Disclaimers: Chapters 1

Dreaming

in the

Pit

By Everett Deane

Synopsis: An urban tale of Karima Jenkins, a female ex-criminal who clashes with her tenant Sienna Joffe, a dedicated public school teacher who is instrumental in helping Karima to resist the “pull” of Sincere, a man who has returned from the dead to reclaim his most treasured acolyte, Karima.

The Chapter Opening Quotes: At the start of each chapter are what I call “borrowed seeds” which sprang from essays, performances, novels, poems, TV shows, films and songs I've bumped into along the journey of the characters of DITP. These “borrowed seeds” inspired the weaving of this story. However, I don't own them, only borrowed them and have tried to concisely give an accounting of their original source(s). If your curiosity has been provoked, I encourage you to explore them at your leisure.

Chapter Eight

Did you have to go to jail? Put your house up for sale? Did you get a good lawyer?

And did you have to pay that fine, that you been dodging all the time? Are you still busy?

Since I've come home... well my body's been a mess and I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress... Won't you come over... stop makin' a fool outta me!

Why don't you come on over Valerie? Valerie! Valerie.

Amy Winehouse, Lyrics to song: Valerie

...I know my questions are only one in a gazillion

Ain't no unique dilemma left.

But I gotta ask you anyway...

Was your first mistake, your worst mistake?

And can you help me fix mine?

...Unless you're a sucker for punishment

I got some advice...

Don't look down

Chocolate Genius, Lyrics to song: Don't Look Down

"The only thing better than a cow is a human,... unless you really need milk, then you'll want a cow."

-Dr. Bishop on Fringe

Sienna's anxiety traveled beyond merely being afraid. She was cold, naked and petrified. With tightly closed eyes, Sienna wondered if perhaps her mounting fear was due to the sounds of the toilet gurgling or the trapped air moving in rusty pipes behind the smooth beige tiled walls. Or maybe it was the rapidly dimming blue light of the cell phone that Karima gave her. Its screen light only illuminated the one corner of tub and shower stall where she stuffed her naked body into a tightly crotched lump. Sienna opened her blood shot eyes taking note that the dimmed light spread across the titled floor through the shower stall and painted the bathroom walls in shades of bluish grey and navy black. She took halting, shallow breaths, slowly, silently rocking back and forth, nervously willing her body not to betray her location through any sounds.

Her nervous gaze darted about the dark bath room. Her fear galloped in corral of loops, cantering faster and frantic. Her nerves were pulled taunt at the point of popping and she hiccupped a silent giggle at her situation. It definitely was a sense of self-preservation not the white noise of the bathroom that fueled her fears.

It's was too dark , she thought. But there was no way she would turn on the bathroom light. Maybe she could hide in this darkness, slip inside it and disappear to safety , she hoped. But she realized the dark was as frightening as whatever was outside the bath room door. She stared at the dimly lit closed bath room door. In the dark, the bath room door seemed to move, to throb. She quickly closed her eyes.

Behind closed eyelids she saw Peggy. The vibrant, sexy, laughing full of life Peggy, a woman of considerable fullness pulled from her memories. Rich sacred memories that quickly morphed into the last iteration of Peggy she saw. A wrong, incomplete version of Peggy– a dead Peggy.

Crossing the lip of eyelids, were more tears over more tears and the wrong Peggy morphed into annoyed Karima,then into surprised and bewildered Karima. Sienna gasped for hope that one of those Karima's was coming to her rescue. If Karima was coming she just knew she had nothing to fear. Nothing to fear as long as she remind quiet as a grave. She shuddered as she realized not even the prospect of another heroic act by Karima was lessening her falling into absolute terror.

Then the flashing low battery light indicated the cell phone battery was low. Perspiration dripped down her back. Although it itched she was reluctant to scratch, reluctant to move. Movement makes sound. Sound is dangerous , her thought staccato and reptilian. Perhaps it was the pipes moaning behind the tile walls. These sounds could pin point her location or worse be the foreshadowing of a pipe bursting, she illogical deduced. Then the person outside would find her. Then there would be a wrong version of herself– a dead Sienna.

With a tight swallow Sienna realized her hungry apprehension was due to none of those things. It was being fed by something else.

She realized it was the darkness which clung to the corners of the bathroom that fed her fear, the inky black void of the bathroom where the blue cell phone light was too weak to penetrate. That opaque obsidian milk which surrounded her, threatening to swallow her whole once the cell phone light goes out. Defying all rational thought, Sienna feared this darkness as she tightly closed her eyes to control her tears trying desperately not to make a sound revealing her presence. It was the unknown in the dark shadows that frightened her more than the prospect that someone dangerous was still in the apartment. A violent peril which ripped Peggy from her. Sienna cried as she remembered how Peggy looked pinned to the bed. Peggy's beautiful face with eyes opened in eternal shock. Her arms and legs spread eagle, pinned...

Sienna violently shook her head to remove the disturbing vivid memories. She cried almost bone dry tears having exhausted all the moisture her tear ducts could spend.

Please hurry. She prayed silently. She looked down at the flashing cell phone light and didn't know how long she would be able to hold back how deeply she'd descend into a madness of denial, once she was enveloped completely in thick blackness. She painfully swallowed over a growing lump in the back of her dry throat.

Karima! Please hurry! Sienna silently prayed. She thought about Karima, smiling weakly over the notion that she had called a killer to save her from a killer – who may still be in Peggy's apartment. She didn't want to think any more about what happens next if the killer outside found her before Karima reached her. With that single thought her fear ratcheted up a notch. She then realized beyond the darkness, the foundation of her fear lied in what happens next.

Her heart pounded against her chest begging to escape. Her hands begin shake. She closed her eyes shut, willing Karima to save her yet again.

A faint noise.

Sienna opened her blood shot eyes and stared at the locked bathroom door. Her ears straining to hear the sound again. Was that Karima? Should I call out to her? What if it isn't her? What if...? These questions ricocheted around Sienna's skull firing in all directions at once rendering her immobile. She listened intensely focused on any sound that arose from beyond the closed bathroom door. For an agonizing series of moments, one after the other, the silence was deafening until she heard the noise again. Something dull and heavy, muffled and softer, as though the source of the noise was moving farther away.

She hiccuped in staccato gasps as she deduced, Whoever killed Peggy was still here! Breathing heavily Sienna clutches the cell phone, keeping its blue light close to her face while it's rapidly blinks on and off. She prays that the light last long enough until Karima get to her. She prays the person outside the bathroom door is Karima. The sounds outside the closed bath room door stop as Sienna's breathing evens out.

And then the cell phone light shut off. Sienna stuffed it and her hands in her open mouth to trap the scream standing at the base of her tongue. A scream scraping it's nails against knuckles, metal and teeth to get out.

– – –

Karima waited at the red light, as she eyed a city traffic officer in her right sideview mirror slowly making his way down the oneway block checking the registration stickers in the windshields of parked cars and writing tickets. The traffic cop stopped by each parked car with meticulous care. Karima's foot released the brake as soon as the light turned green and she turned the wheel slowly driving the car past numerous empty parking spots alongside a curbside in front of a nail salon, a health food store and a laundromat on Sixth Avenue. She parked at the end of the block in front of the empty laundromat. She got out of the recently “borrowed” sedan.

Directly across the street from where Karima parked was the Aqua Grill II, an upscale seafood restaurant and a Bloomer's, the showroom of preowned luxury cars and motorcycles next to the Hampton Gardens luxury apartment residence. On the ground level of the residential building was commercial property that housed Eve's, an organic day spa. Karima glanced at the building as she crossed the street walking towards it. It was a massive twenty-two story modern build of tinted glass and stone, that faced the westside of the city block.

Out in front of the luxury high rise was the doorman wearing white gloves, dressed in a long red coat and matching red with a black patent leather brim captain's cap hailing a taxi with a loud whistle for an elderly male tenant from the building. The lobby of the building was surrounding in glass, where two security guards waited behind a posh guard station with a shelf filled with waiting parcels behind them. Some residents entering had to approach the guard station as they swiped a card through a turnstile separating the main lobby from a bank of elevators.

Too many eyeballs. Karima thought. As she walked across the street towards the restaurant. She noticed a young fashionable couple getting out of a late model luxury SUV parked in the alley behind the restaurant. The man took out a smartphone that rang out loud out Soul Bossa Nova by Quincey Jones. He answered the call while his companion shimmied back and forth to the cell phone music.

Sienna watched him as he studied his beloved cell phone then looked up when he notice a group of ten people in front of the restaurant waving at him and his female companion. As the group greeted and hugged, each other Karima made a beeline towards them as she finished crossing the street. She darted through the small crowd of people accidentally bumping into a few of them and made her way along the length of the street.

Behind the building, facing the next city block east was an even taller structure under construction. Looking up Karima smiled as she looked at a glorious mess of exposed steel beams and concrete slabs seemingly growing out of a dark pit of mud and gravel. Karima thought the residents of the luxury high-rise were probably pissed that their breathtaking million dollar views of the city were soon going to vanish.

Karima walked toward the marvelous work in progress. She smirked to herself as she discretely snatched a hardhat and some discarded work gloves from behind the board which had numerous city permits and building code placards displayed. She put these items on and grabbed an unopened sack of compound mix, hefting it onto her shoulder as she moved through the worksite unnoticed. She unloaded the sack of compound mix on top of a stack of compound sacks against a weight bearing wall that was in place. Next to this wall was a construction lift. It was a typical looking open metal cage commonly seen on construction sites. The lift took her to the twentieth floor of the constructed building frame. She looked across the way to the Hampton Gardens luxury apartment residence.

The partially completed floors above the twentieth floor were still undergoing construction. Karima noticed there was no clear path to gain access to the penthouse of the adjacent building as she walked across the narrow steel beams twenty stories above the ground. She gazed down to the street twenty floors below taking note of the current height. Karima never had problems dealing with height issues but she made the conscious thought of removing any “testing of gravity” off her “to do list”. She looked about and noticed that she could run and jump to the terraces of the Hampton Gardens on the twentieth floor and if she missed, which was a definite outcome, her attempt could end up on the eighteenth floor terrace of the Hampton Gardens. She'd probably be maimed for life but she'd get there. Maimed, however was not an option , she concluded. Determined, she knew she needed to get to the penthouse and the only logical way to get there relatively unharmed would be from above, she thought as she look up to the sky for inspiration.

Karima frowned. The wind here is strong but up there it's gonna be insane , Karima thought in conversation with herself. I can do insane. Done it before on a regular basis. Been a while but this is a good test to see if I'll be up to dealing with Sincere . She mused silently. She scanned the area. A few burly construction workers were busy wielding. A pigeon perched nearby eyed her suspiciously. Could I borrow those wings ? She asked the bird silently. The Pigeon cooed, it neck bobbing back and forth as it kept it gaze on Karima, as though she were the world notorious wing thief. Then it took off in flight.

There was still a considerable distance between the luxury residence and the construction site no matter how much of a running start she got. Then to do it without being seen. She rolled her eyes in disgust. She scanned the work area looking for opportunity to present itself. Opportunity was such an attention whore. Needing to be fashionable late to just about everything , Karima thought wryly.

The sun would be setting soon. She concluded. That meant work on this site was going to end soon. She realized that she needed to get her pan in motion or her presence lingering around was going to be obvious.

Familiar with construction site layouts, Karima was looking for supporting beams whose sole purpose was for supporting the additional floors to be added. She wondered how tall this building was going to be when it was finished. Then opportunity, fashionable late, arrived.

Karima noticed the construction crane discretely towering ten more stories above the construction site on the other side of the building structure. A crane looming up to the darkening blue sky, with no one using it or standing close to it. I would have fired this site's manager if this was my company. These cranes ain't cheap to rent on the clock so it standing here empty is like bleeding money. Karima mused. She smirked as she remembered one of Sincere's many lectures about capitalizing on the stupidity and inattentiveness of others. Many times she got her job done because someone didn't do theirs.

Karima climbed, and climbed and climbed up the ridiculously tall ladder to reach the top of the crane. The wind made her slow but steady ascent erratic. At the top of the crane it swayed back and forth a great deal in the wind. Karima braced herself so as not to be blown off the crane. She carefully and deliberately made it step by step along the narrow wooden platform to the edge of the crane where it ended a bit short from the edge of the adjacent residence building.

Eyeballing the distance between the two buildings, Karima immediately realized that she was going to have to develop some sort of flying skill to traverse the wide gap. That pigeon was a selfish bastard. I woulda given those wings back. Karima pouted to herself. She looked over and could see the terrace of the penthouse apartment. A gentle breeze stirred up the leaves of the potted trees on the terrace. One of the glass doors to the terrace was slightly ajar. The curtains to the windows beside the glass doors were wide open giving a great view of the livingroom area of the penthouse. In the blink of her eyes, she saw a dark shadow move in that room. It was fast. Easily missed. But she saw it because she was trained to see things like that. She backed away from the edge of the crane's narrow upper platform towards the ladder leading back down to the twentieth floor.

She crotched down bending her knees and took a series of deep clarifying breathes. She felt the bellowing wind at her rounded back and smiled a knowing smile. When Sincere was hot, as in on a job, his guilty pleasure was munching a lot. If Sincere, who had a serious sweet tooth, wasn't careful all that munching was gonna end up around his mid-section. When Karima was hot, her guilty pleasure was music. She always prepared a personal soundtrack that she memorized for the job. She smirked as she realized immediately the song she found appropriate for her former tenant/client's current mis-adventure: Speedballin ' by Outkast. She nodded to the drum and bass line of music only she could hear.

