The Hood
Sharon sat on the park bench, soaking up the warmth of the sun, watching the seagulls in the distance as they sallied up and down, the cerulean blue sky, catching the draught of the sea breeze. The bright hues of the butterflies, golden dragonflies and the gold striped, fuzzy black bumble bees were having a field day, leaving none of the roses, peonies, daffodils, or candytuft alone. She felt herself completely relax, as the fragrance lifted her mood, if not the laughter and shouts of the children playing in the park.
Suddenly, she found a tall, well built, seemingly well-dressed man sharing her bench. Where had this jarring note come from into her Eden? Looking at him from the corner of her eyes unobtrusively, she noticed a strong jawline, hooded eyes, a prominent hooked nose, full mouth, neatly trimmed blond hair, and a clean smell. Not bad, she thought. He seemed lost in thought. Must be a stockbroker, she presumed.
His phone rang. Pulling up his hood, he answered, “Hello! Yes, yes, ….Ok!” A strong, deep, reassuring voice, but so much of mystery. He got up and started moving away. Sharon realised she had to get back to work too. That’s when she noticed, the scrap of paper, on the ground, may have fallen from the man’s pocket.
Picking it up she noticed it was a paper napkin with something scribbled:
Pier 17, 12:00 midnight.
The mystery deepened. She tried to look for the hooded man at the car park, to no avail.
Once at office she showed it to Raul, her secretary. The practical man that he was, said, “Forget it Boss! Doesn’t concern us.” But her conscience kept pricking and poking her. ‘The Hood’ seemed such a dichotomy. “What if there is someone who is seeking help?” “At midnight? Only if its Cindrella!” “Raul, be prepared. Pick me up at 11:45 sharp!” she instructed.
When they reached the pier, it was a picture of nocturnal bliss. The night sky was illuminated with a thousand blinking lights. A sliver of silver moon just hung on the horizon. Not a soul to be seen or heard. Just a few stray dogs ran around. A cool breeze stirred across the sea. It was in sharp contrast to the run-down structures in the neighbourhood. They parked quietly a little distance away, staying away from the harsh security lights.
As they approached a big barn like structure, they heard a few dogs howl soulfully. Their own footsteps resounded in their ears like loud drumbeats. Raul pleaded to go back as there was no one in sight, and all was well with the world. They barely heard the revving up of a crane, before they saw it come charging towards them, headlights glowering fiercely. Barely could they jump out of the way as Raul yelled, ‘Watch out!’
Turning on their heels Sharon yelled ‘Run!’ Anyone watching them would have thought they were preparing for the Olympics. Heart racing, feet thumping, they careened through the alley, when they saw him in front. The Hood! Sharon grabbed Raul and ducked into the first gap between the huge containers, with a finger on her lips, ‘Shhh!’ ‘We are trapped!’ Straining their ears, they could now hear footsteps coming down the road they had just left. Soon there seemed to be a few more feet rhythmically running down. What was happening? Were they all together? Had they come to kill them?
The Hood slipped into their path quietly. Raul was so scared, there was not a squeak out of him. They stuck to the side of the container like pancakes. And then they saw them, four men, standing there, before loping easily on towards the crane. Sharon couldn’t stop a short scream as she thought it was the end for her now! In a jiffy The Hood was there placing his hand to muffle the sound. ‘Shhhhhh! I am Inspector Dan Brown from the Special branch! Yes, that’s my name. No, I am not joking!’ He explained he was there because he had received a tip off that some criminals selling nuclear missiles were meeting there.
They slowly edge forward, hiding behind the hoods of trucks. The Inspector indicates to stay hidden as he moves on to investigate. As the man from the crane emerged, he was surrounded by the four. A scuffle broke out and Inspector Dan Brown called for backup.
He shot a round, bringing down one of the assailants. Shouting, “Hands up” he sprinted forward. ‘Who are you?’ asked one of the men. “First you tell me that!” Just as he sensed a pistol being aimed at him, he spun around, while neatly shooting the guy down. Sharon and Raul rushed up. The Inspector asked them to handcuff the miscreants, as the police cars arrive, sirens blaring.
The handcuffed guys were loaded into the vehicles and driven away. Identified as members of a dreaded international mafia dealing in nuclear arms. “Thank you!” said Inspector Dan Brown as he turned to shake hands with his new friends. Turning up his hood he asked, “ Coffee anyone?”
