Precipice
Irina could not keep her eyes off the tip of Alex's cigarette. The ash tip hung precariously, just waiting for some sudden movement to knock it off onto the paper that Khasinau was studying. He, on the other hand, was so engrossed in the information on the paper, he had completely forgotten about the cigarette all together.
"Well my dear, you're getting quite the reputation for killing CIA agents. What is the tally now, seven or eight?"
"He's dead, yes, but I did not kill him. And there have only been seven, Alex."
"Yes, yes" he replied. "Heart attack, the newspapers said. However the money made his death very suspicious and very public. Our superiors were not happy about that change in the mission." She felt herself bristle at Khasinau's implication. She did not take pleasure in killing, but if it was necessary, she did not shy from it. It had not been necessary to kill Mr. Bash, but in order to protect herself; she did not come to his aid either.
"What would you have had me do; wait until the body was cold and snatch the envelope back? My fingerprints could have been found, still may be found, on the envelope."
"You've always proven to be a rather resourceful girl, Irina. I believe you would have thought up a way, if you had tried." Khasinau reached for his cigarette and tapped the end on the ashtray, releasing a flurry of ashes. He finally looked up from the organization chart, a smile spreading across his face.
"Lovely Irina, this information is just lovely. Our superiors are pleased."
Irina stood up and walked to the window of the hotel room and stared out. She nodded, reached over and took the cigarette from Khasinau's mouth. She took a deep drag and gave it back to him. She turned back to the window and stared down at the park across the street.
"Perhaps, perhaps. You may not have directly involved with Mr. Bash's death, Irina, but this next one you most definitely will." He motioned her over to the organizational chart and began to outline the assassination.
Simon the Zealot
Jack opened the door and was astounded at the visitors, Max Tidwell and his wife Caroline. Jack had invited his boss to the barbeque, along with the rest of the office; however, it was commonly known that Max never came to these types of events, citing the necessity of anonymity. But here Max and Caroline stood, smiles spreading across their faces at the sight of Jack dumbfounded. Jack held the door open wider with one hand and held a glass of scotch in the other.
"Uh, come in, come in Max, Caroline. Welcome. Everyone is out in the back yard." Jack led the couple through the house to the back patio. Max placed a hand on Jack's shoulder as they passed through the kitchen.
"Love the apron Jack, though I think I'll leave that up to your wife." Jack looked confused and then down to his "Kiss the Cook" apron.
"Laura and Sydney bought this for Father's Day and insisted that I wear it. I can't say no to my two girls" he replied with a shrug of the shoulders.
The dull roar of the party instantly quieted as Jack and Max came out the kitchen door. Jack steered the newest guests over to the makeshift bar and Laura while the buzz of conversation returned to a normal pitch.
"Max, Caroline, this is my wife Laura. Laura, this is my boss and his wife. Be nice. And you're not to complain to him about how much I travel." Jack placed a quick kiss on Laura's cheek. Laura shook hands with both and took their drink orders.
"Laura, I think I complain enough about the travel for all of the wives around here." Caroline confessed.
"You're absolutely correct dear" Max confirmed and put his arm around his wife. Laura passed a bottle of beer to Max, a mixed drink to Caroline and continued chatting with the couple. Derry Crafton came up to the two couples and grabbed another beer from Jack.
"Well boss, glad to see you decided to come to the party after all. Of course you come to Jack's party and not to my New Year's Eve bash. Typical. Now we all know your favorite." Derry hung onto Max's shoulder, hinting that he had more than enough to drink already.
"Glad to see you still have that keen sense of observation there Derry. Keep it up." Max saluted the tipsy man with his bottle. Jack made his excuses to return to the grill while Laura and Caroline stepped inside to bring out the side dishes for the meal. Caroline admired the artwork that decorated the refrigerator.
"Where is your daughter, Laura? I hear that she is quite the little genius," Caroline sincerely inquired. Laura pointed to the sleeping figure on the chaise lounge under the shady tree in the back.
"She's napping right now. But she'll be hard to miss once she wakes up."
"Oh, I remember that age very well. With my crew, it seems like they never grew out of it."
"How many children do you have?" Laura inquired. They headed back outside to the table of food, which the men were hovering around.
