The envelope

"Come on," Chloe thought to herself. "Just a little bit further." She pushed herself. "Ten more steps. Five more steps. Just make it to that tree up there." She finally stopped, breathing hard at the tree that had been her goal. She hated running, but she needed something to help her de-stress and take her mind off everything that was going on in her life. 

As she panted, trying to catch her breath, something caught her eye. In the tall grass at the base of the tree, was a little spot of white. Chloe looked closer, and realized it was an envelope. She debated for half a second, and then picked it up realizing it was stuffed full of cash. 

"What should I do?" She wondered to herself. No one was in the park since it was the middle of the morning and most people were off at work or school. So she tucked the envelope away and started to run back to her condo where she could come up with a plan for what she should do next. 

***

Chloe stared at the money in front of her. Once she had gotten home, and given Duke, her puggle, a nice welcome home scratch, she took the envelope out and started counting the money that was inside. Once she was done, she sat at her table in shock. She had to have counted wrong. There was no way. She had just found $20,000 in an envelope at the park. 

Her mind started racing. She couldn't believe that much money was just sitting on the table in front of her while Duke snored on the couch, oblivious to the new circumstances. 

Once she semi-recovered from her shock, Chloe did the only logical thing she could think of. She took out her little black notebook that she always had on hand in case she needed to jot down something important, and immediately started making a list of things she could do next. 

1) Take the money to the bank and deposit it

2) Take the money to the police and try to find the rightful owner

3) Go on the biggest shopping spree of her life

4) Return the money to where she found it

As she looked over her list Chloe thought about her different options. Keeping the money was definitely appealing, she had just been laid off from her job, and she wasn't sure what her next move would be career-wise. So having this savings would definitely help her out while she searched for her next job. 

She knew going to the police was probably the most logical option, but then she would be screwing herself not having any money to get her through the job search.

Spending the money sounded like a lot of fun to Chloe too, and she could already see all the new clothes she would buy, the trips she would take, and of course the new toys she would get for Duke. Searching for her next job would be much more enjoyable while she enjoyed a freshly made pizza and people-watched from a small Italian cafe. But deep down she knew this wasn't the right thing to do.

Putting the money back where she found it was all well and good. But who know who would find it next. Maybe they wouldn't be as level-headed as Chloe would be, and they would just use it themselves. 

Clearly, the only real option was going to the police and tracking down the rightful owner. No matter how fun it was for Chloe to daydream about a trip to Italy. 

So, after she showered, Chloe gave Duke a pat on the head goodbye, and headed out the door to drive to the police station. When she got there she noticed a strange looking woman outside who was frantic. Looking up and down the street for someone, as soon as she saw Chloe she made a beeline for her. 

"Excuse me!" she called over.

"Yes?" said Chloe hesitantly. 

"Did you happen to find an envelope full of money in the park earlier today?"

"Yes..." Chloe said again. 

"Come with me," the woman said, and immediately took Chloe by the hand and led her down the street. 

Chloe tried to hesitate, but knew it was pointless. 

The woman led her down the street and to a building Chloe had never been to before, it looked pretty abandoned from the outside, but she she got inside she saw a flurry of activity. There was at least 25 people all running around with smartphones and laptops doing who knows what. But they all looked extremely busy, and extremely important to Chloe.

“So, you found the money,” the woman said again, as she led Chloe to an office at the back of the building. “And you were going to the police to turn it in.”

“Pretty much.”

“Good.”

“Sorry, what's 'good'?” Chloe asked.

“I need someone who is trustworthy.” the woman said simply.

Chloe had never been more confused in her life.

Apparently the woman could tell, so she sighed and said; “I suppose I should start at the beginning.”

She looked around quickly to see if anyone was listening. When she was satisfied she began again.

“My name is Stephanie Wellington. Yes. The Stephanie Wellington. The heiress who went missing years ago, and was never seen or heard from again. I faked my disappearance because I had to get away from the man I was supposed to marry. He was rich, which is all my family cared about. But he was also a horrible person, and I knew that if I married him I would be miserable the rest of my life. I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't just tell my family how I was feeling.”

Chloe was surprised, it was like Stephanie was reading her mind.

“I tried. Many times,” she said. “But all they cared about was the money he would bring into the family. Anyway, once I disappeared. I realized how nice it was to be out of the public eye. I was free to go wherever I wanted, and do whatever I wanted. I also realized that I was very good at blending in and not being noticed. So, I began a business to help other people like me, who needed to get away from people in their life. Or sometimes to spy when people needed answers.”

Chloe couldn't believe what she was hearing.

“It has been a good life, but a somewhat lonely life,” Stephanie said. “I keep moving around, not wanting someone to recognize me. Now that I'm getting older, I want to settle down and put down some roots. Even if someone were to recognize me now, my fiancee married someone else long ago. But, I know there are still so many people out there who need the kind of help I can provide. So, I began to look for someone who could replace me.”

Here Stephanie paused for a moment to look out the door. When she was satisfied that no one was listening in again, she started once more.

“I don't actually work in this building,” she said explaining. “I just asked a friend if I could use the office. But I really don't trust any of the people here. Anyway, a few weeks ago I noticed you when you were out for a run. You seemed so similar to me, able to blend into a crowed with ease. But I wasn't sure if I could trust you. So I kept watching you. Every day I would look for you, and make notes about your habits in my little black book that I always have on me. Then, last week when I saw you pull out your own black book, it was like a sign this was meant to be. But, I still had to make sure I could trust you. So, I planted the envelope under the tree. I was sure you would see it, it was on your regular running route. And I was right. You saw it, and immediately picked it up. My plan was working perfectly. So, I went to stake out the police station, and wait to see if you would show up. As I can see now, I was right, and you are just as trustworthy as I had hopped.”

Chloe stared at Stephanie, not sure what to say or do.

“I would like to hand my business over to you,” Stephanie said, finally ending her story. “If you say yes, consider the cash in your purse a sign-on bonus. We can talk more about your salary later, but it will be more than enough for you to live comfortably on. If you say no, consider it payment for your trouble today.”

Chloe was shocked. Out of all the possible outcomes from this situation, she never expected one of them to be a job offer. Let alone such an intriguing one like this. She thought things over in her head quickly, wishing she had her black book to take notes in like she usually did. She was currently unemployed, this job sounded amazing to her, and she was definitely in need of something different in her life.

“Well Ms. Wellington, thank you so much for offering me this opportunity,” she said. “I'm not sure I can accept though. I mean, I have a life here, and you made it sound like I would have to move around a lot for this job.”

“Yes, that's true,” Stephanie admitted, “it may be a bit hard for you to put down roots. But, you look like you need a bit of excitement in your life. Every day I watched you, you did almost the exact same thing. Honey, it's time to shake things up a bit!”

Chloe felt a little bit insulted, she wasn't that boring and predictable. She was just in a bit of a rut right now. Then she thought about sitting in the Italian cafe again, people-watching with Duke laying at her feet.

“Did you say, I can do this from anywhere,” she asked.

“Of course, people everywhere need this kind of help, there is no need for you to stay here in this little town, unless of course you want to.”

Chloe didn't need to hesitate for one more second.

“I'm in!” she said.