Chapter 4
The next morning, Gary awoke with wracking chills and a painful cough. He gathered his comforter around him as he unsteadily made his way to the door.
"Please let there be nothing in the paper," he mumbled as he bent to pick up the Sun-Times. He retreated back to his warm bed, hoping his prayer would come true. Gary was shaking so hard from chills that it was a few moments before he could hold the paper steady enough to read it. When he did, he swore softly.
"Woman Found Murdered in Parking Garage" read the headline. According to the article in the paper, the police were estimating from the time on the parking slip still on the dashboard, that the murder had happened around nine-thirty A.M. The woman's body had been found in an empty corner on the third level.
Gary pulled the comforter more tightly around him while he debated what to do. It just figured he'd get sick when no one was around to cover for him, he thought, rubbing the heel of his hand against his forehead in a futile effort to alleviate his fierce headache. He checked the rest of the paper, relieved to find nothing major that needed him. There were a few minor incidents that under normal circumstances he would have prevented, but Gary hoped that whoever or whatever sent him the paper would understand if he let them slide today.
"Listen lady, I'm telling ya that there's a woman up on the third floor that's gonna be in trouble unless you call the police right now!"
"Oh yeah? How do you know? You going to do something to her?" The cashier snapped her gum and rolled her eyes.
"No! No, I'm not gonna do-listen, would ya just make the call?" Gary leaned one shoulder against the booth for support as his stomach felt suddenly queasy.
The woman shook her head, "Sorry. Can't do that until security checks it out first." She seemed unconcerned as she made change for a car that was exiting.
"Fine! Call security, then get the cops on the phone, all right?" Gary sighed, and turned his back slightly away from the cashier as he checked the story in the paper.
"Dammit!" Nothing had changed except that the victim's body had been found a few minutes earlier. He turned back to the cashier, angry to find her chatting happily with a customer as she took the parking stub and rang up the man's total.
Gary rapped on the glass, "Hey!", he nodded towards the phone, "How about making that call to security?"
"I'll get to it just as soon as I ring these cars up."
Gary looked back at the line of cars waiting to exit, his eyes widened with incredulity, "But...but there are at least five cars in line!"
The cashier flashed him an annoyed look, and kept right on doing her job.
Not willing to waste any more time, Gary took off in a sprint for the nearest elevator. He waited for the elevator to come down to his floor, his breathing coming in rapid pants,. He thought about taking the steps, but sharp pains in his right side every time he took a breath short-circuited that idea.
Finally, it arrived and Gary entered, punching the button for the third floor and leaning heavily back against the wall in an attempt to catch his breath.
The doors slid open, and Gary stepped out, his body tense, senses alert. He rounded the corner of the elevator bank, eyes scanning the dimly lit parking level.
About sixty feet away, he spotted a woman and man standing near a car. He almost dismissed them as possible victim and murderer because the woman wasn't screaming and the man appeared to be smiling, but something about the way the woman was standing made him take a second look, and he started walking in their direction.
The woman was clutching a briefcase and was shaking her head no as she glanced at her watch. The man said something to her, and he reached out and touched her hand, a wide smile on his face. The woman seemed to come to a decision and hesitantly started to walk away from the elevators and Gary.
Maybe it was the man's too wide smile, or the woman's hesitation, whatever it was, suddenly Gary was certain that the man was the murderer, and the woman was the would-be victim.
"Hey, wait!" he called, his voice echoing in the cavernous garage.
The man ignored him, but the woman stopped and turned, her expression one of puzzlement. The man must have said something to her, because she turned back to him and took a few steps in his direction.
Gary began jogging, one hand clutching his side. "Hey lady!", he gasped out when he had crossed half the distance to her, "Don't go with that guy! He's gonna hurt you if you do!"
The woman stopped in her tracks and started to back away from the man. His formerly benign grin twisted into a snarl as he made a grab for the woman. She swung her briefcase at him, catching him in the shoulder and knocking him off balance. The woman then took off towards Gary, an expression of pure terror on her face.
The man started to follow, but apparently didn't like the odds of two against one, and ran in the other direction and jumped into a car.
Just as the woman reached Gary, the elevator doors opened and two security officers stepped out. It seemed the cashier had finally called them after all. The terrorized expression on the woman's face spurred the officers to action as they rushed up to Gary, knocking him to the ground.
"Hey! I didn't do anything!" Gary protested. He grunted as a knee ground into the middle of his back.
"Stop!" the woman shouted. "He's telling the truth."
"Are you sure, lady?" One of the officers asked, reluctant to release Gary.
"Yes, I'm sure." The woman stated, letting out a shaky breath. The sound of squealing tires made them look up as black sports car tore through the garage and raced down the ramp.
"That's him!" The woman shouted and pointed.
One of the security guards grabbed his radio speaking rapidly into it, while the other sprinted for the steps.
Gary gingerly sat up, rubbing the dirt and grease from the pavement off the side of his face.
"Thank you."
Gary glanced up, "You're welcome."
The woman offered a hand, which Gary took gratefully as he pulled himself to his feet, swaying slightly.
"I feel so stupid," the woman said. She shook her head in disgust, "I should've known better. I knew something wasn't right about the situation, but he said that his car wouldn't start and his daughter was in it sleeping. He asked me to just keep an eye on her while he went to call a tow-truck."
She took a tissue out of her jacket and handed it to Gary, indicating a spot he had missed on his cheek. "It's just that he seemed so nice," she continued. "He told me how his daughter just loved going to pre-school, but that today she hadn't felt well and he was on his way to the pediatrician."
She paused for a moment, as though lost in thought. "He tried to make me feel guilty. When I told him that I was late for an appointment, he sort of rolled his eyes and said, 'Oh, a career woman. Sorry to bother you.' I should have trusted my instincts."
Gary was trying to listen to her, but it seemed like the room had begun to spin. He shook his head trying to clear it.
"Are you okay?"
Gary started to answer, but suddenly darkness closed over him.
