Sarah, The Little Black Book

Sarah, The Little Black Book

by

Eudora Aletta

It was on a hot summer afternoon in Victoria, British Colombia (BC) when Sarah was held hostage. I still don’t understand what happened and how the hell she got there before me. However, I loved every bit of it.

We were in Vancouver when a call came in for me.

“John, it’s for you, where is your cell phone?” Sarah asked.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“I am not sure,” she said and passed the phone over.

“Yes, yes, sir, okay, I will be on the next plane there.” I grunted and hung up the phone.

“I need to be in Victoria as soon as possible on quick business, I will be back before you know it. I just don’t like the sound of that.” I said as I took the sketch book from Sarah.

“Neither do I.” She said as she handed over the skitch of his mom and walked away.

“I need to shop, I have run out of stationaries.” she said, wrapping her hair around the pen with her hair covered in paint. “It is my birthday tomorrow, John. I will be here for my birthday?”

“Go shopping anywhere else, but not Victoria, and I need to get my bag and head to the airport.”

“Well detective, don’t let me hold you.” She said as she put her little black book on the sofa.

“Where in BC do you have to be now?” She asked.

“Victoria, on the lake.” He said reluctantly.

“John, I am not the enemy. What about my birthday? Tell him it is your wife’s birthday. There is your cell phone; another call is coming in for you.” She took it and handed it to him.

“Tell him I am his number one fan, and we were classmates.” Sarah laughed.

“Do you know that the little black book was a magical book we read? I always told him to follow the instructions from the little black book.”

“Ah, he left his mark on you, and you are still reading my notes.” John said.

“You are jealous; Besides, who can refuse Moleskine?”

“I am in love with you.” she spoke.

“I will see you when I get back, Hun.” John said.

“The only gift I want is to meet your mom and Skine.” She said.

“In BC, infatuating with Skine while I stand and watch?” John said as he brushed his beard.

“Greet your mother.” she said as she handed him his briefcase.

“Oh, by the way, Skine rescheduled the meeting for tomorrow, I will stop to see my mom.” She said. “Should I-” she did not finish, and John cut her off.

“Get some rest. Love you.” And he closed the door behind him.

Fresh air, and mountain breeze blowing my face, pushing my hair back and forth when arrived in Victoria.

The beautiful 70-year-old strong and energetic woman stood in front of the house cleaning her garden.

“John, my baby boy is home. What in the world are you doing here?”

“I came to see my queen.” I kissed my mother, holding her tight.

“You are too old for this, and when are you changing your job? Work for yourself, son.” She said still holding me.

“Mom, please, let’s enjoy the moment. I will be out of here soon. Oh, stop calling me baby boy.” I gave her a kiss and changed the topic.

“Stop acting like one and get married. How is she, when do I meet her?”

“That’s why I am here.” She said, and we walked in the garden, cutting flowers.

“I love this place.” I looked around.

“Then, come back home, and turn your father’s notes into a book, this place is empty without you.”

“Okay Mom, forget I said that.”

“Let’s go for dinner.” his mother asked.

“I must get out of here, I will see you later, Mom.

“I love you, son,” she said.

We exchanged laughter, and I hugged her again and push her away.

“Bye, Mom.”

I arrived at the Fairholm Manor and checked in. The next day at 12 pm, I texted Skin that I was in the manor, but he did not reply me. I ordered a glass of red wine as I waited for Skin, but there was no sign of him. I went into his room to no avail. However, the shower was on. After fifteen minutes, I went into the bathroom and Skin was not there.

I went to the front desk.

“How are you? Could you check your system if my partner Moleskine has checked in?”

“Oh, you are the second person asking for him. He gave me an autograph in his newest notebook when he just checked.”

“What with this signature? Women.”

“There was a dark-skinned lady dressed in a black leather suit, big body, tall, red hair requesting to see him. I sent her up about half an hour ago.” The receptionist said.

I went back in Skine’s room and discovered a little black book on the floor; it belonged to Sarah. No way, I am still trying to imagine how she got to Victoria before me, and what the hell is she doing here? I thought.

When I asked her, this is what she had to say:

“I went into your phone and saw that you were meeting Skin. I took the information from your book and decided to see Skin and also your mother. I figured it was perfect timing, since Skin was already in Victoria, and they were not meeting until the next day. I could see him before the meeting with you. When I got to the manor, the front desk let me in to see Skin, as soon as I got into the room. I saw lots of money on the coffee table. ‘Oh my God, money, I wish they were mine.’ Then Skine told me to take the money and leave.”

“I am not who you are waiting for, I want you to sign my black book.” I said.

