Payne: a suspenseful FBI crime thriller (Alex Payne Series Book 1)

by Audrey Walker

  “He was discovered,” Alex said. “They knew he was an agent, and they killed him.”

  “So it would seem,” Crow said. “From the little information I have, I think this organization is highly dangerous. They have an agenda, and they have the money and contacts needed to fulfill it. I think they might have some connections that could lead to serious trouble in the future. One of our agents is dead. We have no source of info or any leads on this group. We are completely in the dark. I need you to find out the truth, Payne. I need you to look into this. I need you to do whatever you do and find out about this group. Find out who they are and what they are doing.”

  Alex finished his scotch and slammed the glass on the table, his mind already a few steps ahead.

  “You are the man for this job,” Crow said.

  “I did a job like this once before,” Alex said. “For you, remember?”

  “Yes,” Crow said.

  “Remember what happened?” Alex whispered.

  “Payne –,” Crow said softly. “If this is about Gina –.”

  “I will look into it,” Alex said quickly, cutting him off. “I will get you the information you need. And you – you are never going to say her name out of your filthy mouth again. Understood?”

  He got up from his chair and marched out of the office without another look.

  Seven

  The Imminent Death

  She smiled at him, her hand resting against her face as she looked at him with her blue eyes. There was a twinkle in her eye, and as Alex looked at her, he felt his heart sinking.

  “Hey, Gina,” he said softly, picking up the picture. “I just got home. I know I am late. I said I would start going to bed earlier, and I would eat healthier. Just like you asked me to, but here I am, smoking like a chimney and working my ass off. Today was an interesting day. If you were here, I would tell you all about it. You would tell me to be careful and keep me from being reckless, and I would resist but eventually listen because you made sense. But that’s all just fantasy, ain’t it? I am here, talking to your picture, and you are somewhere very far away.”

  Alex looked at her picture for another minute, his thumb tenderly caressing the frame, and then he set it aside. He walked to the kitchen and poured another drink, a cigarette already dangling from his lips. Making his way to the bedroom, Alex collapsed on the bed; his mind more tired than his body was. He didn’t have the energy to change his clothes, and certainly didn’t have the energy to take a shower. There was no real food in the house either, Alex was thinking he would make some dinner, but now that seemed like a dim possibility.

  He took out his phone and ordered Chinese takeout, promising silently to start eating better tomorrow. According to the doctor, if he continued eating and smoking the way he did, he won’t have long to live. Of course, with Alex’s line of work, death might come sooner and quicker than for others. He mustered some strength and got off the bed, making his way to the bathroom. He pulled off his shirt and threw it onto the floor before splashing his face with cold water.

  The cold water was refreshing, and he looked up and saw his own reflection staring back at him. Everyone said that he was a fine-looking man for the age of forty-five, not that Alex agreed. His short, cropped black hair was a personal choice, even though his mother said he looked better when he kept it long. His face was squarish, his jawline sharp enough to cut paper and covered with light stubble. His brown eyes were as normal as they can be, even though Gina used to call them jewels. He never saw what she saw in him. In his eyes, he was just an average-looking guy, albeit with some charm and aura that the women seemed to like.

  It helped that he was relatively fit. Being an agent meant that he had to make sure he was always in shape and capable enough to do the fieldwork. The agents that sat behind desks all day on their asses, dealing with politics and bureaucracy, tended to have large bellies – a sign of the money they had and of their lazy bodies but active minds. Alex, on the other hand, preferred being in the field. He hated the idea of sitting behind a desk and dealing with paperwork. Alex had become an agent for the sake of working with his hands and chasing the criminals himself. That is why he had turned down the numerous promotions offered to him.

  He wiped his face and walked out into the living room, his phone buzzing in his pants pocket. He went to light another cigarette, then imagined Gina’s disapproving expression and groaned before putting it out.

  “Hey, Ma,” he said, picking up his phone.

  “Alex,” her flustered voice said on the other end. “I have been calling you all day! Where have you been?”

  “At work,” Alex said with a sigh. “Where else would I be?”

  As much as Alex loved his mother, she knew exactly how to annoy him and get him on edge. He might not be a teenager anymore, but his mother knew how to make him feel like one.

  “Well, I have been worried sick about you,” she said. “You know I panic if I don’t hear from you. After all, that happened –.”

  “How’s Dad?” Alex said instantly, changing the topic. He had no intention of discussing what had happened, even if it was with his own mother.

  She became silent for a minute and then said softly, “His memory isn’t what it used to be. Today he woke up in the morning, and he couldn’t remember who I was. He kept asking me who I was and shouting at me to leave. I told him I am Polly – I am your wife. But it’s like he wasn’t there. I mean, he looked like Sal, but in his head, he was someone else. It wasn’t my Sal looking back at me. And then he suddenly calmed down, and he remembered who I was. And he wept. He wept, Alex.”

  “Ma,” Alex said softly. “I am so sorry. Do you need me to come back? Maybe I can get him to some more doctors –.”

