Finders Keepers

Had I known, back then, where my discoveries would lead, I don’t know that I would have ever investigated any further. I would have thrown that damn book as far away as possible.

Picture it, one of the most beautiful days of the year, I was on my way to work and enjoying the calm breeze. I grew up in a small town called Astoria, it was a small coastal town that held a lot of retirees and tourism, but it was home. I worked at a local bed and breakfast, The Lazy Lagoon. I had worked at the bed and breakfast for years. I made enough to support myself and often heard many great stories from the people who stayed there.

Little did I know that on this beautiful day, I would discover darkness that would follow me for the majority of my life.

“Hey Judy, I am about to clock in and see who all has checked out. So that I can start on rooms.” I said as I walked in the back door. “Thanks Elizabeth, so far we have had two guests check out, we have another visitor coming for an early check in, do you mind making sure Room 3 is cleaned first?” I nodded, “No problem Judy, see you later.”

I made my way up to room three, room three happened to be my favorite room, it was at the tip top of the stairs and was the only room on the floor, and it had its own bathroom where they guests downstairs had to share a restroom. It had a round port hole of a window that faced the ocean. It had the simplest and beautiful decorations, modern yet so simplistic and clean. I decided to open the window since the breeze was so nice and fresh. I stripped the bed of the dirty linen and replaced it with fresh. I swept the hardwood floors ensuring that I swept under the bed, wiped down all the hard surfaces and ensured that the mirror was clean. I looked around the room ensuring I hadn’t missed anything. I took a deep breath, the sea air filling my nostrils and lungs, I looked out the window one last time before closing it and going to clean the bathroom of the floor.

“Elizabeth.” I heard Judy calling my name, I looked at the time it was roughly 11:35 a.m. “Coming Judy,” I called as I walked through the foyer to the front desk. “There you are, is room three ready for a noon check in?” Judy said as she reviewed her scheduling books. “Yes Judy, I have cleaned and sanitized both the room and the restroom.” I replied smiling, “I as actually finishing up that other room and checking in with Mr. Davies to see if he wanted me to tidy up for him.”

“Oh, you think by now I would remember how good at your job you are Elizabeth, what did Mr. Davies say?” “Mr. Davies doesn’t wish to have his room cleaned today, he will be here for a few more days, I am sure he will want it cleaned tomorrow.” I replied resisting the urge to ring the check in bell. “Okay great, Elizabeth do you mind working the night shift this evening? I hate to ask you to pull a double, but my husband is sick and I just can’t leave him on his own.” Judy asked looking at me pleadingly.

Judy’s husband had cancer, sometimes his flare ups, especially after chemo treatments were pretty harsh. “I don’t mind working the evening Judy, take care of your husband, the old Lagoon will be just fine for the evening.” I replied patting her hand. “I am so grateful for you, other people haven’t always been so nice to me, and the Lagoon is the only way I can pay for my husband’s cancer treatments. You are a good friend Elizabeth, we sure appreciate it.”

About that time, we were interrupted by the tinkle of the front door bell. “Our noon guest must be here, why don’t you stick around while I check him in and then you can show him up to his room.” I nodded, “No problem.”

My breath caught in my throat as a tall, handsome gentleman turned the corner from the foyer, “Hello ladies, my name is Damon. I am here to check in.” His voice deep and soothing, he looked so mysterious, dangerous almost. He had dark hair and dark eyes, his smile had a hint of sinister intentions behind it. His raw powerful dominating energy radiated throughout the room. “ Well hello Sir, my name is Judy and I will be checking you in today, this is Elizabeth and she will be showing you to your room. I hope your travels brought you safely?” Judy chimed in cheerily.

He nodded at me and flashed a small smile, “Indeed Ms. Judy my travels were fair and I am happy I found a quaint Bed and Breakfast like The Lazy Lagoon, to rest at.” Judy blushed ever so slightly, “ We appreciate that you chose the Lagoon, and hope that your stay is a great one.” A small silence settled over the check in desk and Judy finished the paperwork, “Alright Mr. Williams, please sign here and here, and I will relinquish your key.” He smiled taking the pen and signed his name, “There now I have signed away my life, may I have the key?” Judy blushed again, “Indeed sir, please enjoy your stay, Elizabeth will show you to your room.”

“ Well Ms. Elizabeth, please lead the way.” He smiled again and allowed me to lead, “Mr. Williams, would you like me to assist you with your bags? I asked a bit breathlessly, “Please call me Damon, and no thank you I can handle my luggage.” He said nodding at me. I nodded back, “ Please Mr. Will- I mean Damon, follow me, you will be in room 3 at the top of the stairs and you will have your own private restroom.” I motioned upstairs as we began to walk.

We walked upstairs in silence, although I felt his presence behind me. “Well here we are Damon, room 3, allow me to open that for you.” I said as I opened the door with the master keys, “Thank you Elizabeth I appreciate your assistance today.” He smiled devilishly as he walked inside. “No problem, if there is anything that you might need please do not hesitate to call the front desk.” I nodded as I shut the door.

