Sending up Shoots - Part VII

The gun butt felt smooth and warm cradled in John's hand. It was hidden in his trousers pocket, but his sweaty palm held it nervously as he waited at the usual train Central Park North station.

It had been three months since she'd left. Once she realized that money was disappearing from their account, no amount of pleading could dissuade her from leaving. John didn't blame her in the least. In her position, he may have left, too. He couldn't tell her the truth. That would only have pushed her out the door more quickly. But two weeks of his cryptic explanations didn't help either. She was gone and he'd received the papers in the mail just yesterday.

It commenced the morning after his epiphany concerning Tony. It was a Saturday, early, and she'd just gotten up to make some fresh orange juice and toast. It was their favorite and they shared it almost every weekend.

John was still lying in the bed when he heard her say his name softly.

"John?"

"Yes, sweetie?" he replied, turning the pillow over beneath his head, unaware of the bomb that was soon to hit his world.

"I think someone's getting into our bank account."

His heart beat wildly and his hand shook as he turned over in bed and tried to feign unconcern.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice shaking only slightly.

There was a short pause, silence, while she looked harder at the computer screen. John began to breathe more heavily. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

He heard her walking into the bedroom, her pink, fluffy slippers slapping lightly on the hardwood floor. His mind raced out of control. He turned his back to her so he could pretend to be asleep. But the question came anyway.

"John, what have you been buying? All of these withdrawals have your name on them."

There it was. Waterloo. The demon he'd been waiting for all these years. Finally his horrible secret had sent up the diabolic shoots that would utterly destroy his marriage. He'd been required to pay an inexorable price for his deception.

Today, Tony would reimburse him.

John rubbed his chin with his other hand as the 4:01 train whistled by on its way to West 96th Street. The subway stations always smelled like the inside of someone's toilet. "How fitting to be meeting Tony in such a cesspool," he thought.

As the breeze from the train subsided, the familiar guttural voice echoed in John's ears.

"Nithe to thee you on time, Johnny-cakth," it said.

Turning only slightly so as to hide the fact that he was packing, John looked at the source of the voice over his shoulder and shivered. Tony was dressed in his usual dirty black jeans and flannel shirt, but this time a beat-up, old overcoat hid most of his imposing frame. The slime-green eyes shown wickedly in the florescent light.

"You got the money?" he asked, smiling broadly, showing cavity-ridden teeth he obviously never brushed.

John closed his eyes. Squeezing the gun butt even more firmly, he started to pull it from his pocket. He extended his finger and placed it gently on the trigger.

Opening his eyes he looked around the station. There was no one in sight. They were alone. It could be done now and no one would know.

"Don't make me athk again, Johnny," Tony said. "You got the money?"

John could feel his hand shake as the adrenaline coursed freely through is veins.

"Kill him!"

The sound echoed in his brain and seared his conscience like a branding iron.

"Kill him!!"

It shouted even louder.

"KILL HIM!!!"

John looked at Tony and knew he'd never be free of him. He would continue to demand money every month until one of them was dead.

But John also knew that he was not a killer. Releasing his grip on the pistol he reached in his coat pocket and retrieved the wad of bills.

Looking at it forlornly in his still shaking palm, John handed it over to Tony.

"That'th a good boy, Johnny" said the villain. "I heard she left you. Mutht be tough being alone, eh Johnny-boy?"

The sound of those words plucked John's last nerve and almost forced his hand back into his pocket.

"Don't bring her into this!" he demanded, gripping the handle and pulling it halfway out. "Don't you ever bring her into this!"

Tony smiled and shoved the money deep inside his overcoat. "Nice day officer!" he said.

John reflexively jammed the pistol back into his pocket, as deep as it would go. He turned his head toward the tracks and waved at one of New York's finest who was walking his beat. "Afternoon, officer," he said, waving nervously with his free hand.

"You're lucky this time, Tony!" he said softly, only to find that Tony was already ten feet away.

"You thay thomething, Johnny?" Tony asked, turning to face the visibly shaken John.

John shook his head. "No," he said limply, looking at the disgusting floor.

"I didn't think tho," Tony replied, as he turned and went up the stairs.

