Untitled

Prologue

“So tell me what exactly happened?” a police officer asked as I stood in his office.

It was late, about midnight I suppose, and I had just walked in, well not walked more like hobbled, there with bruises the size of a dinner plate, my right arm in a plaster cast, my right leg in a plaster cast up to my waist, and blood dripping from my mouth.

The police officer was a tall blonde haired man. His brown eyes watched me as I leaned against the wall of his office. His tan skin betrayed how new he was to the precinct. He was obviously from the tropics somewhere. I must have been a sight to him. My once brown hair was tinged with red where blood had flowed and was now caked in. a headache was starting to make me regret moving at all, as I closed my icy blue eyes from the light.

He sat there patiently as I waited for the wave of pounding and nausea to pass. I opened my eyes slowly as the headache lessened.

“It’s a long story.” I started before the nausea began to take hold.

“I’ve got all night.” He told me as he stood and motioned for another officer to come over.

I closed my eyes again this time feeling faint. I felt hands grab me as I leaned over. I opened my eyes enough to see that he was holding me up. He leaned me over until I was lying on the floor. Another officer, the one he motioned over I assumed, laid something soft under my head. The other officer motioned to lay me on my side, he understood and the prompted me up along the wall with my head on the soft object.

The other officer left. I could no longer make out words since there was now a ringing in my ears. I looked over at the first officer. His eyes showed concern. I gulped then opened my mouth.

“It was two weeks ago that this all started but it feels like an eternity.” I started hoping that he understood.

Chapter 1

I awoke with the sun as I had always done. Having been raised on a farm had taught me that lesson well. I brushed my unruly brown hair back and put it in a ponytail. No since in putting on any make up yet, I put on my bright yellow tank top and my black spandex biking shorts. I did a few stretches as I sliced open an orange.

My apartment was small. The kitchen was flanked by the small living room. My television sat on an old TV cabinet that threatened to fall apart soon. A brown velvety feeling chair sat in front of it. It was worn and had several tears in the upholstery. The carpet showed hints of once being lime green, although now it was a pale yellow. The white walls that surrounded the whole area were only covered by a few pictures of the family and one of my only expensive possessions, my bicycle.

It was the only thing new looking in the room. It was a silver titanium framed beauty. With rounded handlebars and a soft gel cushioned seat. The chain shined like new from where I had cleaned it and lubricated it the night before. The wheels were completely inflated for everything I had planned for the day. The rims shined in the dim light of the apartment. I looked out a window that overlooked a park across the street. It was going to be a beautiful day. Nary a cloud in the sky, in the park some flowers were just beginning to open to the day. I chuckled as I thought about them. If they only knew, I was up before them today.

Feeling stretched I put on my ankle high socks and my spiked shoes meant for use on my bike, and headed out the oak door to my apartment. I wheeled the bike out onto the landing and placed my red and blue helmet draped on the seat, and shut the door. Making sure that the key was tucked away in my little hiding spot. I picked up the bike as I headed for the stairs leading down to the ground.

Mrs. Jones smiled and waved at me through her window as I passed by. She was an elderly woman with grayish blue hair down to her shoulders. She was also the only other person awake with the sun. We had talked several times, most of them she had come up to offer me some food that had been left over from lunch. She had kind and gentle emerald green eyes. She was Irish and had shown me several pictures of when she was younger and had long ruby red hair.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and placed my helmet on my head. The alley that the stairs lead to was vacant except for a few trashcans that rested under the stairs. The stairs themselves were old and metal and had begun to rust decades ago. It made me glad I was only on the second floor, but then there were times I dreaded those stairs. Not long after I had moved in, I had fallen down them. Managed to twist my ankle enough it almost broke. I would have loved telling my old gymnastics instructor that one.

I got on my bike and stared out the alley into the street. Going right would take me towards the shopping centers and malls, not crowded at this time of day. Then again, it wasn't the safest place, since drug dealers and hookers hung out there after ten pm until at least seven am. The left would take me towards the main roads and the park, Not the best of routes, but safer than the shopping district. The main road would also take me to the local horse race track. I would be going there this afternoon, after I made several deliveries.

I started out and headed left, and into the morning light. I turned towards the park as I slid out into the street. I noticed Mel sleeping in a stoop just off the corner. Nice when he was sober, but boy, catch him drunk and you’d be in for one heck of a fight. The police quit coming to this side after Mel had threatened a Mob boss. Apparently, the boss wasn’t worried about him, so nothing ever happened to him.

Mel used to be married; at least that’s what he told me once, had a right good time too, until he caught her with another man. She got him for everything he had. Pretty much broke him down. The only things he had left was the tattered old raincoat, and what he found on the street. He was fairly well built for some one in their late forties. Grey was starting to creep into his tan hair and mustache. His brown eyes always seemed red, and showed the toughness that the street had taught him.

I reached the park and looked up into the sky. I missed home, but knew it was pointless to return home. Mother was always complaining about the farm, money had always been tight and it always seemed to disappear whenever father would disappear at night. Father was always working in the fields; he hired a hand before I left. From what mother had written me last, the hand wasn’t working out and she wished father would let the boy go.