She took off like a mad woman sprinting as though a demon was after her, racing along the narrow erratically swing platform, cutting a path through the strong head wind. Increasingly becoming a blur of thighs, legs and feet moving her once more towards the edge of the crane platform. Then... she jumped. She jumped because the demon wasn't behind her. The demon was still in that penthouse. The same penthouse where her annoying client, formerly known as the annoying tenant, was waiting for her to save her from said demon.

Eight seconds will have to be her longest wait , Karima thought as she hurled her body into the space between the two buildings.

– – –

The grisly remains of the dead body on the sidewalk were finally covered by one of the officers on scene with some tarp found on the construction site. A crowd of the curious gathered behind a flimsy yellow police tape. Yet no one was very helpful with any information about what happened , thought the rookie female police officer who first arrived on the scene. She and her taciturn training partner were responding to a call of ‘multiple shots fired' in a mixed commercial and residential area of the city currently undergoing an urban renewal.

When they got the call over the radio in the patrol car, the patrol woman in training was amped up on the ride to the site. Finally something to redeem myself, she thought excitedly. After the mishap of the tactical sniper rifle being stolen from the trunk of her assigned patrol car, the rest of the day dragged on heavy with regret and self pity. When on she was duty at the arson incident earlier, she was too numb from the verbal reprimand by her supervising partner to be of any policing use, so she was immediately assigned to maintain the police barrier separating emergency crews from the growing throngs of spectators.

As the first responder to THIS shooting crime scene, her policing instinct sprung free from its tight confinement of professional embarrassment. She took note of the mangled body with half its face shot off on the ground in front of a construction company trailer. He looked Asian but she didn't recognize him. There was another bullet ridden dead body laying in the open doorway of said trailer. Then yet other body in the middle of the street, laying facedown, a few yards away. They were all Asian, Chinese or Korean. She could admit to herself she found it difficult to distinguish the two cultures from each other. Japanese and Thai people she could distinguish with ease.

She wondered if this was some sort of Asian gang retaliation. She didn't recall any mention of the rumors of gang activity during roll call for the past few weeks. Yet the dead seemed to be members of some sort of criminal element. F rom the expensive clothes, high quality leather foot wear, and the expensive watches, these elements suggested stuff gotten through illegal gain, especially here , she thought as she glance around the low income working class neighborhood. The female rookie was surprised that the shoes, jewelry, and guns were STILL present to be catalogued into evidence. Criminal element in this hood apparently had too much respect, fear or a bit of both to pilfer these tempting trophies , she thought. Her inner detective, a career ambition that drove her everyday to get up and go to work, came out immediately wanting to know who did this and why as she stared at the three dead bodies sprawled out in front and inside a construction trailer pierced with many bullet holes.

The rookie officer's training partner stared over at her as she took copious notes. He had to admonish her to “dial her enthusiasm down a notch” to focus on securing the crime scene for evidence and most importantly to make sure the assailant wasn't still out taking pop shots from a distance. Cops in uniform make too temping of targets , was his common statement to her. He wanted to drill some hard truths into this over eager rookie. The diminutive veteran patrolman could not understand why so many young women wanted this job – making a living putting your body on the line for ungrateful citizens that didn't give a damn about you but expected you to give a damn about their insignificant lives , pissed him off every evening, driving him straight to any bar where the drinks were plentiful and cheap.

Then there were the days like this one was becoming. A day of wading up to your waist in human misery, violence and the resulting tragedy. Three more people not going home to their families. Not going home over some bullshit , he mused. He saw how hard working the street made a man. You have to be hard or you'll never survive out here. But women should always be soft not hard. A woman's softness reminds ya of how things could be, forgetting how things really were. That was more important than being a cop. But some women ain't got men to be soft for and them bills still gotta be paid. He thought as he understood that truth too.

The female rookie did her task by the numbers, searching the perimeter for the assailant or assailants, then calling in the report on the numerous bullet ridden bodies they discovered. She wasn't surprised they found no one. She reviewed the information about the construction company from the paper work left behind discovering who owned the trailer and she jotted that information down in her note book thick with notes. Later she was assigned to guard over the covered bodies to preserve any evidence that may be left. When more units arrived, she took on the work of asking questions of potential witnesses she knew in her gut would give no concrete answers.

No one knew who these men were.

No one saw anything.

No one heard anything. Especially when it looked like an urban world war three erupted on a tight city block in the late afternoon. She found tarp on site using it to cover all the bodies to preserve them for the ME and to dissuade curious on-lookers from hanging around.

She grimaced when she was assigned to keep the curious behind the yellow ‘Do Not Cross' police tape. She wanted to continue canvassing the area for evidence. When she picked up those spent cartridges she was amazed at the large caliber. She thought, It kinda looked like the sort of ammunition used in... Naw it couldn't be! Highly unlikely , she immediately concluded to quiet her growing concern. Standing hands akimbo, she shifted her weight, feeling the comfort of the service revolver hanging off her left hip, wiggled her stiff toes in her black combat boots and half listened to the empty macho banter behind her yielding no clues to what actually happened. She watched with great interest as the detectives finally arrived, followed closely by some team from the medical examiner's office.

Detective Harper kneeled down near the body, pulling back the tarp. She frowned when she immediately recognized Bing. What was left of Bing's head. She clenched her stomach in response to the profound kick seeing Bing's dead body gave it. Her face fell into profound sadness. She was surprised that she felt sad for a man she didn't care for. When he was alive, he despised her with zeal when he couldn't use her.

Then she realized it wasn't Bing himself who provoked her sympathy. She felt sad for Troy. She shook off the discomfort of the shock and carefully scanned his body. She noticed residual powder on his right hand, bruises on the part of his face still intact. The gun he used was still at his side with the evidence placard next to it. She donned gloves and peeked under his shirt noticing some bruising on his torso. She looked at his face on the intact side the nose looked like it was broken. Was that before he was shot? She wondered. She would let the ME confirm the cause of the bruises. She looked up as Detective Richardson walked towards her.

“Ouch that looks painful. So the dick-head got it in the end, doesn't it? Not surprised though. I wanted to shoot him when we first met the little weasel.” Detective Richardson mused as he looked down at the body.

“You want to shoot everyone you meet. I'm almost certain you have a bullet just for me.” Detective Harper quipped back with a smile.

“Only during that special time of the month.” Detective Richardson winked.

“Love you too Detective. How about you tell me something that a blind man couldn't?” Detective Harper challenged.

Detective Richardson narrowed his gaze at his know-it-all, overly confident partner. He looked down her chest. From his vantage point, he could see her cleavage as she looked up at him from her crouch over Bing's dead body. She had a nice bust and a decent ass but she never let him forget she seemed to know more, observed more, deduced more than he ever could and that pissed him off. He reluctantly moved his gaze from her chest to the dead body on the ground.

“With half his face gone neither he or those other two unfortunate bastards gonna resurrect any time soon.” Detective Richardson deduced.

“According to the prelims from the first officers on the scene all shots came from across the street. Looking at the bullet hole angles in that trailer over there I'd say the shots came from above ground across the street. A Sniper.” Detective Harper deduced as she placed the tarp back over Bing's body covering him.

“Who the fuck did the head of the Lui Association piss off to warrant a sniper?” Detective Richardson queried.

“We will find out. That's what the city pays us to do, Detective. But I don't think this is the result of having pissed someone off. If this was personal there would be innocent casualties. This was surgical. This was... a business decision.” Detective Harper deduced has she stood. Her limbs stiff from crouching, she stretched out her thighs and lower back. Gotta get to the gym more regularly , she thought.

“So some other knuckleheads are eyeing Lui territory. I suppose getting Lui Junior outta the way is a sure fire way of opening up business opportunities. But the old man ain't gonna take this quiet, no matter how “retired” he is. This killing is the start of a gang war.” Was Detective Richardson vocalized hunch as they both walked to their sedan. He opened the driver's door and quickly got in. Detective Harper slipped in the passenger's side. She shut the car door then looked back over toward Bing's dead body.

Detective Richardson was happy they finally got a case that not only warranted their attention but if solved satisfactorily this case would be the lynchpin in his long overdue promotion. The Commissioner of Detectives Reede told him he needed one solid case to wipe away all the misconduct and reprimands on his record. He felt in the marrow of his bones this Lui assassination case was the one. Now all I have to do is convince my partner , he concluded silently.

“We gonna have to rattle the cage of some of the rivals of the Lui Family. Who's up first? The Jamaicans or the Koreans?” Detective Richardson asked as he started the engine, put the car in reverse to backup. He almost knocked into an officer who frowned at him. He shrugged into the rear view mirror put the car in drive and sped off.

Detective Harper sat quietly. Feeling the seatbelt pressed against her chest. She watched the city float by thinking deeply. Something didn't add up, she thought. The possibility of a sniper didn't sit well with her. The criminal element in the city seemed content to inflict pain on each other infrequently, only registering on the police radar when an innocent fell across their path. But a sniper... that was a different creature altogether , she mused. She heard her partner's question knowing from past cases the if this was a hit by a rival, the Albanians would be the first group to put under a microscope. She sighed and answered, “The Jamaicans are splintered with infighting. Not the Koreans. Any disruption to the Lui business would be a disruption to them. The Albanians. I'd look at them first.”

“Finally. We can farm off the subway assault and the arson case. They aren't really related. It's just a bad day all around for an unlucky bitch. Let give that one to Gardner and Harris. Albanians uh? We'll hit all their shops with uniforms. Shake their street for intel. Someone will give up the sniper. Then will get who paid him.” Detective Richardson smiled. He liked the way this was shaping up. The Albanians didn't roll over quick even if it was the police raining heat down all over them. The Albanians were a vicious bunch that like to hit back. He hoped a few of them he encountered WOULD pushed back. Detective Richardson smirked as he prayed for that kind of stupidity. Then he could beat a few of them into submission.

“There isn't much left on the subway assault. Got the voice message from the hospital the alleged prep didn't make it. As for the arson case there isn't much more to go on that one since we can't locate Ms. Joffe. Gardner and Harris can have it if Commissioner Reede okay's it. We should stop by his sister and let the family know.” Detective Harper offered.

“Whose sister?” Detective Richardson asked.

“Bing Lui was the twin brother of Troy Lui.” Detective Harper replied.

“What the fuck for? Let some uniforms swing by there. I ain't going back on some fruitless search for a “black male hitter” That bossy bitch was even more annoying than her dead brother.” Detective Richardson frowned, remembering how disrespectfully Troy Lui treated him at her worksite earlier.

“There was no love lost between those two. Her brother was killed literally inside her place of business. That trailer is the property of Empire Construction Company. Doesn't that seem a bit strange to you?” Detective Harper asked her partner. It was a puzzlement. However her real reason for wanting to speak to Troy was because she knew some of the twin's history and she wanted to be the one who broke the news to Troy. Regardless of the nonexistence of any cordiality between the two women, she wanted to soften the blow of the Bing's death.

“Who knows? It wouldn't surprise me if this asshole's sister got in bed with the Albanians as a power play move. If that turns out to be the case how's the old man gonna take it?” Detective Richardson asked.

“Don't know. But if that is the case, it's not gonna be pretty.” Detective Harper concluded. She didn't voice her opinion that Troy would probably be the last person who would want Bing's job considering what it cost her to leave it when she had it. Harper realized if she gave up that morsel of intel to her partner then he'd be closer to knowing the past connection she had with Troy. Richardson would be an insufferable, tunnel vision idiot, far worse than he was now, if he knew Troy and her were lovers, a long, long time ago.

– – –

It bewildered her that her heart was still beating, her breath low and shallow. Her body automatically was doing its survival thing while her soul died when the cell phone light went out. When Sienna's soul died she realized some salient truths about herself and her situation. As the darkness entombed her, Sienna realized Karima wasn't going to swoop in and save her like she did in the subway station. She realized that only happened because it was so unexpected. When Sienna expected something it never really came to pass. She remembered with crystal clarity why she never really had high expectations about anything. It was to protect her from crushing disappointment. She remembered many times when her brother disappointed her. Those times when he held onto a past hurt more than her need for him to just be her brother. How her parents had little time to attend to her when they were together and then had next to none when they separated.

Besides , she thought, how could Karima contact her with this dead cell phone she clutched tightly in her hand? Who was she that should be saved? Saved from what? From Peggy's deranged husband? Herself? She realized with clarity that Karima was right. Once Peggy's husband expressed his displeasure at her relationship with Peggy she should have respected his pain and not giving into her selfish lust. Karima would be right if she decides to cut her losses to deal with whatever she had to , Sienna realized knowing the enigmatic woman had abandoned her to the fate of her own making.

Sienna giggled irrationally as she realized the dead weight of the phone was a piss poor weapon in this situation but it was once effective when she throw one at her brother Richard a few years back. Richard was being, well himself, obtuse, arguably obstinate with a splash of unearned entitlement over the rocks of his malcontent. She then remembered the resulting bruise from the phone on his forehead. Sienna rarely resorted to violence in dealing with her thick headed brother but when her words couldn't get him to stop imposing his laser beam thick bigoted point of view in her direction, the cell phone did the job. She snickered irrationally that it took an instrument of communication used in a unique way to get her point across. The tiny giggles gave way to shaken tears as she realized she was reviewing her miserable life, the dysfunctional relationship with her brother and didn't find anything of merit there. There must be something wrong with me that so many people are trying to kill me , she thought.

Despair sat on her shoulders weighed down with the sense of lack of worth. Over more silent tears Sienna bemoaned having left that motley crew of criminals and thugs Karima had assigned to protect her voluntarily. She wondered if Peggy's husband had followed her after he burnt down the loft. Coming to meet Peggy may have been the act that endangered them both. She smiled slightly as she thought about her Peggy, her beautiful, sexy, vivacious Peggy, always elegantly dressed and all their erotic encounters. Then her thoughts plummeted to how she was killed– killed over petty jealousy.

