Person B
1263 Words
Mikhail didn’t think he would be back in the office sooner. The same disorienting elevator ride down to the administrative office where the Negotiators operated, the same walk through the busy hall that seemed even busier, and even more checks before he could enter her office. It might’ve been his imagination but she looked even more displeased than the last time he saw her.
“Detective Grisha, thank you for coming”
“I was surprised you requested me………”
Mikhail stopped mid-sentence when a customized pistol was pointed at his forehead. Her hand didn’t waver and the rage in her eyes, it burned like brimstone. What exactly was this?
“What is your goal, detective Grisha?”
“What….? I don’t quite get what you mean”
“You’ve been snooping around my employees, getting them drunk enough to spill information and on top of that, one of them gets shot because I was keeping tabs on you. Mind telling me what the hell you’re trying to achieve?”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Don’t tell me you think I’m behind the incident that occurred last week?”
“If you’re not, explain this text then!” she threw a new phone at him, a luxury brand one worth thousands of dollars. He caught it and viewed the message.
[I see you’ve stopped tailing him then. That’s so efficient of you. He’s very important to me, you see]
“Huh?”
“Don’t play dumb with me! Keith is in the hospital right now!”
“I don’t recognize this number and I don’t know who would send this kind of message. I know you won’t believe me but I honestly have nothing to do with this”
“They threatened my family. If you think I’m just going to let you go scott free then you must be hallucinating”
Mikhail didn’t even have an excuse. He was more dumbfounded than he had ever been in his life. Who would he know to do such a thing?
In the midst of their confusion, the new phone vibrated. Since it was in Mikhail’s hands, he took a look at it. It was the same number that sent the message. He looked up at Louis and it seemed that one look was enough to tell her everything.
“Pick it and put it on speaker”
He accepted the call and put it on speaker.
“Miss Louis, has anyone ever told you you’re violent?”
Louis didn’t even respond. The hoarse voice of the caller made it difficult to distinguish their gender. Mikhail was getting even more confused.
“Detective Grisha. It’s so nice to finally be able to talk to you. You’re quite the celebrity you see”
“Um, do I know you?”
“No, but I know both of you. You may address me as Person B. I am a middleman of some sort. It’s a pleasure to meet you”
“Listen here you shameless stalking bastard, whatever game you’re trying to play, I would not be part of it”
“Don’t be so hasty Miss Louis. It is a very interesting game built just for you. We even gifted you a partner, Detective Grisha”
The two made eye contact before looking back at the phone.
“Wait. What do you mean, game?” Mikhail asks.
“Well, I’m glad you asked, Detective. The objective of the game is to find Person B. If you refuse to play the game, we would kill Miss Louis’s family before finally killing her and disbanding The Negotiators”
“On whose authority?” Louis asks with venom in her voice.
“S” the voice replies immediately. Mikhail saw the hand holding the pistol tremble before dropping.
“What the f**k?! What the actual f**k?!” Louis swears over and over, hitting her fist on the table. Even if he was wary of her gun, he still stood to stop her. The glare she gave was scathing enough to remove a layer of flesh if looks could kill.
“Why do I have to participate in the game? Why me?”
“Like I said, Detective Grisha, I know you. You like interesting mysteries. Besides, look at Miss Louis, would you let her die? You can be a knight in shining armor, saving the distressed maiden”
Mikhail looked at the ‘distressed maiden’ and awkwardly chuckled.
“That’s f****d up dude. Okay, I’ll help her but I don’t think she’ll agree”
“Don’t worry, she won’t refuse. Your first task will be sent to you soon. I wish you both the best of luck sincerely from my heart” A click and the call ended.
“I’m going to find that bastard and kill him”
“Aren’t you a professional, Miss Louis? Please call down”
“Calm down, you say?”
Before his eyes, the panicking woman transformed into something else. Something definitely more dangerous. She relaxed in her chair, staring with a blank face. She was in a negotiation pose.
“I am calm”
“Y-Yeah”
“You agreed to help me. Why?”
“This is my job so I can’t not agree. This Person B is involved with the Erin Walsh case. I was about to find out who they were before you called me here”
“Person B, I have definitely heard of that moniker in the underworld. It’s not every day you come across such a strange codename. So, since we’re both involved in this, let’s draft a contract of partnership”
“Isn’t that a bit excessive?”
“My family, life, and business are on the line here. Still think it’s excessive?”
“.....Fine. I’ll check it out after you draft it and change the clauses if I don’t like it”
“Once we sign the contract, both of us would become partners, bound to catch Person B and kill that bastard”
“Y-Yes”
The murderous aura that Louis was giving off was no joke. It made him wonder if she had really killed someone before. A thought like that carried him all the way to the office. Walking through the reception, he was stopped by one of the front desk officers.
“You had a mail come in”
“Thanks”
He received the small brown envelope and walked to his cubicle. Almost everyone in the office with the exception of the chief was out. He wondered if something was going on. He walked to the chief’s office and knocked.
“Grisha, you’re here?”
“I just came back. Is anything wrong?”
“There’s a car chase. Honestly, some people just love to annoy the police”
“An escaped convict?”
“Yes. Since you’re on another case, there’s no need to attend to this. How was your meeting with the CEO?”
“Eventful” He said profoundly. The chief looked confused but he released Mikhail. Once he got back to his cubicle, he opened the envelope. Inside it was a picture of an abandoned warehouse with an address on the back. There was also a letter addressed to him.
[First Mission: Pick up this delivery tomorrow at 10 am sharp.
Ps. You have to go with your partner]
Mikhail fought the urge to rip the glittered letter and just flung it to a side on his desk.
“The CEO is right. They really are bastards”
- Writer
