by James Hudson
“I have no change,” the driver barked.
“Oh, keep it!” George smiled.
The driver frowned. “Is it a counterfeit bill?”
George sighed. “Just drive, OK?”
This idiot will never give it away to charity, George thought. The only thing he’s concerned about is whether or not it was a bribe. Nobody believes in disinterested aid. He quickly walked to the rear of the bus.
Maybe people of Walter Schmidt are watching me? Or was it Dan Coleman who sold my location? Who stole my weapons? Had somebody sneaked into the apartment while I was sleeping? But why didn’t they kill then? As usual, hundreds of questions, and no answers!
Then a thought struck George, and five minutes later, he got off the bus at the nearest bus stop. Then he hailed a taxi. In half an hour, George was opening the door of Jack Morgan’s toy shop ‘Corner of Happiness.’ George was absolutely sure that Jack would not betray him.
Nothing had changed since yesterday: cozy atmosphere, thousands of toys, purple jars of soap bubbles.
A woman about fifty appeared behind the counter. She smiled and greeted George.
“Hello, sir! Would you like to buy a present for your child?”
“Hello! Oh, I’ve already bought it recently. Actually, I’d like to see Jack Morgan. I’m his ex-classmate. I met him yesterday. I know about his disease.”
“I see,” she nodded with anxiety. “Unfortunately, Jack’s not here. He’s at the hospital.”
“When is he getting back?”
The woman shrugged. “Maybe, tomorrow or… or never.” She lowered her head.
“Jesus! Is it so bad?” George frowned.
“Yeah,” she swallowed noisily.
“You must be the owner of the shop?”
“Did Jack tell you about me?”
“Look… I’m the investor,” George blurted out. “I’d love to buy this place.”
The woman was surprised. “Oh, I wanted to sell it, but… I must say that this is not the best investment if you want to make money. The business is almost unprofitable. Fortunately, I don’t have to pay rent. It’s my property. And it’s still not closed due to Jack. He’s an incredible guy. He spends almost half his salary on buying toys for kids from low-income families. If he didn’t do it, we would already be closed. But now, I’m afraid he’s leaving us… I don’t know what to do. To sell the shop or just give away all the toys… Or maybe start selling something that would generate profit—”
“No!” George exclaimed. “I’d like to buy this place. I wouldn’t invest money in something I don’t like – food, clothes, jewelry, etc. I’ll invest money in something that will make people happier. This place is called ‘Corner of Happiness.’ It can’t just die with Jack. My point is, the place must be reorganized. Then we should start advertising it. We should engage children in our activities. Jack tried to draw kids’ attention by giving away soap bubbles. This is cool, but not enough.
Every weekend, we should organize children’s parties, inviting dozens of kids. They could create toys out of paper. So, the place should live up to its name. There should be an atmosphere of absolute happiness. When we don’t think about money, we create good things, produce happiness, and God is with us.”
George stopped. He was amazed by his own speech.
The woman was absolutely charmed. “Heaven sent you to me,” she whispered. “You have a tender heart, sir. You must’ve done a lot of good things…”
George averted his eyes. “I’m just at the beginning. But I can feel that my heart and my soul have started moving toward good, leaving behind all evil.”
“Great!” the woman exclaimed. “I’m Vivien, by the way.”
“George. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m sure you could be Jack’s successor,” she said warmly.
“Oh, I’m not ready to become a seller,” George smiled. “I have some businesses as well. But I’d like to find someone who would be the most inspiring person for children.”
“Wow! I can’t believe my luck,” Vivien sighed excitedly.
“So, in order to confirm my intentions, I’d like to make a deposit… as a future owner of this place.”
Emotions overwhelmed Vivien, and she burst into tears.
“Oh, come on!” George frowned and pulled out a wallet. “How about fifty grand?”
The woman stared at him. “I… I didn’t expect such a quick decision. I… I agree.”
“Don’t worry about documentation,” George said confidently. “It’s on me. May I have a key now?”