Over tightly closed, red, green eyes, Sienna felt dead inside. It was then she realized she was defeated. It wasn't a jealous husband's rage festering outside the bathroom. It wasn't the dark surrounded her. It was her despair that got her in the end. The thought that Peggy's husband was out there waiting to do to her what he did to Peggy made numerous trips across Sienna's synapses. She could no longer bear the fear and the horrific images of Peggy's death pose. She wanted this all to end and she realized the best way to accomplish that. Defeated Sienna rose unsteadily on numb legs, her hands braced on the tiled wall behind her for support. She slowly climbed out of the tub. Shuffling, her gait uneven, she made her way to the locked bathroom door. She slowly, noiselessly unlocked it, her vision blurred by a river of tears. Her fingers were clumsy, unwilling to cooperate with her dark thoughts.

Sienna slowly open the door to confront violent oblivion at the hands of a wronged spouse and immediately fell into hard, dark arms. Dark arms wearing blue latex gloves, dark arms that prevented her fall to the floor. She looked up along the dark arms and found salvation in Karima's beautiful brown eyes.

– – –

Naked, Sienna sat on the floor her back pressed against the wall as she watched Karima moving quickly through the bedroom. She closed her eyes when Karima yanked out the metal rods pinning Peggy's leg and arms to the blood soaked bed. She heard the sickening suckage sound as the metal rods were being pulled out. The sound when the metal rods clanged against each other when Karima laid them length-wise on a large plastic sheet spread out on the floor. She tossed the blood soaked pillows on the same plastic sheet.

Karima rolled Peggy's body up in the bed linen securing the open ends with electrical duck tape to borrowed from the construction site. She knew eyes were on her so she did this work while trying to maintain some semblance of respect for the dead body. Those eyes had a connection with this body and she didn't want to provoke Sienna from her shock to disrupt the necessary tasks she had to complete. She lifted the wrapped body off the naked bed and onto the plastic tarp sheet. Wrapping the covered body tightly in the tarp sheet, once again she cut pieces of duck tape with her utility knife she swiped from the misplaced tool belt of a construction worker. She worked at her task quickly content to hear no complaints or questions from her client. Probably nothing to say considering it was kinda gruesome. Karima thought.

Her back tight and tired, Karima dragged the tightly wrapped body, into the livingroom. When she made the jump her first business was to neutralize the killer, if he was still on the scene. She search everywhere including the hallway just outside the penthouse apartment but she didn't find anyone but the dead body in the four room suite. She checked the closet space, the dining and kitchen area and the office before she checked the bedroom. She was surprised when she reached for the bathroom door for it to open and Sienna to fall out of it.

Once she settled Sienna and got out of her tight bear hug. She dragged the wrapped body near the balcony doors, carefully hidden from curious eyes with drawn curtains. She walked back to the bedroom. Sienna hadn't moved an itch. She would have to deal with THAT soon but there was a bit more clean up to do. The blood on the mattress wasn't extensive but it wasn't going to do any good to clean any of it off so she flipped the mattress over onto its clean side. She searched inside drawers and a closet shelf finding a clean set of pillows and clean bed linen. She quickly made up the bed. If anyone had noticed, Karima looked like any ordinary maid changing the bedlinen. She moved about the bedroom quickly and professionally, while Sienna's green eyes followed Karima closely.

Even though she planned to get rid of the body she didn't have enough time to thoroughly clean the entire apartment. Since this was a fresh kill Karima didn't worry too much about having a respirator to protect against airborne pathogens. With a pair of latex gloves and commonly found household cleaning solutions, she intended to do a quick disinfect and clean job. As she moved through the luxury apartment, she allowed her thoughts to consider what happened and the various whys.

This while affair looked like a set-up from the moment Karima landed on the balcony. Whoever killed Sienna's lover wanted to pin this shit on her with no alibi to protect her. Karima's plan would torpedo that scenario. This is a sloppy, crude frame up. Something a jealous murdering cop husband could do. But there was something about all this didn't feel right. Karima thought without the luxury to examine her concerns carefully.

If the police did get involved, Karima would have Corey bid for the crime cleanup job. Police departments don't allocate resources for crime cleanup, that was the responsibility of the renter or owner of a location of a violent crime and they usually had to hire out for the work to be done. Might as well get some cheddar off this , Karima concluded. She used a sponge to wipe down the bedroom and living room soaked in a diluted cold mix of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide she retrieved from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. When she was done she tested the areas she cleaned with some urine testing strips she always carried with her on cleanup jobs. Karima acquired the urine testing strips at a drug store. They tested for many things in urine but Sincere also taught her that they are also sensitive for detecting small amounts of blood. She then did a final wipe with some bleach.

Karima picked up the two tumblers with remnants of amber liquid tossing the contents down the sink drain when she reached the kitchen. She put the glassware with the others she found in the livingroom area in the dishwasher in the kitchen and turned it on. Back in the livingroom, she picked up the clothes thrown haphazardly on the floor in a trail leading towards the bedroom that she remembered what Sienna was wearing earlier in the day. She refuse to register a peculiar tightening of her stomach nor her growing annoyance. She deduced which of the clothes she gathered that belonged to the former occupant of the penthouse. She grabbed Peggy's clothes and undergarments and stuffing them into the hamper. If they were lucky the maid service just may clean up potential evidence. Karima returned to the bedroom and stooped down in front of Sienna to get her full attention. Sienna just blinked at her, her gaze innocent and bewildered.

“Did you go anywhere in this apartment other than the livingroom, this room and the bathroom?” Karima asked as if Sienna were mentally challenged.

Sienna slowly shook her head negatively. She cried surprised she had more tears.

Karima got up and grabbed the ammonia and hydrogen peroxide solution then went into the bathroom. She removed the shower drain cover and removed clumps of red hair and soap from the drain. She tossed that in the toilet. She sighed realizing every manner of Sienna's DNA was concentrated in this room with it fingerprint hungry surfaces. She spent time disinfecting and cleaning every surface. When she was done she tested the entire room with the urine testing strips, satisfied when no reaction occurred on them.

Karima re-entered the bedroom with the clothes she picked up draped over her arm. She was stopped in her track when she saw she Sienna was sitting naked on the floor, her back against the corner of the wall, her arms wrapped tightly around her raised knees, rocking slightly back and forth as her eyes stared up at the bed, as though it were looking for something but couldn't see it. Damn she finally broke , Karima thought. I don't have time for this shit! She sighed impatiently. Annoyed she dropped the clothes down onto the floor in front of Sienna.

“We gotta be like a ghost, school teacher, get dressed.” Karima commanded.

Sienna slowly switched her gaze from the edge of the bed to the tall black woman standing over her with her hands akimbo. She looked down at the small hill of fabric in front of her on the floor. She heard the words the tall woman spoke, registering them, but strung together like that made no sense to her. The tall woman seemed annoyed and disappointed with her. Did I do something wrong? Sienna wondered. She glanced at the edge of the bed again then back at the angry tall woman who pointed forcefully at the mound of fabric she dropped in front of her. She was afraid the tall woman would hurt her if she did not do what she wanted her to do. What did that mound of fabric have to do with anything ? She wondered.

Sienna was having difficulty finding the word or words that accurately described what the fabric on floor was but she remembered that they belong to her or did she belong to them? She couldn't figure out what was wrong and that scared her more than the angry tall black woman who seemed to need, no demand something from her. She open her mouth but that made her eyes leak. Leaking from her eyes made her moan softly in pain. Then she looked up into annoyed brown eyes, eyes that slowly disappeared behind long thick black lashes and light brown lids. When the brown eyes reappeared there was something new in them. There was something more ancient than the current moment of bewilderment and the chaotic hours that occurred before, something willing to yield. Something open, open just enough to take refuge in, so Sienna slowly released her right hand from around her knee and reached out for the refuge she found in those inquisitive brown eyes.

Karima sighed and lowered herself down to meet Sienna's eyesight. She took Sienna's outstretched hand into her own and slowly rose to standing, taking Sienna up with her. Sienna blinked as nimble hands threaded her arms through the straps of a curious thing that surrounded her chest. I know what this is. She thought. But frustratingly the term that defined it stayed hiding in the shadows of her mind. Karima stepped closer to her wrapping her arms around Sienna and began fastening the clasps of the chest support thingy. Karima was so close the her Sienna could smell her hair. It's odor made her stomach growl. Slowly she realized that odor of the taller woman's hair was of a fruit she liked, a lot. Peaches , she remembered with a smile. She laid her head upon Karima's chest as the taller one seemed overly preoccupied in getting her to step into a seemingly flimsy piece of fabric that tickled when the long string part disappeared between her buttocks cheeks. Sienna smiled again as the many vibrant and colorful words stored in her head began to quickly partner up with their corresponding meanings.

Karima gently but quickly pulled the camisole over Sienna's head, forcing herself not to notice how alluring the shell shocked woman looked standing there in her undergarments. Strange I can be so clinical when a body is naked but when it is covered just so... Karima let this trend of thought drift to focus on the job at hand.

With her arms stretched above her head to seemingly hug the ceiling and the night sky beyond it, the largest piece of fabric, my skirt , Sienna remembered, flowed softly down her body to rest upon her waist and end get above the knees she had held on so tightly for support, moments ago. She felt good with her clothes on once again. She felt better with Karima so close, so gently caring for her. When Karima stood up from helping her into her shoes, Sienna hugged her. She inhaled Karima's sweet smelling hair and her body scent that reminded Sienna of sandalwood. She drank in the smell of Karima. Karima gently pulled out of the embrace to complete Sienna's ensemble with the buttonless two hundred dollar designer blouse.

Sienna hugged Karima tightly again. Karima gently pushed her away.

“We have to bounce school teacher. You understand?” Karima asked. Sienna nodded but didn't move from the spot where she stood when Karima turned to leave the bedroom. She sighed taking Sienna by the hand and led the dressed Sienna to the livingroom. She was stopped again when Sienna stopped moving but wouldn't let go of Karima hand. Sienna stared at Karima as she turned to face her again with a mix of tears and puzzlement. She raised her hand to touch Karima's face. When her voice found her mouth she whispered, “You came.”

Karima handed Sienna a moist towelette to wipe her eyes and face. Sienna took it looking at it curiously in her hand when Karima took it back and gently wiped the tracks of tear stains off Sienna's cheek. Gently wiping her face clean. Sienna closed her eyes as she soaked in being taken cared of by the most unlikeliest of people, Karima. When Karima finished she balled up the used towelette stuffing it in her pants pocket to be discarded later.

Sienna looked around the bedroom searching for something that seemed to be missing, thinking, praying, it had all been a terrible nightmare.

“By the balcony. Okay? We gotta be Audi. Listen. I need you to do exactly as I say. Do not deviate from my instructions. If you do, I can't help you. Are we clear?” Karima asked very slowly. Sienna nodded yes.

“There is a video of you coming here so we need a video of you leaving. You were just visiting a friend and now you are leaving. Most important act like nothing is wrong. Leave same way you entered. Do not arrange any new sex escapades. Go down the block towards the seafood restaurant, the Aqua Grill. Turn the corner and go around back, in the alley, there is a dark SUV. The doors will be unlocked. Get in the SUV. Wait for me. I won't be long.” Karima instructed with a comforting smile.

She gently nudged a reluctant Sienna toward the entrance of the apartment avoiding the tightly wrapped body lying next to the balcony doors. Sienna left the apartment and disappeared into the elevator. Karima turned to do the job she knew Sienna would freak out about. Best she's not here then , Karima decided. She grabbed the wrapped body, dragged it onto the balcony.

It's finally dark now , she thought. She looked over the side of the balcony to the ground twenty floors below and she remembered there was an alley between the building under construction and the luxury residential high-rise. She was pleased with how tightly she wrapped the dead woman. Then she spoke to no one in particular, “Nothing personal Ms. Dead Lover but your corpus delecti is a bit problematic. But you being dead, this shouldn't hurt a bit.” Karima spoke aloud quickly as she hefted the dead weight up and over the balcony. The wrapped body flipped twice as it plummeted through the air to land with a dull thud in the alley below. A large dust cloud bellowed up to the second floor of the Hampton Gardens from the impact. The wrapped body remained tightly wrapped as its momentum rolled it to rest against the wood wall surrounding the construction site.

Karima looked about mischievously to see if anyone noticed or heard the noise. She didn't allow herself to feel the profound satisfaction it gave her to toss the body off the terrace. She didn't want to closely examine why this act satisfied her beyond the fruition of her plans. Fortunately, the city that never slept was too preoccupied with itself to register the dropping of a dead body from twenty-two stories.

Karima took out the smart phone she swiped from the owner of the SUV parked in the alley. She quickly found the app that allowed her to open the doors of the vehicle remotely. She was pleasantly surprised there was an option to start the engine remotely as well. She decided to do that when she reached the SUV. She didn't want to shock the poor woman waiting for her anymore than she had been shocked today. She gathered the plastic bag of soiled bedlinen, the borrowed hardhat and gloves together. She secured them with a belt around her torso. She locked the apartment door from the inside and then quickly left the apartment using the building balconies as her personal jungle gym set.

Reaching ground level, she looked about before she approached where the wrapped body landed. Seeing no one and no one seeing her, she glanced at the wrapped body. Karima smirked that nothing came a loose during the impact of the wrapped body's descent. The wrapping cushioned it for the fall which is exactly how she planned. She dragged the dead Peggy Unman a few feet towards the parked SUV and popped the hatch door of the truck which was facing towards the alley. She lifted the wrapped body and placed it in the back, folding down the rear passenger bench to expand the cargo room to accommodate the body. She tossed the soiled bedlinen bag on top of it. She closed the trunk latch door satisfied it's windows were tinted for privacy.

Karima climbed into the cabin in the drivers seat, letting out a long held breath. She looked over at Sienna who sat with her seatbelt on looking small and vulnerable. Karima started the car with the smart phone app and pulled off into a light city traffic without incident.

