by Jack Hammond
“Excuse me?” Sarah laughed. “Let him go?”
“He’s the little fish that’s going to catch you the big fish.”
Sarah pushed herself away from the desk and stood up. “I have Max in holding, I have the name of the boy in the photo and it won’t be long before we have the new player.” Sarah explained. “Tell me why I'd let him go?”
“You don’t have the mastermind.”
“I will once I have Max interrogated.”
“He knows nothing, he’s as much in the dark as he ever was here.” Edward replied honestly.
“And how would you know?”
“He thinks I am involved with his side.”
“Are you?” Sarah questioned.
“No, of course not. You know where my allegiance lies.” Edward remarked with a hint of surprise.
“I thought I did. But now I’m not so sure, I can’t understand why you didn’t tell me about the contact with Max.” She said leaning forward. “Didn't I say if he contacted you, you were to play along? Edward, I expected to be kept informed damn it!” Sarah was angry, her voice had risen for the first time and Edward was unsettled.
“I did what I thought was best, Sarah.” Edward explained. “Once you have Max and the boy, you have no reason to continue.”
Sarah knew to a certain extent he was right, but he had lied to her. How could she be sure he wasn’t lying now? Sarah was confident the person running Max was an Associate but couldn’t prove it. Even with Max and the boy in custody the chances of adding weight to her theory was impossible.
“You know I’m right.” He declared.
“Maybe you are, but how can I trust you now? How can I divulge information to you?”
“I understand, but you don’t need to use me in any capacity that jeopardises your investigation.” Edward almost pleaded. “Use me in other areas, I can help you and maybe regain your trust.”
“I don’t know,” she sighed retaking her seat. “I’m going to talk to Max, I will tell you what I have decided in due course.”
“Very well.” Edward knew he shouldn’t push, he needed to seem confident not desperate.
“I won’t make any official reports until I have made my decision.” Sarah said.
“I appreciate that.” Edward said leaving the office.
Edward contemplated the conversation with Sarah as he moved along the street. The meeting had been short, but could've been worse. Edward had imagined it going very wrong. He reached into his coat pocket and took out the silver necklace, holding the symbol in the palm of his hand Edward screwed up his face. He had never seen this symbol before; Edward had seen three symbols in his life. Two he had visited, the third was above him in the Associates' hierarchy. This symbol was none of them, which begged two questions where did it lead and how many symbols were out there?
The young girl tapped on the door, before walking into the office. She walked swiftly to Sarah’s desk, clutching a file to her chest. “He has arrived at the safe house,” she said placing the file down on the desk. “I took the liberty of calling Mr Schultz, he will be arriving in a day or so.”
Sarah looked up and pulled the file toward her. “Thank you, Vanessa.”
Turning on the spot she made her way out. “Oh, did he tell you what you wanted?” she enquired pausing at the door.
“He lied to me. I’m sure of it, I just don’t know why.”
“I’m sure you’ll have it worked out before Mr Schultz’s arrival.” She answered leaving the room.
“Yes, I’m sure I will.” Sarah said quietly to herself.
Traffic was a nightmare between the hours of three and five in the afternoon. The parents were heading out to collect their kids from school, increasing the vehicle volume by what seemed like a hundred percent. Paul sat behind the wheel of his car staring at the rear end of a dirty white transit van. He had been parked behind it for at least ten minutes without moving an inch. Paul had found it humorous at first reading what had been scrawled in the dirt, but it had gotten old fast. The ‘also comes in white’ and ‘I wish my wife was this dirty’ had become a nagging reminder Paul was going nowhere fast.
The sound of a muffled sixties classic ‘paint it black’ by the Rolling Stones drifted from Ruben’s inside pocket. “Hello, Ruben.” He answered.
“Mr Ruben, we have a problem.”
“Okay, shoot.” He said.
“One of our people has been taken.” The voice said.
Paul’s head dropped for a second. “Why are you calling me?”
