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  "Let us use him as the board." Someone said. Laughter went up in the room.

  "Enough !" Collin ordered. The room became serene. He turned to Ken.

  "Everyone, this is Ken. He is new in town and he has a few techniques to show us. Give him way."

  A murmur went up in the room.

  Ken dropped his rucksack and choose a four knives then went over to where the throwers had been. He hesitated, playing with the knife in his hands.

  "Go ahead and throw the knife." The man who had approached him earlier urged.

  With two knives in each hand, Ken bowed his head, looking at the board intently. Raising his hands, he threw. The knives noiselessly sailed through the air and hit the board. The men grasped.

  All of the knives converged at the bull's eye, forming a cone. The room became still, as everyone looked at him. Although he did not know, they were too stunned to say anything.

  "Let's go." Collin said, leaving the room.

  Picking up his rucksack, Ken quickly followed him out, leaving the men in the room dazed.

 

  * * *

  The boy dropped the rucksack on the bed.

  "It's all done mister."

  Ken handed a coin over to the boy, who went out of the room gleaming.

  Still standing by the door, he ran his eyes over the entire room. Although somewhat cheap and some of the paint had fallen off, It was modest and had a bathroom attached. There was no telephone. It had a single bed, a chair and a table. On the table was an oil lamp. The bed had been made. At inner end of the room, beside the bathroom door, was a painting. It was not hanging on the wall. Rather, it was painted on the wall. It looked old. It was the picture of a river bank with palm trees and some people milling about. On the water was a man on a boat. He wore a hat and dark glasses, chewing on a cigar. He had a sinister look on his face.

  He went over to the bed and sat down. He searched in his pockets and brought out a pack of cigarettes. Choosing one, he lit it and began smoking. Pushing the rucksack away, he laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. His mind was restless and whatever it was, he could not place it. He just stared at the painting blankly.

  A knock came on the door.

  "Come in." He was too reluctant to stand.

  Collin walked in.

  "I just wanted to make sure you are well settled just go down to the bar if you need anything."

  With that, he left.

  After a while, Ken left the bed and changed for bed. Hopping on the bed and closing his eyes, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

  III

  Ken went down to the bar the next morning. It was almost empty, save a strange looking man sitting by himself nursing a cup of coffee. He nodded at the waiter who acknowledged him, tipping his hat, and then went to sit at a table alone.

  He regarded the man for a while. He looked somewhat aged and smallish, his clothes looked simple. He wore a peak cap and had a crucifix on his neck and a chain bracelet on his wrist. Their eyes met and the man smiled at him. He quickly averted his eyes.

  The waiter went over to him with a cup of coffee.

  "Good morning mister." he said, putting the cup on the table.

  "Morning."

  "Here's some coffee. So what's the name?"

  "Ken."

  With a cocky smile, he returned to the counter.

  The man looked at Ken again and their eyes locked. Again, Ken quickly averted his eyes. He man made him feel uneasy. The atmosphere was tense. A man entered with a girl at his arms. She was smiling.

  "Hi. I'm Joe, they call me little Joe."

  It was the man. He was right across him. Ken gazed at him without speaking. His face looked even more wrinkled. However, the slight twitch his mouth had indicated some toughness.

  "Ken."

  "So Ken what brings you to town ?" Joe asked with a little smile that didn't go halfway to his nose.

  "Nothing. Just taking a look around."

  "A look round huh ? Just who do you think you are fooling ?" A quizzical look appeared in the man's eyes.

  Ken felt his stomach grow cold. Did this little fellow here know all about him ?Or was he just sounding off.

  “I don't understand what you are talking about, Joe ?" He replied, slightly shaking his head.

  Joe sighed, scratched his head and took off his cap, lying it on the table.

  "Look mister, people don't just come here all the time. When they come, they're looking for something. Usually, the mob find out and they deal with them. So Ken, what are you actually doing here. Do you -" He suddenly stopped short.