“Of course! The key belongs to Jack. But he has a spare key… Here you are! Come anytime you want!”
“Thanks!” George nodded. “Now, will you excuse me, Vivien? I need to go.”
“Oh, sure, sure!” the woman smiled.
George left the place, and the next three hours, he was sitting in a café on the opposite side of the street, watching the door of his future shop. He noticed that only one kid visited the ‘Corner of Happiness.’ He left the place, smiling, holding a purple jar of soap bubbles in his hands.
Finally, at 8 p.m., Vivien came out of the shop. She had a thoughtful smile on her face. She closed the door and walked away.
George quickly paid for the dinner and left the café. He crossed the road, looked around, and unlocked the door. He didn’t turn on the lights – just closed the door, walked behind the counter and tried to lie there on the floor. But there was not enough space. He noticed a little door to his left, pushed it, and found himself in a tiny bathroom. He grabbed a couple of towels and created a kind of a pillow. Then he took off his coat and threw it on the floor.
I bet no murderer will ever find me here, he thought, lied on his rough bed, and closed his eyes.
47. Successor
“Mom, he loves me!” little Tim exclaimed cheerfully, pressing the LEGO-box to his breast. “He’s always loved me! I knew it!”
“Maybe he’d like to see you, not me, of course. You are his son,” Amy smiled.
“I would throw this toy away!” Katie said loudly, sipping coffee.
They were all sitting at the airport, waiting for their flight to Great Britain.
“Who knows what’s hidden inside this box?” Katie went on. “What if planted drugs? And he wants us to be arrested.”
Amy frowned. “Katie, he gave us money to come back. I don’t hold a grudge against him.”
Katie made a wry face. “Actually, the revealing article has been sent to all the newspapers and already been reposted by numerous websites. One editor replied that he had to delete the article because someone, probably Hartley himself, had informed that George Hartley had been actually buried a week ago.”
“My father died?” Tim exclaimed anxiously.
“No, no, he’s alive,” Amy said quickly. “He’ll never die.”
“Really?” Tim smiled. “I wrote him a letter. Can we send it to him?”
“You’ll probably see him soon,” Amy said.
“We’re gonna meet him in the courtroom!” Katie cried. “You’ll see him behind bars!”
“Shut up, Katie!” Amy ordered. “You don’t have your own children. So, keep your mouth shut.”
“The best way to bring up children is to tell them the truth. They must analyze the information by themselves. Don’t tell Tim what is good and what is evil—”
“I said, shut up!” Amy interrupted her. “My son will always be a positive person. He’ll never be a man whose mind is loaded with negative, depressive bullshit.”
After that, they didn’t talk anymore. Amy quickly fell asleep. Katie was glued to the laptop screen. Little Tim was assembling LEGO blocks. He looked absolutely happy because he was a creator at the moment.
Meanwhile, George Hartley was sleeping on the floor in the toy shop. He was having a terrible nightmare. He was standing on an ocean shore. The ocean was black and restless. George was afraid to approach the water. He was sure that something bad was about to happen. Soon, he disce
rned something far away from him. It resembled a huge fish. A shark? A whale? A minute later, the strange object became bigger. It was rapidly approaching the shore.
George squinted his eyes and saw a figure of a young woman with a tiny baby on her back. George screamed and made a step toward the water. He instantly felt an extremely high temperature. Oil! It was oil! That’s why the ocean was black, and the surface was sparkling.
Those figures must be my wife and son!
Suddenly, oil started burning. George saw that the body of his wife burst into flames. George cried, but his voice cracked. He stepped back – the ocean was unbearably hot. George felt a terrible pain in his heart. The bodies were quickly approaching. The sand was overheated. George closed his eyes shut.
Something touched his leg. He jumped. It was his wife. Her face was angel-like: round cheeks, little nose, a smile on her lips. Her eyes were very kind and bright. George raised his eyes on the baby and squeaked. A tiny skeleton was squeezing woman’s back.
George opened his eyes and inhaled. Just a nightmare! He was still on the floor in the small bathroom of the toy shop. It was very stuffy out there.
