3.

In mid-May of 1999 Michael Reilly Junior visits a boxing center formerly owned by his father. Michael Senior has been dead for almost eleven years by this time and ownership of this center belongs to the estate of Michael Senior, Junior does not quite know what exactly that means but how and ever.

Who benefits or profits from the estate of Michael Reilly Senior? It certainly is not Junior. Sure, all of what had been left to Junior was the running of a corner public house and ninety percent of whatever profits it takes in as well as the living arrangements situated right atop of these premises.

As with the boxing club, as well as a number of other things, the corner public house itself belongs to the estate of dear old dad. Ten percent of the public house profits go to the boxing center and Junior would like to know why.

Answers to Michael's questions are not forthcoming. The firm who looked after his father's will in 1988 and still do in 1999 say they are not at liberty to offer any answers or explanations and that would be if they do have the answers at all.

Michael has met with an older gentleman by the name of Sean who only introduced himself as Sean and offered nothing more in the way as to what his surname is. This Sean fellow runs the boxing center and is also a chief trainer and he, so he says he has no idea who owns the place if any one person does presently own it. He is aware that it belongs to the estate of Michael Reilly Senior and nothing more.

There has been a presence with Michael going as far back at least to when he was six years old and from a time when his mother died. The presence itself definitely does not belong to his mother and with the fact that it is something supernatural or paranormal, Michael does not think of it as such especially with the fact that it first came to him at such a young age. It is just something that is in his life and he accepts it as such.

This presence, a shadow, is a friend, a companion, a mentor of sorts, it is so much to him and no matter how he gets along with this shadow he does not dare to disobey it when it tells him to do something. It mostly asks him to do thing he rather not, sometimes those things get him in a spot of bother, sometimes they work to his benefit.

Naturally a good person, Michael often feels conflicted with the commands given to him though he has come to a point in his life where he would like to say no but has yet to do so. This is the first time he has been confronted with a task which can be thought of as being ... truly evil.

So, the confliction which comes in the moment of his first visit to this boxing club is one which will take some time to deal with. There is a fourteen-year-old boy sparing with an older boy and it is clear and obvious that this young fellow has a natural talent. Inquiring as to whom this boy is Michael gets to meet the young Paul Malone and the shadow has an instruction to give. The shadow wants the boy dead, and it wants Michael to do the deed. It doesn't have to occur immediately, still time will tick away until it is done.

Having briefly talked to Paul, Sean offers Michael the tour of the club. Before having been instructed to take out the boy, the reason why Michael had come to the club indeed was to get some answers. With Sean stating that he has no answers to offer, the tour then seems at least to be a little bit of something rather than a whole lot of nothing.

Together Michael and Sean go through the training equipment, with brief demonstrations of how some are best used, there is a trip into the locker rooms and the wash areas as well as the couple office areas there are. It is obvious that this Sean fellow held and still holds Michael Senior in a high regard, to a point perhaps that Michael Junior cannot help but wonder is Sean is holding back information; perhaps there are answers somewhere in the one of the offices. Maybe at this point, a rummage away from the presence of Sean is not an option, at another time perhaps.

Tour is over and Michael looks back towards the ring young Paul Malone had been sparring in only to see he is not there anymore. Looking around there is no sign of Paul at all. He has obviously left the building but how long? Michael makes a sudden dash outside and makes no apologies for it.

Outside the club there is no sign of young Paul Malone. Asked if all is alright, Michael offers no reply. He has been tasked with something he does not want to do. He never previously had a reason to fear the shadow which has accompanied him for the better part of his life though he does not want to bring fear upon himself. If committing murder is to mean his own self-preservation which he can help but feel that it does then he must do what is asked of him.

A week passes and Michael is back at the boxing club for a second time. With a brief greeting to Sean, Michael states his interest now is more than finding answers to his own questions. He has a proper interest in the goings on at the club. Ten percent of pub profits come here after all. There must be a reason for this. Young Paul is back and training under instruction. Sean tells Michael that a tournament is coming up and that Paul is representing the club at under sixteen's level.

Right away and upon hearing this Michael makes a decision. If he is to take the boy out, then he is not going to do it before the tournament concludes. He would like to see just what the boy is capable of.

When the boy leaves the facility on this occasion Michael sets off to follow. He might as well find out what he can about the young fellow in the time between this day and the day the deed might be done such as where the boy might live, who he might have around him and when would a best opportunity arrive to commit a murder without anyone else taking notice.

Making his way to leave the boxing club, Michael accidentally collides with a young man who trains at this club more so to keep up his own personal fitness than anything else. This young man Michael so happens to collide with is Thomas Smith who in a matter of only months from now, twelve to be exact, will become a father for a third time.

By the time Michael gets outside young Paul has opened up a gap but is still within view. No one has come to meet Paul, no one has picked him up, and wherever he is planning on going it may be likely that he plans to get there alone. Michael begins to follow intending to keep a distance and he almost immediately regrets this for right at the first corner junction that Paul comes to, Michael sees a darkened van approach at speed, and he watches as it stops right by the boy.

Someone within the van jumps out and grabs the fourteen-year-old then quickly shuffles him into the vehicle. Of course, seeing this is shocking and a delay in reacting to what he sees in a way works in Michael's favour, if that could be said, as the van soon moves in his direction so when it gets going it has to pass him by.

The vehicle doesn't get to completely pass Michael by as he does manage to grab on to it. His grip on the van is strong enough that it takes him with it. From his position, Michael is able to manoeuver into a position where he can open the driver's side door and in doing so, he grabs a hold of the driver pulling him out of the van.

In all the ensuing may-lay Paul is able to get out of the van and together both Paul and Michael immediately head back into the boxing club where they will be safe. There are way too many within the club for any kind of attacking retaliation to come.

Who were these people within the van? There were at least two of them and neither hung around for any answers to be forthcoming. Answers, there are so few answers and questions just keep on piling upon one another.