Killing Freedom

by Ryan Casey

  ‘Good, good,’ he said, finally releasing his hand. ‘Listen, I’m off to work right now, but Cindy should be in until the afternoon, so you’ve got a bit of company if you need anything. The study door is open, so you should be fine.’

  Brian ushered Jared down the driveway and stopped at the side of his black Mercedes. The surface sparkled in the sun, not a speck of dirt in sight. Brian leaned down and scrubbed the bonnet with his cuffs.

  ‘Always getting messy, this thing. Oh, um—just pop inside, C will show you around.’

  Jared tilted his head and walked towards the glass door of the light-brick detached house.

  ‘Oh, silly idea probably,’ Brian called, ‘but Cindy’s a real softie about this sort of thing. She, um—she was wondering if you’d be interested in having a beer with us afterwards, perhaps? Just a glass or two. Silly idea. You’re probably a busy man, like I said to her. It’s just… Well, if you’re going to be round here, to break the ice, y’know?’

  Jared’s arms tingled. He shook his head before smiling at Brian. ‘Sure,’ he said. ‘Sure. That would be nice.’

  Brian clapped his hands together before clicking a button on his car keys and swerving round to the driver’s side. ‘Good,’ he said. ‘Cindy will be delighted. Women, eh? It’s… it’s just the last bloke we had, there was a bit of a falling out. Started claiming for unfair hours, all that sort of thing. I’m not saying I’m trying to buy you out or anything but… I should shut my big mouth right now, shouldn’t I?’ He grinned.

  Jared smiled. ‘It’s fine. A beer would be good.’

  ‘Right,’ Brian said, resting against the car door. ‘I mean, I’m not accusing you of being like that or anything. It just kind of upset Cindy and I don’t think she wants any sort of repeat, right? Maybe it’s a daft idea. I dunno. But anyway, I’ll see you later.’ He hopped into his car and waved at Jared.

  Jared watched him turn out of the drive and down the hill towards the smog-smoked city.

  He turned towards the door and took a deep breath as he knocked and clenched the door handle.

  He had work to do.

  The door opened and Cindy was there to greet him. ‘Hello, you.’ She was dressed in her dressing gown and her hair was ruffled. She tugged at the belt of her gown self-consciously.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, gesturing for Jared to enter. ‘It’s my lazy day today. I don’t half milk it.’ She grinned and Jared smiled back at her as they walked through into the kitchen. The room was large and airy. There were plants scattered around as the kitchen gave way to an even more spacious dining area. The house had a dark wooden theme, right through to the hallways, where a wooden staircase rose up towards the top floors. The study was the door on the left in the kitchen, Brian had said. Easy enough to mistake it for a pantry. Good security measure.

  ‘The study’s through there,’ Cindy said, pointing towards the door. ‘So that’ll be your cave for the next few days.’ She pointed towards the coffee on the side. ‘If you want a drink, help yourself. Have you brought any lunch? I can make you a sandwich if you are—’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Jared said, nodding his head. ‘I’ll grab something if I head out.’

  Cindy cleared her throat. ‘Well, feel free to start. I… I don’t envy you.’

  Jared nodded and smiled at Cindy as he walked towards the study. She reached for a shiny red apple and rubbed it against her dressing gown before sinking her teeth into it. ‘Oh, did Brian mention this evening?’

  Jared turned round and nodded, clutching the handle of the study door. ‘Yeah. I’ll stay for a drink.’

  She smiled back at him and chewed the apple. ‘That’s good,’ she said. ‘We don’t want you being treated like some little slave or anything.’

  Jared laughed and loosened his shoulders. ‘Believe me, I’m used to it.’

  Cindy’s eyes widened in shock. Good line: relaxed, hinted at something else in life. Girlfriend? Other jobs? Very good.

  ‘Well, I’ll see you later,’ Cindy said. ‘Happy working.’ She turned round and disappeared into the lounge area.

  Back to work.

  Jared opened up the door and immediately clicked it shut as he entered. The room lit up with a bright halcyon light, no space for a window on any of the grey painted walls. On the left hand side of the room there were three large metal cabinets stuffed with documents. On the right, a small wooden desk and computer.

