This is today's offering (day 195) for @mydivathings' #365daysofwriting challenge (click here to see her current post)
Today's picture prompt (below) is a Photo by Anton Darius | @theSollers on Unsplash
The fire crackled, and spat, sending smoke and tiny bits of burning paper up into the air. Kelly smiled, and nudged Jake with his elbow.
“Home and dry, mate. Home and fucking dry.”
They were safe now: the evidence against them literally gone up in smoke. Hard drive destroyed, Licks - their hacker mate - had erased their online history. The public and private key of their Bitcoin wallet was safely off line. Kelly didn’t trust the internet - and he certainly didn’t trust Licks - not now he knew what he knew. He patted his shirt pocket, expecting to hear the rustle of the paper bitcoin wallet within.
Nothing.
He stuffed his hand inside. It was empty. He started to panic, searching one pocket after another with Jake looking at him like he had gone mad. Kelly felt his stomach lurch, his bowels go into spasm.
They were safe from prosecution. There was no evidence to link them to the stolen money. No evidence at all.
Kelly watched the flecks of burning paper fly up into the night sky, the money forever lost in the ether.