“I believe you. Now, get aside,” Jake said and started checking the contents of the box.
It had some old books, a diary, some old receipts, and a few worn out clothes. As Jake removed the clothes, he was in for a surprise. Wooden idols similar to the one he had seen at Donald’s house were hidden under the clothes. He took out two of them and placed them adjacent to James’s diary.
He opened the diary and glanced at the pages. Apart from a few numbers and a list of household items, there was nothing else. Jake tossed the diary back into the box and locked it. He threw the keys to Oliver, who got hold of it somehow.
Jake looked at the idols carefully. They too looked unfinished just like the one he had seen at Donald’s house.
“Any idea if James Reed carved these himself?” he asked and showed the idols to Oliver, who took some time to see what they were. “I haven’t seen them before. You think some ritual led to his murder?”
Jake didn’t bother to respond and left at once. Oliver locked the storage room and rushed towards the stairs.
Jake looked at his watch as he drove back. It was half past twelve. He hadn’t heard back from Ryan and hoped that it would continue the same way for some more time. He wanted some quiet time at least until lunchtime. That reminded him something. He dialed Kiara’s number.
“Where are you?” he asked as soon as she answered.
“Where else?” she replied with a hint of sadness.
“I think a good meal will cheer you up,” Jake said with a smile. “I’m on my way back. Let’s meet at the diner for a quick bite.”
“What has the diner to do with a good meal?” she asked.
“It’s my treat, and you know…”
“That how cheap you are?”
“Exactly,” Jake said with a grin.
“Okay,” Kiara replied
“I’ll take another twenty minutes,” Jake said while glancing at his watch.
“Then, I’ll be there in half an hour based on your understanding of timings.”
“You know me better than anyone,” Jake replied, “Okay, getting into the traffic. Bye.”
“Bye.”
“You know we aren’t supposed to discuss each other’s cases?” Jake asked while munching on the salad.
“It’s not the case, but the manner in which I was removed from it that I want to discuss,” Kiara replied.
“You understand that just like Carlson, your conspiracy theories scare me too?” Jake said.
“Okay, then leave it,” Kiara replied angrily.
Jake knew he had no other option. He leaned forward.
“Okay, let’s assume there is a possibility of government – Jannik nexus and let’s also assume that Carlson is under pressure not to let anyone know about it. But, Carlson removed you before even knowing that you had found that out.”
“What do you mean?” Kiara asked.
“You found out about Connelly Foundation yesterday when as per Carlson you were no longer active on this case. Right?”
“Yes,”
“That would mean that someone else told him about your findings. But, the way he reacted, it seems he had no clue that you knew anything about it,” Jake explained.
Kiara’s face turned tense. “You’re right. Carlson didn’t know that I had found the link between Connelly Foundation and Jannik until I told him. But, still my removal looks a bit odd.”
“To you, yes. When he had suspended me, even I felt like that,” Jake said, “Don’t think too much about it. At least there is a silver lining to it.”
“What silver lining?”
“Well, you got rid of Jason. I’m still stuck with Ryan and his crazy theories,” Jake said while shaking his head.
“I think the feeling is mutual. He looks really comfortable in Jeff and Robert’s company,” Kiara said and paused. “Thanks for listening to me.”
“Anytime,” Jake said.
“So, how’s your case progressing?” Kiara asked.
“Not much,” Jake replied, “Bob did some research, but nothing came out of it. So, I am trying to find something at victims’ homes.”
“Carlson has taken the fun out of the cases by making us work separately,” Kiara said while taking a sip of the coffee.
“Yeah. I think if I were with you that day, you wouldn’t have faced this problem,” Jake said calmly.
Kiara looked at him with a faint smile, “Yeah… you’re better than Jason.”
“What? How can you even compare me to him?”
“Well, for starters, he doesn’t come to the office on time. He defies anything that I say; keeps talking about his parties and the most common feature between the two of you is bragging about your achievements,” Kiara said with a chuckle.
“I never brag and even if I do, I have a lot of genuine stuff to brag about unlike him. What has he even done to show off?” Jake said in a complaining tone.
“He met his new partners only today, but he told them how he has handled the case… would you believe? As per him, it was I who botched up the chase and to add more credibility to his heroics, he has told them every single detail that he found out about the case – from Bob and me. It’s as if he is the only one who has worked on the case. Now, Jeff and Robert have a good head start. They don’t even have to do any research – a couple of raids, and they will have Niklas by the neck. Carlson will give them all the credit and in return, they will thank Jason for the information. He will be the hero, and I’ll be sidelined – again.”
“Wow! The star agent is being threatened by a newbie. Way to go,” Jake said and looked at Kiara’s face that was covered with a wide grin, “You aren’t even listening to me. Are you?” Jake asked, but Kiara kept grinning.
With that, she got up. “Thank you. That’s why we should always work together.”
“I’ve given you a new idea. Haven’t I?” Jake said in a defeated tone and got up.
“Don’t brag. It’s not you. It’s what I said. Now pay up,” Kiara said and started walking towards the door.
