I tried to hire a hitman

THE TURN OF THE SCREW

"Meet me at the Darkside Pub, 7pm sharp." Click.

My heart was beating so fast I could hardly breathe, and I started to sweat. "What am I doing, am I crazy." But the anger was burning hot. The hate was such a palpating thing that I could literally reach out and touch it.

$500,000. Could you loathe someone so badly that money was no object to get your revenge?. Yes, you certainly can. I did.

That was all the money I had left. I had hidden this money away for fun and leisure. Yet, it meant nothing to me right now, nothing compared to the gut wrenching, seething , compelling churning bitterness in my stomach. I could literally taste it, It had to be done, or I will never be free.

She set me up. Ten years in prison for a crime that she committed. I knew that she hated me because our father made me executor of his will.

My sister. Smart as a whip. Always had to win. Narcissistic to the core and super competitive. She always outsmarted me as children growing up in a privileged household. But father secretly preferred me. I had heart, he said. I would be the one to do the right thing if ever it needed to be done.

He had no idea!.

Jacintha. That's her name. May she rot in hell. May scorpions torment her soul with fiery bites. She will pay.

THE PROBLEM IS THAT I AM THE ONE WHO IS DEAD. Yes, she faked my death and took my place, she did it so perfectly, every detail planned to the minutest detail. She is smart, that one. She duped the revolving door of lawyers. She duped the police, the judge, the jury and just about everyone. They all think that I killed her.

I wish that mother were here. She left five years ago to travel the world. She never even came to the funeral. She was so like Jacintha. We talk every now and then. She always bonded better with my sister though. They are close. My mother has her own business separate and apart from my father's, he gave her independence, and she revels in it.

The will stated that in the event that I was unable to perform my duties, Jacintha would be next in line to inherit and execute the responsibilities of the estate and all business holdings. And she wanted it so badly, that is why our father was hesitant about allowing her full control of the family business. She had ideas that went against everything that he stood for.

Yet, she was the educated Lawyer, Assistant Director to the Attorney General of New Acadia, New World.

I was more on the artistic side. I owned and operated a small Art Gallery, from which I made a modest living. I had no plans to run a huge Conglomerate like the family business. Father passed away way too early. He was only sixty two years old. I was not ready for this.

Jacintha, on the other hand, had been preparing for it her whole life. Her ruthlessness in the courtroom had earned her the nickname, 'The Steel Door', nothing got past her. We had a big row after the will was read.

"Why would father leave all this to you." she shouted. "You have no idea how to deal with all the legal aspects of the business world. They will eat you alive."

"I never wanted it." I replied. "But you have always been selfish Jacintha. Everything had to be about you. Ever since we were kids, maybe he thought you would make it all about you, instead of doing the things that he wanted for the business. You know how philanthropic he was. I never wanted it. But the will states that as long as I am alive, I will have to continue his legacy or the majority holdings will go to charity. Your share is still independent of it all."

"What he left me is miniscule to the overall extent of the family fortune, how dare he insult me like this."

"Jacintha, you are already a millionaire in your own rights, do you really need much more?" She glared at me with so much venom in her eyes that I involuntarily took a step backwards.

"Be careful what you wish for father dear," she sneered. I wondered what she meant, I knew she was ruthless. I had to be careful.

With that, she spun around, and the angry sounds of her Louboutin stiletto could be heard ringing down the driveway all the way to her car. Greed on her part was the reason that my father gave me this responsibility that was way out of my comfort level.

I had to learn a lot, and really fast. My father was counting on me. I would not let him down.

THE TWIST

We are twins. Identical to a fault. I am Josephinia. Unless you took our fingerprints, you would have great difficulty telling us apart. Even our parents mistakes one of us for the other sometimes. There was a time as teenagers when we pulled pranks on them. We do get along well sometimes, but that is mostly when Jacintha gets her way. I am mostly happy to have my sister smiling and happy.

We have lived in New Acadia, New World all our lives. People loved my father. He turned no one away who needed help. His many businesses thrived because he treated everyone with respect and kindness and saw to it that they all thrived in their everyday lives.

My great grandfather invested in the diamond mines in Africa. There was a lot of bad things that happened there. I do not know the details, but he came home a rich man. Whether he was a good man or not, I do not know that either. He accumulated great wealth and in the interim, helped a lot of people, organizations, individuals, schools and colleges among his many investments in philanthropy.

Maybe it salved his conscience about the past and he was making up for wrongs. The point is that he did a great deal of good and passed it on. He paid it forward. My grandfather, then my father inherited the legacy, the tradition shall live on. I will honor my father's wishes.

My sister called and invited me to dinner at our favorite restaurant. She was sorry and wanted to talk. She knew that I was going to Windsorfeld to meet with the solicitors on the weekend. We had dinner, wine and a pleasant conversation. I went to the bathroom, returned and we finished our wine and dinner. I started to feel woozy, figured I had had too much wine, so she decided to drive me home. The next morning I got arrested.

THE PLOT THICKENS

The loud banging on the door woke me up. I sat up rubbing my eyes. My head was throbbing. I swung my feet off the bed and fell hard to the floor. I looked around, the bed was on a raised platform. My sister's bed?. Why was I in Jacintha's penthouse. I knew it well. I came to many alcohol induced parties and soirees here, just to please her when I wanted something. She can be quite persuasive, this was not my crowd, but she is my sister after all.

The pounding on the door continued. I threw a robe over my nightdress and yelled. "I'm coming, hold on."

"Who is it." I yelled. I peeked through the peephole and saw two policemen. "It's the police ma'am, please open the door." What now, I wondered. I opened the door to ask what they were about.

