by Frank Cereo
I laugh out loud as I grab him by the clump of hair in his comb over. Dan screams out loud as I drag him into the old abandoned water filtration plant. When we get inside I pull out a flashlight and guide Dan into plant near the water intake valve. I proceed to tie Dan into an old wooden office chair with rope I found on the floor. I make sure Dan isn’t going anywhere by duct taping his wrists and ankles for extra support.
“Please Fred think of my wife. What will she do without me?” Dan says as he cries out loud.
“Your wife will be better off without you. You are a pathetic lying loser that preys off other people. You are what they call a bottom feeder. One other thing, Dan you can yell, scream and cry as loud as you want because no one will hear you.” I say as I grab an old hook and chain that is linked to a pulley.
I can see this chain and pulley was used to lift things up and out of the intake valve. So I spin the chain so I can get some slack on the line. When I get enough slack I attach the hook to the back of the office chair. Then I spin the chain and it lifts Dan and the chair off the ground.
“What are you going to do?” Dan asks in fear.
“Have a little fun.” I say as I glide Dan and his chair over the open intake valve.
I shine my flashlight down into the water that stays full because the outer door was left open when the plant shut down twenty years back. I guide Dan out and over the open water and lower him so we are at eye level.
“Please Fred, I don’t want to die.” Dan says while crying.
“You should have thought about that years ago. Now you’re going to get what you have coming to you.” I say followed by laughter.
I shine my flashlight around and see five cinderblocks setting in a corner. One by one I carry them over and set them on the concrete floor just across from Dan. It takes me about three to four minutes to carry all five of them. Meanwhile Dan is trying furiously to get free. I know he isn’t strong enough to break the duct tape let alone the rope.
“What are you going to do with the blocks?” Dan says as tries hard to get free.
“Target practice.” I reply.
“I’m about fifteen feet from you. There is no way you’re throwing a fifty pound block that far.” Dan say in relief.
“You really are a moron Dan. I’m not going to throw the entire block at you. I’m going to break the blocks into pieces and throw the chunks of concrete at you. One more thing Dan I played semi pro baseball for three years and you want to know what position I played?” I ask Dan as I drop the first block down and it breaks on the floor.
“I hope you weren’t a pitcher.” Dan says with concern.
“I will let you figure that out.” I say as I pick up a small piece of concrete.
The piece of concrete is about a two inches in diameter. I set the flashlight down on an old table. I face the light beam towards Dan so I can see him. What’s nice about this is he won’t even see what’s being thrown at him until it’s too late. I know it’s going to take a few throws to loosen my arm up but I’m not going to waste anything. I throw the first piece of concrete that whizzes by Dan’s head. I know he didn’t see it but he heard it as it flew by his head. The piece of concrete hits the opposite concrete wall and falls into the water below with a splash. The second piece makes contact with Dan’s shoulder.
“Ahh fuck that hurt.” Dan yells.
“I bet it did and I haven’t even gotten into my groove yet.” I reply with laughter.
As my arm loosens up, I begin to hit my mark. Right now I aiming for Dan’s midsection because I know a head shot might kill him and I want this to last a little longer. I continue to peg him and hit him in the arms, legs and midsection. With every hit I get a scream and a curse word. Then I break the second block and find a nice five inch by five inch piece. I decide I’m going to throw it sidearm at Dan. I aim for his chest but it gets a little life on and hits him in the forehead. I see Dan’s head fling backwards and then forward. His head falls down on his chest as blood begins to pour from the open wound.
“How you feeling there Dan?” I ask Dan but he doesn’t reply.
I go over to the chain and pull him in towards me. I’m thinking it may be a ploy to pull him in but I know he is tied down to tight to get loose. When I get him in I can see that Dan is only knocked out. Being the good man I am I bandage up his cut. Just by looking at the gash, Dan would need stitches but he wasn’t going to get them today because today is the day he is going to die.
“Please Fred it doesn’t have to end this way. Please let me down because I am really cold.” Dan says as he comes to.
“Well consider yourself lucky today because my arm is starting to hurt. You know the old baseball rotor cuff injury. But I do have a remedy for being cold.” I say as I dig into my bag.
When I find what I’m looking for I open the top and begin to squirt it all over Dan.
“What are you doing?” Dan asks.
“I’m going to warm you up. You said you were cold.” I reply as I light a match.
“No please, are you fucking crazy?” Dan yells as I get near him with the match.
The fluid I squirted all over Dan is lighter fluid. As I get near him with the match, he fights and struggles to get loose.
“Just think Dan I am giving you a chance to get away because if the fire burns long enough it will burn through the tape and ropes.” I say jokingly.
“Fuck you.” Dan say as he spits in my face.
That is when I light him on fire. Dan screams and squirms as I spin the chain to lift him off the ground. I pull the chain back over the intake valve so Dan is back over the water. I watch as his clothes burn off and his skin begins to burn. Dan is screaming and yelling and there is no one around to hear him.
“Help me, please put the fire out. Please!” Dan yells as he fights to get free.
“Sure Dan let me get right on it.” I say as I start to pull the chain to drop Dan down into the water.
