Was it 7 a.m. already? Only a few hours ago had Jimmy Wallace put his head down to sleep. A new day had begun and Jimmy reluctantly eased his way out of bed and to the bathroom. The cool water soothed his face as he attempted to wipe away the sleepy look from his eyes. After a shower and shave Jimmy put on his best suit and tie – today should be the day that would make or break his career.

He didn’t feel too worried about closing the Burton deal though, it was already in the bag and he knew it. As a matter of fact, everyone seemed to know of the promotion Jimmy was expected to receive for his recent efforts in the company. With this comforting thought in mind, he started his journey towards the kitchen. He hadn’t even gotten to the stairs before he found himself mesmerized, for a moment, by the admirable house and home he had worked for. Pictures hung on the wall of his two children and he couldn’t help feeling proud of the life he had made for his family.

The smell of waffles and maple syrup crept up the stairs and into his nostrils until Jimmy snapped out of his momentary trance. As he wandered into the kitchen, he spied his wife Michelle cooking breakfast and humming a tune. The sun shone through the window and highlighted her already shiny blonde hair. Michelle moved gracefully around the kitchen without missing a beat.

Again, Jimmy stood transfixed in thought, admiring his high school sweetheart. She was a smart, funny, and determined woman that Jimmy had been instantly attracted too since back in his senior year in school. He knew they were meant to be together. Reflecting on this thought was easy to get caught up in, and just as Jimmy snapped out of it he caught her quick smile of approval.
“G’morning big guy, sleep well?” asked Shelly
“How could I not sleep well knowing I’ve got a lovely gall to wake up to every morning?” Jimmy uttered with a grin.
It was a cheesy line but served it’s purpose. The grinning of the two lovebirds ended just as their two sons, Jonathan and William, entered the kitchen.
“Oh look, here come my boys,” said their beaming father.
“Good morning dad,” the boys responded instantaneously, as they had been raised to respect their parents. The Wallace family sat down at the table and ate, briefly discussing the day they had planned; Jimmy would hurry off to work, Shelly would see that the kids get the school bus and then go about her daily routine of cleaning and taking care of the house.
Jonathan and William finished up their breakfast and picked up their backpacks. With a sigh, William moaned “Mom…do I have to go to school today?”
“Yes sweetie, come on, tomorrow is Friday and then you’ll have all weekend to play baseball.”
No sooner had these words been uttered than Jonathan exclaimed, ”OH MOM! Come on, he needs his own friends. I look like a total jerk always bringing him to the field! The guys know he cant play worth squat!”

The parents bounced tired looks off one another’s face and finally Jimmy explained, “Now listen John, your brother looks up to you, he wants to be your friend as well as a brother, so let him tag along, alright?”

“Alright Dad, but if that pipsqueak ruins the game, he’s getting sent to the bench.”
With that, the boys walked outside to the bus stop, leaving the Jimmy and Michelle alone in the kitchen.

“Geeze, our kids…”

“Hah, yeah, they’ll get along fine though. We raised ‘em well.”

“I know we did, you’re right. Anyway, shouldn’t you be getting off to work?”

“Oh wow! Is that the time already!? See me to the door?”
They walked to the front porch where they looked deep into each other’s eyes like lovers do and said their goodbyes. For some reason, though, Jimmy couldn’t help but feel a certain finality in his wife’s voice as he walked outside.

The sun shone bright on the city in the early hours of that Chicago morning. Jimmy made his way across the dewy grass to his bright red mustang that seemed to highlight the success of his career. One quick look in the reflection of the window to make sure his hair remained in place and he opened the door to his car. “Wait. That’s not right…my car is unlocked…” he slowly murmured to himself, “Oh well, I must have been so tired when I got home last night that I forgot to lock it.” After a second of reassurance Jimmy entered his car, not noticing the face of his wife peering through the blinds of a nearby window.
***

Michelle had ran to the nearest window as soon as her husband had stepped out the door. She watched him walk to his car just as the phone began to ring. “It’s nearly show time” Michelle whispered into the phone with a much colder voice than she had previously used, “You’re sure you covered your tracks?” A dark calm voice responded after a moment.
“No problem, my boys took care of it, how much longer?”
“Any minute now, Mr. Handsome is just fixing his hair in the reflection by the looks of it.”
The line went dead and Shelly stood alone in the darkness, when at that moment she saw Jimmy open the door to his car. She watched him stand with a puzzled look on his face and it hit her. Those foolish henchmen had forgot to lock the doors after they had finished last night. Would her husband be suspicious? Would he search the car and find the bomb wired to the ignition?

The moment passed and Jimmy entered the car. He really was a fool. For the last 9 months Shelly had been secretly sneaking around town with the most notorious gangster in the country and Jimmy was none the wiser. As soon as her husband was dead she could leave the city with her new, violent boyfriend and live the exciting life she’d always wanted. Just then, a brilliant flash of light entered the window and Shelly dove for cover. Car parts went everywhere, the ground shook violently and smoke filled the air outside.

Shelly smiled. “Goodbye sweetheart,” she laughed coldly to herself as she stood up to admire the chaotic scene outside the window. “Funny you should say that, doll” came a voice from behind Shelly “That’s exactly what the boss told me to tell you.” Before Shelly could turn around, a man in a black suit emerged from the darkest corner of the room and sent a bullet rocketing towards her head. The bullet connected and the man stood as blood sprayed the wall behind his victim. Michelle Wallace lay sprawled across the floor- lifeless.

The Gunman immediately exited the house and walked through the yard passing the car that had exploded just a minute ago. The Gunman got to the street where a black car sat waiting. He walked up to the back window and it descended. “..Is she dead?” asked the cold voice from Shelly’s earlier phone conversation, calling out from the depths of the back seat. “Yes sir, everything went according to plan” answered the Gunman,” You’ll never have to see that cheating whore again. The cops will be here any minute though, the explosion got kind of messy.” The man in the backseat reflected on this and uttered, “Yes, she knew far too much about my business deals, and so do you.” After a second of silence a gunshot rang out from the backseat and the man leaned out the window to admire his shot. The Gunman lay there at the side of the car, dying in his pool of blood. The gaping, torn bullet wound in his neck spurted blood with every breath the dying man attempted to take.
“Great shot Mr. Capone” said the driver of the car “where to now?”

Al Capone sat in though “Lets get something to eat. Call the restaurant now and tell them we’ve been there for an hour, I’ll need an alibi if the cops start asking questions.” The car sped off, leaving behind the chaotic scene soon to be discovered.