by L. M. Vila
“I’m surprised you haven’t heard. We’ve been known to keep a secret or two around here.” McCrae wasn’t cocky by nature but ever since Michael entered the department he felt a bit more proud about his department's work than ever before.
“What do you mean sir?”
“I’m sure you heard about what happened last year. The FBI’s big crackdown against our most wanted fugitives.”
“Of course.”
Sure she has. Everyone did. The ten most wanted fugitives in the country were brought to justice in a blink of an eye. Some of the most brutal felons and dangerous crooks that have left their mark in the criminal world finally went down. In light of all of this there was only one question to be asked. What did that have to do with Michael?
“Well, truth be told. All of them. Every single bust. Every single arrest. Was thanks to that man right there.”
Her gaze grew even larger. Michael was the one responsible for all of those arrests? The humble and gentle soul that she knew years ago was the one that took down all those criminals. Destroyed their empires. Killed their leaders. She was having a hard time ingesting all of it, especially for one day.
Somehow, in her heart, Meryl knew it had to be true. Michael was the most incredible man she ever met. The first one that treated her as an equal and not just a woman. He was definitely someone special. No longer just in her eyes it appears.
“That’s amazing.” She sounded remarkably happy. Michael wasn’t expecting that. He didn’t even know how to react. Therefore, he simply remained silent.
“Well, the most important thing is that both of you are alright.” McCrae peered deeper into Michael’s gash. “For the most part anyways. You should get that checked out Michael.”
“Just a scratch.”
“Even still. Take better care of yourself out there.”
“Yes sir.”
McCrae leaned back and rested on his desk. His hand lifted to rub his chin. “So where does this leave us gang?”
“The company responsible does not exist. Possibly a shadow for something bigger.”
“I see. Do you have any other leads?”
“Not at this time.”
“Damn. Well, the only thing we can say for certain is that whoever they are, they don’t want us snooping around. You in particular. For your safety, I’ll arrange a police escort for you in and out of the building for the time being.”
Michael wanted to object but he knew McCrae was right. His life was definitely at risk. If Seika was anything like her brother then they were paid a large amount of money to make sure Michael would be eliminated. Someone like that wouldn’t give up after one failed attempt. Not only that, there was still another issue to bring up.
“One more thing sir.”
“Go ahead Mike.”
He took a silent but deep breath. “We found the information about the company involved a few hours ago. While we were on assignment. They couldn’t have known we would show up to this address today. Unless…”
McCrae cut in. “There’s an informant? Is that what you’re saying?”
Michael agreed knowing that was the last thing his superior wanted to hear. To have someone under his employ labeled a traitor was unheard of. If they were able to penetrate the extensive security and background check of this department then the only other explanation is that they got to someone who was already inside.
“If what you’re insinuating is true, then we have a big problem.” McCrae moved to his desk and took a seat. He hit the speaker button on his office phone and dialed Nicole Well’s cellular number. “Let me call Nicole, let her know what’s going on. Maybe she can provide some more insight.”
A voice began to speak on the phone. “Go ahead Commander McCrae.”
“Hi Nicole, how are ya?” McCrae certainly enjoyed small talk.
“Just fine sir.”
“Where did you run off to today? There were some things we needed to discuss.”
“I apologize Commander. Something urgent came up. I had to step out a bit. It was concerning the chemical we found this morning.”
Seriousness stepped in. McCrae was all business now. “Speaking of that, Agent Madison and Lewis ran into problem.”
“Special Agent Madison had already disclosed the information to me.”
“Good. Did he also tell you about the security leak?”
Silence filled the air. Nicole waited to respond. “No sir.”
McCrae filled her in on the information Michael provided. They could feel her concern seep through the circuits in the phone. After a brief moment, she spoke again.
“Michael is their target. I suggest we keep him in protective custody inside of our building until we can determine who our enemies really are.”
“Couldn’t agree more. What time are you due back in?”
“About eight o’clock sir.”
Checking his watch, they still had plenty of time. It was half past two.
“Alright. We’ll wait for you to come in to discuss it further. Until then, this matter stays between us.”
“Understood.”
Meryl and Michael couldn’t find a reason to disagree.
“Good,” McCrae looked up at Michael. “Do some research about Ms. Kunimoto. Find out anything you can. Once those finger prints come in and we ID our assassin, we’ll plan the next move.”
They both gave a calm “Yes sir,” in reply.
“Alright, go out and take a break you two. Mike, get that shoulder checked out.”
He was hesitant but Michael affirmed the order he was given. They headed out the door just as quickly as they came in. Then the office was silent. When McCrae truly felt like he was all alone, he spoke to the only other person still in attendance.
“You have any ideas who it could be Nicole?”
It was quiet at first. She soon worked up the courage and said, “If we can’t pick one, then we have to assume it's everyone.”
Leaving McCrae’s office felt weird, as if they had a different perception of the office and its inhabitants. Michael stayed focused. Glaring around the room at potential suspects would not be ideal. At this moment, they had the upper hand. The informant had no idea their cover was blown but could assume so much seeing that Michael is still alive. Until any more evidence surfaced, both of them had to play it off as if they suspected nothing or no one.
