Moonlight Warriors: A Tale of Two Hit Men

by Joseph Rogers

  He did not say anything. His attention seemed to be entirely focused on a barge slowly gliding down the Mississippi.

  Apparently he wants me to speak first, Elaine reflected. “This park certainly has a nice view of the river,” she remarked.

  “Yes,” he replied. “I’ll have to bring my camera here sometime.”

  “Are you Marcus?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Sandhaven.” At last he turned and looked at her.

  She opened her purse and pulled out a thick envelope, which she handed to him. “This envelope contains a photo of my husband and his weekly schedule. Your down payment is also in the envelope. You will receive the rest of the money after the job has been completed.”

  Marcus accepted the envelope and, without looking at its contents, tucked it into the inner pocket of his jacket. “You are a very well-organized person,” he commented.

  “Organization is the key to success.”

  “True. But even the best organized plans can go awry.” Marcus looked toward the river again.

  “So you accept the job?” Elaine asked, wary of this dangerous man.

  “How did you find out about me, Mrs. Sandhaven? And how did you know how to contact me?”

  “One of the computer programmers at Sandhaven Software Solutions lives in an apartment in a neighborhood that was being terrorized by a gang. Her apartment is above a small store whose owner she knows quite well. The store owner is a member of the neighborhood association that hired you to solve the gang problem. The entire neighborhood was impressed by you and grateful to you for destroying that gang.”

  “So the store owner told her how to contact me, and she told you?”

  “That’s correct. Was that okay?”

  “Yes. Fine. All right, I accept the mission --- the job.”

  Chapter 4

  A Trip to the Zoo

  At about ten o’clock on Saturday morning Dennis Sandhaven came out the front door of his Central West End home. He picked up the morning paper and tossed it into the front hallway.

  Marcus was waiting in his car parked near the corner. Seeing Dennis step back out onto the front porch, Marcus placed his hand on the silenced pistol that was on the seat next to him.

  However, Marcus was surprised when an eight-year-old boy dashed out of the house, slamming the front door behind him. The child ran up to Dennis, and the father and son went over to their car in the driveway.

  Damn, Marcus thought. His right hand moved away from the gun and back onto the steering wheel.

  He followed them as they drove along Lindell Boulevard. Marcus hoped that Dennis was merely dropping the boy off somewhere, perhaps for a music lesson or at the house of one of the boy’s friends.

  When Dennis and his son turned into Forest Park, though, Marcus sighed, realizing that the pair probably planned to spend the day together. They parked in a lot near the zoo, and Marcus found a parking spot on the lane near the lot.

  He pulled the cell phone out of his jacket pocket and called Elaine.

  “Hello,” she answered promptly.

  “I will not kill a man in front of his child.”

  “I understand. I’m sorry. I didn’t know that Dennis was planning on taking him out today.”

  “I might as well go home.”

  “No! I doubt that Dennis is going to spend the whole day with him. Where are they now?”

  “At the zoo.”

  “They probably won’t stay there long. Since Dennis has had a special project underway at his company, he usually goes into the office for at least a few hours on Saturday.”

  “My time is valuable,” Marcus said.

  “Yes, and that is why I am paying you very well!” Elaine snapped. “I need this situation resolved as soon as possible!” She paused and then added in a calmer voice, “Please stay with them. If you are patient, Dennis will likely drop our son off at home and then head to the office by himself. That will be your perfect opportunity.”

  Marcus sighed. “Very well. I don’t have anything else planned, so I might as well follow them.”

  “Thank you, goodbye,” Elaine said and hung up.

  Because it was a Saturday and the weather was nice, the zoo was crowded, so Marcus was able to follow the father and son with little chance that they would notice him.

  In spite of Elaine’s assertion that the visit would likely be brief, Dennis and the boy spent about three hours looking at the zoo’s most popular exhibits.

  They walked through the River’s Edge exhibit, a mythic waterway through four continents that featured many animals from around the world in a lush, natural environment. Hippos glided gracefully underwater while elephants enjoyed a waterfall above them.

  At the Red Rocks exhibit, Marcus especially liked seeing the tigers, lions, and other big cats. Nearby zebras, antelope, and giraffes wandered in a natural setting.

  Like me, Marcus reflected, those big cats are predators who cannot reach their prey. They are constrained by physical barriers while I am constrained by my moral code.

  Marcus casually followed the pair into the Fragile Forest area featuring gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans in a naturalized outdoor setting. Visitors were able to look through large glass windows into the habitat furnished with tall grasses and live trees.

  This zoo has certainly changed a lot through the years, Marcus thought as he recalled a childhood visit to the zoo with his father. The apes have much nicer living quarters now.

  Marcus smiled as he remembered returning home and telling his mother that he wanted a gorilla for a pet. He was so insistent that she pretended to call a pet store and order a gorilla.

  Chuckling at the happy memory, Marcus wandered over to the Lakeside Crossing outdoor restaurant, purchased a Pepsi, and sat drinking it while he waited.

  Meanwhile, the father and son rode the Zooline Railroad over to the 1904 World’s Fair Flight Cage. After walking through the huge cage and looking at the birds, they headed toward the exit with Marcus following at a distance.

