THE ALGORITHM

1.

Decon Lawson used his size fourteen foot to kick over the body lying on the ground. He watched the corpse roll into the Hudson River with a loud splash. He leaned over, took in the sight of the water and its swaying movements. Just that quickly, the body managed to submerge. The only thing Decon could see was his reflection in the shimmering river.

Nonchalantly, he pulled his phone out and brought it to his ear. The phone rang for a few minutes until someone picked up. The sound of silence was a cue to speak. He parted his lips and said, "It's done."

The moonlight illuminated the area, allowing him to glance around. The region was mysterious yet plainly visible. A few empty boats were secured beside the heavy-duty docks. He sniffed the air, allowing the saltiness of the river to invade his nostrils.

"Yo. There's something you need to see."

Decon looked over and realized Shawn was standing before him. He wore an uneasy expression as he waited patiently for Decon to end the call and follow him.

"We'll speak later." Decon rasped before shooting Shawn a suspicious glance. He ended the call and immediately followed behind him. "Whatever it is, it better be important."

"Oh, trust me, it's important."

They neared a black Jaguar XF, and Shawn wasted no time lifting the trunk's lid. Decon's eyes widened in bewilderment after examining the scene before him.

"What in the world..." He trailed off.

The scene startled Decon. He wasn't expecting to see a young lady bound and tied in the back of the trunk. Her skin was flushed from crying and being held in a tight and hot area for longer than an hour. Her eyes were covered, but she knew someone was near. 

###

It was almost time to clock out. Penny had been at work since evening, and now midnight was approaching. She was more than ready to leave and get home. There were a few tasks she wanted to work on at home. Being on her feet all day was exhausting. She would rather be curled up in her bed with a book than stare at a stove for hours.

The crackling sounds of onions frying in the pan interrupted her train of thought. She scrambled the veggies around to prevent them from burning. The smell was strong and savory, with a hint of garlic and shallots.

"Yo, P."

Penny's thoughts were interrupted by a light and airy voice. She looked over and focused on the young woman standing by the door with a plate in her hand. She wore a weary look, as she was exhausted.

"I'm in the middle of frying onions, Katrina. What's up?"

"I see that, mamita," Katrina replied with some effort. "But there is an angry customer out there. Some old lady. She claims you're trying to kill her. She wants to speak with the chef."

Immediately, Penny stopped and looked over at her again. Her face didn't look friendly. In fact, she didn't seem eager about having to speak with a customer. It was near closing time, and someone had the audacity to ask to speak with her.

"What?"

"I don't know." Katrina shrugged. "You need to get out there and..." Instead of finishing her sentence, she sighed and said, "Table ten."

"Can you at least finish these onions? It's for order twenty-four." Penny asked while moving away from the stove.

"I got you," Katrina responded with ease. She grabbed the receipt to check the order Penny was grilling the onions for. "A veggie burger with extra onions."