Code Name Orchid

Chapter 1

       Michael Richards sat on his couch staring at the television news.

Miami police are still no further along with the investigation into the month old murder of a man who was in witness protection. The officer who was assigned to protect the witness had stepped out of the safe house for ten minutes to go to a nearby Seven Eleven. The victim had apparently opened the door to the killer who shot him in the head at close range, mostly likely with a handgun. There were no witnesses.

Michael had called a friend of his in the Miami police force who was able to tell him the bullet that had killed the victim was a 0.22 calibre bullet.
It was Hannah, it had to be. This was her trademark kill. Always a single 0.22 calibre bullet to the head at close range.

But then Michael's friend had given him further news that hadn't been given to the media. Two days after the witness killing the body of a man was found in an apartment at Miami Beach. He had been shot in the chest by a 0.22 calibre bullet. The lessee of the apartment had disappeared, but the description of her by the neighbours had closely matched Hannah.

There was no doubt about it. Hannah was in Miami.

He couldn't sit around here doing nothing anymore. He was going to Miami to look for his wife. He packed a bag and was reaching for the phone to book a plane ticket to Florida when the phone rang.

"Is this Detective Michael Richards?" an unfamiliar female voice said.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"I know where your wife is."

"Yeah I know where she is too. Who are you?"

"I can't tell you who I am, and I'm calling from a payphone to be safe."

"Safe from who?"

"From your wife. She told me not to tell anyone I saw her last night at a restaurant called the Lafayette in Washington DC."

"Washington? Are you sure? I'm almost certain she's in Miami."

"I'm telling you I saw her in Washington. I've met your wife before in Vancouver, so I'm positive it's her. And also she practically admitted to me who she was."

After Michael hung up the phone he sat down and thought for a minute. Could this anonymous caller be right? Had Hannah moved on to the Capital?

He opened his computer and went online to see if there had been any murders in Washington in the last few weeks which fitted Hannah's M.O. A businessman was shot dead last night not far from a popular restaurant in Washington. No further details given, but he made up his mind. The caller had sounded genuine. Michael called the airline and booked a seat on a flight to Washington the following afternoon.

*****

For the third time she checked her front door was double locked and all the windows were secure, although being on the third floor of the apartment block it seemed unlikely anyone would try to get in through a window.

Ever since Chantelle had come face to face with a notorious assassin two nights previously she hadn't felt safe. Would Hannah come after her to silence her after she had been stupid enough to blurt out in front of her that she knew who she was?

She thought back to that night at the Fairmont in Vancouver about three months before. She had served a drink to the attractive tall woman with the blonde hair, which had turned out to be a wig, as she had chatted to a man who she later killed in his room. Then a few weeks later her photo had been all over the news when it had been revealed she was married to a police detective. She had long dark hair in those photos, but the other night she was a brunette. Probably changed her hair colour to avoid being recognised.

After the encounter in the bathroom Chantelle had returned to her table in the restaurant to rejoin her three friends, but as they were chatting Chantelle looked over her friend's shoulder to see Hannah sitting down with a man in a suit at a nearby table. As she stared at her Hannah had looked up with a smile and waved at her. Chantelle had quickly averted her gaze. She hadn't mentioned it to her friends of course, but now she couldn't help wondering if the assassin was coming after her. The last thing she had said in the bathroom was that she would see her again soon. What did that mean?

Chantelle jumped as her phone chimed. Caller unknown flashed on the screen.

"Hello," she said.

"I know who you are and I know where you live," said a monotone female voice.

"W-what? Who is this? Chantelle stammered.

Then she heard laughing down the phone. "It's me, Fiona, from work. What, did I scare you?"

"No you didn't," Chantelle said with a sigh of relief. Actually she had been terrified for a couple of seconds thinking it was Hannah on the phone.

"I just called to ask if I could swap shifts with you. If you do my shift tomorrow night, I'll do yours on Saturday night. I have a hot date tomorrow."

"Sure, I can do it," Chantelle answered, "You have a hot date? Lucky you.

"Thanks, and hey, you're not going to believe this, but I just heard it on the news. A man who was at the Lafayette on Tuesday night was found shot dead! That's the night we were there. The police are looking for the woman he was with at the restaurant. They think she did it. Tall with long brown hair wearing a black skirt and jacket. Can you remember a woman like that at the restaurant? Hey, are you still there?"

Chantelle was still there, but she had slumped onto her couch and the phone slipped from her hand. The man in the suit she had seen Hannah with that night must have been the victim. Should she go to the police and tell them what she knew? But if she did Hannah would find out she had talked and come after her.

She picked up the phone, "Sorry, Fiona, I dropped the phone, but I have to go. I'll work your shift tomorrow night." She pressed the disconnect button and sat thinking for several minutes.
She couldn't go to the police, but there was someone she could tell. She found the number she had called the previous night and dialled it. It went to voicemail giving a mobile number which she then called. A minute later Michael Richards answered.

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