Episode 7

I head to my job, and on my desk rests another white rose. Who keeps leaving these things here?

I talk to Marina over lunch, and she finds it thrilling that I have "a secret admirer."

"It's not an admirer."

"Then what?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't sit right with me. This person left the same thing at my doorstep last night."

"How so?"

"They know where I live, and you know that aside from my boss, I don't talk to anyone else here but you. It's not him."

"Well, someone likes you, maybe with that admirer of yours, you'll finally lose you-know-what."

"No, I've already told you my plans, and what you're suggesting won't happen. How can we find out who's leaving these?"

"We work at a security company; there are cameras everywhere. I'll ask Barry to show me the footage; he won't have a problem doing it."

"You're the best. Could you ask him to do that now?"

"I'll ask, but it's most likely we'll only find out after hours; everyone is kept so busy here."

"Whenever you can, it doesn't matter, my friend, but I need to know who it is."

When my shift ends, I head straight to my apartment, and seeing the white rose in front of my door again, I start looking around while frantically opening the door with trembling hands.

I feel desperation, the sense that someone might catch me if I don't hurry. My heart is about to burst.

Once inside, I shut the door, lock it, slide the bolt across, and then sink to the floor, sliding down the door.

I don't know how much time passes before knocks on the door send me into a panic scream. The entire situation feels unreal.

"Open up, Liz; it's me."

I hastily open the door, grab her hand, and pull her into the apartment.

"It looks like the roses will keep coming. I managed to see the security tapes with Barry, though I had to agree to a date. Look what I've done for you."

"Tell me what you saw, who it was."

"I don't know how to tell you this, but there was nobody."

"That flower couldn't have just appeared by magic."

"I know, but someone tampered with the security tapes because there's too much of a coincidence that all the ones on this floor weren't working, so it was futile."

"What about the others? Nobody comes in with a flower without being seen."

"I thought the same, but there was nothing unusual. I saw over fifty men come and go, but nobody had anything but a briefcase and their phone. Wait a second, what if it's someone who brings it in their briefcase?"

"Nobody would do that, would they?"

"It seems they would."

That night, Marina stays with me again because I can't stop shaking and peering through the peephole to see if anyone is coming.

We wake up and I've slept horribly, awakened by the slightest noise.

"Will you be okay if I leave with my family?"

"Yes, you can't be with me all day, this person will soon get tired of this."

She accepts my words, though not completely convinced, and we leave the topic alone.

I arrive at my job, and once again, a white rose awaits me, no card, no note, no evidence of where it was purchased. Marina checks the cameras again, but once more, the system has been tampered with.

I'm left to conclude that it's either a hacker or someone with intimate knowledge of company operations, and worse, I fear I'm being watched by a coworker whose intentions are a mystery.

I don't want to believe a murderer sends flowers, or worse, a predator, perhaps just a timid or unattractive person too ashamed to show their face.

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