He heard a female voice behind the door. Vivien! She was talking to some kid. It must be morning. Hasn’t she noticed me?
George got up, washed his face, and pushed the door, made a step toward Vivien. She was there, sitting on the chair. Her face was sorrowful.
“Jack Morgan died an hour ago,” she said quickly.
“Oh, no!” George moaned.
“Yes,” she sighed mournfully. “He couldn’t beat the disease. Yesterday, I called him, and everything was fine. His voice was brisk. I told him that you’d bought the shop. He was delighted to hear that. He said you’d always been a man with a big heart. He asked me to pass a gift on to your son. She handed him a small orange box.
“Read the inscription!” Vivien said.
George took the box and read, ‘Your life is approximately 700800 hours. You spend half your life on sleep. Please, spend the other half on doing good.’
“Amazing words,” George said. He opened the box and extracted a wristwatch. “Thanks, Vivien. I think he’ll like it.”
She nodded.
“Do you know where and when the burial will take place?” George asked.
“In a few days, I guess. I’m going to the hospital right now. I’ll find out and… Jack had no relatives, no friends… He called you his best friend.”
George shuddered and averted his eyes. He had never known me, he thought.
“You are his successor, George,” Vivien said quietly. “I’m sure the shop will flourish. You’ll do everything right, George.”
“Write me an email when you find out the date of the burial, OK?” George wrote his email on a piece of paper on the counter and handed it to Vivien.
“Of course. Aren’t you staying here?”
“Not now. I’ll come back soon.”
“Oh… I just wanted to go to the hospital… Anyway, thank you for what you’ve done!”
George walked out of the stuffy shop and headed for the bus stop. He wanted to shed light on everything, and then forget it and start a new life full of good and happiness. He wanted to eliminate everyone who had ruined his life – Walter Schmidt, Dan Coleman, and Sarah. But before that, he needed to know the latest news.
George dropped into McDonald’s and ordered the breakfast. He opened the laptop and refreshed the news page. The explosion in the apartment yesterday was reported to be accidental. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. Then George typed, ‘London hotel massacre’ and sorted the news by date. The first hyperlink led him to the latest article.
‘An eighteen-year-old student Katie who’d rented the hotel room where six policemen had been killed, arrived in London from New Delhi several hours ago. She was immediately detained and interrogated by the police. The girl was very nervous and told the policemen that she’d hired the hotel room for her friend who’d asked her to do that before her trip to India. She told that she’d never seen the militias who’d actually committed the massacre. Katie traveled to India as a tourist. The police placed her under house arrest until the facts are confirmed.’
48. The War Begins
George wiped the sweat off his face. My wife and my son must have arrived too! They are somewhere in London! I must find them as quickly as possible! The only person who would help me is Dan Coleman. Well… either he’ll kill me, or he’ll help me.
George quickly reached the place of destination. He ran through the greengrocery and kicked the little door open. Dan Coleman and Sarah were there, still sitting at the desk, drinking coffee, as if they didn’t leave the place at all. Obviously, they didn’t expect George. They both jumped.
“So,” George grinned. “You two explain who attacked me yesterday. If you don’t, you’re both dead!”
Mr. Coleman went pale. “It’s not us, George!”
“Tell me the truth! You’re still watching me, aren’t you?”
“No!”
“Oh… I got you! You lost hope that you would get your money back, right? That’s why you decided to get rid of me? Officially, I’m still dead and buried. And no one will ever start searching for me.”
“That’s not true, George!” Sarah exclaimed and lowered her head.
“Sorrowful faces!” George cried out. “You don’t believe I’m still alive, right? And you’re afraid to kill me right now. Because you have no idea where I was last night. Ha-ha! You stole my weapons, by the way. Was that you, angel?” He glanced at Sarah. “I want them back.” He chuckled. “What a ridiculous death it could’ve been! An explosion in the flush toilet. Wonderful! Do you know why I am here? Because I’m fucking invulnerable! You’ll never kill me, bastards! Neither Walter Schmidt nor you!”
