Leave It All Behind

"How long do you think it would take for you to rape my little girl? Five minutes? Ten minutes? How long would you make her suffer before you finally killed her and released her from the suffering? I know you can't answer me, but let's just say a half hour, just for the hell of it."

Hank looked at his watch. "It's three-thirty. Let's wait until four, then decide what's next."

Hank sat and read a book. John started to swing his legs, trying to move his body away from the tub.

"Stop that or I'll lower you in right now!" Hank shouted. John stopped at the threat; he was still hoping the man was bluffing. Hank went back to reading his book.

At four AM Hank looked up from his book. "Well John, have you learned your lesson? Do you promise to leave Hanna and her family alone?"

John couldn't believe his ears. He nodded violently, trying to silently assure this stranger he would agree to his demands. But in the back of his head, he was already contemplating the havoc he would wreak on this asshole, Karin, her family, and especially on little Hanna.

"You probably think I'm letting you go because I'm afraid of your mob buddies. But that's not the reason. I know about your offshore accounts, and I'm certain they do, too. But they would be asking themselves if you disappear, "Did we know about all of his accounts?" Doesn't matter if there were other accounts or not, you can't prove a negative. So, if I wanted you to disappear and I wanted the mob to think you betrayed them, I would leave a few clues here and there, just like breadcrumbs. Just enough to cause everyone to look the wrong way and follow the wrong trails. Make everyone think you took off on your own.

"Anyway, that's what I'd do if I was going to kill you. But I think you've learned your lesson here and as long as I have your word that you'll leave Hanna alone, you'll be free to go."

Hank walked over to the cleat and untied the rope. He pulled John up a bit and stopped, "One more time John – do you agree to leave Hanna and her family alone?"

Once more John nodded his agreement with the terms. He couldn't believe his luck. Who was this asshole? How did he know about the offshore accounts? If he was so smart to know about the accounts, why was he stupid enough to let him go?

"You know what John? I don't believe you." With those words Hank dropped Benetti into the tub up to his waist.

It took a second for John to realize what just happened. The pain was excruciating. John passed out within minutes and Hank dropped the rest of his body into the tub before sealing it up. Hank used the forklift to get the tub into the back of the pickup and started the long drive west to a remote spot he knew out near Lebanon Township.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

For three years after leaving Catalonia David Carson moved from town to town throughout Central America and Mexico. He was currently renting a room in a villa owned by a retired lawyer near a small coastal village southwest of Ensenada. His sources in the States told him John Benetti disappeared just after the attempted hit. For at least a year after hearing that news, David was scared shitless, never staying in one town for more than a month. He assumed John learned about the hitman's death and decided to kill David on his own. He didn't know there were only four people in the world who knew David had nothing to fear from John Benetti, and those four never even talked about it amongst themselves.

David was walking home after another night at a local cantina. He was tired of the running, but mostly he missed his parents and his siblings; he hadn't met the two nephews who were born since he left home. Tomorrow he would meet with a fellow who promised to give him a new identity. It would cost him half of the forty thousand dollars he had left, but would be worth every penny if he could go home.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Torrie Carson locked her car and was walking up the dark stairs to the rat hole apartment she called home. Ever since that night five years ago, she was in one mess after another. For the first three years men wouldn't even give her a second look because of her nose that David had broken. Sure, a couple of guys had fucked her, but she noticed after a while that it was only after they turned her on her stomach and plowed her from behind. Even that sick bastard John Benetti fucked her that way before he disappeared; claimed it was payback for getting his brother killed.

Two years ago, Torrie used every penny she could scrape together and maxed out her credit card to have the nose fixed, but within a year she learned some shithead had given her herpes. Now, even with the prettiest nose in town, Torrie still couldn't get laid since it seemed her condition was common knowledge. What she really missed was the way David used to make love to her. "Mom was right," she thought to herself, "you never know til it's gone."

As she opened the door to the apartment, a shadow moved quickly toward her. The man pushed her inside and quickly shut the door.

"Don't scream and you won't get hurt!"

