He didn’t know why his demonic patron had singled out this girl for death, and he didn’t really care. The demon, whose name was Banak, had always done well by him. With each task John completed, greater and greater rewards had been given to him.
It all began on that day when he’d first killed the neighbor’s cat. John was awkward with women, but following that day Banak had graciously helped him become irresistible to some of the most beautiful women he knew. The relationships never seemed to last, but that didn’t matter to John, he could always get another girl with Banak’s help. Then there was the job. Recently, he’d been passed over for a promotion at his engineering firm. The person who’d received the promotion mysteriously became ill and died, and then John got the promotion in his place – courtesy of his demonic friend. There were a hundred other examples from over the years where he had benefitted from the devil’s bargain he had made so long ago. For each favor John had received – true to his word – Banak had asked for a favor in return. This time, the favor for the promotion at work was to murder this little girl.
This was not the first time he had been asked to kill someone. There had been a homeless man when he was in college – that had been his first. Then, there had been that woman he ran off the road while she was riding her bicycle – each time in faithful repayment for a favor done for him by Banak.
Eventually, Banak had encouraged him to begin building relationships with other people who might be of use in helping carry out their plans. John had cultivated the relationship with Dwayne for just that purpose. Dwayne – an awkward loner with below average intelligence – had been the perfect mark. He had met him at an online gaming site and had eventually suggested they meet in person. They’d attended a few sci-fi conventions together, and even a few nights out on the town. As their relationship progressed, he had begun asking Dwayne to perform little favors for him. He’d started out betting him he wouldn’t steal a DVD from the local Walmart in exchange for a twelve-pack of beer. Things had then progressed to larger and larger tests of his loyalty. This last test had been to actually kidnap Angelica Carlson. He had told Dwayne they would let her go – that it was just a prank for thrills.
Then Dwayne had messed up, and John’s demonic friend had suggested that he kill Dwayne and go after the girl himself. No – he had demanded that John kill the girl himself – and insisted that it had to be by noon on Friday. He knew better than to cross Banak. He had done it only once before, and the results had been painfully horrific. So, here he was, fulfilling his end of the Faustian bargain.
He waited as the girl’s new nanny entered the restroom. Her exit was timed almost perfectly with the splash the little girl made as she descended once more to retrieve a diving stick from the bottom of the pool. It would only take a minute or two to drown her. If she struggled a bit and expelled the oxygen in her lungs in a reflexive scream, it could be over sooner than that. With any luck, he could be back in his car before the nanny was back out of the restroom.
* * * * *
The sense of urgency that Jimmy felt had continued to increase on the drive to the hotel. The tires on his rental car squealed as he took the turn into the hotel drive. He sped up to the entrance, screeching to a halt and jumping out of the car, not even bothering to shut the car door as he ran inside, and past the front desk.
He remembered seeing the sign pointing towards the pool on the wall of the hallway at the far end of the lobby. Glancing at it to confirm he was headed in the right direction, he continued running. He could see the glass door at the end of the hall, and the pool beyond it. As he got nearer to the door, he could just make out a figure, dressed in black, at the far end of the pool, kneeling down. By the time he burst through the door, he could see the splashing.
“Let her go!” Jimmy yelled at the man as he continued to run.
The au pair exited the bathroom, looking in the direction where Angel should have been. Upon seeing the man holding her under the water, she screamed, “Help!” and started running towards Angel’s location.
As Jimmy rounded the far end of the pool, the man in black released his prey and ran away. Angel’s head came up out of the water and she began grabbing for the edge of the pool. Jimmy reached down and hoisted her out of the pool, setting her feet on the ground as she continued to cough and sputter.
“Bend over,” he instructed.
She bent over and continued to cough as Celeste put a comforting hand on her back, watching to make sure she was breathing o.k.
Jimmy turned to the au pair and said, “Don’t leave her. I’m goin’ after that guy,” and then he ran off in the direction that the man in black had gone.
Just beyond the pool, there was a nature trail. Jimmy was fairly certain the way to the nearest parking area was down the trail to the right. Running down the path until he reached the parking lot, he began scanning the area for moving vehicles or people even as he reached the trail’s end. No one matching the description of the man he had seen was anywhere around. There was an old couple sitting on a bench in the shade, a thirty-something woman driving a red Camaro, and two middle-aged golfers driving by in a golf cart – but there was no man in black anywhere to be seen.
Chapter Nine
After trying, unsuccessfully, to find the man in black, Jimmy made certain that Celeste and Angel made it back inside safely. He then instructed the front desk clerk to call the police before making a quick trip to his own vehicle in order to move it to a proper parking space. Stashing the .38 revolver that he had been carrying in his waistband in the trunk of the car, he made a hasty return to the resort’s lobby. He couldn’t risk the possibility of the police finding him carrying a gun with the serial number removed, and without a concealed-carry permit.
The police arrived soon enough and began interviewing each of them one at a time, commandeering an un-used conference room for the purpose. They saved Jimmy’s interview for last. When Jimmy was led inside, he recognized the detective as one of the men who had been present during the incident at the park on the previous day.
