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Mitigating Circumstances

Chapters 1& 2

By Mark GagnonPublished 2 years ago 9 min read
2

Chapter 1

Day 1 – New York City

“It will be a great place if they ever finish it.”

- O. Henry

Mike Gulf arrived at Best-Ride’s shop in North Bergen, New Jersey, at 6:00 a.m. and said good morning to several of his fellow drivers. He proceeded to replenish supplies required for his tour and performed a routine safety check. Mike grabbed a cooler and filled it with ice to load bottles of water and various flavors of soda he planned on selling to the passengers as the trip progressed. By 6:30 a.m. he was headed for the Lincoln Tunnel and downtown Manhattan.

As expected, it took close to an hour before his bus crawled from the tunnel’s mouth, surrounded by yellow cabs, delivery trucks, and commuters. Mike patiently worked his way over to 38th Street, and at precisely 7:55 a.m. pulled to the curb in front of the Jolly Madison Hotel.

In his previous career, Mike worked as an investigator for the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID). He was good at his job—too good. When one investigation got uncomfortably close to a senator’s son and a four-star general, Mike found himself abruptly reassigned to a case five-hundred miles away on a base that was scheduled to be closed. Shortly thereafter Mike was ordered to report to his unit commander who contemptuously informed him he was ineligible for reenlistment. Twelve years of his life went into the dumpster. Disgusted with law enforcement and the military in general, Mike obtained a commercial driver’s license and hired on as a coach operator for Best-Ride Tours.

“Right on time as always!” Mary Parker flashed Mike a welcoming grin. “I’m glad we’re working together again. Not having to break in a new driver is one less thing for me to worry about.” Mary—his tour guide for this trip, a retired, single, 55-year-old schoolteacher—had never left her home state of Ohio until three years ago.

“Nice seeing you too, Mary. What’s this group like?”

“We have fourteen Brits, two Belgians, four Spaniards, ten Germans, ten Italians, and we even have a brother and sister duo from Russia.. It’s quite a mixed bag, but they all speak English so there shouldn’t be any language issues. They seem congenial enough so far, but someone had a sick sense of humor placing the Brits and the Germans on the same bus.”

“You should be happy no one tossed a few French into the mix.” Mike laughed. “We rarely see Russians on these trips. It will be interesting to speak to them. Guess I’ll need to learn a few Russian phrases.”

Mary shook her head and chuckled. “You do know how to work a crowd!”

Mike smiled, “It’s the little things like greeting them in their native language that help increase tips. Make as much as possible during the season so bills get paid during the winter is my motto. Okay, time to meet the geese.”

Mary walked back to the hotel, gathered up the passengers, and led them to the coach where she introduced them to Mike. The passengers all wore lanyard-style nametags complete with a picture of their country’s flag. Mike greeted each passenger with a cheery good morning, Guten morgen, bonjour (hoping they were French-speaking Belgians and not Flemish-speaking), or Buongiorno.”

The last people to board the coach were the two Russians. “I must apologize for not greeting you in Russian, but you are my first guests from your country. I never had the opportunity to learn any Russian phrases.”

Sasha (Mike read it on her nametag) smiled demurely. “Maybe I will teach you some Russian during the trip.”

“No need, we speak American,” interjected her companion, Gregor, as he glared at Mike.

Mike looked into Gregor’s expressionless eyes and knew immediately, based on his military and law enforcement experience, he was dealing with a stone-cold killer.

Mary and Mike stood at the front of the coach and waited for the last of the group to take their seats before Mary launched into her welcome speech.

“For those of you who didn’t make it to the welcome dinner last night, my name is Mary Parker and your driver’s name is Mike Gulf. We will be with you for the next two weeks as we travel through the eastern part of the U.S. and Canada. Tomorrow you will find your name attached to a seat. Each day everyone on the door side of the coach will move forward two rows from the day before. Those behind the driver will move back two rows each day. Rotating seats gives everyone a chance to sit in the front row during our tour. Any questions? Okay, let me turn the mic over to our driver and he can explain coach safety and luggage procedures.”

“Good morning everyone and welcome aboard. I just need to touch on a few safety procedures. Each seat is equipped with seatbelts, but you are not required to use them. Each window is an emergency exit; in addition, there are two escape hatches on the roof. This coach is equipped with a toilet, but we will be stopping every two hours so please limit its use; dump stations are few and far between. Lastly, those of you sitting toward the rear of the coach may feel cooler than those in the front. I will attempt to keep the temperature as comfortable as possible, but they don’t make buses with zone heating and cooling. If you buy an additional piece of luggage, please let me know. I keep a bag count, so no one arrives at the next hotel to learn their luggage has been left behind at the previous hotel. That’s all from me right now. Let me turn this back to Mary.”

