Chapter 2
Michael arrived at his condo thirty minutes after he left the mall. He decided to do a little research on his target before paying him a visit. He looked at the contents of the wallet again, the driver's license he had already snapped in two, there was about one hundred dollars in cash, and the business card. The business card was from a restaurant called "Food to Die For." That's a peculiar name he thought. He flipped the card over and noticed the word “tangerine pie” on the back of the car. He wondered what that was about for a moment before returning the card to the wallet.
He sat at his computer and began keying in the information he currently had on Aduwele Kimasu. Within twenty minutes he had all the information he needed. It appeared that his target wasn’t from the U.S. He was from Central Africa, just as Katrina had reported to the officers. He was a low level thug currently on a student visa to the U.S. He had been in the country for two years, but hadn’t been enrolled in school for over six months. Aduwele appeared to have used schooling as a means for entering the country because he would enroll in school long enough to clear immigration and dropout again. Michael figured he was more than likely hired to do the job. He couldn't mistake his intent to kill Katrina this afternoon. He had watched the whole scene unfold and it didn't feel right from the beginning. He looked at his watch, it was 6:30. It's too early to make a move, even on a Sunday evening, people would still be out and about. He decided to wait until 11:00. The majority of the populace would be home, preparing for the work week and the streets would be quieter.
He had several hours to kill before he could make a move and he needed to formulate a plan. He thought about the business card once again. He grabbed the wallet and pulled it out again as he reached for his cell phone. You can never have too much information he thought as he dialed the number.
"Food to Die For," how may I help you?" said the sultry voice.
Michael played a hunch, “Tangerine pie,” he said.
“How may I help you this evening Mr. Tangerine?”
"What is your specialty tonight?" asked Michael.
"Momma Said Knock You Out" is our specialty for the month of November," said the voice.
"Is that right, and how soon can that be arranged?" asked Michael understanding dawning in his voice.
"At your earliest convenience," replied the voice.
Michael knew this was a front. In his former line of business you had to know how to find the good guys and where to look for the seedy elements of society. He hung up the phone. He decided he'd have to check up on "Food to Die For" to determine just how much of a threat they might be.
Having taken care of that little business he decided to work-out to get his creative juices flowing. He went to his home gym and began his stretches. As he was working out, the plan formulated clearly in his mind. There was nothing like a good workout to get the juices flowing, he thought. He checked his time again, he had enough time to shower and get a quick nap in before heading out later tonight. Before he showered, he realized he hadn't eaten anything for a couple of hours so he fixed himself a quick snack, showered and hit the sack.
He woke at 10:30 and gathered the materials he would need for tonight's activities.
At 11:15 he left his apartment to go scout the area where the mugger lived. As he drove down the side streets he noticed several people out and about. This street was his element. He knew what to look for and what to be wary of in neighborhoods of this caliber. Nothing that he saw raised any alarms. The block on which the mugger lived was quiet. He decided to drive around the neighborhood a little while longer. The car he was driving didn't stick out in this neighborhood, it looked like it belonged, so he wasn't concerned with being noticed.
At 12:15 he went in search of a parking space a block away from the mugger's apartment. He located a spot on the block behind his target's apartment and casually observed his surroundings as he walked the half block to the alley. He quickly entered the alley and was immediately assailed by the stench of rotten meat and fruit. He had smelled much worse in his profession. He adjusted his breathing and walked down the alley until he reached the mugger's yard. He opened the gate and quietly walked up to the porch. The building's structure was misleading. He hadn’t taken notice of just how many floors or apartments there were, when he was scouting the building, a mistake that could cost him. He vowed to be more observant next time. He reviewed the driver's license information in his mind, it was apartment 2b. He walked up the porch stairs to the second floor. He had to determine which apartment was the mugger’s. The apartment to his left had a welcome mat displayed outside the door, along with children’s toys. There was no sound coming from that apartment.
As he looked around for a clue to which apartment belonged to his victim a shadow passed his line of sight from the other window. He slid back to hide his presence. He peered inside the apartment and saw the would-be mugger/assassin grabbing some things from the refrigerator. He watched as the guy opened one of the packages from the freezer. He was taking money wrapped in aluminum foil out of the freezer and placing them in his pockets. He kept stopping to listen for any sound. Michael froze where he was, not wanting to make a sound and give his presence away. The mugger/assassin turned off the kitchen light and moved back into the interior of the apartment, extinguishing lights as he went from room to room. Michael waited two minutes to see if there was any sound coming from the apartment. He became a little anxious. He didn't want to give him too much time. Too much time would allow him to escape, too little time and he might lose the advantage of surprise.
