Free Kaleidoscope by Ethan Spier

Richards for a moment and the inevitable fate that awaited the man. Langton liked Richards; he seemed to be a hard worker and didn't cause him any trouble. Now he understood why.
    Richards had been recommended to them by an associate of Hellam's who had seemed trustworthy. It now appeared that the associate in question would be in almost as much danger as Richards himself. Langton felt glad that Hellam's anger wasn't directed towards him.
    It was this train of thought that reminded him of the item that was in his pocket; something that had never really been forgotten since it arrived through the door that morning. The post had come early and Langton felt sure that his heart stopped for a few seconds when he saw the small, white envelope resting by the front door. The handwritten address on the front confirmed that it was another letter from Concerned Citizen.
    Langton reached into his pocket as he sat in Luciano's and slowly pulled out the unopened letter. He placed it on the table in front of him and stared at it for a moment. C.C. was obviously becoming impatient; he had only received the previous letter two days earlier, how could Langton be expected to have made copies of the documents and dispatched them in such a short time? He tore open the envelope and pulled the letter out:

    Hello George,
    I've been watching you over the weekend and you don't seem to have made much progress in getting me the documents I require. I'm sorry to be so impatient with regards to this matter, but I require them with the utmost urgency. Get them to me within the next two days

    Thank you George
    CC (Concerned Citizen).
    P.S. Your secret is still safe with me.

    Langton bit his lip hard as he folded the letter and placed it back into his pocket. He was watching him now? It was an impossible situation and he felt panic suddenly rise inside. He sipped his water with a trembling hand and tried to calm himself.
    After discovering Richards was an undercover police officer and knowing what Hellam was capable of, Langton was quite sure that Richards wouldn't be around for much longer. As he thought about the documents he had copied for his blackmailer over the years, he became more agitated. If Hellam ever found out about his betrayal, he felt sure that he would find himself in a similar position to the one that awaited Richards. But he had no choice; if his secret came out then he would be as good as dead anyway - he had long since convinced himself of that - at least this way he stood a fighting chance.
    The waiter brought over his food, but Langton had lost his appetite. He picked at the salad with his fork for twenty minutes before asking for the bill and leaving. He got the car back to his office and sat at his desk in silence.
    He thought about what had happened all those years before. How could C.C. have found out about his past? No one knew, absolutely no one except... his mind suddenly rebelled against him and spontaneously conjured up the face that belonged to the small, lifeless body as it rested, motionless, in his arms. The face, the eyes especially, drawing on his attention with a gravity akin to a black hole. It was an image he had spent almost twenty years trying to erase.
    "It was an accident..." he said out loud, then paused and glanced up at his open doorway. No one had heard him, but he forced himself to remove the image of the little girl from his mind; it wasn't wise to dwell on such things. He diverted his thoughts back to the letter and the documents he had already decided to copy.

    ***
     

    Richards knocked loudly on the door to the flat and glanced at Kelser standing beside him. He turned back as he heard steps approaching the door from the other side. The door opened by a crack and a single eye peered through the small gap.
    "Shit," Richards heard the man on the other side say as he went to slam the door shut. But Richards pushed his foot forward and blocked it from closing then pushed hard, knocking the man backwards.