The Letter (Part Two)
By: Elyse Wright
Tags: Mystery, Fiction Series, Fiction, Lovethyself, Writing

Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash

Three months earlier

She sat up, looking around the room as if it were for the very first time. But she was as familiar with the faded wallpaper as she was her own hands. Glancing at the open window, she brushed aside the sheer black curtains to check the temperature. It was almost time to leave. She opened a drawer to an old oak dresser, its handles tarnished and the wood splintering. She could have it fixed, but she chose not, and instead used it to remind her of her past.

She dressed in silence, pairing her black dress with her signature mismatched socks. It wasn’t cold enough for tights, she decided. Glancing at her desk, she hesitated. Her journal lay open and the pen she forgot to cap was surely slowly drying up. She didn’t have time to write, she decided. She had her tasks for the day. She would write later. Gathering her things and a light jacket, she walked down the stairs.

She paused to admire the light streaming in through the French doors. God, she loved those doors. The shoes she always wore stood perfectly aligned with the umbrella stand. She always thought it was funny there was an umbrella stand in this house. It could be so old fashioned sometimes. Shoes on, she checked her belongings and placed them in her handbag. She closed it and then out of habit, opened the bag once more. Satisfied everything was in place, she went outside, locking the doors behind her. She would be back late, she thought.

The walk would be nice, she decided, opting out of driving. As she trudged along the familiar road, she remained deep in thought. A hawk’s screaming call pulled her from her daydream, and she glanced around her. She was close. A few more minutes and she would be there. The breeze whipped by, reminding her that autumn would be over soon. She couldn’t remember if she had closed the window. It was of no matter, she decided. The sky didn’t look like it would rain and it wasn’t too cold. She walked the final steps and took a sharp right, trotting down a path in the woods any other person would overlook. The deeper into the woods she walked, the more relaxed she felt. No one had followed her and she could complete her mission. Find the tree, she reminded herself.

Her eyes scanned the cluster of trees and she chastised herself for once again forgetting her glasses. Her phone buzzed, jolting her. In the depths of the woods, the quiet sound was almost deafening. Her heart hammered. How could she have forgotten to turn the sound off? That was always the first thing she did before walking down this path. Perhaps she was losing her touch. She had been warned that her small mistakes would add up. Maybe they were right. It was of no use to worry about it now, she decided. She was still trusted with the most highly regarded tasks. She smiled slightly to herself as she thought of all she had carried out. Her successes far outweighed these small mistakes.

The pine tree looked like any other tree, but the trained eye could spot one slight difference. She swept aside the carefully placed pine needles and touched her finger to the metal. An almost silent beep signaled she indeed had permission to be there. Counting to five, she steadied herself and began her task.