In the middle of the night in Marie's place with Hal, she was sleeping their bed beside Alastair and everyone was sleeping then his phone rang so he woke up feeling annoyed and then Marie was awaken by the sound, "who will be calling you in the middle of the night?", Marie asked but Alastair had a hunch but didn't want Marie to know since she doesn't know about his plan of what he did to Hal and he knew she'll be against it.
"I don't know, may it's just some pranksters", Alastair lied then he got up and grabbed the phone.
"If it is, tell them to stop I have work tomorrow", Marie complained.
"Don't worry, I'll deal with", Alastair assured her then saw her went back to sleep so he answered the call, "Hello?", and then in the other line, there was a heavy breathing.
"Hey! Alastair, it's me", the person said with heavy breathing and it was the mysterious man, "I'm just outside your house but no one is, here where are you?", Alastair stopped and checked if Marie got back to sleep and she was.
"What do you want?", Alastair whispered in anger.
"Just meet me here, it's important", the man insisted, Alastair felt nervous so he knows he has to meet him.
"I'll be right there", Alastair reluctantly said so then he drove, wearing his pajama with a men's night, robe to his old house and saw the man but his back was turned and Alastair was increasingly anxious so he gathered his courage then got out of his car and stood next to it, "so he what is it?". The man heard him but he was still facing the opposite way and was standing still and Alastair got more scared, "hello!?", so the man turned to Alastair who face looked like he saw a ghost because the man was covered in blood. Alastair couldn't breathe, and was speechless.
"I did it", the man uttered like an emotionless robot.
"What did you do!?", Alastair yelled.
"Whatever it takes", the man answered and looked at him with no emotions. Alastair walked toward him slowly as he looked at the blood on his clothes and his right hand, the hand where he held the knife but Alastair still couldn't it.
"This is not happening, I just wanted Hal to be in the slumps", Alastair clarified
"And he will, when there's nothing to work with", the man said to him.
"This can't be happening", Alastair murmured and was in panic that he was somehow responsible for it then and he started to pace, starting to lose his mind for several seconds and the man was just standing there looking at him.
" So what do we do?", the man asked and Alastair stopped pacing and turn to the man and grabbed him by the collar where there was also blood.
"I am not a killer", Alastair corrected with his hand tightly to the man's bloody collar, "so what's this 'we' you're talking about?", the man began to feel annoyed then grabbed Alastair by his clothes with his bloody hands to caught him off guard.
"You paid me to do this job", the man reminded.
"Which you screwed up", Alastair yelled.
"Maybe so but might I remind you what I did tonight", the man warned Alastair who gasped and pushed him away out of fear.
"Don't you dare", Alastair begged, the man felt that he can now control Alastair at this state.
"So we're both at fault", the man teased, Alastair was pacing again.
"NO, no", Alastair fumed, "no one should know about this, you hear me, no one! So starting now, you leave me alone and you should go NOW!" but the man grinned.
"It comes with a price" the man requested, Alastair was taken aback but then he took a deep breathe to calm down.
"Fine! I will pay you", Alastair said, "are you sure that there was nothing that can...".
"Don't worry, I took care of any traces for suspicions", the man assured him.
"Okay, good", Alastair said as he started to feel calm, " fine, I don't have money in me now, but meet me again tomorrow. I have to go".
"Nice doing business with you", the man said then walked to his car, Alastair watched him leave. Once, the man's car disappeared in the dark, Alastair went to his car, once he got it, he looked blankly through the window as he tried to process what just happened then he brushed it off, started the engine but as he grabbed the stirring wheel, he felt something wet on his hands so he looked at it and let go of the stirring wheel and there was blood with his hand prints on it so he freaked out then looked at his hands and there was blood too from touching the man's collar then he looked at himself in the rear view mirror, he was a messed like a guilty criminal then noticed the collar on his robe that there were blood on it as well so he got out of the car again and went to his old house, then took of his robe, took out a garbage bag and threw the robe inside then he hurriedly washed his hands with soap and water and the blood was gone. He took the garbage bag then threw it down the basement then he got back to his car, opened a compartment to take out a couple of cleaning supplies. Alastair sprayed a product on the stirring wheel and wiped it off, it was long but he succeeded then he drove back to Hal's house. So he fixed himself first before he went back inside, as he stood in front of the door, he took a deep breathe, he opened it quietly as he could and looked around and it was still dark, he got inside and carefully closed the door behind him then tip-toed his way to the stairs to get back to the bed. Suddenly, the lights were turned on and Alastair jolted,
"Alastair?", Marie called out with her soft voice.