  “They are all going to say the same thing,” she said, sniffing. “There is nothing they can do. Eventually, one day, he will forget me completely. And that time, his memory won’t ever come back. Every time he looks at me and tells me he loves me, I wonder if this is the last time he will recognize me. If tomorrow would be the day that he would forget me forever.”

  “Polly!” his dad’s voice echoed from behind. “Who you talking to?”

  “It’s Alex,” his mom shouted, her voice trembling.

  “Alex?” the voice answered. “Who’s Alex?”

  “Your son,” his mom whispered.

  Silence reigned between them for a minute, and then his dad said, “Yes, of course. My son. Tell him I said Hi, eh?”

  “I will,” his mom said.

  “Mom, if things get too difficult –,” Alex started to say, but she cut him off.

  “In sickness and in health,” she said. “That was my vow. I will stay by it.”

  “Alright,” Alex said. “Tell him I love him. And I love you too, Ma. And give my love to sis and her new baby, yea?”

  “I love you,” his mom said. “Stay there. Eat well, sleep well and be careful, okay? I will talk to you later.”

  “Yea, bye,” Alex said and pressed the end call button. He threw the phone onto the sofa and rubbed his eyes. His phone started to buzz again, and he cursed.

  “Agent Payne,” he barked, picking it up.

  “It’s Evans,” said the voice on the other side. “You need to get back to headquarters. There has been another murder.”

  Eight

  The Strangled Man

  “Dead,” Evans said. “Strangled with a thin cord of some sort. The marks on his throat are very clear.”

  Alex stood in the police station holding cells, looking at the dead body in front of him.

  “How did this happen?” Alex said, his voice dangerously low.

  “We don’t know,” Evans said. “One of the guards found him like this just an hour back. The CCTV cameras were conveniently non-functioning during this time. Before the security could deem it suspicious, they turned back on, but the guy was already dead.”

  “Did he speak?” Alex asked. “Did he tell you anything?”

  “He lawyered up,” Eva
ns said. “He agreed to tell us everything, but only when he had a promise of leniency from the D.A. We were going to have it by morning, but –.”

  “But now it’s too late,” Alex said softly. “He is dead. The man who knew about Hans’s enemies is dead. The man who knew the identity of the person trying to contact the Russians – is dead.”

  “What now?” Evans asked.

  “What now? I will tell you what now,” Alex said with a frown. “The Russians think Hans had their man killed. They will not only terminate their deal with them but might even go after him, have him killed in retribution. And that also means they will be in the market looking for investors, and whoever staged this will leap at the chance. This ruins everything that we have worked for so far.”

  “I mean, whoever did this can’t be worse than –,” Evans said, but Alex scoffed before he could finish.

  “Are you really that dumb?” Alex said. “We knew about Hans. We knew who he was; we knew how he operated; we knew about his connections with the Russians so that we could monitor the situation. And now? Now we have someone else out there working with our enemies. Someone we don’t know, and therefore, we can’t monitor. And believe me, that is infinitely worse.”

  Alex stared at the poor dead man in front of him and sighed. He could think of a few possible ways to investigate this further, but from experience, he knew they would all be useless. The cameras were probably remotely hacked, and there was no chance that the hacker could be located. They probably got either a guard or a prisoner to do the killing, but whoever they are will never be found. The money will probably be given to them in some other discreet way.

  “Have IT look into the hacking,” Alex said. “See if they can find out who shut down the cameras. Look into the guards – look into other prisoners. I doubt any of it will help, but we will cover our ground.”

  “What are you going to do?” Evans asked.

  “Me? I am going to go home and get some sleep,” Alex said. “And then I am going to start anew with my investigations into the Russians. And I am going to continue working on the agent who was killed. I am going to find out whatever organization this is, and we are going to find out what they are planning.”

  He lit a cigarette and took a drag, wondering if he was ever going to get any sleep. Another would instantly follow one problem.

  “Well, if it isn’t the great Payne,” a voice rang through the holding cell. Alex groaned – it was just his luck that she would show up at this time.

  “Saniya,” he said, turning to face the exotic Indian beauty in front of him. “How are you?”

  “I am well,” she said. “Just surprised to see you here at this time. Who is that?”

  She peered to look at the dead body on the floor and then tutted.

  “Another one dead?” she said in a musical voice. “Really? Let me guess; he was some kind of witness? Anyone who associates themselves with you ends up dead, don’t they?”

  “Careful,” Alex said through clenched teeth, knowing she was referring to Gina.

  “He is the one who should be careful,” she said, pointing to Evans. “After all, we both know what happens to your partners.”

  “Why are you here, Detective?” Alex said, suppressing his anger at her comments.

  “It’s Sergeant now,” she said. “But you would know that if you had kept in touch. We used to work together, remember? All those stakeouts – all those nights in the motel –.”

  The images of a beautiful, tanned, naked body intertwined in his flashed through his mind. He took a drag of his cigarette and let out a puff of smoke.

  “No,” he said bluntly. “I don’t remember.”

