The Mind Virus

Chapter 18 - Part 2

"I hardly think so."

"Really? Did you even notice you were being followed?"

"Apparently not, else I wouldn't be surprised to see you."

"Not by me, dumb-dumb. Your own people are tracking you. When I followed you here the first time, there was another car on your tail. Inconspicuous looking old beater it was. Probably why you never noticed it, although I hardly consider that a valid excuse for a detective. I ran the number plate, and it was owned by none other than the Cedar Grove Police Department."

"Why the hell would they be following me? If this is really about the suicides, well, they know full well that I'm no longer involved. That bulldog Spaulding was the last guy to be looking into them, not me."

Eddie must not have heard about the results of her handiwork yet. Harriett felt a sliver of guilt pass through her. She never did like being reminded of her old targets.

"Eddie, I'm sorry, but I can't do this any longer." Harriett was hoping he couldn't see the tears welling up in her eyes. "I have to do this now."

"Don't do it, Harriett. You've got a choice. You've always got a choice. Why don't we both just drop it all and run away together?"

"You're serious?"

"I am. You must have put together a tidy sum of money with all your work, and I have a good bit saved up. Let's leave this place and never return."

Harriett was now crying freely. "It won't work, Eddie. They'll just send someone else after you, after both of us. There's no place remote enough where we can hide. You don't know how these people work, but I do."

"So here we are." Eddie moved his flashlight from his right hand to his left hand. "I feel like we're in a wild west showdown." He shifted from side to side. "Which one of us will draw our gun and fire first?"

"Don't try, Eddie. Even with the light in my eyes, I'm much faster than you. Be honest, when was the last time you used your gun outside of the range?"

"When was the last time you used yours? You don't strike me as the type to gun people down. Compared to me, you were always more – what's the word I'm looking for?"

"Cerebral?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"You're right. I don't shoot people. Typically I set up accidents." She made air quotes for the last word.

"So why the change?"

"Two reasons. The first is to give you a warrior's death like you deserve."

"Wow, I'm honored." Eddie was unimpressed.

"The second is to gain some sort of closure through it all."

"How's that working out for you?"

"It's not."

Harriett slowly reached toward her pistol as Eddie reached for his.

"So..." Eddie said, fingers twitching.

"So..." Harriett repeated emptily.

Eddie's flashlight was still on her, but it didn't matter. She could barely make out his outline, but it was enough.

"Any requests?" she asked.

"Yes, turn around and walk away."

Harriett laughed through a lumpy throat. Her hand was still hovering over her pistol, as was Eddie's. He stared at her, stone-faced.

"Eddie, I have some bad news for you."

"Worse than that you're about to try to kill me."

"In a way, yes. Earlier when you were at home, in the shower –"

"You were watching my house?"

"I was in your house."

"How did you get in?"

"You always used to leave a spare key under a rock to the left of the main entrance. I guess old habits die hard."

"So what did you do? Shit in my toilet?"

"No, but I did take all the cartridges out of your pistol."

With not a second to spare, Eddie pulled out his gun, pointed it at Harriett, and pulled the trigger.

Nothing.

"Yes, including the one in the chamber." Harriett said, though her victory was hollow.

"Aw, fuck!" Eddie yelled as he tossed his worthless pistol to the ground.

"You know, the fact that you just tried to shoot me should make this a lot easier for me, but it really doesn't."

"Are you really trying to guilt trip me right now? You were the one who wanted to shoot me first. I was just happy to see you." Eddie had dropped his flashlight and was now standing hunched over, hands on his knees, and breathing heavily.

Harriett took in the sight. He may have cut a somewhat pathetic figure at that moment, but when Harriett looked at his face, even in the poor light, she could still see the man she'd fallen in love with. Memories came flooding back. The day they first met was replaying itself in her mind as she stood there watching him. Then their first date – it had been her who had made the first move and asked him out, in spite of her more timid ways from years gone by. The years they spent together were bliss, and now they were finally reunited, only for her to have to end it all for good.

Her hand was still hovering around her pistol. She told herself it was in case Eddie tried to charge her, but really it was because she couldn't bear to actually take it out of its holster, like it would finalize what was happening.

"Eddie, I have to go."

He looked up at her, an expression of confusion just barely visible in the dark. "So you're finally going to do it then?"

"No."

"No?"

"I can't."

Eddie was speechless, though Harriett imagined it was from relief rather than shock.

"I can't do it. Not with you. Not to you. I'm going to leave now. You're not at the top of the hit list, so pray that they forget about you."

"Wait, Harriett, are you just going to leave it like that?"

"Would you prefer I shot you instead?"

He didn't say anything.

"Goodbye, Eddie. Please promise you'll always remember the good times only, and for God's sake, keep your head down."

You're weak, Harriett. Weak. This will come back to bite you in the ass, she berated herself as she darted through the woods to get to her car before Eddie could follow her.