Chapter 2
HECTOR
I took off my leather gloves, shoving them into my pockets. I hated wearing them. Hell, I hated my current occupation, but when times are tough, you have to do whatever it takes to survive.
In the distance, I heard someone scream.
So, someone had already found the body. Even though I hated my job, a small part of me enjoyed the cat and mouse game I was playing with the Hyannis police department. I knew they had no leads on the H.P. Emulsion case. As far as they knew, I was a ghost who left no trace – well other than my photographs. But, honestly, that’s just a little personal touch. I could never make it as a professional photographer, so a professional hitman who photographs his victims was the next best thing.
Okay, maybe I’m being a little cynical.
I got to my car, stashing the SIG Sauer Mosquito I used for the job. Satisfied that no one would stumble upon my dirty little secret, I closed the trunk, locking it.
Once on the road, I relaxed a little. As expected, a call came in.
I let it ring three times before answering.
“Hello?”
“Hector!” a man’s deep, gravelly voice came through the line.
“Mr. Johnston.”
“I see you have done as I have asked.”
“I have.”
“Good, good. I’ll send someone with your payment tonight. Would you like it left in the usual spot?”
“Yes. That should work.”
“Good. I’ll leave your next assignment there as well.”
“Next assignment? That’ll be the third one this week.” I adjusted my grip on the steering wheel, feeling the sweat on the small of my back.
“Is that going to be a problem?”
I could almost picture Raul Johnston’s severe expression. “Because we wouldn’t want anything to happen to your darling little sister now, would we?”
At the mention of my sister, I ground my teeth together. It infuriated me that this man had such control over me, but I was helpless against him, especially with my sister’s life on the line.
“No. It won’t.”
“Good.” With that, he hung up. The silence in the car became deafening. Quickly, I turned on the radio.
“Hello! You’re our lucky caller number seven!”
“Oh my God! Really?” a woman with an obnoxious, high-pitched voice squealed through the line.
“Really.”
“I’m so excited. My husband and I have been dying to go on a trip together…”
“And you’re one step closer if you can just answer this riddle…” the show host trailed off to build suspense. “What two things can you never eat for breakfast?” Soft music played in the background while the woman struggled for an answer.
How could she be so clueless? It was obvious…
“Ice cream… and…” she started to stutter, grappling for another answer. “Oh! I know… pizza!”
There was silence for a moment.
Buzz!
“I’m sorry… but that’s incorrect,” the host said, feigning disappointment. “Good answers, though! Alright, folks, we’ll be asking the same question in an hour. Remember to listen to today’s top hit and then call in for your lucky chance to win!”
I shook my head, changing the station.
***
Soon enough, I arrived at the hospital. The security guard nodded at me, instantly recognizing me after my numerous visits.
“Is she doing any better?”
“She’s hanging in there. She’s a tough girl,” I said before I stepped into the gift shop, browsing through the selection.
“Back again, Hector?” the old woman at the counter called out.
“Yeah. I want to get her an elephant plushy.” I held out a book I had been cradling under my arm. “I picked this up from the library and want to read it to her before I have to return it tomorrow.”
“You know, Caroline really is lucky to have a brother like you who cares so much about her.”
I nearly scoffed. If only this woman knew what I did to pay for all of Caroline’s medical bills, she wouldn’t be saying these things. “Thanks, Janice.”
She got up with a groan, shuffling toward the display of stuffed animals. “We don’t have much in terms of elephants, but we do have this little guy. It’s a finger puppet.”
I grabbed the toy and placed it on my finger, wiggling it around. As I did, the trunk moved this way and that, creating a funny effect. “This will be perfect.”
“Take it.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s only a few dollars, go ahead and take it. You’ve spent more than enough in this place.” She smiled warmly, patting my hands.
“I can’t do that,” I shook my head, already reaching for my wallet.
“I insist.” Even though Janice had to be at least seventy years old, she still had the strength to push me out of the shop.
“Fine, fine,” I relented, fearing she would hit me with her cane if I didn’t leave.
Down the hall, I took the elevator up to the third floor.
The children’s ward was one of the saddest places on Earth. Kids who should be playing outside or learning about the world in school were cooped up in hospital beds, looking miserable.
A distraught mother cried into the chest of her husband, her whole body shaking.
I shuddered. Caroline suffered from a rare autoimmune disease, one that still didn’t have a cure. For this reason, she was constantly getting sick, forcing me to bring her back to this horrid place. Every day, I prayed that she would become healthy and live her life like every other little girl.
But, then again, I had no idea if that’s even possible. Probably not after what happened to our parents. What she saw when she was only two years old, hiding under the bed. If only I had been home that day, instead of partying with my friends, maybe things would have been different…
I shook my head. This was no time to blame myself. The past was the past and there was nothing I could do to change it now. All I could do was make sure Caroline survived and got the best possible treatment, no matter the cost.