They drove for a while before Sienna wondered where were they were going, who killed Peggy and where was Peggy's body? Her first question was answered when they pulled up alongside the Eternal Rest Funeral Home. Her third question was answered when two men quietly exited the funeral home and directed Karima to back the SUV to the loading bay in the back. Sienna cried a bit more. The two men removed the wrapped body from the SUV and took it into the funeral home through the back loading dock. Karima lead Sienna into the front of the funeral home. They walked into a room which was a solemn parlor. Someone switched on seemingly soothing music. It was some new age tranquil music. The music grated on Karima's nerves. Sienna sat down and Karima sat down to face her.

“Normally when I have threats against my safety, getting ass is the LAST thing on my mind.” Karima admonished sarcastically.

“Normally one doesn't send someone needing safety to a drug deal!” Sienna countered heatedly. She sighed into Karima's accusatory gaze. “I wanted to be with someone familiar. Someone I trus-“ Sienna broke off her feeble explanation in the face the very person who demonstrated that she could trust her with her life all day long. She looked down at her lap inwardly thankful that her river of tears abated. She was tired of crying. She looked up again at Karima. Her smile spoke, I trust you . Karima face soften bit then she was all professional and calculating, “Did anyone else know you were going to see your girlfriend?” she asked.

“Peggy said no one else knew about that apartment. She only brought her... trysts there. She was going to let me use it until I got a new place.” Sienna answered.

“So either the husband knew about that spot or some unknown player is in the mix. Personally I hope it is the jealous husband who did it.” Karima considered.

“Peggy's husband killed her! I must be next!” Sienna exclaimed as she realized the next possible outcome. How am I going to survive? What can Karima do to strop him when he has the entire police on HIS side? She worried silently.

“Not really. You said your girlfriend...”

“Peggy wasn't my girlfriend. She was my lover and I... was apparently one of many of hers.” Sienna interrupted hotly.

“Then her husband had to know you were one of the multitude. It stands to reason you aren't the only one he approached and threatened. If he didn't get any satisfaction from any of her lovers then his next step is to finally confront his wife. If he did it, he had to know you or any one of his wife's other lovers was there tonight at the penthouse with her. Why kill her but spare you? You would have been a witness. Doesn't make any sense to leave a potential witness behind that could implicate him in a murder, does it. This was done to frame YOU for her murder.” Karima deduced out loud.

Sienna shuddered as the horrifying thought crossed her mind whether or not Karima ever had to make certain there were no witnesses to her activities. Then she wondered how Karima got Peggy's body out of the penthouse apartment without being noticed. That question exploded in her mind demanding an answer. “How did you get Peggy to the SUV without any witnesses?” Sienna asked. Karima exhaled her answer quickly, “Dropped her.”

“Dropped her? Dropped her where?” Sienna inquired.

“From the balcony.” Karima answered with a sigh. Silently she counted, Three, two, one... irrational indignation, we have lift off!

It took a moment for Sienna to register what that truth meant in terms of physics and propriety. When those two subjects converged in her mind she was angry. Angry was good. Angry was a hell better that feeling sorry for herself. Angry was a hell of a lot better than all of that damn crying. “Sienna jumped up from her seat and yelled, “You threw her off the balcony! That's over a twenty story drop! Are you insane?”

“Lower your voice.” Karima instructed quietly.

“How would you have explained pieces of human splattered all over the street? Oh my god you ARE insane! How could you do that to her?” Sienna cried.

“How else was I going to get her out of that penthouse without anyone seeing her? Trust me, she didn't feel it.” Karima countered.

Sienna, upset, paced nervously. She darted a look at Karima who was for all appearances a calm spirit with no worries. How could she be so cold to throw her off the building like that? How could I have had sex with someone so lacking in humanity? Sienna wondered. Then she wondered if Karima was so concerned about not being seen, How the hell did she get to the penthouse apartment? So she vocalized her question unable to imagine how Karima was able to enter the building and remain invisible.

“How the hell did YOU get into the penthouse apartment?” Sienna asked.

“I jumped.” Karima answered.

“Jumped? Jumped from where a helicopter? Sienna joked. Who the hell did she think she was... Batman? She joked.

“No from the building construction crane next to the Hampton Gardens.” Karima replied.

Sienna blinked rapidly trying to recall a building crane. She was so busy rushing to get to Peggy she vaguely recalled a tall structure that was adjacent to Peggy's building. Still blinking she remembered Peggy complaining about the construction project next door and how it wasn't going to be a hardship letting Sienna stay there since the value of the property was going to plummet with the blocked view. Sienna then remembered looking at the view from the terrace. Then she recalled the majestic crane looming above the Hampton Gardens– the crane that was a considerable distance away from the Hampton Gardens. Still blinking rapidly she looked at Karima. When she realized the jump Karima took, Sienna's rapid blinking soared her into an embarrassing faint as everything instantly went black.

– – –

Alice Lui rapidly blinked her eyes open. A sharp pungent smell brought her back from the comfort of darkness. She was absolutely confused. She recalled standing in the Medical Examiner's office when she saw the picture of her only son. Eerie grey skin with half his face missing. The pain of seeing him like that was so unbearable that she let the comforting darkness take her into its embrace. She grimaced demurely, thoroughly annoyed with herself for having fainted. She sighed as she brushed a single tear off a proud mother's cheek. She subconsciously raised her hand to her hair to adjust phantom strays hairs that may have become unruly in her brief unconscious state.

At fifty-eight years of age this was not the way she expected to react to the news of having lost her only son. She anticipated given his lifestyle this most unfortunate outcome was a future inevitability. She thought she would be comforted with many of his grandchildren. Alas Bing died unmarried, childless , she thought as she accepted a paper cup of cooling water from someone whose identity she didn't want to register. She demurely took a refreshing sip. One should always retain some semblance of ladylike composure regardless the situation , Alice admonished herself.

An angry tear followed the single one that preceded it as she considered Bing's violent death. Her sweet Prince was shot like a common cur in the street. It was as though someone erased her son. As though he never existed. She thought. This inner conclusion irritated her which focused her attention on all the things that were currently uncomfortable.

“ 它太亮。 ⁠1 ” Alice spoke to no one in particular, with the expectation that whoever regulated the lights in the Medical Examiner office, that person would rectify the situation immediately. She felt the hard chair that she was sitting on. The hard plastic chair was quite low in height. She realized with annoyance that it would be difficult to rise from this position putting undue strain on her stiff knees. As undignified as the fainting was, Alice preferred the lack of consciousness to the self examination of the abrupt termination of her future plans for her family.

Alice needed the depths of dim light casted over the many losses she experienced in her life. First Alice's husband, Antonio, then the selfish “death” of Troy, now her only legacy Bing. She felt out of her depths, as lost as a child seeking the comfort of her own mother, long dead. She closed her eyes a bit to get her bearings. She felt the warmth of a comforting hand within hers squeezing gently. Her bewildered gaze took note of her daughter sitting next to her. Her still beautiful daughter who she hadn't spoken to since she left the family over five years ago. Her beautiful daughter who selfishly refused to give her grandchildren, content to live a life as an inconsiderate man, ungrounded by responsibility, drifting in an unproductive life without direction, like a disembodied ghost. She couldn't fathom how her ghost daughter developed such a distorted sense of responsibility and duty to family, she refused to called her living name either aloud or in her silent thoughts. I did not raise my children in this way. 家庭是最重要的。 ⁠2 Alice thought.

Alice sighed content that her ghost child didn't bring THAT woman she co-habitated with here with her to confound her discomfort and embarrassment. While her daughter was dead to her, Alice was well informed with her ghost daughter's afterworld activities. Alice coldly removed her hand from the warmth of her ghost daughter's hand. She admitted only to herself that her ghost daughter's presence gave she some measure of comfort. She noted that her ghost daughter looked well but very tired and defeated. Concern at last for her brother who you abandoned to this treacherous destiny alone , she thought. Well, they can be ghosts together now in the afterworld . Alice concluded. She planned to burn incense for them both as she did for the past five years for her ghost daughter.

Alice smiled gently as she recalled when she had the twins many years ago. Infant Troy seemed curious to see what was this new wondrous place was outside the warmth of their mother. She was born the first of the two twins by mere seconds. She was probably running away from Bing even then , Alice thought darkly. But not to be outdone her beloved Bing had the tight grip on his twin sister's foot. It was as though he needed his sister's courage and strength to pull him out into the world he seemed fearful of. This birth narrative was why Alice always thought her ghost child would always guide and protect her younger brother.

She often burned incense during her meditations as an offering to her restless spirit child to watch over her brother from the afterworld. Since Bing had to travel in darkness who better to protect him but a creature of a dark, unknown world. But this vengeful spirit wasn't around to protect Bing from the darkness surrounding him, threatening to silence him. Alice cut a sly glance at her ghost daughter thinking, Your abandonment of Bing, I cannot forgive .

She moved away from her ghost daughter ignoring the hurt expression on Troy exquisite face to contemplate her various losses when two detectives entered the Medical Examiner's Office. Her eyes narrowed as she recognized one of them. The woman she disliked and distrusted because as far as Alice was concerned, this woman was the demon who directed her ghost daughter on her current misguided afterworld path. Alice got up from the hard chair and walked away from demons, ghosts and the dark mists of the past to wait for her older brother. She would have his ear on this tragedy. This time he will listen to reason and fix the all the wrongs , Alice thought darkly as she looked out the window to the city.

Detective Joan Harper noticed the slight from the elder Lui as she walked away. Where Uncle was warm and welcoming Troy's mother was always cold and judging, so Harper didn't take the cold shoulder too personally. She had an ongoing case which needed answers. Troy stared up at her from her seated position her eyes filled with many thoughts.

While her mother's distance hurt, Troy expected it. Her mother had very traditional expectations for Troy which were ironic for a woman who in her youth shirked family duty to marry for love, outside her race. That act cause her favorite child Bing a great deal of unhappiness. Bing always felt ashamed of straddling two different cultures preferring the Chinese one over the Dominican one. Troy hoped her brother was finally at rest.

While she wasn't surprised Bing managed to piss someone off enough for them to kill him, she was surprised that it was so blatantly an orchestrated hit. She expected Bing to go out in a blaze of sorely tested testosterone gone amok. A hit on Bing suggested an undercover power play and she was annoyed her brother didn't realize he was in the cross hairs of some unknown ambition. He should have been focused on those political connections instead of his misguided attempt to reconnect with her. All Troy knew was she didn't want the fallout of this vicious conflagration to burn the life she was finally building with Helen. She especially didn't want to be drawn back into dealing with Detective Joan Harper.

“Detective. I have nothing to say to you.” Troy spoke as she stood.

“I want to offer you my condolences, Troy.” Detective Harper replied

“With Bing gone your workload should lessen considerably.” Troy countered, refusing to accept any pleasantries from the intrepid detective. There was no way to know who was behind Bing's death at this stage, Troy considered. It was the distinct possibility that dirty cops could have done the deed , she thought as she glanced at Detective Richardson, notorious on the street for his aggressive policing style. He acted more like thug than the street hustlers out to make bank each day. It probably wouldn't take much to turn him given his propensity for violence , she postulated. It won't bode well for his future if he is involved , she concluded darkly. She grimaced, telegraphing her displeasure on her face. This was exactly the sort of thing she didn't want to be involved in anymore , Troy bemoaned inwardly.

“Word on the street is you couldn't stand your brother. Thought you'd help us out by taking out the garbage?” Detective Richardson challenged. He surmised her facial expression as some form of guilt and he wanted to get to the point of their visit. This arrogant cunt was suspect number one in the murder of Bing Lui, as far as he was concerned. He really didn't mind when the garbage did his work for him but he despised vigilantism more than he despised folks that didn't respect his authority as an officer with the power to kick to asses and ask questions afterwards, maybe. Besides the angry hoodlum was killed right in front of her place of business , that was a smoking gun of a clue as far as he was concerned.

“I'm not saying another word without legal rep.” Troy replied.

“Those who ‘ lawyer up ' at the drop of a hat tend to be the ones with something to hide.” Detective Richardson insinuated. He glanced at the elder Lui woman standing a distance away but not so far as not to hear their entire conversation. They sent a patrol car to Troy Lui's residence to have her picked up for questioning only for the officers to be greeted by Troy irate co-habitant, who reluctantly admitted Troy was on her way to the hospital to identify Bing's body. On the ride over to the hospital, his partner revealed there was no love between mother and daughter, so he figured if he planted some seeds of doubt in the older Chink's mind, she might give up some intel to incriminate her half-breed brat.

Troy narrowed her eyes at Detective Richardson. She was surprised when she got the call from an old friend of her Uncle's, with whom Uncle often drank tea and played chess with at the community center, told her what had happened to Bing. At first, she didn't believe it was true. She thought someone was playing a cruel joke, perhaps Bing himself, to garner her sympathy. As she made numerous phone calls, the information about Bing's murder was confirmed. Once she had all the information, she called Helen to let her know what was going on and she was comforted that Helen offered to go to the hospital with her. However, Troy didn't want an ugly scene at the hospital with her taciturn mother and her lover, a loyal and heatedly vocal defender. Knowing her mother would never take her direct call, she instructed one of her mother's Mah Jong partners to tell her the news and go to the Medical Examiner's office at the hospital, to confirm if it was Bing. Troy planned to meet her mother there and got there just in time to catch her mother in her arms as she fainted.

As Detective Richardson was about to approach the older woman, a large group of Asian men in dark suits entered the Medical Examiner's office, preceding the elder of the family, Uncle Bak Lui. As Uncle Bak walked into the office his concern stretched across his face and he realized his retirement was official over. He looked at Troy then at his sister, Alice.

