UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck

by James Kipling

  “Looks like you are not afraid of flying after all, John.” said Rita, over the radio headphones, they were both wearing.

  “I guess not. Hey! Look down on the ground. The crawlies are following us on land. I am just so glad that they don’t know how to fly.” said John, looking down from the helicopter.

  Rita looked down, as well, even as John continued to look at what was happening on the ground. The bright moon light was shedding enough light to show everything that was happening below them. John could see the tall trees that covered much of the area. Every now and then, he could see a pathway that was wide enough to allow a couple to walk. Street lights were installed all along the pathways but most of them were not lit. As the helicopter flew over the forest, he noticed that Rita was following the general direction of the main pathway on the ground. That was when John noticed the many crawlies that were running very fast on the pathway in the same direction as the helicopter.

  “I am glad that we are not on the ground. There are at least five thousand crawlies down there.” said John, making a rough estimate of the number of crawlies on the ground.

  “I am as glad as you are, John. We should be at the Tower in a few seconds. Once we are there, it is a simple matter of plugging the light bomb and activating it. Keep your fingers crossed that nothing unexpected happens for the next two minutes.” said Rita, dropping the elevation of the helicopter.

  John looked and he noticed that they were now hovering on top of a helipad. At a distance from the helipad was the control room of the tower they were travelling to. Even as he watched the helipad, the helicopter landed with a soft thud on the landing pad. John stepped down quickly, the bomb still safe in his hand. Rita got down as well after shutting down the helicopter. It was all quiet now. In front of them, about one hundred meters away, was a room with a light burning in it.

  “That’s the room, John. You have the bomb ready?” asked Rita, walking toward the room.

  “It is ready to blow up the tower with light. Those crawlies won’t know what hit them.” said John, following her footsteps.

  Once they reached the room with the light, Rita opened the door and allowed John to step in. There was a small contraption on the wall. John noticed that the contraption would fit nicely with the bomb he was carrying. John sat down on his knees and fit the bomb into the contraption. It fit snugly. Rita kept watch on the door for any incoming crawlies. The bomb started loading up, the screen indicating the status of the bomb’s readiness with a number count. It began at 0, and started counting to 100.

  “Everything is set. It will take a while to be ready. Once it is set, we should be able to close this crawlies situation, once and for all.” said John.

  “John, that sounds just perfect. This all went…oh my god!” exclaimed Rita, loudly.

  “What happened, Rita?” asked John, still sitting on the ground.

  “You have to see this John. Oh, God!” said Rita, still staring outside the window.

  John got up and looked at what she was seeing. The helicopter was overrun by hundreds of crawlies. It was as if they were searching for any occupants. John quickly turned off the lights inside the room and they both ducked to hide behind the door. Rita checked the locks and double checked to ensure that they were locked. John turned to look at the bomb and the counter was at eighty five.

  “Fifteen more seconds, Rita. The bomb will go off, and it should take down all the crawlies.” said John.

  “That sounds comforting, John.” said Rita.

  “Rita, there was something I wanted to tell you. I am very thankful for everything you have done for me. I guess I have never said that to you, but you know that now.” said John.

  Rita seemed to be taken aback by those words. She bent down to the floor, and was on eye level with John. John kept his eyes on the bomb. It was now in its late nineties. Rita brought her lips to his, just as the bomb went off. White light flooded the whole forest, instantaneously blinding and killing every crawlie that was running around. John’s eyes flooded with white light and he woke up in his apartment.

  -----

  It took him and hour to get ready and prepare his breakfast. John came to the living room, with breakfast in his hands. The following voicemail message from Drake was on his phone:

  “John, looks like you are still in bed. I was able to clear the image of that woman you needed info on. Her name is Christie Palmer. There is something odd about her info. It seems to be a fake name. Still, I have her address and some info about where she hangs out and where you might find her. I have emailed you the details. Bye.

  John checked his email, and like Drake said, there was a lot of information about her in the email. John immediately called up Sheila.

  “Hi Boss. Good morning.” she said, in her usual spirited voice.

  “Sheila, good morning. I am sending you an email with a photograph of a woman. Memorize that photo. Then I want you to rent a car and follow me around. I am going to look for this girl, and there is something about her which makes her dangerous. Keep an eye out for me, and an eye out for her. I will be leaving tonight at eight to the club mentioned in the email.” said John, laying out the plan to find out more about this mysterious Lipstick Lady.

  “Anything else, Boss?” asked Sheila, knowing John’s tendency to keep something else to say at the end.

  “Yeah. I will be in the club, and I want you to look like a club goer. You know, dress well and don’t contact me if you see me. Keep in radio contact though, and keep me updated at all times.” said John.

  “See you at the club, then. Bye.” said Sheila, hanging up.

  John spent the rest of the day going over all the known facts of the case as well as the unknown elements that needed more investigation. He also spent time in preparing all relevant reports. When it was going on seven, John dressed up in trendy evening wear, took his car out, and drove to the club. The traffic was manageable, and he spent the drive listening to the local radio station.