  She looked at him for a minute, her expression unreadable, and then she said, “I came here to discuss this dead prisoner with you. This happened in my precinct, and I am in charge of investigating it. I –.”

  “You can talk to my partner,” Alex said, walking out of the cell. “Evans is well-versed in the case, and he is an excellent agent. I am sure he will tell you everything you want to know.”

  “You can’t run from the past forever,” Saniya shouted.

  “Oh, yea?” Alex muttered. “Watch me.”

  Nine

  The Hunt is On

  Alex looked at the blown-up image in front of him, trying to make out the shape of the tattoo on the distorted skin. He stared at it, squinting at the image. Identifying the tattoo could prove key to finding which organization is behind all this. The undercover agent was probably branded with this tattoo when he joined the organization. The coroner had estimated that the tattooing was done around the same time he joined the organization.

  He frowned, closing his eyes, and tried to think of possible reasons the agent was killed. The most obvious one was that he was caught and discovered as an agent. It explained why he was so brutally tortured. Another possibility is that he might have found out something that he wasn’t supposed to know, and he was killed without the organization finding out about his true identity. Alex thought of the poor man – he infiltrated the organization on the orders of his bosses, he probably had to work as some insignificant recruit, trying to push all the attention away from him and blend in. He was living without his family in a harsh environment, trying to keep his head down and keep an eye on the situation. Sneaking around trying to pass the information to the agency, and then to be found out and tortured and killed. Alex didn’t envy that man one bit.

  Not that Alex had never been undercover himself. When these orders came from the top, you did as you were told. That was the life of an agent, and Alex had done his fair share of undercover work. On his last operation, he had vowed never to go undercover again, not after what happened to Gina.

  “I have rounded up as many members of the local gangs as I can,” Evans said, walking over to him. “They are all here if you want to interrogate.”

  “What happened to the man who was killed in our prison?” Alex asked.

  “As you said,” Evans said. “Didn’t find anything. I talked to the guards and the prisoners; nothing. IT tracked the hacker, but it was done remotely, and the hacker hid his tracks well. I gave all the info we had to Saniya, but I don’t think she was happy about it.”

  “She wouldn’t want to be involved in such a mess,” Alex said. “She tries to stay away from all this complicated stuff as much as she can.”

  “Is that why you guys broke up?” Evans asked.

  Alex looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Evans shrugged.

  “Saniya told me,” he said.

  “When you come into this line of work, Evans,” Alex said. “Relationships become near impossible. Not because of the nature of the job, but because of who you end up becoming. Once you are in this field, there is no way out. Once you are an agent, you can’t hope for a peaceful, normal life. You will most likely die of old age, all alone, because you couldn’t make any connections due to how messed up you became. Or, you end up being found out, and the last thing you see is the barrel of a gun or the glint of a knife. The sooner you learn that, the easier this will be for you.”

  “You have to be the most pessimistic person I have ever met,” Evans said with a grin. “If I started following your advice, I think I would just sink into depression and let life go.”

  Alex let out a soft chuckle and said, “You will understand what I mean. In a few years, and you will be where I am, telling some young, naïve agent about the wonders of this work.”

  Evans laughed, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from him.

  “You ain’t so bad, old man,” he said.

  “That’s because you don’t know the real me yet,” Alex said.

  “Would you like to have a sandwich?” Evans asked, pulling out a packed lunch from his briefcase.

  “Is that lunch?” Alex asked, leaning forward. “Who packed it for you? Your mother?”

  “My girlfriend,” Evans said with a huge smile. “And I am not ashamed of it, you know. She loves me. She packs
me lunch every day, and she writes a little love note for me. It makes her happy if I eat it, and she is a good cook. So, laugh all you want, but I am proud to eat my lunch here.”

  “Nice speech,” Alex said with a grin. “How long have the two of you been together?”

  “Four years,” Evans said, taking a bite of his sandwich. “We met at a bookshop, and I instantly asked her on a date. I don’t think we have ever been apart since. I am going to propose to her soon. In fact, I think you should join us for dinner someday. After all, I am your partner now. We should get to know each other better.”

  “I don’t want to get to know my partners,” Alex said bluntly. “Hell, I want nothing to do with them. And I want nothing to do with you, Evans. I like you. You are a good Detective, and you don’t get in my way. But that is all we will ever be. I don’t want to be your friend, and I don’t want to know anything about your life. That’s how I am.”

  Evans looked at him for a minute and then gave a small nod, confusion in his eyes. Alex knew that a lot of long-term partners ended up developing strong friendships that lasted a lifetime, but he had always avoided any sort of attachment with his partners. Especially after what happened with Gina, it was best if he did things on his own.

  “Come on,” Alex said. “Finish that sandwich, and let’s go and interrogate those jerks.”

  Ten

  The Interrogation

  “This man was murdered. Then his body was thrown into the sea for it to be disposed of,” Alex said, throwing the pictures onto the table. “Now, you can tell us who did this, or I can find a way to pin this murder on you, yea?”