The club house
It is strange how you talk about the righteous will of God. You talk about the way he speaks to you; he bestows his wills and wishes onto you, and we are meant to blindly fall into line. You expect us to follow you into the fire un-fazed at what that does for our reputation. I didn't sign on for this. I believed in your morals and beliefs, but I believe that you have changed; I do not know the monster standing in front of me. Why did you kill the Senator? Did you have the best interest of the group at the forefront of your mind or was it all about power.
I have known you for sixteen months. You were the one person who I looked up to, and to see you lying over his blood-stained body, shocked us. I have no idea what your next play is; but I thought I would give you the respect of telling you, that the wolves are at the doors, and it is only a matter of time before they claw through and rip you from limp to limp.
So if you want me to save you, you have to admit that you made a mistake. Admit that you wanted to feel the true-value of power, and when you didn't get it you did the next best thing; you took it from his dying breathe. How righteous do you feel! Do you feel like God!
Because you are nothing more than a killer with an axe to grind; I don't know what you stand for anymore. When I walked through those doors years ago, I knew the path forward. I knew your plans and I knew what you stood for. But I have seen what your truly are; someone who craves Power. You never cared how much blood lay on your hands; you never cared what the cost would be; all you thought about while you lay soundlessly asleep at night, was the next draw of your gun.
It is strange how you talk about the righteous will of God because the God I know would disown you and the people who follow you down this path. God was never some blood-stained mercenary scorching the earth! He was a man of righteous morals. He was sent to repent the sins of people like you, and this is how you repay that favour, by killing Senators who do not bend to your will.
Was it always your plan to put a bullet in him in front of his children, or where they just at the wrong place at the wrong time. This is not the moral man who sold me on the revolution; the man who held my hand and walked me down the aisle when all of my family rejected me, the man who taught me what the world could really be. The man standing in front of me is a merciless man raining fire on anyone who stands in his way you use to be my idol. I use to hang around waiting for you to pick me from the crowd. But I don't know what you are anymore. You are merely a man in a white-robe playing role of God. Once the others know, I will be the first in line.
I saw the twinkle in his eye. He gently wrapped his hand around the door-knob and gently closed it. He brushed the tears away from my face, and softly said
"You don't understand why I did what I did. All you understand is the perception. Let me help you understand. The senator was leading coming into a tight-race in a seat which I had controlled for a decade.
If he won; there would have been more eyes on our operation, and with more eyes comes more critics crawling out of the wood-works ready and willing to take us out before we could really get started."
She softly asked
"Why did you choice such a violent way to prove your power?"
He pointed to the plush-chair and ushered me to sit
"Revolutions especially the grand ones require sacrifice. They require someone to be strong and un-afraid, and as your leader that is the burden that I must face. I must be able to view the blood-shed as simply a means to an end. I will admit that killing him in front of the children was a mistake; they did not deserve to watch their father bleed out in front of them. I have to live with the fact that their innocence has forever been shaped by watching that. But I did it for this group; and as grotesque as it may look, you will be thanking me down the line."
"I find that hard to believe"
He tenderly leant closer. I felt his blade graze across the top of my mouth. He whispered
"Ever since you landed in my lap; you have fallen into line. You have never questioned my in the past. Don't make this hill the one you die on; because I truly do think you have been an asset to us and the team"
FBI building
9:00
My partner shuffled through the paper and calmly asked
"What do we really know about him?"
I felt the air in my chest tighten; the bright lights of the room blinded me. I reached my shaking hands out for a glass of water, and heard it break on the floor. My partner placed a hand on my shoulder. I felt the warm air of his breathe whistle breathlessly past my ear. He gently mumbled
"If you want to get some fresh air you are more than welcome; I will be right here waiting for you."
I fumbled in my pocket and placed the dull, gold-coin into the vending machine. I heard the metal can thud as it reached its final destination. I fished my hand into the tight slot and pulled the Coke can out.
Smog blanketed the city; hiding her magnificent beauty behind thick clouds. The only hints which broke through were the stained green copper buildings. I heard the sound of car horns. I saw men in tight-white suites greeting secret lovers with subtle kisses on the cheeks.
I felt the warm can engrave its mark onto the base of my palm. I felt my chest rise and fall. I called my breathing and gently opened the bi-folding doors of his office.
