I couldn't believe I had taken this job. I had said I would never do this again after he died. How could I go back to it when all I thought of was Scott? I looked down into my glass and saw that once again I hadn't remembered drinking the contents. How many had that made four, five? I had lost count long ago. Two and half years ago, the night my life crashed all around me. I lost everything that night. All my dreams died with him that night. I still wished I was dead, but life wasn't so generous. I sighed, ordered myself another drink and thought back to the conversation earlier.

"Tessa, this is Sims. I need you."
"What you need to do is to stop calling me. I'm not coming back."
"Tessa. I promise you that if you do this I will never call you again. Hell I'll even give you retirement."
"Bullshit. Now leave me the fuck alone." I said as I slammed the phone down. My mind spun back hearing the gun shots and the screams. The answering machine picked up when the phone rang the next time.
"Tessa, listen to me. This is the last time you ever have to do anything for me. I swear. This guy is responsible for killing Scott. No, I'm not trying to get you in on this. But it's the truth he is the one." I sat staring at the phone not believing a word he said.
"If you bring him in, fine. If you kill him, I won't say a word."
"Damn it Sims." I said picking up the phone, "You won't say a word to me, or to anyone else if I blow his damn head off?"
"No. Who would be the wiser? Meet me in the Pole's Bar at 12:45."
"Fine." I said and hung up the phone.

So here I was, looking at my watch, 12:30, and I am on my way to being completely drunk. At this point anything was better than being sober.
"You're moving up on the hard stuff aren't you Richards."
"Fuck off Sims. Tell me what I need to know." I said never looking up.
"You'd think that since I am handing you this chance you would be more appreciative."
"Sims, if you really want to make it out of this shit hole a man I would suggest that you tell me what I need to know. And then LEAVE." I hit back another full shot of jack Daniel's and set the glass down.
"Fine fine fine. Here's his file. He's in Orlando now. Three weeks from now he won't be. You might want to get to him before then." I opened the file to find one sheet of paper.
"One sheet? That's all you could find?!" I said looking over the material.
"You've found them on less that Richards."
"I know." I bit out, what I didn't add was I had a partner then.
"Then go and find him. Kill him I don't care. Just get the bastard." He said as he grabbed my bottle of Jack Daniel's. I looked over at the man beside me and bile rose in my throat. He looked and smelled like a dog.
"Sims isn't your last name is it?" I said smirking when I saw his tension level rise at my comment, "I'm not stupid. I know the man who killed Scott and trust me this isn't him. So why the fuck do you want me to do this?"
"What makes you say that?" He said cordial for the first time in the four years I had known him.
"I don't give a shit. But I can guarantee you this. I will bring him in ALIVE and I will have anything I want. And you will give me what I want before I go. With as little as you have on this guy, and the charges against him, which seem to be false to me," I said looking at him, "You don't have a chance in hell of getting him." I said as I closed the folder and handed it back to him, "You decide." I stood and walked away from the bar after throwing down 20 bucks.
"Richards, fine anything you want you have." He said loud enough for me to hear.
"Good, call me in the morning and I'll tell you what I want." I said and walked out the door into the balmy night. I cannot believe I am doing this. Sims is gonna pay.

I groaned as the phone rang shattering my light sleep and causing my head to start pounding.
"What?" I growled into the phone.
"Richards what do you want." Sims said nervously. I couldn't help but smile.
"OK, you got a pen? My car paid off, a Mercedes C-Class convertible. No I changed my mind," I could hear him exhale, "Enough money to buy me a new house. A BEACH house."
"Wait one damn minute."
"Oh OK. Well find someone else to do it."
"NO! OK OK, how big a beach house?" He said tentatively.
"Oh let's see, the one I liked the most was 600,000."
"I can't come up with that kind of money!"
"Well I would be having a yard sale then. Or of course you could always get someone else. If that is all, I would like to go back to sleep."

"Fuck. Fine you got it." I didn't answer I just hung up the phone. I had a busy day and a massive hang over to deal with. I slowly climbed from bed and I tried to keep from jarring my head too much. I made my way to the bathroom before my head started pounding again.

Two hours later I was loading my truck up with everything that I would need. I finally felt half way back to normal. I was probably half drunk again but I didn't really care. I checked and rechecked my equipment and then went back in to check for anything that could be called a loose end. Once satisfied with everything I climbed into my truck and started my 4-hour trip to Orlando. It was noon and I was planning on making it to Orlando before dusk, if traffic was decent. I looked over the material I had gathered as well as the material I had written down from the meager amount of information from Sims. I pulled into Eagles Landing Subdivision fifteen minutes after four. Sims hadn't given me much information but within 2 hours of knowing his name I knew credit card numbers, phone numbers, cell phone numbers, associates, friends, and his next week's schedule. I smiled and pulled into the house across from his and pulled out the equipment I would need for the next few hours. I watched as he went on his nightly routine. If I felt necessary I would wait until tomorrow to finish the job; but if I could acquire enough information from just watching tonight then I would take him tonight. I laughed as the night went on. He was very helpful in helping me learn where everything was in the house. All his blinds were open. Sometime after 10, he retired to bed and I knew that he could be taken without trouble tonight.