Chapter 5

Matilda sat at the kitchen table, resting her chin on her clasped hands, studying Leon. He was leaning back, the front legs of his chair hovering off the floor as he rocked. His arms were folded across his chest and his eyes were fixed on her face. She wanted to know what he was thinking, but knew not to ask.

"You did good," he finally said.

"I was scared."

"I know, but you did what you had to. I was not sure about you, but you did good. However, there is one more uncertainty."

Matilda waited, but Leon remained silent. His eyes were like scalpels, dissecting her like someone performing an autopsy in search of clues. She squirmed. The suspense was too much.

Her hands thumped the table as she leaned forward. "What?"

Leon's stare was thoughtful. "We need to test you. I don't know if you can kill someone."

"What do you mean 'test me'?"

"It cannot be on the job. That is too dangerous. We have to pick someone for you to kill."

"You mean a stranger?!" Matilda sat straight up. Her mouth hung open.

"Yes, of course. Why, is there someone you don't like?"

"Skip Grafton!"

"No, not a cop. Too dangerous. Anyone else? Or should I pick someone at random?"

Matilda's eyes opened wide. "The security guard at the supermarket."

"Why him?"

"He caught me ... um, he made me do something I didn't like."

"Okay, let's scope him out. That will be good training as well."

Matilda told Leon all she knew about the security guard, which was not much. They drove to the supermarket with Matilda once again wearing the long blonde wig, dressed in typical teenage clothing -- jeans, tee-shirt, and sneakers. He even bought and made her wear a bra. In front of the toy store he wanted her to be noticed. Now he did not.

Matilda led Leon to the back of the supermarket, to the security office. It was not obvious to anyone watching him, but his eyes took in everything as they walked.

"It cannot be done here," Leon said softly. "Too many cameras."

They returned to the car and sat in a remote area of the parking lot. They waited ... and waited.

"What are we doing here?" Matilda asked, squirming in her seat.

Leon looked at her for an instant and then his eyes returned to the supermarket. "Learning," he said.

Matilda fidgeted. Leon ignored it.

After a while Matilda began playing with her fingernails. The smack on the back of her head caused her to look up. She rubbed the dull pain.

"Pay attention," Leon said. "Look around. See everything. Learn."

"This is boring."

"It is part of the job. Maybe you cannot be an assassin."

"Yes I can."

"Then do what I have taught you. Watch. Look at who comes and goes. Check the times."

"I don't have a watch."

Leon paused at a loss for words and then burst out laughing. It was the first time Matilda saw him laugh.

"Okay, don't check the time. But watch. Look, there he is."

Matilda's head shot up. Leon looked at his watch and jotted the time on a pad. Then they watched the security guard go to his car and drive off. Leon followed from a distance. When the guard stopped in front of a liquor store, Leon pulled to the curb and waited with the engine running. The guard came out holding a brown paper bag with the end wrapped around the neck of a bottle. He looked both ways and took a swig, quickly screwing on the cap. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he got into his car. When he drove off, Leon followed.

The security guard parked in front of an apartment building. Leon pulled to the curb across the street from it, wrote the address on his pad, checked his watch and scribbled the time. The guard went into the building.

After a while, Matilda said, "Aren't we going to follow him?"

"Not today."

"Then how will we know--?"

"It takes time. We will follow him tomorrow again."

"But--"

"But nothing. This is how it is done. We will learn everything about him and only then will we plan it."

Matilda opened her mouth again to protest, but Leon's eyes narrowed so she snapped it shut. True to his word, the two sat in the car the next day and the next and the day after. They shadowed the security guard until Leon was certain of his routine. One day Leon did not go to the supermarket. He drove directly to the apartment building and told Matilda to wait in the car. He was in the lobby when the guard arrived and picked up his mail.

Leon returned to the car and told Matilda which apartment was the guard's. He explained the layout of the building and other details. They drove home and sat at the kitchen table with Leon drawing on a pad and using the pencil to point to the areas he was explaining.

"We do it tomorrow," Leon said.