"We have three, two boys and a girl. Tim is starting college in a couple of months at Stanford and Sam will be a senior in high school. Lisa will be in the seventh grade this year."
"I'm guessing they keep you very busy."
"Absolutely. The boys played just about every sport imaginable and Tim was on the debate team too. I was so happy when they got their driver's licenses so I didn't have to cart them everywhere. Lisa has piano lessons and dance class. She has recently informed me that she wants to try out for the volleyball team when school starts." Caroline smiled and shook her head. "You'll be immersed in all of this soon. How old is Sydney?"
"She is 3 and a half and already quite precocious. She's informed me that she wants to take dance lessons, ballet and tap." Laura looked over to the sleeping girl. "Where does Lisa take dance class?"
"She loves her instructors at The Dance Academy on Stevens Street. Give them a call; they have a new session starting in two weeks. That reminds me, I should have Max stop by and pay for Lisa's classes. Luckily, he gets his hair cut nearby and has an appointment on Thursday. Saves me the trip over there." The two women nodded in agreement.
"I'll give them a call and see if I can stop by and see a class. I'd like to see what the instructors are like with the younger children. Two weeks until classes start, Sydney will be so excited."
Derry wedged himself into the group of men standing around the grill as Jack flipped a row of burgers.
"So, Jack where's your shadow?" Derry laughed at his own joke. The remainder of the group looked at him with confusion and a bit of pity. He continued, "Arvin? Arvin Sloane, your sidekick Jack. Thought he'd be here already."
Jack pursed is lips and then answered, "Arvin and Emily had a family function this morning. Emily's niece or nephew was being baptized, I think. They'll be here later." Jack returned to the task of moving the hot dogs to a cooler portion of the grill.
"Is Arvin still spouting off about the Italian guy? Stromboli, Rombali, Rambaldi?" Max asked. "You know, the DeVinci wannabe? He's been bending my ear about this guy for a couple month's now, claiming that this guy was some kind of DaVinci, Nostradomus and Michelangelo wrapped up in one. Starting to go on about prophecies." Max wondered if Arvin was getting wrapped up in something that would take his concentration away from his job. Arvin did remind him of a pit bull; once he had his teeth into something he never would let go.
Several of the others nodded in agreement and started talking all at once about Arvin and his newest favorite topic. Jack stepped up like the good friend.
"Yes, he has become quite obsessed with Rambaldi lately. I did hear him out and read the information he gave me. I don't understand the obsession. Rambaldi seems to be an interesting character from the past, but with no real significance to today, as Arvin seems to think" Jack countered. "Give him some time, he'll loose interest fairly soon."
Jack pronounced the meat on the grill was done to perfection and the mad rush for the food table began. The noise of the stampede woke Sydney. Laura moved over to the chaise and scooped Sydney up into her arms until the child completely woke up. Soon Sydney was completely captivating the partygoers and buzzed around the people looking for attention as a bee flits from flower to flower.
***
Thursday started hot and hazy and just got worse with every hour. While Sydney took a morning nap, Laura got her things together for the afternoon task. Up in the attic, she pulled the metal case out of the box containing Christmas decorations. She removed all of the tinsel clinging from static electricity and opened the case.
Piece by piece she took the gun out and carefully inspected each part, cleaning it as she went. She pulled the silencer from the foam packing and slowly put all the pieces together, except for the clip. She tested the trigger and when satisfied, took the gun apart again and placed it back into its container. She patted the case as she carried it to the car.
"Plan B" she pronounced as she placed the silver case under the front seat.
She went back into the house and peeked into Sydney's room. The little girl was curled up on the bed, stuffed kitty clutched to her chest and thumb in her mouth. Laura watched for a few moments and then went into the kitchen to finish up the morning dishes.
She finished drying the last bowl and picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory.
"Mrs. Parker? Hello, this is Laura Bristow."
"Yes, good morning to you too. I was wondering if you could watch Sydney for a few hours this afternoon. I have some shopping to do and I want to run by a dance school to see about signing Sydney up for classes."
"Yes, she will be excited. I just don't want to take her just yet, in case I'm not impressed by the instructors."