One of the men with who entered with Uncle Bak stepped between Troy and the detectives handing Detective Harper his card, as he spoke pleasantly “Ms. Osacio-Lui would be happy to be of assistance in the police inquiry concerning the untimely death of her brother. However, the entire Lui family is in mourning. They sincerely want justice in this matter but please respect the privacy and grief of the family members. After Mr. Lui's body is released for cremation, please contact me at that number and I will be happy to arrange that meeting”.

“Who the fuck are you?” Detective Richardson demanded.

“Ms. Lui's lawyer.” The man replied.

“Let's go.” Detective Harper replied as she put the business card in her jacket pocket.

“I ain't going no where until we get some fucking answers!” Detective Richardson demanded as his partner gently escorted him outside the Medical Examiner's Office.

“Get the fuck off me! You just gonna let these gooks get away with this shit? This here is a murder investigation and the prime suspect is in there! I ain't letting that bitch get away with this even if the fucker deserved it!” Detective Richardson yelled as he yanked his arm away.

“Are you done?” Detective Harper asked quietly.

“You and I both know those fuckers are in there getting their manufactured story straight. We need to speak with her now before they start rehearsing fake answers. We can get a writ from a judge to compel her to speak with us. Once they barbecue ole Bing it's gonna be a wrap.” Was Detective Richardson's retort, heavy with annoyance.

“They don't get Bing until the ME releases the body and that isn't gonna happen during an active murder investigation. We aren't going to get anywhere antagonizing the entire family. If you didn't notice, they aren't a united front, which we can exploit. Uncle will have nothing to tell us. Troy will clam up as well but Ms. Lui, she is the key. You may be able to speak with her and get some information.” Detective Harper explained.

“You seem to know these people very well. Why don't YOU get the information from the old broad?” Detective Richardson asked.

“I knew Bing and his sister Troy a long time ago when Troy and I were students. I was in the academy taking extra coursework at the City University when they were also attending. Their mother never liked me because I was studying to be a cop. Probably figured I was going to one day take down her kids to make a name for myself.” Detective Harper explained truthfully. Troy's mother, Alice Lui DID think Joan had befriended the twins, from the infamous Lui family, to make a name for herself and further her career in the police department. It wasn't the case but Joan did use information she inadvertently learned from Troy during their intimate sessions to assist on-going investigations into criminal activity in the city. Bing thought he could groom Joan as a police insider to assist Lui family business until he discovered that she was more interested in being inside his sister.

“Come on let's get back to the station. The crime scene probably has been processed by now. I wanna put a rush on the ballistics of the gun that was used.” Detective Harper suggested as she checked her watch as she walked down the corridor to exit the lower level of the city hospital. She hated hospitals. As far as she was concerned she spent too much time there already first on this subway assault and now this. She couldn't remember a time when such violent crimes were so plentiful in the city. Detective Harper had a nagging suspicion this wasn't going to be the last time today she had to come to the city hospital on official business. She glanced down at her wrist watch again, signing when she noted there were ten more hours left in the day. Oh goody! More than enough time for more murder and mayhem , she thought darkly as she and her partner made their way to their assigned unmarked vehicle.

– – –

Uncle Bak spoke quietly with his sister as Troy checked her numerous messages on her cell phone. Most of them came from Helen. She smiled at the last text message when Helen told her she would be waiting at home for her. The last message came from an unknown caller with an unlisted number. She read the text message with puzzlement.

Text Message #1 6:25 PM from from unlisted number: Urgent Assistance required. Will Call Again. S Joffe.

What the hell is Sienna involved with now? She wondered. She felt a presence and looked up at her Uncle Bak. His full head of hair had turned completely white but his eyebrows were still dark. Although he was older and his face carried the grief of the death of his nephew, he still had that characteristic mischievous twinkle in his eye. Then she noticed the effect Bing's death had taken on her Uncle as she took in the afternoon stubble on a face which was always clean shaved and the slight pink tinge to his eyes suggested he took the news very hard.

Troy's heart went out to her Uncle who clasped her hands in silent support. His hands were soft and smooth, deceptively gentle, pampered hands of her estranged Uncle. His eyes searched her as though he were looking for someone he lost a long time ago. Troy knew who he was looking for. He was looking for the part of herself she buried for the sake of her sanity. It was the part of herself who would seek violent retribution for the murder of her brother. Troy gently released her Uncle hands and said, “I can't,” before she turned to leave the Medical Examiner's office. She let the door close behind her as she walked away from her past, unaware that two of her Uncle's men were discretely following her.

Uncle Bak stared at the space Troy last occupied. He felt the waves of pain and grief flowing off of her. He knew she was fighting against herself to feel the flames of anger over the death of her brother. He stood there as though he expected her to return to the office. “ 死者一無所知的責任和服從。 ⁠3 ” Alice spoke aloud in Cantonese.

“She is not dead. 她忘記了自己。 ⁠4 ” Uncle Bak replied in both languages.

“The dead do not belong among the living. She came into the world with Bing. It is only fitting that she leaves with him.” Alice countered in English, speaking her mind before she gathered herself and left the Medical Examiner's office followed by security detail her brother assigned to protect her. She hoped her brother would not be swayed by his emotions and correct this situation as quickly as possible.

– – –

Open here , the instructions on the package of vanilla cookies read, above a slight notch at the top of the package. Try as he might, Detective Richardson couldn't open the damn thing. One way to fight obesity, make it impossible to open food packages , he thought frustrated. He was hungry, painfully hungry. He hadn't eaten all day and his stomach was threatening him in multiple languages of groans and gurgles. He tossed the unopened junk food package on his obsessively neat desk, grabbed his cup of lukewarm black coffee and took a quick bitter sip. He looked down at the ballistic report from the Lui shooting. The calibre of the weapon used was a tactical sniper weapon, commonly used by the city police.

While he considered it highly unlikely that a dedicated city police officer, such as himself, would consent to kill a mob boss for pay, it was very likely a dirty cop could be involved. Since he saw the report before Harper did, he would take the lead investigating if there was a dirty cop involved in this mess. Probably someone on the sister's payroll , he concluded. Just have to find the connection between the half breed bitch and a dirty cop , Detective Richardson added to his expanding thoughts on the case.

He looked around the squad room eyeing his colleagues suspiciously, as he sipped his bitter brew. There was nothing that left a bad taste in his mouth like a ‘dirty cop'. Richardson eliminated a fellow detective from consideration because he was a lousy family man but a stand up officer. He eliminated that uniformed officer typing at a desk because the kid has a jones for busting street thugs and was as ambitious as Richardson was when he was in uniform. He eliminated a number of his colleague each with significant flaws that didn't go so deep that they were on some crime gook's payroll.

He watched his partner Harper approaching him with a small package in the crook of her arms. He looked at her and he didn't like how hot and cold she was with him over this Lui family business. One minute she's the ‘all knowing Yoda' dispensing earned wisdom about the crime family then she'd get all tight lipped about how she acquired said intel. His partner was keeping something from him and if the omissions adversely affected the case and his subsequent promotion, she was gonna have to answer to him and it wasn't gonna be pretty , he thought. He also didn't forget that quip Bing made, when they questioned him, about not paying Harper any more, implying that she was on the take.

“What have we got so far?” Detective Harper asked when he reached Detective Richardson's desk. She picked up the ballistic report from his desk, scanning it.

“A tactical sniper rifle? Who would need that kind of fire power to take someone out when a simple automatic pistol at close range would do?” Detective Harper asked surprised the weapon was not commonly used among the criminal element in the city. Thugs tended to go for more exotic and expensive weapons than a tactical rifle used by municipal police. Often the police were out gunned in those rare shootouts with criminals.

“Dirty cop, looks like.” Detective Richardson offered, looking closely at his partner to see if his conclusions betrayed anything in her normally stoic face.

“Or made to look like a dirty cop.” Detective Harper countered. Harper's face revealed nothing other than she probably was as tired and hungry as he was. He was getting increasingly tired of her second guessing or dismissing his investigative conclusions.

“What you got there?” Detective Richardson asked to change the subject for the moment.

“A package addressed to the Detectives on the Subway Assault case. Looks like a videotape of some kind. Maybe the Transit Authority found some footage on the black male shooter on the platform. I'm curious to see if my suspicions pan out.” Detective Harper suggested as she wiggled her eyebrows and casually tossed the plain white package back and forth in her long slender hands.

“Give that shit to Gardner and Harris!” Detective Richardson shouted. He didn't want to delve into his partner's phantom black hitman fantasy. Everyone knows those people are too lazy to even attempt such an occupation which probably required discipline they lacked. Those people were more suited to brute force jobs. Besides Transit reused their surveillance tapes over and over again. The footage was probably too degraded to see anything clearly anyway , he concluded mentally.

“Gardner and Harris are out on another case so until they get back this is still ours and I wanna see the tape.” Detective Harper responded.

“Knock yourself out.”

Detective Harper took the package to the media room. She looked around at all the equipment bewildered as to which one was the VCR. At home her husband handled everything electronic, since she could never keep up with the rapidly changing technology. Once inside the empty media room, she donned a pair of gloves and opened the package very carefully to preserve any evidence and discovered it wasn't a videotape at all. It was a cell phone! An active cell phone flashing a message on its screen that a large video file was stored on it. This doesn't look like anything the budget strapped Transit Authority would send the police.

Perhaps a witness captured something. This thing costs a pretty penny , Detective Harper thought as she examined it carefully. She wanted to have forensics run a trace on the owner of the phone after she had them retrieve the video file. Then Gardner and Harris can follow up when they hand the case over. She called out for the officer assigned to the media room who was on his break.

Begrudgingly, the tech officer donned a pair of gloves and took the cell phone from her. She watched with great interest as he paired the cell phone with the bluetooth on the department laptop and downloaded the video file from the phone to the laptop's desktop. It was a really large file because it took almost ten minutes to completely transfer. The officer handed the cell phone back to Detective Harper, who put it in a clear evidence baggy and labelled the bag for identification.

“I can have this up and running in twenty. I already have some audio I was cleaning up on another case. I should be finished with that in twenty.” The Media Room Technician Officer explained.

“I'll be back after I drop this off with forensics.” Detective Harper replied before she turned and left the media room.

It took Detective Harper exactly twenty minutes to go to the basement four floors below her department, where the forensic department was housed, because she took the stairs. After chatting with colleagues to kill some time she made it back to the fourth floor and entered her department. She was surprised to find the normally busy space completely empty. She didn't see Richardson at his obsessively neat desk nor any of her colleagues. She didn't see them but she heard them and the muffled sounds of fratboy hoots and catcalls rose above the white noise of the warehouse sized department room. These sounds came from the media room. Detective Harper made her way to the media room to find her entire department tightly packed inside it and overflowing to crowd around the media room entrance. She pushed her way through to see everyone focused on a porn video on the main monitor.

Detective Harper vaguely saw various images of two women having sex, at seemingly different locations on the monitor. She drew her eyes away to notice the rabid attention from her male colleagues. She rolled her eyes exasperated. This just pisses me off! These dicks can't keep their minds on anything but T&A. It was the downside of the job working exclusively with men when you were a woman. Sex was always their topic of interest. If you're a female gotta take one for the team always being the butt of perverted sex jokes. Had to have a thick skin to be a female cop , Detective Harper winced inwardly.

“Don't you people have work to do?” Detective Harper asked.

“Don't that chick in the video remind you of someone?” Detective Richardson answered with a question of his own. Detective Harper rolled her eyes again and stared at the monitor prepared to be the butt of some stupid sex joke. Detective Richardson smirked knowingly at his partner. He had to savor these increasingly rare moments when he noticed something spectacularly important to their investigations. He recognized one of the women in the video instantly. He folded his arms across his chest as he waited for his partner to figure it out.

Detective Harper watched as the two women, a light skinned black female roughly thirty years old and the other, a white female were thoroughly engaged in a sex position, that she knew was guaranteed to give them both pleasure at the same time. Her body began to respond to the visual display. Mortified, Detective Harper began to gaze on the subject matter with a more clinical eye.

Then Detective Harper noticed some important details! Two women were displayed in a voyeuristic display at a series of different sexual settings. The transitions between scenes were abrupt as though the camera was being turned off and on. All of the scenes ended well before the two women were pleasuring themselves before moving on to another recorded encounter.

Curiously there was no sound captured on the videos. All the sexual encounter scenes seemed to be taped from outside the bedrooms, either through a doorway or a window and neither women seemed aware they were being watched. Was that planned or were they really not aware? Detective Harper wondered.

The last scene was the most compelling. For the first time, the scene recored the two women until they finished having sex. The naked white female exited the room, the black female reclined on the bed with a tumbler of liquid. There was an abrupt change in the video perspective as whoever was taking it had entered the room. Initially, the black female reclining naked on the bed, looked up from her beverage at the camera shocked, then she smiles, seductively.

After a moment the black female immediately becomes angry and throws the half full glass tumbler at the camera. That action jostled the video. The black female scrambled to her knees on the bed, fighting with the camera. There was frantic, blurry movement. Then the black female was struck across her head the blow knocking her back onto the bed. There wasn't a sound in the media room as over forty detectives, uniformed officers and technicians watched the black female being murdered on the monitor. The murderer remained unseen as thin metal rods are rammed into the black female's arms and legs, pinning her to the mattress like an insect on display. There was a lot of blood as the black female writhed on the bed in pain. The camera got tight on the black female's face as her life drifted out of her body. Her open dead eyes stared into the camera. Then the video went black.

Detective Harper's mind reeled. She recognized the woman on the tape who left the video frame and wasn't killed. It was the victim of the subway attack, Sienna Joffe!

“Was that shit for real?” Detective Richardson asked. The rest of the investigative department left the media room quickly once their early evening entertainment moved swiftly to a case under investigation, leaving the media room technician alone, with Detectives Harper and Richardson and the black monitor.