"I think it is time you knew my true intentions for looking into that case. Six years ago Morty and I and a secret few candidates were scouted to assist with a critical investigation into Walter and The Old man.
Walter and a small sect of his organisation had founded an army of dedicated soilders and mercenaries to bring down the Old Man. The Old man had a hold on politicians and businessmen and we believed that they could destroy each other in a turf-war, leaving millions of dead in the streets."
He grabbed a glass of water and ushered me to continue
"Marty was a part of the operations team along with his girlfriend at the time; and I was tasked with infiltrating the organisation and feeding whatever intel I got straight back to him. Sadly Senator Frowly was a casualty; he was in a tight race in L.A a seat which Walter had held since the 80's due in part to a relationship he had with a man nicknamed The Man in The Duffle-coat"
2010
LA
The office lay dormant. I placed the vinyl into the record player and softly hummed along to the winner takes it all by ABBA. I lay the electoral posters into their cardboard boxes. I heard a soft knock on the door. I reached beneath my desk, and loaded my hand-gun. I made my way to the key-hole, and turned the safety off. I nudged the butt of the gun to the top of the door, and peered through the key-hole. I placed the weapon down and un-bolted the door.
The stranger smiled
"Were you really going to shoot me?"
"That is what happens when you rock up to someone's apartment unannounced."
He whispered
"I know that you would not kill me."
He spied a half-empty bottle of red-wine in the bin, and tenderly asked
"You really started celebrating without me."
I laughed
"I did not know you were coming, me and a couple of campaign members had a couple of drinks to celebrate."
I grabbed a plastic – cup from my cupboard.
"You know I really thought you were going to lose it, but you pulled something out of the bag."
"But we both know you were the real brains behind the campaign"
He sipped
"Winning is the easy part; dealing with implementing our reform is the hard part. All of that can wait til the morning, for the time being let us bask in your glorious victory."
9:00
Home
I heard the shower. As my girlfriend turned on the tap I saw smoke as it billowed out of the bottom of the shower. I saw her supple hands wrap around the base of the towel. She grabbed my hands and guided them down her naked body. She gently played behind the curtain by Astonia Three
"I know you have always wanted to be king-maker, but I always worry when you get into bed with people like that; what policies are going to be yours and what policies are going to be his"
I tenderly kissed her on the lips and replied
"I have known Walter for Decades. We fought together and we watched our friends die in our arms. Walter is not someone who is out for his pound of flesh."
She knesled her head on my shoulder
"I want you to be careful"
9:30
Walters office
His office overlooked the Hudson River. I stared out at the tiny dots floating along the clear, blue water. A soothing voice brought me back to earth. A young woman with bleach-blonde hair and hazel eyes nervously flicked through the notes from her previous meeting. I gently tapped the bell and softly asked
"Walter wanted me to meet him here, do you know whether he is in or not."
She smiled and pressed the intercom
Your nine O'clock is here to see you sir
Show him in, a gruff voice on the other end of the line stated
A large man sat behind a shallow desk. He motioned me to come in and take a seat.
"It is beautiful isn't it? That River has seen such beautiful moments; it has seen triumph victories and marvellous feats of skill, and through it all it has sat silent. But that is not why you are here. There is an important vote in the senate next week. That vote is about open carry laws in the state, and the teams needs your support to lighten them up a bit"
"Lighten them up; why would I do that"
"Because you need my support and this is how you gain it."
I drew closer
"Walter this is political suicide. The people of my state will take one look at this deal and my support and wash their hands of me."
He scoffed
"You are thinking like a rookie; politics is not about what the people want; it is what gets you further down the road."
He pushed himself away from the table and stood next to the window
"I know hundreds of politicians like you. They ruled with honesty and purity and do you know where they are now?"
"They are those little dots which float on ferries across the Hudson River; their lives are worthless. They have meaningless nine to five jobs. They traded their skills for sitting in an office punching numbers into a computer. I don't want that to be your legacy. You are far too talented for something like that. But if you vote against me; then sadly that will be your fate; a one term politician whose only legacy was growing a conscious.
Politics isn't built for people like that. Politics is built for people like me."
He pressed the buzzer
"Can I get a bottle of Red Wine?"
