In Plain Sight

"Step right up, young lady! Have I got the deal of a lifetime for you. Results are 100% gen-u-ine, certifiably certifiable. You will look half your age in only moments, guaranteed."

Stevens' wiry hand shot out and latched on to the old woman in the front of the crowd, now looking understandably wary.

She resisted a bit, saying the same excuses he'd heard before, "Ach, you've got the wrong person for the job, haven't you? I don't believe in your witchy nonsense."

"No, my dear. I've got exactly the right one," he breathed.

He hauled her sizable mass onto the small platform with surprising ease. As she settled onstage, he got right to work covering her in a misty cloud of 'magic' formula.

She coughed and hacked. He whirled and twisted.

The crowd was in a frenzy, clapping and cheering.

A light flashed off to the side, his cue to hit the tiny lever behind the podium while shouting, "Let's give her a round of applause for her bravery, folks!"

People always missed what was in plain sight.

While the sheep were caught up in the mad display, the perfectly placed mirrors shifted. Everyone's eye naturally drawn now to Ruby, his voluptuous partner, and not the trap door Stevens was sending his prey through to the cage beneath.

Atlo was in position to chloroform the unsuspecting victim the moment she hit the ground.

Ruby played the part perfectly. She was dressed in similar-enough clothes, roughly the same height, but with significantly less wrinkles, healthy looking hair and a much nicer figure.

These small-town people were easily fooled.

Their plan had never been foiled. Ruby would go back to the victim's home continuing to play the part, and then they'd push out in the middle of the night, spreading rumors along their travels that the old woman had moved on to greener pastures with her newfound youth.

The three worked together like a well-oiled machine, making a tidy profit from their "Granny's Candies and Sweets" business, but it seemed they were always in need of grannies.

Ruby once suggested they simply hire one. Ludicrous.

Stevens knew it must be a bonafide granny.

It took a bit, but he always found the right one. Plump like a swollen sack of flour. Sang softly while she baked. Had a smile that could warm a boy's battered heart.

He couldn't just hire someone like that, Ruby was daft for thinking it.

Although Stevens could admit, it was getting harder and harder to find good ones. It took him almost four days this time. And then he had to plant the seeds to lure her to the show. Usually a bit of stubborn skepticism and town gossip did the trick.

Several times, he considered just making the grab straight from the target's home, but they made a good hunk of silver off their one-time deal on the aging spray and whatever valuable things they could scavenge.

He may need to start looking for a new Ruby though. He and Atlo had been discussing it of late. She was beginning to show her age, and they needed dramatic results to sell.

By the time the crowd dispersed, Stevens had convinced himself that this was Ruby's last show.

He'd dispatch her on the road, and that would be that.

Nightfall came swiftly. Pitch black from a moonless sky giving he and Atlo perfect cover to move granny into the back of the wagon.

"Boss, we'd best be going," Atlo whispered. "I think some of them was on to us this time. Somethin' don't feel right."

Stevens clapped a hand on his shoulder, squeezing a little too hard, a subtle warning.

"What, these simpletons? They're never on to us. Just do what needs done so we can be on our way. We've got an extra task tonite."

Hours later, it was beginning to look as though Atlo may have been right. Stevens' pocket watch showed half past two.

Ruby was late.

He'd miss the valuables, but things were not looking good. They needed to move out. He hated leaving a loose end though. Ruby could cause problems if she sold them out.

"Atlo, take the wagon to the safe point. I'll take care of Ruby, and then meet you there."

His meaning was perfectly clear–Ruby would not be surviving the night.

Except in his arrogance, Stevens failed to realize he was playing the part of the fool this time. The mirrors had shifted.

A sharp blade swept across his throat bringing a line of crimson to the surface.

"Should've looked a little harder at the old woman you put in the carriage," Ruby rasped. "You and Atlo have gotten so careless. Don't worry though, I'm going to make this business something to be proud of while the two of you fade to dust."

In the end, Stevens couldn't help but notice he was still right. People always missed what was in plain sight.