This is part 4 and 5 of this story for the whole story click here
Part 4
Just as Steve was getting up to answer the door he heard an almighty clatter. Suddenly the place was full of men screaming and shouting, radios blaring, buzzing around like wasps in a beer garden. Their leader was one of the men that Steve had watched take away the girl away earlier that day.
He stood in front of Steve, arms crossed, assessing his quarry. Steve
was tempted to say I’ve been expecting you like those bad guys in the Bond
movies but he decided against it. Instead he put his hand out and said.
‘I guess you are looking for this?’ and proffered the memory stick to
the man in black.
‘Let’s go in here.’ The man pushed Steve towards the kitchen while the
other spooks continued to ransack the place.
‘Who are you?’ Steve asked surprisingly calm.
‘Never mind that?’ The voice oozed with arrogance.
‘Do you have a warrant?’
The man ignored the question and instead held up the memory stick?
‘Why did she give it to you?’
‘I don’t know.’ said Steve firmly, he was pleased with how strong his
voice sounded; he did have a tendency to go high in times like this.
‘How do you know her?’
‘I don’t.’
‘So why did she give you the stick?’ there was a growing impatience in
his voice.
‘I don’t know.’ Steve tried to keep his voice steady while trying to see
if those searching had taken down the CD-ROM.
‘Did you look at it?’ The man waved the stick in Steve’s face.
‘No.’
‘No? C’mon, pretty girl gives you a memory stick and you don’t have a
look-see?’ He pointed at Steve with the stick.
‘She told me to look after it, not look at it.’
‘So did you make a copy?’
‘No, I just put it in my trouser pocket expecting her to come and get it
in a few days.’
The man scratched his chin and stared at Steve.
‘Why did you give it up so easily?’
‘Well where would I hide it? I guess you guys know all the nooks and
crannies to look in. Just thought I’d save you the time and energy’
They sat in silence for a little, the man looking at Steve with
suspicion. Just as it was getting uncomfortable another of the men in black
came to the kitchen door.
The two of them spoke in hushed tones. Then his interrogator turned back
to Steve.
‘Right, we’re out of here, but if you’ve been lying to us, they’ll be
big trouble. Thanks for the stick.’ With that they were gone.
Steve felt strange, violated. Was this how people felt after a burglary?
He walked through the house expecting the worse but he was amazed at how tidy
it was; if he had been out he would never have known they were there. They had
put things back in order immaculately; in fact if anything things were a bit
tidier now then they had been before their visit. The disk was still hanging
above the window and the electric socket looked untouched. It was just gone
midnight but Steve was more wired than tired. He wondered where she was, what
they were doing with her, what she was saying. How had they known about him?
Where he lived?
The next day on very little sleep Steve staggered to work. He didn’t
want to go but he needed to be in the park at lunchtime; just in case. He hoped
she’d be sitting there, so he could see she was okay, so that he could get an
explanation but the bench was empty, the park was empty and no one approached
him for the stick.
After work he took a look in her office building, but there were no
clues to be found there. It housed a myriad of companies and without knowing
her name he didn’t know where to start. He hadn’t even got going and he’d
reached a dead end.
Part 5
Autumn came and went in a blaze of colour cloaked in mist and drizzle.
Everyday as Steve walked up the stairs to his office he looked out over the
park hoping to see her sitting on her bench. It was too cold and wet to sit in
the park at lunchtime but he still took a brisk walk every day in the hope
someone would tap him on the shoulder and ask for the stick. He thought about
that leaf that fell on the day she'd given him the stick, the first of many -
they'd all fallen now, the trees were bare as was the park bench.
That morning was the first frost of winter and the grass was still white
as he looked out over the park from his vantage point on the office stairs. He
looked at the bench. There was a figure sitting there. It was her!
He bounded down the stairs across the road and into the gardens. She
looked up and saw him coming. As he reached her he realised she was wearing the
same summer dress that she was in the last time he had seen her. She was shivering
like there was no tomorrow and if she sat there much longer there would be no
tomorrow. He enveloped her in his arms; not the nervous, shy man of a few
months ago but decisive acting on instinct. She was pale and cold and needed
warmth, she said nothing, just sobbed, her nose running and teeth chattering.
Just over an hour later the girl was sitting on Steve’s sofa, cupping
but not drinking a steaming hot mug of tea. Her hair was still wet from the
shower and she was wrapped in a blanket. She hadn’t spoken since Steve had
found her and had only just managed to control her breathing. Steve was on the
phone to his boss explaining his sudden absence by claiming a violently upset
stomach.
Steve sat opposite, watching her, waiting for her to speak. She was
stunningly beautiful even in this state.
She sipped at her tea and smiled.
‘You look at the stick?’
Steve nodded.
‘I made it all up.’
Steve stared at her blankly, not comprehending.
‘I made it all up.’ she repeated her voice getting stronger.
‘So…’ but Steve was lost for words.
‘The photos are fake, photoshopped.’
Steve just stared.
‘It was a fantasy, an alter ego, a life I lived in my mind. Then I
started to make it real by making photos, it was fun, silly, harmless fun.’
‘So the men in black?’
‘Well I showed the photos to a friend.’ Steve nodded ‘Unbeknown to me he
posted some online, next thing I know I get a call from someone saying they are
coming for me.’
Steve took in the news for a moment.
‘So why give me the stick?’
The girl was sitting up straight now, control back in her voice.
‘I just wanted to keep my work. Didn’t want them to delete all those
photos. I’d slaved over them.’ Steve excused the pun.
‘I knew you liked me, you’d been watching me all summer. Thought you’d
be safe.’ She smiled, Steve smiled back enchanted by her beauty.
‘I told them straight away it was a fake, but they didn’t believe me.
They questioned me everyday. Where did I meet them? When? My answer was always
the same, it’s all made up.’
Then today out of the blue they drove me back to the park and left me
there.
Steve went over and
put his arm around her, she snuggled into him. Something didn’t quite add up
but for now Steve was just glad she was safe. This is part 4 and 5 of this story for the whole story click here
Is there going to be a part six? If so, I need a name for the girl. Head over to here to vote for the name.
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