Michael removed the lock picking set from his pocket. He paused for a moment, rethinking his actions, he needed to be prepared in the event that more than one person was in the apartment, he removed his 9mm and the silencer. He screwed the silencer on and slipped it into the front of his pants. He gathered his lock picking tools once again and picked the back door lock.
He slid the door open quietly and peered inside. A miniscule amount of light shined into the room from the window. He began to notice details that hadn’t been evident with his quick peeks into the kitchen from moments ago. The kitchen was sparsely furnished with a small card table and chair in the center of the room. He could see the old antiquated stove and refrigerator. He softly closed the door behind him. The rest of the apartment was encased in complete darkness. He pulled his night vision goggles out of his jacket and placed them on his face.
Michael moved toward the doorway of the kitchen. His vision was much clearer with the night vision goggles affixed to his face. He could make out a table in the next room and a clock along the wall from where he was standing. He moved further into the room and was scanning it when the attack happened.
The mugger landed a stinging blow to his midsection. He doubled over and received an elbow to the back. The mugger was going for another elbow when he dodged the blow. The mugger came down on air and his momentum caused him to crash to the floor. Michael seized the advantage and landed two kicks to the mugger's kidneys. The mugger squirmed in pain. Michael withdrew his gun and pointed it at the mugger. He lowered himself down next to the mugger and placed the gun to his head.
"This is a 9mm glock I have trained on your head," he said while pressing the barrel of the gun into the mugger's skull. "I suggest you stop squirming and listen. We're going to go into the kitchen to have a conversation. If you make a wrong move, your mind won't be able to register the consequences before you're dead," said Michael. He slowly raised himself up, keeping the gun pointed at a safe distance from the mugger. "Now, slowly stand up and walk into the kitchen and take a seat at the table."
The mugger slowly raised himself up and cautiously walked around Michael to enter the kitchen. Michael followed behind him being cautious of his every move. The mugger pulled out the chair at the table and sat down. Michael slipped off his night vision goggles and turned the kitchen light on.
"
Who else is in the apartment?" Michael asked.
"No one, it’s just me here. What do you want with me?" asked the mugger with insolence in his voice.
"I wanted to have a little conversation with you about Katrina Castillo," said Michael. He watched as the muggers eyes opened in recognition of the name. "So you do know who she is?" asked Michael.
"I don't know who you are talking about," said the mugger.
"Yes, you do. You've already given yourself away. I just came to let you know, she's off limits. She is not to be harmed. Tell your employers they need to consider my words wisely," said Michael.
"I don't have any employers," said the mugger maliciously.
Michael clipped him on the side of the head with his gun. "Tell your employer that Katrina Castillo is off limits or should I use your corpse as a warning to your employer?"
The mugger looked at Michael with fear in his eyes for the first time. "You don't understand, there's not just one but many. They won't allow her to live. They won't even allow me to live once they've found out I've failed," said the mugger.
"Who is your employer?" asked Michael.
"I am not aware of who he is I just know he wants her dead. He hired my boss and my boss hired me to do the job," said the mugger in a shaky voice.
"Why does "he" want her dead?" asked Michael.
"I am unaware of the details. I got the job and was told to make it look like an accident. I was packing my things to escape when I heard you come through the door, I don't have much time," said the mugger looking around the kitchen.
"That door didn't make a sound, so how did you know I was here?" asked Michael.
"There are sensors attached to the doors and windows," said the mugger. "Look I've got to get out of here, they could be here any moment."
"Who could be here any moment?" asked Michael.
"My boss or one of his associates. He doesn't take failure lightly. The job has to be completed within a certain amount of time," said the mugger.
"What's the time frame?" asked Michael.
The mugger looked around the kitchen. "I had one day to do the job. If I failed, someone else would come," said the mugger. There was a clicking sound coming from the front of the apartment. The mugger looked at Michael. "They’re here to take care of me because I failed," said the mugger. He lowered his head in defeat, then like lightening he swung out. Michael was ready for the move and shot him in the center of the forehead. He caught the body before it hit the floor. He lowered the body the rest of the way down. He focused on the entrance to the apartment and could see light coming into the front. He crouched down by the door and listened. He didn't hear a sound. A young lady stepped into view. She wore a thigh high mini skirt in blazing red, and a black halter top. Oh, great! The girl friend thought Michael. He decided then that it would be better to leave. He didn't want to confront an innocent woman and then have to kill her. He watched as she walked into one of the rooms. He grabbed the three packages of aluminum foil wrapped money and quickly slid them into his jacket pocket.
