Chapter 06: Bulletproof

“You get everything?” she asked, grabbing the USB before positioning herself behind Richard.

“We’re good, A. Get out of there.”

“Easier said than done.” Covering her face, Alexa pulled Richard in front of her as the door to his office burst open. “Drop your weapons,” she instructed the three men standing opposite her. “Now! Or your boss here won’t live to sign your next paycheck.”

It didn’t escape Alexa that guard #4 was nowhere in sight. She’d hoped he was still at his post near the gate as she would need that bit of luck to make it out of the house with her hostage in tow. She waited on the others to comply, jabbing Richard in the neck with the barrel of her Glock to emphasize she meant business. Three firearms were placed on the floor at the men’s feet. “Kick them over. Backups too.”

“Good. Hands where I can see them,” she said once all six firearms lay in the northwest corner of the office. Alexa had the men move to the opposite corner as she swung herself around towards the door. “Now, Mr. Demery and I are going for a little ride. Anyone tries to follow us, I’ll kill him without hesitation. Got it?”

They nodded in accord and carefully, Alexa moved down the flight of stairs, dragging Richard by the neck along with her. She had just made it to the door when the thunderous sound of footsteps pounded above her. That didn’t take long, she thought. Moving faster, Alexa shoved Richard through the front door and slammed it shut. “K, get that engine running, we’re coming out hot.”

“Waiting with my foot on the gas, A.”

Richard dragged his feet, trying to buy time for his men to reach him but, Alexa shoved hard, forcing the man to pick it up. They reached the gate and Alexa again noticed the absence of the 4^th guard. Shrugging it off, she stood in front of the censor to activate the gate. It slid open a few inches and then stalled.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” Richard laughed. The front door to the large mansion blew open and all three men from earlier rushed out with guns drawn. 

“Shut it!” she snarled, tightening her arm around his neck. Shots rang out behind her, ricocheting off the wrought iron and she moved behind Richard, using his body as a shield. “K! The gate!” she shouted, returning fire. For a moment the gunfire ceased as the men moved into better positions to avoid hitting their boss in the fray.

Alexa noticed movement near the back wall, where the fourth guard finally made his appearance, rubbing his eyes. Sleeping on the job. The high-pitch wailing of sirens could already be heard. Looking through the fence over the hill she and Kasper traveled, she saw the familiar red and blue lights quickly approaching. 

The hauling crank of the fence started up behind her as it dragged open and she lugged Richard through. Firing off a couple more shots, Alexa crammed the director into the backseat before stuffing herself beside him. “GO! GO!”

Kasper’s foot hit the gas and they raced down the opposite end of Evans Cove just as the Danbridge police reached Richard’s residence. “You’ll never get away. By now, the police have the bottom of this hill cordoned off. There is no driving out of here. Give up while you still have the chance.”

“Hear that, K?”

“I hear it,” he said, making a sharp right through another subdivision just before the turnoff to the tunnel.

“Where are you taking me?” Richard demanding, staring out at the rushing waves over the cliff and the winding trail through the mountainside.

“Shut up and sit back, Richard. Your night is just beginning.”

It was after midnight by the time Gavin arrived at the corner of Union Court. He stood in the shade of a large oak tree near the front entrance of St. Peter’s Catholic Church. The lights in the nave were off and there were no sounds coming from the adjacent orphanage. Taking a breath, he slowly crept forward, tossing his bag over the fence before climbing over himself.

Breaking and entering hadn’t been at the top of his to-do list when he first arrived in Brooklyn Heights, but in the past month, the limit to things he would do to find Hannah had significantly increased. The lies had been building up. The constant walls he’d found himself facing just compounded the mystery surrounding his missing fiancée. If he could just get another look at that picture, he was certain Kirk would be able to help identify the family and finally get him some answers.

The lock on the back door was a simple, single cylinder deadbolt which, Gavin knew from experience, used a pin-and-tumbler design. It was an easy pick with the tools he had in his bag and he soon found himself standing in the same room where he’d met the helpful nun. Gavin closed his eyes and exhaled. He was inside. There was no turning back now.

Following the same steps he’d taken earlier, he quietly entered the back office, which had been left unlocked, and began searching through the ‘Lost Treasures’ box. Quickly, he located the file marked “Lyric Hughes” and began reading over it. Gavin felt his breath catch as many of the same details “Hannah” had told him were mentioned in the file. A family of five that traveled often. A mother who taught piano lessons, a father who ran a small business; two older brothers and a family dog.

