Quietly, Quiggly stepped into the darkness as he stealthily approached and steeled his heart to face the horrors of what was to follow. # Chapter 17 Quiggly had been going by the name of Quig the entire time he worked for the Mafia. Over the years he had learned enough about them that he knew what they did in this case. They could be very cruel when it came to making sure their business went on as usual and their criminal activities were not hindered. He had been told that the man he was to pick up had spent more than 20 years in a cell here. The reason he had been jailed had to do with a wife. She did not love him and had divorced him, after learning that he was not a real husband. As far as anyone could ascertain, he had committed this foul act by himself. He had killed her in the hope that her death would send him to the grave along with her. But, it did not work. His jailhouse cell mate had helped him out after he attempted to run away. He had had a plan, had money, but had been caught. The jailbird wanted to get the jailbird out of jail, so that he could be put away by himself and do away with this wife, who had cheated on him and had betrayed him. The jailbird had been locked up for a long time, and had already served his time for his crime. The jailbird knew that jail was only a holding cell for the real criminals and since he had already served his time, it was time for him to get out. The jailbird still wanted to get his revenge. So he went to the boss of the Mafia, who hired Quiggly to get the jailbird, but he had to be taken to his house. Quiggly was instructed to go home at the end of the work day, get some money and meet the boss in the restaurant at an eating place in town. Once there, he was instructed to show his identification to the boss and to give him the money for his mission. He was told that this was a very dangerous job that would be worth $100,000 if he succeeded. "This is not going to be a fun day, is it?" he thought. "The boss was kind to pay me $100,000, but I wonder if he knows what I am up against." Quiggly had been working for the Mafia for some time, and he had heard things about the woman that was his target. He knew the jailbird well. He had even helped him for the past 20 years. Quiggly remembered when the jailbird was arrested. He also remembered when he had come to ask for the bail money that had been deposited for him, just in case he did not stay in jail. A thought had been running in his mind all night, "I wonder what she was doing today that could cause this job." The thought was still in his mind, when he left the warehouse, and got into his car, as he drove off to work. Quiggly still had not given up hope. He was a trusting person, who always relied on his gut feelings. The hope in him felt a tad stronger now. # Chapter 18 Rita's life had been in danger from the beginning. The news of her past was out in the streets. What kind of a past did this man have that would cause him to be so persistent in pursuing her for the past 25 years? She had a family who loved her very much and they would have to forgive her for whatever had happened in the past. She knew they would do anything to protect her and would never let anyone harm her, let alone any kind of death threat. It was true, she had been in a relationship with another man, and had made a mistake in life. But, she had never done it deliberately to hurt her family. She had had the same kind of problems with her parents that many young people in the ghetto had, trying to break the bonds with their parents and live their own lives. However, she had come to realize that their family could not be separated. Her best friend since the 8th grade, had told her that she did not have the right to break a family bond, just because it was too difficult. She loved her parents and family. She had also discovered that once she crossed over to the other side, then there was no going back. She had seen, the tears and pain on her mother's face and realized that she was in a terrible situation and would have to find a way to get her family away from that life. So, Rita had to be on her guard, especially now that her life was in danger. Rita was sitting in her house, watching television and waiting for the love of her life to come home. She had been waiting for a very long time, but she was still ready for him. # Chapter 19 Joe had a problem, because this man was a problem. He had never been able to catch this guy before. Joe wanted to be a real detective, as he really enjoyed reading his detective magazines, watching the old movies on television and listening to all the stories from his father and uncle, but he never found the time to do any of this. When he was younger, he had tried. Joe had tried to become a great detective, and had spent hours trying to figure out who did the unsolved crimes in his father's newspapers. It had never worked out for Joe, because he didn't know how to get started or what to do. Joe decided it was time to learn more about real detectives, so he could become one himself. Joe had found a newspaper, and decided to start reading a few days, just to see if he could find out anything from the paper. Joe found it hard to put the paper down after reading it for the first time, and did not want to read the next day's paper either. Each day Joe was reading all the different stories, and listening to the radio. He listened to what the cops were doing, and trying to piece together what went on in the background of the murders. Then, one morning, Joe found out that a detective from down town had been killed. He wanted to know what happened to the detective. So, Joe read and looked at all the information he could find on this detective. He found out that his name was Raymond Smith. His picture was everywhere, and all of a sudden Joe decided to learn more about the detective. Rita watched her husband, who worked two jobs for so many years, to get by and give them a better life. He had always been there for her, protecting her and taking care of their family. Now, it was time for her to support him. She knew her days were numbered, but she felt he deserved the best of everything that the rest of the family had. She wanted him to have it all, so she decided to sell all of their belongings and start over. It was hard for her to do this. She had not known what to do, but Joe was able to guide her through all of her troubles. Rita was now able to walk right up to Joe and tell him about the threats and the men who had approached her, and the detective she had seen at the office. She was still afraid that the Mafia would take over her husband's office and have him killed, but she had to keep it a secret. Joe told her that the men who were following her would not get away, if the men behind the murder were really after the detective. That night, Rita heard her husband talking to someone on the phone, and decided to see what was going on. She could not help but listen to every word her husband said to the person on the phone. What she heard was not good news, because she heard him tell the person on the phone to get the money to the man, so he could have his wife before he went to prison for the rest of his life. The person on the phone never did say what exactly was being discussed, and Rita wondered why her husband was asking for $100,000. # Chapter 20 It was a beautiful Saturday morning in the fall, and John was at his usual post when he heard the front door open, as he was enjoying a cup of coffee. John walked to the front door to see who was there. When he opened the door, he saw his family. He looked at his wife and children. His wife was holding the 2-year old son on her hip and carrying the baby on her shoulder. John noticed that his wife had a worried look on her face. John picked up his son and put him in his car seat. He also picked up the baby and placed her in her car seat. Then he walked inside and closed the door. He put the baby's toys in the basket on the front seat and got in the car. When he looked up, he noticed his wife was looking at him and shaking her head. "What did you do to your eye?" he asked his wife. "I told you, you were going to get a punch in the face. The man's fist smashed right into your eye. What are you doing working at 7 o'clock in the morning and not at 3 o'clock in the afternoon? "I can't work in the afternoon, that's when you have the boys from the church in for church, and I don't have a babysitter to watch them." "Well I have to go to the grocery store, to get more milk for the baby. John, I need you to go with me, because I can't drive and be watching two