“Mr. O’Conner, please, have a seat,” said the detective, who didn’t bother to re-introduce himself.
“Detective Johansen, isn’t it? I recognize you from the park.”
“Yes, that’s right. I must admit, it’s a bit strange running into you here.”
“Well, truth be told, I only came by looking for my wallet. You see, the Carlsons invited me to dinner last night. I came by a bit early and had wandered out by the pool to see the scenery, if you know what I mean, and my wallet apparently fell out of my pocket.”
“So, that’s how you came to be out by the pool when this new incident occurred?”
“Yeah, that’s right – I was looking for my wallet.”
“And did you find it?”
Jimmy reached into his pocket and held up his wallet, smiling as he did so. The detective sat back in his chair with a slight smirk on his face.
“I have to tell you, Mr. O’Conner, that I find it very odd that you simply happened to come by at the exact moment when someone was trying to drown Angelica Carlson. This is the second time in two days that you have arrived at exactly the right time to save her, first from a kidnapping, and now from an attempted drowning. How do you suppose that happened?”
“Just one of those strange coincidences of life, I guess,” Jimmy replied.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on, Mr. O’Conner? I know you know more than what you’re telling me. If you aren’t involved in some way, then you have nothing to hide.”
“Detective, if I knew anything that could help you out, I would tell you – honestly.”
The detective sighed in frustration, tapping his pen on the table as he considered his next question.
“Well, it’s obvious from the au pair’s account of events that you saved the girl’s life – again. I just hope that whatever you are not telling us won’t jeopardize her
life for a third time. She might not be so fortunate as to have you around the next time this guy tries to attack her.”
“Believe me, detective, I want nothing more than to help protect this little girl. So, tell me how I can help....”
* * * * *
Detective Johansen got up from his seat in the lobby of the Westward Look Grand Resort and Spa and walked toward Mr. and Mrs. Carlson as they came through the hotel’s entrance. They both looked weary, and understandably frightened. It had to be a difficult thing to have a killer on the prowl for your child, he thought to himself.
“Where’s Angel?” Mrs. Carlson demanded.
“She’s in your suite. Don’t worry, I have a uniformed officer outside of the door. She’s perfectly safe... for now,” replied the detective.
“What do you mean, ‘for now’? This deranged person is still on the loose?” Mr. Carlson queried.
“Yes, he is. Listen, I don’t know what you’re in town for, Mr. Carlson, but I suggest that you consider leaving early. We found the original would-be kidnapper yesterday. He was dead. He had written an apparent suicide note where he confessed to the attempted kidnapping, but now, with this attack – I think he was working with someone else who obviously believes your daughter saw something. All I’m saying is that it might be safer for you all if you went back East – at least until we can track this creep down and put him behind bars.”
“We’ll leave tomorrow morning, then,” Mrs. Carlson interjected with finality.
“Yes, of course, dear,” Mr. Carlson responded to his wife. “Will you keep the uniformed officer on guard until we leave, detective?”
“Certainly. We’ll catch this creep, Mr. Carlson. You have my word on it.”
* * * * *
John Fitzgerald Robbins pulled into his garage and closed the door. This was not good. The little girl obviously had someone on the other team looking out for her. While he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, he was fairly certain that the man who had chased him at the pool was the same man that Dwayne had described as having stopped him from kidnapping the girl the day before. Either he was a full-time, paid body-guard for the little girl, or he had to have had help from the other side. Either way, he was a problem that had to be dealt with.
As he walked into his house from the garage, putting his keys on the kitchen counter, he heard the familiar voice inside of his head.
You still have to complete the task. That’s how it works, remember?
“Yes, I remember,” he said out loud.
Now, you only have until tomorrow morning.
“I thought you said I had until noon on Friday?”
Plans have changed. Since you bungled your first two attempts, the girl’s parents have decided to leave town early. They’ll be heading to the airport tomorrow morning.
“That’s easier said than done. This protector – whoever he is – this guy that keeps stopping us, he has to be dealt with. Can’t you help out with that?”
A searing pain shot through John’s head. He dropped to his knees on the kitchen floor in agony, pressing his hands against the sides of his skull in a vain attempt to stop the pain. When it finally stopped, he lay motionless in a fetal position on the floor.
Don’t question me! Since it is obvious you cannot complete the task on your own... I will provide some additional assistance. I’ll take care of the man who keeps thwarting our plans myself. You focus on getting rid of the little girl... or else.
* * * * *
Sarah smiled, weakly, as he entered the room. Jimmy put the bag full of books down on the tray beside her bed and leaned over to give her a kiss on the top of her head.
“What’s up, sis? You look like you got some good news,” he said, hopefully.
“Well, it’s not the best news. There isn’t a heart waiting for me yet, but the doctor said I could go home tonight if my vital signs remain stable until he makes his next rounds.”
“That’s great,” Jimmy replied, trying to sound happy for her. He was disappointed, and wondered if his recent good deeds were actually going to work in her favor. He had saved the girl twice, after all, and the message had said that if he did so, his sister would live. Who was he kidding? This was all so weird to begin with. Maybe he shouldn’t be getting his hopes up, but he was grasping at straws at this point.