Her room was at the very end of the hall. I knocked softly before walking in. Her curtain was drawn closed and I could hear a woman’s voice from within. It was probably one of her nurses, administering her daily shots.
“Hey, Hector!” A little boy eagerly sat up when he saw me, waving happily.
“Hey, Jake.” I walked over to him, sitting on the edge of his bed. “You look a lot better since the last time I saw you.”
He nodded, “Yeah. They put me on a new medicine. It tastes really bad… like dog barf… but the doctors said it’s working. My white blood cells are back at a normal level now.”
“Oh, wow. That’s fantastic.” I ruffled up his hair playfully. “Looks like you’ll be out of here in no time.”
“I hope so! Mom said that if I do, I’ll be able to go to third grade, just like everyone else.”
“Wow,” I smiled at him. “Just don’t go bragging that you know what dog barf tastes like.”
“I won’t!” he laughed.
“How’s my sister doing?”
Jake suddenly frowned. “Not too good, I think. The nurses have been in here an awful lot.” He looked up at me with great big eyes. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”
It was the same question I had been asking myself for two years now, ever since she got so sick she couldn’t get out of bed. Now, each day felt like a miracle, but at the same time, I felt like I was losing her. It was almost as if she was getting weaker and weaker by the hour and no amount of money or medicine could make her better.
Suddenly, the curtain was pulled back. Caroline’s favorite nurse appeared, wearing a somber expression on her face. She locked eyes with me before bowing her head and rolling the blood pressure machine out of the room.
“Hey sweetie, how are you doing?” I walked up to my sister and grabbed her hand. It was ice-cold. “Everything okay?”
She just looked at me with her big blue eyes. When she was younger, they used to be as bright as the sun, but lately, they had grown dull. My heart tightened, fearing I really was going to lose her.
“I’m okay…” she croaked, trying to wet her lips, but I could tell that her mouth was much too dry.
I grabbed the sponge off her nightstand and carefully pressed it against her lips. She gratefully lapped up the few droplets of water before offering me a smile. As always, it melted my heart.
“I got you a book from the library,” I said as I sat down on the edge of her bed. “It’s about an elephant.”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement at the mention of her third favorite animal. “Really?” she asked, sitting up with a difficulty.
“Hold on. Let me help.” I placed my hand on her back, easing her up as I pressed the button to adjust the bed. “How’s that?”
She nodded, “Good. Thank you.” Caroline had always been very polite. Even when she was in a lot of pain or just in a sour mood, she never failed to thank all her caregivers.
“But yes, it’s about an elephant.” I handed her the finger puppet. “There wasn’t anything else at the store, but I thought you could act out the story.” I helped her get the toy onto her finger.
She giggled as she moved the puppet around, making the little elephant dance. “Okay!”
“Okay, the story is called An Elephant’s Escape.” I showed her the cover and she looked at it with eager eyes. Caroline had just turned seven. Had she been healthy, she would be starting second grade in the fall. She loved learning and it always broke my heart when I told her she couldn’t go.
“Hector?” she whispered, tilting her head. “What’s wrong?” Her little hand pressed against my arm.
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” I shook my head.
“You had to work today, didn’t you?”
I bit the inside of my lip. Caroline, of course, didn’t know about my occupation as a hitman, but she somehow knew that I didn’t like my job and only did it so I could take care of her. She was very intuitive that way. In fact, when she was younger, she always seemed to find her Christmas presents early, no matter how well I hid them. She would make one hell of a detective in the future.
“I did. But, it’s okay,” I smiled at her, hoping to convince her that everything was fine.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
She seemed satisfied by my response because she relaxed back into bed, waiting for me to begin reading the story.
“Once upon a time, there was a tiny little elephant. He was so tiny that he was no bigger than a pea!”
“A pea! But that’s so small. Elephants are supposed to be really big. Bigger than this room!” Caroline butted in, holding out her arms as far as they would go to indicate the true size of an elephant.
“Well, I don’t know about being bigger than this room, but they are very big.”
“Can we go to the zoo once I’m better?” she asked in a sweet voice, batting her eyelashes. She had been asking me the same question ever since she saw a commercial for the Fourth of July parade at the local zoo. “There’s monkeys, and snakes, and koalas, and sea lions, and lemurs, and and…” She got so excited that she was quickly out of breath.
One of the machines started to beep, notifying the staff.
“Yes, yes, there’ll be a lot of animals, but you need to relax, okay, honey?” I whispered, fear tightening around my spine. I had faced plenty of scary things in my life, but nothing was scarier than the thought of losing my baby sister.
The nurse came into the room, getting her air mask ready. Caroline looked at me with worried eyes so I held her hand, squeezing it gently.
“It’ll be okay. I promise,” I caressed her hair, repeating the words over and over again. I didn’t know who I was trying to console anymore, her or myself.