Good Old Charlie is waiting in a dark alley. He's supposed to meet someone, but he doesn't know who it is. A male voice on the phone had said, "It'll be worth your while, big time."

Charlie had asked, "Who is this?"

The voice replied, "Why should that matter? Do you want the money or not?"

Well, Charlie sure did need the money. It had been one disastrous money mistake after another:

First it was the "sure bet" on a horse that "couldn't lose." Well, the horse did lose.

Then it was that "wonderful investment" that "only an exclusive few" were getting in on. Charlie didn't know who any of the other exclusive few were, the ones said to have gotten rich off the deal, but he sure knew he wasn't one of them.

Finally, it was his pal's need of a "quicky" loan. Pay you back in a "short time," he'd said. Well, the time was getting longer, and that "pal" is suddenly very hard to find.

Charlie started to think he was being a patsy. You know the gambler's old saying: If you can't figure out which one of the players in the poker game is the patsy, it means you're it.

Well, no more being the patsy. This time he was going to get the money, and he was going to hang onto it. The voice on the phone said it was a "quick job," and it came with a "big payoff."

"How did you get my name?" Charlie had asked the voice on the phone.

"Everybody knows Good Old Charlie," the voice said. "You come highly recommended." And then, for some strange reason, the man laughed.

Charlie was satisfied the man on the phone was on the up and up. After all, how many knew his childhood nickname had been "Good Old Charlie"?

Charlie has been waiting in the alley for a long time. Finally, he hears footsteps coming. He quickly hides behind a dumpster.

The footsteps come closer and closer. Then they stop.

Charlie leans out from behind the dumpster to get a clearer look at who it is. What the hell? Something is wrong with this picture: the voice on the phone had been a male with a deep husky voice, but this was a woman, a short, slim woman.

Charlie steps out from behind the dumpster. "You lookin' for me?"

Charlie can't see the woman's face—it's hidden in the shadow under the wide brim of her dark hat—but she doesn't seem at all startled to see him pop out from behind the dumpster.

She says, "You Good Old Charlie?"

"You expecting someone else in this dark alley?"

She shrugs, hands him a satchel, and walks away.

"Hey, wait," says Charlie. "What am I supposed to do?"

The woman just keeps on walking until she disappears into the darkness.

Charlie is almost afraid to open the satchel. It doesn't weigh very much, so it can't contain anything too bad, can it? But why would a man on the phone tell him to meet in this dark alley, and then not show up himself? Instead, a woman shows up and hands him a satchel. Charlie is suspicious. What if it contains something dangerous?

Naw, no reason for somebody to target him; after all, the man knew his childhood nickname, "Good Old Charlie." Probably the woman was just the delivery person. There's probably money inside the satchel and instructions about what he's supposed to do. He hopes he doesn't have to do anything really bad. But then, he really needs the money, so what little task could be so terrible? But how could the man on the phone be so sure Charlie would do whatever it is he's supposed to do that he would send the money in advance? The man couldn't have known how desperate for money Charlie is, could he?

Charlie decides to open the satchel. Why not?

Empty!

It's dark in the alley, but Charlie is pretty sure the damn satchel is completely empty. He feels around inside of the satchel until his fingers find something. It's a small piece of paper. Charlie holds the paper up to what little light there is in the alley and is barely able to read the writing on it. In large print, it says, "USE THIS GUN TO KILL THE BROAD. TAKE ALL THIS MONEY FOR YOURSELF AND KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT."

Charlie is confused. There is no gun in the satchel. And there is no money. Charlie can't figure it out.

In desperation, he looks down the long dark alley and sees something. It's the woman. She's come back. She's standing there in the darkness, pointing at him.

Charlie sees the flash from the gun's muzzle before he feels the bullet penetrate his chest and hears the sound of the shot.

They say when you are about to die, your life flashes before you, but that's not the last thing Good Old Charlie thinks. Instead, he thinks about the terrible hurt in his chest, the money, the flash of gun when the woman pulled the trigger, followed by the sound of the shot. It reminds him of something he learned in school a very long time ago: light travels faster than sound.