Project 365
Three days passed before she slipped her key into the lock. The bolt slid into the door with ease. She smiled at the thought of the cleaning crew keeping the place warm for her. She pushed open the heavy metal door secured with an electronic alarm and keypad. She stared down a long hallway painted white. The frames for doors marred the antiseptic walls. Nerissa let the door close behind her before she walked down the hall.
The first door to her left opened on the work-out room. The weights, benches and machines waited for a work-out. Nerissa saw herself in the mirrors along the back wall; brown overcoat flapped around her legs as a black, soft suitcase dangled from her hand. Behind her, the door to the locker room was closed. It was quiet. She noticed how very quiet it was.
The next door was to the training room. Thick mats covered the walls and floor. The one-way mirror allowed Nerissa to see more of the room as she walked past the closed door. She could see her shadowy reflection in the smoky glass. She stopped to pull her sunglasses down her nose. She sighed.
She passed the meeting room with the long, oval, oak table and accompanying chairs, the research library filled with bookshelves, books, and two computers, and a small janitorial closest that held the emergency kit she’d pulled out at least once a week in another life. Nerissa reached out with her finger tips to brush the door before she stopped at the end of the hallway.
The door was closed. The brass holder for the name plaque was empty; it was bolted to the center of the door at eye level. She took off her sunglasses to stare at it for a good long while.
She slipped her glasses into her coat pocket before she grabbed the door handle.
She inhaled. The office was clean. Wood polish shined the desktop. It was littered with stacks of paper. Mail from the past month was stacked in the inbox. She circled the desk. Her coat tails brushed against the filing cabinet. The antique, wooden chair slid on its old granite wheels until its back bumped against the floor-to-ceiling bookcase. Nerissa set her briefcase on an empty spot on the desk.
Her coat slipped from her shoulders. She stepped to hang it on a standing rack. As she cleared her throat, she stepped between the desk and the chair. He cleared his throat from the doorway.
“Oh,” Nerissa stopped herself from sitting down. “Mel. Hi. I see the carrier pigeons worked.”
With his arms folded over his chest, he winced. “Stop sending them. Honestly, they are making a mess of my living room.”
“You wouldn’t answer your phone.”
“There was a reason for that.”
“I wanted to apologize.” Nerissa pushed the chair under the desk. She watched her pointy boots peek out from beneath her wrinkle-free dress slacks as she walked around the desk.
“For what, exactly?” He lifted his chin.
“For – for everything.” She laced her fingers. “I should’ve told you I still loved Tom. That my heart wasn’t available. That I only slept with you because I was afraid I’d kill myself if I stayed alone.”
Mel stiffened. His fair brow drew down onto the bridge of his slender nose. He frowned.
“You’re a good man, Mel, too good for the likes of me.”
“How about I decide what’s good for me?” He took her hands after he crossed to her. Nerissa looked up into his crystal, blue eyes. He smiled.
“Excuse me.” While wrapping his knuckles on the door frame, Nathaniel stuck his head in the door. “Is this the too-honest hour or are we meeting?”
Nerissa withdrew her hands. Mel shot an angry scowl over his shoulder before he stepped away. With his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, Nathaniel slumped and hung his head.
“Come in,” Nerissa extended her hand before she walked back around the desk. She sat this time to open her soft satchel. “Yes, I wanted to meet.”
The young man hung in the door way like some sad, lonely shadow until the half-elf clamped a hand upon his shoulder and dragged him in. He staggered and fell into one of the two, over-stuffed chairs in front of the desk. He slouched even lower, as if he was sure he did something wrong. Mel patted him lightly before moving to the other side of the room to look over the books on the dark, wooden shelves.
While she busied herself pulling folders and ledgers from her bag, Nerissa looked up to find her sister in the other seat. Dressed in her running gear, Evie sat with fingertips pressed together and her elbows resting on the arms of her chair. She did not smile and she did not frown. Her sister nodded before pushing green folders towards them.
Nerissa watched her sister while she held her breath to the count of five. She exhaled and smiled. The corner of Evie’s mouth turned upwards slightly. She took the folder.
“These are the rest of the forms I need you to complete. The first one outlines damages for the various work-related possibilities. The next one is for next of kin, legal contacts, and banking information.” Nerissa folded her hands. “After you’ve completed these, we’ll discuss our next assignment.”
“Are we going after that bad ass that wandered off the other night?” Nathaniel riffled through the paper without reading a page. He eyed the boss lady.
“No.”
“No?”
“But didn’t he kill your husband that I didn’t know about?” Evie dropped the papers into her lap and slumped down to Nathaniel’s level.
“Listen. If you’re going to be on this team, you will do as I ask.” Nerissa looked from one to the other in a point of making eye contact. Her face remained serious. “It is not to be touched. Not now. Not for a while.”
No one said anything. Nerissa stood from her desk. “Right. Let me give you a tour and then we’ll discuss our first assignment.”
Project 365 Short Stories by Mary Lewys is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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