  Just then Collin entered the room. He looked around them his eyes settled on Little Joe. Slowly, he walked towards the duo. Little Joe picked up his hat, got up gently and went back to his table but not without whispering to Ken: "We'll talk more."

  "So how are you finding this town, Ken ? " Collin greeted.

  "The weather is terrible."

  Collin nodded. Searching in his pockets, he produced a gold plated cigarette case. He lit one and returned the case to his pocket. He didn't even offer me any, Ken thought.

  "One of the things I do not share. " Collin said, as thought reading the other man's mind, then smiled.

  He walked to the door leading out to the street, walked out, then stopped and surveyed the area, Ken watched him intently. One of the men who had stopped him yesterday walked up to him (Collin) and said something. They spoke for a while then he went away. Collin walked up to a car parked on the street and drove away.

  Shrugging his shoulders, Ken finished his coffee and got up. Looking around the room again, Little Joe was nowhere to be found. Shaking his head, he went to a flight of stairs and began going up. At the end, he stepped into a corridor. There were rooms on each side. At the end of the corridor, he turned left and opened the first door. It was his room. On the table lay his rucksack. He took it and threw on the bed. From inside, he took a medium sized bag and opened it. Inside were small pen knives of many sizes.

  He took two and shoved them in his left side in his belt, taking another pair, he shoved them into his right side also. Then he sat on the bed. Raising both trouser legs, he exposed a wide band around his calves. He shoved four knives into each band. He got up and returned the bag into his rucksack. He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday. His body itched and he yearned for a warm bath but he couldn't do that. There was business to be attended to.

  He went to the door and ensuring that it was still locked, he turned and headed straight to for the painting, looking at the man on the boat in the a painting. Firmly placing his feet on the ground, he raised his right leg and his stamped on the wall where the picture showed the man's hat. Something clicked, then a small square portion of the wall gave away. It revealed an open safe which contained a small camera, some rolls of film, a cartridge of bullets, some letters and some knives. He grabbed the camera and a roll of film and then tapped lightly on the picture. The safe closed.

  He went back to the bed and going through his rucksack, he took out a small sling bag. He put the camera and film in the bag, closed the rucksack and then headed to the door. Stopping and giving the room on last look, they went out and shut the door.

 

  * * *

  Having roamed the entire town the whole day, Ken ended up in a small restaurant which sold vinegar as orange juice and was proud of it. The day had been unproductive and all his efforts to get photographs were futile. He'd passed by some boys brutally raping a girl. Her screaming and wild clawing did nothing to stop them. He'd walked past them feeling useless. Don't get into trouble, Hector had said. He sighed, mentally cursed his boss.

  Also, he'd seen a heavily bearded man with a pistol stop a woman carrying a baby on a street earlier. He had been close enough to hear their conversation. I
t happened like this :

  "Are you married? " The man had asked the woman.

  "No. And what business of yours is it?" The woman replied defiantly. She was bold considering a gun was pointing at her face.

  "Well none I guess but my wife and I have been married for six years and we have no baby. So I'm taking yours."

  With that, he'd proceeded to snatch the baby from Her. She clawed at him. Women here are fond of clawing, Ken had thought.

  "Give me my child back ! " Said, struggling. The man shoved her away hard.

  The man moved away and began walking up the street, pressing kisses to the baby's face. After walking about twenty steps, the turned, looked at the woman and raised his gun.

  The woman screamed. Ken winced. It was a loud scream added to the fact that her voice had a high pitch. He pulled the trigger and she fell on the ground, dead. He continued up the street and disappeared.

  What violence, Ken thought. A car bearing in block letters "SHERIFF" with a colour bulb on its roof and a long antenna soon arrived where the woman's body was. A fat man wearing a Stetson with a holster strapped to his side got out of the car chewing a gum.

  Wait, He thought, the town had a sheriff. Interesting. Without waiting to see the outcome, he left the place as fast as he could.

  Looking around the small restaurant, he spotted a chubby teenage girl at the counter. He walked up to her.

  She smiled at him. It irritated him. Actually it looked more of a grimace.

