AFTER A TWO-HOUR TRAVEL, Sephy decided to rest in a small hotel on the other side of the highway. She took the first exit to follow the auxiliary road. She passed the gas station and continued on until she reached the parking lot. She gently parked the Corvette in the space closest to the front door.
She put out her cigarette in the ashtray. Then she stuffed the photographs she had seen shortly after her conversation with The Master into the envelope. They were spread out on the passenger seat, along with the other papers containing references to her next victim. She took the key out of the ignition and opened the door. Outside, the night air soothed her most desperate thoughts. She took a deep breath, lifting the collar of her overcoat until it covered part of her cheeks.
Then, with firm steps, she headed to the lobby of the hotel she had chosen. The girl who served her at the reception was discreet and didn't look at her face for longer than necessary. As soon as she saw the guest walking through the door, she immediately struck her as someone unpredictable, with a temperament capable of causing some damage to the business if she had a problem with the employees. Perhaps for this reason, she treated her with great delicacy and politeness, before handing her the room key.
The teenager standing by the counter made a move to bend down to pick up her luggage, but Sephy refused to hand him the suitcase she was carrying, although she did tip the helpful valet a good amount.
When she was alone in the room, she left her clothes on the bed, so that she could more easily take off her leather coat. Then she took her cell phone out of her inside pocket. She had to call the Agency.
The Agency was a criminal syndicate that was spreading across the planet like a spreading pandemic virus. Its headquarters were located in one of the most modern buildings in São Paulo, with the perfect façade of a company dedicated to corporate security and bodyguard services, called Corpsson. No one knew who was behind the Management Committee, nor how employees were recruited and clients were acquired.
The employees contacted the central office by phone and via the web and, in the same way, received information about the selected victims and who required their services. That was how he became aware of a certain brotherhood of bricklayers — led by an architect who was passionate about speleology — who urgently needed to shut up a guy who had discovered one of their greatest secrets.
Sephy was not exactly one of those people who follow rules carelessly or who make a decision without having thought it through deeply. Quite the opposite, he was methodical, unperturbed and cautious with his clients' orders, respecting without hesitation the reasons that led them to want the death of their enemies.
However, something immediately caught her attention: the fact that they were giving so much importance to the burning of a simple manuscript. According to the report given to her by the Corpsson staff, the destruction of the text was a priority.
That piqued her curiosity and, like Pandora, she decided to open the box of thunder and wait for the result. But she had to act with caution. Within the Agency there was another parallel company, dedicated to washing the dirty laundry of the staff and correcting their mistakes.
If she wasn't careful, she could end her days with a plastic bag over her head or a bullet in the back of the head. She took off her gloves before pressing the numbers on her cell phone. Immediately, she heard the dial tone. A short while later, the female voice of a secretary — with a clear Anglo-Saxon accent — greeted her in a neutral tone.
— Corpsson, on the line. How can I help you?
Sephy gave her a password made up of six letters and four numbers alternately. After a few seconds of waiting, the call was forwarded to the director's office. While he was listening, she spoke in a firm voice:
— No setbacks. The sun is shining in the Swiss Alps. I will remain in Spain for a few more weeks. They have decided to renew my contract. For more information, speak to The Master.
She pressed the red button, ending the call, and threw the cell phone on the bed. Then she went to the balcony, from where she could see the lights of the cars speeding by on the highway.
She lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. Then she began to laugh. She imagined the face The Master would make if he knew that she had only partially completed her first task.