“Michael!” A voice called. “Oh my God,” followed soon after.
“Isabella?”
She immediately came walking up with a wash of concern splashed over her face. After seeing him move about with his clothes tattered and soiled, it solidified her emotions. Michael didn’t feel too incredibly terrible but by his looks it was obvious that they told a different story.
“What happened?”
Trying to stay as indistinct as possible, Michael thought of the only thing he could say that would answer every other question.
“Dodged a bullet.” That should be good enough for now. “Excuse me,” he said while moving past the worried intern. Michael headed for the bathroom to check his shoulder out. A first aid kit was stuck to the wall nearby which would help alleviate the pain and stitch him up good as knew.
“But Michael,” Isabella took a step in his direction. Meryl knew what was at stake. She stepped in-between, stopping her advancement.
“Michael’s got to clean himself up. We should leave him alone for a while.”
Time to get her mind off of that subject. “You must be Isabella. I never got a chance to introduce myself. My name is Meryl.” She extended her hand forward.
Disheartened at being unable to speak with Michael further, Isabella accepted defeat and answered. “Oh, you’re Meryl?” Caught up with Michael’s wellbeing, she completely forgot that this was the person she was meaning to talk to. Isabella reciprocated the handshake. “Meryl Lewis right?”
“Yes, but please, call me Meryl.”
Isabella smiled. “Alright. Well, you already know my name but my friends
here call me Izzy. Feel free to do so as well.”
Her tone was gentle. Meryl could sense a genuine friendliness in this girl. If only she could keep Isabella from asking any more questions related to Michael or what they were up to.
“So, what brings you around here?”
“Actually, I was looking for you Meryl.”
“Really?” Surprising but very divergent. Suddenly the thoughts of the sniper scuffle seemed to fade away. “What do you need?”
“Well,” shyness started lingering. Isabella had to keep a solid composure. “I was told by a few people around here that you and Michael used to be old friends.”
‘Old friends’ isn’t the way Meryl would like to put it but it sadly made the most sense. Nevertheless, she just had to play along.
“We were partners a few years back in the L.A.P.D. Nothing too serious.”
Suddenly those words sent a gut-wrenching pain inside her body. Meryl didn’t want to believe it. The evidence of today’s interactions would prove otherwise. A thought that pricked the sadness in her heart.
“Oh.” Isabella almost sounded as disappointed as Meryl felt. “To be honest, I am collecting money for a birthday present.” She caught herself briefly hoping not to stutter before saying his name. “For Michael.”
Meryl was taken back. She couldn’t believe she forgot his birthday. Checking the dates in her mind just to double check her memory verified what Isabella was saying is true. Michael’s birthday was tomorrow alright. And Meryl had let it slip past her mind. Some friend she turned out to be.
“Wow. You’re right. It is.” Meryl immediately realized she left her wallet back in her car. The only thing she carried on her person was a pocket ID case. “I left my purse in the car. If you give me a minute -”
“Oh that’s okay,” interrupted Isabella. “Truthfully, I just really wanted to ask you some questions.”
More questions. Meryl flinched at responding immediately. Answering too many of Isabella’s queries could provide trouble down the road. Well, they were divergent from the topic that needed to remain hidden so this probably wouldn’t hurt. Plus she sounded desperate.
“Alright, shoot. What do you want to know?”
A smile appeared on Izzy’s face. “Great!” he certainly was chipper. A little less professional than everyone else but maybe that’s what this place needed. One or two rogue operators to keep people on their toes.
Isabella was delighted with Meryl’s response. Hopefully her answers were equally as thrilling. “Everyone I’ve asked today has been stumped. Since you have a history with Michael, the first thing I want to ask is what does he like?”
Not a bad starting question. Leaves room for more depending on Meryl’s answer. “Let’s see.” She began to dig deep into her mind thinking of some possibilities. “When we were on the force, we used to go see movies every weekend. He was a really big movie buff back then.”
“Really?” Isabella began taking notes. “What kind of movies does he like?”
“Actually,” Meryl began to think this one through. “We kind of saw everything. Good and bad. Michael could find the highlights of horrible movies and the flaws of brilliant ones. Never really seemed like he had a preference.”
“Oh.” Isabella couldn’t hide her disappointment. Meryl had to counter quickly.
“Hmm, I know he’s into martial arts.”
“Martial arts? Like karate or something?”
Visiting back on her answer, Meryl was convinced that wouldn’t help either. Luckily, it segued into something that would.
“I’ve got it! How about something Japanese?”
“Japanese?” Her confusion was expected. No one knew Michael as well as Meryl did.
“Yea. Michael’s surrogate family is from Japan. He went through most of his education over there.”
“Surrogate family?”
That was not supposed to happen. Going from one taboo topic to another. Meryl had to think fast. It felt like it was already too late. Michael may not approve but there wasn’t much of a choice. Trying to backtrack on a question was much shadier than just answering it. Lying about it would be even worse.