  "You want more juice. You know, I make the juice everybody likes. People love my juice. You see... "

  "This town got a sheriff ?" He asked

  She shook her head.

  "We live lawless like Israel when there was no king."

  "You mean there is no sheriff in this town ?" He asked again.

  "No I already told you everyone does as they like - "

  He left her there and walked out of the place. She'd said there was no sheriff. What did that mean ? He'd seen a sheriff's car earlier.

  He hailed a taxi. It stopped and he got in. The car reeked of marijuana.

  "Where to ? " The red-eyed driver asked.

  "Take me to the beach." He'd found himself saying. The taxi shot off.

  * * *

  Ken brooded as he walked along the beach. It looked very familiar with the one he'd seen in the picture in his room. In fact , it was the very one. The palm trees, everything just as he had seen on the picture except of course the people were much more here. Here they looked happy as they milled about, smiling. Strange, he thought. There were boats anchored on the beach. Men and women sat in groups, talked, smoked, drank, laughed and went in pairs behind palm clusters.

  Up on the beach, two girls danced with her back to Ken. They wore shorts with yellow shirts. The music came from a mandolin and a flute. They swayed happily as a small crowd cheered them on. They shook violently. Two men went up to them and the four held hands. Then Ken saw their faces. It was Valarie and another girl. It was the girl he'd met in the store the first day he'd arrived. The on he'd bought cigarettes from.

  He went up to them. The other girl saw him first. She went up to him and held his hands, giggling. They danced together. The crowd mixed and everyone danced in pairs.

  "What is your name ? " Ken asked as they danced.

  "Candice." She shouted.

  "Ken." He said.

  He looked at her face. She was very happy. Her smiled reached her eyes just that of every other people there. Genuine.

  Valarie danced up to him and smiled. She looked at Candice.

  "May I ?" She asked.

  "Sure." Candice replied.

  She held Ken and they danced. She can dance, Ken thought in his mind. Candice had disappeared in the crowd.

  "So you forgive me for my bad behaviour last night ?"

  Ken looked at her closely. It was then it dawned on him. Valarie was a very young girl, seventeen or eighteen. Being the sister of the mob boss, she was probably used to getting all she wanted. When she saw him, she'd probably thought he was one she could play with. He knew Collin didn't like the way he'd treated her. He'd seen how he (Collin) had clenched his fist.

  Seeing the child she was, Ken decided to play with her.

  "Yes. Actually, I didn't like the way I treated you too and I want you to forgive me." He smiled.

  "Really ? I am so happy. Can we play now ?" She asked.

  He nodded.

  "Yes."

  He looked over her shoulder. Candice was looking at them. She smiled at him.

  IV

  Ken laughed and chatted with the two girls as they all went home, to the bar. As they got to the door, Ken saw the two men that had confronted him the first day he'd arrived. The one that spoke to him raised his eyes as he saw Ken with the two girls, however, he did nothing. Ken smirked at him as he strolled into the bar with the two girls. They heard music coming in from somewhere. Valarie began shaking her little body.

  "No one drinking your awful ale today? " Candice asked the waiter, who was polishing glasses at the counter. He gave her a painful smile.

  "I don't sale ale here. So if you need some, you go look for a beat down inn-house." He replied.

  "Whatever the case, your drinks are awful." Candice said.

  "You know what? The entire town is interested in my ale today. They're in the yard partying. You know, I could do with some help here." He said.

  "A party. Let's go to the yard!" Valarie screamed.

  * * *

  The entire yard was crowded. Collin sat on a chair and chatted with some men. He was smoking a pipe.

  The crowd danced and drank. Clapping her hands, Valarie grabbed Ken and pulled him into the crowd. They danced for a long time, Then went to a table and sat.

  "So what are you doing here Ken ?" She asked.

  "Just looking around." He replied.

  "Looking around doing what? " She asked casually.

  "I wanted some fun. I was told this was the best place to get it. And here am I."