“What’s in the bag, Jimmy?”
“I know how much you like to read and all, so I brought a bunch of books by. I thought maybe I could read to you, or somethin’.” He began pulling out the books, one by one, and placing them on the tray beside the bag. “I’ve got The Great Gatsby, Gone with the Wind, Sense and Sensibility, and The Count of Monte Cristo. What’s your choice?”
“Let’s read The Count of Monte Cristo; I’ve always liked that one.”
“O.k. You might have to help me with some of the words, though. You know I’m not that good when it comes to readin’.”
“That’s o.k., Jimmy,” she said as she reached over and patted the top of his hand.
* * * * *
After about an hour of reading, Jimmy was mercifully interrupted by Sarah’s attending physician, who, after a short look at her chart, gave Sarah his approval to go home. Jimmy went out of her room and waited for her to change into her own clothes so they could leave. She was in better spirits than he had seen her in since he had arrived in Tucson, and it made him feel good to be helping her out. It had been so long since he had visited, it was nice to be re-connecting. He hoped it would work out so that she was around for years to come – but he was a realist. He’d decided to focus on enjoying whatever time they had left, and to let what happened tomorrow happen tomorrow. Life was too short to be worrying too much about what might occur in the future.
When they walked through the front door of Sarah’s one-story ranch house in the Tucson suburbs, the first scent that greeted them was the smell of a cat litter box that needed to be changed.
“I’m sorry about the smell. My neighbor was supposed to be checking on the cat, but it smells like she forgot to change the litter box.”
Felix, Sarah’s tabby cat, mewed and ran across the floor, twisting itself around Sarah’s feet and purring loudly.
“Felix. I’m glad to see you, too. Come to the kitchen with Mommy and she will get you some tuna,” she said in a sing-song voice as she picked up the cat and shuffled off toward the kitchen. “You know, Jimmy, you could have stayed here instead of in that hotel – saved yourself some money.”
“Tell you the truth, I didn’t even think of it. But now that you’re back here, that sounds like a good idea. Once I change that litter box, I’ll head over to the hotel and get my things.”
“I can change the litter box and make us something for dinner.”
“Don’t even think about it,” he responded. “The doc said you should rest. I’ll take care of the litter box and pick us up some dinner on the way home. What do you want to eat?”
“How about some Chinese?”
Jimmy’s thoughts instantly went back to the Chinese fortune he had received on his first day in town. He wondered again if it had all been a dream. He was going to check his wallet for the fortune and the gum wrapper as soon as he got back to the car. He needed some reassurance that he wasn’t going crazy.
“That sounds good, sis. That sounds real good.”
Chapter Ten
Jimmy was about to put the key card in his hotel door lock when, as per his usual habit, he checked to see if his failsafe device was still in place. He froze when he saw that it wasn’t, looking down to make certain that he hadn’t forgotten to put the ‘do not disturb’ door hanger on the outside of the door. It was still there. That meant only one of two things could have happened. Either the maid had ignored the door hanger and entered his room while he was out, or someone else had.
Being in the Chicago Mob for as long as he had, Jimmy had learned to be cautious. One
habit that he observed without exception was that he always set a failsafe trap on his hotel door. The device was simple enough – a string with a small weight on one end. He would put the weighted side on the inside of the door and put the string over the top of the door, shutting the door so that just a tiny piece of the string was visible at the top of the jamb from the outside. To anyone not looking for it, it was almost invisible. If anyone entered the room while he was gone, the weight on the other end of the string would cause the string to fall to the floor when the door was opened. When they shut the door, the string would no longer be visible from the outside of the room, tipping Jimmy off that someone had been inside in his absence. It was simple, but effective. The technique had saved his life more than once.
He looked down the hall and found the nearest fire alarm. It was a newer model, with a small vial of liquid positioned so that it would break when the alarm was pulled. The person’s hand would then be coated with a dye that could be illuminated for days with the use of a black light – thus identifying them as the culprit who’d pulled the alarm. He took his handkerchief out of his pocket, covered the alarm to prevent the marking dye from spilling on him, and then pulled the switch.
Several guests on his hallway exited their rooms almost immediately after the alarm began to sound. As one of the guests just down the hall from where he stood left their room, Jimmy walked past him in the opposite direction. Afterwards, Jimmy quickly stuck his foot in the doorway to the man’s room before it closed. Turning around to verify the man was not looking his way, he ducked inside the room and pulled the door almost shut.
Jimmy had left just enough of a crack between the door and the door jamb to be able to view his own hotel room. He stared through the crack and waited. It wasn’t long before the door to his own room opened and a big, heavyset man wearing a leather biker vest with tattoos going down both of his bare arms peered out into the hall. The man looked both ways, and then began walking slowly to the emergency exit, which was in the opposite direction from where Jimmy was located. Jimmy quietly exited the room, walked up behind the man, and pistol whipped him with the butt of the .38 special. The man dropped to his knees and fell face-forward onto the carpet.