"Care to have a drink"
I stared down at the wine before sipping
"When in Rome"
"Marty will meet you on Monday to give you a run down on which motions to nei and which ones to yah"
Office present day
"Why did Walter order the hit on Frawley?"
"He wanted power, pure and simple
2017
LA
Frank sat in his office a Cuban cigar dangled out of his mouth. He moved closer to me and blew the pungent smoke in my face. I saw the butt of the cigar glow as he dabbed it into the ash-tray; a sickly sweet smiled creased across his winkled lips.
"Tomorrow is a critical day in your career. Tomorrow will prove whether you are loyal to us or whether you are dead weight."
He passed me a note.
"This is the man standing in our way; Republican Richard Frowly "
I turned the note over
"Whose phone number is that?"
Frank cackled
"That is a loyal friend of Walters who will make sure that the problem goes away."
San Diego California
11:00
I lay the gun in front-seat of the beat-up 1997 Toyota Corolla. His house was on the end of the street; he was adjacent to the cemetery. I pulled up about a block away from the house, and placed the ski-mask on.
I heard the clink of the rusted, metal-door as U gently shut it. I gently pried the door open. I felt the cold concrete on my socks. Frowly was sitting outside, a cold whiskey in a shot-glass knesled next to him. He puffed on his cigar as he stared out at the night sky. As I got closer he smiled
"I knew this day would come, but I thought that I would at least be able to finish my drink and my cigar before you kill me."
I positioned the gun to his temple; I turned the safety off and gently stated
"This is purely business."
I heard the foot falls coming closer. Frowly gently asked
"That is my daughter, can I put her to bed."
I turned the safety off, and heard the soft lullaby echo across the quiet house. I clocked the weapon and made my way into the hallway. I placed the gun to his temple and watched as the blood gently trickled down the white walls.
I made my way back to my Corolla.
The club house
"I have some news the man formally known as Richard Frowly is now dead"
He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and cracked the top off
"This calls for a celebration."
Present day
9:00
"So how do we identify the killer?"
I smiled
"We don't the man formally known as the killer is lying in a ditch somewhere. That is the price you pay for dis-obeying Walters will. "
"Who was he?"
"He was an Army Ranger; he did two tours of Afghanistan and Iraq and Iran, before going into private security. But celebrities are temperamental and they didn't like his hard-knuckle policies. So he turned to private enterprise.
That is how he met Walter."
2010
L.A
They gave me my gun and they showed me grainy pictures of the enemy. They told me to shoot first and ask questions later. I watched as the bodies lay on the streets. I watched as the rangers proudly posed for pictures; their boots pounding their heads further into the sand.
But I held my ground on the roof
They hunt at night. Every road is a potential burial site.
But I held my ground on the roof as I watched my friends die.
I held firm because I knew that was the only way to defeat the enemy. The enemy didn't care what happened to us, all they cared about was misery and destruction. And when I got home; I held my ground. Dating was a fantasy; because Women don't want to be with a guy who can't see someone else's view of the world. So I fell into my comfort zone; sitting on the roof holding my pistol tight
I watched as my friends died around me, but I held my ground. Aimless I found this refuge for veterans like me.
Without you, I don't know where I would be. But tonight I have a special announcement; we have a new investor Walter Waterman owner of the Waterman Brothers Bank.
2012
Walter placed his desk in the corner and ushered me inside
"I am sorry to throw this all on you, but I thought I would be open with you. I will not be here as often as you may like; but if you have any questions please feel free to ask my son. He will be handling the day to day operations of the organisation."
2:00
A harem of scantily clad women walked through the front-door, and placed their leopard-fur coats on the floor. Walter gently opened the door and pushed through the women and dragged Chris out in front of me.
He slapped him across the face, and yelled
"Is this how you show respect for me; by turning this organisation into one of your sleazy strip-clubs? I raised you better than that."
Chris smiled, and whipped the blood from his mouth
"You have always been the same; always wanting to stifle my fun. When I take over this dump I will inject a bit of my flare back into the bones of this place, heaven knows it needs it."
2:30
Chris placed his hand on the back of the chair and ushered me to sit down. He gently stated
"I want you to know that you will always be remember as the founder"
FBI building
"So how did you get involved?"