"Jacintha Goldman, you are under arrest for the suspected murder of Josephinia Goldman, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, you have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."

"What, I am not Jacintha, I am Josephinia, what are you talking about." But it was of no use. The female officer accompanied me inside to put some clothes on, I was then handcuffed and escorted out of the penthouse.

THE RELEASE

That was ten years ago.

The police had received an anonymous tip and went to the family home. I was supposed to be away for the weekend and gave the staff the time off. But I met my sister for dinner first. Our house was really a huge mansion on a beautiful expanse of land with a lovely coastal view of the Axonia Ocean. It was a really breathtaking view, secluded and private and all ours. We had such great memories here, even amid the sisterly rivalry. Father had yachts and boats and seaplanes. We had every luxury growing up, and many people to share it with. Family and friends, and his employees were always over for events. We were happy.

Then dad got ill, mom left to travel. She could not deal with the illness. I stayed with him. Jacintha came by often. They argued a lot. We were both there when he passed away.

THE PLOT

Jacintha had apparently drugged me.

There was blood all over the carpet at the mansion, there were signs of a great struggle, they found one of her earrings and her wallet under the couch, she left just enough evidence in it to incriminate herself. She took me to her house. Dressed me in her clothes, fixed everything around the penthouse to make it appear that I was her. Now I am presumed dead and she will be to blame.

But I am her and she is me. She will now inherit everything and I will rot in Jail. She is smart, she can operate a business through as many shell companies as she wishes to. No one will know that she is alive unless she wants them to know. She is a really good lawyer and a scheming, conniving witch.

So there I was in jail for ten years being her, while she is living her dream as me, somehow operating the business in stealth, in the shadows and I am sure living a great life.

After ten years and no body, they decided to let me out on good behavior, and for exemplary service teaching art and assisting with inmate studies in the prison library. It helped to pass the time and kept my brain occupied. Revenge is a great motivator.

THE HITMAN

He worked for my father. He was six feet two inches tall and freakishly handsome. And single. A man of very few words. Silent and I imagine quite deadly. I know he did lot of "negotiating' for my father. Before he died he made sure that Raith was well provided for. I went to him. I always liked him a lot. He was much older than I was, but was quite attractive and greying at the temples, so romantic. He visited me in jail quite a lot. He knew what had happened. He was the one person that we could never fool when we were growing up. He could tell us apart in his own uncanny way.

Raith had tracked her down. She had gone to the solicitors pretending to be me and set a series of plans in motion that made everything seem legitimate and above board. No one suspected a thing. I told you she was smart.

He had watched her, she had changed her appearance. Obviously with the tiniest bit of plastic surgery you could live a life of lie and almost no one would be wiser. With the money that she had she could afford the best of the best. Her old job was gone, she was now totally invested in the company.

She was Taja Goldman, our cousin. Appointed by me to lead the company as my second in command. With one presumed dead and the other in jail, the company was thriving under Taja's leadership. Just under a new initiative. She finally was moving from helping others to helping herself and doing so splendidly.

THE MEET

The blood drained from her face when we walked up to her that night. She was just leaving after working late. The underground parking lot was deserted. We had made sure to be on the blind side of the cameras when we accosted her. She clutched her purse so tightly you could see the veins in her hand. Raith had the gun in his hand, pointing at her. I quietly stepped close to him and gently took it from his hand. He turned to me questioningly, but he let me take it. It was my fight.

Jacintha had no idea that I had been released. I promised the Warden a lot of money and improvement to the library if he kept it quiet for a few days. So far no one knows.

"Josephinia!." Was all she said.

I shot her in the leg. There was a silencer. She gasped and fell to the ground.

"Are you going to kill me?." She was bleeding, but it was not life threatening, pain was written all over her face through the tears. I felt no remorse. She deserved it, and more.

"I'm dead. I cannot kill you. Somewhere in all this is double jeopardy, fraud, perjury and attempted SORORICIDE. Raith already called the cops. He has been tracking you all these years. He found your plastic surgeon, got the information out of him. He will testify."

"Raith, you should leave, this is between me and my sister, you were never here. She is already a liar, no one will believe her even if she is stupid enough to say anything. But she is smart, she won't."

She got ten years in prison. A lawyer in prison. Good luck sister.

Somewhere in the back of my mind there was a nagging thought that Jacintha would be out and free much sooner than anyone thought. She had many friends in high places. Friends who could make anything or anybody, for that matter, disappear. Raith guards me like a second skin. I am so very thankful for him.

HEALING

It was winter. The wide expanse of the FROZEN POND a few miles from the house was ready for ice skating. Raith held my hand tightly as we slid across the ice. Ice skating was the start of my therapy on the road back to normalcy.

I was lucky. My time locked up had been spent helping people, there had been ups and downs, but nothing traumatic enough to keep me bitter forever. I am healing. My friend kept visiting me and kept me sane. I rebranded the company and Raith is helping me keep my father's wishes alive. I paid the warden, refurbished and restocked the library and I have a class every Wednesday with the friends that had helped me retain my sanity.

I found out later that Raith had a lot of influence in my relatively incident free years while being incarcerated. He had sealed a wall of protection around me.

The $500,000 was invested in a rehabilitation program for persons released and willing to participate. It is going well.

RETROSPECTION

In retrospect, I realize that if I had shot my sister dead, I would have gotten away with it. Walked away a free woman. Is that not Double Jeopardy. After all, I was already dead once. Did time for her. What more could they have done to me.

I just knew, standing there that night and looking at her, that I had to be the better person, the bigger person. I would not allow her to take my life, my freedom, my dignity or my self respect. I needed all those things and more in order to live my days to the fullest for the rest of my life.

I am reclaiming my life and finding peace.