Page 6 of If I Gave You My Heart
"Shirley? We have a Shirley in the coroner's office associated with this hospital. She's in the E building across the street on the main floor."
Hearing the wordcoronersent a chill down my spine. I didn't even thank her. I just exited the building I was in and sped-walked across the street. Funny right? The irony of me panicking over the well-being of someone who I was just about to kill.When I entered the E building, the information desk receptionist had me sit in a waiting area.
"Nyoka Fitzgerald?" a man in a long white coat called out.
"Yes?" I stood and then closed in the space between us.
"Come with me, please," he instructed, then turned on his heels.
I followed him down the hospital hallway. Our trip ended inside an office that had a desk and two chairs. He sat in the computer chair behind the desk and then motioned for me to sit on the other side.
Once I sat in the seat, I cleared my throat. I had intentions of asking him what this was about, but I was trained to see things out before jumping to conclusions.
"I know this may be hard for you, but you were the only one listed who could positively identify this man, so please prepare yourself."
He turned the computer screen my way, and I saw an image of Edward lying on a silver medical examiner's table. His face was swollen with cleaned cuts and bruises, but it was indeed him. Shock took over, and instead of tears, my face went dead cold.
"Yes, it is," I confirmed a little above a whisper.
"Again, I am sorry for your loss. Can you pick up that pen and electronically sign the pad right there? We will need your signature for his death certificate."
I signed my name three times back-to-back before speaking. "How did he die?" I finally mustered up the courage to ask.
"Mr. Foxx was hit by a Mack truck while leaving work."
The man delivering the news hadn't had his course in bedside manner, and it was sickening that a person like him was in the profession that he was in. With no response to what he said, I stood from the chair and prepared to leave.
"Thank you," I replied and then left the room.
I don't even know how I made it back to our apartment, but I did. I didn't have it in me to call Edward's mother, but I knew I had to. Before doing that, I needed to call my boss so that I could collect my payment. The matter was Edward was dead, and that was my job. The phone rang slowly in my ear.
"Snake Eyes… is the job complete?"
"It is…"
"And how was it executed?"
"Car crash, I made it easy."
The line was silent after I spoke.
"I am so sorry that is incorrect. The client wanted him followed at all times and hired someone from our agency to do it, so we know you were unsuccessful with your contract. Please take this as a head start… Goodbye."
The line went dead in my ear, and once it did, panic set into my bones.
"Fuck!" I yelled out as I rushed to my walk-in closet to retrieve my already packed luggage.
Using my phone, I called for a Lyft to take me to the bus station. I needed to get the fuck out of dodge and quick. For failing at making my mark, I had become one.I could figure out how to get my car to where I was going and the rest of my belongings once I got there.
I waited in the hall of my building until the Lyft had arrived. After putting my bags into the car, we slowly eased into Saturday night traffic toward Manhattan. Scrolling through my phone, I thought about where I would go to start my life over. Once my finger slid across my first cousin's name, I called.
"Hello?" She sounded like she was asleep.
"Talia, listen to me. I'm getting on a bus and coming down to spend some time with you."
"Okay, is everything alright? I know you ain't getting cold feet," she said.
"Ummm, something like that," I replied as I stared fixedly out the window at the scenery that passed me by.