I grabbed my cup of coffee and gently replied
"We were aware that there was a small sect of The Killers Organisation which had turned violent, but nothing that would raise any red flags, that all changed when the senator died."
"Did you know who did it?"
"Yes, it was someone who we had been looking at for a while. He had violent world-views and was the main instigator of a lot of conflict between the police and protestors. It was our in to try and infiltrate the group and shut them down. We began planning that night."
3
The farm
"Tell me do you know what it takes to hunt and kill a live deer. To hear its screams echo through the woods; knowing that the only way to end its life peacefully is to slash its throat."
The killer moved closer and loaded two cartridges into his gun
"I saw millions of people like you over there, who think that just because you killed a deer hunting that you have to kill your own flesh and blood. Killing Bambi is easy; you kill him for survival killing your friend is not. So with all due respect, why did you call me out here?"
"You have a skill set which I need"
The killer turned the safety off and pumped the boom-stick
"Walter this job of being a hired gun is different here; over there it was for survival over here it is simply to keep the blood off of your hands and I am not in the business of doing that."
He scoffed
"Did they not teach you orders over there. You are under the impression that it is a request, it is a direct order. Get your ass off of your high horse and do the job that you are made to do."
The killer moved closer and placed the gun at my temple
"What is stopping me from blowing your brains all over the grass?"
"Fucking do it then! Show me that you have the power to follow through"
He put the gun down
"That is what I thought; all you are is talk"
He grabbed a beer and handed me one
"Having read your file you are something else; you have a clean record of service, three tours and over three hundred and twelve kills. That is one cold mother-fucker so in that respect we are tarred with the same brush"
"So you think because I was cold over there that I am going to be the same for you? The military makes you cold. It makes you turn off parts of your brain that rational people have. In war if you think for one millisecond more than you have to, you are dead. So I had to be cold to survive.
And you are no Patton"
"You don't think I can strike down my enemy if I have to?"
I nodded
"People like you will say you don't fear taking out people you don't like; but if you get caught there are no tennis-courts in maximum security prisons. So quit being John Wayne or Dirty Harry or whatever tough guy acts you are putting on and face the reality of the situation.
If we get caught you go down for Murder in the third degree and I go down for murder in the first. I can survive in prison; but you I am not so sure. Pretty guys normally fetch the eye of the lifers."
FBI building
"Ramona was an informant. She had been in prison and to get a lighter sentence, she thought by agreeing to be an informant we would get off of her back."
"Did you"
"She was an asset that we needed. She had recently started a new job at a local strip-club owned by Chris; and she had been marked. Chris marked all of his girls. It was his way of tracking them.
For the less experienced it was three dots in a triangle pattern on the top of the neck; for the seasoned strippers and wait-staff, it was one large dot. "
"Ramona had a large black dot right."
"Ramona meant more to him than some property"
"I guess, but people like Chris were not capable of feeling love. The only examples they had seen of compassion had landed there wielders in the ground.
Therefore it was easier to have no feelings at all. It made it easier for them to kill"
9:00
Downtown LA
Cheek to cheek Ella Fitzgerald and Louise Armstrong played softly on the CD player. Chris lay next to me, his head resting on the top of my breast. He smiled and gently lowered my satin top
"Are you going to put a rock on my finger and make me your husband?"
"I never knew you wanted that. You always said you don't need a piece of paper to tell you how much someone means to you."
I guided his hand to his side of the bed
"Where is all of this coming from?"
He sighed
"My life has always been lived in fear. And for once I have something beautiful and I want to saviour it."
I kissed him and replied
"Chris we don't need all of that fancy stuff to show how we feel"
I pulled the covers off of the bed, and turned the shower on. My shirt gently hit the floor. I peered from behind the door, and gently ushered Chris inside.
I felt his soft hands gently touch the top of my breast. I inhaled a little bit as his way made his way to the top of my vagina. I nervously said
"Please be careful, I have not shaved down there in a couple of months I have no idea what wild creatures lurk in those depths. "
He smiled
"I don't mind a little bit of hair; that is how we have survived for so long."
Ramona opened the top draw and pulled out a silver Trojan condom. She gnarled at the wrapping and licked the tip.
"You know I am in the mood to get a little bit kinky."
I kissed her lips and eagerly put the condom on my erect penis. Her boobs gently smashed against the side of my toned, mid-rift.