“Looks authentic. The time code has breaks in it. Indicating that the series of videos were captured over a period of time. This is a series of different videos that were taken at different times and locations, due to the difference in light temperature.” The Media Room Technician informed the two detectives.

“What does the light temperature tell you about the location of that last scene?” Detective Harper asked the Technician. This video was the only clue to a possible homicide , she thought.

“Come on. Someone is pulling our leg. That shit looks fake.” Detective Richardson interjected. There was no way that red head was capable of killing the other female. He initially thought the sex scene were hot and asked the Tech for a copy but that last scene kinda ruined the potential experience for him so Richardson decided to let the request for a copy go.

“It doesn't look strange to you that the videos preceding the murder scene look like someone was spying on these two ladies and they weren't aware of it?” Detective Harper asked her partner.

“Look I didn't think the genuine redhead was a lesbo. Matter of fact the other one didn't look like a lesbo either. Before that last scene I would pegged it was been shot by either chicks boyfriend cause we never see them get off. Guess it that lipstick lez stuff that's in vogue today. These videos could be the reason for the situation with the kid in the subway. Maybe he was blackmailing her and she pushed him in front of a train in retaliation. Or this may be a prank. ‘sides I seen internet amateur pornos that were shot better than that! You wanna waste our time on this?” Detective Richardson replied. He'd be damned if they get side tracked again. They needed to focus on the Mob hit and the possible dirty cop that was involved , he decided silently.

“What does the light temperature tell you about that last scene?” Detective Harper repeated her question.

“It was shot late afternoon, early evening. I can't tell you the location where that video was recorded without any audio to analyze. Whoever shot these took special care to not record audio. But there is something more important than the missing audio. That is the video time stamp. All digital files, video, audio or a simple text document, keep a record, as part of their metadata, the date and time of their original creation. The first series of videos were recorded over a two week period. But that last one was a doozy. That last one was recorded... today.” The Media Room Technician revealed.

“Shit!” Detective Richardson groaned loudly. Dems the breaks. If these chicks had stopped sticking it to each other this shit probably wouldn't have happened. The unlucky school teacher got caught slumming with some ghetto rat. Why I gotta waste my time correcting her stupid mistake? He thought.

A uniformed officer knocked on the open media room door to get Detective Harper and Detective Richardson's attention.

“What you want?” Detective Richardson asked, his question laced with annoyance.

“I thought I should let you know I recognized one of those females on the video the whole department just saw. At first I couldn't believe it when I saw her but I'm certain about who she was.” The uniformed officer revealed in a quiet voice.

“You ain't gonna get any boy scout points for that officer. We already know the identity of one of the females on the video file.” Detective Richardson replied. Can't stand these ass kissers , he thought.

“Oh okay. I didn't think anybody else here recognized her so I'll keep that little hiccup under wraps. No need embarrassing a fellow officer over something kinda personal. You know what's between a husband and wife is between THAT husband and THAT wife.” The uniformed officer confided with a knowing smirk.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Mendez?” Detective Richardson asked the uniform officer taking note of his name tag. The red head wasn't married , he recalled.

Officer Mendez looked confused. Maybe I just shoulda kept my mouth shut , he concluded.

Then he fully entered the media room from the open doorway to give himself and the detectives some privacy. He eyeballed the media room tech, who he recognized as a straight shooter, who wasn't a gossip hound like everyone else seemed to be on the force. He leaned closer to them and revealed in a quiet voice, “Officer Unman. Officer Mitchell Unman. That was his wife on the video. I recognized her from a party last year. I even spoke with her so I know it was her.”

“Who the red head? I thought she was single!” Detective Richardson asked his partner for clarification.

“Naw the black chick. The way I heard it, Mitch lucked out. She's freaking rich. So rich she sponsored that party I seen her at. Musta spend over $50 thousand on it.” Officer Mendez gossiped.

“What party?” Detective Harper asked.

“You know... a play party.” Officer Mendez mumbled. Detective Harper nodded knowingly.

“Is that one of them... then sex parties?” Detective Richardson asked. He never had to opportunity to attend one of those. How did this yokel get to hang with that crowd? He wondered.

“Kinda, yeah. That ain't gonna get out? Is it? I got this girl see...” Officer Mendez rambled.

“Thank you Officer Mendez. Please don't discuss this information with anyone, include fellow officers. We may need to speak with Officer Unman.” Detective Harper interrupted. She wanted to keep a tight lid on the information about what seemed to be yet another criminal case. Either they just witnessed a murder or someone faked an incriminating scenario which was a crime itself that needed to be investigated.

Officer Mendez nodded and left the media room. Detective Harper turned to face her irate partner. “Looks like we aren't going to unload the subway attack investigation on Gardner and Harris after all.” Detective Harper concluded dejectedly.

“We got four cases now?” Detective Richardson whined like a petulant toddler who missed both his nap time and his favorite toy. What a cluster-fuck this day was turning into , he thought.

“Who prevented the subway attack, effectively killing the prep.”

“Alleged prep. The dead can't defend themselves. Gardner and Harris can follow it up. That attack isn't reverent.” Detective Richardson offered.

“The victim of that attack, Ms Joffe is though. Why? Ah, the arson on her home AFTER said attack, then her involvement in the potential murder of the wealthy wife of a city cop then finally the mob hit of Mr. Bing Lui.” Detective Harper sequentially listed their case load aloud. “Ms. Joffe it THE curious common variable in three of out of four. We need to speak with Ms. Joffe, pronto.” Detective Harper decided.

“Gonna be difficult to find her, with her being homeless.” Detective Richardson replied recalling the state of the burnt out building were the young public school teacher lived.

“If she's running intimately with the rich and infamous she's probably easier to locate than we think.” Detective Harper concluded.

“Unless she's guilty of murder and has gone underground.” Detective Richardson offered as an alternative consideration.

“Its probably more likely that she's next on someone's ‘who to kill next' list, if she isn't dead already.” Detective Harper considered aloud. She thought it was too ironic that the woman who was violently attack on a subway platform, almost a week ago IS the same woman burnt out of her home, earlier today. Someone seemed to have the public school teacher in their crosshairs. But why? She thought. Detective Harper couldn't determine if the public teacher's woes had any connection with Bing's murder.

She sighed as she realized that she has seen some really dark and ugly things humans do to each other in her career. She wasn't optimistic that she would find Sienna Joffe alive. Detective Harper decided she would back track to the school where Ms. Joffe taught, then branch out from there to question the woman's friends and family, about the woman's current whereabouts. With a wide mouth, full body yawn, she planned to do just that tommorow. Now she planned to go to the department gym, take a much needed shower and go home to have dinner with her family.

“Since that Joffe broad got an unhealthy appetite for chicks you might get more outta her than me, if you find her. She'll probably just piss me off. I'll go question Officer Unman about the whereabouts of his wife.” Detective Richardson offered.

“All right, just don't let him know anything about the video.” Detective Harper instructed. There was a distinct possibility that Officer Unman KNEW about the illicit relationship between his wife and the teacher, and he may not have tolerated it. Wonder if a jealous cop would get rid of the competition with arson? Detective Harper pondered.

“What do I look like? A rookie?” Detective Richardson countered with a smirk. He had an idea where he could probably find Officer Unman tonight, after he signed out of his shift. He planned to approach a fellow officer as casually as possible.

– – –

Detective Richardson walked into a The Postal End, a bar frequented by many civil servants on the end of their shift. The Postal End was a one level, ground floor railroad flat that was gutted and illegally converted into a bar. Next door to the bar was a City Sanitation depot. At The Postal End, the drinks were cheap, plentiful and cocktail hour was every hour since many of the patrons of The Postal End worked on various late night shifts in a city.

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat by Charles Mingus was playing softly in the background. Detective Richardson knew all the jazz greats, because he collected every album he could get his hands on. He particularly liked this piece playing. This night the long, narrow watering hole was packed with city sanitation workers, city transit workers, federal postal workers and off duty cops. He had gotten information from a former detective who rose higher in Police Brass than he did, that Officer Unman, was lead uniformed officer for the protective detail of the Commissioner of Detectives at City Hall. Officer Unman often dropped by The Postal End bar at the end of a shift at least once a week and no one had seen at the bar for an entire week.

Detective Richardson walked over to the bar and ordered a Scotch, neat. He was off duty and wanted to relax a little. By the pool table in the back, he immediately spotted Officer Unman, dressed in plain clothes sitting on a stool, nursing a tall beer as he waited his turn on the table. Detective Richardson noticed Officer Unman's leather shoes were expensive.

He stood near the pool table watching a muscular transit cop sinking a volley of solid balls, almost clearing the table. Officer Unman smirked as the transit cop sunk a striped ball. He took a sip of his beer, grabbed his cue stick and sized up the angle of his shot. With his dress shirt sleeves rolled up, Detective Richardson noticed the expensive watch on Officer Unman's wrist. With a flick of the wrist, Officer Unman sunk the striped ball easily. He sized up his next angle when Detective Richardson spoke, “Nice watch. What that run two thousand, three thousand?”

Officer Unman glanced at Detective Richardson with a smirk. He surmised this guy was a cop. Probably from internal affairs again to bust my chops , he thought. “Try fifteen thousand.” He replied with contempt.

“Fifteen thousand? For a watch? You shitting me?” Detective Richardson asked. How rich was that black chick on the sex video? He wondered.

“You IA guys are always trying to bust my chops cause you ain't got nothing else to do. Besides the wife gave this to me as a gift. It's an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak so you can fuck off and I'll get back to my game.” Officer Unman said.

“I ain't from IA. Nelson Richardson. Detective Richardson, from the 22 nd .” Detective Richardson introduced himself.

Officer Unman silently returned to his game. Detective Richardson fretted silently that the off duty cop was gonna clam up, as he took a sip of his Scotch.

“I wasn't being nosy or nothing I just noticed it. Look, you shouldn't flash your bling around so much after what happened today.” Detective Richardson advised.

“What happened today?” Officer Unman asked. He was curious about what the detective knew because he had always wanted to be a detective but was sidelined to city hall duty right after graduating from the academy.He was curious for other reasons too. Did his recent activities register in the department? Was there a witness he missed? He wondered. Officer Unman's daily detail consisted of driving the commissioner from meeting to meeting. That is until he assigned one of his subordinates to babysit the Commissioner of Detectives today. Had to take another personal day to take care of a private matter. My special project , he thought.

“You didn't hear about the Lui family hit? Think it might be some dirty cops involved.” Detective Richardson revealed, conspiratorially.

“Really? How they figure that?” Officer Unman asked.

“Took out the head of the family with a police tactical sniper rifle. Keep that bit of intel under your hat. I'm assigned to the case. Those IA pricks are salivating over this shit.” Detective Richardson revealed as though he and Officer Unman were long lost friends, with an extended open hand.

“Mitch Unman. City Hall Detail. Listen I appreciate, Richardson.” Officer Unman said as he shook Detective Richardson's hand. He rolled down his sleeves covering his wrist watch.

The game ended when the transit cop sunk the eight ball at last.

“Don't mention it. Man you got lucky landing a rich chick. All I seem to land are these poor working bitches. Where can I find one of them rich ones?” Detective Richardson asked with a laugh.

“Sometimes, they're of more value dead then alive and kicking.” Officer Unman muttered.

“What you say?” Detective Richardson asked, feigning that he didn't hear what Officer Unman said.

“If you think working women are trouble just wait to you land a rich one. Always got something to say. Always thinks they know better. Like money gives them brains. Never listens to reason. If you want my advice, don't get married, Detective. It's nothing but smoke and mirrors. Smoke and mirrors.” Officer Unman offered then he downed the rest of his lukewarm beer. He stood to leave.

“Hey I thought I'd play you for that expensive watch.” Detective Richardson taunted.

“Detective, you probably ain't got nothing of value to play against, so I'ma be off. I gotta get back to the ball and chain. She probably brought out the entire store today, again. I swear everyday I get home there's more shit there than yesterday. “‘Night, Detective.” Officer Unman said before leaving the bar.

Detective Richardson wanted to delay Officer Unman at the bar. He swung the set of house keys he swiped from Officer Unman when he was playing pool around his pointing finger. He thought the officer would probably make it all the way to his car before he discovers that his keys are gone. Detective Richardson walked out the front door of the bar and saw Officer Unman frantically searching his pockets for something standing next to a a luxury SUV. Detective Richardson got into his car, turned on the ignition and pulled away from the curb. He looked at Officer Unman re-enter The Postal End Bar in his rearview mirror.

Okay he either don't know about the wife possibly being dead or this yokel is gonna try to use me as an alibi. Okay Officer Unman let's play. I bet your fifteen thousand dollar watch ain't gonna be enough to make bail though , Detective Richardson thought, as he drove to downtown to the exclusive Unman townhouse.

– – –

Karima stood by the only entrance to the rear windowless memorial room of the funeral home. All of its walls were covered from ceiling to the carpeted floor with thick red velvet curtains. In the corners of the room were stands of burning candles. At the front of the virtually empty memorial room was an electric piano with two large fake plants on either side of it. Along on of the side walls was a plush sofa and on it laid an unconscious Sienna.

Karima stood still as death and watched her charge. The traumatized woman under her care lay in a fretful state of unconsciousness. When she fainted Karima instructed the men who worked at the funeral home to place her on the sofa in this windowless room. She was becoming uncomfortable with how touchy the woman was with her person. She was becoming too physically familiar and Karima needed some distance.

