Connor skimmed through records of Charles only to end up blank, no history unlike Andrew. It was akin he was placed on the globe with no explanation and it was recently that he came under Connor's radar. 'The Triumph of Death, what's so important about this?' On his other monitor the picture of the The Triumph of Death was presented, the image more haunting the more he looked at it.
"Connor?! What happened to you?" A voice dripping with concern echoed as they approached him. "I got in a small scuffle with a suspect related to this whole incident." Connor concentrated on the screens in front of him. "Who is he?" The man, slim in frame and taller than Pike was known as Holt, his face etched with concern and accompanied by Pike.
"Some kid called Charles." The storm of keys being typed away ceased as Connor pushed his seat backwards to better face the two. "Do you happen to recall of a kid that came here weeks ago called Andrew Grayson, accompanied by a lady called Clara Grale?" The two showed stupefied expression before it clicked for one of them.
"Oh yeah I remember. What does he have to do with you looking like this?"Pike inquired, the two now taking seats next to Connor. "Don't you find it strange how right after Andrew came back strange events have been happening. Specifically the kidnappings? I suspect that his return has something to do with all of this."
Momentarily typing, he presented a monitor to the two showing the staggering amounts of cash flowing from one party to the other. "It makes no sense for a victim of kidnapping to get so much money out of the blue. When I confronted him, I was met with the most obvious lie of it being the reward from surviving what they had gone through."
The two faced each other, their skepticism of Connor presenting one of his fantasies replaced with subtle terror. "And for how long were you going to keep this hidden from us?" Holt asked as he looked at the amount on the screen, his face pale. "After I had enough evidence to bring Andrew in. Even though the money is odd, I needed more proof."
Before Connor could go on with his explanation, he was cut off by the Rowan Pierce, deputy captain, his face stern. "Connor Hale, my office right now!"
. . .
Connor stood taut, explaining the entire thing to Rowan who had lost his initial rage, now replaced with curiosity. Rowan had his hands placed on the table, clasped as he stared intently at Connor with loss. "As much as I would like to ask why you didn't present this earlier, I need to know why you didn't ask for reinforcements when you went to the restaurant." Connor's parted lips presented no answers. "I thought that it would be a quick in and out mission but I hadn't accounted that they would anticipate me."
Rowan clutched his head with one hand and the other drumming the table, lost in thought. "Since it would seem that they know who you are and that you have been spying on them, we have to be more cautious with this case." Connor was inwardly pleased that his case wasn't dismissed as him going off one of his crazy conspiracies.
"But this also places your niece in danger since they know who you are, you do know this, right?" Connor kept his face straight, his words flat. "I am aware of the dangers that this case has on those close to me but it's a risk I'm willing to take, after all this isn't my first tango." Rowan was at a loss with what to do with Connor.
"You said that one of them, Charles, would be leaving the country but what about Andrew?" The air had remained stiff, with Connor forced to measure how loud his breathes were. "From tracking his phone, it would seem that he hasn't left. However a huge deposit of 500 million dollars has been sent to his phone."
Had it not been for the amounts of money being moved around, Rowan wouldn't have taken this case as seriously as now. "You think that they are using Andrew as a scout however from his movements, this doesn't seem to be the case as he seems to either go home or to school." Rowan's gaze shifting to the papers in his hands.
"It's still too early to come to any conclusions sir but I'm sure of this." Connor's certainty something Rowan had grown used to in the past when cases seemed impossible to solve. "Very well, I'll allow you to keep on going with this case as a proper case and any reports must meet my desk without fault, you can leave!" After excusing himself, Connor rushed to his desk where the two officers were still waiting.
"So who did it go?" Pike inquired, the seat under him croaking with each light swivel he did. "It's a proper case now but I still have much to cover here. If you don't mind, could you give me some privacy to focus?" The two gave understanding nods before leaving, aware of how Connor worked.
After some checking, Connor was puzzled when he realized that any camera footage near the restaurant weren't working. As for the car, it was still in the parking lot insinuating that they left with another car. "Looks like I have to go to the airport then." His groan aware of the hours of footage he would have to sift through.
. . .
'How can there be nothing? Were they paid off?' Connor wondered as he reviewed hours of footage with nothing showing up. He had looked for any faces that matched with Charles's only to come up empty. 'But the footage doesn't seem to be tampered with. Or did he leave by other means?' The mystery of how Charles moved like a ghost still baffling Connor as he kept on checking the footage.
. . .