"You are right Mrs. Parker. Say about 2:45? I should be back by 5:30 or 6:00 at the latest."
"I understand that is later than usual, but the dance class I want to observe begins at 4:30. Mr. Bristow is working late tonight or I'd have him pick Sydney up earlier."
"That's wonderful. Thank you again and we'll see you in a few hours."
"Yes, yes. Goodbye."
She hung up the phone and mentally checked that task off her list. She picked up the phone again and dialed.
"Hello, is this Yin's Dry Cleaning?"
"This is Jane Moore. I'll pick up my cleaning this afternoon."
"Thank you."
She hung up the receiver and went over to the refrigerator to survey the contents for ideas for lunch.
At 2:50, Laura dropped Sydney off at Mrs. Parker's and headed over to Stevens Street. Laura sat in on the 3:30 toddler's ballet class and afterwards stayed for a few minutes of the beginner's tap class at 4:30. Satisfied, she went to the reception desk and received an application to sign Sydney up for both classes. She told the receptionist she would bring the form back tomorrow, she had forgot the checkbook and she wanted to double check with her husband.
She headed back to her car, which was parked in the shady alley next to the building. Its position afforded a good view of the sidewalk, but far enough back that it wouldn't be readily noticed. She opened her purse and removed the coiled wire and placed it her pocket. She pulled the silver case from underneath the front seat and with eyes trained on the sidewalk, put the gun together from memory, slipping the clip into place with a small click. She placed the gun in her purse and placed her keys in the ignition of the car. She opened her purse, spied the spare set of keys and closed it again. She reached under her seat for the metal coat hanger.
As she looked up, her target came into view. She waited a few minutes, took her time getting out of the car, locked the door and ruffled her hair slightly. She huffed a few times, affecting a hurried attitude and walked briskly back to The Dance Academy dropping the coat hanger near the end of the alley.
Max Tidwell practically ran into her as he was leaving the dance studio.
"Laura, what a pleasant surprise. Max Tidwell, we met at your barbeque on Saturday."
"Ah, sorry Mr. Tidwell. I didn't mean to run you over like that." She offered her hand.
"Please call me Max. What's wrong, you look a bit flustered?"
"I had stopped by to check out the dance studio as your wife had suggested and I got back to my car and realized I locked the keys inside. I was heading back to see if they'd let me use the phone to call Jack or a tow truck. I'm supposed to pick Sydney up from the babysitters in less than a half hour." She tucked her hair behind her ear and continued to look hurried.
Max put his hand on her elbow and leaned in close.
"If you don't tell anyone, I was a bit of a delinquent in my youth. I bet I can help. Which way to your car?" Laura led the way to the alley. Max spotted the metal coat hanger that Laura had dropped earlier and picked it up with a conspiratorial wink.
They reached the car and went to the driver's side, next to the building wall, so that Max could inspect the situation.
"Yes ma'am, there are your keys dangling in the ignition. I should be able to get the door open in a jiffy." He bent over, staring into the car and began untwisting the coat hanger. Laura slipped the coiled wire from her pocket and swiftly placed the garrote around his neck, pulling sharply.
Max instantly dropped the hanger and reached for his neck, struggling against Laura as best as he could.
"Laura," he tried to shout. Getting his footing, he reared back and slammed her against the wall. He leaned forward and tried to use his strength to throw her over his shoulder. She countered the movement and kept behind him, never loosening her grip.
She pulled tighter until he lost his strength. Max's body went limp and she eased him down next to the wall. She checked for a pulse and found he was dead, slipped the wire from his neck. She slowly raised her head and looked around quickly confirming that no one had witnessed the deed.
Laura picked up her purse, unlocked the car and slipped the purse, garrote and coat hanger inside. She put on a pair of driving gloves and went to the dumpster nearby and grabbed a few trash bags. She placed them over the body, got in the car, pulled out of the alley and slowly, calmly drove away.
A few miles away, she stopped at McDonald's and put the gloves and coat hanger into an outside trash bin. The garrote was placed back into her purse. She went inside, washed her hands and patted her face and neck with a damp cloth.
Irina returned to her car, pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Mrs. Parker's house.
