Chapter 05: On the Prowl

“Who are the people in this picture?” Gavin asked, shaking the image emphatically in front of Mary’s face.

“Lyric’s family.”

“No, I know that. I mean…what are their names?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t…”

“Where are they? How can I get in contact with them? Are they still in town? Where do they live? Was Hannah abandoned by…?”

“I’m sorry, this was a mistake. I-I can’t help you,” Mary sighed, disrupting Gavin’s rapid fire interrogation. She had hoped she was doing something to help Alexa but it may have backfired completely. “Afternoon mass will be starting soon and I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.” 

“Wait. Please. You’ve gotta tell me something. This little girl, this is her, this is Hannah. I have been searching for…this is the closest I’ve been in weeks. Please.”

“I’m sorry but, she was just a child when I had her in my care. There really isn’t more to tell. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Mary said, slipping the photo back inside the manila folder before escorting Gavin to the door. 

He walked out to his car, looking back to find Mother Mary Francis watching him from her office window. Retrieving his phone, he immediately dialed Kirk back in St. Claire with the little information he’d learned. “And you’re sure she said ‘Lyric?’”

“Yes, that’s right. I didn’t get a last name but the church is St. Peter’s on Union Court.” Gavin listened as Kirk’s fingers tapped diligently away on his keyboard with brief, intermittent pauses between mouse clicks before he sighed and cleared his throat. “Find anything?”

“No. Well, not exactly. There is a case here but it’s been sealed and the names have been removed.”

“Removed? What do you mean removed?”

“It’s a redacted file. That often happens if a child is underage or the case has gone federal. It’s for the victim’s protection.”

“Protection? As in Witness?”

“As in drop it, Gavin. What you’re getting yourself into at this point is a matter of federal inquiry. You won’t like where this leads. I’m sorry. There’s nothing more I can do for you.”

“Yeah. I’m hearing that a lot lately. Thanks, Kirk.” Gavin angrily hung up and tossed his phone to the passenger seat. Starting his car, the engine roared to life and he started down the road, heading for his hotel. Somewhere someone knew more about Hannah Taylor and that little girl in the photo and he wasn’t going to stop until he figured it out.

“Where is this guy?” Kasper growled as he stretched out in the backseat of their rental. Alexa rolled her eyes and sighed as she realized he was starting in on another of his tirades about stakeouts. “Can’t you just, I don’t know, go in there and beat the info out of him?”

“Well that’s new,” she said, smiling at him over her shoulder. “How effective do you think that’ll be? He’s the head of security for a company that works in black ops. These people are into who knows what. Do you really think he’d make a great candidate for torture? He’s probably just some Rambo waiting on his chance to prove his machismo.”

“Then what’s the play here? Wait until he…”

“Leads us to someone or something we CAN manipulate…or kill.”

“But he doesn’t seem to have anywhere to go today,” he bemoaned. “Maybe we should try tomorrow or…”

“Kas, I offered to let you stay at the hotel. You’re the one that begged to tag along. Surveillance isn’t the most fun part of what I do, in fact, stakeouts can be the absolute worst but, your bitching back there is really making it painful.”

“Sorry,” he replied with a deep sigh. “Just bored.”

“Well buck up. We’ve got movement.”

Kasper sat up as the porch light came on in front of their target’s home. Shortly after, the door opened and the two watched as a man in his late 30s exited down to the light blue pick-up truck parked in front of the mailbox. “Ok, Tony Harris, let’s see what you’re up to.”

Alexa pulled out behind him, making sure not to get too close. The suspect led them through the windy hills of Evans Cove towards the large mansions situated on the cliffs above. Parking off to the side, she watched as their suspect pressed the button on a call-box and waited for the large security fence to open for him. “73158 Crescent View, who lives here?” she asked.

Kasper began his search and a few moments later, had their answer. “Richard Demery, his name showed up a few times in connection with WET. He is on the Board of Directors and acts as the Public Relations Spokesperson for the company.”

“Hmm, mouthpiece for WET, huh? Think he can get us to the CEO? I’m sure that Board of Directors spot could be leveraged somehow.”

“Does this mean we can finally get out of this car and stretch?” Kasper eagerly asked from the backseat, pushing his laptop into his bag once more.

“Not so fast, I’m afraid. We don’t know what Harris is doing in there and if we’re going in, I’d like to even our odds a little more.”

“What? A, I’ve seen you take out a whole room of armed thugs. I’m sure one head of security and one pencil pusher would be easy pickings.”

“True. But, my concern isn’t for myself, it’s for you, K. I don’t want to…correction, I can’t be worried about your safety on a breach.”