“He's been taken by Sarah Mather. We need you to release him.”
“How the hell do I do that?”
“That will be your concern, we need him released before he is interrogated.”
“I don’t even know who or where he is being held,” Paul said. “I haven’t heard about it, don’t you realise I’m not even in the loop.”
“They will contact you soon, be ready when they do.” The voice vanished.
Paul slipped the phone back inside his pocket, how had he been drawn into this? These two factions seemed to be fighting against each other and he was piggy in the middle. The sound of a car horn behind him shook him up as he noticed the van had vanished from in front of him. He put the car into gear and pulled away, waving an apologetic hand to the driver behind.
“Son of a bitch!” Ruben growled as he pulled off the main road, choosing to take the side streets to avoid the heavy traffic.
Ruben hadn’t arrived at his apartment complex before his phone rang once again in his pocket. He held the phone in his hand and listened to the ring tone. Paul was a big Rolling Stone’s fan but when he selected his favourite song as a ring tone, he never thought he would tire of hearing it.
“Yes?” Ruben said into the mobile.
“I need you to come in.” Sarah Mather informed her man.
“I’m on my way.”
“I need to you to collect me from the office. We’re going somewhere else.”
Paul was certain they would be meeting the person he had just received a call about. “I understand. I’ll be about forty minutes, traffics a bitch.”
“Take your time, the person we’re meeting isn’t going anywhere.” Sarah told him.
The blue Honda civic arrived outside the dull grey building thirty minutes later, Paul hadn’t got time to get out before Sarah came through the double doors and headed over to his car. She handed Paul a piece of paper and got in. Without exchanging eye contact she said. “Take me here.”
“Alright,” he said as he opened the paper. The address was a warehouse not far away; it was a unit on an industrial estate Paul Ruben knew well, from kids dumping stolen cars there.
The car journey was silent, Sarah Mather never really spoke and Paul had little to say. He was glad she wasn’t a talker; he figured she felt above him. Saw him as nothing more than someone she could use, which he supposed, was right. He was playing chauffer now, but wasn’t sure what role he would be playing when they arrived. With someone else playing puppet master, Paul was at a loss as to who was running his life. At the moment it certainly wasn’t him and that didn’t look like it would change soon.
The Honda took a left off of the island and headed into the industrial estate. Most of the buildings were empty; some were being used for storage and the others by haulage drivers as sleeping areas. A few big rigs were parked up, and the drivers had settled in the cabs to catch up on sleep. Ruben took a series of turns, a left, and then a right before pulling up beside a black Mercedes that was parked outside the bright red shutter doors of their unit.
Paul applied the handbrake but didn’t have time to say a word before Sarah chimed in.
“Follow me.” She said.
“Sure.” Paul replied as he left the car and headed inside, close behind Sarah.
The warehouse unit was somewhat of a cliché in Paul’s eyes, chains hung on the walls, a variety of cardboard boxes were scattered around the open space and in the centre was an empty chair
. Ruben quickly looked around as he searched for the person he was supposed to be helping escape.
“Come on, in here.” Sarah snapped as she reached the office door to their left. “I said, follow me.”
“Sorry.” He apologised as he picked up the pace with a mild jog.
A tall bald man leaned against the back wall of the small office. At his feet lay a man in a tracksuit, his face was pressed into the cheap green carpet. Paul looked at them both; this was not going to be easy. He was obviously well trained, a man mountain and from the bulge in his jacket he was armed.
“Max!” Sarah said almost rejoicing in his capture. “I’m so glad you were able to make it.”
Max was still groggy, he didn’t attempt to reply.
“Put him in the chair. I want a chat with him.”
The bald headed man didn’t speak, he reached down grabbing Max by the back of his jacket and dragged him through the office into the warehouse. He plonked Max upright in the chair.
Paul stepped forward as he took a good look at the man in the chair, passing Sarah he moved within inches of him. His eyes scanned him closely before he turned back to Sarah. “You know who this is?” he exclaimed.