  When they pulled out of the zoo’s parking lot, Marcus was already in his car parked on the nearby lane. He stayed about a hundred yards behind them as Dennis drove out of Forest Park. Marcus expected them to head back toward their home in the Central West End neighborhood, but instead Dennis turned onto Highway 40 and drove east.

  Where on God’s earth are they going now? He speculated about their destination as he followed them across the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River into Illinois. Marcus considered turning around and driving back home to his condo, but curiosity propelled him forward. I have nothing better to do this afternoon anyway, he decided.

  Dennis and his son turned onto the driveway of some attractively-landscaped grounds. Upon spotting the sign that read “Our Lady of the Snows,” Marcus realized that he had arrived at Belleville’s most popular tourist destination. He had never been here previously, but he had often heard about the impressive Christmas display that the Our Lady of the Snows religious shrine had every year.

  Marcus chuckled with grim humor. This is getting worse and worse. Now Dennis Sandhaven is on holy ground. I won’t kill anyone in the presence of a child, and I won’t kill a person in a church or on holy ground.

  After parking, Marcus walked past a reflecting pool with a fountain in the center. The reflecting pool also featured four large copper bells encased in Byzantine turrets that were tolling to signal the start of a new hour.

  He followed Dennis and the boy as they walked through a grove of evergreens and pines. Marcus had the impression that Dennis was familiar with this place; Dennis moved with the decisiveness of a man who knew exactly where he was going.

  Numerous other persons were also heading in the same direction, apparently heading toward the same event. As he came over the crest of a hill, Marcus saw that a priest had begun leading visitors along the fourteen Stations of the Cross. Each station had a hand-painted background scene that provided a realistic, three-dimensional effect.

  Dennis
and his son joined the other visitors as they followed the priest from station to station. As the group proceeded down the path, at each station the priest would say some prayers, then provide some personal reflections.

  “Saint Alphonsus Liguori teaches us that ‘God is very ready to give us His help, but we must ask for it in prayer. It is the lantern which lights our way to eternity.’

  “I recently read a book entitled The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander, who comments upon the Book of Revelation written by St. John the Evangelist. Houselander writes that John saw Mary ‘standing in heaven, clothed in the sun and with her feet upon the moon. Facing the sun, she received its light and gave it back as the moon does.’”

  “Using another image, Houselander writes that Mary ‘was a reed through which the Eternal Love was to be piped as a shepherd’s song.’ ”

  When the group arrived at the station depicting Veronica wiping the face of Jesus, the priest said, “Just as the holy face of Jesus was imprinted onto Veronica’s cloth, we need to have his face imprinted upon our souls.”

  As they reached the final station in which Jesus was placed in the tomb, the priest said, “A couple of years ago I heard a Franciscan priest at St. Anthony of Padua parish in South St. Louis talk about a reverse Stations of the Cross. This priest had once seen a nun do the stations in reverse order, beginning with this one. He had never previously seen anyone do this and was fascinated. When the priest asked the nun why she did the stations in reverse order, the nun replied that Mary had to walk home after watching her son be crucified. In all likelihood, she walked back into Jerusalem along the same road that Jesus had carried the cross. So this nun would reflect upon what Mary might have been thinking as she arrived at each station.”

  At the conclusion of the Stations of the Cross, Dennis and his son wandered the grounds for a few minutes, then returned to their car. Apparently attending this religious ceremony was the main purpose for their visit here today, Marcus realized.

  He watched them drive away, but he did not follow. There was no reason. He was already fairly certain that he was not going to kill Dennis Sandhaven. Perhaps I will test his character before I make a final decision, Marcus thought. In any case, I will never again accept any assignment as a hit man. I’m tired of all the killing. I’m going to become just a regular private detective.

  Marcus sat in his car for another fifteen minutes, soaking in the peaceful atmosphere of the place.

  Chapter 5

  The Defender

  Later that evening at about nine o’clock, Dennis Sandhaven emerged from a Walgreens on Grand Avenue, carrying his bag of purchases.

  An apparently-homeless man in a navy blue hoodie approached Dennis. “Sir, could you spare a few dollars?”

  Dennis reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, which he handed to the man. “Here you go. Good luck to you.”

  “Thank you, sir. I promise that I won’t spend the money on drugs or alcohol. I’ve just had a bit of bad luck.”

  “I understand. Life can be hard sometimes.” Dennis took another twenty and gave it to the man. “I hope that your luck gets better. God bless you.”

  “God bless you, too, sir,” the man said as he and Dennis headed in opposite directions on the sidewalk.

  Almost as soon as he rounded the corner, Marcus Augustine spotted a truly-homeless man holding a large can as he asked persons for money.

  “This is for you, friend.” Marcus took the forty dollars that Dennis had just given him and dropped both twenty dollar bills into the man’s can.

  “Thank you so much!” the surprised man declared. “You are a good man.”

  Marcus laughed heartily as he continued on his way down the street.

  The next morning Elaine, carrying a cup of coffee, stepped out onto the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant.

  Marcus suddenly appeared in front of her, startling her so much that she almost spilled the hot coffee.

