He stood on the balcony overlooking the sparkling blue waters of Maunalua Bay.  Sipping his first cup of coffee of the day, he leaned against the stone wall that kept him from falling seven stories down to the pool.  Calculating the time difference in his head, he checked his watch.  He should be getting a phone call any minute now.

Taking his cup back to the glass table that held his breakfast he sat down and cut into his ripe mango.  The juice welled up and out, overflowing onto the pristine white bowl that held it.  He sighed contentedly.  There weren’t many places that could judge the exact moment of perfect ripeness.  But his meals here had been perfection and he had another day here before he had to move on.  Planning his menu for dinner tonight, he made a mental note to ask for fresh swordfish.

He’d barely finished his mango when his cell phone rang.  Taking the time to wipe his hands on the damp cloth provided, he leisurely answered the phone.

“Yes.”

“Dr. Smith, I believe it’s time to take the negotiations to the next level.  Mr. King would like to take possession of his new property by Thursday of next week.”

“He’s very impatient.  Rushing about in a frenzy destroys the best laid plans.”  He answered with a faintly disapproving air.

The voice on the other end of the phone was noncommittal. “When you have as much money as Mr. King does, it is not called ‘rushing about’.  It’s called expediting.”

“Ah, yes.  I stand corrected.  Well, the current tenants were given their notice to quit but they’re being stubborn about it.  They keep insisting they have a contract.  Are the lawyers standing ready to serve their papers?”

“Everything is in place.  Once the tenants vacate the premises, Mr. King has his staff ready to move in.  The legal papers should be delivered within the hour.  Is everything ready on your end?”

“Yes, indeed they are.  As soon as I have the papers in hand, I’ll deliver them myself to the proper authorities.  I believe that should cover my part of this take-over.”  He poured himself some more coffee.  “I trust the payment has been delivered as well?”

“The special messenger will deliver full payment and the legal papers at the same time.  Mr. King asked me to tell you that he was quite pleased with your work and he hopes to do business with you at a future date.”

He smiled genially at a small bird that had alighted on the balcony wall, hoping for a crumb from his breakfast.  “Tell Mr. King that it is a pleasure to do business with a true professional.  I haven’t had such an interesting job in some time.  I look forward to our next encounter.”

Disconnecting from the go-between, who he’d never met, he pulled off a sliver of bread and tossed it gently onto the wall for the little yellow bird.  While the bird was pecking away, he pushed back his chair and went inside to get dressed for the day.  His light gray linen suit fit his mood and the crisp white shirt made his tan look even darker.

At the forty-minute mark, the tap at his door heralded the special courier who handed over a locked briefcase in exchange for his signature.  He left smiling at his twenty-dollar tip.  Dr. Smith unlocked the case with the prearranged combination.  He checked on the contents and unhurriedly counted the hundred dollar bills after looking at the three small bottles of clear liquid.

All present and accounted for.  He smiled and set the briefcase by the door while he went back out to the balcony for his last cup of coffee.  Sighing he wished for a moment for the days when he could drink caffeine all day long and never even think of the consequences.  But now that he was in his forties, he’d had to cut back to no more than three cups a day.

“It’s hell growing old.”  He told the little yellow bird who was still waiting for him to leave so he could have the remains of his breakfast.  “But the alternative doesn’t bear thinking of.”

Before leaving for his appointment at the clinic, he called down to the catering staff and made arrangements for his dinner that evening.  He took the chef’s suggestion about the salad but insisted on plain rice with lime to go with the fresh swordfish.  Each part of the meal was planned and he hung up with a sense of accomplishment.  One less thing to worry about so he could finish up this interesting job.

Picking up the briefcase, he left for his rental car and the hour drive to the small clinic where he would substitute his vials for theirs.  Smiling while he rolled down the windows, he backed out of the parking spot and headed out along the coastal highway.  It wasn’t every day that he got to kill five hundred and seven people by remote control.

An interesting day, indeed.

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End of chapter 34