Free 1 Manic Monday by Robert Michael

she would not be
wearing a shoe when she exited the plane.
    She glanced back at VMUNIT—it was difficult to continue to
think of him as a target anymore, but she tried.  He was holding the
locket up to the light from the plane’s window, the sun glinting off of the
silver as it spun.  His eyes seemed distant and his face serious. 
Camilla hoped it worked.  It made her sad to realize that she may never
know.

Chapter 10
    A Time to Throw Away Stones
    The traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard was mild.  It was
a relief to get away from the airport.  The holiday crowd was brisk. 
    Jake drove the Maserati Convertible Sport with the top
up.  The California winter wind was uncharacteristically brisk.  This
disappointed him; he had looked forward to driving with the top down around
Beverly Hills and through Hollywood before flying back to the frozen northeast.
    Jake was pleased to listen to the deep bass baffle of the
sport car, though.  The low rumble was soothing and therapeutic—very male,
and satisfying to his ego.  Jake downshifted and whipped the convertible
into an underground parking garage near the Los Angeles Country Club.  He
placed his aviator glasses in his front pocket as he steered into a guest
parking slot. 
    He removed the leather driving gloves and placed them in a
small satchel on the passenger seat.  
    Galbraith had no qualms providing him with the perks of a
six-figure vehicle, an expensive suite at the Four Seasons of Beverly Hills,
and a wardrobe purchased from the priciest shops on Sunset Strip. 
    He felt ready.  Something about the velvet and gold
trappings of this profession prepared him for the grittiness of the act he
committed.  Murder was such a mess. However, in an Alexandre Plokhov blazer, Armani high-waist slacks, and Damir Doma derbies, he felt as
though it added a class, a purity , to the untidiness
that came with taking another’s life.
    He exited the vehicle, not bothering with the alarm
system.  He had his satchel.  It was all he would need.  No
prints on the car.  He would just leave it here.  Such a waste ,
he thought.  There was some sense of freedom in the act of leaving behind
expensive breadcrumbs. 
    Jake extracted the disposable cell phone he had purchased
with a pre-paid credit card in the airport.  He dialed Gary’s number.
    “Hello, pal.”
    “You there?”
    “Yes.  I parked next door, underground.”
     “I have the feed for your glasses on tap here.”
    “And Galbraith Central won’t know you are tapped in?”
    “It isn’t that type of frequency.  Anyone with a
Bluetooth cell phone or laptop could pick up your feed if they knew the
password.”
    Jake kept walking, noting a couple ahead of him getting out
of their SUV.
    “Isn’t that a security risk?”
    “Yeah.   A
big one.   Unlikely, but a risk all the same.  
Violet is a fool.”
    “Let’s hope that is true.  Just remember I will hit the
button in mid-sentence so it seems legitimate.  I will go live once I get
in the building.  I will approach the elevator and then be talking as the
elevator closes.  You have the elevator controls, too, right?”
    “Got it yesterday.   Stay
frosty.”
    “Stop it.  Out.”   He
switched off and pocketed the phone.  He would need to dispose of it
later.  He got out the glasses and put them on. 
    He wondered blithely if maybe they were engineered by
Apple.  The pair he was given had only one button.  It was discreetly
hidden on the inside of the dark frame and was concave. He waited while the
tiny processor went through its initiation programming. 
    The elevators opened and he watched from inside its light at
the couple making their way towards the elevators.  He was older, his hair
peppered grey and she was likely the same age but looked a decade
younger.  They were dressed in Beverly Hills chic and holding hands. 
    Jake held the doors for them.  Something about them
seemed familiar.  He could not place it.
    “Thank you,” the blonde