The Target

Chapter 73

Min had never heard of Halloween.

She had never worn a costume.

She still didn’t understand what Halloween was, though Chung-Cha had tried to explain it to her. But she now had on a costume and she had been given Halloween candy. They were at a small café on the main street of the downtown area that had been turned into a kids’ party room before the parade was to start.

Chung-Cha had taken Min, who was dressed as a frog, her face hidden behind the costume, only her eyes and mouth visible. Chung-Cha was in the costume of a pirate. The café was filled with children in a wide variety of outfits. At first Min had been terrified to have the frog costume on. But once Chung-Cha had shown her it was only plastic and cloth and couldn’t hurt her, she allowed Chung-Cha to dress her up.

At the front of the café, giving out candy, were the Cassions. When Chung-Cha saw this she panicked slightly. She had seen security people roaming outside, but she never thought that meant the first family would be handing out candy.

She said to Min, “Go get your candy, I will be back.” Then she hurried to the far corner of the café, quickly becoming lost among all the other costumed folks.

Min looked around frantically for her. With the frog costume covering her ears, she had barely heard what Chung-Cha had said, and then when she saw that she was gone, she started to panic. However, she was being herded with the rest of the kids to receive her candy from the Cassions.

As she got to the front of the line, Min was badly scared. She could not see Chung-Cha anywhere, and kids and their parents were crowding in on her from all sides.

When she looked up she was standing directly in front of Tommy Cassion, who was, as he had said, dressed as Wolverine. She looked at him and he looked at her.

“Nice frog,” said Tommy as he held out a handful of candy.

Out of Min’s panicked mind came one thought. She said, “My name is Min. I am ten. Will you help me?”

Tommy looked at her strangely as he dumped the candy into her pumpkin bucket.

Then Min said something else, but it wasn’t in English. She had reverted to Korean.

“Are you okay?” asked Tommy.

“My name is Min. I am ten. Will you help me?”

Tommy started to say something, but a hand reached out and pulled Min away so that other kids could get their candy.

Min looked around the room and breathed a sigh of relief when Chung-Cha rushed over to her. Before she could say anything, Chung-Cha knelt down and hugged her.

“It’s okay, Min. I’m right here. It’s okay.”

Chung-Cha led her outside and then down the street away from the crowds. They reached an alleyway where there was a little brick stoop. Chung-Cha perched next to Min on the bottom step. She had made certain that none of her team had seen them. They also didn’t know that Min was dressed as a frog. Chung-Cha would carry out her mission, but Min would be safe. Min was not going to die. Not by Chung-Cha’s hand.

“Min, you have to listen to me very carefully, okay?”

Min nodded, the frog head bobbing up and down.

“I have to go away for a little bit.”

Min started to jump up, but Chung-Cha held her back.

“Just for a little bit.”

From the alleyway she looked across the street where the town police station was located.

“Do you see that place over there?” She pointed.

Min looked past her and nodded.

“I want you to take my watch.” She slipped it off her wrist and handed it to Min. “Now, when this little line gets here, I want you to go over to that place and tell them what I told you to say. You remember it? In English? Can you say it for me?”

“I am Min. I am ten. Will you help me?”

“That is perfect, Min. Perfect. Now, remember, when this line reaches this point, that is when you will go.”

Chung-Cha was indicating an hour from now.

“But where will you be, Chung-Cha?”

“I have a few things to do. But I know those people over there will take care of you until I get back. They are good people, Min. They will help you.”

“But you are coming back, aren’t you?” said Min fearfully.

“I will be back,” said Chung-Cha, forcing herself to smile. And then she thought to herself, Please forgive me for that lie, Min. And please don’t forget me. I only want your life to be a good one.

Min reached out and wrapped her arms around her. Chung-Cha returned her hug, fighting back the tears.

“I love you, Chung-Cha.”

“And I love you, Min.”

Fifteen minutes later Chung-Cha joined her team near the target location. They were all dressed in costumes.

Jing-Sang came up to her. “Ready, Comrade?”

“Of course.”

“And Min?”

“She is back at the cottage. She drank her milk…and went to sleep.”

Jing-Sang smiled. “Then let us do this great deed. To the glory, Chung-Cha.”

“To the glory,” repeated Chung-Cha.

Out on the main street the elements of the parade were assembling. There were motorized vehicles with floats built on them, a high school band, dozens of costumed zombies, and a plethora of other colorfully clad Halloweeners.

There was also a long Chinese dragon that had emerged from an alley. Underneath its cover one could just make out a number of sneakered feet marching along.

“We ready to move to the town hall, Sam?” Eleanor Cassion was looking at her protection detail leader.

He spoke into his walkie-talkie and then gave her a thumbs-up. “We’re ready to roll, ma’am. Side entrance over there. Two-minute walk to the left and up the front steps.”

He and another of his men stood on either side of the Cassions as they filed toward the door.

Sam gave Robie and Reel a high sign. They nodded and fell into step behind the Cassions.

Claire was dressed in a poofed-out long blonde wig with a headband and skinny jeans. She turned and looked at Robie, who wasn’t in costume. “Can you guess who I am?”

He shook his head while Reel, who had also decided against dressing up as Maleficent, looked on, a curious expression on her face.

“Stevie Nicks. She was a singer with some band way back.”

“Uh, that some band would be Fleetwood Mac,” said Reel.

“Yeah, them. They were apparently really popular at some point.”

“I thought you were going as some TV character from way back in the early 2000s,” said Robie.

“I was, but I couldn’t think of any. My mom told me about this Stevie person and she had a blonde wig.”

“Yay for Mom,” said Reel.

The local police and the Secret Service detail surrounded the Cassions as they walked down the street toward the town hall. The sun was setting and the sky looked nearly molten. The wind was picking up and there was the threat of rain later that evening, something the parade organizers were desperately hoping would not happen.