Delay the ending

Minkowski held the envelope in his hands and tried to judge its weight. There were probably three sheets of paper inside. On those three sheets would be the names of the double agents within his department. All he had to do was open the envelope and this whole, terrible mess would be over. Never again would he have to watch one of his people fall screaming from the plummeting wreckage of a sabotaged helicopter.

Of course, there would be work to do. There would be more bloodshed before this was over. Once he knew the truth, he would have to confront those responsible, setting in motion a fast-paced, dramatic sequence of events which would swiftly conclude this particular chapter of the organisation’s history. All it would take was him reading the names. For all he knew, the plot against him was already in motion, with the traitors waiting outside his office at this very moment, waiting to destroy the evidence that had been so costly to obtain – the contents of this very envelope. He had to act quickly.

‘Okay,’ he said, steeling himself for the shock to come. ‘Let’s do this.’ He glanced at the clock. ‘The moment I get back from lunch.’