Matilda caught her breath and then let the air out. She began panting. Leon studied her, and when her breathing returned to normal he nodded.

Matilda tossed and turned in bed that night. From time to time, Leon elbowed or kicked her so she remained still -- for a while. But she could not fall asleep. Thoughts of what she was going to do filled her mind. She was anxious. She was afraid. And she already felt remorse. She was going to take a man's life. Can I do it? she asked herself over and over again.

They spent the next day in their apartment. Leon went over the plan several times. Each time Matilda's heart felt like it was going to burst and her palms got sweaty. During one break she dozed off on the couch.

"It is time," Leon said, shaking Matilda's shoulder.

"Huh?" She stretched and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Time to go. We must be in place when he returns from work. Are you awake?"

Matilda shook her head and yawned. She shook her head again. "Yes."

"Good. Go get ready."

Matilda dressed in a pair of jeans and oversized sweatshirt. She donned the blonde wig and put on sunglasses Leon had bought.

Leon looked her up and down. "Good. Let's go."

They drove to the security guard's apartment building. Sitting in the car, Leon screwed the silencer onto a pistol and handed it to Matilda. She lifted the long sweatshirt and stuffed the gun inside the waistband of her jeans. Getting out of the car, they crossed the street in silence. Leon looked straight ahead. Matilda's eyes darted right and left. They entered the building and walked up four flights of stairs. Leon knew the security guard would be home within ten minutes. He had learned his routine well. The two crouched on the steps, peering down the stairs.

Leon leaned next to Matilda's ear and whispered, "The safety."

She looked around to make sure no one was there and then lifted the front of her sweatshirt. Pulling the gun out, she flipped the safety off. Her hand shook.

"Put the gun back," Leon whispered, sounding annoyed.

Matilda stuck it back into her jeans and covered it with the sweatshirt.

No more words were spoken. They waited.

The clicking of climbing footsteps suddenly filled the air. Leon and Matilda ducked out of sight with Leon peering around the wall. Matilda leaned against him with her cheek pressed to his back. When the security guard reached his floor and started down the hall, Leon poked Matilda. He crept like a stalking tiger down the stairs. Matilda followed on tiptoes, crouching, her knees bent, her hand sliding on the wall for support.

They reached the third floor. Matilda could not breathe. Her heart beat fast. Her body trembled. And then Leon nudged her as the guard neared his apartment.

Matilda jumped to her feet and started to run towards the guard, but slowed down to a normal pace. It caught the guard's attention, though. He stopped and turned. She continued walking towards him, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans.

The security guard studied her. She bowed her head afraid he would recognize her. And then she stopped, about ten feet from him. Lifting her head, she saw interest in his eyes.

Matilda knew she was taking too long. Leon had told her to pull out the gun and shoot before she stopped walking. But she had not. Now she was standing in the hallway, immobile with no gun in her hand. The guard was facing her, alert. She had not followed the plan and knew Leon would be angry.

"Do I know you?" the security guard asked.

Matilda's throat tightened. She couldn't speak. Her mouth was dry and her palms wet. Her body trembled.

"Do you live in the building?" he asked.

Matilda took a deep breath and lifted her sweatshirt. The security guard's eyes dropped to the movement. She yanked the pistol from her jeans. Leon had made her practice it many times and it came out without a hitch. The security guard jumped back when she pointed the gun at him. The bottle fell from his hand and shattered on the floor, the liquor soaking through the paper bag. The guard raised his hands with his palms out.

"No! Stop!" he yelled. "Don't!"

Matilda's finger was on the trigger. She knew to pull it gently as Leon had taught her. She practiced shooting many times. But it had always been at paper targets. Her hand trembled.

The security guard lunged at Matilda. He only took one step, though. She pulled the trigger and a soft sound like "ffftt" was heard an instant before the guard's grunt. He grabbed his stomach and stopped. He looked at Matilda with wide, confused eyes, and then he stepped towards her again. She backed up. He kept coming, now staggering. He dropped to a knee. Blood seeped through his fingers.