Fair Winds, Light Fingers

The 10:30am ferry was heading out of Salem Harbor towards Boston.  What had been a pleasant, sunny day on land turned into one filled with chilly fog out on the water.

Jamie sat outside, fair hair blowing in the breeze, and tried to see the scenery, but all views were shrouded by the mist.  She finally gave up her seat and went inside, as many of the other passengers had.

She started people watching instead.  There were many tourists and day trippers going in this time of day.  Jamie overheard bits of conversation from different groups.  Some were obviously local, from the sound of their dropped “r’s.”  She also heard out of state accents.  Everyone was planning their day in Boston.  The ferry dock was close to Faneuil Hall and the North End, both popular destinations.

Jamie sat behind a group of women who were laughing and enjoying each other’s company.  They had their purses on their laps, but their jackets were hung over the back of the bench.  As she bent down to adjust her sandal, Jamie’s hand brushed pockets to check what they might contain.  One had a folded twenty, which she grabbed as she bent over.  An IPhone slipped into her hand on the way up.  She wore her jacket, and her pockets were on the inside.

Slowly getting up, Jamie made her way to the other side of the boat. She sat next to a bunch of college aged kids with backpacks.  They were heading in early to see the Red Sox’s afternoon game.  A heated debate on the merits of Boston Beer Works versus the Cask and Flagon was going on.  The man at the end had kicked his pack behind him as the talk grew louder.  Jamie again bent down, this time to adjust her pack.  She unzipped both bags at the same time, and found a stash of credit cards held together by an elastic band.  She quickly transferred them into her pack and zipped both up.

 

They were past the Boston Harbor islands with the city coming into view.  Jamie decided it was time to go on deck again to be among the first off the boat. Everyone was gathering gear and gawking at the view of the city opening before them as the fog cleared away.

The boat docked and most of the passengers headed right towards Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  Jamie went up to Legal Sea Foods and met Jackie out front.  They exchanged jackets and packs, and then Jamie headed for the State Street subway stop.  She hopped on the Blue Line car and headed back to Revere.

She and Jackie would meet up at the parking lot behind the old Wonderland Ballroom where they had parked her car.  Sitting on the train, Jamie unzipped Jackie’s backpack to see what she had stolen.  Jackie had worked the crowd  at the Aquarium.  There were two cell phones and many credit cards.  People just didn’t carry cash anymore, which caused Jamie to sigh.

They would still make money.  They had someone on Shirley Avenue that would buy the phones and the cards.  Later that night they would drive out to Route One in Saugus and have a good time.

The train was nearly empty by the time it reached the Revere Beach stop.  A guy sat next to her, too close for comfort.  Jamie swung her leg over and “accidentally” kicked him.  He glared at her, but moved.  Jamie knew the importance of maintaining personal space.