The distance would allow Karima the necessary spatial range to solve Sienna's seemingly growing problems and address her own neglected ones. She never needed to impose distance with people, Karima always felt as though she were perpetually ‘on the outside looking in' but Sienna was beginning to pose a serious problem with her snarky physical presence. It was beginning to feel as though they were becoming connected and it unnerved Karima. While watching Sienna slowly regain her consciousness, Karima thought about the day's events and how they affected her:

Truthfully she surprised me. Damn who knew high school teachers were nymphomaniacs? Shoot I was surprised she got a case of jungle fever if you go by the dead girlfriend. So I suppose it wasn't too much of a stretch for her to get busy with me. Just didn't expect her to do THAT. Been a long time since I've touched anyone. Or let anyone touch me. I didn't have the patience to deal with people on that level. For over five years. But I gotta be honest... it felt like... like hot spices, warm and tingly. It felt delicious... Karima stopped her lengthy subway train of thoughts, abruptly.

Shoot me now! Sex has made me... poetic! I should have MADE Corey rectify this mess. How dare that Jamaican MF innovate from my specifications! He best believe, if jealous police husband took out my... the client, I was gonna be more brief with his ass than I was. And his old lady would have to suck up the loss. His paws ain't gonna be in the game for a minute, at least till he heals up. Dude shoulda thought about the repercussions. Too many damn distractions. I gotta get my head back into rotation. The sex was decent but it threw me and I gotta get un-thrown. Thrown leads to being late or being slow. In this game, I can't be slow or late. Have to remember everyone's role in this thing. She's the client and once her situation is dealt with then she pays my fee then I handle Sincere. How I feel about her beyond all those facts is irrelevant. Karima decided as she recalled a truism from one of Sincere's many life lessons: At the end of the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box, Sincere lectured.

Karima studied Sienna's unconscious face which held onto the pain of her various recent losses in every line and slight discoloration. The pain was held in a clenched jaw, the furrowed brow and clenched fists. Karima sighed knowing she could do nothing to speed up the woman's grief. She weighed her options. Someone was targeting this high school teacher for a big fall. There was bound to be more evidence to set her up for her lover's murder. Karima wasn't naive enough to think she cleaned everything incriminating away. There just wasn't enough time to do a thorough job AND get away cleanly . She concluded.

She yawned. Tired. I could sleep for days. She thought. But I don't have the luxury. She added mentally, Sincere is close by and I need to prepare for him. This school teacher/client is an annoying pain in the ass but I don't want Sincere to get even a whiff of her. I have enough guilt to carry into my next life if I get one. Mean time in-between time, I gotta hide her from the jealous husband who wants to frame her for the death of his wife. Yet something seems off about that. Killing wifey? Yeah I could see how jealousy can drive someone THERE but that apartment looked too clean for a crime of passion. Must have thought this out for weeks but how did he know SHE would see his wife tonight? Had to have been following her even when she was with Corey or was waiting nearby to see who showed up at wifey's love palace . Karima stretched tall and long, crackling compressed air out of aching joints in her neck, shoulders and spine.

Sienna stirred as she subconsciously registered the sounds of Karima stretching. That sounds painful , was her first conscious thought. She lost the battle to fight consciousness, hoping everything was just a bad dream. She felt the cool air conditioning of the room and shivered. She felt the plush fabric of the couch she laid on. She sensed the glow of the light in the room, just beyond the slightly red tinge of tightly closed eyelids. She smelt the musty odor of chemicals, incense, melting candle wax and knew instantly it wasn't a dream and where exactly she was.

She sensed the presence of Karima in the same room. She was just a distance away. Karima had a radiant warm that surprised Sienna. The remnants of that warmth stayed disturbingly all along the surface of her skin where Karima touched her when they parted, when she met with Peggy and it refused to disappear when she yielded her body to Peggy's voracious appetite.

She cried after they had sex because she could still felt that radiating warmth. Sienna pushed those thoughts away. She opened her green eyes and stared at the ceiling of the memorial room. Resigned to the reality current events, Sienna thoughts galloped in a tight, self-defeating corral: I feel like I've been wading through thick liquid that is waist high. My feet are heavy and hands are swollen. My eyes dislike this light. My throat is dry. My heart beats beyond that it doesn't feel anything. I survive because I can still take a breath. But my mind. I've lost my confidence. I lost ME in that dark bathroom and I don't know who the woman who was recused is anymore.

Sienna slowly turns her head to look at Karima. Why is she staring at me? We are NOT having sex again so she can forget think about that! Sienna decides. She notices for the first time Karima moves with a tight economy to her bodily movement. She seems calm, cold, confident in her own skin. She risks her life for mine and I should be grateful. I think I am but if I'm honest I know I'm not. I feel like an alien under my skin. Sienna giggles neurotically. Karima raises a single eyebrow at Sienna. I laugh and she looks at me like I've finally lost it. I don't want her concern I want her confidence!

She turns slightly away from Karima to regard the heavy dark red curtains, hanging from the ceiling to the floor behind the sofa upon which she reclined. Her inner thoughts continued running about: Ok so now what? Some crazy cop is out there some where trying to kill me and now I almost don't care if he does. She plays deafeningly loud music, she's dismissive, arrogant, cold, frustrating and annoying but she did EXACTLY what I hired her to do. How? How much is all this going to cost? It's vexing that she seems to have a better handle on MY life then I do! Then we... we had sex. It wasn't my intention to do that. That was what I had Peggy for. Oh Peggy I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for any of this to happen1 Why did I go see her? Why? I should have gone to Troy or Lizz but I had to see her. I had to. Damn her! She made me so mad and I felt so freaking helpless so I used seduction as a weapon. I didn't think it would go THAT far. I thought she was a homophobic bitch and would push me away with her wanting me to move out after she found out about Peggy from her husband. Who knew? I had so much drama going on she didn't register at all and I tend to be spot on about that sort of thing. I just... I just wanted to erase... to fuck her touch off of me! So I used Peggy. Honestly, we had been using each other for years.

Her chest tightened as she remembered Peggy. “Where is she?” Sienna asked her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“Cleaned up nice downstairs. Boys did good work. You need to see her?” Karima asked

“No. No. I can't! Not now.” Sienna exclaimed as she stood up from the sofa with eyes shut tight.

“I got you. You have grief to deal with. It's hard when ‘one of yours' don't have anymore days stretched out like a long winding road in front of ‘em. But we gotta get this moving along. Decisions got to be made. I have to get paid. How you want to do this?” Karima asked as she snapped her left fingers.

“What are you talking about?” Sienna asked.

“They can cremate her right here. Urns are decent and their prices are respectable. Or they can put her some place where else. She will eventually be found but you know... she's not gonna be...” Karima explained.

“Her husband, her family would make that decision!” Sienna interrupts.

“You being her girlfriend I figured you want her put away nice. She has to go somewhere. We can put her on ice but that's gonna look suspicious when she just “shows up” all of a sudden, like a human popsicle. We can ash her then she's never gonna be found but at least you have some piece of mind that she's put away with some respect. We can take the ‘put her under for a minute route' but she's not gonna be in good shape when they do find her. You two being as close as you was I figured you would know what she'd want or like.”

“We never discussed final arrangements when we got together.” Sienna responded with much annoyance.

Sienna regarded the smirk on Karima's face. What is she so smug about? Sienna thought.

“I don't want to have her cremated and I don't want her buried in some landfill like she was trash. She doesn't deserve that. She didn't deserve this... I don't know what to do next. Isn't that what I hired you to do? The heavy thinking?” Sienna insisted as she moves quickly towards Karima, standing in her personal space. She stands defiantly in front of Karima who instinctively moves to push Sienna gently back out of her personal space.

Annoyed Sienna yanks her body away, “Oh no you don't! We're not doing that fight-sex thing again! So keep your distance, Madam.” She says dismissively as she turns back towards the sofa and sits down.

“I have no intention to indulge in sloppy seconds.” Karima responded.

“I'll have you know sex with me is never sloppy. Not that you'll ever find out again.” Sienna taunted with a pointed finger.

“When this situation is wrapped up, I would go seek some therapy for that sex addiction of yours.” Karima taunted back as she turned and left the memorial room. Sienna watched her leave with a cold stare.

How dare she judge me like that! Why did she leave like that? She acts like her feelings are bruised? I can't be responsible for her moods. I can't handle any more responsibility because it's my fault Peggy is dead! Sienna thought behind closed her eyes.

She leaned back against the sofa and brought her hands up to message a growing headache. I was ready to give up in that bathroom. I am so tired of surviving. I am tired of all of this. I am losing the memory of what living my life was like. Oh Peggy! God! I almost can't remember what she looks like! I remember her hands, her hips, long cafe au lait thighs, her ass, her full breasts, her sighs, her commandments, her moods, her laughter but what she looks like... shouldn't I never forget that? She wondered.

She heard loud but muffled sounds from outside the room where she sat. She leaned forward placing her elbow on her knees, rested her heavy heading her hands. She yawned loudly then she sighed. Sienna continues thinking deeply: I am tired because what has happened to me in the last two weeks has opened my eyes to the truth. Like everyone else, I lived in a delusion. I lived embracing a lie that I was safe, I was special. I realize I was just lucky and now my luck has run out. The dangers were always there, surrounding me, whispering in my ear. I glimpsed them from the corner of my eye, when I saw or read about the aftermath of some tragedy in the news and realized selfishly "Better them than me" like everyone else. I just ignored the dangers because no one as special and as safe as me would ever be hurt. Right?

Sienna leaned back on the couch, resting her crossing her arms behind her tired head.

Bad things are supposed to happen to the weak, the ordinary, the less fortunate! Those were the rules I lived by. But truthfully it was always there lurking around a dark corner, just under foot, over head or behind me, a bit out of sight. Always there waiting to get me. She thought.

Sienna stands angrily.

Karima is strong and capable because she lives with the knowledge that life is dangerous, EVERYDAY. That's why she can do the things that she can do. She doesn't fear the dangers she sees them clearly. She meets them head on. I admire that about her. I admire her for her ability to survive. Without her I could very well perish and I resent her for it. I resent her because she clearly sees the pit we all live in. All of us, rich, poor, young, old, male, female, live dreaming in a pit. Dreaming dreams of our self importance not realizing that we all exist in a dark pit that holds all our darkness and our ability to hurt each other. Kalid and all the students at the high school gave me the first glimpse of this pit but I thought only they lived in there. I actually believed I could save them from it but the reality is... I'm in there with them! And all I had with me were my delusions. Well, not any more! And that pisses me off more than anything! I want my delusions back! Sienna fumed.

Karima speaks, her voice a low soothing tone which crosses the length of the memorial room, “Good you gonna need that anger to handle what I finally figured out what we're gonna have to do with you after we deal with your girlfriend downstairs. You gonna have to disappear.”

“I can't disappear into thin air! ” Sienna shouted as she jumped to her feet. She felt dizzy standing up so quickly and that only fueled her annoyance. What sort of plan was that? She wondered as she steps towards Karima.

“You want your situation rectified?” Karima commanded, her arms crossed tightly against her chest a she stands upright and back away from Sienna.

Sienna took a deep breath. “How much is all this going to cost?” Sienna asked softly.

“Unlike your sex addicted ass, I ain't gonna rape you on the fee.” Karima taunted with a smirk.

“You can't rape the willing!” Sienna countered with much snark.

“We're gonna hide you in two places at the same time. Once we torpedo the jealous husbands' plans for you, you can pay “yours truly” then get on with your life.” Karima instructed as she ignored Sienna's remark.

“How do you intend to do that?” Sienna asked.

“You need to be dead.” Karima revealed.

“After everything you and I have been through, NOW you're going to kill me? You could have just left me to rot in that apartment and let him do the job for you!” Sienna exclaimed.

“Take it down a notch. We have to set it up so that it appears as though you were killed. Similar in the manner your girlfriend brought it.” Karima explained exasperated.

I should have just kept her in a drug-induced state up in a rehab clinic over on Clinton Hill until all this blew over, like I originally planned. She was so out of it when I got her outta that penthouse, she would have been save there. But no I'm standing here in a funeral home waste deep in dead bodies I didn't even produce respecting her feelings like a bitch just because she asked me too. Karima thought with much regret.

“Peggy was my lover NOT my girlfriend!” Sienna fumed as Karima stepped towards Sienna while Sienna quickly moved back away from her.

“I'm told you I wasn't going to kill you. No matter how justified it would be. You're lucky that we don't lack for the random dead body to stand in for you. They have one or two unclaimed corpses lying about here. We'll use one that matches your height and features. I think I saw a bona fide ginger downstairs.”

“You think this is a joke? An innocent woman was killed and now you suggest I capitalize on her misfortune? Her family is probably looking desperately for her! She may have red hear but beyond that even my brother will be able to tell she isn't me.” Sienna countered.

“We're not gonna make it easy to identify your stand-in body beyond your driver's license, debt card and such.” Karima said as she held up the contents of Sienna's wallet.

“Give me those back!” Sienna demanded as she tried to snatch them away.

“Cool your motor! We need these to place where “your No H 2 loaner body” is going to be found.” Karima exclaimed as she pulled back the wallet content out of Sienna reach.

“No H 2 body? What do you do drain the body of water so it's too wrinkled to identity?” Sienna asked quite puzzled by the terms Karima used.

“That's actually a consideration in the right circumstances but in this case I mean: No head, no hands.” Karima explained.

“Who was she?” Sienna asked aghast with her head in her hands.

“Don't know and don't need to know." Karima responds.

“Did... did you kill her?” Sienna asked nervous of the answer.

“When would I have found the time dealing with all your crap? I'm not above capitalizing on her end to get you back to your beginning. Afterwards, we have to hide you in plain sight. And I got just the idea how to accomplish that. You'll be able to pull this off with your friend's help.”

“What friend?”