Jake left the bills on the table and followed her.
“You’re already in trouble. Don’t do anything that could make the matter worse,” he said as he came out.
“Don’t worry. I’ll never cross Jeff and Robert’s territory,” she said as they began to walk, “Jason thinks that he knows everything about the case, but there are still some parts that only I know. He thinks only he worked on the case yesterday. He doesn’t know that I also worked on something.”
“What something?” Jake asked.
“As you said, we aren’t supposed to discuss each other’s cases,” Kiara said and pointed towards the division building. “Let’s get back to work.”
Jake shook his head, knowing that Kiara had made up her mind and all his attempts of stopping her were futile. He started walking ahead of her. Kiara smiled and followed him.
As Jake reached his desk, he saw Ryan’s chair empty.
“Some more time of solitude,” he said to himself. He took out his journal and kept it on the table. While doing so, one of the idols fell out of the pocket. He picked it up and looked at it carefully. It was similar to the one that he had seen at Donald’s place – green, unfinished on one side, and creepy as hell.
After a few moments of staring at it, he put it back and closed his eyes.
He remembered the discussion he had with Kiara during lunch. Although, her case was entirely different, their approach had one common factor – she knew certain parts of the investigation that were unknown to Jason. In his case too, Ryan and he had conducted the investigation independently for the first time and knowing Ryan, he suspected that he would’ve found something. He, on the other hand, hadn’t found anything else besides the two idols.
He opened his eyes and looked at the idols once again. He kept them in the drawer, and as he did that, something struck him. He dialed Ryan’s number immediately.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“On my way to the divi
sion,” Ryan said.
“Come to Alliance Insurance’s headquarters,” Jake said and got up. “I’m sending you the address.”
“Alliance Insurance?” Ryan asked with confusion.
“That’s where James Reed used to work,” Jake replied as he reached the main door. “James’s landlord told me that James hadn’t paid rent for months, but he was confident of paying it the day he was murdered. I think we’ll get some clue from his boss or his colleagues about the money he was supposed to receive that day.”
“Okay… got your text,” Ryan said, “Will meet you there in half an hour’s time.”
“Great,” Jake said and disconnected.
Jake’s mind was running as they waited at the reception area of Alliance Insurances headquarters. One thing was clear – someone who knew everything about James’s financial condition had lured him to his death. And, there was a great chance that this person had used the same trick to entice other victims. Ryan’s theory about all the victims being linked was correct after all.
“You must be Agent Carter?” A man in mid-forties with slick hair and a crisp suit asked, bringing Jake out of his thoughts. “I am Travis Nelson, the head of Accidental insurance division.”
Jake shook hands with Travis and looked at Ryan. “He is my Partner, Agent Ryan Davis.”
Travis greeted Ryan with a smile and turned to Jake, “I suppose this has something to do with James’s death.”
“You’re right,” Jake replied.
“Okay, let’s go to my office,” Travis said and opened the door for them.
Jake looked around as he walked across the office floor. Everyone seemed to be either buried in their computers or speaking with someone over the phone. Everything looked as mechanical as possible. Jake kept looking at them until they reached Travis’s office at the opposite end.
“So, what do you want to know? James was an old employee, and I’ll help with anything that could help find his killers,” Travis said as he sat down.
“Mr. Nelson, how was James as an employee?” Jake asked and stared at Ryan, who pulled out his journal immediately.
“Well, he had some good days and some bad ones like everyone else here,” Travis replied diplomatically.
“I don’t follow you,” Jake said.
“See, we are an insurance company. We all work on leads and try to convert as many as possible. Frankly, in my opinion, the fieldwork shouldn’t be assigned to people over fifty. I joined here around five years back. James was quite good in converting those leads at that time, but in the last couple of years, something happened to him. He was always lost and missed his targets regularly. I used everything – advice, warning… everything, but his performance kept spiraling down. In fact, the thought of firing him had also crossed my mind.”
“Wow! You’re a ruthless manager,” Jake smirked, “Did he give any reasons for this sudden change of behavior?
A streak of nervousness flashed across Travis’s face, but he recovered in an instant.
“He didn’t say anything directly to me, but, I think he was having a bout of depression,” Travis said.
“You didn’t inquire it further?” Jake asked with surprise.
“I did… As I said, I advised him. I told him to take a break, but he denied it. And, I think he was under some financial distress too. He didn’t want to go on unpaid leave. In fact, a couple of days before all of this happened, he had reached out to me and had asked for more leads,” Travis said thoughtfully.
“You, on the other hand, were thinking of firing him,” Jake said and got up.
“What happened?” Travis asked in confusion with the abrupt end to the discussion.
“Mr. Nelson, you have been of immense help,” Jake said and looked at Ryan, who got up hurriedly.
“Okay… I hope it helps in finding James’s killer,” Travis Nelson said with confusion while guiding them to the door of his office. He kept looking at them until they reached the main door. Jake shook the door, but it was access controlled. He turned towards Travis’s office and found him looking at them. Travis got up from his seat, but Jake gestured him to remain seated. He pointed at the people working in the nearby bays. Travis nodded and went back to his work. Jake looked at him for a moment and then walked to one of the desks.