Coming soon - Part VIII

Sending up Shoots - Part VI

"I've got to pick someone up at the airport," he said. "You want to come with?" Elizabeth nodded enthusiastically. "Sure," she said. "I can even get us a better parking spot." "Really?" he said. "You can do that?" "Hey, baby," she replied, smiling broadly. "I'm a Customs Agent. I can park just about wherever I want." He shook his head and laughed. "I didn't know you were such a big shot." Elizabeth blew on her fingernails and rubbed them on her shoulder in mock pride. "Oh, yea! I'm Miss Important!" "Well, you are to me," he said, putting his arm around her, pulling her close and kissing her on the cheek. "You are to me." Arriving at the Honolulu airport Elizabeth parked in one of the reserved Customs parking slots next to the main terminal. It was her usual spot, though she was a little surprised that it was empty on her day off. She had always thought that Scott parked there when she wasn't around. "Is this close enough?" she asked. She looked over at him in the passenger seat and lost her breath once again. It happened whenever she looked at him and caught him directly in the eye. He was so gorgeous. She let out an almost unnoticeable sigh as he exclaimed "Are you kidding? Makes me wish I was an agent or something so I could park this close. I always have to park so far away and lug my bags all over creation. This is great!" Elizabeth turned the car off and removed the key. Opening her door she said, "You never did tell me. Who are we picking up here, anyway?" He took a step out of the car and looked at her over the roof. "Oh, just my old college buddy," he replied, shutting his door. He walked toward the back of the Altima and straightened his sunglasses. "His name is Jax and we were frat brothers back in college. He's going to attend some conference over to the University. He'll be pretty busy while he's here, so this is really the only chance I'll get to see him." "Awfully nice of you to come pick him up," said Elizabeth as she walked through the door he held open for her. "You've only been back on the island two days yourself." "I know," he replied, "but Jax was my best friend and I haven't seen him for about five, six years. When I heard he was coming I knew I had to see him." Walking into the second floor lobby, Elizabeth said hello to Sam, the HPD cop who always seemed to be standing near the overseas terminal. "Waiting for Polly again, Sam?" she asked, amusingly. Sam smiled and pointed down toward where Polly worked. Sure enough, she was walking down the concourse, dressed in her traditional Hawaiian muu muu and lei. "Hi, Bethy," she said, smiling broadly. "Busman's holiday?" Elizabeth smiled. "Yea, just call me Ralph Kramden today," she said, laughing heartily. "I should learn to stay away from here on my days off." Polly giggled as Sam grabbed her and gave her a hug. "And so, that must make you Ed Norton, right?" she asked, sticking her hand out toward him, her eyes twinkling. Elizabeth looked at him shyly and realized that these were the first friends who'd met him. Red-faced and feeling like a 9-year old school girl admitting for the first time that she liked boys, she introduced him to the engaging couple. Polly grabbed his hand with both of hers and shook it enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you," she said, enraptured. Sam just waved weakly and exclaimed "Hey, any friend of Elizabeth's!" "Nice to meet you all, too," he replied, smiling broadly. Polly giggled and looked at Elizabeth with those same school-girl eyes. No words were spoken, but Elizabeth could tell that Polly was smitten as well. "We should probably go, sweetheart," he said, pointing to his watch. "Don't want to miss Jax." Elizabeth looked at him and shook her head. "Oh, right. Yea, we've got to go," she replied. Waving her hand and walking toward the gates she turned her head and said, "See you guys tomorrow!" Walking down the concourse he grabbed her hand. He squeezed it gently and looked at her with one eye. "Bethy?" he said, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips. Elizabeth squeezed his hand and chuckled. "Watch it, bub," she said, pointing at him with the index finger of her other hand. "That's for Polly only." Coming soon - Part VII -------------

Sending up Shoots - Part V

John laid in the coal black stillness of the night and listened to her sleeping. He'd discovered that when he kept deathly still he could feel the bed move ever so slightly under her deep, REM breathing. For countless nights he'd lain next to her, wishing the whole association with Tony was over and praying for sleep to come take him. But it was far from over and sleep was always most elusive. On those rare nights when sleep wasn't so shy, she'd invariably wake him with a careful nudge in the back. "You're grinding your teeth again," she'd say sweetly. "What's wrong?" Turning towards her he'd brush it off as stress at the office, but he was beginning to wonder how long she'd buy it. She was an intelligent woman, Rutgers-educated, and sooner or later she was going to figure out there was something else. He'd always loved his job. Working for Bob had been a pleasure. Why would there all of a sudden be so much tension that he awoke with sore hands from the clenching? It just didn't make sense. Bob had noticed the change in him, too. John had been working on a project he really enjoyed, but now his work looked almost as if he had no professional training whatsoever. They'd talked about it in the privacy of the large conference room, but again John passed it off as not getting any sleep at night. He even blamed her for snoring too loudly. He could think of nothing else. The chains of guilt racked his conscience day and night. There seemed to be no way out, as if he were trapped in a never-ending maze. Every time he thought he'd reached an exit, Tony's ugly face greeted him with a canine snarl. Having thought about it for weeks, John had decided that there was only one way out. He would have to keep paying Tony, month after month, year after year. Some time soon, though, their bank account was going to run dry. She was bound to notice that there was a lot of money missing the next time she balanced the checkbook. And when the well did dry up, Tony would be a piece of goose down on the doorstep of everyone he knew and loved. The slightest breeze would send the secret all over town. John shook his head. "That won't work," he mouthed to himself. "There's got to be another way." Slowly, John's eyes focused on the sliver of light coming through the curtains from the all-night diner across the street. He thought of all the wonderful times he'd spent with her: their first date, their trips to the Adirondacks, surfing on Hawaii's north shore. It was the most wonderful life anyone had ever lived. But if she was to find out, it would all be over. Suddenly a new thought poured into his mind like water into a cup. His eyes widened and he felt himself wretch. "No," he said, almost too loud. Shaking his head and closing his eyes, the words "I can't" escaped his trembling lips. Stirring slightly, she turned toward him and whispered, "You can't what?" John held his breath and pretended to be waking up. Taking a long breath to help him gather his thoughts, he said "What?", fake-yawning halfway through. "Did you say something?" she responded, pulling the covers up over her silky shoulders. "I didn't say anything, sweetie. You must have been dreaming." John hated lying to her, but in this case, he thought, maybe it was for the best. What she didn't know would surely not hurt her. "Ok," she said and turning back on her left side fell quickly back to sleep. John pushed at the air above him as if he could push the thought away. But it kept coming back, hour after hour. Finally, just before daybreak, he opened his eyes to the frightening truth. Tony was the only one in the world who knew about the awful truth he wanted so desperately to keep hidden. There was only one way out. And now John knew it. Tony had to be eliminated. Coming soon - Part VI