The atmosphere in the lounge of the Emerald Hotel was sombre. The dim lighting cast oppressive shadows over every corner, as if the room itself had secrets that it wanted to keep locked away. A blanket of smoke and desperation hung heavily over the room.
The air was assaulted by the sounds of Oliver Knight's flute and the mutters of businessmen who occupied the handful of holey wood tables carelessly scattered throughout the room.
Cody Austin sat alone at the end of the polished oak bar; his tall, muscular frame awkwardly balanced on the hard oak stool. His copper coloured hair peered out from under the cream panama on top of his head. In front of him rested a small glass. The ice cubes nestled in the tawny liquid were quickly disappearing. Cody lifted the glass to his lips and gulped down the last of whiskey. He had just returned from an out of town job and was looking forward to having a relaxing weekend with his family.
"Another whiskey?" The bartender, Joe, stood in front of him, wiping down a glass with his mucky apron. Cody shook his head. Joe shrugged. "Okay, suit yourself." He started to walk away and suddenly halted. He quickly turned back towards Cody, and produced a large brown envelope from under the bar. "I almost forgot to give you this. Some woman dropped it off for you earlier." Joe leaned in toward Cody, resting his sharp elbow on the bar. He locked his dark brown eyes on Cody and asked in a very serious, low voice, "How did a guy like you get a beauty like that to even give you the time of day?"
Cody shrugged. "Must just be lucky," he tossed off sarcastically.
Joe's lips pulled into a grin. "I'll say!" he said as he walked away.
Cody stared at the envelope as if he was afraid it would blow up when touched. The neat, pretty handwriting told him who it was from. Cody heaved a heavy sigh and picked up the envelope. As he opened the flap, his nostrils were flooded with the smell of jasmine which, mixed with the pong of the bar, made his stomach a bit queasy. He reached in and pulled out the contents of the envelope. It was a picture of a tall slender man with salt and pepper coloured hair and a stern face and a woman with round hips and a round face, entering an office building. Cody knew immediately who the man was. Everyone in the city knew Samson Morales - the private eye who had gathered incriminating evidence against more criminals than the entire police department.
Cody turned over the picture. On the back, in the same pretty handwriting was written thousand pounds. . Cody put the picture back in the envelope, slyly glancing around to make sure that no one else had seen it. He quickly stood up, placed a five pound note under his glass and strode out to the hotel. In the far corner was a narrow phone box. He effortlessly snuggled himself into it, shutting the door behind him. Cody pulled a small square of paper from his pocket and called the number on it.
The phone on the other end rang four times before being answered by a sweet female voice. "Hello?"
For a moment Cody thought he had the wrong number. He decided to risk it. "It's Cody."
When the voice on the other end responded, it had dropped all of the sweetness, replacing it with the chilly, smooth sound that he was used to from her. "So nice to hear from you. I trust you got our letter."
Cody scoffed. "Yeah, I got it. You can tell Samson no!"
There was a brief pause on the other end. Then a heavy sigh. "What is the least you will do it for?"
"Double the usual." Cody allowed himself a small smile, there was no way she could get it for him. Starting another job for Samson- and having to deal with her - was the last thing Cody needed. Especially when it involved such a dangerous target.
"You know I don't have the kind of authority to approve that," she said curtly.
"Well then," replied Cody coldly, "I would suggest if he really wants this done, you get Samson to approve it."
Another pause. "Fine. Meet me in one and a half hours time. I'll have the answer for you." The receiver on the other end clicked loudly in Cody's ear as she hung it up. Satisfied with himself, Cody decided to head back into the bar for another drink before heading off to his meeting.
*****
Cody arrived at the Dark rose café, their usual meeting spot, with one minute to spare. His eyes raked over the few people that were already there, looking for her. He didn't know why he even bothered. She always kept him waiting. He chose a table near the back, as far from the other customers as possible. He had barely hit the chair when the waitress came by. She was a petite, young woman, no older than 18, with sparkling hazel eyes and smooth chestnut hair. She smiled at Cody
"The usual?" she asked in a high, perky voice. Cody merely nodded.
