A Difficult Target

The death of Khali D had shocked his fans to no end. Apparently, he was about to produce a brand new album in a week and they have been waiting for it for sometime now. The police had tried to investigate the murder but it all came crashing down. There was simply no evidence left behind beside that Khali D had been murdered execution style, one bullet to kill him, another to make sure he stayed dead. A detective had made fun at this, stating that the killer knew how had these rappers clung on to life so he double tapped.

They had gone through all the footages in his house but nothing was coming out of the ordinary. Of course, they tried to check the vehicles that drove passed the compound, checking where they stopped before they crossed that off their list. They just couldn't imagine that someone would have ran five miles in three minutes, kill and go back, making it all under eight minutes! All in all, it became a cold case in which even the victim's alleged killers had their own allabis.

*********

"I suppose congratulations are in order, very few newbies get to do such a clean job like you did. I suppose we can finally do an official introduction. I'm Slim," the thinly man said to Denise, offering his hand to her. She took it without hesitance.

"Ag," she introduced herself.

"Ag? That's a...unique name. Which language is that?" Slim asked.

"Chemistry, it means silver," she answered, making the man nod.

"Never was one for science in high school," he chuckled. They were inside another bar but he was drinking the same with her having some sparkling water. "Anyway, you impressed the client and in turn, impressed me. That's why, I have another job for you."

"It's been barely two days since I did the other one," she complained but Slim raised his hand, silencing her.

"That was an interview, to see if you are worth my time. This job will be a welcome to my company kind of job, a welcoming gift of sort," Slim explained, patiently. "The others agreed to give you this job due to its...political nature."

"What job is it?" she asked with a frown. Slim sighed a deeply as if contemplenting whether to tell her. He later decided to just show her so he slid over a dosier.

Curiously, she opened it and the first thing was a picture of her target, a caucasian middle aged woman, well dressed with an aloof facial expression on her face. She had on a diamond gilded rolex watch, pearl necklace and a diamond wedding ring, showing she had money to spend. Her clothes were a designer made female suit, showing her status. She turned the picture and the target's bio came up.

"You want me to kill a judge!" she silently exclaimed, looking at Slim with narrowed eyes.

"Like I said, political," Slim chuckled helplessly. Denise continued reading and her eyes widened even more.

"Her husband is FBI!" she hissed, closing the dosier and sliding it over to Slim who intercepted and tried to slid it back only be felt like he was pushing against a truck.

"Whoa, you are strong!" he exclaimed.

"Are you trying to have me burnt? I barely started and you are pushing me off the cliff!" she accused the man.

"I'm gonna be honest with you, sweetheart. You are simply not cut out for this job. The others look at you and see a pushover hence they dumped this job on you. I am obligated to tell you this, if you refuse this job then I am done with you."

Denise looked at the man, fighting the urge to just beat the shit out of him. But, she needed him. Sure, she would strike it out on her own but that would expose her to more risks. Clients who can't keep secrets, idiot clients, security cameras while meeting a client or one who is an undercover cop. Having a handler was the safe way to make it as a newbie. They would make the jobs for you, give you the most important details and then demand forty percent of the total money per job. First an foremost, they are the ones risking meeting with clients and second, they are obligated to not spill the names of their best operators. That's why she needed to make a good impression on him so that when the ship sinks, she will be among the few rats safely stowed in the lifeboat.

"Fine!" she said, taking the dosier. "But I'm gonna need a car from you if you want me to take this suicide mission."

"Honestly, I was expecting more but done!" Slim eagerly agreed. She got up from her seat and walked away as Slim just watched her.

*******

"Judge Mary Campbell, former DA, best in her class, blah blah blah. This information will not get me close to killing her. I need to keep surveillance on her and watch her pattern. Where does she eat, drink, frequent to beside the courthouse. Who are her friends, colleagues, people she frequent daily. How does she communicate with others and most importantly, her husband," Denise was looking at her target's picture on her wall while her mind raced. She was in her father study where he had taught her how to case targets, calling them little pigs.

"I am going to unravel you like a ball of yarn," she talked to the picture before swinging the office chair around, facing the large office desk. She opened the left side lower drawer where she took out a box which she opened and inside were small listening device the size of coins. She picked four and kept them in her back pocket, closed the drawer and opened the one above it. Inside were a burglar's favorite tools, lockpicks. Her father had taught her how to lockpicks the hard way, locking her up in a box, litting it on fire and watching as she applied what he taught her to save herself. She has to admit, though fucked up, it worked. He did this with different kinds of locks till she had mastered how to lockpick quickly.

She got out of the house and into the car Slim had delivered to her, obviously not in her address. It was a white corolla sedan which thankfully did not wheeze when she drove. Parking outside the courthouse the judge works in, she switched off the engine and watched the building.

At around six, she saw the judge walk out with some case files. She got into her car and drove past hers. Denise waited for a few seconds before she fired up her engine and followed her. She made sure she was five cars behind, her amazing eyesight making sure she did not lose her. The judge did not make any pit stop, driving straight to her house, unknowingly leading an assassin to her doorstep. Denise drove past the house, making sure she did not look at the judge just in case the woman decided to make her a long lasting memory, but her photographic memory had already gotten the lay out of the house. She drove a couple streets past then parked the car in an alleyway. She got out of the car and dove into her trunk where she took out a camouflage suit, some night vision googles and the Glock 17 with a silencer.

She made her way back to the judge's house, using the alleys behind the houses. Moving so silently she was like a wraith, not even the dogs could hear her. When she made to the house, she perched herself on top of a tree where she covered herself with the suit, blending in seamlessly in its leaves and she started her stake out.

'What's with people and not covering their rooms with curtains when they are in?' she asked herself as she watched the woman working on her laptop while the large stainless windows showed everyone what she was doing, even if they were facing in an area where people rarely passed. However, she was exposed, a little too exposed.

'This will be easier than I thought,' she chuckled to herself, but still continued watching.

The judge worked till eleven at night where she proceeded upstairs. Denise assumed she brushed her teeth for she appeared in her bedroom wearing a night dress. A small detail however made her choke, she was holding a vibrator before she proceeded to close the curtain.

'Look like her husband don't give her enough pleasure. That's fine, I. an actually use that,' Denise thought to herself. Since she was starved of attention, she would give her the attention she needed. Chuckling evilly, she got off the tree and ran back to her car.

Firing up the engine, she drove off, using the alleyways to stay off the main roads and the street cameras at that. She then searched for local pet stores on her phone, pinging three of them. Searching for puppies, one of them showed it had a litter of a month old puppies for sale.

"Excellent," she said, memorizing the address. She drove to the building, keeping off the main road as much as she could, which took longer but it was still worth it. The place was closed, perfect condition for her.

Getting out of the car, her eyes looked around her, sighing when she did not see any cameras. She made to the store, a single building which was just perfect for her. She scaled to the roof and proceeded to repel down with a rope. The place was filled with animal sleeping sounds, which she made sure they would continue to make as she made her way to the litter's cage.

'So cute!' she cooed inside her head when she saw them but steeled herself. 'Get your head on the swivel!' Silently, she opened the cage then carefully took one of the puppies. It remained sleeping, which was a relief for her. Once it was carefully tucked in her hands, she closed the cage and tiptoed back to her rope. Using her remaining arm and legs, she lifted herself up to the roof, closed the vent, got into her car and drove off, the puppy snuggling in her chest for more warmth.