《The Manifest》Chapter 20
Advertisement
Edgar was just getting back from the station when Tuck met him in the hallway outside the lobby. He pushed his partner back a few feet, further away from the door before saying anything. Edgar could tell by how his partner was acting that something was up.
"What's going on?" Edgar asked with a bit of an idea what might be the issue since Tuck didn't want to talk inside.
"The office is bugged." Tuck said, "This was likely done last night after Jessica's second visit. This likely means everything we talked about last night was not caught on tape, so they suspect something but have no idea how involved we are just yet."
"Would explain the letter," Edgar said as he was thinking out loud, "They think we're very early into the project, so that was the preliminary walk while you still can king of threat. So, what's the plan?"
"Do you remember that restaurant three blocks from here you pointed out in the paper?" Tuck said, with a grin on his face, "We managed to get that apartment that is located two floors above it. To make things even harder to trace we got one of Devon's men to pay for the first three months in cash under one of his many aliases. There is no way they can connect us to this place. You're going to have to develop a love for Thai food, so they'll think you're just going for lunch."
"I'll manage," Edgar said, thinking about it.
"We'll make that place Jerome's central headquarters," Tuck continued, "That way I'll run things from here and make it business as usual. So if happens again, all they'll hear is normal, run of the mill shit that has nothing to do with Jessica's case. You and Devon's team can work out of the other office and kick things into gear. What do you think?"
Advertisement
"It's perfect." Edgar responded, fully aware that he was going have to get used to eating there for the next several weeks, "But I think you might want to see what I have here."
Tuck realized that Edgar had a new envelope in his hand. He took the envelope from his partner and opened it up. It was the results from the finger print search on the prints from that morning's letter. He kept reading till he hit the big conclusion.
"Government classified?" Tuck said as he couldn't believe what he was reading, "Do you know what this means?"
"Yeah," Edgar said, "It means either the person works for the government or is being held as a witness or suspect by the government. It also means Jerome is going to flip out when he sees this. Where is he?"
"Shopping." Tuck replied, "I gave him the company credit card and sent him off to gather up all the electronics and furniture he was going to need for the new location. I wouldn't be surprised if be bought a few cots for the place, as he's likely going to live this case for the next few months."
"That wouldn't surprise me," Edgar agreed, "But that's the kind of hustle we're going to need if we want to get this case taken care of as quickly as possible. We might need to keep an eye on Ms. Johnson as well. If they knew she came back to us again last night, they're likely following her to keep tabs on who she's talking to. There is a chance we may have to hide her away if they get a little more desperate."
"In order words," Tuck started, "We might need more than one cot at the new location?"
"Relax." Edgar called out, trying to reassure his partner. "Chances are if we find this woman, Norsberg will give us another crap load of money to find his daughter next. This could be more than just a one shot deal, and you know when things start to focus to his daughter, that dollar figure will go through the bloody roof."
Advertisement
Edgar began salivated at the thought of how much the old fart would be willing to give up for that case. They might need a truck to bring it in.
"But at what cost?" Tuck said, "I can't help but think we're putting ourselves at more risk than anyone else. He paid us through one of his many subsidiary companies to hide his name from the people we could piss off by asking too many questions. We're the ones with our dicks flapping in the wind and when it hits the fan we'll be the ones to take the hit."
Edgar could tell by Tuck's pacing around the lobby that he was a little uneasy about how things were progressing. Usually Tuck was the one calming other down, but occasionally Edgar had to be the voice of reason. Thankfully those moments were few and far between.
"I realize this case makes you nervous," Edgar said, trying to be supportive. "That's why I agreed to break things up. I'll handle the case and work the operation with Jerome and Devon."
"Sounds good," Tuck said, "So you're okay with me, staying here at the office and kind of sit this one out? You know I'm here 90% of the time, so for me to be gone might be too suspicious. I'll handle the small stuff and do our best to make it look like things are normal as usual."
"I like it for many reasons," Edgar confessed, "If they think I'm doing this on our own, whoever is watching might think you and the guys are not in on it, and get you out of the line of fire. It will leave the focus on me. It was also my idea to begin with and like Devon, so I'm not going to force anyone to participate if they're not down with it."
