Woo hoo! Part 2 of the Solve-the-Mystery Contest. Five posts. One mystery. One prize.

Read all about it here. Read Part One.

The Assignment

 Agent Chloe gasped. The package. It was time. Her first assignment. With her phone, she snapped a picture, then picked up the envelope.

 For the love of Bond, she thought, this is heavy. For a brief moment, panic seized her chest as she thought back to ninth grade English and the Fellowship of the Ring. She prayed there would be no Elvin songs for her to translate. French, Russian, German, and Mandarin had been hard enough to learn. She only knew a few basic words in Elvin, like house and dog.

 She clutched the package to her chest. First, she had to inspect the area. She pried open the door with her elbow and made a sweep for bugs in the bathroom. All clear. Except for a beetle, due North. After planting a video device on the back wall, next to the paper towels, she put on a special pair of sunglasses with a video feed. Then she closed the door to her office and got comfortable.

 With a sigh, she started on page one. She tapped her stiletto heels. Weather? On the first page? She could not figure out why it was so important for her to know that clouds laced with pink floated across the clear blue sky like a dove in early morn. Get to the point already, she thought. Her frustration grew as she skimmed pages and pages of more weather, description of places and people, and seemingly drab conversation between people who didn’t seem relevant to the case.

 But then, on page 116. A murder. In a hotel. Near a waterpark. She didn’t need to know anymore. She’d read enough. One man, with bushy brown hair, was obviously the killer. And the man ate Oreo cookies by the dozen.

 The assignment was clear. Find the Oreo Cookie Killer. Before he struck again. She always loved a cozy mystery. She rushed from the stall. From her big black purse, she pulled out a simple black comb but when plugged into her cell phone it became a paper shredder. Quickly and quietly, she shredded the assignment.

 Secrecy and stealth would make or break her first case.

Welcome to the solve-the-mystery contest.  Five posts. One mystery. One prize.

Read all about it here.

The Drop-off

 Agent Chloe admired her sleek new haircut in the rearview mirror. She fumbled in her purse for the sunglasses – reflective ones – so a bystander couldn’t tell if she was searching their ears for hidden microphones or observing telltale crumbs on their lapel. She’d been dreaming of this day since she was a little girl – ever since Barfy Bobby with the bushy hair had stolen her whoopee pie at lunch in third grade. As she gnawed on celery sticks that lunch period, she’d vowed to make a difference in this world. And stop crime.

 She finished off her Diet Coke, then opened the door and stepped out. The warm May air whispered past, carrying with it the smell of success. Today was her day. Her shining moment. She tugged her black jacket over her stomach roll. Okay, she really needed to cut back on the whoopee pies. It would ruin her image.

 After a few wobbly steps on her new stiletto heels, Agent Chloe threw her shoulders back and strode toward the Marriot Hotel in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. She’d been hoping for someplace more exotic for her first assignment. Something with a private spa and a sexy massage therapist. Cocoa Key Water Park with teenage lifeguards didn’t quite cut the mustard.

 The door swished open. And she slid into the lobby of the hotel. In her head, the cameras rolled. In slow motion, with a confident step and her arms swinging, she crossed through the plethora of people huddled in groups to the appointed drop-off. She’d spent the last few weeks studying Jennifer Garner’s every move on Alias. Thank God for Netflix.

 Minutes passed. Agent Chloe tapped her fake nails against the wall, next to the humongous potted fern. She shifted from foot to foot and tried to look suave as she crossed her legs. She couldn’t miss the drop-off due to Diet Coke. Finally, unable to stand it, she rushed to the little girl’s room. She closed the stall door with her elbow, wishing like hell she’d brought her hand sanitizer.

 As Agent Chloe zipped up her pants, an envelope slid across the floor and landed at her feet. The word AGENT was written in bold black letters across the front.

 The drop-off.