“Excuse me,” he said to a young man who took a moment to snap out of his work. “Can you guide me to the desk from where James Reed used to work?”
The young man turned around and pointed at one of the corner desks.
“He used to sit there,” he said.
“Thanks,” Jake said with a smile and left at once. Ryan followed suit. The young man looked at both of them with some confusion and then went back to work.
“I thought we were going to ask him for the door access?” Ryan asked with nervousness.
“I want to know if James knew he was getting fired,” Jake said tersely without looking at Ryan. He didn’t want to lose the sight of James’s desk.
“Oh... that’s why you ended the discussion abruptly,” Ryan mused, but Jake was already looking for someone who could help him. He didn’t have to wait long as one of James’s neighbor got up noticing their presence.
“Can I help you?” the old woman asked while looking alternately between the two.
“Oh… thank you,” Jake said with a smile. “We are investigating James’s murder…. death and wanted to check if we could find something at his desk.” He said and opened the drawer to show that he was there for that. As expected, the drawers were clean. “I reckon no one has been assigned the desk, yet.”
“No one is willing to shift here,” the old woman said in a low voice while looking around the bay.
“I understand,” Jake said and paused, “Sorry, I didn’t get you name.”
“I am Martha… Martha Jones,” she replied, “I am Mr. Nelson’s assistant.”
“That’s great. So, Martha, How well did you know James? I mean if you sat at the desk beside his, you must have spoken to him on a daily basis,” Jake began to lay the trap while Ryan looked with amusement.
“Oh… he kept to himself, mostly,” Martha said, but the tone changed from being enthusiastic to being evasive. Jake noticed that.
“How long have you been working here?” he asked.
“For the last five years,” she said.
“That’s same as Mr. Nelson,” Jake mused.
“I’ve worked with him for the last ten years; I was his assistant in his previous company too. He brought me here with him,” she replied with a smile.
“Is it?” Jake replied with an equally warm smile, “He seems to be a tough boss, though. You must be sharing a great comfort level with him. Working for so long with such a boss needs great temperament.”
“Oh… he has his moods, but he’s a good boss,”
“Well, you know him better than me,” Jake said, “So, Mr. Nelson told me that James was a good employee until the last couple of years or so. Any idea what was going on with him?”
Jake brought the discussion back to where it started; hoping that it would work, and he didn’t have to wait long to know that.
“He already told you about James? Then I can also tell you,” Martha said with relief in her voice.
“Tell us what?” Jake asked. Ryan too came closer.
Martha looked around the hall once. “James had a hard life. He had no family or any other acquaintance outside of work. He told me everything about his life. He was very hard working, but when he was caught stealing a bike some thirty years back, his career suffered a major setback. His job options also dwindled. There was a phase when he didn’t have a job for a full year. But, he was a fighter and grabbed whatever opportunities came his way. Even here, he was doing the work that someone half his age does and was even earning less than what they earned.
I think he took some loan from the company a couple of years back. Once you have worked here for five years, you are eligible for six months of salary in advance. He invested the m
oney in the stocks and lost everything. The fixed part of his salary was getting deducted every month for the repayment of the loan. He was surviving on the variable part, and as he failed to convert the leads, even that money dried up.” Martha stopped as her eyes turned moist. Jake patted on her shoulder.
“You were close to him?” he asked softly.
“We were neighbors. We shared everything,” Martha replied with a faint smile.
Jake waited for a few moments until she got her composure back. “The way Mr. Nelson works, I don’t think he would have taken this nicely – I mean James losing out on the leads?”
“Oh… he was not nice to James. And, that affected James’s performance even further,” Martha said, “I’m not sure, but I think he was about to fire James.”
“Oh, is it?” Jake asked with a fake surprise. “You think James knew that?”
“I think he did,” Martha said in a low voice. “He had gone into his shell in his last days. It was as if he had lost interest in life.”
Jake got his answer, but Martha’s pale face didn’t let him leave.
“I… I suppose he meant a lot to you,” he said as softly as he could. “You’ve helped a lot. We’ll work on the information provided by you. Thank you.”
Martha gave a faint smile. “If you need anything else… you know where to find me.”
Jake smiled back and looked at Ryan, who took a cue and started walking to the door. Jake remembered something as he reached halfway.
“She could give us the access to the door,” He said and turned around, but, Martha wasn’t at her desk. He could see Travis Nelson’s office door open. He walked to the desk of the young man who had guided them to James’s desk.
“Can you give us the access?” he asked.
“Oh… yes, sure,” the young man said and walked to the door.
Travis Nelson noticed them as they stepped out. He dialed a number while looking at them.
CHAPTER 5
“So, you think James knew his job wasn’t secure, and he did something illegal for money that cost him his life?” Ryan asked as they walked to the parking area.
Davenport Mysteries 04-Loose Ends Page 8
