Masked Assassin

Chapter Twelve

A door opened then closed and Esther sat up. She had been sleeping with her head on her arms. In all honesty, she had suffered worse sleeping conditions. The cold metal table was not pleasant but at least they had released her handcuffs. Opposite her was a mirror which was clearly a one-way window for the agents on the other side to look through. One other window which was frosted glass, looking out on the garden beyond California's Police Station. A camera in the top left corner of the box room was flashing a red light, recording.

Agent Harrison Green sat down at the table with an unopened file. He placed the file down on the table, in clear view.

"Are you sure you do not want some water? You've lost a lot of blood." Esther's arm was stitched, bullet removed and bandaged now. She shook her head. She was still wearing her dress and boots. Her mask had been removed which was killing her because it was her favourite.

"How is my partner?"

"Ryan Moore? He is alive and bruised with a chipped shoulder but he's in custody now too." Esther closed her eyes, part relief at Ryan being okay and partly annoyed at the fact that they knew Ryan's identity even with the fake identity cards they had. Which surely meant they probably knew her identity too.

"So if that is Ryan Moore," Agent Green opened the file. "That would make you Aria Marie Porter."

"I don't use that name."

"No, I have had officers find out where you live through Ryan's information. You go through many aliases but seem to have a fondness for the name Esther Porter," Esther didn't respond, just watched as Agent Green flicked through pages within the file. "I would like to understand this, Aria. But that would require you to give up your details and explain why we are all here." Esther sighed.

"My mother died in childbirth meaning I was raised by my American father, James Porter. My mother was Italian and part of the Poker Mafia gang before I was born meaning that my father could stay with the gang after she passed due to my Italian heritage. My father taught me everything I knew, how to use a range of weapons, how to shoot, how to use self-defence, how to block attackers and so much more. I was supposed to take his place when I became old enough.

"However, you feds did not allow that to happen. After a planned drug deal, the feds invaded and my father got shot down. Child Protection Services wanted me to be in a stable home and an older friend of mine, Ryan Moore was perfect for that. Raised by the ideal mother in this scenario, Ryan would make sure I was given a future that involved a fancy pants career and definitely no violence." Esther smirked.

"But that didn't happen." Agent Green encouraged. Esther looked at him, dropping the smile.

"No. Ryan's father was killed and he wanted some form of revenge. I trained him up as best as I could and he protected me, making it seem like the perfect guardian-child relationship. By the time we had Child Protection Services off our backs and by the time I was old enough to leave school, we had lost interest in attacking the Feds. Instead, we decided to keep our partnership an assassin deal. Ryan would be my accomplice, acting as I told him to do so and I would be the main killer.

"Our first target was Samuel Drinkell, a family friend. Samuel had left a huge inheritance for a family member of Ryan's. We had been asked to take care of the man and we would get a cut of the inheritance plus our act would be spread from mouth to mouth, giving us more business. By the time I killed Timothy Ruben Smith, I had killed thirty-three times in a variety of ways for a variety of people. Of course, it got easier as time went on by and I could up the prices for my services. I was becoming an extremely popular assassin."

"You and Ryan have committed a lot of crimes. Ryan will be charged with accessory to first-degree murder on forty-six counts. Conspiracy to murder. First-degree murder in twelve known targets. Stalking and vandalism may also come up here. You will be charged with conspiracy to murder, forgery, first-degree murder on forty-six counts. Vandalism is likely to come up as well due to damages made and stalking may also be counted here." Agent Green closed the file.