"Marie? what are you doing here?", Alastair asked feeling paranoid.
"I was waiting for you, where have you've been?", she asked, "I got up again about an hour ago and you were not in bed".
"I was ... out", he uttered, Marie noticed something was off.
"This late? what were you doing?", Marie asked again since he was still wearing pajamas.
"I couldn't sleep so I just went out for a drive", he lied and began having cold sweats, Marie noticed it and felt worried then walked closer to him.
"Are you okay?", Marie quipped then touched his face, "you look pale", Alastair pulled himself away gently.
"I'm just stress with work and all", Alastair lied, Marie believed him.
"Come on, let's go back to sleep", she suggested and Alastair nodded then they went upstairs to their room. Marie was fast asleep but Alastair couldn't when his conscience was keeping him awake and the man's voice in his head.
"No, I won't be in this situation, I can't be in jail", he said to himself in his head then looked at his girlfriend, "I've gone this far to lose everything and Marie should never now of this". The next morning, Hal was still at home having a coffee alone in the kitchen then he heard the door opened.
"Ramsey, is that you?", Hal asked.
"Yep", Ramsey confirmed so Hal got out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hand and sat on the couch and saw Ramsey with a smile on his face.
"Someone was having a great night", Hal teased.
"Yeah", Ramsey confirmed, "where's William?".
"He's still asleep", Hal answered, "oh! that reminds me, your ex-wife called that he'll pick up William to go to her mother's birthday party later at lunch".
"Oh! right, I forgot about that", Ramsey shrugged Hal then turned on the television and it was a boxing then suddenly there was 'breaking news' appeared.
"Tragedy strucks in town, a local business owner, Anthony Tarns found dead right outside his house at a very exclusive area", the news reporter said, Hal was shocked because that was suppose to be his new boss.
"Oh my God!", Hal reacted, his jaw dropped and his eyes popped out, Ramsey looked at him with strangely not knowing who the person was.
"You know him?", Ramsey questioned.
"He's the boss of the company of my new job", Hal answered and Ramsey seem so be taken aback by it. At Hal's house where there's a small television in the kitchen by the island, Marie was also watching the breaking news as she was standing by the counter still wearing a night robe and having a cup of coffee.
"Police and detectives are investing the case right as to why and how the victim's life was cut short", the news reporter continued.
Alastair came to the kitchen and didn't notice the news at first and got himself a cup of coffee too, "morning, Marie, what are we having for breakfast?", he asked but Marie was so focused on the news that she didn't answer him, "Marie?".
"So who killed Mr. Anthony Tarns?", the reporter added then Alastair gasped and turned to the television and was in sheer panic that the news was about Mr. Tarns, Marie heard his heavy breathing and looked at Alastair, he looked petrified and having goosebumps just reading Mr. Tarns name on the screen .
"Alastair, what's wrong?", Marie asked as she saw Alastair looked frightened.
"Nothing", he lied to her and trying to calm down, "he used to be my client", and he started to sweat a little.
"Oh..my", Marie said in worry, "this is a shocking news to you".
"Right now, we can't say if the killer was someone he new but becareful that a serial killer might still be out there", the reporter ended but the words hit Alastair like a sword because he knows who killed him and he also knows that he was also responsible.
"Alastair, this just happened last night", Marie said looking scared.
"Last night?", he quipped acting as though he had no clue.
"You were out last night", Marie remembered, Alastair felt that she might've suspected something but stayed quiet, "there's a serial killer on the loose last night and that could happen to you", he then calmed down a bit knowing Marie did not doubt him but was panicking yet she had no clue that she was standing to the man who was inolved.
"Don't worry, I'll becareful, and I won't let anything happen to you and Reese too", Alastair responded then they hugged each other but Alastair still felt the stress. Later, Hal was on the phone and Ramsey was watching him with worry.
"Okay. I see, thank you!", Hal spoke then he puts down the phone and sat down on the couch again feeling upset again.
"What did they say?", Ramsey cringed.
"The company will close down", Hal answered, "Apparently, Mr. Tarns never actually has any shareholder so there's no one that can take over ".
"That's too bad", Ramsey said.
"This is so unbelievabe!". Hal exasperated, "how is it that when I finally get a job and this happens?", Ramsey listened to him but somehow since he was a policeman himself, it does gave him a realization like a coincident but he didn't say anything knowing that it might really be an unfortunate coincident.
