The Search

Chapter Five

Chapter 5

Dear Willow,

You need to stop what you’re doing now, your are going to get hurt and it’s not worth it. The next letter you get may not be so kind.

Someone who cares.

I held the letter in my hand and shuddered. CIA were involved. What was Peter hiding? I stirred my coffee and glared at the handwriting. This wasn’t the threat note of a professional.

Ding Dong

I pulled my hair back into a pony tail as I walked towards my front door.

Marcia stood there with a box in her hands. Her expression was worried and her eyes kept darting about her as if she thought somebody was watching us.

“I need to come inside.”

I stood back and allowed the woman to come inside. I followed her into my living room, where she had sat many of times with Peter and I and we had laughed and she had asked the question. I smiled at the memory of how awkward Peter had felt when his mother had asked about a possible ring.

She timidly sat on the sofa and sucked in her lips. She fumbled with her hands and she kept rubbing her arms as if she were cold. I knew it wasn’t cold in my apartment because I had the heat on all morning.

“Tea?”

“No, dear, just sit down beside me here.”

I nodded and cautiously made my way towards the space beside her on my worn brown leather sofa.

“Willow,” she started, “I’m not supposed to be here, well I’m not allowed to be here so I must be brief.”

“Dear, I want to help you.”

I grabbed her hands and looked deep into the woman’s eyes. Hope filled every inch of me as she continued.

“But first you must realise who you are dealing with here. This is no ordinary disappearance you need to be brave and know that everything might not work out and well..you could be putting your life in danger.”

I hesitated but then I thought about Peter and the months we had spent together visiting all his favourite spots in the city. I remembered how enthusiastic he got about the small things and how he would just stop in the middle of the street to tell me a really long story which took forever to get to the point. I would just enjoy watching him getting so hyper about some monument or other. Then I realised how much I loved him. I could see my future with him and no one else so putting my life in danger was the only right thing to do!

“Yes, I’m in with all my heart.”

Marcia sighed and smiled inwardly.

“You really love him, don’t you.”

“Enough that I couldn’t imagine my life without him, yes.”

“Okay I believe you. I really hope this doesn’t change your views on him.”

I nodded and prepared myself mentally for what I was about to hear.

“Peter is in the CIA, he’s a field agent. Peter is not his real name and I’m sorry I cannot tell you his real name because I do not know it. All I know is that he was undercover and something went majorly wrong. I was just hired to act as his mother. That’s all the information I have and it’s even more than I was supposed to know. All I know is Peter is in trouble. Evan, the agent who was at my house, when you paid a little visit ,is simply here to make sure I disappear without any suspicion and to make a cover up plan of how Peter disappeared. I’m sorry, I know this is a lot to take in.”

My face went pale and I sat with my eyes and mouth wide open and they wouldn’t shut. I felt like crying but my body would not produce any tears and I felt like laughing at what a big joke this all was. I was sure I was dreaming. Peter? A CIA agent? Peter was soft and gentle and full of compassion and love. He would never be able to kill anybody. And what type of trouble was Peter in? And how could I help?

All these questions swarmed my mind until a piercing pain struck. I felt dizzy and weak and my vision blurred. I could make out Marcia’s framer but her face was a blur.

“I’ll get you a glass of water.”

I heard Marcia mumble but I could barely make her out. Confusion swerved in my head and reject pounded my brain. Peter had been lying. Did he really even love me?

Suddenly everything went blank and the world felt still.