Angel picked up his pickle tub, deliberately walking over towards the fountain in the middle of the Gracie Muse courtyard. He sat on a bench, put the pickle tub between his legs and began drumming.
For awhile, the only sound that could be heard coming from the courtyard was the sound of drumming. Then, it happened; upstairs, on a twenty-third story window ledge, Angel spotted a brown Akita, barking and yapping against the window pane. He watched as the dog created a ruckus, scratching frantically at the windowpane, trying to get to the source of the noise.
Angel bent his head down, drumming faster and faster, louder and louder. In the midst of the frantic drumming, he looked up, checking on the twenty-third story window. The Akita was now throwing itself against the window, its teeth bared, barking angrily. It scratched the window even more desperately, causing deep scratches in the glass. Angel continued to drum, losing track of time.
An hour later, the Akita was still barking and scratching at the glass; it threw itself against the glass, foaming at the mouth, literally working itself into a lather. Angel looked up from his drumming; the Akita had disappeared from the window. He beat the pickle tub even louder, attempting to bring the dog back. Suddenly, there was a loud bark and the sound of breaking glass. Angel looked up just in time to see the brown Akita smash itself through the glass, falling head first toward the courtyard at breakneck speed, barking the whole way down.
Angel turned away as the Akita hit the concrete with a sickening thud. There was the sound of bones breaking and then…silence. Angel nonchalantly picked up his pickle tub and drumsticks, then walked away from the courtyard.
He rounded the corner, almost smacking into Lucinda. "Good job darling! That cur won't be bothering me anymore; now I can sleep. Wonderful job darling."
Angel stared at Lucinda, a stony expression on his face. "Where's my money?"
"Right here darling." Lucinda handed him a wad of crisp, new dollar bills. Angel flipped through the money, making sure all was accounted for. "It's all there darling, right down to the last dollar."
"And the bonus?"
"I'll pay you in advance. Here." She handed him five hundred dollars. "This weekend darling, don't forget."
"I won't. Thanks. I—" Angel was cut off by the sound of sirens blaring down the street. He peeked his head around the corner, spotting several police cars pulling up to the Gracie Muse. Lucinda had a look of horror on her face.
"It's the cops! Run!"
"What?!"
"RUN! Outta my way!" Lucinda pushed Angel into the side of the building as she ran past him, making her getaway.
"Hey! You there!" Angel froze as a policeman walked up to him. "Do you know anything about this?"
Angel swallowed, trying to look innocent. "Know about what?"
"We got a call from somebody in this building. They say there was loud drumming in the courtyard, then a dog jumped from a twenty-third story window into the courtyard. Broke her neck on the way down. They say the person was wearing…" The policeman paused, reading the physical description on his notepad. "A pair of sneakers, jeans, a black shirt and a brown…" The policeman eyed Angel suspiciously. "You look like that guy."
"Oh, there are a lot of people who dress like this. I'm poor; this is all I own."
The policeman cocked an eyebrow. "Well, if you say so. Where's the dog?"
Angel pointed towards the courtyard. "Over there, by the water fountain."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Angel stayed as still as possible while the policeman walked around the corner. He waited until he was sure the coast was clear, then made a run for it.
The policeman's head jerked up as he was taking a physical description of Evita. He spied Angel running down the street. He studied his notepad, suddenly realizing his mistake. "That's him! That's the guy who was drumming in the courtyard! Get him!"