I walked back downstairs to the front desk where Judy was talking on the phone. I sat behind the desk and looked at our scheduling calendar, tonight would be a slow night we didn’t have a full booking, “Good we won’t be super busy.” I thought. Judy got off the phone, “ That was Frank, he said to send his love and thanks for covering for me this evening.” She said as she straightened up the desk after hanging up the phone. “Send him my love back and its really no problem. I don’t mind the night shift and from looking at the schedule we won’t be overly busy.”

Judy smiled at me sweetly, “Why don’t you go home for a bit rest up and then be back for night shift?” I thought about her offer, “Judy are you sure you don’t need me to hang around for lunch?” I asked. “You are fine, I have it handled and you will be here for dinner so no problems, go get some rest before you pull the night shift.” I didn’t ask twice, I wanted to walk on the beach on this beautiful day. I walked out the back door and down the path to the beach, slipping my shoes off as soon as I hit the warm sand. It was heaven. I wasn’t going to stay long I did want to grab a bit and catch a nap before work this evening.

The wind was cool and refreshing and the sun was warning my skin. It was the perfect weather. I stayed on the beach for about 30 minutes and decided to go grab some food. I thought about the café by the B&B, I loved that place. I headed back up to path by the B&B, and I don’t know what made me look up but I did, there in the window was Damon staring back at me.

Despite the day being warm and sunny, I all of a sudden felt very cold as if his stare and pierced me with ice. It freaked me out, I rubbed the goosebumps away with my hands and took a deep breath. I looked away and kept walking. Weird.

At 5:45 p.m. I was back at the B&B and assisting with the evening dinner. Judy had gone home for the day. Damon was seated at the table as I served him some of Judy’s famous clam chowder. “This is delicious, compliments to the chef he said raising a spoon at me.” I blushed, “I can’t take credit for this, it is Ms. Judy’s recipe, I just help her cook it.” He nodded, “Humble, I appreciate that.” He paused, “Miss Elizabeth, do you mind putting fresh towels and two more pillows in my room? I will be going out for a short while this evening and I would like some fresh towels for when I come back, and I forgot to ask Ms. Judy for more pillows.”

I nodded, “That is not a problem Damon. As soon as dinner is over and cleared I will make sure you have what you need.” “Perfect thank you, I will be leaving in about 30 minutes, I have business to attend to.” He said look me dead in the face. I blushed harder and continued with my tasks.

7:00 p.m. the grandfather clock chimed, I had just finished washing dishes and cleaning up from dinner, and I prepped for breakfast the next morning. I knew I had to go get those towels and pillows, he should be out by now. I went to the linen closet and grabbed two more pillows and two more towels, and a wash cloth and a hand towel. Shutting the closet I turned the corner quickly and almost ran into Damon. I gasped, “Damon I am so sorry, please forgive me I was not paying attention.” He smiled mischievously, “Not a problem Elizabeth, just try to be careful. The next man may not take to kindly to your advances.” He walked away from me and out the door without so much as a backward glance, leaving me a mess of confusion and unsureness. Was I advancing on him, was I flirting?

I walked upstairs to the bathroom and removed the used towels and hung fresh ones up still pondering my actions and why he would say that. I walked into the bedroom to put his pillows on the bed. His room was just as clean as this morning. He had hung up his clothes, and a briefcase sat on the writing desk. My eyes skimmed over the room, on the vanity there was a comb and his cologne. An expensive cologne, that’s why he smelled so dreamy. I stopped myself from gawking at his things and moved to the bed. I began to fluff the pillows that were already on the bed and got ready to put the new ones behind them.

When I picked up the left pillow I noticed something tucked between the bed and the headboard. That wasn’t there this morning when I changed sheets. A black book, roughly the size of a Bible, but it didn’t say Bible on it. My body was burning with curiosity; why would a mystery man have a mysterious black book? Curiosity getting the better of me I opened it, I can never un-see what was saw. Sickening images, death filled each page. A book, a diary of mementos of those who were killed. Details littered the pages, how they were killed, why they were killed, how much it paid. This man was a hired killer, an assassin, and he kept trophies of every kill. Trophies for proof of a job well done.

I was starting to feel sick. I snapped the book closed and shoved it carelessly back where I found it. I put the pillows on the bed and turned to walk out of the room. Right as I turned I stubbed my toe on something under the bed. My stomach fell, there was nothing under the bed this morning. I got down on my hands and knees and found a large case. I slid it out from under the bed, and impulsively opened it, on one side money was neatly stacked on the other a multitude of weapons were stored. Knives, handguns with silencers. I was sick, I couldn’t breathe, I had to get out of this man’s room.

I closed the lid of the case carefully and began to slide it back under the bed, I got it back under the bed and stood quickly. I turned to go out the door and there he stood silhouetted against the door frame. “Well Elizabeth, aren’t we a curious one?” he smiled as he walked over the threshold and shut the door behind him. I immediately looked at the floor afraid. “Do not show me your submission now, your curiosity gets the better of you, I wonder do you do this to other visitors?” He walked towards me. “I- I, no I don’t.” I managed to force out though my voice didn’t want to work.

