The Good Deed ~COMPLETE~

Chapter 30: The End of a Long Day

The thought of actually aiming a gun at another human, and knowing I was about to pull the trigger, made this all too real. Harvey Dunn had shared more information with me about his involvement with the Operation, than I had ever expected. He had quickly earned my trust and as it turned out, he was a fairly nice guy. All I kept thinking was how terrible it would be if I missed the vest and accidentally killed him.

My hands were shaking so badly I couldn't keep my aim on my target. The longer I held the gun pointed toward him, the harder my heart pounded. I tried to remember to breathe. After a few relaxing breaths, my hands finally steadied. My sight was lined up, my finger on the trigger, all I needed to do was squeeze it. I couldn't make myself do it. Fear paralyzed me.

I called across the field loudly. “I can't!”

Harvey stood still. He seemed to be completely relaxed, even though he had a gun aimed at him; even though it was an amateur that was getting ready to shoot him. He yelled back, “Yes, you can! Think about Sue! Her life depends on this!”

At the mention of Sue's name, anger filled my being. An ocean of emotional memories flooded me, and all I could envision was some goon from the Operation having his way with my helpless love; Forcing her into a chair, bounding her arms and legs, shoving a gag in her mouth.

With a new found purpose, I took aim at Harvey's chest, and said a final prayer. 'Please don't let me kill him.' I fired the gun. The bullet zipped from the barrel, across the field, and landed in the center of the vest. Harvey fell back and landed hard. I knew he was alive when I heard the pain filled groan coming through the air.

I returned the gun to the table, and hurried to him. His face was scrunched, showing obvious signs of agony. He winced in pain with each deep breath he tried to take in. “Nice, shot.” Each word excruciatingly difficult to force out.

I reached to his arm and tried to help him up, but his strength was gone. The bullet had knocked all of the energy out of him. “Stop...Let me catch by breath first.” Harvey laid his head back into the grass and closed his eyes. His mouth was opened and he was breathing heavily. “Son of a bitch. That hurt like hell.”

Once Harvey finally managed to get to his feet, I walked with him slowly back toward the table. He stopped only once to catch his breath. At the table he sat gently. Each move he made sent sharp pains into his chest. He looked at me and attempted to smile. It looked more like the face of someone that was suffering from constipation. “Thank God I only have to do that once more.”

I smiled back, “I could say the same thing.”

“You know, I was in the department for over thirty years, and I was never shot...Nowadays, the new police recruits are required to endure a gun shot to the chest, just so they know what to expect if it happens in the line of duty. Luckily they didn't start that procedure until after I was already an officer.”

I wasn't sure what to even say to the man I had just shot. It was an awkward situation for me. I asked a dumb question that came with an obvious answer. “What did it feel like?”

“It feels like you shot me in the chest.” He smirked. “Imagine getting hit in the chest hard enough, that the air is knocked out of you...now, multiply it by ten.”

“I can only imagine. You sure you want to do this again tomorrow night?”

“What choice do we have? Jacob wants me dead...we either fake it, or he'll have someone else do it.”

“What if he somehow finds out that you aren't really dead?”

“He won't. I'll have a few people with me that will keep Jacobs men away...besides, the blood will eliminate any of their doubts.”

“Blood? What blood?”

“Don't worry...it'll be fake. I'll have blood packets attached allover the vest. The second that bullet penetrates any one of them, my shirt will be covered in red.”

I still had my doubts, “What if they see you moving or breathing?”

“Stop worrying Joe. I've got that covered. I have a friend, a doctor. He gave me a pill that will slow my pulse and I will appear to be dead. That, along with the blood should convince anyone.”

Harvey seemed to have thought of everything. He had an answer for every question I threw him. “Okay...you're sure there's no other way?”

“I've thought this through Joe. This is the way it's got to be.”

December 10th, 2005 6:18pm

I started the car and began to reverse. I had noticed that the black SUV Dan Healy had followed me in, was no longer parked behind me. I figured he must have slipped away while I was busy shooting the cans...or Harvey.

As I pulled on to Aden Road, I looked down at my deadly passenger; The pistol that Harvey had given me. The very gun I had just shot him with...the same gun I was going to shoot him with again. I hate to admit it, but the more encounters I had with firearms, the more I was beginning to enjoy them. They still make me nervous, but my uneasiness wasn't as bad. The power I felt when I held the weapon was certainly growing on me. I had thoughts of maybe getting my own gun after this whole ordeal was behind me.

I arrived home just as the sun was disappearing for the day. Although the porch light had already come on, controlled by a sensor which reacts to darkness, my house seemed sad and gloomy. Perhaps it was because I knew that nobody awaited me within the house, except for Sasha, and it wasn't me she wanted to see anyways. I dreaded the thought of entering the house alone again, without Sue. I wasn't sure I could take any more of the dogs pitiful looks.

After a few moments of just sitting quietly in the car, I decided to go in. As I had expected, Sasha sat waiting by the door. I entered the foyer and gave her a quick pat, but spoke nothing. I made my way to the kitchen and checked the fridge. My stomach rumbled and I realized the junk I had eaten a couple of hours ago, had digested and now my hunger was returning. Upon opening the door of the fridge, it dawned on me, 'Saturdays were the days that Sue and I usually went to the grocery store to stock up on food, for the week to follow.' The fridge held barely anything worth considering. I shut the door and only seconds later reopened it, in hopes of spotting something I had missed on my first look...nope. It was still a disappointment.

After letting all of the cold air out, I finally decided to go with the leftover Chinese food. It had been in there for five days. I quickly nuked it and took my place on the recliner. I only managed to take three bites before realizing that, just because you are starving, doesn't necessarily mean you'll have an appetite. Although the Chinese didn't agree with my stomach, it still tasted okay. Perhaps I just wasn't in the mood to eat because of my current predicament.

I tossed out the leftovers, and returned to the recliner. I sat, thinking of the day to come. I played several possibilities through my mind, but it was difficult to keep focused. There were too many unknowns, too many 'what ifs'. I rested my head back and closed my eyes. I kept returning to the terrible envisioning of Sue tied down, with a bruised cheek and her make up smeared from her tears.

For what seemed like hours, I laid still in the quiet house, thinking about victory over Jacob Scholtz and the Operation...thinking about a dreadful defeat, and the loss of my girl. Thoughts of my mother's life being taken, and my fathers grief that would follow. So many thoughts. So many bad things that could happen at the Convention Center...

December 11th, 2005 4:42am

'Buzzzz-Buzzzz-Buzzzz' I awoke in a panic. Unintentionally, I had fallen asleep and wasn't even sure what day it was. Disoriented, I grabbed my vibrating phone and checked the message. It was a text from an unknown caller. I opened it and saw a bone chilling message. A message so horrifying, my heart began to pump furiously. Before this text arrived, I knew what I had to do to keep my family safe. My mother and Sue's lives were in my hands. Now, this deadly, threatening text, had placed the burden of hundreds of innocent lives upon my shoulders. If I failed the mission, the blood of many would stain my soul. Their deaths would haunt me forever.