UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck

by James Kipling

  “Okay detective, I understand the silent treatment. In many ways, I think I deserve it. This is not the time to explain why I did what I did. I am working with a limited window of opportunity here. Now, if you really want to get to the bottom of everything that you are working for, you better start talking detective. Are you going to talk or not?” she asked, her voice going a little over a whisper.

  “I am listening.” said John, finally breaking his silence.

  “Take this detective.” she replied, handing him a small packet. When John did not take it, she simply slipped it into his shirt pocket, under the jacket.

  “Well detective, I will leave in a minute. In that packet is an ear piece. That ear piece is going to transmit important information that will be discussed during a meeting starting soon in one of the secret rooms that is setup on the first floor of this club. I want you to listen to it. Perhaps, that will change your opinion about me and then, check the packet itself. I have a message for you there.” she said, pressing her lips against his. Despite not liking it, John seemed to enjoy the kiss and she tasted really good. Ten seconds later, she got off his legs and stepped out, adjusting her top and hair. There were two other men in the restroom who were shocked by that.

  As John stepped out, he noticed that somehow she had managed to undo his belt buckle and unzip the zipper on his trousers. John realized what she was trying to do. He faked an expression of being proud of himself, wiped the lipstick off his own lips and walked out casually adjusting his pants. He returned to the pathway next to the dance floor and finally to the table where Sheila was still in the middle of her dinner.

  “Boss. It looks like you were molested by a seriously desperate woman.” she remarked, clearly noticing the traces of lipstick and his pants which were a little shuffled around.

  “Yeah, I was. Sheila, please call for the check. We need to return to our car now.” said John, in a serious voice.

  Sensing his tone, Sheila quickly called for the check and paid the bill. With that done, they walked out of the club and were soon driving down the highway at the mandated speed limit. At John’s request, Sheila was driving. She was periodically looking back through the rearview mirror to see if they were being followed. So far, they weren’t being followed. On his part, John pulled out that packet from under his jacket and shook it.

  An earpiece fell out of it and into his palm. He returned the empty packet into his jacket pocket. Sheila did not ask him as to what it was. She knew that when the time was right, he would explain everything. John then pulled a small ear piece holder from his car dash, a gift from Drake. He placed the ear piece in the holder and connected the other end to the car speakers. He then turned on the speakers in the car and vague voices began to be heard through the speakers. John lowered the volume and turned to Sheila, who continued to drive.

  “Remember the Lipstick Woman?” asked John.

  “Yeah. Of course. We both remember her and that is why we went to that club.” replied Sheila.

  “And, do you know, why I went to the restroom?” asked John, keeping one eye on the sounds that were coming from the car speakers and the other on Sheila.

  “That note in the drinking glass. I know you don’t do anything, including going to the restroom, unless you have a serious work related reason.” replied Sheila.

  “So, you know about the note in the glass. Sheila, I always knew you were smart. That was one of the many reasons why I hired you and after almost two years, you continue to impress me.” said John, taking a short sidesteps from the issue at hand.

  “Thanks Boss.” said Sheila, visibly happy.

  “When I went to the rest room, I found out that the message was, in fact, sent by the woman in the red lipstick. She gave me this earpiece and that is where we find ourselves. Driving through the night, hoping to listen to some clandestine meeting that is taking place, or will take place in the club that we just left.” said John, wrapping up his narrative.

  “This Lipstick Woman is trying to help us? Another trap?” asked Sheila, navigating a difficult curve on the road, slowing down, and then picking up speed.

  “I don’t know. Hopefully, this earpiece and whatever will come out of it will help clear things up a bit. At least, I am hoping so.” said John, turning his attention to the speakers. Sheila continued to drive. They were halfway to Sheila’s apartment and there was still a lot of road to cover. As the car continue to get closer to Sheila’s apartment, the occupants had their eyes fixed on the road and ears on the speakers. Every now and then, they could hear sounds of chairs being moved around, glasses being placed on the table, and people walking around and murmuring an occasional word or two. John figured that the room was being prepared for a meeting.

  Then, everything went completely quiet. All the shuffling around, chair moving sounds stopped. The only sound they could hear was the humming of the car engine. Then, it started. There was sound of feet movement and chairs being dragged for people to sit on them. This went on for a few minutes and finally, someone started to talk.

  ‘Is everything ready?’ said a voice.

  ‘Yes. Everybody is here, as well.’ said another voice.

  ‘Good. Get the Boss from the club.’ said the first voice. ‘Wait!’ screamed the same voice, just a second later.

  ‘This is not the drink he likes. Where is the waiter?’ screamed the same voice. Some feet shuffled and they came closer.

  ‘Sorry sir. I forgot what Mr. Dragon likes. My mistake.’ said a voice, trembling and scared to death.

  ‘It’s fine. At least, it was me who found out what was wrong. Quick, get a replacement drink in a minute.’ said the first voice. A minute passed and there were sounds indicating that a glass was being lifted off the table and being replaced with another one.

  ‘Get out of here and ensure that you won’t make this mistake again. You, get the Boss.’ said the first voice.

