FALLING FOR THE SPY

GEOFREY’S POV I took a seat at the hotel’s bar and signaled at the bartender. “How may I help you Sir?” he inquired politely. “I would like a martini please.” I answered, digging into my pocket for cash. “Dirty or dry?” he asked while noting something down on a small notebook. “Dirty” I said handing him the cash. I liked my vodka with a generous amount of olive juice. “Got it” he said and disappeared behind the large counter. I scanned briefly across the bar, only a few people were in. I was convinced that most people preferred to be served drinks in their rooms instead of coming down to the bar. “Here is your drink Sir, please enjoy” the bartender said minutes later after he had left, placing the drink on the counter. I gave him a quick nod as I took a sip. Perfect, just the way I liked it. I wasn’t one to give tips at bars and restaurants but I think this time I would. The slow background music at the bar was all I needed to think and freshen up my mind. I had just landed in that new town three hours ago. I was there on work assignment. Usually I would be in my office waiting for one of my agents to give me a report. But this was different; I had to handle this case on my own. I was a high ranked spy working for the Secret Intelligence Service. Being a senior at the service, my work entailed analyzing reports from spies, making necessary recommendations to the government or to whoever had hired us for our services. Two weeks before, I had received a call from the former prime minister of the state. Apart from doing business together a lot of times when he was still in office, Mr. John Hathaway and I were close friends. In his call, Mr. Hathaway stated that he needed my help. Recently his son, Mark Hathaway had been murdered. Efforts by the police to find the murderer seemed futile. Having worked with me and the SIS for a long time, the former prime minister knew that we would be able to find out something. Mr. John had however requested that I personally handle the case. I had considered handing the case to one of my best agents but when he insisted, I decided to handle it myself. Anyway it had been a long time since I was a field agent myself. I had been a spy for ten years before I got a higher rank and only worked on exceptional cases. I was looking forward to cracking this case. I knew I could do it that was the only thing I was good at, solving mysteries. I looked at my watch, it was half past ten. I was scheduled to meet Mr. John in the morning, so I took the last gulp from my drink and stood up to leave. I got a few bucks from my wallet and placed them on the counter, a tip for a perfectly made drink. I took my jacket and headed out to my room. I did not fancy staying in a hotel. Despite it being a five star hotel, it still couldn’t match the comfort of my lavish home at the Hamptons. Keeping in mind that I was on this job as a friendly favor, I settled in and went to bed. ** I woke up the next morning earlier than usual. I needed to get my head in the game before my meeting at 9am. It had been a long while since I did field work. I knew that it needed a lot of research and observation. To get my groove on, I headed to the hotel’s gym. It was still early so the gym was still barely occupied. I put on my pace headsets and started working out on the treadmill. After about thirty minutes of intense workout, I felt ready to take on the day’s tasks. I drank from my water bottle and headed to the lift. The lift was empty; I got in and pressed my room’s floor number. As the doors closed, I saw a lady rushing towards the lift and I could see her mouthing the words “please hold.” I held the door and she reached just in time breathing heavily. “Thank you” she said as she struggled to catch her breath. I gave her a quick nod. I wasn’t one to speak much in the morning, I believed in conserving the energy for use during the day. Being a spy, I was very keen for details and I couldn’t help but find myself observing her. She wore a black dress and six inch heels, but the ones that don’t show the toes, court heels. On one hand she clenched a brown bag, on the other a large envelope. Her face was stern but pretty. She looked calm. She wore cat eyed glasses which made her look like scholarly. I was still looking at her when I heard a beep and the door of the lift opened. That was my cue. I smiled briefly at her and walked out. Once I got to my room, I took a quick shower and got dressed in my grey suit, the one I specifically wore when I was meeting important people. I was almost done when my cell phone rung, I picked it up. “Good morning Mr. Geoffrey. Iam here to drive you to Mr. Hathaway’s office.” a male voice spoke. “Okay. I’ll be down in a minute.” I picked up my briefcase and headed to the car waiting for me outside the hotel.