Livonia, 6th of September, 2022
Vera’s office was dimly lit that evening. She didn’t like the blaring whiteness of the lamp and preferred to rely on the light coming from outside her window. At times like this, she loved to gaze upon the orange-ish evening panorama of Livonia, while relaxing her body after a day of hard work. She would slouch on her chair, trying to identify every building and place she can see from her office as a way to clear her mind before returning to her house.
Vera usually stays for 30 minutes to an hour before her chauffeur calls, a good time to clean up and sort all the papers and objects on her desk. But this evening, she didn’t have the energy to even stand from her chair. She had just finished a frantic 2-hour meeting with Jeremy - the Defence Minister, on the new Sallodesian military base in Cinis. All she wanted to do afterward were just to relax and enjoy the city’s panorama. That’s why when her phone rang, she almost fell from her chair.
“It’s Vera,” said Vera, trying to sound undisturbed.
“Minister, I hope I didn’t just take your valuable time,” said a man’s voice on the other side, a familiar voice for Vera; the Cabinet Secretary, Henry Charles. “No, not at all, Henry. What seems to be the problem?”
“The PM is requesting your attendance at an urgent meeting tonight, at 8 o’clock,” Vera looked into her notebook checking her schedule that evening. “About what?”
“She’ll tell you later in the meeting, Ma’am,” answered Henry. He seems to be a little bit annoyed; usually, Cabinet Secretary got hold of every meeting detail and scheduling of the PM. “Okay then, I’ll be there. Thank you, Henry,” answered Vera after making sure there was no agenda at 8 o’clock.
Vera then rang her chauffeur and collected her belongings. Within a few minutes, she was already walking down the main atrium of the Foreign Office, a few more paces to her Chaeuffer who was already standing near the opened front door, with the car right outside, when her phone rang again.
“Minister, my apology, I’ve forgotten that the PM also requested the minute of your meeting with Mr. Cage this afternoon. I’m really sorry for this,” said Henry through the phone. “No, that’s fine, Henry, I’ll fetch it up,” answered Vera.
Vera gestured to her chauffeur that she’ll return in a minute. When she reached the elevator, a yellow flash of light lit the atrium, alongside a loud banging noise that echoed on the walls. Vera turned to see smoke engulfing her car. Her chauffeur rushed to her and grab her arm, dragging her to the other side of the atrium. The fire alarm rang, sprinklers set off, and security rushed to the room.
“It was just a ruse,” said Detective Mallard. “What do you mean a ruse, the car was exploding!” Robin, the Foreign Minister's chauffeur protested. “I saw it on fire. It even triggered the alarm.”
Detective Mallard from Livonia Metro had just been appointed to handle the Foreign Minister’s case. When he arrived at the Foreign Office, the metro police were scouring the area to search for more evidence and the minister was long gone to her residence. He then rushed to talk to the Minister’s chauffeur.
“You’re right, there was a fire, a detonator set off some fireworks, which burn down a stack of paper drenched in gasoline stuck underneath the car. It’s loud, smoky, but harmless if you’re not in direct contact with it,” explained the detective. “You saw anyone around the car?” Robin shook his head. “I was in the basement with the boys. I only got to the atrium after she called.”
“Why they were there in the first place? Why they’re not with the Minister? I thought that defeats the point of having a security detail,” asked Mallard. “The building’s almost empty, and the Minister don’t really like to be followed around by men in suits. We usually ate some snacks or just sorted stuff up before leaving the building for the nighttime security,” answered Robin who seemed a little bit offended by Mallard’s question.
“Sir! We’ve found a note!” harked one of the officers in the yard. Mallard rushed to him, who stood near a flowering bush underneath the flagpole. He then grabbed the note. “That’s for the base, you …!” Mallard stopped reading and sighed after seeing a fingerprint mark made by gasoline impression on the paper. He then handed it back to the officer. “Put this in the evidence bag and sent it to the lab for fingerprints!” He returned back to Robin.
“It was just the protesters. We should have identification before tomorrow afternoon, and then request for an arrest warrant.”
Pacifica: Confederation of Livana
(This post was last modified: 09-06-2022, 11:54 AM by Rivers.)
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