  Then everything went quiet for another minute. John and Sheila were listening intently to find out what else was going to happen.

  Sounds began to come from the speaker again. Someone was walking with calculated steps towards the table and then a chair was pulled out and seated upon. This sound was followed by the sound of at least a dozen people sitting down.

  ‘Truck, what is the status on the shipment?’ said a brand new voice. John recognized that voice immediately. It was that cool voice that was speaking to him the previous night.

  ‘The shipment will be carried through five of our twenty-four containers and loaded on a container ship. The contents will be verified by one of our agents tomorrow night.’ said a new voice.

  ‘Have you made the arrangements as per my new request? I want complete anonymity with the person we are dealing with here. I do not want the person to be tracked back to us like last time.’ said the cool voice.

  ‘Boss, this time, the inspection will be done by using an unknown agent. We are using a system of codes to communicate. The code system is a little old fashioned, but for now that seems to be the way to go until we find a more reliable code checker.’ said the voice.

  ‘Given the circumstances, I would go with that.’ said the cool voice.

  ‘Thank you, Mr. Dragon. I am glad that you like the new plan.’ said the other voice.

  ‘Lake, what about those two we captured the other day? I forget the names.’ said the cool voice.

  ‘John Russo and his assistant, Mr. Dragon.’ said another voice.

  ‘Did you get anything out of them?’ asked the cool voice.

  ‘No Mr. Dragon. The lady was knocked out the whole time. As per your instructions, we did not harm her in any way. It might be a while before she realizes that we let her escape.’ said the other voice.

  ‘That other guy? What was his deal by the way?’ asked the cool voice.

  ‘He is a local detective, Mr. Dragon. We checked his work history and we fou
nd out that he is a small time investigator who helps people get divorces.’ said the other voice.

  ‘Why is a divorce investigator poking his nose around our people?’ asked the cool voice.

  ‘I have a theory Mr. Dragon. Contrary to what we would like to claim, many of us are married. Maybe one of us hired a private investigator to check up on his cheating wife. Two years ago, I remember hiring a private eye to sneak up on my own wife. Easiest divorce I got of all of my marriages.’ said the other voice.

  ‘Hmm…There was something about the way that guy would not say anything. Did you guys torture him enough?’ asked the cool voice.

  ‘We did Boss. Just as you mentioned.’ said the other voice.

  ‘Send out a message to all of our members. Find out if anyone has hired a private eye lately. It’s not a priority matter, just something to keep an eye out on, okay.’ said the voice, continuing to be cold as ever.

  ‘Will do so, Mr. Dragon.’

  ‘That is all gentlemen, enjoy your evening.’ said the cool voice. That was followed by the sound of him standing up. This was quickly followed by the sound of a dozen folks standing up. One person, probably the guy with the cool voice, walked away. The door opened at a distance and closed. This was followed by a lot of feet moving, door opening and closing constantly and two minutes later, there were sounds of a vacuum cleaner. The room had been cleared out and the cleaning maids were busy in the room.

  John and Sheila listened to all of this. John looked at the map display on the GPS in his car, and it showed that they were still about a mile from her home. John noticed a coffee shop that was still open. He motioned her to stop next to it. Sheila did what he wanted her to, and five minutes later they both had a mug of coffee in their hands and were seated at the far corner table of the coffee shop.

  “Looks like this Lipstick Woman wasn’t bluffing.” said Sheila, adding some sugar to her coffee and then doing the same for the mug in front of John.

  “Unless the whole thing was staged. We have no clue or any way of finding out where the conversation actually happened. All we know is that the voice in the transmission was the guy who thought it was fun to watch me get beaten while I was blindfolded.” said John.

  “So, what happens next John? We heard what we were supposed to hear.” stated Sheila.

  “Somehow, the person I am looking for seems to be connected with this gang of Mr. Dragon.” said John.

  “Mr. Dragon. That is just a silly name. People still use such names?” Sheila asked with a laugh.

  “I think that is the point of it. A person uses a silly name so that he can conduct serious business.” said John.

  “At least we learnt something. This Luck person you are looking for, has something to do with these people. They seem pretty dangerous. We have already had a taste of it.” said Sheila.

  “Let us hope that Drake has some news for us in the morning. He did say that he might have something about this Luck person in the morning. Oh wait!” exclaimed John.

  John then reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out the packet that contained the ear piece. He looked inside the envelope and he noticed that there was something written on the inside of the envelope. John grabbed a knife, slid it inside the envelope and cut it open. The message read as follows

  ‘Ditch the girl. Go to your apartment.’

  John looked up at Sheila and then thought about that message. It could only mean one thing.

  “Why do I get a feeling that she wants to meet with you again John?” asked Sheila, understanding the meaning of the note.

  “Looks like she does. Here is what we do Sheila. Once we leave from here, we are going to go in separate cars. I will grab a taxi and head to my apartment. If you don’t hear from me in an hour, come calling.” said John, paying the bill for the coffee and getting up to leave.