“You see. Michael’s parents died when he was just a kid. They were on a cruise through Japan’s coast when something happened. I’m not exactly sure on the details but it was pretty bad. I heard the whole ship went down.”
“My God.” Isabella’s sadness could be felt. “What a horrible thing to happen to a child.”
Meryl continued her story. This one had a bit of a nicer ending. “Luckily, he was adopted by a Japanese family. They raised and cared for him. He told me once he graduated he made the decision to come back to America. When I first met him, that’s all he used to talk about. Japan, training, and the love his new family had shown him.”
“That’s so sweet. Has he ever gone back since then?”
She shook her head. “Not to my knowledge. We spent a lot of time together and after a while he stopped talking about them.”
“Really? I wonder why.”
There was a possible explanation that Meryl could have given but decided against it. There was enough gossip about personal lives in the air. No need to fill it with any more unnecessary information.
“I’m not sure either.”
That was probably the best answer she could have offered. Isabella seemed content with that. The conversation appeared to be at its end. Awkwardness began to rear its ugly head.
“So, something Japanese. I think I can manage that. Maybe I’ll go into Little Tokyo a bit later and do some shopping.”
“Sounds good. I’m sure he’d love anything you can find. Deep down, Michael’s got a soft heart.”
“Is that so? Sounds like you two were very close.”
That hit her surprisingly hard. Meryl started to question her relationship with Michael once more. Before she could slip into a battle of memories Meryl thought it best to end this thought and the conversation.
“Yea, well. It was a long time ago.”
“Oh. Well, thank you for everything Meryl. You’ve helped me out a great deal.”
“Definitely. Happy to help.”
Isabella took off with an aura of joy surrounding her. By herself, Meryl silently pondered if she had said too much. Memories of her time spent with Michael shortly followed. Then remorse. Almost like her heart was telling her something was missing. The solution popped in her brain almost immediately. Michael never answered her last question in the restaurant. Now she desperately wanted to know why.
One hour was a long time to wait. Especially for someone with as much power as Yegor Semyon. He ordered Roman to contact the informant almost three hours ago. The General hasn’t heard a word from him since then. He wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt of course. Maybe complications happened that were out of his control. With his patience wavering Yegor picked up the phone and began developing his tirade.
Bursting through the door, Roman frantically tried to hold all of the pages of data he collected. Normally Yegor would scold him for such behavior but the look of desperation on Roman's face appeared to warrant the sudden intrusion.
“Pardon me sir. I’ve got everything you asked for.”
“Good. Sit,” said the General directing Roman to a chair. The old man laid out all of the documents on the General’s desk before taking a seat.
“Her name is Meryl Bethany Lewis. She is a graduate of U.C.L.A. with a degree in Political Science, in only three years with honors. At the age of twenty one she applied to the Los Angeles Police Department. And, you may have trouble believing this sir; she worked along our target Michael Madison.”
“Really? Interesting.” Yegor was actually surprised. “So she followed him into the FBI?”
“I don’t believe so sir. Actually, today is her first day.”
“Her first day? And she’s working with him?”
“Together, they have a very decorated background. Perhaps the FBI believed they are a good team.”<
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“Indeed. ‘Tis a shame she will suffer his fate. Tell Kurtis and Seika to add her to the list. Preferably have her blood on Seika’s hands.”
Roman hesitated. “That may be an unwise decision.”
“And why is that Roman?”
“This Agent Lewis. She is a bit more connected than we could have ever anticipated.”
“Connected?” The General’s words were gruff. “How powerful can one woman be?”
Choking on his words, Roman found the courage to utter a name that seemingly plagued the General since he started this business. “Actually sir, she is the heir to the Lewis Foundation.”
Yegor immediately froze. The Lewis Foundation was one of the most powerful organizations in the world. They had their hand in everything from food manufacturing to weapons development. Some of A.N.K.H.’s direct competitors have ties to them. They were too large to ever compete with directly. At least at this stage of Yegor's expansion. The General made a tactical decision to pull their base of operations from the area where the Lewis Foundation had the biggest influence.
“This girl is the daughter of Eleanor and Arnold Lewis?”
“Estranged daughter it seems. When she graduated school it appears she decided on a career change. Her parents have since terminated contact and she’s been on her own.”
Anger began to flow within the General. Killing the daughter of the Lewis Foundation would not bode well for his future. Even with all of his power and wealth, the Lewis Foundation still had much more. They would do anything to see to it their daughter's murderers would be brought to justice. The very thought of laying a finger on Meryl Lewis felt risky enough let alone what he wished to do. Still, Yegor wondered why someone like her would apply for such a dangerous job when she could be sitting in an office enjoying the easy life. It was necessary to take a level-headedness approach in this case. He needed to calm down.
“So we leave the girl alone then, as I’ve stated before. But Madison still must die. I don’t want him continuing this investigation. He is far too dangerous. Make sure he is eliminated within the hour!”
Roman gulped. More bad news was on the way. “That poses another challenge sir. It appears they have put Agent Madison under quarantine. He is not allowed to leave the FBI headquarters unless escorted by police.”