Torrie couldn't believe her eyes or her ears. "David?"

"Yea, it's me." David looked around the apartment and saw the squalor. "I guess neither one of us came out so good from your little affair."

Torrie got pissed. "No, David – neither of us, but especially me. You didn't have to over-react and kill Joe."

David was starting to lose his temper, but he needed information, so he kept his cool.

"I'm trying to find out what happened to John Benetti. He had a contract out on me. I can't find out what going on with it. More than one person said you were sleeping with him before he disappeared. What can you tell me?"

"We weren't sleeping together! He just used me like a blow up doll; never said a word except, "blow me, or some such order. So, no – I don't know what happened to him and I hope he rots in hell, but not until after he finds and kills you for what you did to me."

It was getting harder to stay calm, but David had another question. "Well, any idea how John found me three years ago?"

"John hired three different detective agencies. The last one must have found you, he never said anything to me. It was the Roland agency; some woman runs it. Down on 43rd."

"If John never said much, how come you know all this?"

"Cause John made me go with him; made me say that I was looking for you so you would know I had your baby."

"And you did this even knowing John was going to kill me?"

"John didn't give me a chance to say 'no', said if I didn't do it, he'd kill me."

Torrie was starting to cry and David couldn't help himself. For the second time in his life he punched a woman. It was the same woman as the last time and the punch flattened her brand new nose. All that money and Torrie's nose was right back where it had been two years ago.

David tied Torrie up and settled in for the night; in the morning he'd head down to 43rd and have a talk with this detective.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Karin Roland looked up when her admin came into her office accompanied by a man. It was eight in the morning, so whatever this guy wanted must be urgent.

"A Mr. Jefferson; he insisted on seeing you right away, boss. What do you want me to do?"

"Let him in April. I'll take care of it."

April left the office, but kept the door open as she returned to her desk.

Karin motioned for the man to take a seat in front of her desk. He looked familiar.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Jefferson." Karin said this hoping the man would fill in the first name to refresh her memory in case she had met him before.

"Sam Jefferson. I'm hoping you can give me some information." David really didn't know how this was going to work. He was hoping he could get some good news and then head back out of town. The last week was spent reconnecting with his family, but he was starting to worry about either the police or Benetti finding out he was back in the States with a new identity. Torrie was tied up back at her apartment, he'd call to get her released after he was safely out of town. He almost laughed when he thought how pissed the little bitch would be after being tied up just like five years ago.

"I need to know what happened to a man named John Benetti. I'm told he disappeared, but no one seems to know where he went."

As soon as the name Benetti left the man's lips, Karin knew who was sitting in front of her. So, David Carson was still alive. What a relief; her conscious never stopped bothering her after giving Benetti Carson's whereabouts. Not even Hank's contacts were able to trace what happened. One hitman was found dead, but was there more than one? With Benetti dead, the question wasn't answered until this very moment. Karin sat back in her chair and made a decision.

"John Benetti is thought to have disappeared after absconding with money he stole from the mob. I can tell you what the rumors are, but they're only rumors. Word is, he took money, but that the mob has no record of how much; it's a big mystery. Tell you what, give me your cell number and I'll ask some people if anything else has come up."

"Do I owe you anything?"

Karin gave the man a small smile. "Sign this contract, leave ten dollars and your number; that will cover it."

David left the detective's office. What just happened? David didn't know where his next stop would be, he was hoping to know more about Benetti to understand his options; he decided to have a cup of coffee and think. As he sat in the Starbucks, his cell phone buzzed that a text came in.

"u will never have to worry about JB or the contract put on u"

David read the message twice; it was from a unlisted number. He decided to call the number and find out more, but after four rings he heard the canned message, "The number you have dialed is no longer in service."

"Spooky shit," he thought to himself, then smiled. David pulled up the flight schedule on his phone. "I guess it's just my lucky day, there's a flight leaving for Rome in three hours." David booked a seat, then stepped out of the Starbucks and hailed a cab. He almost said it out loud, "I wonder if the folks in Sarajevo need any IT help?"