  As John reached the entrance of the club, the parking valet stepped forward to welcome him. John let the valet take the key, and looked up at the grand entrance of The Old Lady. The Old Lady was the club that was mentioned in the email as being frequented by Christie Palmer. John was hoping that he would run into her and find out why she had been following him. John remembered seeing her in the train, and then again in the hotel lobby. John wasn’t sure if that Lipstick Lady was following him or his client. There was a long line of people waiting to get into the club. John wasn’t sure if he should use his detective license or money to jump the queue. Then he realized that he had made some impressive friends over his short, but eventful career. He remember helping out with this high ranking officer in the tax department a year ago. Standing there, just a little away from the entrance, John pulled out his phone and called that officer.

  “Hello? This is Gent Kiss. Who is this?” asked the voice on the other side.

  “Hello, Mr. Kiss. I am John Russo. I don’t know if you remember…” John was cut off.

  “Oh! Mr. Russo. The private detective who helped me with my divorce. How are you my friend, and what a beautiful evening it is!” said Kiss.

  John thought that Mr. Kiss sounds drunk. It was eight in the evening, and there was nothing wrong with some drinking at that hour.

  “Mr. Kiss, I wanted a favor. I have an important date at The Old Lady. Any chance you can get me inside?” asked John.

  “No problem, John. Walk up to the bouncer after two minutes. I will take care of it for you.” said the voice on the other end, and the call disconnected. John waited for two minutes. As he waited, his earpiece radio kicked in. Sheila was already here.

  “Boss, can you hear me?” said Sheila.

  “Yes, Sheila, loud and clear. I am guessing that you are already in the club.” said John.

  “Got here an hour early. Did not wish to make you wait.�
�� said Sheila.

  “I am not going to bother asking how you managed to get into the club. You must have done something.” said John.

  “I did something, alright. As always, I will spare you the details, Boss. So far, the girl has not come in. I will keep an eye out. Bye for now.” said Sheila. Two minutes had passed by now. John walked up to the bouncer.

  “Hi. I am John Russo.” said John, to the bouncer. The bouncer, a huge guy with muscles as big as John’s head had a rigid expression on his face. He seemed to recognize John’s name.

  “Hi, Mr. Russo. I was expecting you. Please come in. Don’t forget to have fun.” said the bouncer, letting him enter the club.

  “Thank you.” said John, as he walked across the darkly lit, neon filled club entrance. As he walked toward the main dance floor, the noise got louder and louder. Once inside, the whole place was vibrating with loud music and loud voices. The Old Lady was a popular club in the city, and John was not surprised to see it full of men and women of up to about thirty. Many of them were already dancing like crazy.

  Not wanting to see too much of the dancing and the unnerving crowd, John reached the bar, sat on the farthest chair, and ordered a martini. He tipped the drink mixer generously and kept an eye out for the lipstick girl. Even as he kept sweeping across the club, he noticed Sheila a couple of times. As promised, she did not respond with any sign of recognition. She also had not reported anything so far. An hour had passed, and John was now on his fifth drink. In all fairness though, John had been pouring every drink he ordered into the next person’s glass without him being aware of it. John was pretty good at faking that he was a regular club goer who loved his drinks. Another hour passed, and then the radio crackled.

  “Boss. Lipstick Lady is seven o’ clock to you.” said Sheila, over the radio.

  John looked at the direction that was mentioned by Sheila. Just as she said, there she was, the red Lipstick Woman. John noticed that she was looking straight at him. That pretty much told John what he had been guessing all this time. She was following him, rather than his client. The lights on the dance floor were fuzzy at best, and John could only make out the outline of the woman. He still could not see her face clearly, although he already had a good idea of what she looked from the picture. John paid the bartender for the last drink, added another generous tip, and decided to exit the dance floor and head to his car. He spoke into the radio again.

  “Sheila, I am walking out of the club now. If I am right, the Lipstick Woman should follow me out of the club. I will drive away from the city, and I want you to follow her, all the while she is following me. Once we are in the quietness of the city outskirts, we will catch her and find out what this is all about. Is that clear?” said John, speaking into the radio, even as he walked out of the club. Sheila acknowledged what he said.

  Once he was outside, John gave the parking ticket to the valet. His car was brought to him in a few minutes and he got in. John drove slowly out of the building premises and kept a close eye on the rear view mirror. Another car also left just as his card did, and he noticed that the driver was the Lipstick Woman. John continued to drive and was now out on the streets. He turned left out of the main road and then drove straight to the outer ring road that bordered the entire city. Driving slowly at first, he quickly picked up speed, and avoided taking any road that was longer than a mile. All the while he drove, he kept continuous radio contact with Sheila, making sure that she was right behind the car that was following him.

  John had about a mile to go to his planned destination, an open ground that was bound to be empty at that hour. He was hoping to stop at the rather deserted place and catch the driver who was following him. John looked up in his rear view mirror, and what he noticed made him worried. The car that was following him was not there! John quickly spoke into the radio.

