MurderVerse

I used the heavy knocker on her solid red door

Thud, thud, thud

The knocker makes a dead sound like a body being thrown into a hole

Nervous

No ans

Knock again

Eventually, I heard movement beyond that heavy red door

A door Lucky installed to protect her from intruders

To protect himself from debt collectors

To protect his family from The Life

Lucky's favorite color, red

Stop.

Since Lucky additional hardware has she installed

locks, locks, and a doorbell with a security camera

She was home.

And she could see me through the doorbell cam

Her car was in the driveway

A Jetta with a car seat strapped in the back seat

Baby safety

Momma safety

I hear bolts being thrown back

***

Momentary Thoughts:

This is where I killed Lucky

Not that I would mention it

Killed him in the front hallway next to the staircase

Gina's husband

Degenerate gambler

Father to a daughter who would never know him

I was wearing a black baseball cap with a black hoodie pulled over

And a black surgical mask on account of covid

Gina never got a good look at my face

Jules did the talking so she never heard my voice

She couldn't make a positive ID

I want to think she saw me but refused to tell the cops because...

Deep down she had feelings...

For me. Yours truly.

***

Gina Answers.

The door squeaks open

Mental note: Hinges need to be oiled

Return tomorrow with WD40

Help the girl out.

"Wow! Johnny it's been a while."

Okay, she's surprised, that's normal, that's a good thing.

"How are you, Gina?"

She's gorgeous, seriously movie-star hot.

She shrugs and smiles, "All things considered, okay, I guess."

Has my sudden appearance temporarily postponed mourning?

"Would you like to come in, Johnny?"

"Thank you"

***

Alive And Moving Forward

I step into the murder scene, the front hallway

Feel nothing

No creeping guilt, no regret; I'm no random wack job killer

Mine was a surgical strike, like rooting out the cancer

There's no pleasure in returning to the scene of the crime

This moment is all about the living

Me and Gina, alive and moving forward

Lucky is not going to be the elephant in the room

He is not going to ruin us

Us.

***

Sit Down

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Gina sat down on the sofa and motioned for me to take a chair.

To what do I? Okay this is the question that I have rehearsed the answer

"I paid your mom a visit the other day and quite frankly I am concerned."

"About what, Johnny?'

"She seems old and frail..."

And afraid.

"This happens when we grow older, Johnny, It'll happen to us."

We. Us.

She's including me on her journey to and through old age

Maybe, maybe not; nice thought though.

"Yes. Well, I was just wondering if there was anything I could do for her?"

She was so good to me when I was growing up.

"I guess you'd have to ask her."

"I was hoping you could give me some suggestions."

Suggestions? That sounded lame.

"Mom and I are not exactly on speaking terms these days."

She said in a rather frosty tone.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"All the bad decisions she made when I was a kid are catching up."

"Yeah, she told me she's seeing the priest like three times a week."

"She didn't work at being happily married the way your parents did."

My parents weren't exactly...I just spent a week in Vermont because...

"When I was running errands for her I never noticed there wasn't a man"

I never thought to ask why you didn't have a dad.

"That's because you only got to see Mad Max."

GRRRRRRRRR MAX.

"She seemed like the complete package to me, Gina."

Powerful, organized, and always looking like a million bucks.

"An act. When nobody was around she found her courage in a bottle."

"That's too bad."

She cries herself to sleep at night thinking about all the little boys she sold.

"She was a scheming, conniving bitch who's scared of going to hell."

"The reason for seeing the priest."

"I imagine her list of bad deeds is a mile long."

"Did she protect you from the Life, Gina?"

Gina rolls her eyes as if to say do you really have to ask.

"Did she protect you from the Life, Johnny?"

Detecting sarcasm. Delete. No hurt feelings today

"I jumped in with both eyes open."

All smiles.

"Right. She groomed your ass just like she did Lucky."

"How so?"

"Johnny, why were you delivering messages to all of our neighbors?"

IDK, never looked at the messages I was delivering.

"You were being sized up."

"Sized up how and for what?"

"The Life, Johnny. These harmless-looking old men were paying attention

Were you polite, well-spoken, teachable?"

"Grooming sounds so ugly, like pedophiles or something."

Definitely a page from their playbook.

"When was it decided that I would be part of the Life?"

"Two weeks after you graduated from High school."

I wasn't expecting this information when I walked in here.

"Five guys sat around my mother's kitchen table offering cash for young

men they thought would make good soldiers in their OC army."

And I was one of them.

"You were the one they all wanted, Johnny."