  Just then, Ken saw four men come into the yard. The first among the was a man wearing a blazer and chewing a cigar. Behind him was a kid. After the kid came two men bearing guns. Although the music continued, It was a shower of cold water had fallen on the crowd, the atmosphere became tense. About ten men suddenly jumped to their feet, with bearing guns pointed at the new company, clearly intruders, unwelcome visitors.

  "It okay." Collin shouted.

  The men sat down. The music began playing again, everyone continued dancing, although the atmosphere was tense. The men went over to Collin and began talking to him. The kid pulled out a knife, looked around, then put it back.

  Then Ken remembered. It was the kid he'd seen slashing man's face the day in the other town he'd arrived. His mouth suddenly felt dry, he felt the sudden urge to hide. The kid looked around again. He turned and quickly went into the crowd, leaving Valarie behind. She kept dancing oblivious to the fact that he'd left her.

  From within the crowd, Ken turned again and this time he saw the other man. He froze as their eyes met. It was the man who had been smoking a cigarette with a pistol on his bench. And although he didn't know, it was same man who had gone into the telephone booth to dial and wait.

  * * *

  It was dark and the party was over. Going up the stairs, Ken smiled as he remembered how Valerie had clung to him like a baby, crying anytime he tried to leave, until she fell asleep.

  I have a thing for that little girl, he confessed in the dark. Valerie was pretty, not beautiful as compared to girls he'd met and seen but then there was this innocence with her that he liked. Although he had never thought about a woman before, Ken found himself wishing he had taken her to his room that night. Then he remembered Collin; his heart lurched and he suddenly felt great discomfort in his chest. Walking very quickly, he got to his door and pushed it open. Groping in the dark, he found the switch and turned the light on. Collin would never let him take Valerie
.

  He let the door ajar and changed for bed, switched off the light and dropping his little bag on the floor beside the bed. Tired from the day's activities, the hopped on the bed and lay on his back, trying to sleep. Valerie came to his mind again. She was as carefree as a child and spoke whatever came to her mind not minding how it sounded to others. He remembered how she had approached him when he had first arrived and he smiled with understanding.

  Valerie was not fortunate to have someone tell her about manners. She did whatever she liked, because her brother, Collin was a sucker for her. When she told Ken she wanted him, she never meant that in a sexual way. All she'd wanted was someone to play with, nothing more. Just like a child will want a toy for himself, so she had wanted him, but not as a toy, as a friend. She'd cried because a child would most certainly cry if it didn't get it sweet little toy.

  A movement at the door snapped Ken out of his thoughts. The door was slightly opening in the dark.

  "Who's there? " Ken whispered, his hands going to his sides, determined to knife whoever it was. Silence. He heard nothing until he felt hands grab him by the elbow. He shook himself violently, uttering curses.

  "Shh! Quiet! It's me Little Joe." the whisper came.

  "Little Joe? What are you doing here?" He whispered back.

  "Just be quiet and listen to me. You have to go. Leave this town at once. Go back to London."

  His heart skipped a beat. How did little Joe know he was from London ?

  "Why should I leave here? "

  "Listen to me, Hector, your boss sent you here to be killed. Jake sent his men to do that because Colin was reluctant. Leave this night my friend, before you have regrets, although they say ghosts feel no emotions."

  A while later, he heard the door slowly close. Left alone in the darkness, he suddenly began feeling cold.

  No, Hector- But how the hell did that little fellow know so much about him ? How much did the others know ? Valerie ? Did she also know about this.

  Collin... His heart began beating violently.

  A few minutes later, he miraculously fell asleep.

  * * *

  Ken woke with a start. The sound came again. It was a loud bang.

  He looked around the dark room, trying to clear his head. Then he heard another sound. It was a motorcycle. He got up and ran over to the window. He saw a huge man getting off a motorcycle, probably what he heard. The moon was out and he could clearly make out figures across the street from the bar. There were about eight men, talking in muffled voices. They were standing in front of a door, trying to break it open. The huge man joined them.