He is burning so bright that he is lighting up the entire room. I make sure he burns as I lower him in as slow as I can. I make him wait like he made me wait when I needed things approved.
“Hurry, please hurry.” Dan yells.
“I’m all over this Dan because right now I don’t feel a sense of urgency. Just like your work ethic. No sense of urgency” I say as I clink one chain link at a time.
By the time I get Dan into the water he has stopped moving. I make sure he goes under and the fire is completely out. I pull on the chain in the opposite direction and lift him out. I lift Dan until he is eye level with me. I can see the ropes and tape have burned completely through. Dan is barely alive as he reaches his right arm towards me.
“Help me, please help me.” Dan says in low but near death voice.
“You’re free to go my friend.” I respond.
Dan tries to pull himself up the chain but he is too weak. I make sure I stay and watch because I want to make sure he is dead before I leave. The smell of burnt flesh is reeking throughout the building. I can feel my stomach beginning to turn from the smell. I really want to get out of here but Dan is being too stubborn to die.
“I tell you what Dan, if you admit you are an asshole I will kill you quickly.” I say with a remorse.
“Fuck you.” Dan whispers.
“No Dan, fuck you.” I say as I watch.
I sit back and pull my shirt up over my nose and watch Dan suffer. It takes another hour before I notice his head is slouched and off to the side. His eyes are wide open and staring at me. I pull him back over to me and check his neck for a pulse. With no pulse I put Dan’s corpse back over the intake valve. I will let him sit there and rot in the chair. He probably won’t be found until summer but who gives a shit. I pack up all my belongings and give one more look back at Dan.
“Hey Dan, enjoy your trip to hell and say hi to Ricky for me.” I say as I walk out to my car.
I head towards the train station where I will take the train into the city for target number three. I change my
clothes in the car and get out of the coveralls. I buy my ticket and take a seat with just my bag of toys. All the rest of my belongings will sit in the car which will be parked in a secure parking garage. I take my seat and begin to dose off on the two hour train ride when my cell phone rings. I can see it’s the unidentified number that my wife is using. I am hesitant to answer the phone because she had called me twice and this is the third time. She called me once before I headed out on this quest and twice right after I killed someone. So I sit up in my seat and look around the train car. There are only a few people on board because its two o’clock in the morning. If I ignore the call she will probably call back a couple minutes later. So against my better judgment I answer the call.
“Who the hell are you and what do you want?” I say loud.
Everyone in the train car sits up and looks at me like I’m off my rocker. I know this isn’t a good way to keep a low profile so I say I’m sorry to everyone as I sit back down.
“Freddy where are you? Please come back to me and the kids. We miss you so much.” The woman’s voice says.
“I don’t know who you are but please leave me alone. My wife and children left me.” I say a low voice.
“Please honey we miss you so much.” She says as she hangs the phone up in my ear.
This is beginning to disturb me. I don’t recognize the phone number or the voice. So I recline my seat back and close my eyes. I make sure my bag is at my side between me and the window. I fall asleep dreaming of what life might have been if everything worked out for me.
Chapter 8 – New York, New York
The two hour train ride was uneventful. Traveling through the night has its advantages because there are very few passengers going into the city at this time. When the train pulls into Grand Central Station all the lights turn on inside the passenger cars. I make sure I wear a long overcoat to cover myself along with a knitted winter hat. I want to make sure with all the cameras in New York no one will get a good look at me. So I exit the train and walk down the platforms towards the main station. When I get out into the main lobby there are only a few people hanging around. I adjust my hat to cover just above my eyes as I walk towards the exit.
“Excuse me sir but you dropped this.” A woman says as she hands me my return ticket to Poughkeepsie.
“Thank you,” I respond with my eyes looking towards the ground to avoid eye contact.
I continue to walk up the steps without looking back towards the woman. When I get up on 42nd street it is still dark outside. There are a few more people on the streets as the time is nearing the beginning of the rush hour. I decide to walk to my next targets place of residence. I know using mass transit can lead to a camera getting a glimpse of me. I want to make sure everything here goes as plan and I’m on the first train back to Poughkeepsie. So I grab a piece of paper out of my pocket and check once again where Adolf Miner lives.
“177 88th Street, right here in Manhattan. Sweet,” I say as I walk along the sidewalks.
When I cross the street I make sure I am heading in the right direction. When I realize I am walking in the right direction, I keep my head down to avoid making eye contact with anyone walking in the opposite direction. I might think I’m being over protective but I’ll be damned if I’m going to get caught before I complete my task. Soon its starts to become light out as it nears seven in the morning. By midmorning I have reached 88th Street. I check the building numbers to make sure I’m heading in the right direction. It takes me another thirty minutes to reach Adolf’s address. Just as I anticipated, he lives in a high rise with a door man. Just my luck there is a diner located across the street where I can get breakfast and observe the building. So I grab a newspaper at one of the stands and head into the diner. Now I will change my approach because any given waitress will know I am acting suspicious. So I take off my hat and overcoat. I grab a booth that has a perfect view of Adolf’s apartment building. I open the newspaper and pretend to read it as I look out the window.
