Murray, While Mall Walking, Takes a Wrong Turn

Boston Literary Magazine 2020

How would Jack Reacher handle this? That’s what kept going through Murray’s mind and then he realized that Jack Reacher would’ve taken out the sneaker thieves before they could bind his hands, cover his head with a dark cloth and duct tape his mouth. He didn’t see the duct tape but that’s what criminals always use. He begins to shake and realizes how cold he is and remembers the glimpse of the Good Humor truck with its back door open just before the hood blackened his world. He shouldn’t have asked the burglars to get him a pair of expensive sneakers and should have been like his other mall walker friends. Toasted almond Good Humor –he can’t get the thought out of his mind. Murray’s uncomfortable and squirms around on the floor and feels something soft and with bound wrists opens his hands wide and grabs the thing that’s been poking him in his back. He squeezes. Murray thinks if he didn’t know better he’s squeezing a boob and running his thumb across a nipple. The boob? moves, jerks back and quick head-butts him. He can feel blood dripping from his nose and realizes that’s what Jack Reacher would have done. Then it dawns on Murray. He’s a hostage. And with thoughts of boobs and toasted almond kicking like Rockettes in a line he’s headbutted again and passes out.