AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Arnie!” Diane calls me over as I pass by, holding out a shot glass.
“Can’t right now, Diane,” I say without breaking my stride. “I need to talk with Connor.”
I don’t miss the disappointed look on her face. It’s not like I owe her an explanation, but suddenly, I start to feel a twinge of guilt for blatantly ignoring her feelings for so long. In the back of my mind, I make a note to buy her a drink. Arealdrink, none of this nettle-vodka crap, and make it clear that I’m not interested.
But not today.
Today, I need to figure out if Connor has set up some kind of revenge plot against me for drugging and kidnapping his sister.
“Well, congratulations anyway!” she calls after me.
I stop in my tracks.
“For what, exactly?” I say, turning on Diane, who instantly brightens at my attention.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
“You’re joking, right?” she says with a tilt of her head that I’m sure is supposed to be endearing. “It’s all over the news.”
She turns to her desk and types something into her computer before twisting the monitor around for me to see.
There, in a flattering photograph next to a stoic-looking news anchor, is Douglas Jones. The headline reads: “Noted Director Commits Suicide In New York Office.”
“Douglas Jones,”the news anchor reads,“best known for his work on Paragon’s superhero movies and his Oscar-winning film, ‘The Infinity Project,’ reportedly died earlier this week. Current reports indicate that the police have ruled out foul play and are treating this as a case of suicide.”
The broadcaster suddenly cuts to a clip of Douglas clutching his Academy Award in one hand. His British accent takes over the speakers.
“I couldn’t have done this without the people who have been with me through thick and thin. Albert Monohaghn. James Lee. Jack Duffy, of course. Anita Brown. Who else… Oh, the music is playing, okay. Thank you, everyone.”I watch as Douglas begins to walk off stage, but then suddenly, looking as if the fear of God had just been instilled in him, he runs back toward the mic again.“Shit, I forgot to thank my wife!”
I vaguely remember seeing the fallout of that clip at the time and hearing about his divorce only a few months later. I don’t put two and two together until Diane turns to me with a huge grin.
I killed Douglas Jones.
I’m about to say something when an arm is thrown over my shoulder.
“Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour!” Connor booms in my ear.
I tense up and try to shrug him off, but he’s already pulling me away from Diane toward his office. Our office.
“You didn’t tell me the target was so high profile,” I hiss at him as a couple of people pass us with a cheer. “That piece of information could have compromised the entire job.”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t recognize the old fucker,” Connor says jovially. “Besides, it’s done now and nothing went wrong, did it?”
“Actually–-”
“Well done, Arnie!” Another of Connor’s inner circle passes by with a whoop.
Connor laughs back, and I practically feel myself sinking into my own skin.
Before I had a family like this, I came and went unnoticed. Even my clients saw me only when the job was done. And I would celebrate a successful job with two fingers of scotch and an old movie. It felt like a respectful way to honor the dead.
But to have everyone so openly celebrate the death of a man they barely knew… It might be a hypocritical way of thinking, considering that I was the one who killed him, but something about it grates on me.
Especially once we enter the office and Connor makes his opening remarks.
“Maybe I should give you a raise.”
I wrestle to keep a neutral face. “Ipayyourwages.”
