Cliffhanger Theater!

30 minutes ago

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her Nokia. “XXX-YYY-ZZZZ” was the number on the display, and she knew what that meant. She placed her thumb on the answer button, but didn’t press it until the phone was in position. “Talk to me.”

“Lovely weather we’re having today” said the voice on the other end. It was deep and subtly distorted by a voice scrambler.

She kept walking towards her motorcycle. “Yes, lovely. Too bad about the cold front.”

“It couldn’t be helped. The weather is…unpredictable this time of year.”

“True, the weather never quite works out the way you plan.”

“I’d like to talk to you about Vin.”

“Ah, yes, Vin. I thought you had J and J talk to Vin.”

“They did talk, but Vin didn’t say much.”

She frowned. “So, you want me to check with Vin to make sure he didn’t forget our plans for tonight?”

“If you don’t mind, that would be optimal.” *click*

She lowered the cell phone from her cheek. She paused at her motorcycle, and then turned the ringer on her phone off. She looked down at her blended coffee. She gulped on her coffee for a few minutes, then gently tossed the plastic cup into the waste bin. She put her helmet on, and revved the engine of her Kawasaki. The motorcycle zipped into traffic.

10 minutes ago.

She spotted a parking lot, and pulled into it. The apartment was a block or two away, but she didn’t want to park too close. She set her helmet on top of her bike, and started walking very nonchalantly down the sidewalk. As she walked, she reached behind her head and snugged up her pony tail. Next she switched her sunglasses for her other glasses. Her eyesight was good enough that she didn’t need to wear her glasses often, but she liked to wear them when doing a search. They were a reminder of things she couldn’t control, and a reminder that not seeing details is why she was still where she was. She made a quick left into the apartment’s lot, then froze. There was a Pontiac in the spot for apartment 5. She started reaching for her cell phone, but then she stopped. Instead, she reached into another pocket, and unfolded some papers. She read through the names and committed the faces to memory. She then walked slowly towards apartment five.

5 minutes ago

She pushed the door a bit wider, then walked into the apartment, quietly closing the door as best she could behind her. Jewel cases littered the floor. She walked over to the kitchen area. J and J aren’t always so thorough. I’ll check the cabinets quick, then the drawers. She happened to glance at the floor, and saw what remained of a glass tumbler. Sloppy work guys she thought as she lightly sighed. She spot checked the cabinets and rummaged through drawers to no avail. Wait, was that whispering coming from the bedroom? Oh man, these guys aren’t even pros.

2 minutes ago

After doing a quick exam of the living room, she then slowly entered the bedroom. The window was intact, so she knew where they were. She decided to rattle their cage a bit. She hastily rummaged in some drawers, threw some clothes around, and picked up the mattress, only to let it fall without looking. She walked into the bathroom, and opened the medicine cabinet. I can hear them breathing she thought to herself, almost giddy with anticipation and power over the situation.

Now

She reaches for the upper right hand corner of the shower curtain with her right hand, and takes a deep breath.