  “Sheila! That car is gone. Do you have it in your view?” asked John.

  “Boss, I am still taking the turn where she just entered. What do you mean, she is not in the view?” she asked.

  “She is not in my view. Take the turn and let me know if you see her,” said John, stopping the car, reversing it to drive in the other direction.

  “Boss, the road is empty. All I see is your car at a distance.” said Sheila.

  John stopped turning his car. He got out of it, and about a mile away, he could see the lights of Sheila’s car. John was a little disappointed with himself. At the same time, he was also impressed with the person who managed to fool two drivers. John kept his eyes on the road, and he could still see Sheila’s car approaching him. From this distance, all he could see were the car headlights. As if the night hadn’t seen enough action, the car seemed to slow down and started driving in an odd fashion, as if the driver was struggling to keep it straight.

  “Sheila, what is happening? Why are you driving that way?” shouted John into the radio. He got no reply. Sensing danger, he quickly got back into his car and started driving toward Sheila’s car. As he drove furiously, his assistant’s car stopped completely, made a U turn, and started racing away from him. There wasn’t much light on the road, and the driver’s light was switched off in the car. John could make out a vague silhouette and it did not resemble that of Sheila. That left only one conclusion. It was that Lipstick Woman.

  As John drove through the street tailing his assistant’s car, he was getting extremely worried. He stopped thinking about it, and continued to drive, increasing the speed with each passing lamp post. The driver in front of him obviously knew that he was behind them. The driver kept increasing their speed, and John kept doing the same thing. Both the cars were now racing at over a hundred miles per hour. John’s mind was filled with thoughts about what could have happened to his assistant, and he did not notice what was about to happen.

  There was about a hundred meters of gap between the two cars, or about three seconds. If John wanted to, he could have closed that gap. For safety reasons, he kept that gap, and then it happened! A vehicle suddenly appeared between them from one of the side roads, timed to be in between the first car and the second. John hit the brakes as hard as he could. Then again, a hundred meter gap was never sufficient to stop a car that was moving at hundred miles per hour. John’s car rammed straight into the vehicle that came in front of him. John did have his seat belt on, and the air bags went off instantly. His car did not topple over and eventually came to a complete halt.

  John’s detective training and his fitness training held up just fine. For a few seconds he went a little light headed but recovered quickly. John tore off the air bag with his hands to get a better picture of what was happening in front of him. Only now he noticed that the vehicle that came in front of him was not a car but a truck. Not surprisingly, the driver had run away. It took less than a second for John to realize that the whole thing was planned. The moment the Lipstick Lady had his assistant, she called up the truck driver. Then she intentionally rode fast and let John do the same. Now, here was John, stuck in his car with a shattered wind shield. John looked past the vehicle in front of him to see where the car in front of him was going. Sheila’s car was nowhere to be seen.

  John got out of his car and pulled out his phone. His first instinct was to call her number. Then he realized the speed with which the Lipstick Woman had come up with a plan to distract him. He knew that Sheila’s phone would have been long switched off or probably thrown away. He dialed his friend at the police station, Scott Peters. The phone rang twice and it was answered right away.

  “Scott here.” said the voice on the other end.

  “Scott, it’s me, John. You remember me?” said John.

  “John…John Russo! Private detective. How can I help you today, detective? Working on another divorce case are we?” answered Scott.

  “Not really. My assistant has been kidnapped, and I have been involved in an accident. You may want to send someone over here, Scott.” said John, brea
thing easy.

  “Oh! John, are you alright? I am sending the ambulance and a patrol car toward you. Give me your location.” said Scott.

  John gave him the information. Four minutes later, a patrol car had arrived, along with an ambulance. John had no injuries, but the paramedics insisted on checking him anyway. John let them have their way. The patrol officer came to speak with him.

  “You are John Russo? I am Officer James Finger.” said the officer.

  “That’s me, officer.” said John.

  “So, what happened here, detective?” asked the officer, looking around the crime scene. He was noticing the crashed car front and the side part of the truck. “That looks nasty, detective. Thank God for car safety mechanizations.” said the officer, appreciating the damage.

  “Yeah. Thank God for that. I was chasing this woman as part of a case I am investigating. She turned out to be smarter than I expected. Before I knew it, my assistant was gone, and so was her car.” said John.

  “Do you have license plate number of the other car that was driven away? I could alert the city traffic control, and they should be able to locate the car in less than an hour.” The officer stared at him, waiting for the information.

  Chapter 8

  John gave him the license plate number. The paramedics were done with him and they said he was doing fine. John knew that was obvious, but he would rather not argue with any member of the medical fraternity. As John watched the scene around him, the officer he was talking to was relaying commands on the phone. He was speaking over the radio while also managing the other police officers who came with him. A few more minutes passed and then, it looked like he had some information. He quickly walked up to the detective, and the detective got up from the sidewalk on which he was sitting.