“Can I take your beverage order?” The waitress asks as she puts the menu in front of me.
“Yes, I would like a coffee and water.” I reply.
“Okay, I’ll be right back to take your order.” The waitress says as she walks away.
I watch as she walks away wearing her pink uniform with a white apron. She looks to be around twenty to twenty-five years old. She looks like a girl trying to get a part on Broadway. She has long blonde hair and thin. I look at the menu and figure out what I want for breakfast. The waitress comes back and sets my coffee and water in front of me.
“Are you ready to order?” The waitress asks.
“Yes give me the hungry man’s special.” I reply.
“How would you like your eggs cooked?” She asks.
“Over easy with white toast and bacon.” I say as I continue to look down at the newspaper.
“French toast or pancakes?” The waitress asks.
“Pancakes, please,” I answer.
The waitress takes my order and walks away. I continue to watch over at Adolf’s building and right at 9 he emerges from the building. I can see he is wearing an expensive gray suit covered with a long tan overcoat. I watch as he hails a cab and gets inside. The cab drives off with Adolf looking straight ahead. I fix my coffee and wait for my breakfast to arrive. Then it catches my eye on the front page of the newspaper.
“And so it begins.” I say to myself as I read the headline on the front page.
Man tortured and murdered in his own house the headline reads. The article goes on to say he is a prominent man from the area. I read the entire article and nowhere does it state where they have a motive or a suspect. I get a chuckle out of the last sentence about a second manger from the same company has gone missing.
“Good luck finding Danny boy.” I say as the waitress arrives with my breakfast.
She sets the two plates on the table as I fold the paper up and set it to the side. I take my time eating and observing the movements of the door man. I can see he is an older gentleman that needs to keep working to help supplement his social security with inflation on the rise. He is old and very slow and really shouldn’t be working a job that calls for so much movement.
“Will that be all?” The waitress asks as she sets the bill on the table.
“Yes, thank you.” I respond without making eye contact.
The total comes to $12.93. I leave $16 on table and head out the door. I want to make sure I don’t leave an impression to the waitress by leaving too much of a tip or not enough. I walk over to some of the shops and do a little window shopping while watching the door man. At lunch time I grab a few hotdogs from a street vendor. By five in the afternoon it’s starting to get dark and the door man heads home. I wait for his replacement and no one comes. Then at 5:30 Adolf arrives at home. He rings his doorbell and he is buzzed in by his wife. As 6 pm arrives I am amazed at the number of food deliveries being buzzed in. That is my way in, so I walk close to the building and wait. I see a car pull up out front and a Chinese man gets out carrying food towards the door. I watch as he rings the doorbell.
“Yes who is it?” A female voice says over the intercom.
“Mow Chow delivery.” The Chinese man says
“Come on in.” The woman say as she buzzes the door open.
The delivery man opens the door and goes in. I make a mad dash towards the door but it closes too quickly for me to grab the door. So I wait patiently for the delivery man to return and return out the same door. While I wait there I look at the doorbells with the room numbers. I see that Adolf’s apartment is on the 8th floor. Five minutes later the delivery man comes running out the door as I grab the door and go inside. I keep my head down just in case there are cameras in the hallway. I walk towards the elevator and push the button. I listen as I can hear the elevator coming down to the first floor. The doors open and to my surprise Adolf and his wife are getting off. They are both dressed for dinner. He is still in the gray suit and she is wearing
a black dress. Adolf’s wife Winifred is British and seems to be a few years younger than her husband. She looks to be in her late thirties with long black hair and blue eyes. She goes by Winnie for short. Winifred is a good looking woman and I can’t understand why Adolf would cheat on her with prostitutes. Some people just don’t cherish what they have. They think that just because they have money they can do whatever they want.
“Excuse me,” Adolf says in a hoarse voice as he and Winnie get off the elevator.
I keep my head down as they walk by me. My biggest concern is that Adolf might recognize me but he is in too much of a hurry to be bothered. I turn towards them as they walk away. I get on the elevator and ride it up to the 8th floor. I get off and look at the apartment numbers with the name printed underneath. When I find his apartment I pick the lock and go inside. I am thinking that if he has a security system I am screwed. Low and behold he does have a security system but it is not armed. This tells me their dinner is going to be brief and they will back soon. I use the extra time to walk around the apartment and visualize how the upper class lives. The apartment is so serene and it’s like out of a TV show. So many expensive items that the ordinary middle class can’t afford. This make me curious as I take a peek inside their bedroom.
“Fucking amazing, the high society fucks have a hot tub by the window overlooking the skyline of the city.” I say while shaking my head.
I can’t believe a rich bastard like Adolf wouldn’t have armed his security system with all the valuables inside his apartment. I make sure the door is locked and only the lights they had on, were left on. So I take a seat at the bar in the living room but not before I fix myself a scotch on the rocks. I sit back and wait while I sip my drink.
Chapter 9 – High Society Living
My wait is short lived because thirty minutes later I hear a key go into the lock. The door opens and Winnie and Adolf come through the door laughing. They both take their jackets off and put them in the closet. They walk into their living room and I know they don’t see me sitting at the oak wood finished bar.
