Code Name Orchid

Chapter 6

      It was finally midnight, end of shift time.

Chantelle grabbed her bag and started walking to her car. She kept looking nervously around her, half expecting Hannah to jump out of the shadows waving a gun at her. As her car came into view in the dimly lit parking area she fumbled in her bag trying to find her keys.

A pair of arms from behind suddenly encircled her waist and squeezed! Chantelle screamed, dropping her bag. The arms released her as she whirled around to see her friend and workmate Fiona standing behind her.

"Wow, why so jumpy?" Fiona laughed, "It's only me. I wanted to ask you for a lift home."

"Fiona, never to that again!" Chantelle gasped, "You scared the life out of me."

"Okay, okay, sorry. Now what about that lift?"

Chantelle managed to get her breathing under control as she backed her car out of its parking space. Fiona, sitting in the passenger seat next to her was chatting on about the evening's shift. As Chantelle put the car into first gear and the headlights swung across the parking lot she stiffened in shock. For a couple of seconds the headlights illuminated a tall woman with long brown hair and wearing a long dark coloured jacket standing on the other side of the parking lot staring intently in her direction. Chantelle let out a gasp of shock as she stamped her foot on the accelerator pedal, aiming her car for the exit. Three seconds later her car shot out onto the street almost colliding with a passing taxi.

"Whoa, what's the rush?" Fiona asked, clutching at her seat, "Try not to kill us on the way home."

"Did you see that woman in the long jacket back there in the parking lot?" Chantelle gasped.

"In the parking lot? No, I didn't see any woman. I think you're imagining things. When you get home pour yourself a glass of wine and chill out. You're so jumpy lately."

After dropping Fiona at her apartment, Chantelle drove carefully home watching her rearview mirror. She was relieved to see no sign of anyone following her. Was Michael watching out the front of her apartment block? She glanced around but she couldn't tell which one of the parked cars across the street he might be in. She didn't wait for the elevator, but ran up the three flights of stairs to her floor.

She sat on her couch and retrieved her mobile phone from her bag.

"She's stalking me!" she told Michael a few seconds later. "I saw her in the parking lot outside the club when I was walking to my car."

"Did she approach you?"

"No, I got out of there fast. My friend Fiona thinks I'm a maniac driver. Are you out the front of my building?"

"No, I'm pretty sure she won't try and get into your building. I'll stake out your work parking lot tomorrow night just in case she comes back. What are your work hours tomorrow?"

"Four till midnight. Oh wait I just remembered I have to start two hours earlier tomorrow. The boss wants me to train a new girl, so I'll be starting at two."

"Okay, I'll get there about ten o'clock and watch the parking lot."

"Michael, I'm going out of my mind after seeing her in the dark staring at me like that. What does she want with me?"

"I don't know, you can ask her when I catch her, but as I said before I don't think she means you any harm. If she had intended to kill you, you would be dead by now."

"Oh that's very reassuring," Chantelle muttered as she disconnected the call and leaned back into the soft cushions of the couch. She drifted off into an uneasy sleep as she dreamed about the woman in the long jacket coming at her in the parking lot, first with a knife, then with a gun.

*****

At the bar the next afternoon the manager brought the new girl in to meet a very tired Chantelle.
"Chantelle, this is Hallie Reynolds," he said, "You'll be training her tonight."

Chantelle stood frozen to the spot as she stared into the familiar face of the girl who was neatly dressed in a white blouse and black skirt with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

It was Hannah Richards!