Tyler watched until she disappeared into a crack in the building behind the alleyway. He had no idea what was in the packets he had just given her, but he had little doubt that it was more than just heroin and cocaine. And from the substantial deposit to his numbered Grand Cayman account, he inferred that it was going to dramatically shorten what little was left of Carol’s pointless life.

Running his hand along the sharp and ridiculous spikes of his highlighted hair, all traces of Carol vanished from his consciousness. He turned and headed back for his car.

A job is a job, he said to himself. The money is right. Focus.

2 - Vancouver, Canada

2

Vancouver, Canada

Five more minutes and then I’m gone, Thomas Mallek promised himself for the third time since arriving. Feeling exposed in the flimsy blue hospital gown, the forty-year-old had sat on the same narrow stretcher for almost two hours without anyone paying him an iota of attention. Mallek figured his swollen knee could wait until he saw his family physician Monday morning; no doubt Dr. Ng would squeeze him in sometime. The busy lawyer, father of three, and dedicated marathoner did not have an evening to spare. Especially not at the emergency room of St. Michael’s Hospital.

The place was a zoo, complete with sights, sounds, and smells foreign to Mallek. Drunks, street people, and various eccentrics filled the waiting room and paced the hallway; some looking bored, others menacing. The page for “security, stat” to this location or that seemed to crackle over the loudspeaker continuously. The antiseptic smell mingled unpleasantly with urine, vomit, and body odor that permeated the area.

Just as Mallek gingerly eased his leg over the side of the bed to leave, a voice spoke to him. “Mr. Mallek? I’m Dr. Gayle.”

Mallek looked up at the young doctor who, with his hair tied back in a ponytail, wore green scrubs and a haggard expression. “Tom,” Mallek said, stretching out a hand.

The doctor met Mallek’s handshake, then waved a hand at the chaos around them. “Friday night,” Gayle said by way of explaining all the problems in this corner of the world.

Mallek chuckled. “Don’t know how you do it, Dr. Gayle.”

“My fault. I wasn’t smart enough to get into an ophthalmology residency” Gayle shrugged. A hint of a grin broke through his exasperated frown. “What’s up with your knee?”

“I was out for a ten-K tune-up run earlier,” Mallek said. “The toe of my shoe caught a crack in the pavement. About a block later I realized my foot was still stuck in the crack.”

Gayle smiled. “Did you feel a pop?”

“Not only felt it, I heard it!” Mallek said. “My knee swelled right away. Now I’m having a hell of a time bending it.”

Gayle nodded. “Can you lie back on the bed? I want to have a look.”