“Stop it!” Dan Coleman shouted. “All right… Here’s the truth… Yes, we planned to eliminate you, Mr. Hartley. You have a right to call us bastards, but it’s all about business. And you know it! You’ve been a barbarous bastard for fifteen years! Three hundred percent profit and there is not a crime at which capital will scruple, nor a risk it will not run.”
“Yeah, yeah!” George nodded. “A disputable statement.”
“Yes, it was very convenient to kill you, and nobody would give a shit. I represent the interests of the American financial fund. The security of my nation is at stake, Mr. Hartley. I bear full responsibility for my work. But right now, all this doesn’t make any sense. Have you checked your email fifteen minutes ago?”
George shook his head. “Wait… Did you send me an email? How do you know my address?”
Dan Coleman sighed. “Please, don’t get angry, but we hacked your mailbox. When you mentioned that you had a family, we had to check this information. We were amazed that you had a wife and a five-year-old son, and that they had lived in India for five years. We don’t blame you, George. Because we found out why you had actually sent them to India.”
“Tell me everything!”
“Well, five years ago, they were in severe danger of being abducted or something like that. Try to imagine your previous life, Mr. Hartley. You had thousands of competitors, enemies, people who were ready to tear you apart. When they found out you had a pregnant wife, they realized that they found your weak spot.”
George chuckled. “I’d like to believe you, but that was me who ordered my wife Amy to sell everything she had and fly there with no possibility of getting back.”
Mr. Coleman nodded. “Yes, you used her and made money. You made Amy get a loan and leave the country. But actually, you’d been saving her life! If she’d had enough money, she would’ve come back to the UK and would’ve been abducted by bad guys. But she stayed poor.
Consequently, she was safe and secure in India. Yeah, it’s a paradox, I know. But she disappeared, and no one knew where your wife was. Your son was born, and no one knew it.”
“Let’s get back to the present time,” George said coldly. “Where are they? I know that Katie was a
rrested. She’ll probably squeal on me. But I don’t care. Where is my family?”
“Read the email, Mr. Hartley…” Mr. Coleman showed George the screen of the laptop.
‘Dear Mr. Hartley! I’m so happy that you’re alive. We haven’t seen each other for quite a long time. I must say I can’t live in a world without you. We’re the businessmen. Therefore, Mr. Hartley, let me cut to the chase. I really liked some of your employees. They are highly competent analysts. But either they keep their mouths tight shut, or they don’t realize what the fuck is going on! I need that extremely desirable piece of information. You know what I’m talking about, Mr. Hartley. Please share it… OK, I know it costs a lot. And I’m not going to steal it. I’m ready to cooperate with you. Come over, and we’ll discuss the details.
And be hurry, because your family is suffering from hunger. They hate you. They couldn’t imagine that after all these years, you would let them suffer again. By the way, first, your son thought that I was his father. Ha, ha! Poor kid. He is assembling a LEGO-kit all the time. Your wife is very sad and tired. She doesn’t speak too much. And that’s good. I don’t like women who go into hysterics all the time. She’s tired, fatigued… but, mate, she’s gorgeous. You have great taste! So, tell me your secret, George. And you’ll get’em back immediately. All right? Waiting for your reply. Best regards, Walter Schmidt.’
“Bastard! Scumbag! I’ll rip out his guts!” George shouted.
“Calm down, George!” Sarah moaned. “We’re sorry, but… it’s us who sent the article to Walter Schmidt about your family. Of course, we didn’t expect Walter Schmidt to make this unpleasant decision.”
“Unpleasant?” George roared. “You went mad about money! Aren’t you all tired of gambling on my death? What are you all doing? Selling my body? And if you could, would you sell my soul?”
“Slow down, man!” Dan Coleman sighed heavily. “We are going to help you!”
“Oh, I believe you!”
“Listen to me! We let Walter Schmidt abduct your family because we have a real plan to eliminate him.”