  Once outside, Sheila agreed to do what he said and drove off. Given the late hour of the night, finding a taxi took a while. Eventually John called up a taxi service which came as he finished another cup of coffee in the café. On reaching his apartment building, he tipped the driver, and took the elevator to his apartment. He noticed that the door was locked from the inside. He wasn’t entirely surprised by that.

  As he touched the door, the lock was opened from inside but the door remained firmly shut. He pushed the door away and found that the entire apartment was in darkness. John entered the apartment, bracing himself for an attack. Nothing happened. He locked the door and stepped in and turned on the living room light. The light lit up the whole room. John noticed that everything was as expected except there was a minor change in the living room. The Lipstick Woman was lying on the sofa, and all her clothes were on the floor.

  “Hello detective.” she said, standing up and letting John get a full view of her.

  John looked at the naked form of the woman who was standing in front of him. The only thing she was still wearing was her red lipstick. Normally, John would have jumped at the opportunity. For good or bad, John was on a case and he never mixed business with pleasure. So, her showing up like that was nothing more than an inconvenience. She was standing there with an expression of pride, perhaps at her extremely well-toned physique.

  “I hope there is a point to all this.” stated John, taking off his jacket and throwing it on the sofa. He went straight to the freezer and pulled out a bottle of juice. He returned to the living room with two glasses in his hand. They were both transparent.

  “I am hoping that at least now, you will have some faith in me.” said the Lipstick Woman.

  “Faith about what?” asked John, placing the two glasses on the table. He sat on the chair opposite to the sofa she had reclined back on.

  “Faith that I am not carrying any concealed weapons, detective.” she said, her lips turning into a naughty smile.

  “I can see that. You do realize that there are six different ways of hiding a weapon when one is naked. Especially for a woman, more so than a naked man.” said the detective, trying to figure out what she was doing there.

  She seemed to become a little disappointed with John. This was probably because she was hoping for John to fall head over heels for her, and maybe finish what she started with him a few hours ago in the men’s restroom at the club. However, John’s reaction indicated that there was nothing to be finished since nothing ever started between the two of them. John was impressed with her ability to disguise any disappointment she might have been feeling. He realized that she was a thorough professional who had been well-trained at the lying and deception game. He wanted to tell her that he was impressed, but decided against it.

  “Looks like I may have to cut to the chase detective. The ambience in your apartment is getting cold since your arrival.” she said, picking up the juice bottle and uncorking it.

  “I have that effect sometimes. What is this all about? What do I call you? So far, we have been getting by calling you the Lipstick Woman.” said John, watching her pour the fruit juice into the glasses.

  “Lipstick Woman. It has a nice ring to it. I like it and I would insist that you continue calling me that for the time being.” she responded, pushing one of the glasses that was filled with juice toward him, and taking the other for herself.

  “Okay Lipstick Woman, what is going on? Why did you give me that ear piece? Why are you here? Start talking or I will throw you out. Before you protest that I would not be rude to a woman, please remember that I am working. Chivalry is out of the window for now.” said John, with the last few words spoken with coldness.

  “If you really heard what was discussed on the other end of the ear piece I gave you, you would know that they were talking about some shipments. I am interested in those shipments. I also heard the same discussion because I was in that room when the meeting took place. You were getting audio from my earring which contains a tiny transmitting device” she said.

  �
�Go on.” said John, allowing her to continue.

  “As you overheard through the ear piece, twenty-four containers belonging to the Dragon Empire will leave the city in a few hours on container trucks. Five out of those twenty four containers have the cargo that I am looking for. These five cargo containers have to be verified by an independent inspector. I know the location of the inspector and he will be provided with the details of the five containers. I need you to come with me, help me over-power the inspector, impersonate him and lead me to the cargo.” said the Lipstick Woman.

  “Perhaps once I do that, I can take you out for dinner, buy you a diamond ring, and book a vacation for our honeymoon?” said John.

  “Very funny detective.” said the naked woman who was sitting in front of him.

  “You are the one who started it with all these jokes about me helping you. Why in the world would I help you? She did not respond, but smiled, got up, and walked to her bag which was lying on the sofa along with her clothes. John thought that she might be bored of sitting naked in front of him and was going to get dressed. She did not do that. She simply grabbed her bag and returned to her seat. Then, she pulled out her phone, played with it for few minutes, and threw it at him. John caught it midair and looked at the display. It was a picture of Luck, the person he was searching for. The Lipstick Woman was standing next to Luck, and they were both smiling happily.

  “What is your connection with Mr. Luck, Lipstick Woman?” asked John.

  “That is none of your business detective. You help me discover my containers and I will lead you to Todd. As I understand, you are also looking for him. As it happens, we both want something and it seems logical that we help each other to achieve a win-win outcome.” said the Lipstick Woman.

  “How can I know for sure that you actually know Todd? From what I have seen and heard about you so far, you are a smart, resourceful woman. This picture could be a fake and for all I know, you may have killed Todd.” said John.

  “That photo is authentic detective. I understand you have a tech guy working for you. Am I correct in saying that?” she asked.