The Enigma's Anomaly

Boop

"Hey Frank, it's Gerard, but you probably know that. You haven't picked up your phone for a week, and it's getting ridiculous. If you hate me than I understand that, but I need to know, otherwise you're just leaving me hanging here. I need to know because you've got me hoping and that's making me miserable. I guess I just miss you. Mikey hasn't let me leave the house since you left and I really want to see you. I'm sorry I guess. I just hate thinking that you hate me. Call me when you can."

The message beeps when it's done and I can't stop looking at the phone. I want to call him, I think. I don't know what I want actually.

It's been a busy six days for me. I finished that article on Gerard and turned it in. It'll be published in a week. That's not all I've done though. Besides writing, I've been... investigating per se. I need to find out who's trying to hurt Gerard. It's never felt more important to me then it is now.

I broke into Mikey's apartment when he wasn't home. His handwriting doesn't match the note. I also visited Gerard's office when he was out to check the secretary's handwriting. No match. I took a photo of the note before I burned it, but I'm not getting anywhere on this lead. I have a list of Gerard's known contacts but the guy is even more of a hermit than I am. I've checked even the most obscure people, like the barista's in his coffee shop. Found an old roommate of his. Nothing. I'm getting nowhere.

It's Saturday now and I don't know where I'm going with this investigation. I don't even know if I'm going about this correctly. Maybe the guy who hired me had someone write that note for him. I don't see that as likely though because that would mean he'd have to include more people in the transaction. When it comes to assassination it's better to keep it as under wraps as you can. So who has enough money to kill Gerard, and who wants him dead so much that they hired two different people?

The word on the street about The Enigma is not flattering. People think I'm either dead or a sucker. It's true that Gerard should be easy to kill, but he keeps managing to escape being killed. Three different attempts on his life is starting to seem impossible. It's practically unheard of. I want him alive though. I want him to have a chance at finding someone worthy of him and I'm willing to put myself in danger to make sure he gets that.

It starts raining in the afternoon and it doesn't let up for the rest of the day. It actually starts getting harder and I already know that my neighbors upstairs are going to have a leak which means I'll probably have a leak too. The floors aren't as insulated as they could be, so I'm used to it.

I'm not really doing much of anything until my phone rings so I groan then look down at it. It's the number I now know to be Mikey's so I decide I'd better answer it.

"Gerard's been shot," Mikey says as soon as I pick up.

"What?" I feel like my whole body just stopped working. If he's not okay then it'll kill me. I need him to be okay.

"He got shot again when he was sneaking out to go see you."

"Are you saying this is my fault? I'm so sorry, okay! You can blame me until your lips bleed, I just need to know that he's alive. Is he okay?"

"He's fine, it's fine. He's okay."

"Oh thank god. How did they miss again?" I ask. Four times with no success? Either Gerard is a lot luckier than he looks or something else happened.

Mikey answers plainly, "They didn't miss. He was hit dead on."

"What? How is he okay?"

"I acquired a bulletproof vest, and it did it's work."

"Oh my god," I say and I bury my face in my hands. I don't even have words. I can't stand this constant horror that Gerard isn't going to see the next day. Mikey's saved his life more times accidentally than I have by ending the contract purposefully.