9:30
La River
Between heaven and hell Rob Straffe
Her bloated body lay on the banks. Her head had been clean cut –off. He ran his hand along her body and saw the marks. They were deep; at least two inches, ending at the lower belly.
The medical examiner softly said
"There was penetration"
I nervously asked
"Do you think it was rape?"
He shook his head
"There is no evidence of that. It is clear it was consexual. "
How do you know?
"Because there is minimal sperm- discharge in the vagina or ass."
"Do you have any idea the time of the sexual activity?"
The examiner sealed the bag and replied
"No"
"Is there any way of determining who did it"
The medical examiner pulled me away from the others and said
"All I know is that she didn't know her killer; and that the killer took every precaution to keep his identity from us, so I want you to be careful because this man is not an amateur"
FBI building
10:30
"What does that mean for our investigation?"
I grabbed a camel cigarette from my bag and lit it up
"We will have to build with what we have; which is not enough"
Present day
"So what happened after you found the body?"
"We had to find the killer"
The young investigator grabbed a dollar and placed it into the machine. He pulled out a coke and gently continued
"The only problem was, we had no idea who the killer was"
"So how did you find him?"
"Chris handed him to us on a silver-platter."
11:00
He wrapped his muscular arms around the glass of water, and slowly drew the glass to his bushy-beard. He did not look any older than twenty years old, and it showed. His body had not yet felt the effects of father time; He gently whipped the tears away from his eyes, and said
"Did you find him?"
I dimmed the lights in the room.
"No. And sadly we have no way of knowing who committed the crime. If you know anything now would be the time to share."
He slid across a photo. The man in the photo wore a large camo, over-coat and clear white sunglasses. In his right hand he held a small calibre hand-gun and his left hand he held a freshly severed head. The blood was slowly dripping down to his clean, black boots. I could see the glimmer in his eye; and the proud look on the soilders around him. On his top breast-pocket I could faintly make out the name Anthony.
"Who is he?"
"His name is Anthony Miller but all of his army buddies call him The Killer."
"How do you and your ex know Anthony?"
"My father found him; he was a part of a large anti government movement called Free Citizens. It was one of the first things he did when he left the service after Afghanistan. "
Chris's boney hands moved slowly across the photo
"Him and his army buddies established a reputation, for being very forceful. They had been involved in a handful of scuffles and fights, but that is not what got me and my family interested in him."
"What Did?"
"Anthony and his buddies were protesting the US's involvement in their latest battle; Anthony and his friends wanted a full retreat of US soilders, ships and Naval equipment. When they arrived they were greeted by a horde of Pro-government men in ski-masks and hoodies.
The pro-government men were looking for a fight and Anthony gave them one. They beat one of his army buddies, and Anthony retaliated. Anthony grabbed one of the attackers and dragged him into the 9/11 memorial pond and drowned him; they found him the next day, badly hurt but only sustaining minor injuries."
"Why is this the first time I am hearing about it?"
"We kept it that way; buried the evidence and brought off all of the witnesses."
"How did you find the video?"
"It was posted on a fan-forum that one of our regulars is a paid member of."
The club-house
9:00
"Do you drink Anthony?"
Anthony moved from his chair to the large wines, lying on a stainless-steel serving dish. He stared at the un-recognisable names, before finally settling on the dependable Jack Daniels
"You can never go wrong with a bit of Jack Daniels and Coke; say what you want about the Americans but they do know how to make strong spirits."
I poured myself a vodka and gently asked
"Do you know why she is dead?"
Anthony smiled and put the drink down
"Walter in my line of work, it is best not to answer that question. Why you do what you do is your business, all I care about is getting paid for my services."
I moved closer
"She is dead because she broke the rules; dating management is out of the question."
I laughed
"It is a shame really; because I would love to have tapped that juicy-ass."
I raised my glass
"To rules and Honour"
Anthony softly replied
"And ones that we wished we could have had."
11:30
"When we saw that his Club-house was for sale it was an opportunity that we couldn't pass up. It was an investment for the future. Think about it; with one word I could mobilise a whole army of angry warriors and destroy my enemy before he has the chance to counter."
"But who is really in charge of them. These are men who have been trained to not sense fear, to fight every battle no matter who the opposition is; these people don't back down, these people are your worst nightmare, and you decided to give them a gun and a name and said go to work solider.
