In Cold Blood

Chapter 2

Edward Jackson Marks. Fifty-eight years old. CEO of West Sencosize, the biggest oil and gas company in the northeast. 'Not for long,' Addison thought.

Addison walked up to the front desk with a polite smile on her face. "Good afternoon, my car broke down and my phone is dead. Can I use your phone to call for a ride?"

The desk lady smiled and nodded. "Of course you can." She lifted what looked like the office landline up for Addison.

Addison typed in the phone number, which rang twice before Birdwatcher picked up. "May I help you?"

"Car's gone dark. Can you come pick me up?"

The line went dead and Addison put the phone down. She gave the receptionist one last smile. "Thank you."

"Of course," front desk lady said. "And may I just say, I love the white hair."

"Thank you," Addison replied.

She turned and walked away, sitting down in one of the chairs several feet away from the desk. At random, she picked up a magazine and flipped it open to a random page, holding it up and pretending to read it while she kept her eyes on the desk lady. Two minutes later, the office phone is ringing. Addison didn't have to listen in the know what was being said: the desk lady forgot her very important task for Mr. Marks and if she didn't complete it within twenty minutes she'd lose her job. They'd only used that script twice before, but it worked like a charm every time. Desk lady got up and ran, not paying much attention to everything she was doing. Addison watched her leave, then got up and took the desk lady's seat.

The computer was still logged on. All it took was a few clicks and taps and Addison was in the whole building's security. The username was already typed in and with a scan around the desktop, Addison found the sticky note that held the password.

"What an idiot," Addison muttered as she typed.

Once she had access to the cameras, she stood up and moved from behind the desk. Birdwatcher's voice cut in through the office building's silence. "The Eyes have just pulled out. You'll have around twenty minutes to get in and get out."

Addison was already walking into the office. She removed her sunglasses as she walked past the cubicles to the back, knowing the layout like the back of her hand. She nearly bumped into a man, who stopped and let her pass and muttered his apology. It proved to be convenient for her response to the Birdwatcher. "Thank you," Addison said, to both the man and the Birdwatcher.

She felt his eyes following her as she continued toward the bathrooms. She took one quick look around the office, making sure no one saw as she slipped into the men's restroom. It was empty, but wouldn't be once Marks took his two twenty bathroom break. It was to 'clear the pipes' before he had lunch. Disgusting.

She hid in a stall, standing on the toilet seat and crouching low so she can't be seen. As she waited, she made sure to pull on her gloves. No fingerprints, no trails. Never sloppy; no mistakes. She waited six and a half minutes for the clock to hit two twenty. Right on the dot, the bathroom door opened. Addison didn't look, already knowing it was her target. She let him use the toilet first. She knew that once someone died, they'd defecate and that just seemed a little extra cruel.

Marks flushed and left the stall, stopping at the sink. Addison flicked her lock up, letting the door slowly swing open. She rolled her jeans up just enough so she could grab her knives from their holsters, then jumped down from the toilet seat, barely making a sound. It was still loud enough in the nearly silent bathroom to catch Marks's attention. He turned in time to see her sinister smirk as she made the three steps from the stall to the sink. His eyes went wide but it was too late; she makes a shallow cut in his throat that stings. He brought his hands up to his neck and let out a silent wince.