Another simple task

The next evening, you pull into the parking lot for your ‘meeting’. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you step out of the car, looking around to see if anyone is watching you. Not seeing anyone, you head inside, your guts churning with nervousness.

You spot Devin in the same place as before, and head over to his table. Like you, he is alone this time, with no sign of Abby. Briefly, you have a thought about the dog girl’s wellbeing, and you hope she’s okay. She certainly deserves better than what she’s had so far.

Devin nods and glances around as you sit. “Good, you came. I was a bit worried you’d bail on us.”

You shake your head. “I’m a man of my word. As much as I might regret it.”

Devin shrugs. “All we need from you is a simple task.”

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small object. A flash drive. “Take this. Tomorrow, at 1:30 pm, go to the public library on Fourth Street, and plug it into a computer. Do not let anyone see what you’re doing. Run the program on this drive. It will take about ten minutes.”

You nod, taking the drive. “What does it do?”

Devin shakes his head. “You don’t need to know. When it finishes, take the drive and place it in the garbage to the left of the entrance. That’s it.”

You pocket the drive with a sigh. “Seems simple. Why me?”

Devin crosses his arms. “You’re not under scrutiny. And you’re not one of our agents. You won’t draw attention.”

You hear the unspoken words in that statement. If you get caught, they can deny that you have anything to do with them. You’re a cutout link. Still, it seems simple enough.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Devin nods. “Good. You will receive payment once the job is done. If all goes well, you shouldn’t need to do anything more. If not…well, then we’ll speak again.”

He begins to stand, but you speak first. “Wait. What about Abby? Is she okay?”

Devin regards you curiously. “She is fine. She is still under my care, and will be until this operation is completed. Why are you concerned about her?”

You shrug. “She seemed sad. I just wanted to be sure she’s okay. She deserves better than what she’s had so far.”

Devin stares at you for a moment, then nods. “You’re a good person, Mr Stevens. We’ll be in touch.”

And with that, he stands and leaves, leaving you wondering what’s about to happen. But that’s probably the point. The less you know, the less you can give up.