Farithin smiled inwardly as he crept through the darkness of night. It wasn't in his nature to be thrilled by the cloak and dagger routine leaving clues and being veiled in his words, but this was different and exciting.
A man in dark suit had approached him two days prior asking for a favor, and being a person of curiosity and some adventure, Fari accepted. All the favor entailed was for him to meet another person, who would be standing on the corner of University Way and 50th Avenue, and hand them a manila envelope. He knew it well and it was a relatively busy street corner. It was filled with all walks of life from panhandlers to businessmen and everything in-between. It was very near the university that he had attended and the scene made him feel comfortable.
Looking across the street at the digital clock, it read 11:30. The envelope was in plain sight in his left hand as Fari paced back and forth. He didn't want to seem suspicious, so he tried to patiently wait against the nearest building's brick wall.
"Why are pigeons protected by the government?" a soft voice floated through the air. Slightly startled by the phrase, Fari stood up straight and replied, "I believe they were endangered once."
The figure stepped closer and smiled, "You must be the messenger that he selected. Do you have the package?"
Fari nodded and handed the manila envelope to the woman. She nodded in return and handed him a legal-sized white one in return. "This is for you, but do not open it until you are home and thank you for your cooperation."
Fari looked down at the envelope and then looked up again. The shadowy figure stepped back into the darkness and was gone and left Fari scratching his head. "Where...?" He shrugged and wandered back to his car.
When he returned home, he opened the sealed letter and $500 fell from a folded piece of paper:
Mr. Farithin Jackson-
We have another job for you to accomplish. Meet at the old cannery warehouse tomorrow at 10pm.
The letter was unsigned, but he knew which building they were referring to. The old warehouse was a fruit and vegetable cannery around the turn of the 20th century, but had since gone through so many owners and changes, that eventually it has no chance of turning a profit and was shutdown in the mid-1970s. It has since stood empty with the exception of a few homeless, old equipment, rats and vandalism.
Fari read the letter again, shrugged and knew he would be there. Five-hundred dollars just to hand someone an envelope was more than convincing. Things had been rough the last couple of month financially for Fari. His company had "restructured" two months ago and his unemployment was not paying his bills. This was an efficient opportunity to make some money.