The Bitter Truth

28

Richard held the door for Jessica to walk inside of the massive National Crime Agency building. The National Crime Agency was created by the International Police in efforts to fight against organized crimes and other major offending that cuts across regional and International borders.

As they walked towards the front desk together, their footsteps echoed throughout the front lobby. Richard held up his Credentials just as the receptionist looked up at them. The gold badge was clipped to the inside of the I.D. case.

British Secret Service Agent...Joshua Hemingway.

The receptionist looked at him in the eyes. He had a deep blue eyes. She then glanced at the woman next to him. She looked very attractive as well, and something about her posture told her that she held some kind of authority.

"She is with me." Richard said before she asked for identification.

"I am so sorry for your lost Mr. Hemingway. Our staff is grieving for your mother. She left us a legacy of hope."

He nodded and walked away before his eyes filled with water of tears.

With one simple gesture of kindness, Jessica simply rubbed her left hand on his back. Richard took a deep breath and held it for a second before letting it go. He pressed a button and called the elevator. The doors opened right away and they stepped inside.

"I know that I will be grieving for the rest of my life. I will always wonder what I could have done differently." He wiped a tear with the palm of his hand. "I will try to live my life to the very fullest possible, but in the midst of the most joyful occasions, I know I will feel bits of sadness and grief if I remember her." He pressed a button for the elevator to take them to the fifth floor.

Jessica nodded.

Richard inhaled a deep breath as the doors to the elevator closed.

"Well, let me tell you a little bit about this Agency and why my Mother worked here. This Agency has taken on a range of functions from a different National Agency that has been scrapped as part of the Government's changes to policing." They felt the elevator moving upwards. "These areas include: a specialist database relating to injuries and unusual weapons, expert research on potential serial killers, and the National Missing Persons Bureau." The elevator stopped and Jessica felt a butterfly feeling in her stomach. "And that is what my Mother did here." The doors to the elevator opened. "My Mother was an Agent in charge of finding missing people."

They stepped in the hallway and Jessica followed Richard. They walked three doors down the hall and Richard stopped. The door to his mother's office was completely left open. His eyes swept the office space and what he saw made his body sway. Jessica stopped next to him and also looked confused. Richard furrowed his eyebrows and exchanged glances with Jessica. His Mother's office was completely empty. Unfurnished. He brought his hands to his forehead. "This can't be..." he whispered. The Government got here before us...

The N.C.A. Agent took his eyes off his computer screen and stared at the T.V. mounted on the wall directly in front of him across his office. The image that he saw made him open his mouth with awe. He was shocked. Terrified. Dumbfounded.

How in bloody hell did this happen?

He opened one of the drawers to his office desk and took out the remote controller. He raised the volume and listened to the breaking news. He took the channel off live T.V. and rewound to the beginning of the news. He listened to the whole coverage and paused the channel. Quickly getting out of his seat, he stormed to the door.

I will be dammed!

Someone slammed the door down the hall.

Jessica saw him before Richard and wondered why he was leaving in such a hurry.