Irina could not keep her eyes off the tip of Alex's cigarette. The ash tip hung precariously, just waiting for some sudden movement to knock it off onto the paper that Khasinau was studying. He, on the other hand, was so engrossed in the information on the paper, he had completely forgotten about the cigarette all together.
"Well my dear, you're getting quite the reputation for killing CIA agents. What is the tally now, seven or eight?"
"He's dead, yes, but I did not kill him. And there have only been seven, Alex."
"Yes, yes" he replied. "Heart attack, the newspapers said. However the money made his death very suspicious and very public. Our superiors were not happy about that change in the mission." She felt herself bristle at Khasinau's implication. She did not take pleasure in killing, but if it was necessary, she did not shy from it. It had not been necessary to kill Mr. Bash, but in order to protect herself; she did not come to his aid either.
"What would you have had me do; wait until the body was cold and snatch the envelope back? My fingerprints could have been found, still may be found, on the envelope."
"You've always proven to be a rather resourceful girl, Irina. I believe you would have thought up a way, if you had tried." Khasinau reached for his cigarette and tapped the end on the ashtray, releasing a flurry of ashes. He finally looked up from the organization chart, a smile spreading across his face.
"Lovely Irina, this information is just lovely. Our superiors are pleased."
Irina stood up and walked to the window of the hotel room and stared out. She nodded, reached over and took the cigarette from Khasinau's mouth. She took a deep drag and gave it back to him. She turned back to the window and stared down at the park across the street.
"Perhaps, perhaps. You may not have directly involved with Mr. Bash's death, Irina, but this next one you most definitely will." He motioned her over to the organizational chart and began to outline the assassination.
Simon the Zealot
Jack opened the door and was astounded at the visitors, Max Tidwell and his wife Caroline. Jack had invited his boss to the barbeque, along with the rest of the office; however, it was commonly known that Max never came to these types of events, citing the necessity of anonymity. But here Max and Caroline stood, smiles spreading across their faces at the sight of Jack dumbfounded. Jack held the door open wider with one hand and held a glass of scotch in the other.
"Uh, come in, come in Max, Caroline. Welcome. Everyone is out in the back yard." Jack led the couple through the house to the back patio. Max placed a hand on Jack's shoulder as they passed through the kitchen.
"Love the apron Jack, though I think I'll leave that up to your wife." Jack looked confused and then down to his "Kiss the Cook" apron.
"Laura and Sydney bought this for Father's Day and insisted that I wear it. I can't say no to my two girls" he replied with a shrug of the shoulders.
The dull roar of the party instantly quieted as Jack and Max came out the kitchen door. Jack steered the newest guests over to the makeshift bar and Laura while the buzz of conversation returned to a normal pitch.
"Max, Caroline, this is my wife Laura. Laura, this is my boss and his wife. Be nice. And you're not to complain to him about how much I travel." Jack placed a quick kiss on Laura's cheek. Laura shook hands with both and took their drink orders.
"Laura, I think I complain enough about the travel for all of the wives around here." Caroline confessed.
"You're absolutely correct dear" Max confirmed and put his arm around his wife. Laura passed a bottle of beer to Max, a mixed drink to Caroline and continued chatting with the couple. Derry Crafton came up to the two couples and grabbed another beer from Jack.
"Well boss, glad to see you decided to come to the party after all. Of course you come to Jack's party and not to my New Year's Eve bash. Typical. Now we all know your favorite." Derry hung onto Max's shoulder, hinting that he had more than enough to drink already.
"Glad to see you still have that keen sense of observation there Derry. Keep it up." Max saluted the tipsy man with his bottle. Jack made his excuses to return to the grill while Laura and Caroline stepped inside to bring out the side dishes for the meal. Caroline admired the artwork that decorated the refrigerator.
"Where is your daughter, Laura? I hear that she is quite the little genius," Caroline sincerely inquired. Laura pointed to the sleeping figure on the chaise lounge under the shady tree in the back.
"She's napping right now. But she'll be hard to miss once she wakes up."
"Oh, I remember that age very well. With my crew, it seems like they never grew out of it."
"How many children do you have?" Laura inquired. They headed back outside to the table of food, which the men were hovering around.