“Lady, except if you don’t want to live.” Skin said.

I was still standing looking at the $20.000. 4844326642

“You know Skine, we were in grade 6 together, I have a picture of us here.” I did not even finish speaking, and he spoke again.

“Take the money, the little black book, and get out!” he screamed.

So, I took the money and left the room. When I got outside, I stood under a gigantic tree near the hotel to comprehend the trouble I had gotten myself into. I realized that I forgot my book in Skine’s room.

“Oh, no, John will never believe me, I have to go back.” Just when I attempted to go back, I saw Skine and some men walking out into a silver car, all tinted.

“Wait a minute, that’s not John, who are those people, and where are they carrying him?”

I should’ve called John, but I did not.

When I opened the book, the instruction read, “Bring the money to the Craigdarroch Castle mansion and drop it next to the lilac flower bush. Wait for the elderly woman to pick it up before you leave. The survival of the women’s shelter depends on this money.”

“The only person whose life is ruined is me. After today, John will never want to see me again.” I dropped the book. “You’ve got to believe me.”

Victoria is on the southern tip of BC; it has a mild climate and an art environment. The Parliament building is next to the Fairmont Hotel while the Harbour is right in the old British city. The sun usually sets with a beautiful yellow, and royal blue and purple in the sky on top of the Craigdroch Castle.

She did as Skine’s little black book instructed her, and the old lady picked up the money from the flower bush. As Sarah was on her way to the Fairmont Hotel wondering whether to call, she was snatched.

“Where is the money?” The voice behind her said.

“What money?”

“I dropped it off where you asked me to.” Sarah said scared.

“I did not receive it, and where is the book? Lady, my money and the note book, or this ends here.” He said.

“I have to call John. Let me call my husband…I meant boyfriend. There is a misunderstanding; please.”

She called John.

“John, John, I am in Victoria, but I messed up. They are going to kill me; the old lady has the money.”

“Which money and what are you doing in Victoria?” John asked.

“Okay, thanks to God, he did not find my black book, Moleskine has been kidnapped and they want to kill me.”

“Which book, and whose-” the guy took the phone away from Sarah.

“Bring the money, all of it, or say goodbye to your woman.”

“Please find Skin, John. I did not tell him where to find us.” Sarah said.

“You are not in control, lady. In fact, Skine is dead.” The other guy said.

“No, you can’t kill him, you will spend the rest of your lives in jail.”

As they got closer to the Craigdarroch Castle, they were surrounded by cops.

“Put your hands up, you are under arrest for kidnapping!”

I was already at the Castle waiting on them, I found Skine’s little black book that that Sarah dropped, and her personal book she left in Skine’s room. She went into my phone and copied information from it. Sarah overheard some of my conversations with Skin and wrote it down in her black leather book. However, she left it at the hotel in Skin’s room, and I found it. When the front desk told me about a lady dressed in a black leather suit, big body, tall with red hair, the description matched the curious woman that I am about to marry. Sarah also dropped the little black book with the money, and John found it at the front of the hotel.

“Oh, John, you came to save me. Moleskine, they got him. It is my fault.”

“Skine is okay. Are you okay?” John asked her.

“I am now. I am sorry, it was my chance to meet Skine. We were friends as kids. I wanted to meet your mom. I was going to let you know that I am in Victoria, but everything happened so fast that it confused me. If you don’t… I understand if-” she did not end the sentence, still shaken by what had transpired.

“Don’t be silly, we will make great business partners. The weather here is great, and I can’t wait to go the grand Fairmont for dinner.”

“Oh John, I am sorry. No more detective work for me, no more Skine, I am a writer. How could Skine forget about me? We were very close as kids.” She said.

“You have added history to the Craigdarroch Castle, you want to view inside?” John asked her while giving her a light massage.

“For a few minutes, I am tired. I just want to rest; it is my birthday. I could have gotten hurt.” She said, still holding John.

“Happy birthday, my love, you are amazing, and my mom can’t wait to meet you.” John held her close.

As they got into the Castle, she heard; “Surprise!” And they went on to sing, “Happy Birthday to you Sarah, Happy Birthday to you.”

“No way! How did they pull this off?” It was a joke all along, and she fell right into it. Moleskine, the receptionist at the hotel, the kidnappers, the old lady, they were all a part of the plot. In fact, the old lady was John’s mother.

“Happy Birthday, Sarah. How could I forget? You were my best friend in elementary school. When your husband called me, and told me about your birthday, I had to be a part of it.” ‘Follow the little black book.’ Skine laughed.

The End