A Little Bit Safer

*Content warning- some violence *

Blamm! Blamm!

Two consecutive shots rang out in the alley. Each was eclipsed by the sounds of the city—jackhammers, commuter buses, and the nearby L train atop Franklin Street. The killer gazed down with contempt at his victims, a pair of vagrants.

“Good riddance,” he sneered.

Still breathing, one of the derelicts moaned and reached out toward his assailant as if seeking a lifeline.

Blamm!

The third shot erupted from the barrel of the .38 and blood spattered against the dumpster behind the now lifeless corpses. This wasn’t the first time the killer had taken a life, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Transients, druggies, and the elderly were burdens on society, and there were plenty of each to be found in a city the size of Chicago.

The fewer, the better, he thought.

The killer tucked away the revolver and walked casually out of the alley and onto a busy sidewalk—a nondescript stranger in a city replete with nondescript strangers.

###

Two Shot and Killed in River North District

“Oh, my Lord! What is this city coming to?” Judith Burton asked herself as she sat at the breakfast table and stared at the front-page headline of the morning’s Sun-Times.

Judith quickly read the accompanying article, focusing on the salient details: The victims were both male, carried no identification, and appeared to be homeless. Their bodies had been discovered near a dumpster in an alley on West Ontario Street. There appeared to be no motive for the homicides.

Hoping to find brighter news, Judith sighed and turned to the style section of the newspaper. Prior to retiring, Judith had been a highly successful commercial interior designer. Although she no longer worked, Judith still dressed the part and enjoyed keeping her pulse on current fashion trends.

She slowly finished her breakfast–a salmon lox scramble with over-easy eggs. One of the advantages of residing at an upscale retirement home like Evergreen was the food. The chefs were excellent cooks. She’d lived at Evergreen for nearly ten years. The success she’d found throughout her career had enabled Judith to retire in one of the best homes in Chicago. Evergreen offered a lively event schedule, daily activities, and a shuttle bus that ran throughout the day, transporting the home’s residents here and there.

Judith’s nest egg had enabled her to buy a motorized wheelchair in which she routinely jetted around. She liked to think of it as her retirement Tesla. She could get by without it, of course, but utilizing the wheelchair for travel throughout the home enabled Judith to preserve her energy for more exciting activities.

She backed away from the breakfast table and her wheelchair issued a series of warning beeps. Judith motored out of the dining area toward her first-floor apartment. As she reached the hallway, she saw a staff member working to tack down a section of carpeting that had become dislodged from the floor. Wheelchairs are hell on carpets, she thought.

“Thanks for your hard work, young man,” she said, as she motored by.

“My pleasure, Ms. Burton. Just keeping everyone a little bit safer.” He issued a friendly wink, which Judith promptly returned. Judith’s style always brought out the flirters, even those half her age.

Back in her room, she switched on the widescreen TV and turned to a channel featuring wheelchair yoga. Judith performed various upper- and lower-body exercises for several minutes and then placed a squeeze-ball hand exerciser in each palm.

Keeping that arthritis at bay, she thought, as she counted off fifty repetitions.

###

That afternoon, Judith headed out to the common area for tea and socialization. She passed Mary Jean’s room and paused. MJ had gone out last week for lunch and had not been seen since. Judith had a bad feeling about MJ’s disappearance and said a quick prayer.

As she reached the common area she saw Dorothy, a friend and former socialite. Judith crossed the room and parked her wheelchair next to Dorothy who listlessly stared out the large bay window toward the community garden and pond.

“Did you hear the news?” Dorothy asked, her voice quaking. “They found MJ.”

“Oh no,“ Judith replied. “What happened?”

Dorothy blew her nose into a tissue and took in a few quick, sobbing breaths. “They found her body dumped behind the Hyatt on Stetson Avenue. She had taken the shuttle there for lunch and shopping but hadn’t shown up at the pickup time. The police said she’d been shot twice.”

“Oh dear,” Judith replied. “Poor MJ. I can’t believe what this world has come to when kind, old, defenseless women like her are murdered.”

Judith and Dorothy held hands for several moments and reminisced about MJ. After a few minutes, Dorothy pulled herself together a bit. Judith motored toward the front office.

“Be a dear,” she told the receptionist, “and let me have a look at the duty roster. I’d love to see who prepared today’s wonderful breakfast.”

The receptionist handed Judith the duty roster. Judith flipped back through the roster for the last few weeks and took several photos with her iPhone.

“Thanks so much. Now I can plan my meals better,” she laughed.

The receptionist smiled at Judith. Judith returned the smile and motored back to her room.

She texted the photos and a brief note to her nephew, John, who worked as a detective in Denver. The two had always been close. From time to time, John helped his aunt whenever she needed assistance adapting to new technologies—the iPhone had taken a few hours—or with research. John was adept at research and had come through for Judith many times in the past.

John returned Judith’s text a few hours later with the information she needed. She texted her thanks, and then used the Evergreen’s shuttle app to set up round-trip transportation for lunch and shopping the next day.

###

The following morning, Judith dressed in a black chiffon A-line dress and black pumps. Her hair, sonic silver with a thin jet-black streak, flowed softly across her shoulders. At 11:30 A.M., the shuttle bus dropped her off in front of the Sheraton on East North Water Street overlooking the Chicago River. Its restaurant, Four Points, was a popular gathering place among older crowds. Its decor was old-style luxurious, and the menu featured a variety of comfort foods, each with a modern twist. The restaurant had the added benefit of a young hipster crowd that flowed through as they checked in and out of the hotel, adding a bit of people watching to the menu. Although the Evergreen provided sumptuous food, eating at Four Points was always a treat.

