffrey wasn't aware, like she was, that chewing gum was a
restricted product in Singapore.  He should have enough on him to slow 
him down at customs.  Far too much for his own immediate use. 

Molly had no problems at customs, being known to the custom agents from
flirting with them in the past.  She did notice Mr. Jeffrey arguing 
with a couple of natives in suits while one of them took out a pair of 
handcuffs.  Of course, the matter would quickly be straightened out 
when he showed identification, but that would take a few minutes, at 
least. 

She didn't go to her hotel, but directly to the airport.  Molly was soon
on an airplane to Hong Kong.  While still in the States, she had booked 
the flight over the Internet.  Molly figured she would pay a good 
lawyer in Hong Kong to check on her rights. 

Since the police in the US had apparently not opened or kept the first
suitcase while in the US, only used a drug dog, x-ray, and now 
Jeffrey's unsupported word, all they could prove was possession of 
packages that appeared to be drug related.  She could say the suitcase 
held bags of baby powder she bought cheap and ... well ... possibly 
just a little cocaine. She couldn't remember about the cocaine, but it 
might have been there. 

As to the suitcase full of money?  Mr. Jeffrey was the only one to see
it, her word against his.  Elmore could just go to hell.  She had a big 
world to hide in and had always wanted to see it. 

The End.


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