The Hushed Witness - The Beckoning

Susan heard a faint knock on the door. It was too early in the morning to be expecting a visitor, so she wondered who it was. She ignored it, doubting if it was her door. The visitor knocked two more times, each time, louder than the previous. “Just a moment please…” She shouted from the bathroom, where she was having her bath, getting ready for the day’s work. She hurriedly washed off the lather from her body, put on her bathrobe and moved to see who was at the door.

She peeped through the door hole and saw no one but went ahead to open the door. She opened to see a red gift box on the floor. Wondering who put the box there, she stepped out, looked ahead down the street and could not find anyone, save those that are on their way to work. She returned and picked up the box and went in.

With much anxiety, she unwrapped the box and found in it, a mobile phone, and an envelope. Inside the envelope, she saw some pictures that brought back a part of her history she had thought was buried and gone forever. With it was a note that read

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"Enjoy the throwback pictures"

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She never thought this part of her history could ever come up again. How come? Who could have done this? Meanwhile, she checked the cellphone that was in the box. It was totally empty; no call log, no number on the contact list. She guessed she has to wait for a call from the mystery person. She checked her watch and she was already getting late for work. she rushed and got on her way to work, under so much distress. She tucked the phone deep inside her handbag, expecting that she might be called at any time.

Susan once worked as an executive courier for a drug lord in Peru. She is intelligent and smart and was therefore efficient at the job. There was once a drop off she did in Bolivia that went sour. She was used as a cover and she was nabbed by the police, and sentenced to serve a 15-year jail term in the San Pedro prison, Bolivia.

Two years into her sentence, a team of inmates planned and staged a prison break, Susan (known at that time as Hannah Brown) was just observant enough to know about their plans. She slid into their midst at the last minute and she successfully escaped with them. While some of the escapees were recaptured, Susan was lucky not to be seen. She hid in a village for about two months, after which she got a new Identity (of Susan Bridge), and relocated to start a brand new life in Ireland. Someone has just sent her pictures of her drug dealings and her imprisonment.

Susan was miserable and distracted throughout the day's work. Her mind frequently drove her to the horrible time in prison and a possible come back of this events. She was so anxious to know what the person needed from her to warrant this blackmail.
That evening, Susan was home, all alone with her thoughts and her fears. She could not eat, as she lost appetite for the whole day. She could not share her thoughts with anyone. Her only consoling force at the time was the bottle of scotch on her table. At 8:40pm, the cellphone rang...

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I'm sure by now you have gotten my little gift. How interesting it is to reflect on the good old days. You will agree that we need to talk, so listen carefully.
We will meet at the Unity Tower on 175th Avenue, 8.00pm tomorrow. Access the basement through the East Wing gate and go straight, towards the sewage tunnel. Turn right at the far end of the alley and for your own benefit, ensure that no one follows you!

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The line went dead. It was a voice message. She therefore couldn't even ask who it was or what she was required to do. She was at a dilemma. An unknown person has asked her to come to a random location and she had no idea what awaited her there. She was however relieved to an extent that with the call, she has a direction towards getting to solve this mysterious connection.

Susan walked sluggishly into the basement of the building. It was all dark, deserted and quiet. Her heart, beating so hard and fast; she could hear the reverberation. The instruction of the male voice on the phone was very clear, and to the best of her ability, she has ensured to abide by every detail of the conversation, but she still wondered how anyone got to know of her past, to now blackmail her with it.

As she turned to enter the room at the end of the alley, she bumped into a man with a gun. Her heart skipped a beat, a cold shiver running down her spine. She initially halted, but thoughts of running flooded her mind.

As she finally tried to turn back, she found a thickset man already behind her, blocking her way. At this point, she surrendered. The man with the gun started...

“We have an assignment for you, and you are going to do it for us without any itch..."

He described the process to her. It was dangerous, risky and implicating but she had no choice.

On the slated day, Susan enters the exquisite restaurant looking flashy, radiant, and ravishing. She is dressed in a skimpy blue gown. She has no idea why these guys want Mike poisoned or what the poison will do to him.

She pretends to be listening as Mike speaks but she is waiting for the slightest opportunity to poison his drink. While she is still strategizing, some cops swarm the restaurant, searching everywhere. She is freaking out and is confused.
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To be continued...

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