“Of course I do.”
“He’s the bastard that kidnapped that kid, we’re looking for this guy.”
Sarah gave him a pity smile, “You’re so far behind it's laughable.” She quipped as she looked at the bald man. “We will be having a guest arrive soon. Make sure he has everything he needs.”
“On it.” He replied ducking back outside to his car.
Paul straightened up, “Are you going to find where he’s got the kid? Is that what this is about?”
“Don’t be stupid. This isn’t about that child,” Sarah moved closer to Max. “Wake up Max, I want to talk to you.”
"We can get Thomas Kern back from this guy, ask him where he is!" Ruben almost demanded.
Sarah glared at him. “He has no idea where the boy is, he never took him. We did, we’re the ones that took him and people like you helped us. Now the sooner you shut your mouth, the sooner I can get this over and done with.”
“You took him?!” Paul felt sick. For a split second he thought he could have made a difference when he saw the suspect that was all over the news in front of him. But he was just another pawn, like him, a patsy set up by these faceless people.
“Get out!” Sarah shouted. “You can wait for me outside.” She looked back at Max. “This won’t take long.”
As Ruben left the warehouse the metal door banged shut leaving Sarah and Max alone. She slowly walked around him, her high heels tapping on the solid concrete floor as she moved. “How long has it been Max?”
“Not long enough,” he mumbled.
“Funny.” She leaned over his shoulder. “What happened to you Max? Where did it all go wrong?”
“The bald guy with the taser, I think that's where it went wrong.” He remarked sarcastically.
“No. It went wrong long before that. You were doing so well.”
Max looked at her. “Not as well as some,” he grinned. “What are you now? Associate or?”
“I’m not an Associate Max.” She laughed.
“No, I didn’t think you were. It’s an old organisation; they probably don’t allow women to hold important positions.”
“Oh, is that right?” Sarah snapped annoyed at his remark.
“Yeah, I bet you’ll be making tea and coffee for the big boys in no time.” He jeered.
Sarah ran her hand over his stubbly head. “I preferred you with hair you know.” She changed the subject.
“Me too, in this weather it’s harsh to say the least.”
“Can I ask, did it burn?”
“What?”
“When he tasered you, I heard it burns. Did it?” she asked softly into his ear.
“No more than your poor attempts to intimidate me.”
“I’m not trying to intimidate you, Max. I’ll leave that to Mr Schultz.” She moved around to face him. “You do remember him, don’t you Max. Mr Schultz?”
Max knew exactly who he was; he was a torturer who revelled in the pain and misery of others, swallowing the lump in his throat he replied. "I do."
“Good, because he’ll be joining us soon,” she smiled. “Won’t that be nice?”
Max pulled at his restraints in hopes they’d break, but all they did was cut deeper into his wrists.
“What did you tell Edward?” she asked, her tone shifting from mocking to serious.
“Ask him,” Max said. “I have nothing to say.”
“I have, he’s not as cooperative as I’d like. So I’m asking you.”
Max thought for a moment. Was Edward also in custody, had they both been picked up? “He has a way of turning questions around doesn’t he?” Max added, “I actually admire that about him.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing. I never told him a thing.”
“Liar, you told him who you’re working for.”
Max smiled. “Did I? If I did I really can’t remember.”
“I guess we will just have to wait for Mr Schultz.” She threatened.
“Oh, Sarah. If I genuinely thought I wouldn’t be subjected to him regardless of what I said I might tell you something.” Then he explained, “But we both know, I’ll be tortured either way, no matter what I say.”
Sarah sneered at him; he wasn’t going to break for her. She wasn’t sure if he was loyal to his new master or scared. “Do you think your new employer will save you?”
“Save me?”
“Yes. Do you think he’ll swoop in and save you?” she asked.
“Not a chance, I'm as expendable in this organisation as I was in yours.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Pity yourself, don’t waste it on me Sarah. I’ve seen it, I’ve seen what it's capable of, and it’s coming for you.”