“Then tell me, why my things, why are you so curious about me.” He used his thumb and forefinger to tilt my chin up towards him. “Why are you so curious?” I didn’t have an answer; his energy was making things impossible. My brain was stalled out like a new driver learning how to drive a stick. “I am sorry; I never saw anything.” I said breathlessly. His lips turned into a slight frown, “I know what you saw Elizabeth. You do not have to hide it from me. But now, now, you are in this with me.”

I looked at him hard, “In this with you? I am not a murderer!” I recoiled at his touch. He laughed, “Sit.” He pushed me towards the bed and pushed my shoulders down so that I was sitting on the bed. “I am an assassin you are correct; I take care of things. Lift your feet.” He said moving my feet as he reached for his case. I lifted my feet, “Are you going to kill me now?” I said feeling braver than I felt.

He looked up at me with those dark eyes, “No my dear, you are not my target. But because of what you have seen and what you read, you are now mine.” He paused opening the case, “You are now my fiancé, I have watched you carefully all day, you have no family here besides Judy and her husband Frank and even they are not blood. You have worked at this same B&B for years, you know it in and out. You are quite boring Elizabeth.” He sighed again, “Boring, but curious and you have guts, many women do not look me in the eye and yet you did from the beginning. Not even your friend Judy could look me in the face.” He was rummaging in the case.

“You are observant, and I am going to take you as mine, the price you will pay for snooping.” I was repulsed, his fiancé, to then his wife, the wife of an assassin. “ I believe I would rather die than be the wife of an assassin.” I spat.

He laughed again, and quickly pulled a knife out of the case and was on me in an instant, knife at my throat. “You are stubborn as well I see, but no, you are now mine, I will take care of you, and you me, my business is a lucrative one, you will want for nothing, this job alone paid $20,000. I see your attraction to me and even now as I threaten your very existence you want me; your energy betrays you.” he remained on top of me knife to my throat awaiting my answer.

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish gasping for air. He was right, I wanted him, the force pulling me to him was so strong that I couldn’t resist it knife at my throat or not. Could I live with an assassin? He took the knife away and stood, “Now Mrs. Williams, please join me at my side.” My heart raced, he called me by his last name.

I laid there paralyzed for a moment, thinking about all the times I grew up and had nothing, how even though I loved this B&B that I wanted so much more, more adventure more everything. I sat up slowly feeling dizzy and then stood and took the hand that he offered. “Good girl. Now tell me what is your name and who is your husband?” he said running his fingers through my hair. “Elizabeth Agnes Williams, and you Damon Williams are my husband.” I said slowly.

He smiled, he faces alight with pleasure. “Good, now listen carefully to what I wish you to do, you will take this $20,000 and buy a home here, this will be our home, you will continue to work at the B&B until Judy and Frank can no longer handle it. We will buy the B&B and help Judy and Frank out in any way we can. This B&B will provide a cover for myself and you. I will continue what I do and you will take care of me like a good wife. Do you understand?”

I nodded blankly trying to soak in all the information. “As for the black book, you will never look inside it again, and if you do I will kill you and put you there myself” He said touching my neck. “Do you understand Mrs. Williams?”

I nodded again, “Good, run along, your darling husband has work to finish.” He said patting me on the ass as he moved around me. I walked out of the doorway with a purse full of money in my hand, and took one last look at the man who was to be my husband. He was reaching for his black book. I quietly closed the door and went downstairs and sat behind the desk.

50 years later…….

“Mama Elizabeth, how did you meet Papa Damon?” Agnes asked earnestly. I chuckled from my rocking chair, “Well Agnes, I met Papa Damon in the Bed and Breakfast and we just fell in love at first sight.” “What was Papa Damon’s job back then Mama Elizabeth, was he a train conductor or a business man or a pilot? “she asked more excitedly. I smiled at her, “Well Papa Damon had a special job, and Papa Damon was very good at it, he always made sure that he was careful when he travelled and that he came back to Mama Elizabeth and took care of our family.” I answered carefully. “He took care of lots of people. He made sure that they were put in the places that they needed to be.”

“So Papa Damon was like a doctor!?” her eyes wide with excitement because she wanted to be a doctor. I smiled nodding, “Yes, he was a doctor of sorts.” “Yayyy, I am going to go tell Mama, I want to be a doctor just like Papa Damon.” She sang out as she ran out of the room to her Mama.

I continued to rock in my chair, remembering the first time in our B&B when I found out that he was indeed a doctor, a doctor of death, a harbinger of fate. I looked at our wedding picture, remembering him fondly, I grew to love the man who killed for profit, he made our life comfortable, he made me happy. He passed away three years ago, or that what our family believes, I know the truth though, he was one of the most dangerous assassins in the world, they weren’t going to let him pass naturally. I miss him, although I believe that I will be joining him soon, I know that because of what he did, there will be someone waiting in the shadows to kill me to and add me to their black book.

He spent his entire life filling that black book. Providing and protecting us. Our son now carries on his legacy and his black book.

My harbinger of death, my fallen angel.

We loved each other and will always love each other.

In loving memory of Elizabeth and Damon Williams.