  Jared pulled his notepad out of his pocket. He’d sort out folders A-D today. The first day was about lulling the family into a false sense of security. He couldn’t do anything rash that would immediately compromise the election. There was a mole amongst Raymond’s trusted groups doing business with Callum Thomson, and thus Dwight Goodstein, and Brian McDone knew who this mole was. Killing the family immediately would spark a war. It needed to be professional.

  That’s why Jared was picked for the job.

  He reached for the first folder and sighed as he got to work. He was filing alphabetically, but eventually he’d get to the information that Raymond was on about. Take it back to Raymond and progress from there. It could take minutes, it could take days.

  It wouldn’t matter if it took a little longer: He’d been offered drinks. The house seemed nice and warm, so he couldn’t turn it down. Perfect chance to bond with the family and lull them in. And there’d be nothing wrong with just one drink. One drink wouldn’t blur his judgement too much. He deserved a break every once in a while.

  Cindy popped in a few times whilst Jared was at work.

  ‘I’ve brought you a sandwich,’ she said at lunchtime. ‘Now don’t you go stereotyping. I just don’t want a starving worker slacking out in here.’

  Jared grinned. ‘You didn’t have to.’

  ‘I’ve got the day off. I need something to do, or I’ll go insane.’ She slipped out of the room again, and Jared was alone.

  The filing was mundane and boring. Most of the folders were accounts, considering he was focusing on ‘A-D’ today. Arbitrary figures. $15,679. $1845. $48,905. Jared took note, and then moved on. Nothing suspicious—he’d place the document back into a folder and move onto the next.

  Just as Jared approached the latter regions of the ‘D’ documents, still with nothing to show for it, the door clattered open. The sound of a child’s voice and light footsteps echoed through the house. He glanced at his watch: five PM already. He’d been filing and organising for the best part of six hours now. It had gone quickly enough, but he hadn’t really made any progress, not as Jared.

  But as Richard, he was doing his job. Things were going just fine.

  Brian poked his head around the door and tipped his head to one side. ‘Good man,’ he said, looking over the loose piles of paper on the floor. ‘How’s it all going?’

  ‘I’ll have the rest of it sorted by the end of the week. Done A-D today.’

  Brian nodded and stuck his bottom lip out. ‘And a very good job you seem to have done. Anyway, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a bit of a post-work drink. How about you join us in the dining room in, say, ten minutes?’

  Jared nodded as Brian twiddled with his loosened tie. ‘Okay. See you there.’

  Brian laughed and disappeared from sight, whistling as he pottered through the kitchen.

  Richard D’Oleno was growing within him and they were falling for every fragment of it.

  Jared’s shoulders tensed as Brian poured ale into Jared’s glass. He felt sweaty in his mock work clothes. If he’d known they were going to invite him for drinks earlier he’d have taken the time to dress, to sort himself out.

  But no. He wasn’t Jared; he was Richard. It didn’t matter what they thought. Impressions didn’t matter as long as they trusted him, Raymond had said. Besides, there won’t be anybody to impress in a week. Plus, it’s not like he was going to some kind of high-culture event. It was just a few drinks. A few drinks with a few people.

  Brian knocked his drink back and snacked on a bag of crisps, and he s
poke through his food as he chewed. ‘How long have you been a Handy Andy, eh?’

  Jared sipped his ale. The taste was bitter in his mouth. ‘Pretty much all my life,’ he said. ‘Jack of all trades, and all that.’

  Brian nodded, a sparkle in his eyes. ‘Handy Andy… Jack of all trades. You’re a walking cliché, Richard.’ He winked.

  ‘What’s a clishay, Daddy?’ Carl asked as he sat on the floor, crashing his toy cars into one another.

  ‘Daddy’s only being silly,’ Cindy said, reaching down and brushing her fingers through Carl’s blonde hair.

  ‘I’m the same, except in politics instead of maintenance,’ Brian said. ‘I’d always be cleaning up after somebody, organising this lot around. Now, I do it for money instead.’ He chuckled as Cindy nudged him. Carl continued to make whoops and cries as his cars smashed against each other.

  ‘How long have you worked for Callum Thomson?’ Jared asked.

  Brian’s smile collapsed into a frown. ‘I never told you I worked for Callum Thomson.’

  Jared’s heart began to thump. Stupid thing to say. His cheeks heated up. He wanted the table to swallow him up as Brian stared at him. ‘I saw it. I saw one of your files and I just assumed…’

  Then Brian burst out into laughter, breaking his hard stare.