Now you are seeing the damage caused by your actions; your girlfriend is dead. We only found half of her body today; God only knows where the head is."
"Do you think he killed her?"
"He did what he was told; so ask yourself who is the person who gains the most from her death"
He scoffed
"You really think Walter got her killed"
"If the shoe fits"
He laughed
"You think you know him simply because you read a puff-peice by some hack with a journalist degree. He is my father, he loved her"
"Did he; Chris, Ramona was a bad girl; she was a person who could damage your fathers brand. Do you honestly think that he would consider you into his final decision.
She was dead the moment you told your father you loved her."
"What is going to happen to me; if my father finds out that I am talking to you, then surely he is going to kill me."
I wrapped my arms around him, and whispered
"If I was you I would cut my losses; I mean your father is clearly a man on a mission you are in the cross-hairs. It is only a matter of time before you join her."
"What do you want to know?"
"Where he is"
The club house
9:30
"Why is everything with you so brazen; you don't have the subtle so you wield a powerful shot-gun and you blow their house down?"
I moved and pressed my fingers on his mouth
"Now might be a good time to take your own advice before you say something that you will regret."
I passed him another Jack Daniels
"Jack Daniels was a pioneer of his craft; but like all pioneers he fell"
"What are you saying?"
"I am simply stating a fact. The fact of the matter is that you are going to die; now I can either be as painless as possible or I can be brutal, the choice is yours"
"Do you think threatening me is a good plan?"
"I have seen boys holding AK-47 assault rifles; proudly marching down the centre of my town when it finally declared its indepence from Yugoslavia. There was nothing left when those boys returned.
The town that had thrived before the war; was nothing but screaming children and rubble where beautiful landmarks once stood proudly overlooking the city; I fled soon after to the US with my son. So even though you may think that you are some kind of boggy-man; I have stared death in the face and come out the other side."
"Didn't your government regain control of its territories in 1992?"
I grabbed another Vodka Cruise
"It wasn't until 2002; when the last of the UN troops moved from the Prelavka Peninsula"
I placed the empty bottle on the table and whispered
"People like to meddle in matters that are not in their backyard"
Present day
FBI building
"We knew a few things leading up to his death
1) He had a blood- alcohol reading that was off the charts
2) He had other illicit drugs in his system
3) He had a loaded pistol; that he kept by his bedside
"So you ruled it a suicide?"
"The evidence showed that; there was no other valid explanation"
"Did you look at Walter Whitman?"
"Walter and his associates where out of the state; at a work dinner at the time of The Killers death"
"What about a suicide- note; surely if you were planning on ending your life you would have a suicide note"
"No note was found"
"Yet you ruled it a suicide why"
"I had no other evidence; the crime scene had been wiped clean of finger-prints. There was no forced entry; nothing was taken so that ruled out robbery"
"And that didn't raise any red-flags that he had the killer had staged it to look like a suicide so you would drop your investigation"
"What are you saying?"
"I think Walter killed the killer to be made to look like a suicide so that you would not look any further into Walter and his organisation; sadly I think you failed to see the obvious clues because you were so close to Walter."
"You think I jeopardised my own case to get back into bed with him"
"Isn't that why we are re-opening this investigation; so that you can get back into bed with him"
I grabbed another camel cigarette and looked down at the neon-green numbers flashing on my watch.
"It is late; you have worked a long day and clearly that has made you delirious. I am the figure-head of this organisation; every bad move others make I will wear them. What I wouldn't wear; is your judgement of my ability to try cases without prejudice. Get the fuck out of my office.
We will talk in the morning"
9:00
The farm
"You know I have been a loyal servant to you for so long and I think now is the time to let me back into the fold"
Walters cackle echoed in the silence
"You think just because you helped cover up a case; that it is all done. Your debt is still out-standing"
"What do I have to do to clear the debt?"
"Trust me son; you really don't want to know the answer to that question. Because the answer to that question involves you getting your hands dirty; if you get caught it could blow up your whole life"
"It might cost me it all; but if it gives me one more chance to come back into the fold i want it"
"You have to kill the lead investigator attached to the case
"I am not John Wilks Booth and he is no president, but I am sure I can manage something"