“What the froth?”, Bob screams out as he turns to see Adrian pounding down on the button.
“What are you doing Adrian?”. Bob has turned an angry shade of brown as he moves towards Adrian.
All the other security beans have stopped dead in their tracks. The CCTV monitors are showing beans bouncing off the closed shutters in confusion.
“I saw him. The thief!” says Adrian pointing towards the monitor. “Right here”.
Bob and the other security guards close in on the monitor – but it’s already too late. In those brief seconds, Hugo has moved from view – perhaps camouflaged within the crazy crowds. Unconvinced – Bob turns to Adrian demanding an explanation.
“The thief – I saw him” Adrian repeats knowing how lame he is beginning to sound. “He was in David Jones. He had the jewel in his hands. I know him. It’s Hugo.”
He is now encircled by angry security guards bearing down on him as if he is the icecream in an affogato.
“So, where is this thief?” – Bob gestures towards the monitor, “I can’t seem to see any criminal aside from you. If there was a real thief – surely we would see them on the video playback”. Bob grabs a tiny awkward looking security bean by the scruff of the neck. “Ristretto – rewind the video – let’s see if Adrian is telling the truth”.
Ristretto works the console as Adrian leans over his shoulder. “There!”, he says “zoom in”. Ristretto complies and there, for all of the security guards to see – is the clear image of Hugo with the jewel.
Adrian slumps – totally relieved and sure he is now vindicated. However, the security guards don’t seem terribly convinced of his innocence.
“I’m innocent right?” says Adrian as he makes to leave the office – “we have to catch Hugo”.
“Not so fast”, Bob is slow and measured. “Sure, there’s this Hugo you identified holding the jewel – but why does he have the same tattoo as you? It seems to me boys that we could be looking at an inside job”.
Whilst Adrian protests about how ridiculous the notion is, Bob instructs the security beans to tie their suspect up. “You wait here Adrian whilst all of us good guards go and find Hugo. We’ll get to the bottom of this in no time”.
A silence falls as the guards all speed out of the room into the chaos of the mall. On a bean hunt for Hugo, they disperse throughout the shopping centre, determined to nab him. Adrian sits, his head an uncaffenated haze of memories, disbelief and confusion. After so many years – Why here? Why now? How could Hugo still be alive?
He is in such a daze that he doesn’t even hear the door open. Only when he feels the cool steel of a tamp at the back of his neck does he realise he’s not alone.
“Don’t move”, the weight of the tamp is pressing down on him, threatening to squish him into non-existence. Quick as lightning, he stands up in his chair, swivel kicks ninja style and is now on top of his assailant, panting and dripping crema all over.
The balaclava clad bean is squirming underneath him and the tamp has been knocked to the side of the room – “Let me go” screams the bean. Adrian, still chained to the chair and clearly puffed out, couldn’t move even if he tried. That ninja move took all of his energy. “Get off”.
“Who are you thief?” says Adrian, angling towards removing the bean’s balaclava.
Before he can answer the question, the disguise has been peeled off and there – looking up at him are the most beautiful eyes in the world. Eyes he will never forget.
“Arabica” he whispers “Is it you?”.
Is it really Arabica?
Will Adrian let her go?
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