  ‘I’m just messing about,’ he said. ‘You’re doing my filing, you’re bound to stumble upon some shit or another.’ He tapped his nose. ‘But less of that nosiness in future, eh?’

  Jared’s shoulders relaxed as he edged back from the front of his chair. He let a smile grow across his face.

  ‘But, erm, about eighteen months,’ Brian said. ‘Me and Carl lived in Germany for a while, didn’t we?’

  Carl nodded and looked up at Jared, giggling. ‘And then Mummy went to the angels, and we came back.’

  Brian bit his lip and looked towards the table, clearing his throat. Cindy widened her eyes as a silence cut through the room. Jared felt all eyes on him, a slight shiver trickling down his neck as he took a large mouthful of his drink.

  Cindy patted Brian’s hand. ‘It’s okay.’

  Brian waved Cindy’s hand away and smiled at her. ‘It’s fine. Sorry, Richard. I’m very lucky. I’ve got a beautiful girlfriend and a gorgeous kid.’

  Carl looked up at his dad as Cindy’s eyes began to water. Brian looked into her face for a few seconds before swinging round to face Jared. ‘So, Handy Andy, Jack of All Trades, do you erm… do you have a wife or a girlfriend or…?’

  Jared licked his dry lips. ‘No. Nothing serious right now.’

  Cindy’s eyes twinkled as she scanned Jared. ‘Well, you’re a good looking bloke,’ she said. ‘You shouldn’t be letting yourself go to waste.’

  Brian let out a mock high-pitched whistle. ‘Jesus, I think I might have some competition, sir. Anyway, who’s for ice-cream? Maybe it will cool down the heat a notch.’ He gathered the empty drink glasses as Carl cheered and followed him into the kitchen.

  Cindy and Jared were both silent. She cleared her throat.

  ‘I should go,’ Jared said, sensing he was outstaying his welcome. His vision was already growing distorted from the alcohol. ‘But thank you. It was really nice of you to have me.’

  Cindy reached down to pick up Carl’s toy car. ‘You’re welcome. You just keep on working hard and you’re more than welcome to drink our alcohol.’

  As he walked through into the kitchen, he heard Brian muttering on the phone in a hushed voice. ‘No, no, I understand that—no, you listen to me. If I have—if I have to be the one to pay him then—no, I know it’s a fucking inconvenience to you but…’ He pulled the phone from his ear and scratched his brow as Jared walked through the kitchen. ‘Alright, Richard?’ he asked.

  Jared nodded his head. Brian held the phone to his side. Jared could hear the voice shouting on the other end of the line.

  ‘I’m just off,’ Jared said.

  ‘Yeah,’ Brian said, nodding his head. ‘Yeah, I—well it’s been real nice having you. You—you get home safe and I’ll… Sorry, I just have to take this.’ He patted Jared on the shoulder and disappeared into the study.

  As the door locked behind him, he heard the muffled shouts again. Maybe Brian wasn’t such a perfect family man after all. Just a target. Nice on the surface, but just as corrupt as the rest of them underneath.

  Wasn’t he?

  Jared got into his van and revved up the engine.

  A lump grew in his throat as Carl’s ice-cream covered face grinned at him through the window.

  Chapter Seven

  The hairs on Jared’s arm pricked up as the warmth of the sun shone through his car window. His neck ached as he moved his head and adjusted his eyes to the scene. He hadn’t gone home last night. He’d pulled up in a lay-by round the corner from Brian and Cindy’s and slept there. He wasn’t even sure why he’d done it. To stay in the suburbs? Because he’d had a few too many drinks? He looked at his watch: 7:38am. Brian would probably have left for work now. It was easier when they were out of the way—he could focus more clearly on finding the information for Raymond.

  A text came through on his phone: Raymond.

  ‘Got my doubts about Kawasaki and his bank,’ it read. ‘Check the K folder. Worth a shot. R.’

  He rubbed his eyes and turned out of the empty lay-by, heading left and up the hill towards the McDone household.

  Brian’s car was nowhere to be seen when Jared pulled up just outside the house. He wiped his face with a cloth and folded down the mirror to look at himself: his hair was scraggy and his eyes were bloodshot. Careless lapse of judgement, staying out last night. Needed to be fully focused. Couldn’t risk any extra unwanted attention.