“But it’s ok to leave me in a hot car in the middle of the night on a dark road?”

“I’ll crack the window,” she said, not missing a beat. They waited another twenty minutes before the familiar blue pickup pulled out of the front gates, heading back down the path he’d traveled. “Alright, K, you’re up. Do what you do best,” she said, hopping out of the car. “Oh and, if I get caught…I’m sending them out to you.”

“Well in that case, don’t get caught.”

Alexa waited until Kasper gave her the all clear. Slipping past the guard standing outside the front door, Alexa slid the tip of her blade into the jamb of the patio door, jimmying the lock before slinking through the opening.

There were four armed men within the Director’s employ. Two patrolled the grounds, one remained at the gates and the last made periodic checks on her target: Richard Demery. Shutting the door, she made herself small against the kitchen counter as the next patrol made their rounds. She needed to be quick. Demery could hold the key to finding the man that placed the hit on her. Yet, given that very reason, it meant there was no telling what she would find inside.

Carefully, she scanned each hall before ducking through the living room, making her way towards the right side of the large home. The house looked like a museum; decorated with gold-embroidered drapes, Persian rugs, large busts and art, including an original Pollock, the man was not frugal.

“Then take care of it!” Alexa heard shouting coming from upstairs, and after a quick check of the area, she started up towards the voice. “What do you think I hired you for? I paid you; good money. I expect you to hold up your end of the deal…or else.”

The shadow in the room moved from one side to the other and she heard something slam against a wooden surface; the phone she assumed. After another moment, heavy footsteps moved towards the door. Alexa held her breath, waiting to see where the shadow headed next. It seemed to be moving deeper into the room before making a sudden sharp turn towards the door.

Alexa darted back around the corner, feeling the air of his swift movement breeze by her. Richard Demery whipped back around to face her, and before he could open his mouth to speak, Alexa pressed her Glock 17 against his head. “Hello, Richard,” she said, moving back slightly so they stood face-to-face. “We need to talk.”

Motioning with her weapon, Alexa had Richard lead them back towards his office and shut the door. “Do you know who I am?” she asked once he’d moved into the center of the room.

“Yes. You’re an armed intruder.”

“Cute. Keep that up and I’ll be your executioner. You know who I am and I’m certain you know why I’m here.” She paused a moment and waited for Richard to fill the empty space.

He took in a deep breath, scrubbing his hand over his face before he began pacing the area in front of her. “Look, I don’t know…” Alexa lowered her weapon towards his crotch as he started the sentence with words she did not want to hear. Kasper’s research into Richard’s background revealed his affinity for women with names like Destiny, Candy or Bambi. And, as she predicted, threatening his manhood got her the results she wanted. “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

“Good,” she said, keeping her weapon aimed south of the border. She had his attention now, she wasn’t letting him go that easy. “Frank Delacroix ordered the hit on Travis Stark and subsequently mine as well. I want to know the names of the other people in on that decision and their level of involvement with WET.”

“If you really think you have a chance at stopping them, you’re insane.”

“I didn’t break in here for therapy, Demery, I have an arsenal for that,” she said with a smile.

“Fine, I can get you what you want to know but, it’s on my computer. Do you mind…?”

“I’m also not in the habit of allowing targets into a position to contact authorities,” she said, noticing his cell phone on the desk beside the computer. “I have that covered too.” Alexa presented a flash drive and, while keeping Richard in her sights, plugged the small device into an available port on the system. 

Moments ticked away as she listened to Kasper go to work in her comm. and Richard was growing weary. “How much longer do you expect me to stand here fearing for my life?”

“As long as it takes,” she said, as Kasper’s voice came over the speaker.

“A, I just found something.”

“Not now, Kas, just tell me you got it.”

“No, right now. Remember those guys from the railyard?”

“The guys that were holding you hostage?”

“Yes. I just got a hit on one of them. I think WET did in fact hire them. Mark Colacchio, the head thug in the nice suit, has ties to Demery. Apparently, owning a military-precision team wasn’t enough.”

“Of course not. That way, they’d have a few expendable soldiers on the payroll too. But, those guys were mobbed up. Why would WET want to associate with the criminal underworld—and as I finished asking I kicked myself. They ARE the criminal underworld. What did Colacchio do for them?”

“I’ll have to keep digging but, first assumption, it wasn’t good.”

There was a knock. Alexa heard Richard laughing behind her. “Looks like your time is up,” he hissed. She had been so distracted by what Kasper was saying she lost track of time. That had to be the guard making his round to check on Richard. And in a moment, he’d be inside the room and it would be her on the other side of a gun.

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