"Are you sure you're okay with it?" Tuck asked.
"I am," Edgar confirmed, "I think you're right. You being out of here too long will raise a lot of red flags. I'm always out of sight so that will look normal but I'll make the effort to come in and give an occasional rant and lecture as usual, dis new clients and such."
"Then it's settled," Tuck said, slightly relieved. "Get your ass down to the new location so you'll have your own spot staked out before Jerome breaks out the fine china. And for the love of Pete, be careful."
"I will pops." Edgar answered with a large amount of sarcasm, "You'd think I never did something like this before. Devon and I have been through worse and you know it."
"Is that why you picked him out of all the bounty hunters we have worked with?" Tuck said, even though he already knew the answer.
Edgar didn't answer the question and he didn't have to. Tuck walked back into the lobby and talking to a few people about the normal cases and to get their asses back to work. That was all the people listening were going to hear over the next few weeks and with Edgar's history for being distracted for non-business needs, it was going to be easy to explain his long absences. Edgar spotted Devon inside and he waved to the bounty hunter, asking him to come out to the hall. As Devon walked closer, Edgar gave him a grin.
"What is it?" Devon asked, not sure what the grin meant.
"Do you like Thai food?" Edgar asked.
Advertisement
System Descendant: Awakening
The misuse of Nanobots drove the first test subjects crazy. These crazy few called themselves the Domains. Most of the Domains rained down destruction on the rest of Humanity. Two Domains stood against the rest, but they were not enough to stop the tide. Humanity was conquered and fell. Wildly mutated animals and constructs threaten the villages and towns that remain. Meanwhile, cities are protected by the effort of large numbers of heroes. One of the Domains that stood against the others has instituted a number of systems designed to help humanity. It's still not enough. But then a relative of the first Domain, one of two that stood for Humanity, awakens from his long slumber. This is the tale of Lucas and his friends as they fight to free the world from the grips of Hades and the rest of the Domains.
8 232Sun Collector
Upon entering the age of 16 every person is allowed to request from the gods one ability. In exchange, he has to offer up something of equal value. A class is then assigned to them.
8 126HALF BREED HAVEN: A HOT TIME AT THE OL' LUCKY SEVEN
Bullets, bad guys and biracial babes all combine in one "Wilde" night at the Lucky Seven gambling hall as the Daughters of Half Breed Haven use everything from weapons, to stage craft, to their own hourglass figures and illustrious beauty to once more seek to beat the bad men of the West and save the day. Four Races, One Father, Enemy to Outlaws and Desired by All-That's what the Wildes of the West are all about and their adventures beyond this short story can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/A.M.-Van-Dorn/e/B077GNX3GP/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1 Author’s Note Thank you for joining the Wilde family on one of their adventures. Just a quick note regarding what you are about to read Please be advised the Wilde siblings are all grownups, and therefore they engage in very adult escapades and situations that include their romantic encounters as well as the sudden violence that can occur in their continued fight against assorted bad guys of the Old West. So, in short, these stories are recommended for mature readers of 18+ years of age.
8 138Smoke - The Fallen Reaches
Civilization has collapsed, and humanity has once again fallen into the dark ages. In this dystopian future, Knight Commander Jack Storm is a man of duty and dedication. Forged from an audacious young boy into the prince's blade, he has begun to unravel a conspiracy that could reach deep into the kingdom's aristocracy. With gun and blade he will battle his way to the end of the thread to find those who would try and bring down the Monarchy, regardless of the cost.
8 178The Art of Fear
Alicia is a shy, lonely girl who's just moved into the town of Derry. She is a dedicated artist doing her best just to get through life. But things drastically change when she witnesses the death of little Georgie Denbrough.
8 109Protected
Alex Jessica Smith is a short 19 year old girl who is well built from lifting heavy metals while building cars. She has an iq of 509 that helps her carry a lot of information. She graduated college at the age of 10 and now owns a workshop. She has black, red and orange hair. One day she is forced into going back to school for just a year in Jasper Nevada where she meet Jack Darby, Miko Nakadai, and Rafael Esquivel.
8 206