"Well, maybe there'll be another company that might accept you", Ramsey comforted.
"Yeah, maybe", Hal said almost tearing up from another lose job.
"We'll figure something out don't worry", Ramsey replied as he felt so bad that Hal was at his lowest point again. Later in the day, Alastair was at his old house and took out thrash where he put his robe where there was blood on it then he drove away, he went to remote area. A minute later, a car appeared and then the man came out with the grin on his face and Alastair felt disgusted.
"Hi! again, boss", the man greeted him.
"Let's do this fast", Alastair said to him sternly then took out his wallet from his pocket and took another lump of money, "here, take it and leave me and my family alone", the man got the money from his hand and looked at it then back at him.
"I took a life because you want to take someone's self worth", the man started, Alastair looked him with fright, "this isn't enough".
"I didn't even ask you to", Alastair argued.
"Well, becareful what you ask for", the man warned looking at with an evil sly like he didn't care what he did, Alastair glared at him with disgust.
"To be honest, I shouldn't even pay you", Alastair said to him.
"You have that option, just a sad consequence", the man reminded him.
"Why did you do it?", Alastair asked.
"You asked a devil, it's the only way", the man explained, Alastair realized that and he felt trap so all he wants right now was to get it over it then he got to the back of his car and grabbed a briefcase then open it, there was another lumps of money, he grabbed three other lumps then he threw them to the man.
"There! there!", Alastair shouted and his face turned red as he slapped the money at him like shooing him away like a monster, "take them all and just leave me alone", the man picked up the money and smiled.
"This will do", the man said, "alright, goodbye", then he went to this car carrying the money, he threw them inside then drove away leaving Alastair on his knees crying feeling stupid about the whole thing. Later at night, Hal was at he balcony alone, he was sitting and moping around still disappointed about not having a job again then Ramsey came in and sat next to him.
"Hey! I just got off the phone with Lisa to let William stay with her for tonight", Ramsey said to Hal.
"I'm sorry that you can't be with your son tonight", Hal apologized.
"It's okay", Ramsey assured him, Hal started to clench his fist together, he was stressing out, "well, tomorrow I have to go to work, I am assigned to investigate about this Anthony Tarns' case".
"I see", Hal sighed, "I have to find jobs again".
"Why don't you have a day-off?", Ramsey suggested, "you've been through a lot today, just try to calm down first before you take action", Hal hunched, he held his hands together and buried his head.
"Maybe that the best thing I can do for now, anyways I need to lay down ", Hal replied then he stood up and went back in leaving Ramsey alone at the balcony looking worried. The next day, Hal walked outside for some fresh hair but he looked like a mess but not a total mess, he now has a short beard also he was wearing his plain shirt and sweatpants with worn-out sneakers. He got out of a convinience store with a cup of coffee in his hand then suddenly a beautiful woman with beautiful light olive-skin and golden brown hair and big brown eyes wearing a maxi dress with a plunging neckline carrying a tote bag and her hair was tied up in a bun and she was on her phone but she was not aware of her surroundings, she was about to cross the road but then a car was moving towards her and so the driver honked at them but she was too distracted to hear it but Hal heard it, he saw the car was gatting nearer to the lady still in the middle of the road, he dropped his coffee and ran to save her. The car honked to her again and that got her attention but it was almost too late, she couldn't out of shock, Hal managed to reach her so he quickly grabbed both of her arms and pulled her off the road. As she unknowingly got dragged off the road, her balance was off, she bumped Hal on her back and in results Hal fell cushioning her fall, he landed with his hand on a crocked ground and got injured. The car stopped in front of them and rolled the window open, an angry man wearing shades stared at them.
"Are you trying to get killed?", the angry man scolded to the lady who was still on the ground and still looked flustered, Hal got up and patting the dirt of from his clothes and even watched the man berated the lady, but she was just laying there not saying anything and let angry man talk to her that way.
"Sorry", the lady apologized then Hal helped her get up and patted the dirt of her dress, "I wasn't looking".
"You stupid bitch!", the man continued to berate her and smoke began to come out of Hal's ears and his hands began to clench together, he didn't even feel the injury in the center of his left palm from the fall.
"Hey!", Hal snapped and went in front of the lady then got to the driver's face, "who are you calling stupid bitch when you wearing that shade while you were driving?", the driver felt at fault but snared at them at the end then he rolled his window cloe and drove away. The lady started to get up, Hal turned to her and helped her by giving her his hand so he took his hand then pulled her to stand up, they felt this unexplainable spark while holding each other's hand.
