Granville, New York
May 30, 1926
Zho wandered the streets of Granville in the host body, searching for Kelly. Suddenly, a long, black vehicle drove up. The car pulled over, and a nattily dressed, diminutive man in his mid-twenties stepped from the car. Unbeknownst to Zho, this little man was the infamous mobster Jack “Legs” Diamond.
Although Diamond considered himself a giant of the Manhattan crime scene, he was really just a second-rate thug. By the mid 1920s, Diamond had either cheated or tried to cheat every major gangster in New York City. As a result, permission was given to kill “Legs.” So, Diamond decided that to avoid gangland execution, he’d move his operation to upstate New York. The old maxim “there is no honor among thieves” was especially true of Diamond; not even criminals could trust him.
“Ryan, my friend! I’ve been looking all over for you,” Diamond said warmly.
“For me?” Costello replied.
“Yeah. You’re an important man in my operation. So, when are you gonna do that work on Mike Kelly?” Diamond said.
Zho felt a rush of excitement. He said “Mike Kelly.” Perhaps this being can help me recover my mission, Zho thought to himself.
“You know the one called Mike Kelly?” Costello asked.
“Yeah,” Diamond said.
“So, you know my mission?” Costello asked.
“Do I know your mission? I’m the one who gave you the contract,” Diamond replied.
“You gave me a contract?” Costello said each word slowly, processing them.
“To do the hit on Kelly,” Diamond continued. “But enough talk out here.”
Diamond opened the backseat car door for Costello. At first, Zho didn’t know what to do, but he accessed a file on the automobile and realized that the man wanted him to climb inside.
“Please tell me my mission,” Costello said.
“Wow, you’re all business! I like that. All right. Your ‘mission’ is to kill Kelly.”
Zho was shocked. Although he understood that he had specific orders to find the one called Mike Kelly, Diamond’s description made no sense.
I am an anthropologist. I’m no killer. Yes, I competed in Skiirmiish simulations, but why would I kill an Earthling? My culture is opposed to killing anything. What is so dangerous about this Mike Kelly that we would abandon our most sacred beliefs? Zho thought to himself.
“Are you sure that I am to kill the one called Mike Kelly?” Costello asked.
“Am I sure? Why, I’d bet my life on it. You said you’d hit Kelly three weeks ago.”
“Three weeks ago?” Costello asked.
“Yeah. So, what kind of weapons you got?” Diamond asked. Costello produced the screwdriver he had found in the boarding room. When Costello made a jabbing motion with the screwdriver, Diamond burst out laughing.
“Boys, you’ve got to see this,” Diamond said, addressing the front seat passengers. “He’s gonna stab Kelly to death with a screwdriver. I told you, this guy is beautiful!”
“But I can’t believe that I’m supposed to kill someone,” Costello said. Although Zho still didn’t understand why he’d been assigned to assassinate an Earthling, he decided to remain quiet until he could sort it all out.
Diamond drove Costello straight to the carnival grounds. Once there, Costello got out of the car.
“Now, remember: your mission is to find Kelly and kill him. Find Kelly and kill him,” Diamond said. With that, Costello entered the carnival with his screwdriver tucked in his jeans.
Once Costello was out of earshot, the driver asked Diamond, “Do you really think we can rely on that freak to do the job on Kelly?”
“There’s no downside. If he fails, we’ve still got the fat guy,” Diamond said.