He rose and exited out the back door. He quickly made his way to the alley checking behind him to insure he wasn't in view of the kitchen window. He finally made his way out of the yard and into the alley. He hid behind the garage and looked up at the kitchen window. The kitchen light was on. He watched as the woman rose up. She didn't seem upset to have found the dead body of her boyfriend. She seemed too watchful. Her eyes kept darting back and forth.
Damn! Thought Michael, he had just missed the killer the mugger was talking about. He watched as she wiped her prints off of the light switch and turned the light off. Michael thought she was on her way out. He didn't want to risk her looking around and spotting him, so he decided to head back to his car and get straight home. Tonight was productive. The only exception was that he missed the second killer, but at least he knew what she looked like. He wasn't concerned about the police looking for anyone tonight, he was pretty sure she hadn't made a phone call. He had just done her job. Michael figured she'd be the next one up for the job.
I should have followed her, he thought. He reached his car and contemplated returning to see if the woman had left. Realizing he was probably already too late he drove home. He made it there in record time.
When he entered his house he walked over to his desk and sat down. He pulled out the aluminum foil packages and opened them up. There was at least ten thousand dollars in one hundred dollar bills in the first package, if he timed that by three it would equal thirty thousand dollars. This should tie me over until the end of December, by then the job would be done, he thought. He showered and did some stretches before tumbling into bed. He was expecting a call from Katrina tomorrow. He wanted to be rested and ready for her when she finally contacted him.
The Guardian
The Guardian contacted Mr. Castillo en route to Michael's home.
"Hello, sir," said the Guardian.
"Hi, G, what's happened? You generally don't call me, is Katrina okay?" asked Mr. Castillo concern laced in his voice.
"Katrina is fine, but the day we have been preparing for has arrived," said the Guardian.
"Who are our players?" asked Mr. Castillo.
"We have several pawns from both sides it appears," replied the guardian.
"What is your perception of the game?" asked Mr. Castillo.
"The queen isn't in mortal danger as of yet, something is required first," said the Guardian.
"Is it time for a history lesson?" asked Mr. Castillo.
"Yes, I think the time is near, let's hold off for a couple of days to be on the safe side." said the Guardian.
"Thank you for the update, I will be in touch to let you know when dinner is scheduled. Keep your calendar open for the end of this week," said Mr. Castillo.
"Yes, sir, looking forward to it," said the Guardian.
I bet you are thought Mr. Castillo as he hung up the phone.
The Guardian hung the phone up. He was almost to Michael's house. He arrived at the house at 9:30. It was relatively easy to find a parking spot. He spotted Michael's car in the driveway of his home. He must not be in for the night thought the Guardian. He made himself comfortable. He was doing a Sudoku puzzle when he noticed the lights going out in Michael's house.
A couple of hours later Michael exited his home. He pulled the Mercedes into the garage and pulled a Chevy Monte Carlo, midnight blue with shiny twenty inch rims, out of the garage. The Guardian knew this was Michael's work car. It was a working class car that the average person could afford. The rims would make it appear to be a younger person's car. He was sure that Michael was counting on the stereotype to get him through the night. Let people assume he was a drug dealer. If only they knew, Michael White was much more dangerous than your average drug dealer.
He followed Michael and watched him go to an apartment. He appeared to be on a reconnaissance mission. The Guardian climbed on top of the garage behind the apartment to get a better view of the apartment that Michael had entered. He waited and watched his movements. He assumed he was paying a visit to the mugger, but why? When he left the apartment he appeared to be hiding from someone. The guardian saw the woman in the kitchen. She was looking down at something in the kitchen. She hadn't been aware of Michael being in the apartment. Michael had made a clean get away if that's what this was. The guardian watched as the woman bent down. When she came back up she was holding a .38 revolver. Her eyes darted around the room and she went back the way she came. When she had not reappeared, he waited for Michael to leave the area before checking to see what was so interesting on the kitchen floor. He walked to the porch and climbed the stairs. He peered into the kitchen window and spotted the dead body at once. It was the mugger that had attacked Katrina earlier today. The Guardian realized that Michael must have killed him, while he was climbing onto the garage to get a better view.
The Guardi
an left the apartment wondering what Michael White was up to and why he had killed a man tonight. He tried to catch up with the woman but lost her. The Guardian drove back to his safe house and evaluated the situation. He could not determine Michael White's plans at the present moment but he wasn't happy with what had happened tonight. Michael's history had the Guardian on edge, but so far he wasn't doing anything to harm Katrina. Yet, he knew a man like Michael changed allegiances quickly. He was also upset with himself for allowing the woman to get away. He was unsure of the woman's role, but he had a feeling he would see her again.
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