Chapter Three
The parlour of the Hershold Mansion was still swarming with bomb explosion experts and police uniformed officers after the ambulance left the scene. The house staff were being interviewed to give account of what had happened. Some female maids were sobbing at the corner of the entrance of the house. They could not believe what had just happened. This was in reaction to what they believed had happened to Mr. Hershold.
Some TV station vans had also just arrived to cover the story. This was big. The police officers at the scene tried to keep the anchormen away from getting too close to the house, but some manservants of the house seized the opportunity to grab the spotlight by evasively granting live interviews to these same anchormen when the police wasn't watching. They exaggerated on their account of what actually happened, which interestingly made for good news.
Everybody was busy at the scene of the bombing that they didn't notice a stranger amongst them. A man in a casual black jacket with jockeys and a baseball cap on his head was standing close to the rose bush in front of the house. He was calmly observing what had just happened. He somehow felt uneasy with a clenched fist on one hand and the other hiding an object, a pistol, in the side of the jacket.
Something had gone wrong. Someone had made a mess of things. And someone had gotten to Michael before he did. He was right on schedule and everything was supposed to go as planned that night unless somebody wanted the Hersholds dead in such a calculated and gruesome manner. Well, one had survived that night… and still he did not know if she was safe or she was a loose end which will be taken care of soon…either way, he had to come to terms with his failed mission and inform the Man at the other end of the Line.
He pressed on the speed dial of a flip phone and waited a while…
A deep voice received from the other end
"Agent 008…" "What's your status?"… The voice asked methodically…
"Mr. Hershold is dead, but his wife is at the hospital" the man in the baseball cap reported back.
"Did you retrieve the Package, 008?"… The voice inquired
"No. I did not get to Michael. I believe it was a freak accident… it should be on the news by now", 008 said, secretly believing Michael was assassinated, and this was no accident at all.
"Go to the Hospital" The voice instructed
"Should I make contact?" 008 asked.
"Await further instructions" the voice commanded without answering the question 008 posed earlier. There was a beep sound and no ensuing exchange.
Black Hunter closed the flip phone and readjusted the baseball cap on his head. He slipped pass the crowd in front of the house and vanished into the darkness.