Judith had just finished consuming her lunch, which consisted of slow-roasted rotisserie free-range chicken breasts, French green beans, and mashed potatoes with country gravy. She couldn’t finish the entire meal, of course, but had made a good dent. While she didn’t particularly like the taste of green beans, she found them palatable largely due to their overabundance of butter. A good soldier, she ate them for the fiber. Being regular when you’re my age is a blessing, she thought to herself.

She flagged down her waiter.

“That was very good, Miles. Can you close the bill out on my card?”

 “Of course, Ms. Burton. Always a pleasure to see you,” Miles said, smiling. He took Judith’s credit card and processed the check, then brought the receipt over for her signature. She added a healthy tip and handed Miles the receipt.

“Don’t you go finding another waiter,” Miles said with mock horror. Judith was always pleasant to Miles and tipped well. “Do you need a hand with your chair?”

“Oh no, Dear,” she replied. “It still has a good charge. Besides, taking it for spin helps me in preparing for the NASCAR circuit.” She winked at him.

Chuckling, Miles winked back, said farewell, and headed over to attend to another table.

As Judith motored out of the restaurant, a busboy called out to her.

“Hey, Ms. Burton?” he said, approaching Judith.

Judith looked up and recognized the busboy as one of the orderlies from Evergreen.

“Oh, hello Stephen. I didn’t know you worked here, too.”

“Just a little extra money. They’re easy with me on the hours,” Stephen said. “Did you enjoy your lunch?”

“Oh yes. Wonderful as always. It’s so refreshing to get out and see different places every once in a while.”

Stephen chuckled and smiled. “Actually, there’s a fantastic view of the city from roof deck. Would you like to drink it in? I can take my break now.”

“That would be wonderful, Stephen,” Judith said, smiling. “So nice of you to take the time.”

“It’s no trouble at all, Mrs. Burton. I’ll be right back.”

Stephen pushed his cart into the restaurant kitchen and soon returned. He led Judith over to the elevator bank and pressed the “up” button.

“It’s a clear day,” Stephen remarked. “I’ve heard that on a clear day you can see as far west as Des Moines.”

The elevator doors opened, and Stephen graciously let Judith motor in first. He followed Judith into the cabin and the doors slid shut. Stephen used a keycard to enable access to the rooftop. An electric hum filled the cabin as their ascent began.

“Oh man!” Stephen suddenly blurted out. “I gotta stop at payroll and get last week’s check. Is it okay if we take brief a detour?”

“Of course,” Judith replied. “I’ve got nowhere pressing to be, and an hour ‘til the bus comes around.”

Stephen quickly scanned his access card and pressed the 3^rd floor button marked “Employees Only.” The elevator ceased its upward progress and the doors slid open.

“It’s just down the hall, Ms. Burton,” Stephen said, as he led the way. Unlike the hotel’s guest floors, the employee floor hallway was dim and worn down.

“Definitely not a floor for the discriminating traveler,” Judith said with a laugh.

“You got that right. This floor seriously lacks the wow factor, but it isn’t accessed much, not even by the staff. Most of the action is downstairs. But this is where the money is, so to speak.”

Stephen led Judith to the fourth door on the left and opened it to a dimly lit room. “Right in here,” he said, “this should be quick.”

Judith motored over the threshold with a slight bump and entered the room. It didn’t appear to be an office, but instead resembled an unused conference room.

“Is … is this where you get your paycheck?” she asked, a quaver in her voice.

The door to the room slammed shut. Judith spun her chair around to see Stephen hovering over her, a gun pointed directly at her head.

“You old people talk too much,” Stephen said. “Blah blah this and blah blah that. You’re nothing but a waste of space, but I’ve got two bullets and .38 to resolve that problem.”

Blamm! Blamm!

Two shots rang out loudly in the room. Blood splattered against the wall.

The door was soon opened, locked from the inside latch, and then carefully closed. No one would find the body for a long time.

###

The Evergreen shuttle bus arrived on schedule. Several residents piled onto the vehicle. A moment later, a mechanical ramp extended from the bus to the sidewalk. Judith motored her chair up onto the ramp and boarded the bus. The driver assisted her in securing her wheelchair and then headed back toward Evergreen.

Judith retrieved the squeeze-ball hand exercisers from her purse and did fifty quick repetitions. Keeping that arthritis at bay, she thought.

The other residents aboard the bus soon dozed off. Judith searched the contents of her handbag and found a nail file. She gazed down at the left rail of her wheelchair. Slowly she counted off fourteen notches and then, with nailfile firmly in hand, began to etch number fifteen.

After returning the nailfile to her purse, Judith checked the magazine on her single stack .45. As expected, its chamber held five of its original seven rounds.

As usual, her nephew John’s information had been accurate. She’d already suspected the murderer was employed at Evergreen. Comparing Evergreen’s employee schedule against the day of MJ’s disappearance had given her reason to suspect Stephen. John confirmed that Stephen had a criminal record which included violent crime. Judith had previously overheard Stephen talking about his part-time Sheraton job and longed for the opportunity to confirm her suspicions. Stephen had no idea that in offering to show Judith the rooftop view he had, unwittingly, played exactly into her hands.

Judith smiled, content that she had made the world a little bit safer. Then she, too, nodded off for a nap as the bus slowly headed home.