FIVE

There wasn’t anyone following him when he arrived at his work building.  He had made few stops along the way to carefully look and hadn’t picked out anyone suspicious.  For all he knew it was another jolly hot afternoon with people going about their business, cars honking their horns, music blasting out of open doorways . . . almost all the music he heard sounded Caribbean.  Brothers owning the street corners glanced his way with bleary eyes, some clutching and sipping malt liquor in brown paper bags while others flung dice on the kerb, nothing to do besides hustle their way through life.

Thaddeus listened to the noise coming from his shoes as he walked down the kerb.  His clothes felt damp with sweat; he sighed with relief as he took a turn into B Street and saw his building across from him.

He went inside and almost immediately the air felt different.  He took the elevator instead of the stairs and knocked on his out