Mike pulled the coach away from the hotel and headed for 1st Avenue. The tour was officially underway. The group was enthusiastic as they drove by all the places people wanted to see when visiting New York City. The passengers were enthralled as they passed by the United Nations building, the Guggenheim Museum of Art, the Apollo Theater, and many other points of interest. Mike could see Gregor in his passenger view mirror. While the other passengers were twisting and turning in their seats for a better view, Gregor appeared to be napping.

“Our next stop will be at John Lennon’s memorial Strawberry Fields and the Dakota apartment building where he was shot and killed,” said Mary.

Mike took a left on East 71st Street and was fortunate enough to find a parking spot near the corner of 71st and Central Park (6th Avenue). Gregor, who had been about to fall asleep at the U.N., showed an unusual interest in the Dakota, asking Mary if it was within walking distance of the hotel and whether anyone could just walk in on their own. Mary informed him that the buildings were approximately two miles apart and only authorized visitors could get past the doorman. Mike was surprised by Gregor’s inquiries but thought he was probably a Beatles fan and dismissed the conversation. Mike helped his passengers disembark, and Mary walked them to the memorial and across the street to the Dakota. Mike remained with the bus in case he needed to move it.

Twenty minutes later, they were back on the road until eventually finishing the tour at Battery Park. “Okay, everyone, from here you’re free to explore. You can take a ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You might also visit One World Trade Center. There are plenty of things to see and do as well as some good restaurants. Mike will be back here at 5 o’clock to take anyone who wants a ride back to the hotel. He will leave promptly at 5:15. If you miss the bus, you’re on your own, so watch your time. Your luggage needs to be in the hallway outside your door tomorrow at 7 a.m. for pick up. We leave promptly at 8 a.m. Have fun, everyone!”

Chapter 2

Target #1

George Sanders was the oldest of three children from a working-class Brooklyn family. Both his parents worked full-time to provide a comfortable life for their children, which required George to act as a surrogate parent during the week. His vigilance in caring for his brother and sister, Peter and Beverly, reinforced the bond between them. Even when the three left home to pursue lives of their own, it was common for them to call each other at least once a week or get together for weekend outings.

George graduated with a B.Sc. in Finance and went to work for a Wall Street trading company. He quickly tired of making money for someone else, so five years into his career he formed an investment corporation that grew into a nationwide organization. Peter joined George’s firm and ran the Philadelphia office. George also offered Beverly a position with the firm, but her interest lay in new product development and design, so she declined.

Life was good for the Sanders family until the accident. Beverly was on her way home when distracted by a robocall, she ran into the back of a trash truck. It took several surgeries and months of painful physical therapy before she could return to a somewhat normal life. Because her pain never reached a manageable level her doctor prescribed OxyContin. In a very short time, she became addicted. Her dependency on the drug grew rapidly, eventually becoming all-consuming. Beverly’s lifeless body was found by her brothers two days after she overdosed, empty pill bottles strewn around her bedroom. The brothers called the police, and after an investigation, which provided evidence that her doctor was running a prescription mill, a trial was held. The doctor was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Later that same year, George heard about a vacancy at the Dakota, and he decided to sub-lease his current home and move there. The building’s location was the draw for him. In the evening he enjoyed strolling down Central Park West to the Tavern on the Green for supper and a few drinks. After a satisfying meal, it was just a short walk back to his apartment.

As George was returning home one evening, a man in running shorts and T-shirt approached him. “Excuse me, sir, do you have a flashlight app on your phone? I was jogging through the park and heard my keys fall out over by the bushes. It’s just too dark for me to see anything.”

George had just enjoyed a good meal and a couple of drinks that mellowed his mood.

“Sure, I have a light, show me where you think they fell out.”

“Thank you, sir, that’s very kind of you. I think they fell out by that clump of shrubs. It’s just up the path.”

The two men walked along the path, George taking the lead and shining the light ahead of them. When they reached the shrubs, the stranger pointed in a direction facing away from him.

“Turn the light over that way. I think I see them.”

George did as he was asked and turned his back to the man so he could reposition the light. The stranger reached under his shirt, produced a piano wire garrote, and looped it over George’s head, cinching it around his neck. He placed one knee on his spine, and in a vicious jerking motion, snapped George’s spine while continuing the pressure on his neck. It was over in less than ten seconds. The killer released his grip on the garrote and calmly jogged away. Gregor typed a special code into his burner phone and hit send. The money would arrive in a numbered account tomorrow morning.

Excerpt
2

About the Creator

Mark Gagnon

I have spent most of my life traveling the US and abroad. Now it's time to create what I hope are interesting fictional stories.

I have 2 books on Amazon, Mitigating Circumstances and Short Stories for Open Minds.

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  • Donna Renee12 months ago

    This was a really intriguing start!! I also enjoyed the prologue set up and the whole premise as well. I have a few pharmacist family members and friends so discussion of the opioid crisis comes up often. Your descriptions of the bus tour were absolutely spot on haha. Have you done many of those?

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