Nice Spring Day to Be Alive

The March wind was whipping her jacket as Julie walked out of the house and got into the rental car she had claimed the night before. She had driven the hour home from the rental place relatively late, so any of her inquisitive neighbors would look at the out-of-state plates and just think she had a visitor come in late.

Julie checked her watch. She had to be in place by 9:00, and by her calculations, she had plenty of time to get there. She turned at the end of the block and noticed Mrs. Williams' flower beds were full of daffodils, another signal that Spring had finally arrived. She loved the Spring in this little town. It always brought such a freshness to all the brown left over from the winter months.

Driving by the school, she noticed the last of the stragglers scurrying into the building. She laughed and thought how many times she and her best friend had tried to beat that second bell which signified you were officially tardy to class. Old Mrs. Hemphill took it as a personal insult if anyone was late in her first-period class.

Checking her watch again, she decided to take Church Street instead of the main street downtown since it may be backed up. This was not the morning to get stranded in traffic.

"Perfect," she said as she steered the Buick into the parking garage. "Plenty of time." She parked the car, went to the trunk and got out a case and walked toward the elevator. Even though it was a prime time of day to be here, she glanced around to check out her surroundings. Julie always hated parking garages, and even though her little town was usually lacking in a lot of violence, it paid to be careful. Besides, she really didn't want an audience today, or for that matter, even conversation.

Julie took the stairs instead of the elevator. She also never liked being cooped up in a small box being pulled up by a series of cables. She kept herself in good shape, and there wasn't any reason to take a chance on some low bidder's work.

When she walked out of the stairwell, she checked the number to be sure she was on the right floor. Yeah, top floor. Just like she had been told, there was still on-going construction on this floor. She walked down to the last office on the left and found the door unlocked. So far, so good.

Laying her case down, Julie opened her shoulder bag and found the pair of binoculars and pointed them toward the building across the street. She counted windows down and across until she spotted the primary target. Sure enough, there he sat talking to a young lady, his secretary she assumed. The woman laughed and touched her hair in a flirtatious manner, something she'd seen dozens of times before when her own ex had been entertaining some young thing with his simpleton humor. He always thought it was his keen sense of humor, when in reality he was too stupid to realize money was his most attractive feature.

Julie glanced at her watch again and noted the time. Better not wait much longer. The vote would be in 30 minutes, and she needed to be finished and on her way by then.

She walked over to her case and removed the sections of the weapon. Snapping it together quickly, she loaded it and attached the scope. Julie was glad she had chosen early in the morning because the sun was still far enough behind the building to prevent any glints on the metal.

Julie eased the weapon to the window and sighted the target. Easy shot. She wished they were all this easy. She squeezed the trigger and felt the recoil as the bullet burst from the barrel and through the office window. No noise but a small click. The silencer took care of that.

She watched as the man slumped over his desk as she disassembled the weapon and packed it back in the case. No one entered the office. That was good. Even if they did, it would take them a minute to realize that he had not had a heart attack, but rather had been shot. That would give her an extra few minutes.

Checking the hallway, Julie made her way back down the stairs to the parking garage and her car. One nice thing about these small-town garages, they didn't charge, so there were no guards or gates. Of course, she already knew that.

Checking her mileage and the time, she drove away. Julie had laid out a route that would take her several miles out of the way, so that even if the car were checked, there would more miles that just from the rental place and her. She would just say she was out antiquing in the surrounding countryside. After all, everyone knew her love of antiques. In fact, she might even stop and buy a teapot or vase.

The sun was shining as Julie rode through the rural area, and she noticed the budding of fruit trees and the grass turning that bright shade of green. Lovely day, she thought, as she turned onto a country road.

Finally arriving at the rental car place, the attendant smiled and said, "Isn't it a gorgeous day?"

"Oh, definitely a great day to be alive," she replied as she handed her the keys.

Julie walked the six blocks to the motel parking lot where she had left her car the night before and started her drive back home. She took out the prepaid cell phone and dialed a number. When the voice answered, she said, "Just wanted you to know the flowers are in bloom." Then she hung up. There was a bridge ahead where a little river would be a great place to rid herself of the phone.

The ride home was peaceful as she sang along with the song on the radio. The sun was shining, and Julie planned what to have for dinner. She noticed a large flock of wild geese flying overhead, and she said to herself, "Yeah, it's a great day to be alive."