Strictly Business
by Bill Robertson
Genre: Crime/Mystery
Swearwords: None.
Description: A short tale of international dirty tricks.
_____________________________________________________________________
‘How was Bogota?’
They were standing in front of the model globe. Anderson could feel the slight chill of air-conditioning through his suit. Outside the muggy New York streets awaited his return.
‘The arrangements were excellent as usual.’
‘And Señor Mendoza?’ Philips let the question hang in the cool air. He was close enough that Anderson caught a faint whiff of his cologne. He remembered the heat from the car bomb washing over him even from a safe distance. The plume of black smoke had stretched above the city streets like a crooked exclamation point, confirming that Carlos Mendoza had ceased to exist.
‘…Will no longer be a problem.’
‘And the authorities?’
‘Mendoza frequently criticised the drug lords, so everyone assumes the Cartel did it. So far the press hasn’t made the connection to his campaign against foreign investment.’
‘Excellent,’ Philips turned to the younger man. ‘I believe there was some collateral damage?’
Anderson nodded.
‘Señor Mendoza’s wife and his daughter were also in the car.’ Ana Maria Mendoza had been just six years old. Her smiling, gap-toothed school picture had stared out at him from the front pages of the newspaper while he waited for his flight.
‘Unfortunate,’ Philips shrugged. ‘However, these things happen in our line of work.’ He smiled. ‘You’ve done well, Jimmy. Your name is going to be heard by a lot of important people after this, you mark my words.’
‘It’s good to know that my work is appreciated.’
‘That’s the spirit, Jimmy,’ Philips clapped him on the shoulder. ‘I have another assignment coming up if you’re interested.’
Anderson hesitated. He was exhausted after the Mendoza mission but perhaps keeping busy would be for the best under the circumstances.
‘What’s the job?’
‘Bit of a change from the last one,’ he rotated the globe. ‘How’s your Russian?’
‘Pretty good. I have a slight southern accent but not enough to make me stand out.’
‘Perfect.’ He reached into his inside pocket and handed over a small black box. It looked just like a regular Smartphone.
‘You can download more information via this once you leave here.’
‘Any other special instructions?’
‘You’ll need to pay a quick visit to the Lab before you go.’
‘The Lab? What for?’
‘This job needs to be a little less… public, shall we say, than your last one. The political situation is more delicate. We need this to look like natural causes. From what I gather the eggheads downstairs have concocted something using polonium to do the trick.’
‘Polonium?’
‘It’s a radioactive isotope. The effects won’t be immediate but they should be fatal in the long run. You’ll be completely safe of course.’
‘I see. Well, I’d best get down there and make a start.’ He made as if to leave.
‘Jimmy?’ Philips called after him. Anderson turned back.
‘Mendoza’s family – I trust you aren’t being troubled by any pangs of conscience.’
He thought again of the photographs and shook his head. Conscience was a luxury.
‘Strictly business, Mr Philips.’
Swearwords: None.
Description: A short tale of international dirty tricks.
_____________________________________________________________________
‘How was Bogota?’
They were standing in front of the model globe. Anderson could feel the slight chill of air-conditioning through his suit. Outside the muggy New York streets awaited his return.
‘The arrangements were excellent as usual.’
‘And Señor Mendoza?’ Philips let the question hang in the cool air. He was close enough that Anderson caught a faint whiff of his cologne. He remembered the heat from the car bomb washing over him even from a safe distance. The plume of black smoke had stretched above the city streets like a crooked exclamation point, confirming that Carlos Mendoza had ceased to exist.
‘…Will no longer be a problem.’
‘And the authorities?’
‘Mendoza frequently criticised the drug lords, so everyone assumes the Cartel did it. So far the press hasn’t made the connection to his campaign against foreign investment.’
‘Excellent,’ Philips turned to the younger man. ‘I believe there was some collateral damage?’
Anderson nodded.
‘Señor Mendoza’s wife and his daughter were also in the car.’ Ana Maria Mendoza had been just six years old. Her smiling, gap-toothed school picture had stared out at him from the front pages of the newspaper while he waited for his flight.
‘Unfortunate,’ Philips shrugged. ‘However, these things happen in our line of work.’ He smiled. ‘You’ve done well, Jimmy. Your name is going to be heard by a lot of important people after this, you mark my words.’
‘It’s good to know that my work is appreciated.’
‘That’s the spirit, Jimmy,’ Philips clapped him on the shoulder. ‘I have another assignment coming up if you’re interested.’
Anderson hesitated. He was exhausted after the Mendoza mission but perhaps keeping busy would be for the best under the circumstances.
‘What’s the job?’
‘Bit of a change from the last one,’ he rotated the globe. ‘How’s your Russian?’
‘Pretty good. I have a slight southern accent but not enough to make me stand out.’
‘Perfect.’ He reached into his inside pocket and handed over a small black box. It looked just like a regular Smartphone.
‘You can download more information via this once you leave here.’
‘Any other special instructions?’
‘You’ll need to pay a quick visit to the Lab before you go.’
‘The Lab? What for?’
‘This job needs to be a little less… public, shall we say, than your last one. The political situation is more delicate. We need this to look like natural causes. From what I gather the eggheads downstairs have concocted something using polonium to do the trick.’
‘Polonium?’
‘It’s a radioactive isotope. The effects won’t be immediate but they should be fatal in the long run. You’ll be completely safe of course.’
‘I see. Well, I’d best get down there and make a start.’ He made as if to leave.
‘Jimmy?’ Philips called after him. Anderson turned back.
‘Mendoza’s family – I trust you aren’t being troubled by any pangs of conscience.’
He thought again of the photographs and shook his head. Conscience was a luxury.
‘Strictly business, Mr Philips.’
About the Author
Born in Perth and now living just outside Aberdeen, Bill Robertson has created a large body of work showcasing a tendency towards the darker side of life and stories which leave an indelible impression on the reader long after the final word is read.
An active member of Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree Writer’s Group, Bill’s work has appeared in Journeys, an anthology of work from the group, and most recently in a chapbook, Himself by the Seaside. He has performed some of his stories as part of the Word and New Words festivals and other events around the north-east. He has also self published two e-books: Reindeer Dust, a short Christmas story, and When the Revolution Comes, a collection of linked short stories concerning an uprising in a fictional eastern European country. A number of his stories have featured on the website http://www.shortbreadstories.co.uk, where he has been chosen as the featured Friday story a number of times and has won a number of competitions with his short stories and flash fiction pieces.
If you would like to hear an interview with Bill and listen to him read some of his work, please go to this link to hear Bill’s appearance on Mearns FM's Smith on Sunday show. You can also keep up to date with Bill’s work by visiting http://www.billrobertson55.wordpress.com, where he often shares work in progress as well as finished stories.
An active member of Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree Writer’s Group, Bill’s work has appeared in Journeys, an anthology of work from the group, and most recently in a chapbook, Himself by the Seaside. He has performed some of his stories as part of the Word and New Words festivals and other events around the north-east. He has also self published two e-books: Reindeer Dust, a short Christmas story, and When the Revolution Comes, a collection of linked short stories concerning an uprising in a fictional eastern European country. A number of his stories have featured on the website http://www.shortbreadstories.co.uk, where he has been chosen as the featured Friday story a number of times and has won a number of competitions with his short stories and flash fiction pieces.
If you would like to hear an interview with Bill and listen to him read some of his work, please go to this link to hear Bill’s appearance on Mearns FM's Smith on Sunday show. You can also keep up to date with Bill’s work by visiting http://www.billrobertson55.wordpress.com, where he often shares work in progress as well as finished stories.