“The Associates will handle it, they always have.” She replied confidently.
“You believe that, don’t you?”
Sarah nodded.
“Dear me, Sarah. You’re not dealing with a person or a few people,” Max laughed. “It isn’t even human, I’ve seen it. You and yours can’t kill it or stop it.”
“Rubbish.” She dismissed.
“Believe me when I tell you, it’s coming for everything you have. Your people, your friends, your family.”
“If that’s true, Mr Schultz will happily get the information.”
“Mr Schultz will get everything and I want you there Sarah.”
“Why?” she asked puzzled.
“I want you to see my face when he breaks me, so when I say all this again, you’ll see it’s true.” Max smiled at her, “Then you’ll see the world in which you live, will soon end.”
“I’ll be there to see you scream. Nothing more.” She answered turning her back on him. His mocking laugh echoing behind her as she left.
Chapter Fourteen
The tram swayed from side to side as it rattled its way into the city centre. Luke couldn’t believe he’d missed school yesterday and again today. He had stayed out until four in the morning. After following Wesley’s stalker to an apartment complex, he waited awhile, Luke wasn’t sure why. Then as he was about to leave he made another appearance. He’d followed him from the apartment block to a house, which was hidden behind a large wall. When Luke had arrived home in the early hours of Thursday morning, he had no idea he would sleep as long as he did.
This was one of the times he was glad his parents let him and his sister get ready for school, without chasing them up. When he didn’t arrive for breakfast, Luke assumed they thought he had left early or spent that night at Wesley’s. He was also glad his sister, who was in the same year as him, had not mentioned his absence during the evening meal. Luke was certain that would remain with her until she needed a similar favour.
Luke had refrained from confronting Wesley, he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was because he didn
’t know anything. Yes, he’d followed the stranger, but what had he actually learned? When Luke had got himself ready for bed, he decided never to do anything so stupid again. But he had woken with a strange urge to return. The mystery man appeared as soon as he’d arrived. It was as if he’d been waiting for him and that’s how he found himself here, a mere ten seats away.
Following him now was different, it wasn’t dark and there were more people around. Before had been terrifying at certain points, but he needed to do it, he needed to help his best friend. The man stood looking at his watch. Luke figured he was late for something, he had checked his watch over and over again on the tram journey. As the doors opened the man stepped out and Luke left it until the last second, before darting out between the tram doors and continuing his pursuit.
He crossed Upper Parliament Street and headed down into the square. Luke gratefully used the groups of people to blend into in case he turned around and saw him. Luke moved from one pack of students to the next and weaved his way into the square. The huge council building was to his far left, but the man he was following wasn’t staying in the crowds. He switched direction and headed up a side street towards Maid Marion Way. Luke debated following behind. He had nowhere to hide here. If he turned around he would be face to face with him. What should he do? Luke wasn’t brave enough to take the risk, he waited until he had left the alley and sprinted as fast as possible and hoped to catch him.
Luke shifted uncomfortably on the spot as he waited impatiently for the mystery man to walk to the end of the alley. As soon as he turned left out of the side street, Luke set off. He liked playing sports and was quite physical. But he wasn’t much of a sprinter and yet somewhere he had found the drive to run faster than ever before. He reached Maid Marion Way, peered around the corner and gave a sigh of relief as he saw the man, walking casually down the road. Luke watched as he took another left into the church yard on the corner of the main strip.
He held back, watching the man amongst the gravestones. Unsure what he was doing Luke sidestepped into a doorway and waited again to check where the man would lead him next. Why was he standing there? He asked himself. Was he visiting a grave? It didn’t seem likely; it also didn’t seem much of a tourist spot. Luke ducked out of sight as the man looked around, he was searching for something. As long as it wasn’t him Luke didn’t care. Without warning he set off again, this time crossing back over the road and heading towards Luke. He slipped back into the alley and crouched down behind a line of bins.
