The Truth is Undercover

Knock Knock

I swipe my keycard against the scanner. The lock makes a click, and the door handle moves easily when I twist it. I enter my hotel room, setting my backpack and purse down against the wall. My suitcase was delivered to my room for me already by a staff member from the travel agency that my boss hired for me.

Since I'm being deployed on a case, my agency is paying for my hotel. They decided to give me a luxury room in hopes that it'll help me in my work. I'm not complaining at all, it looks all new and modern. I walk around, seeing what I'm going to be living with for the next week.

At the entrance there's a short hallway which has a side door leading to a laundry room. At the end of the hallway, it opens up to a living room with a couch that pulls out into a bed and a recliner chair. A 60-inch flatscreen TV is mounted on the wall along with multiple beautiful paintings. I walk through a door that leads to a big bathroom. It consists of a big counter with two sinks. There's a big luxury bathtub with jets and lights, a lovely shower, and a pristine toilet.

I exit the bathroom and enter the bedroom. It has a queen-sized bed with fluffy bedsheets and pillows. There's plenty of storage, having 2 closets and a dresser with a 40-inch TV sitting on top. There's a sliding door attached to a balcony from the bedroom. There's also a desk, I can already tell there's going to be a couple late nights where I sit there working away.

I don't waste any more time; I unpack what I brought, neatly folding and hanging my clothes in my dresser and closet. I finish putting away other things such as books and bathroom necessities.

Finally, after about thirty minutes, I finished unpacking. I decide to sit on the couch and see what's on the TV. I flip through the channels until I find a show that looks interesting. It's only 5:47 in the afternoon. I arrived at Pudvisk about two hours ago then. I want to relax for the rest of today since today has already been a bit crazy; traveling is always hectic. Plus, I have a week for more craziness to happen still.

Hours pass. The sun sets. The sky is dark, and the city is now bright with lights. There's an uncalled-for knock on my door. I jump awake. Had I fallen asleep? I must've. I wonder how I even managed to fall asleep in this outfit; it's supposed to look all formal and business like, not something most people, especially me, could fall asleep in. I stand and quickly pat down the small wrinkles that had formed and fluff out my hair, so it looks slightly less messy. I hurry over to the door and look through the peephole quickly. It's a slender woman with silver-blonde hair. She's dressed formally. I wonder if she's here for a business sale of something.

I open the door and she looks at me. "Hello ma'am. How can I help you?" I greet her.

"Hello," she starts, "I have something very important to discuss with you. I know we don't know each other; however, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd spare even ten minutes for a chat."

I have a small feeling of dread but decide to welcome her in anyway. Something feels slightly off about this woman, like she's trying to seem innocent. "Come on in then." I say, stepping out of her way. I raise my guard, ready to take her on if I must. I will not let her out of my sight. I follow behind her as she finds her way to the living room. We both sit down, her on the couch and me in the recliner. She sets her purse down next to her and I rest my hands on my lap.

"So, what did you want to discuss?" I ask.

She clears her throat real quick. "I came here to inform you that you got my coworker sent to jail."

There it is. My suspicions were confirmed. I knew it. She's a spy. The only shocking thing here is how quickly she gave herself away. I know because the man from earlier, Torin, was also a spy. Though he never told me, which a spy shouldn't be doing, I could tell by his outfit, his behavior patterns, and of course his terrible stalking skills. If she's his coworker, then she's a spy from the same agency.

I keep a straight face, not alerting her that I have already figured her out. "Ah, that guy." I say, acting like I only know about what she thinks I know. "Torin Laksten, correct? We traded names right before I sent him away."

She nods, "that's' right. We both work for the Trelaire City newspaper, and he must've done his job all wrong. I'm terribly sorry he scared you, and I understand. I'd be scared if I were in your position too. He was just supposed to look for things to add to this week's paper."

"Thanks, but maybe your boss should have a talk with him when he gets out of jail." I laugh.

She lets out a small laugh too, but it was clearly forced. I don't think she's appreciating my humor. "Yeah, our boss will definitely speak with him. But I was sent here by my boss to request that you help us get him out."

I consider this request for a moment. "So you want me to help get your creepy coworker out of jail because he supposedly did his job wrong and made a lonely woman feel threatened? Do I have to pay bail?"

The woman stiffens a bit. She doesn't seem too surprised by my reaction though. "Miss Silverine, please hear me out. I know this idea probably sounds unfair or stupid to you, but we'd just like your help getting him back out."

My back tingles as she uses my last name. "How do you know my name?"

"He was permitted one phone call, so he called us and explained the situation and told us who called the cops on him so we could find you."

I let out a long breath, "and what's in it for me?"

The woman looks slightly annoyed. She takes out her phone and calls someone. She speaks low to them for a moment, then says goodbye and hangs up. "We'll give you ten thousand dollars and you don't have to pay bail."

"If I don't have to pay bail then why do I have to go? Can't you guys just go there, get him out, and be on your way? I mean, I'll take the 10k but now I'm just curious." I figure they actually want me for something more than his freedom now.

"I don't know." she sighs, "my boss just asked me to come here and request that you'd help." She stands and reaches into her purse and grabs a pen and paper. She writes something on it, slaps it down on the coffee table and starts towards the door. She says over her shoulder, "that's my number. Think about it and give me a call. I know it's late and we're both tired. Just please decide promptly and find sympathy in your soul. If I may excuse myself, I'm going home now."

I stand and hurry over around the corner and see her swinging her purse over her shoulder. "Ma'am, before you go, I never caught your name." I tell her.

"Natalia Hartsworth. Thanks for meeting with me Miss Silverine."

"No problem, have a safe trip home and I'll think about your offer."

She leaves and I wait by the door to make sure she is gone and isn't playing any tricks on me. After a bit I check outside and see no traces of anyone. Great, I think, now some spy agency for the enemy country knows where I'm staying. They definingly are targeting me for something. Whether they know I'm a spy or not, they didn't like how I locked up their spy.

I decide to not take any action at the moment. I go and lock all doors connected to the outside and close all the blinds and curtains. I then put a piece of tape across the door and doorframe, the classic and simple trick to know if any entered or exited using that door.

After that I get ready for bed. I climb in and think about Natalia's offer. A few minutes pass and I decide that I'll let him out, take care of whatever stuff they bring into my life, and then continue on my mission.