Angel and the Assassin

barefoot to the kitchen, where he brewed coffee and stood
    leaning against the counter drinking from a plain white mug of very thin porcelain.
    The front door buzzer sounded. Kael tensed; who the hell was it? On the way
    to the door, he realized it must be the charwoman. The place was in perfect order as
    always, even with Angel lounging on the couch and putting his feet on the coffee
    table. He‟d received a swift reprimand for that. Still, he wanted her to dust and
    make everything pristine as she always did.
    The CCTV camera that gave the tenants a view of their guests was positioned
    on the wall beside the door. It was the char, thank God! He hit the button. “Come
    up, Dragana.”
    “Yes, Mr. Carpe.”
    He stood at the open door deciding what to do. The woman smiled as she got
    out of the lift and crossed the landing.
    “I have to go out in a few minutes,” he lied. “So go round really quickly dusting
    and hoovering, but don‟t go in the bedroom. I‟ll do the bedroom later.”
    She took her coat off as she entered and hung it in the hall cupboard. Out of
    habit, Kael scanned the corridor. It was all clear.
    “But you always want the bed changed.” She had a heavy Slavic accent but
    was still easy to understand.
    “I can change the bed myself. I do it on the days you don‟t come.”
    “You like your bed linen changed every day; so clean for a man.” She always
    seemed to find that amusing. “Aaahh, Mr. Carpe, you finally have a girlfriend
    staying over! I always say a good-looking man like you must have the ladies falling
    over themselves to get at you. You are a big man.”
    “Yes, you certainly do always say that. And I always tell you I‟m too busy for
    that nonsense.” The woman drove him nuts with her constant questions about his
    private life and her veiled remarks about his sexual prowess. If it were not
    necessary to stay in while she worked to ensure she touched nothing she shouldn‟t,
    he would leave and let her get on with it.
    She wagged a finger at him, then went to the mop cupboard to fetch her
    cleaning supplies. Kael went quickly to the bedroom. Angel lay flat on his back, his
    arms and legs thrown wide like a baby. For a moment Kael stood looking at him,

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    Fyn Alexander

    thinking how adorable Angel was. Kael wanted to strip and climb back in bed with
    him and just hold him, running his hands over the soft, pale skin.
    Sitting on the side of the bed, he took Angel by the shoulders, gently shaking
    him awake.
    “Sir, no!” he cried, shaking his head. “I‟m too tired; don‟t make me get up.”
    “Shhh.” Kael looked over his shoulder at the door. “Open your eyes.” Angel
    squinted at him. “Do not come out of the room. The charwoman‟s here. She mustn‟t
    see you.”
    “Why?” Angel mumbled, closing his eyes and rolling onto his side. He was
    already asleep again. Kael drew the duvet up over the boy‟s shoulder and patted his
    backside.
    Retrieving his coffee from the kitchen, he topped it up and went into the living
    room, where Dragana was dusting the TV. He threw himself into the armchair
    positioned for the best view and toyed with the remote until the charwoman began
    dusting the coffee table and end tables.
    “Why do you not have no pictures on the wall?” She had asked him questions
    like that before.
    “I‟m hardly ever home.” It was what he always said, and it was true. He flicked
    on the TV, keeping the sound low.
    “You got Sky Plus?” she asked.
    “Uh-huh.”
    “I got Sky Plus too.”
    Kael went through the news channels, pretending to watch while he kept an
    eye on Dragana. He flipped on CNN, and his jaw dropped.
    Nancy Grace started to speak, and beside her head was a picture of Angel.
    “ This is the face of Angel Button. He turned eighteen years old four days ago, and he
    is missing. His stepfather Sven Andresen was found shot dead in his Cape Cod home
    on Tuesday morning, and no one has seen Angel since. If you have seen this missing
    boy, please call your local law enforcement. He is very likely in danger .”
    The picture was not a very good one. It seemed to be from several years ago,
    and his hair was longer. In fact he looked like a little girl; plus she had got his age
    wrong.
    Kael shut off the TV, his heart pounding. What the fuck had happened to
    cleanup?
    He looked at the char, who stood with her duster in her hand, shaking her
    head. “Very sad. Why do people kill? Where I come from in Bosnia, I saw so much
    death. I