I open the manila folder and see my target, Jack Palmer.  He’s a structural engineering professor at the University of Texas in El Paso.  He is middle-aged with graying hair, clean cut and has kind blue eyes.  He has two daughters, twins, Ginger and Gina Palmer.  And recently deceased wife, Isabella Palmer.  The folder is packed full of all sorts of information about all four of them.  I quickly skim through the file, picking up bits and pieces of information.  Both Ginger and Gina are juniors and have straight A’s in school and are in the National Honor Society at El Paso High School.  The wife used to work at El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at 2401 E. Missouri Avenue, El Paso, Texas, 79903.  She spoke 3 languages fluently, English, Turkish, and her first language, Spanish.  Her parents packed up everything and left Mexico when she was 5.  They lived at 5729 David M. Brown Court, El Paso, Texas.  It’s a two-story, desert brown, beautiful house with an attached garage.  Their last-known purchase as Palmers was at L&J Café.  Then witness protection program moved them to Lakeland, Florida, at 607 Finney Street.  Their new names are Penny, Maria and Ted Allison.  I look up at Don, Don Degado, the Mexican Cartel’s biggest leader in the States.  He’s a short man with a chiseled face; clean-shaven and thick black hair.  To his left is Lefty Castillo, average height, muscular, mostly bald man with a black-stubbled beard.  Lefty is by no means a smart man, just a big dummy that Don uses as a pawn.  To Don’s right, Tiny Vasquez, an enormously-built man, with a 5-o’clock shadow and a black Mohawk, never saying much, he was the muscles.  “What do you want me to do to him?” I said in a monotone voice.  Don replies, “We need this bastard shanked cuz he didn’t follow through with his side of the deal, see”. “Now Donnie you know I’m gonna need a little more information than that if you want me to take care of him for you”. “He sposta make us some of those plans printed on the blue paper to keep the feds from finding our powder cash, we done took out his wifey and everything, but he had just gone to the coppers and snitched on us so Don told Tiny to slice ‘er  and dispose of ‘er and now they be all up on us so we need ya to tie up them looser ends for us… and they call me stupid” Lefty said. Then Don said “Lefty come here”, motioning Lefty to bend down, then Don smacked him upside the head hard and said, “You weren’t sposed to tell her that, you big dummy”, while Tiny snickers in the back. I interrupt their bickering and say “back to the subject boys, it’s gonna cost you a pretty penny for me make this guy disappear”.  Lefty then said “ I got this boss” as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a brand new shiny penny and hands it to me saying, “ this is my favorite lucky penny, so u bedder hold up ur end of the bargon “. I laugh for the first time in a long time and say, “can I keep him”, as Tiny punches Lefty for his stupidity. Don replies “don’t worry little missy, there will be a million in ya bank ‘count in the Caymans as soon as we get confirmation”. I nod my head and turn to leave but not before saying “come along Lefty, you’re my new helper”. Lefty goes to protest but I turn around and say “Don’t worry I will treat you and most importantly pay you better than these knuckle heads ever could”, so he follows behind me like a puppy with his big old puppy dog eyes. Don then says “hey what ya think ya, think you’re doing” . I then reply “I’m leaving to find a job that’s worth doing. Ya know you’re lucky I don’t kill you, trying to kill some innocent man who has never done anything to you, I only kill people that deserve to die, like you now that I think about it” so I pull out my throwing knives and send them flying through the air 20 feet, puncturing both their hearts and dropping them dead in their tracks. I saunter over to their dead bodies as the blood pools  and pull them out, putting them back in their hidden holsters and walk back over to Lefty saying “Come along we have work to be done”. He looks down at me adoringly and follows behind me, my new little shadow.