"This is the fourth time I've come home and you're not here. Would it kill you to at the very least tell me where you're going or working overtime?" Lara's frustrated sigh shot at Jasper who was barely on his feet. His drunken stupor nothing new to Lara but it's the scent that he carried was what that bothered her.
"Have you been sleeping around? I know how you usually smell and that is definitely a woman's cologne." Jasper staggered to the kitchen counter, his self crashing on the chair barely tipping over to the floor. "Ugh! Can't I just try any new things? After all I didn't stop you when you wanted to go and whore around with your so called lover. But given that you haven' t bee getting any money, I guess he got bored of you."
Jasper despite his drunken state was able to say so much, his speech slurred of course. "For the last time it wasn't-" Lara stopped herself, she had grown bored every time Jasper brought it up, be it a way for him to deflect the subject onto her or when he was throwing his fits during a heated argument.
"Help me to the bed!" Lara tightened her jaw as she wrapped her shoulder around Jasper's figure. Feeling his mass, she let out a grunt of discomfort as the inched closer and closer to the bed and in a loud thud, Jasper crashed onto the mattress, his figure taking up more than half of the bed.
The house was clean and given that it was a weekend, she wasn't busy at work allowing her to come home early. She took a long look at Jasper, her mind recalling as to why and how she came to love such a person before her brother's words echoed in her head. 'Maybe he was right.' The bitter truth that was slowly dawning on her something she didn't want to admit herself.
She made her way to the balcony, wearing a light vest and simple summer black shorts. Despite the balcony being no longer than three meters and wider than two meters, it offered a view to the city, half of the vision blocked by apartment complexes that had their own share of problems.
She slouched on the hand rail, one of her vest strip falling to the side as she took in the mid night breeze, the coolness something that helped her relax before a message chimed through her phone.
[{Andrew: Tell me when you want me to come and pick you up.}]
The message tempting now that she knew just how much Andrew had. She didn't have to love him to have a share of the money, she knew this from the trip he had taken her on but she wasn't willing. She felt like she wasn't growing as an adult, still relying on others to live thus some independence was required.
[{Lara: Thank you for the deal but I'll have to pass.}]
Andrew didn't bother chiding her any further and Lara saw him leave the chat. 'Or maybe I do need some help.' Her face sinking to gaze at the floors below. She still recalled the conversation she had with the detective and prior to that her mother at the cafe.
" This is simply what is needed for growth. After all dad did say that it was anything but easy." A chuckle left her lips as she kept on reminiscing on the better days that seemed all behind her. She recalled how she was close to her father while her little brother was more of a mother's boy. The games and the out door activities they went on before one flashed in her mind that wiped her smile off.
It had been a regular day, she was eighteen at the time when it hit them. Their father was involved in a car accident, dying on his way to the hospital. It was then that she felt the pain Kevin had gone through back then when he was twelve years old, she felt as if the world was falling had it not been for her mother who comforted her.
Still, there was something about her changed, she started to smile less, her attitude slowly turning more hostile more so on her little brother which started as playful before turning virile. 'I'm sorry dad for not taking good care of Kevin and mom like I promised you.I promised to be strong and yet here I am, crying' Tears converging on her eyes as a whimper drifted through the night sky.
'I just hope that you can keep guiding me.' It wasn't long before she started to compose herself, the noise of the city muffling her whimpers before she headed back inside.
. . .
The next couple of weeks with nothing of grandeur happening, Connor kept his gaze sharp on Andrew and using his niece as inside personnel to see how he interacted but with no substantial progress. The chat between Kevin and Andrew seemed to die down with the two absorbed with their studies and Andrew was simply Andrew, he was where he needed to be at the right time and did what he needed to do without fault.
By now it was already halfway into the year, school was going into overdrive with all kinds of events posted all over, students talking about the progress they had been making and such. Some complaining and others enjoying the moment however there was a particular student who wasn't having a good time in her field.
"Another lose Brittany Voss, looks like you really should try other sports." Her opponent taunted as she was left on the court before looking in a specific direction. Row C, seat 20, he never failed to be there which she pretended to ignore but his gaze was something she couldn't shake while she played.
"At this point have you told every one of what to aim for when fighting me or what?" Britt shouted, her temperament of the beauty gone. "No, I simply help those who ask for help." She hated how flat his tone was, the silence that never left his figure felt more like a curse if anything. "You know what? Fine, let's do that spar you wanted to so badly then. I hope that you aren't busy this weekend you freak!"