The judge wiped the sweat from his brow on the sleeve of his turtle neck. He finally understood why the kidnapper had asked for $210,000. instead of an even $200,000. But he also wondered what kind of idiot would go through so much trouble with this intricate process for a measly $200,000. Maybe this wasn't about the money. It had to be about something more. He pressed the cell phone firmly against his left ear. The robotic voice said," Pull the plastic bag full of money out of the trash can." The judge pulled the plastic bag full of money from the trash can and held it up in front of the camera. The Gadget Man's eye got bigger when he sat at his lap top watching the judge hold up the untainted bag of money. Now is when things were about to get pretty intense. By now the FBI probably figured out that Vinny wasn't in the hotel room with the judge. He also surmised that they knew that the tracking devices had been removed from the money. But since the FBI couldn't see what was going on in the hotel room they had no clue about the rocket mounted on a tripod facing the window.
The helicopter was still circling the hotel in hopes of spotting them but the small boat illuminating only the small light from Vinny's lap top which he kept concealed and their dark blue ponchos made them nearly invisible. The coast guard was nowhere in sight and the other boaters were closer to shore. Vinny finally spoke into the voice synthesizer attached to the cell phone and said," Now quickly go over to the rocket,unscrew the nose cone, shove the money into the tube, screw the nose cone shut, open the drapes and the window, then push the button. Do it quickly or I kill the girl."
The judge scurried over to the large rocket,unscrewed the nose cone, and began to shove the money into the long hollow tube. For one reason or another the judge had trouble cramming the plastic bag full of money into the tube." The money wont fit." The hasty judge protested.
The robotic voice said," It will fit. You have to wrestle with it a little bit. You've got 20 seconds or I kill the girl."
The judge tried once more and was finally able to screw on the nose cone. When the judge opened the window the bloody tank top fell to the ground. The judge wasted no time. He pulled back the drapes and pushed the big red button on the tripod. The number 10 lit up on the LED screen and began counting down.
The robotic voice said," You might want to get the heck out of there. It's about to get smoky."
The judge scampered out the room and descended down the fire escape and ran towards the lake.