The Passover

The Mysterious Man at The Abandoned School

 I drive out of the busy metropolis that is Hong Kong towards St. Joseph's School in Kwun Tong which is 33 minutes away. When I arrive, I park the car and look at the neglected building. The front door is locked and the handles are chained. It is dark now, and the night air is chilly. I am glad my vest is bullet proof and my boots are thick leather. It is a small comfort on this cold night.

I circle the school before I jump over a concrete wall painted with graffiti where I enter a hallway covered in more. By now, I realize that this school has been abandoned for a while and my skin tingles with the heebie jeebies. I search the doors and rooms for signs to lead where I am supposed to go. I know I'm I am in the west wing on the second story. I needed to go to the east south side.

I continue to walk, the sounds of me foot steps defined yet muffled. The hairs on my arms stand though not from the cold. I am incredibly, embarrassingly jumpy.

Though this school has been abandoned, it shows evidence that it has been inhabited by street artists. I wonder if there are other abandoned places like this in the busy cities of China. I never imagined that there was, yet I have been proven wrong as shown here.

When I arrive to my destination, I become extra alert, ready to jump at any sound, shadow, or passing vehicle. Before I enter the room, I pull my pistol out and get it ready to fire. I open the door, the pistol outstretched in front of me. There is no one here, and my adrenaline starts to die, but I stay attentive. It's a dark, long room the only light coming from the broken windows where the city light shines through. 

I continue walking with stealth, bracing myself for the person to jump out at me.

"Ahem." A man clears his throat from behind me. I let out a shriek and the pistol fires into the ceiling. I cover my mouth with my hand. 

He laughs, the sound scratchy and low. "Should you really be an officer?" The man I passed, hiding in the shadows, asks.

"I past the tests. I do just fine, sir." I say with a gulp.

"I have no doubt in your capabilities." he drones, his shadow moving and the sound of his boots moving across the dusty floor.

"Are you the one who sent me the letter?" I ask, my arms shaking, the pistol still outstretched in front of me.

"Yes." he draws out. "But, I won't give out any information with your gun pointed at me like that."

I look at him, my thoughts thinking fast. I quickly use the gun safety lock and place the pistol in its holster. I nod and crack my fingers. 

"Let's start with who you are."

"I am Dr. Signfeld, professor at the University of Meteorology as well as an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States. I come bearing grave news but with a solution."

"Why me? Why drag me into your plot?" I ask bewildered.

"You're an intelligence analyst and a detective. You've worked with the Central intelligence Agency as well as the International Department of the Central Committee of the CCP. You have connections as well as a well known professional demeanor. You've caught more criminals and solved more crimes than Raymond C. Schindler and William E. Fairbairn. You're boyfriend is a biologist, you're mother is an ambassador, and your father is a well known lawyer. You've never been in a more successful position."

"Why do the Americans need help from us?"

"We don't." he replies matter of factually. "We've got all our alliances covered if need be. But, we need China to get the rest of the world on board. Like I've said, you are in an extremely successful position. You speak Mandarin, English, and a bit of Spanish from your mother's side if my memory serves me correctly."