What he hadn’t known, and what “Hannah” never mentioned was the fact that her parents and brothers were dead. Apparently murdered by mafia which placed a young Lyric Hughes in protective custody as a ward of the state. It all started to make sense as to why she mentioned them in the past tense and would get a faraway look in her eyes when he’d ask about her past. It also made him wonder just how much he really knew about his so-called “fiancée.” 

Just as he’d tucked away the first sheet of the police report and the picture of Lyric and her family into his jeans’ pocket, the lights in the hall came on and he was once again face-to-face with Mother Mary Francis, except this time, she wasn’t alone. Another familiar figure stepped inside the room and Gavin’s eyes searched the Detective’s.

Curt Monroe glanced at the bag at Gavin’s feet and the folder clutched in his hand before meeting his eyes. “May I ask what you’re doing here?” the detective asked, breaking the silence in the room. Gavin didn’t immediately respond, prompting the detective to continue. “You are aware that breaking and entering is a crime, right?”

“Is it? And how about assisting in faking a death?” Gavin countered, his gaze not faltering as he stared down the man in front of him. “Is that not also a crime?”

The man had a practiced poker face. He didn’t flinch or show any physical signs of distress. Instead, he took a breath and turned towards Mother Mary. “I don’t need your consent but, I’d like to give you the opportunity to speak up just the same, Mary. Would you like to press charges?”

“Well, it doesn’t appear that anything has been taken,” she said, staring at the folder in Gavin’s hand. “And I’m sure this young man took care not to damage the lock outside.” Gavin nodded and Mary smiled, her eyes once again traveling to the rosary hanging around his neck. She moved in front of Detective Monroe, further into the room and slipped the folder from Gavin’s hand. “I may have been a little elusive in our earlier conversation, Gavin, and for that I apologize. It was not my intention to cause you any undue stress or alarm.”

“Look, I just want a straight answer, and as a servant of the Lord, I will believe whatever you tell me, Mother Mary. But, please, I need to know if this little girl is the same person I’m looking for. Do you know where I can find Hannah?”

“I’m sorry,” Mary sighed, happy the question posed to her was one she could answer with complete honesty. “I can’t help you. I have no idea where to find your fiancée but, I do hope you find her. You have a good heart, Gavin. I could tell that right away. Your fiancée is a very lucky young lady.” 

Detective Monroe escorted Gavin outside the convent and through the wrought-iron fence. “Something is not right,” Gavin said as the Detective handed him his bag. “I know there is more to this story and I won’t stop looking until I find her.”

“As is your right.”

“Interesting,” Gavin said, pausing just beside a tree. “If you were certain that body back in St. Claire was Hannah, you would have told me there was nothing to find. What is it? Witness Protection? Did her ex cause the feds to move her or something? Is the mafia still after her? Is that who came to my parents’ house and shot up downtown St. Claire? Why all the secrecy? The ruse with the body? Please? I just…I just need to know she’s alright.”

Curt thought for a moment, rubbing the scruff on his chin as he gazed at the solemn expression on Gavin’s face. “There’s nothing I can say or do that would satisfy or dissuade you. You seem convinced you’re on some just mission and I have neither the time nor patience to hold your hand while you conduct your civilian investigation. My advice? If you’re under the impression it is WitSec, you will never find her and it’s best you just give up now. Otherwise, rest assured, if I catch you breaking the law again, or harassing anyone here at the rectory, you won’t get a second chance. Have a good night, Mr. Stark.”

“Boat’s arriving,” Kasper announced, re-entering the parking lot where Alexa was waiting. “I didn’t see any other cars over there; no police either.”

“Good. Almost there,” she said, turning towards Richard. “Ready to take a little trip?”

“You break into my home, threaten me at gunpoint and then kidnap me? You are really digging your own grave here. When Frank hears…”

“Frank won’t hear anything. I’ve covered my tracks well. And as for you, if you really think I’d planned on letting you go once I was done, you really don’t know much about the assassin you hired, do you?” she asked, placing a piece of duct tape over his mouth. Richard’s eyes opened wide as Alexa shut the trunk, shrouding him in total darkness. 

The final bell sounded as she drove the car onto the ramp before the ferry shoved off. “The sedative I gave him should last a good four hours,” she said, joining Kasper near the front railing of the boat. “What’s next on the agenda?”

“Frank Delacroix will be making his entry into the Port of Bellona at 6 a.m. on Friday.”

“Great. That gives us 48 hours to set our plan into motion. We’ll be there to welcome him.” Alexa sighed, taking in a deep breath. “It’s almost over, K.”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding his head in agreement. “If all goes well.”

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