Collateral

“Well, done, the car crashed just like you predicted.”

Rose and Mr. Smith stand in the office. Mr Smith hand Rose a credstick. “Here is your part of the money.”

Rose looks at the display on the device. “5000 Bucks? That is a lot for a week of work.”

“You earned it.” Mr Smith says with a smile.

Rose averts her eyes. “I guess I did earn it.”

At that moment, Mrs Smith walks in, carrying Ellie in her cradle car seat. “Hello, Rose. Ellie has been a little angel today.”

Rose smiles at the sight of her daughter. “She always is.”

Mrs Smith puts Ellie’s seat down on the ground. Ellie reaches out her arms. Rose picks up the car seat. She then looks at Mr Smith. “I have to go.”

“Ok, Rose. See you tomorrow.”

Rose walks out of the door. The sky outside is clear blue. She looks over the valley with the racetrack. Little plants are sprouting between the rocks, and in the distance, she can see mountains with snow-capped peaks. Rose feels the sun on her skin. It feels warm. In the distance, a train passes by. She walks to her car, slowly breathing, and enjoying the momentary tranquillity.

“Isn’t nature beautiful, Ellie? Way better than the city, right?”

She puts Ellie into the passenger seat and walks around to enter the driver seat. The moment she tries to enter her car, she sees a woman with messy black hair approaching her. Her makeup is slightly smudged.

Rose turns around. “Good afternoon. Can I help you? If you are here for a race, all races of today are over. You will have to come back tomorrow.”

The woman searches a bit in her handbag and pulls out a gun. She aims it at Rose. “Don’t move.”

Rose raises her hands. “I don’t want any trouble.”

The woman’s hands shake in anger, almost to the point of crying. “I want to know who killed my husband.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“He died in a crash today. And you are going to tell me who is responsible.”

The woman kicks the car in frustration.

“Tell me who killed him!”

Ellie wakes up from the noise and starts crying.

The woman gestures with her gun to the car. “Who is that?”

“That’s my daughter.”

The woman looks at her, bewildered. “You have a baby?”

“Yes,”

“How old is she?”

“She is two months old. Her father died. I am all she has left.”

The woman lowers her gun. She looks like she could burst out in tears at any moment. “Oh, my God. I am so sorry. I just don’t know what to do. He was the love of my life. I just don’t know what to do without him. He was there for me always. I should have told him not to take this job. It was too dangerous. He wanted to quit. But I convinced him to stay. We needed the money.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It’s not mine, either. I understand how you feel. Ellie’s father died in a car crash a couple of days ago. Just like your husband.”

“I am so sorry.”

“And I am sorry too. I wish I could have prevented it. Just, give me the gun, and everything will be fine.”

The woman shakes her head. “No, I can’t do that.”

Rose takes a step closer to the woman. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

Rose reaches for the gun, and the woman lets her take it, without resistance. The woman leans against the car and starts crying. She covers her face with her hands.

Rose holds the gun in her hands. “You want to know what happened? You’re right. I can’t blame you for being curious. It was your husband. You have the right to know.”

“Yes, I want to know.” the woman says, between her cries.

“Okay. I’ll tell you. But I need you to promise that you won’t go to the police or tell anyone else about what we just talked about.”

The woman looks at her, she wipes away her tears. “I promise.”

“Good,” Rose says. “I rigged your husband’s car so he would crash right before the finish line.”

The woman looks at Rose in confusion. “Why would you do that? He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Why did you want him dead?”

“Cause my boss betted quite a bit of money he would die in a crash.”

“So you killed my husband, the love of my life, for money?”

“That’s right.”

“You are evil.” the woman spits out.

“No, I am not. I want to give my daughter a better life. I am a survivor. Is that so wrong?”

“You won’t get away with this!” the woman yells.

“Yes, I will,” Rose says. With those words, she raises her gun and pulls the trigger. The bullet hits the woman in the forehead. She falls to the ground.

Rose shakes her head and walks to the passenger side of her car. She picks up her crying daughter and rocks her in her arms. Ellie cries for a while. Rose doesn’t mind. In fact, she likes it. It makes her feel like she has a purpose. After a while, Ellie stops crying, and Rose puts her back in the car seat. She sees that Mr Smith has come running towards her. “I heard the gunshot. What is going on?”

“I just killed someone.”

November 2066