"We have three, two boys and a girl. Tim is starting college in a couple of months at Stanford and Sam will be a senior in high school. Lisa will be in the seventh grade this year."
"I'm guessing they keep you very busy."
"Absolutely. The boys played just about every sport imaginable and Tim was on the debate team too. I was so happy when they got their driver's licenses so I didn't have to cart them everywhere. Lisa has piano lessons and dance class. She has recently informed me that she wants to try out for the volleyball team when school starts." Caroline smiled and shook her head. "You'll be immersed in all of this soon. How old is Sydney?"
"She is 3 and a half and already quite precocious. She's informed me that she wants to take dance lessons, ballet and tap." Laura looked over to the sleeping girl. "Where does Lisa take dance class?"
"She loves her instructors at The Dance Academy on Stevens Street. Give them a call; they have a new session starting in two weeks. That reminds me, I should have Max stop by and pay for Lisa's classes. Luckily, he gets his hair cut nearby and has an appointment on Thursday. Saves me the trip over there." The two women nodded in agreement.
"I'll give them a call and see if I can stop by and see a class. I'd like to see what the instructors are like with the younger children. Two weeks until classes start, Sydney will be so excited."
Derry wedged himself into the group of men standing around the grill as Jack flipped a row of burgers.
"So, Jack where's your shadow?" Derry laughed at his own joke. The remainder of the group looked at him with confusion and a bit of pity. He continued, "Arvin? Arvin Sloane, your sidekick Jack. Thought he'd be here already."
Jack pursed is lips and then answered, "Arvin and Emily had a family function this morning. Emily's niece or nephew was being baptized, I think. They'll be here later." Jack returned to the task of moving the hot dogs to a cooler portion of the grill.
"Is Arvin still spouting off about the Italian guy? Stromboli, Rombali, Rambaldi?" Max asked. "You know, the DeVinci wannabe? He's been bending my ear about this guy for a couple month's now, claiming that this guy was some kind of DaVinci, Nostradomus and Michelangelo wrapped up in one. Starting to go on about prophecies." Max wondered if Arvin was getting wrapped up in something that would take his concentration away from his job. Arvin did remind him of a pit bull; once he had his teeth into something he never would let go.
Several of the others nodded in agreement and started talking all at once about Arvin and his newest favorite topic. Jack stepped up like the good friend.
"Yes, he has become quite obsessed with Rambaldi lately. I did hear him out and read the information he gave me. I don't understand the obsession. Rambaldi seems to be an interesting character from the past, but with no real significance to today, as Arvin seems to think" Jack countered. "Give him some time, he'll loose interest fairly soon."
Jack pronounced the meat on the grill was done to perfection and the mad rush for the food table began. The noise of the stampede woke Sydney. Laura moved over to the chaise and scooped Sydney up into her arms until the child completely woke up. Soon Sydney was completely captivating the partygoers and buzzed around the people looking for attention as a bee flits from flower to flower.
***
Thursday started hot and hazy and just got worse with every hour. While Sydney took a morning nap, Laura got her things together for the afternoon task. Up in the attic, she pulled the metal case out of the box containing Christmas decorations. She removed all of the tinsel clinging from static electricity and opened the case.
Piece by piece she took the gun out and carefully inspected each part, cleaning it as she went. She pulled the silencer from the foam packing and slowly put all the pieces together, except for the clip. She tested the trigger and when satisfied, took the gun apart again and placed it back into its container. She patted the case as she carried it to the car.
"Plan B" she pronounced as she placed the silver case under the front seat.
She went back into the house and peeked into Sydney's room. The little girl was curled up on the bed, stuffed kitty clutched to her chest and thumb in her mouth. Laura watched for a few moments and then went into the kitchen to finish up the morning dishes.
She finished drying the last bowl and picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory.
"Mrs. Parker? Hello, this is Laura Bristow."
"Yes, good morning to you too. I was wondering if you could watch Sydney for a few hours this afternoon. I have some shopping to do and I want to run by a dance school to see about signing Sydney up for classes."
"Yes, she will be excited. I just don't want to take her just yet, in case I'm not impressed by the instructors."
