Easy Innocence

Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

SO FAR the job had been routine. So mundane, in fact, that he wondered why his employer needed protection. Maybe he was the type who thought his footsteps made an indelible imprint, who was sure nothing could be accomplished without his intervention. Sitting at the right hand of God.

One thing was clear, he thought as he wiped down the Jag. The man was a micromanager. Down to his instructions on how to wash the car. What cloths to use. How much wax. How long to buff. Still, he was grateful to be working at all. It had been a while. He’d provided references. Impressed them with his resume. And they’d scooped him up. Good thing, too. Any longer and his skills might have deteriorated. He practiced, tried to make sure he was still sharp. But until you were actually on the street, you never knew.

He was the back door guy, the outsider. He didn’t even have chauffeur status. It would stay that way until he earned their trust. But he’d expected that, and he was prepared to take it slow. It was important to be a team player.

He finished buffing the car and went around to the back. A huge turquoise swimming pool bordered by marble statues lay behind a wide veranda. Beyond that was a sweep of broad, sloping lawn with thick green grass. His employer emerged from the water, sun-sparkled droplets beading the gray hair on his chest. A silver mezuzah around his neck flashed in the morning light. Wrapping himself in a soft white towel, he gazed around his estate with a satisfied expression.

A cell phone trilled. The man grabbed it, listened, barked a response. Then he tossed the phone down on the table. He spotted him at the edge of the cabana. His bushy eyebrows rose.

“Lawyers!” His boss spat out. “They don’t do what you want, and they fuck you while they’re not doing it.”