“While you were playing worldwide sex Olympics with girlfriend downstairs I was checking into your contacts. Cause I didn't know where you got off to when Corey let you bounce. Wasn't certain if the dude after you over his wife had gotten you pinned up somewhere. So I dug into your social network, shook it about a bit and guess who I happen to find in there? A member of the Lui family! That's a connection you can't sneeze at, even if she isn't tight with the infamous family anymore.”

“Lui??? You're talking about Troy? Troy works in construction. She's my friend but she can't hide me!”

“You don't know your friends as well as you think you do. Ms. Lui can hide you in plain sight and I'm betting she won't reveal that you aren't deceased. On that note there are clothes over there on that chair. You get dressed. I'll make those arrangements, go get your ex-lover situated, then we can bounce.”

“What are you going to do with Peggy?” Sienna asked.

“Since you won't make a decision I'ma put her on ice. Hopeful this will all resolve to an amicable conclusion for you before she gets serious freeze burn ruining the possibilities for an open casket.” Karima added over her shoulder as she left the memorial room.

– – –

Sienna sat on the bench next to Karima, with a large space between them, in the park near a subway station at night. She glanced at Karima who was drinking a can of soda, seemingly without a care in the world. She watched some skateboarding boys whizzing by and she felt absolutely ridiculous as they didn't even notice her.

She and Karima were waiting for Troy to meet them there. When she walked over to the bench she felt very self-conscious. She was surprised she felt even more alien in her own skin wearing the disguise Karima picked out for her. However, she was surprised how convincing it actually was. She didn't recognize herself in the mirror after Karima put the final touches on her new look.

People walked in and out of the subway station entrance. Lovers and friends met at the subway entrance. A cop on her beat patrolled nearby and all this humanity didn't notice her sitting there on that bench. She was embarrassed that she missed the comments and attention she normally got when she went out. Now everyone ignored her which Karima assured her was a good thing, But honestly, it didn't feel that way to her.

It felt comforting when Karima came back from dealing with Peggy's remains to assist her dressing up in this disguise. It was similar to when she helped her in the penthouse apartment. Again Karima's long fingers were nimble yet gentle. Sienna found it disarming how comforting and nurturing Karima's presence was. It seemed so at odds with the cold, dismissive demeanor she projected. Her thoughts of the different aspects of Karima were interrupted when Troy exited the subway station. She watched with interest as Karima pressed a button on her cell phone and then at Troy who answered her cell phone looking intensely at its display screen. Troy then looked up in their direction. Troy approached the bench with her characteristic confident strides but her energy was off. She seemed less buoyant to Sienna. As though her shoulders carried a heavy unseen weight. Her concerns about her friend faded a bit when Troy didn't recognize her at all and sat next to Karima. Sienna smirked at having fooled Troy.

“Okay I got your message. Where is Sienna?”

“Sitting next to you.” Karima replied with a small burp.

Troy glanced and blinked at the young teen male with a thin goatee, wearing a do rag, a large black hoodie over an over sized long white teeshirt, and black and white sneakers, and jeans sagging below royal blue boxers, slouched on the other side of her on the same bench. This hoodlum wanna be looked nothing like her oldest and dearest friend. She frowned, “I don't have time for games.”

“It's me.” Sienna whispered. Karima informed her that her voice was a dead giveaway so she whispered. She didn't want to ruin the disguise. It took her a while to get the walk down right practicing with Karima in the funeral home. Karima told her to walk like she's wearing a dirty full diaper. That visual was enough to make a convincing young masculine walk.

Troy instantly recognized Sienna's voice. She discretely checked out at her friend unable to recognize her under the disguise.

“ He needs a place to stay but no one must know who or where he is. I figured you could take him on, give him a job. News is gonna probably break later today or tommorow that Joffe's body will be found. We need you to sell it to anyone who asks. No matter who it is. Only you, him and me knows the real deal. Shouldn't take any longer than week, two weeks at the most.” Karima explained in a low voice only Sienna and Troy could hear.

“No problem.” Troy responded.

“No questions?” Karima asked.

“The less I know, the less I have to explain. Though I have to say I'm surprised he didn't come to me first.” Troy responded pointing a thumb in Sienna's direction. “The job's yours. I need someone at the demolition site any ways.” She added in a louder voice as she directed her comments to the man sitting next to her, for the benefit of cop walking past the bench. Sienna nodded silently.

“I need to visit the facilities.” Sienna whispered.

“If I were you I'd hold it until you get where she takes you.” Karima offered. Why , Sienna asked with her eyes.

“You'll have to use the men's room.” Karima explained. She drained her soda and she stood to disappear into the night.

“Wait! I have... I want to tell you something important.” Sienna whispered, desperate to keep Karima around a bit longer. She had a deep feeling that this was the last time she would ever see her again. It wasn't like they became best friends or anything but they went through so much together. That created a bond of sorts between them. Didn't it? Sienna thought. It wasn't as though they would ever do lunch on a regular basis or anything but she didn't want the enigmatic woman to disappear completely from her life either. She wanted to say something deep and persuasive but she felt neither deep nor persuasive. She wanted to say...she wanted to tell Karima what she wanted but she wasn't certain what that was yet, either.

“Let me guess. Don't walk the line others have drawn?” Karima challenged jokingly.

“Be brave.” Sienna recommended. She cringed. That sounded rather inane , she thought

“I jumped across two buildings, over twenty stories high and approximately a half a block apart to save your ass! That qualifies.” Karima exclaimed quietly. She never needed public acknowledgment of the successful completion of physical feats before today. But when my harshest critic is a high school teacher, I'm off my game , she thought to her self. She glanced at Troy who had raised her eyebrows at the revelation.

“Be braver than me.” Sienna advocated.

“Shouldn't be a stretch.” Karima smirked.

Silently, they stared at each other for longer than a minute, which didn't go unnoticed by Troy, who smirked slightly.

“Peggy.”

“She has no worries anymore, no bills, no marital stress and I promise not to drop her from any more nose bleed heights.” Karima promised.

“Is everything a joke to you?”

“Humor makes the darkness bearable.”

“Don't be... I didn't know there was a vacancy until you filled it and I don't want to fill it with anyone new. Because then I'd have to do long, boring interviews, administer written tests... you have the position so... so don't lose it.” Sienna said.

“You don't need this selfish old soul around. Two weeks then I'll be out of your hair.”

“Doing the right thing demands a piece of your soul and petty minds have selfish souls. Your mind isn't petty and your soul is generous so be careful as well as brave.” Sienna replied finally accessing her persuasive deepness.

“You ask for a lot considering what you're paying.” Karima joked.

“No matter your fee, it will be paid in full for helping my friend.” Troy interjected after intensely watching the coded volley of words between the two women.

“What do you think I'm asking from you?” Sienna insisted with a low voice.

“More than I have.” Karima replied truthfully.

“You've spoiled me by your generosity.” Sienna responded.

“Trust me. You'll have your life back and I'll have nothing more to give.” Karima said ending their conversation. Karima nodded and walked out the park to cross the street. Sienna looked away as Troy watched Karima get into a parked Mister Softee ice cream truck. She quickly turned on the headlights and engine. The creepy carnival-esque musical jingle from the truck started and she drove off into the night.

Troy turned to face the disguised Sienna. She recognized her green eyes behind the glasses but that was it. She smiled at her friend who she was worried about after she heard about the fire. Sienna was on her mind even when she was dealing with Bing's death and her mother's coldness. She knew some really awful things must have happen to Sienna who looked at her fighting tears bubbling up in her eyes. She had many questions that she would not ask and regretted that this was one more thing she would have to keep from Helen. But one question plagued her so she asked it, “What's the deal with the ice cream truck?”

Sienna leaned forward and sang softly, “The cream-i-est dream-i-est soft ice cream you get from Mis-ter Softee. For a re-freshing de-light su-preme Look for Mis-ter Sof-tee.” She stopped choked up with more tears and she looked away from her friend. “It's too horrible to explain.” She added with a whisper.

– – –

Uncle Bak looked out the ceiling to floor window of his living room, in his duplex co-op apartment. He sipped a glass of sherry as he pondered the day's events. He sent a silent prayer for his nephew Bing, that he would find his way in the underworld and not be stuck between worlds of the living and dead. He turned away from the shiny, brightly lit city below and walked over to his desk. He needed to sign the paperwork concerning the ownership of various Lui businesses his lawyer left with him. As he sat to read and sign many documents, he thought about his nephew and the last conversation he had with his sister.

Bing was always a lost child hidden inside his anger. As a leader he ruled from his ego often being at odds with growing the business. Where Troy saw opportunity Bing saw obstacles. Bitterly Bing battled everyone in his path. His assassination was an inevitability.

Uncle Bak thought of his sister asleep upstairs in her bedroom. Uncle Bak thought it was from his sister Alice that Bing inherited his bitterness. She was so adamant that he avenge his nephew's murder and finally deal with his wayward niece. Alice wanted her children to be together. Since Bing was dead, it made sense that Troy be with him. It only made logical sense to Alice though.

Uncle had other plans for Troy. He knew in his heart that she would eventually come to her senses and take her rightful place at the helm of all family business. There were only two obstacles to prevent that fate. The fractions of the Lui Association who would never take orders from a biracial leader. That Troy was both a woman and homosexual was not as serious a demerit in their eyes and her lack of racial purity, a battle Bing fought daily as head of the Lui Association. The other obstacle was Troy herself. She was reluctant to re-enter the world which caused her so much emotional turmoil.

Uncle realized it would take more than Bing's death to bring her back to the fold but first he had to clear the field for his heir apparent.

“How long have you been standing there?” Uncle Bak asked when he finally noticed he wasn't alone in the room. His guards were in the hallway outside the apartment given explicit instruction not to bother him while he took care of Bing's final affairs.

He had influence over the Department of Health to “encourage” the Medical Examiner to release Bing's remains immediately. He made arrangements for Bing's body to be moved to Eternal Rest Funeral Home for cremation in the morning. The entombment was planned for the following day. He already was wading through a stack of promised gifts of condolences given in tribute to the family in Bing's memory. It was when he put the stack aside that he noticed the other man in the room with him.

“Not long.” The deep voice replied.

“Come let me gaze upon you. It has been too long.” Uncle Bak commanded as he squinted to see the shadow figure standing a distance away from his desk and outside the corona of light from his desk lamp.

“It would be best if I stay in the shadows.” The deep voice replied.

“Best for whom?” Uncle Bak asked.

“You.” The deep voice replied.

“I suppose. I've always been satisfied with your work. Decisive. Clean. I never forgot how invaluable you were with the Mancinelli-Pabon-Espinosa affair. You did good work there. You did good work today.” Uncle Bak praised.

“I thought the Mancinelli-Pabon-Espinosa was my last job for you. Then I saw the ad in the paper a month ago. I thought it was a joke since Bing never knew me. Then I realized it was you who needed me hot.” The deep voice spoke.

“There are many things you will need to clean up. The world worships its leaders but Kings and Princes come, then they go. Many times a powerful man gets to my position where he discovers there is nothing left to do having done everything. But there is always work for the cleaning man. A cleaning man need never starve. A cleaning man need never be bored. A cleaning man will always be needed.”

“I'm counting on that.” The deep voice replied.

Uncle squinting into the silence between them as it slowly revealed unspoken things.

“You have an agenda.” Uncle stated as deduced fact.

“Nothing as grandiose as yours. There is wayward radiance who fighting its destiny to illuminate the world. Content to hide in the dark. Content to turn away from itself and it's purpose.” The deep voice revealed cryptically.

“To replace you.” Uncle deduced with accuracy.

“Although in high demand, a cleaning man is not immortal.” The deep voice replied with a laugh.

“Very true. It's difficult when we have to teach the young the harder lessons of life. They prefer to remind blind and dumb to it. It was different in our day. Wasn't it? We saw suffering for what it was and used it to strengthen ourselves. We didn't allow it to limit out potential, we shaped it to serve us, no matter how painfully it was to make tools out of adversity and limitation. The act of tool making is admittedly painful. Tool making demands sacrifice. You see the pain and push through it to make it bend to your will. The young today are blind to this natural order of life. The young today want life easy. They want what they want and crumble in the face of adversity on the road to obtain it.” Uncle Bak complained.

“Truth but why is this so?” The deep voice asked. He was perplexed by this way the world seemed to move lately, feeling disconcertingly out of step with it.

“The young today are the victims of our successes. Ill equipped to struggle for themselves they feel entitled to our spoils. Perhaps the answer is to honor the circle of destruction and rebirth. This is the only true vision I can fathom. To that end, your complete fee has been deposited. The rest of the work is on this list. I'll leave it on the desk for you.” Uncle Bak replied.

“When did you want me to complete the next job?” the deep voice asked.

“Tonight. There is no better time like the present.” Uncle Bak replied.

“As I thought.” The deep voice replied as he raised his the sleek black gun with a long silencer on it and shot Uncle Bak once in the head. The impact from the bullet pushed both Uncle Bak and the chair he sat in away from the desk.

Sincere walked out of the shadows of the room, smoking gun in hand, towards Uncle Bak's desk. He picked up the single sheet of paper and read the short list of five names printed in Uncle Bak's neat, small handwriting. Sincere took note of the economy of serifs, those curly ends to written letters, in the elders written hand. A pragmatic man, Sincere mused. He committed the list of names to memory then he stuffed the paper in his mouth and swallowed it. He listened for any sounds hearing none. He wasn't tasked to kill the older man's sister but he didn't want to leave any witnesses either if she stumbled upon him. The apartment was quiet as a tomb.

Sincere left the older Asian man's apartment through the front door, stepping over the dead bodies of guards in the hall outside the duplex apartment. All three men were killed with a single shot to the head.

1 English Translation: It is too bright!

2 English Translation: Family is above all.

3 English Translation: The dead know nothing of duty and obedience.

4 English Translation: She has forgotten who she is.

To be continued...

Back to the Academy