[Mr.X]: 171.Death of a Rose.Chapter 2

It was a 9mm handgun fitted with a highly illegal metal silencer. The fact that it was metal spoke a great deal since most silencers are plastic and disposable. This one had seen enough use to justify its permanence. The man lifted the weapon from its crib with ever so delicate motions. He held it out and sighted the weapon momentarily on the far wall. Satisfied that the alignments had not been moved out of place during transport he replaced the pistol and covered it once more with the foam crib bottom. The envelope came next, he undid the red drawstring holding it closed and slipped out the contents, letting them slid in a jumble onto the wooden study desk. Placing the envelope aside he began to sift through the items, when he was finished a small stack of papers sat on one end and an even smaller stack of photos was placed on the other. He lifted the first clean white page off the top of the stack and read the heading:

Fredrick Carver
Due: Friday October 13th 2004
Transfer of Funds: One-hundred thousand US (100,000)
Payment Plan: Fifty thousand dollars US (50,000) preceding
    Fifty thousand dollars US (50,000) pending

Simple enough. He had already committed this most simplistic information to memory. He continued to read:

Terms of Contract: In keeping with the previously signed liability forms, all actions taken during the execution of this assignment are hereby subject to the binding agreements on said forms and any breaches of agreement will be dealt with according to the section XII terms as noted on the attached copies of the previously noted signed liability forms. This agency as previously stated takes no responsibility for any actions undertaken during the carrying out of this assignment and reserves the claim of utter deniability pertaining to any association with this assignment. This extends to all hearings, tribunals, and any other method of prosecution criminal or otherwise taking place at any location in the world.

Typical legal text, more information he had long committed to memory. Below was this:

Assignment Policy: For this assignment the following regulations have been placed into effect. Breaches in this area of task will not result in compromise of contract but carry penalties including, but not limited to, deduction of payment as compensation for cleaner services.

Regulations:

1. Collateral damage is kept to a minimum. (Collateral damage is detailed in Section XVI of the legal forms and has now been extended to include massive property destruction and international incidents)
2. Collateral subsection: witness count during the final stages of this assignment are to not exceed zero (0)
3. Collateral subsection: permission is granted to deal with any and all private security measures in place, both human and technological with any means necessary permitting that in doing so does not violate the above two (2) regulations.
4. No specific method is required for this assignment. The agent is free to use any means at his/her disposal during contract fulfillment.

He refreshed his memory in this area and then placed the sheet aside before snatching up one of the photographs. It was a black and white, large, and very clearly in focus. It showed a man wearing a suit striding across the sidewalk from his parked limousine to the front doors of the Hotel Virgilio. The photo looked like it hade been shot from a high angle, likely atop a building looking down on this scene. Partially visible were two personal security members who looked occupied in some inscrutable way. The man's face was fairly clear, a middle-aged man of pale complexion and wearing a grim look behind a dark brown beard. He eyes were slanted ever so slightly as to give the impression of some sort of half-realized sneer he wore at all times. At the bottom of the photo a date and time were hastily written in dark red, as from a permanent marker.

The man flipped through the remaining documents (Most containing personal information on the intended target) and photos (showing the target in varying situations and with varying degrees of clarity) before replacing them in the envelope.

Next he removed the PDA and flicked it on. He scrolled through the menus until he was able to call up the CAD program. A simplified floor plan of the Virgilio (liberated from the New York architectural department earlier by his employers) snapped onto the screen, tracking his position with GPS and showing him as a flashing red dot on the VDT. He flicked the PDA off again.

The man sat down on the couch in the sitting area and picked up the phone, he dialed the front desk from the number on the quick reference pad on the phone. It rang once before an attendant's over-pleasant voice almost sang out the pre-rehearsed greeting. "Hello Virgilio reception, what can I do for you?" came the slightly garbled telephone voice. "Hello, I'm trying to reach my friend Mr. Carver but I seem to have misplaced his room number would you be able to give it to me?" "One moment sir." The voice replied before the line went on hold. A thirty second wait and the attendant returned. "I'm sorry sir but Mr. Carver has requested no callers or visitors and does not want his room number divulged, if I could have your name I could inform him of it, I'm sure he'd allow a friend of his this exception." The receptionist replied with cool smoothness. "Oh, that's alright I had scheduled to meet him this evening for dinner and I wanted to check in with him, but I'll just talk to him then, let the old hermit have his privacy." The man chuckled as best he could. "Very well sir, is there anything else?" "No that's all, thank you."

He hung up the phone and immediately rose from the couch. He made sure all documents and photos were safely stored back in the case before stepping out of his hotel room with the cellular phone from his coat pocket and his room keycard. He rode the elevator down to the ground floor and strode out into the lobby among the throngs of people. He deftly made his way through the crowd once more until he was close to the reception desk; among the crowd of people checking in with the line of attendants behind the counter. He dialed the front desk again from the cell phone. A phone rang in front of one of the female attendants; she answered and gave the customary greeting. "Hello I'd like to reach Mister Carver please." The man said into the phone. "One moment sir the receptionist replied. The phone went on hold again and the receptionist began typing into the computer. The man moved up beside her and made to reach for one of the brochures, dropping his cell-phone behind the desk in the process. He tapped her on the shoulder, "excuse me miss but could you…" He motioned at the phone. She smiled and bent to retrieve it. The man's eyes darted to the computer screen and immediately scanned the info sheet on screen before finding the room number: 416. He waited for the woman to retrieve the phone and hand him one of the brochures in the process. "Thank you." He said before turning and walking away into the crowd. He flipped his phone open again and waited as the woman repeated what the first attendant had told him. He repeated the same lie about dinner and then hung up, dropping the brochure on Caribbean Vacations into a trashcan as he swept past it.

As he was riding the elevator car back up to his room the cell phone rang in his pocket again. He picked it up. "Yes?" "Table six, one hour. Don't be late David." And then the line went dead. He flipped the phone closed and replaced it in his pocket. Seems like he did have a dinner engagement after-all, but as he stepped out of the elevator car he once again caught that smell. Dying roses….