  Main goal: get inside the house and get to the job as promptly as possible.

  Jared stepped out of his car and locked the door before walking up the driveway. As he walked round the side of the house, he was surprised to see Cindy sitting with Carl on her lap. Carl wasn’t supposed to be here. He should be at school. And yet there he was, sat on Cindy’s knee, colouring in some sheets of paper in front of him.

  Jared took a deep breath and knocked on the side door before letting himself in.

  ‘Hey, Richard,’ Cindy said. She scanned him from head to toe. Great: he looked as bad as he thought. Hopefully not too obvious. Perhaps pretend he’d been on a night out? Convincing argument. Elaborate enough excuse.

  ‘Hi,’ Jared said. Carl smiled back at him with a yellow crayon between his fingers.

  ‘Oh, the young man’s not so well today, is he? So I’ve taken the day off,’ Cindy said, brushing her hands through Carl’s hair. ‘No problem, is it?’

  Jared scratched his head as Carl cuddled up to Cindy and sniffed, snot crusting underneath his nose.

  ‘Not at all,’ Jared said, fumbling his hands into his pockets. He’d just have to be more discreet. It wasn’t like she was watching him, anyway.

  Cindy smiled at Jared and kissed Carl on the head. ‘Well, I’ll leave you to it. You know where to go.’

  ‘Right.’ Jared nodded and waved at Carl before walking over towards the door of the study.

  The study was just as Jared had left it yesterday. A-D completed, the folders stacked neatly on top of one another. K-L on shelf three today—convenient considering Raymond’s text about Kawasaki and his reservations. He eyed up the shelf and took a deep breath as he gripped the handle to pull the cabinet open.

  The cabinet didn’t budge.

  He tried it again—once, twice, but still no movement. Fuck. Must be locked. Of course it must be locked. A man wouldn’t leave his private documents on display, especially when he had something to hide. He’d have to find the key. Where would a man keep his keys?

  Jared heard shuffling in the kitchen, the sound of pots clattering against each other. He could just kill them now and get it done with. Steal the folder and take the info back to Raymond.

  No. That would be too obvious. There couldn’t be a trace of political motiva
tion or Raymond and the current mayor, Iain, would be finished. He needed to play it cool and do what he did best.

  Jared took a deep breath and stepped back into the kitchen. Cindy poked her head up from the dishwasher.

  ‘Do you mind if I use the bathroom?’ Jared asked.

  Cindy nodded and scanned his body up again. ‘Sure. No offence, but you… you look like you could do with a shower. Rough night?’

  Jared scratched the side of his head and nodded submissively. ‘Something like that.’

  Cindy turned back towards Carl and whispered something in his ear as he scooted off into the dining room. ‘Well, single man like yourself needs to be putting yourself out there. Go on, you know where the bathroom is—top of the stairs, on the right. There should be a towel in there.’

  Jared faked an uneasy frown. ‘You—you sure? I mean, is that okay? I don’t want to—’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Cindy said, waving her hand at him. ‘Go. Quick, before I change my mind and tell Brian you’ve been slacking off.’

  Jared grinned and edged towards the stairs.

  She was falling for every ounce of his persona.

  When he reached the top of the stairs, he noticed a mountain of toy cars and robots spilling out of the door on the left of the open plan landing area: Carl’s room. Which made the room on the first left Cindy and Brian’s room. The door was shut. As he passed to go to the bathroom, Jared slipped his hands around their bedroom handle and pushed the door open, checking down towards the reception area that nobody was watching before moving on to the bathroom.

  The bathroom was large and bright with golden taps and pristine surfaces. Toothbrushes were lined up regimentally above the sink, a large oval mirror resting above. Jared looked at himself in the gold-rimmed mirror and undid his shirt buttons. He really did look tired, but the night out excuse seemed to have worked in his favour. He splashed his face with a little water and ran his fingers through his dark hair. Carl’s dinosaur toothpaste rested on the side, crusting at the lid.

  After he’d taken his shirt off, he reached for the purple towel and walked over to the frosted window. He took a deep breath and poked his head outside. He wasn’t tall enough to see much of what was below, but could just about see the extension at the back of the house. This better work. He slung the towel out of the window and watched it fall onto the roof of the extension below, away from sight.