I started down the path in the park. A carriage company offered rides through the park everyday from ten a.m. until six p.m. I passed by the stable where they kept the horses. A stable hand waved as a rode by. I visited the stable once, felt sorry for the poor animals and let quickly. They had such small stall. Barely enough room to turn around much less lay down and get back up again. There were no windows anywhere so it was dark in there all the time. Rats ran along the stalls and stealing the food from the horses, many times before the horses even had the chance to eat.

The stalls were cleaned maybe once a week. Therefore, until then the horses had to stand in all that muck. The carriages were well cared for, the building that housed them was newer and much neater looking. The carriages were washed after the days use, then dried and waxed to look good for the next day. The carriages were white and looked like something out of a fairy tale.

I rounded a bend in the path and noticed a few small chipmunks playing in the middle of the path. I was entering a dense area of trees. The only time sunlight ever actually hit the ground here was in the fall when the leaves were gone. A pond was beyond a few bushes only a few feet away. I could hear a duck quacking, quietly watching the area around him.

I turned around and retraced my path back to my apartment. I had to get ready to leave for work and they hated it when I smelled like sweat. As I neared the corner that I would take back to my apartment, Mel hollered at me.

“Missy.” He hollered. He sounded a bit worried.

I rode over to him and stopped at the curb. He was a little out of breath as he came over to meet me.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your morning ride but a man was just here looking for you.” he stated trying to catch his breath.

“It was probably just Jakob.” I replied.

Jakob was one of my co-workers, if I could call them that; he often came over to pick me up for work. He was very nicely built, with midnight black hair and deep soulful brown eyes to match. His tan skin dark tan skin was what really set him apart from other men though. In this city, dark tan or black was what got you in trouble. Jakob was an exception. The police didn’t mess with him; neither did the mob, of course when you have a brother who’s the head of the police department, why would you want to.

“No, Missy it twern’t Jakob,” He replied, “twas some one else. This man was tall with pale yellow skin. He had short black hair and squinty looking eyes.”

“Mel, are you sure?” I asked wondering if it had been an alcohol driven illusion.

“Very sure, missy, He woke me up to find out where you had gone.”

“What did you tell him?” I asked looking back the way I had come.

“Told him I didn’t know, but guessed, as early as it was that you had already left.” He smiled

“That was good of you, Mel, thank you.” I replied

“Oh, he said he’d return later. He sounded dead serious, he did.” Mel finished

“Thank you Mel.” I said again as I turned down the corner and back towards my apartment.

Wondering about the man, I trudged back up the stairs with my bike. I stopped outside my door and grabbed my key from its hiding spot. After pulling my bike in and closing the door, I began to reconsider leaving my key in its hiding spot. On a kitchen counter sat a letter that hadn’t been there this morning before I left. I picked up the letter. No postmark, no stamp, addressed to me, I looked at it a little longer. I held it up to the overhead light. It looked okay. I opened it carefully. A small note fell out. It was sealed with a gold stamp.

My eyes went wide as I recognized that seal. My old roommate used to owe the mob money and before she moved out, she had gotten a letter like this.

I looked at the note a little longer. There was a knock on the door. I dropped the note, thinking that the Asian man had returned.

“Hey, it’s me Jakob.” His soft voice called making me very glad it wasn’t the Asian man again.

“You’re early.” I remarked as I opened the door.

“sorry.” he replied as he came in.

“Give me a few minutes.” I told him as I went into my bedroom.

“alright.” He replied behind my closed bedroom door.

I looked around the small bedroom quickly trying to find my clothes for the morning. Then remembered I had put them in the bathroom. I rushed in, took my shower, and got dressed for work, and then I went back to my bedroom. My bed sat in the middle of the room, a dresser on both sides of it, and a small lamp sitting on each dresser. I picked up the clothes I had just thrown on the floor. I opened my bedroom door and walked out into the living space.

I had forgotten about the note, for a little while any way. I picked it up and tucked it into my jeans pocket. We walked down the steps to the alley where Jakob had parked his red jimmy. He opened the door for me and then got in. I wondered about the note as he talked about what he had done the night before.

“so what’s the note about?” he asked bringing me back into the conversation.

“I’m not sure.” I replied looking over at him. his brown eyes looked at me intently before returning to the road ahead.

“Why don’t you open it and find out?” he asked

I pulled the note from my jeans pocket. I looked at the seal again before I started to open it. I must have been shaking because I felt Jakob rest a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and noticed that he had pulled over and was now watching me. I opened the note slowly.

‘the don requests your presence today at the racetrack. Be there no later than 4 o’clock.’

I gasped after I read the note. Jakob reached over and pulled the note away from me. He read it then looked over at me.

“What are you going to do?” he asked concern heavy in his voice.

“What else can I do. I have to see what he wants.” I replied noticing the fear that spilled into my voice.

“I’ll come with you.” he offered

“No!” I yelled

Surprised by the tone of my voice, Jakob looked out his mirror and pulled back into traffic. I sat there quietly watching the world outside the window. Jakob pulled into a parking lot and turned off the jimmy. I waited for him to say something but all that followed was silence. I looked over at him. he was watching me.

“Jakob, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you it’s just…” I trailed off as different thoughts hit me all at once.

“I understand.” He replied

“I wouldn’t mind if you came, but if something happened to you I don’t think I’d be able to bare it.”

“I’ll drive you there after work, then I’ll leave so you won’t have to worry. Okay?” he placed a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded in agreement. Jakob smiled and opened the door to get out. I followed suit and we walked into the building.