**Here's Part 3 of What Comes Around. Enjoy!**
The bells hanging above
the door chimed. The cook standing behind the bar looked up and turned to open
a bottle of beer. Geoff walked to the counter and paid. “Man, it’s like you
know what I’m thinking.” He then headed towards the back where a man in a dark
coat waited at a booth behind the pages of a book.
Geoff groaned as he sat down at the table and immediately
took a swig.
“You sound a bit tired,” The man sitting across remarked.
“It’s been a tough week.”
The man placed the book face down on the table and
starred at Geoff from behind a pair of circular mirror-like glasses that
reflected Geoff’s face back at him when he looked up. He had been properly
introduced to the man once, but had forgotten his real name and always felt
embarrassed to ask again. Instead, Geoff referred to him as Mr. Reaper, based
on the fact that the man never smiled and the type of work he offered.
Mr. Reaper reached back and scratched at his cropped
blond hair then reached for his tea, taking a small sip. “I’ve been hearing
things about your boss,” he began. “I assume it doesn’t sit well with you.”
“You’re pretty good an understating things.”
“Hmm, well I hope your loyalty to your full-time employer
won’t interfere with the job I have selected for you,” Mr. Reaper said and
produced an envelope from the seat on his right. He placed it on the table and
slid it across in front of Geoff.
Mr. Reaper worked for some sort of organization, what
kind exactly Geoff wasn’t sure, but, without a doubt, wasn’t legit. When he was
first approached by Mr. Reaper for this type of work, Geoff was hesitant, but
was assured that no innocents would be involved. So far they had kept their end
of the bargain, unlike his other employer.
He opened the envelope and removed a photograph and a
piece of paper. He glanced at the photo noting a middle aged man with graying
hair and glasses. He didn’t look too threatening. The paper was an address,
which produced a confused frown across Geoff’s brow. “For real?”
“Not the first place I would look for drugs.” Mr. Reaper
nodded. “Perfect place, in other words.”
Geoff returned the items back in the envelope and slid it
into his coat pocket.
“I take it there is no issue with the job?”
“Why would there be?”
“Because your boss is using this place as a front for his
new branch of business.”
“I see. As long as he doesn’t know it was me, there
should be no problem.”
“Don’t get caught then.”
“I never do.”
“Excellent. We will pay you the same way as usual,” Mr. Reaper
said.
Geoff nodded and drained half his beer. He eyed Mr.
Reaper from over the neck of the bottle again only seeing himself reflected
back. Mr. Reaper said he wore such glasses due to a light sensitivity thing,
but Geoff thought he just liked people starring dumbly at themselves when they
looked at him. In a way, he was sitting in judgment of people.
“What are you reading today?” Geoff asked. “Science
again?”
“Nope.” He said turning over the thick book exposing the
golden words imprinted on the black cover.
“The Bible?” Geoff grinned. “I always had you pegged as
an atheist.”
Mr. Reaper snorted but his face remained blank. “Science
has never explained to me where everything has come from. Logically, there
should be nothing.” He glanced down at the book. “It is somewhat different to
what I’m used to though. I suppose I was looking for something that could
somehow justify that man in the photo you have.”
“There’s no point in that, let me tell you,” Geoff said.
“People don’t need an excuse to be stupid.”
Mr. Reaper shrugged. “Trying to find their place in the
world, perhaps…”
“No, the real nasty people are the ones who already know
what their place is.”
“Do you?” Mr. Reaper asked his mirror eyes aimed up at
his associate.
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