Are you Pink Fox?

Colm was having a bad day. His boss, Agatha, was on his case to finish the Clemson account before the end of the week and Colm didn't realistically seen that getting completed in time. They could have done it in time if they had the manpower in his office of two years ago. But cutbacks meant they had to make do with less, yet his bosses still wanted the same level of service and account completion.

Colm chewed on his moist chicken salad sandwich and washed it down with some bottled water. Coming to the park on his lunch break meant he could escape the humdrum life of grey walls and false partitions, for half an hour or so. It was worth the five minute walk to enjoy the sunshine and interaction with other people.

Colm sat on his usual bench watching the world go by. He often spotted fellow lunch goers on their own benches, chewing and digesting the split of the working day. It was just like any normal Wednesday.

Until she sat down beside him.

Dressed in a long beige overcoat, complete with over sized sunglasses and black hat more akin to a funeral rather than a sunny June day - she made Colm feel very self conscious with a flick of her long black hair. She turned to him and said in a clipped Russian or Eastern European accent

"Are you Pink Fox?"

Colm didn't know what to do. He wasn't wearing pink. Did he look like a fox? If anything he thought, I look more like a grey squirrel.

His inquisitive and playful brain told him to play along. He thought this could be a prank being played on him by his best mate Dessie. This had his mark all over it - especially the accent. She was good in the role. He sat upright and decided to play along.

"Maybe I am. Who are you?"

"Brown Donkey. Do you have the files?"

"Maybe I do, eh, Brown Donkey."

"Stop messing around! They could be watching us right now! We don't have much time!"

"That's very true. I have to get back to the office before they realise... that I'm not there!"

"When did you leave the office?"

"About twenty minutes ago. Do you have the money?"

"It is in here, as requested, in used non-sequential one hundred dollar bills. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, eh, Brown Donkey."

"You seem nervous - should I be?"

Colm took his time to sip some water and calm his nerves. Was this real?

He had a flash drive in his pocket with notes on the Clemson account. He pulled out the memory stick and slid it toward her, all the time looking around to see if anyone was indeed, watching them.

Brown Donkey pulled out a brown manila envelope and slid her switch toward Colm. He could see the colour of green edging out of the side of the envelope. There was a lot of green.

"Everything is on this - yes?"

"Everything I have."

"I won't be disappointed then?"

"I hope not."

Sweat pooled at the end of Colm's shirt. He didn't want to move forward to reveal how nervous he actually was. Brown Donkey walked away hurriedly, keeping her head down.

What had just happened?

Within ten seconds, Colm lay face down on the path in front of him.