"Thanks", the lady said to Hal, she felt shy by what happened then they let go at each other's hand, Hal noticed how nice-looking she was and also how she looks down when she speaks, he knows that what she did was not intentional.
"It's okay, don't worry about it, it was he's fault anyway", Hal replied to her politely, "are you okay?".
"Yes, I'm fine", she answered while patting some dirt off from her dress, "what about you?".
"I'm okay", Hal assured her then he saw some dirt on his arms then started to brush it off using his hand then once he use his injured hand that's when he felt the pain then he looked at his hand, he and the lady gasped when they saw his bloody palm.
"That looks bad", the lady said, Hal couldn't move just realizing the pain from his hand, "I'll take care of it".
"No, it's alright, I can managed", Hal replied while still putting out his hand.
"Please", she insisted and held the injured hand he put out by the wrist, Hal was taken aback back by it, "it's the least I could do after you saved me", Hal looked her hand that was holding his wrist then back her then he just let her help him by nodding at her. The lady pulled him then they sat by the nearest bench then she opened her bag and took out a wet wipe and started to wipe of the blood on his hand.
"Oh! God", Hal reacted from the pain, he felt a sting as she was still wiping.
"Sorry", she apologized, then she stopped.
"It's okay, just go on", Hal said to her then she resumed and just dabbed gently, Hal was just intruiged of how beautiful and nice she was. The atmosphere got quiet and awkward either one of them wasn't sure what else to do while being there.
"So.." they both started together then stopped, they felt awkward then look away and hid their smile. The lady stopped dabbing then she when through her bag again and took out a wound spray but then something fell from her bag, Hal noticed it and like a gentleman that he is, he reached for it and saw that it's a Little Richard cassette then he smiled.
"I listen to Little Richard too", he said with a grin in his face then handed it to her, the lady was stunned and was blushing.
"Well then, it's very rare to see another person who likes Little Richard", she giggled then took the cassette from his hand and put it back inside her bag.
"Yeah", he chuckled, "I would sing 'Keep on Knockin' when I'm in the shower", the woman was astounded.
"That's my favorite", she excitingly relate to him, "I would play it every morning to get ready for the day, he is a music genius".
"I agree", Hal replied to her then they had this moment as they looked at each other eye-to-eye then looked away quickly.
"The song is like my morning coffee, my mood has to be positive being a therapist and all that", she explained to him, "by the way, I'm just going to spray the wound so you might feel more sting".
"Go ahead", Hal said to her, then she started spraying and it he did feel that sting but of course he expected that but then it didn't then she stopped, "oh! wow! that wasn't so bad", then she put it inside her bag.
"Oh! God, I don't have my hankerchief in my bag", she realized as she still searched inside her bag then turned to him, "do you have by any chance?".
"No, why? what's wrong?", Hal quipped.
"We just need something to cover that would", she explained then started to thing
"It's fine, I can just..", Hal uttered.
"I got it", she interrupted, she had an idea then she bent down and held the hem of her dress, Hal was confuse just watching her then she tear a long fabric off from her dress and Hal was eye-widened from what she did.
"What are you doing?", he shouted, "you didn't have to do that".
"It's okay, it's just a dress", she said to him, holding that piece of clothe from her dress, "just give me your hand", Hal gave in and put out his hand to her again but was still in disbelief, she began to wrap his palm gently like a gauze "you can change it later but it just have to be covered so there'll be no infection", the she finished wrapping, Hal looked at his hand and close open it slowly and didn't feel any pain.
"Thanks!", he said to her with a smile.
"Thanks again from... you know", she replied to him.
"No problem", Hal said to her, the lady started to like him then her something buzzed in her bag so she took it out and it was her beeper and gasped.
"I have to go!", she said, then started to walk away from him fast, Hal seemed intruiged by her as he watched her leave. About ten feet from him, she turned and waved farewell at him then shouted, "Bye!", he waved her back with the grin in his face then she turned around and left. Hal walked away in the opposite direction but suddenly he bumped into someone,
"Excuse me", Hal said politely then he showed his face to him and it was the man but of course Hal had no idea who he was but felt something strange.
"Watch where you're going", the man warned at Hal standing stiff like he saw a devil in front of him, then the man walked and intentionally bumped Hal the second time to make way for him to get away. Hal just stood there feeling the chills in his spine and just watched him leave but he felt something was strange with that man so then he turned away and shrug it off and continue walking not letting that incident affect his mood.