Dialing...

Chapter 4

The previously dormant phone starts ringing. I walk over to the intercom panel in the living room and tell Andy to track the call. Then head over to the phone. I pick it up.

'Sweetheart, what did you do?'

'Huh?'

'It's not going to work.'

'What won't?'

He sighed, 'You're trying to track me, and it's not going to work.'

I acted exasperated, 'That's not why you called, but I'm guessing you won't say it so-'

'You got the box.'

'Maybe.'

'That wasn't a question it was a statement.'

'Yeah, I got the damn box. No way of opening it.'

He chuckled, 'You tried, didn't you? Even after I said not to you still tried.'

'So can it be opened or not?'

'Patience, princess. I take it you saw the paper on top?'

'It's coming from inside the box, and I can't pull it out.'

'That's because it's supposed to be used as a code. Having been a CIA agent and all, I'd have expected you to have guessed that.'

'Yeah, and I decided to put all that behind me and forget about it. So no, I'm not surprised I didn't see that sooner.'

There was a few minutes of silence. I actually thought that he'd left, so I'd decide to hang up, but then he said something, and I almost didn't catch it.

'What?' I asked, to make sure I was hearing right.

'The code is obvious if you think about it enough. I've left quite a bit of clues if you didn't realize.'

I was still confused I couldn't say anything.

'Goodbye, Robin. Oh, and one more thing.'

'What?'

'I'll be watching you. Try anything, like coming into contact with the CIA, and Maisie dies. Understand?'

I huffed, 'Yes.'

I hang up the phone and leaned against the wall.

He's trying to corner me. Making sure I don't get help. He thinks it will crush me.

But I'm smarter than that.