The Project

As soon as the rain started falling, Jordan knew he was in trouble.

It had been his worst day at the office. It had also been his last day at the office because somewhere in the laptop bag was his sack letter. He had heard of ruthless employers, but nothing had prepared him for today.

He had always been a brilliant guy and today, he was paying for his brilliance. He was a member of a team brokering a deal for the company that would rake in millions and get him some good cash benefits. Because of his brilliance, he was going to be the star of the team.

Because of his brilliance, the deal would be completed in 3 months, 2 months earlier than expected.

Because of his brilliance, the director he worked with got uncomfortable and refused to share the glory.

Because of his brilliance, he just got fired.

He had parked at his usual spot in the morning and drank his usual cup of coffee while munching on a sandwich Rene had made. He logged in at 8:00 hrs and at 8:05hrs, he was summoned to his director’s office; minor issue on the deal he was told. He was asked some random (stupid by his own standards) questions for 45 minutes and he got back to his work space by 8:55hrs.

It was then he first noticed the wrong turn the day was taken… someone had accessed his files.

“Hey Bets, did anyone touch my system while I was gone?”, he asked in the direction of a colleague who sat not too far off.

“Oh yes, some guy from IT security said he had to install some spyware or something.” Then she added, “Funny, he didn’t look too familiar. Hope no problem?”

“Errrm, no”

There WAS a problem. All his files on the deal were gone.

20 minutes later, while he was still pondering on the subject, he got a call to the MD’s office. By this time he was freaking out.

He dashed for the gents, washed his face and calmed his nerves. Had he seen this day coming?

On getting to the MD’s office, three directors, including the one he worked with,  were seated, all grim faced. Sure enough, 2 hours later, he walked out of the office, accused of jeopardizing the deal by sharing info with a rival company… jobless.

They had also taken the liberty clearing out his things and packing them up in a box on his table. They had also retrieved the keys to his official car.

This was brutal.

Another 5 hrs later he was heading out of the office… after busting back into the MD’s office to complain at how unfairly he had been treated and the fact that he knew nothing of what he was being accused of… after hurling his laptop at his director’s face (and hitting his target too)… after being detained by the security personnel for 3 hrs… after being cleared by HR… after crying like a baby.

So there he stood, at his company’s gate trying to stop a cab; and the rain fell.

He made no attempt to shield himself from the downpour… this must be his punishment for something he had done.

He eventually got a cab and was headed home. He tried calling Rene a couple of times but she didn’t pick up. He hoped she wasn’t having one of those long days at the office.

There was a lot of traffic getting home and by the time he got in, it was almost 21:00 hrs. He paid the cabbie and headed inside. The gate to the house wasn’t locked. While he was still wondering about that, he noticed that there was no light. He looked across his house and saw that his neighbors had light… strange but not impossible.

Rene’s car was packed at a corner, so she must be home.

He cautiously dropped his things and found his way to the front door. It was open.

At the front door stood his dog and beside his dog lay a body.

He rushed over and turned the body over. The body felt very damp… was it the rain or…?

Facing him with her eyes shut was Rene, his wife.

There was blood on his hands… a lot of blood.