A moment later, she returned with an Americano, which she set in front of Cody, and a cup of Herbal tea, which she placed in front of the empty seat. Cody handed her a five pound note and told her that she would not be needed anymore.
He had nearly finished his coffee when she finally arrived. Tall and graceful, she sauntered in to the café and headed straight for him. Her flat hair shimmered in the yellow bulb light and her large eyes reminded Cody of the London winter sky, pale and cold. Her face was delicate, like that of a porcelain doll – a short, narrow nose and full mouth painted a bright shade of red. Her flawless ivory skin glowed against the dark green of her dress. She was perhaps the most beautiful woman Cody had ever seen.
She sat down across from him and flashed a smile. "It's so good to see you again, Cody."
"Hello, Saffron." He replied in a not so friendly manner.
She carefully took a sip from her nearly cold tea. Cody drummed his fingers on the table in a rhythm and watched her impatiently.
Saffron delicately set the teacup back on the saucer and smiled pleasantly. "Can you believe this weather we're having?"
Cody could feel his blood pressure rising. On a normal day, this would have been mildly irritating. But he was already sleep deprived and a bit on edge. Sometimes she made it so difficult for him to keep his cool. He struggled to keep his voice even. "Just cut to business, Saffron. Her frosty eyes made his blood feel like frozen water in his veins.
"Samson was rather annoyed by your request. He thinks you may be getting a bit too big for your boots." Saffron leaned in. "But I assured him, that you are worth every penny." She reached into her dark purple mulberry hand bag and pulled out a thick envelope. She handed it to Cody. He stared at the envelope for a moment. There is no way she was able to pull this off, he thought to himself. Perhaps this was an alternative offer. He cautiously picked up the envelope and waited for the catch.
Saffron smiled. She seemed amused. "Don't look so shocked Cody. I know talent when I see it and I convinced Samson that we cannot afford to let you go." Saffron paused for a moment, suddenly serious. "But we are talking a lot of money, here."
Here it comes, thought Cody. He knew there was a catch. There always was.
"There's five grand in there. You'll get the other half when the job is complete." Saffron sat back in her chair and took another sip of the tea. "I hope that will be alright?"
Cody tried to act as if he didn't care. His plan had backfired. But he couldn't let her know that. He drank the last drop of his coffee. "And who the woman?"
Saffron shrugged. "Secretary, I think. Bit of a busy body, from what I hear. Why does it matter about her? Don't go near her and keep the job clean."
"I always do," replied Cody, matter-of-factly. "You do realize, though, a job like this can't be rushed. It may take some time."
The corners of Saffron's mouth twitched. "Just so long as it's done by this time next week, it should be alright."
Cody was flabbergasted. "You're kidding right?" he asked, a hint of a laugh in his voice.
The smile fell off of Saffron's face and her eyes grew stormy. She leaned in quickly. "Do I look like I'm joking, Cody?" she hissed.
"These things take time, Saffron. You know that as well as I do. I need time to prepare." Cody leaned in also, and lowered his voice. "This isn't some thug or druggie we're talking about here! Neither of us can risk anything going wrong on this job. It would be impossible to pull it off in the time frame you're talking about."
Saffron frowned. She stood up, pushing her chair in. "Yes, well, be that as it may, Cody, you are being paid quite a lot of money for this. I suggest you figure it out." She stepped closer to him and bent over to whisper in his ear, her silken hair lightly brushing against his cheek. "I'll be in touch." She quickly turned on her heel and walked away.
Even after she stalked out of the café, the subtle fragrance of Saffron's perfume lingered in Cody's nostrils. He shoved the envelope in his jackets inside pocket and stood to leave. He had a lot of work ahead of him.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