"You are right Mrs. Parker. Say about 2:45? I should be back by 5:30 or 6:00 at the latest."
"I understand that is later than usual, but the dance class I want to observe begins at 4:30. Mr. Bristow is working late tonight or I'd have him pick Sydney up earlier."
"That's wonderful. Thank you again and we'll see you in a few hours."
"Yes, yes. Goodbye."
She hung up the phone and mentally checked that task off her list. She picked up the phone again and dialed.
"Hello, is this Yin's Dry Cleaning?"
"This is Jane Moore. I'll pick up my cleaning this afternoon."
"Thank you."
She hung up the receiver and went over to the refrigerator to survey the contents for ideas for lunch.
At 2:50, Laura dropped Sydney off at Mrs. Parker's and headed over to Stevens Street. Laura sat in on the 3:30 toddler's ballet class and afterwards stayed for a few minutes of the beginner's tap class at 4:30. Satisfied, she went to the reception desk and received an application to sign Sydney up for both classes. She told the receptionist she would bring the form back tomorrow, she had forgot the checkbook and she wanted to double check with her husband.
She headed back to her car, which was parked in the shady alley next to the building. Its position afforded a good view of the sidewalk, but far enough back that it wouldn't be readily noticed. She opened her purse and removed the coiled wire and placed it her pocket. She pulled the silver case from underneath the front seat and with eyes trained on the sidewalk, put the gun together from memory, slipping the clip into place with a small click. She placed the gun in her purse and placed her keys in the ignition of the car. She opened her purse, spied the spare set of keys and closed it again. She reached under her seat for the metal coat hanger.
As she looked up, her target came into view. She waited a few minutes, took her time getting out of the car, locked the door and ruffled her hair slightly. She huffed a few times, affecting a hurried attitude and walked briskly back to The Dance Academy dropping the coat hanger near the end of the alley.
Max Tidwell practically ran into her as he was leaving the dance studio.
"Laura, what a pleasant surprise. Max Tidwell, we met at your barbeque on Saturday."
"Ah, sorry Mr. Tidwell. I didn't mean to run you over like that." She offered her hand.
"Please call me Max. What's wrong, you look a bit flustered?"
"I had stopped by to check out the dance studio as your wife had suggested and I got back to my car and realized I locked the keys inside. I was heading back to see if they'd let me use the phone to call Jack or a tow truck. I'm supposed to pick Sydney up from the babysitters in less than a half hour." She tucked her hair behind her ear and continued to look hurried.
Max put his hand on her elbow and leaned in close.
"If you don't tell anyone, I was a bit of a delinquent in my youth. I bet I can help. Which way to your car?" Laura led the way to the alley. Max spotted the metal coat hanger that Laura had dropped earlier and picked it up with a conspiratorial wink.
They reached the car and went to the driver's side, next to the building wall, so that Max could inspect the situation.
"Yes ma'am, there are your keys dangling in the ignition. I should be able to get the door open in a jiffy." He bent over, staring into the car and began untwisting the coat hanger. Laura slipped the coiled wire from her pocket and swiftly placed the garrote around his neck, pulling sharply.
Max instantly dropped the hanger and reached for his neck, struggling against Laura as best as he could.
"Laura," he tried to shout. Getting his footing, he reared back and slammed her against the wall. He leaned forward and tried to use his strength to throw her over his shoulder. She countered the movement and kept behind him, never loosening her grip.
She pulled tighter until he lost his strength. Max's body went limp and she eased him down next to the wall. She checked for a pulse and found he was dead, slipped the wire from his neck. She slowly raised her head and looked around quickly confirming that no one had witnessed the deed.
Laura picked up her purse, unlocked the car and slipped the purse, garrote and coat hanger inside. She put on a pair of driving gloves and went to the dumpster nearby and grabbed a few trash bags. She placed them over the body, got in the car, pulled out of the alley and slowly, calmly drove away.
A few miles away, she stopped at McDonald's and put the gloves and coat hanger into an outside trash bin. The garrote was placed back into her purse. She went inside, washed her hands and patted her face and neck with a damp cloth.
Irina returned to her car, pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Mrs. Parker's house.