  “Damn! How do you do that?”

  Marcus grinned. “I can’t give away my secrets, Mrs. Sandhaven.”

  “I guess not.” Elaine managed a smile. “When any other person says that if he tells you his secret, he will have to kill you, he is joking. However, I don’t suppose that you would be joking about it.”

  “I’m not much for jokes these days.”

  Elaine looked around in order to make sure that no one else was within hearing distance. “Speaking of killing persons, I was wondering why my husband is still alive. He left the house just a couple of minutes before I did.”

  “And your husband is going to remain alive. I have decided not to kill him.”

  Elaine was taken aback. “Why not?”

  “Because you lied to me. I don’t believe that he is an abusive husband. You heard that I only kill bad persons, so you concocted a story so that I would accept the assignment.”

  “How can you be so sure that he is not evil?” Elaine demanded. “I can show you bruises.”

  “Bruises prove nothing. I have a bruise on my hip from bumping into a table in the dark a couple of nights ago.”

  “He beats me!” Elaine insisted. “Why else would I want him killed?”

  Marcus looked at her intently. “Now you have asked an interesting question. That is a question to which I would like to know the answer. I might know the answer, but I will admit that I am not certain.”

  She glared at him. “What do believe the answer is?”

  “You want your husband dead because you want to inherit his company. If you divorce him, you will get a nice settlement, perhaps almost half of his money. However, you won’t get Sandhaven Software Solutions. He will remain in control of the company. This is all about money, your greed for more money.”

  “That is ridiculous,” Elaine said.

  Marcus was surprised that Elaine seemed to relax slightly. She thought that I was going to say something else, Marcus realized. What is going on here? I will need to play another card or two in order to get her to reveal her hand.

  “I read the Wall Street Journal every day,” he said. “It is my favorite newspaper. As you might imagine, I earn good money in this profession. I want to invest it wisely. Yesterday I read a Wall Street Journal story that mentioned Sandhaven Software was working with a computer software computer owned by Douglas Neldt, the man who was assassinated last week. Then a bomb destroyed most of Neldt’s company.”

  Elaine’s eyes narrowed. “So what?”

  “So that’s quite a coincidence. For better or for worse, the death of Neldt and the destruction of his company will have a profound effect on Sandhaven Software. Financial analysts believe that if Sandhaven Software is able to successfully complete the Intelligent Agency program, the value of the company could double or triple.”

  “You have no idea of the danger in which you are placing yourself,” Elaine hissed. “It would be better for you if you had neglected to read your Wall Street Journal that day.”

  “Do not forgot who I am or what I do, Mrs. Sandhaven. It is not wise to threaten me.”

  “You are a fool who has stumbled into a world unknown to you. You are wandering into territory to which you have no map.”

  “Then enlighten me. Tell me what is going on.”

  “No.”

  Marcus could see that the woman was very tense. I am getting close to the truth, he reasoned, but there is something going on here that I don’t understand. A new idea occurred to him, and he decided to play another card.

  “Did you have something to do with the assassination of Douglas Neldt?” Marcus asked.

  For several seconds, Elaine stared at him in silence.

  “I’ll assume that means ‘yes.’ Who did you hire to kill Neldt?”

  “You are the king of fools. Walk away now if you wish to live.”

  “I want answers.”

  “If you are unwilling to kill my husband, so be it. I will hire someone else to kill him.”

  “Your husband will not be harmed. He is a g
ood man. And your son clearly loves his father. How could you be so heartless? Don’t you realize the grief that you would cause your son?”

  “That is my concern. Leave now. I never want to see you or hear from you again.”

  “Understand this, Mrs. Sandhaven: your husband is under my protection.”

  “You must be kidding!” she declared.

  “You will not hire another hit man nor will you kill him yourself. Do not even think about poisoning him. If he is killed or dies of mysterious causes, I will send the police a complete report about you. I might even decide to pay you a visit myself.”

  “You might not be alive long enough to do so.”

  “Mrs. Sandhaven, I was a sniper with special forces in Afghanistan. Once I got separated from the rest of my platoon in a town controlled by the Taliban. At one point in the evening, I found myself matched against four Taliban snipers on adjacent buildings. All four were quite determined to kill me. However, by the end of the evening, I had killed all four Taliban snipers, and I walked out of the town in good health.”

  “You are certainly a proud man. It’s time that someone taught you some humility.”

  “That might be true. It is probably the first true thing that you have said to me.” Marcus walked toward his car. “Goodbye, Mrs. Sandhaven.”

  As he got into the Lexus, she continued to stand there, glaring coldly at him. Finally, after about thirty seconds, she went over to her own car and drove away.

  Staying about two blocks behind her car, Marcus followed Elaine. It is very curious that she did not ask for a refund of the money that she paid me. She did not care about several thousand dollars. Perhaps money is not the motivation for wanting her husband killed.

  If not money, what is the motive? Marital infidelity? His or hers? No. It is too much of a coincidence that Douglas Neldt was killed just days ago.

  It appears that she is driving toward Sandhaven Software Solutions. That is probably where I can find an answer. I will slip into the building and do a bit of exploration.