Slowly, Mike snuck alongside the office building, towards the entrance. He felt rather naked without his gun, and so when he heard a soft cracking behind him, he froze. Even without seeing his pursuer he could sense the gun pointed at him.
Mike put his hands in the air, and turned around slowly. When he saw who was behind him, he dropped his hands, and his eyes bulged angry.
“Ryan, what the hell…?” he hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“Just covering you, buddy” Ryan replied, his gun still up.
“Put that thing away, before you kill me” Mike insisted, a little irritated.
Ryan sighed, but then put the gun away, and followed Mike to the entrance.
On good faith, Mike pushed, and the door opened. He wanted to enter, when Ryan grabbed his arm. “The door is supposed to be locked” he pointed out. “If it’s open, it means someone’s already here”
“Wow, Ryan, why aren’t you always this brilliant?” Mike asked sarcastically. Ryan let go of him, and followed him inside. “Okay, you go straight ahead, then I’ll go see what she has for me”
Before Ryan could ask who ‘she’ is, Mike walked through a side door, into a room with a lot of desks, and a lot of computers. One of them was being occupied by Deirdre.
As Mike approached her desk, she shoved a pocket knife toward him.
“What’s that for?” Mike frowned.
“If anyone asks,” Deirdre started, her eyes on the computer, “I’m going to say you threatened me”
“Are you serious?” Mike asked, uncertain.
“No, I’m kidding” she replied in a ‘not kidding’ tone. “Listen, Mike, I want to find Deb just as much as you do, but if Donovan finds out I’m helping you, or that I’ve been spilling every detail about the case to Ryan, I could lose my job”
“I really don’t mean to get you into trouble, and I appreciate you coming here” Mike replied apologetically. “So, if you could just pull up the footage, we’ll be out of here in no time”
“Of course losing my job means nothing, if Deb is lying somewhere, dead, in a dumpster” Deirdre said.
“She’s not lying dead in a dumpster” Mike exclaimed shocked.
“If you say so” Deirdre commented. “I’m way ahead of you, by the way”, meaning she had already pulled up the footage.
“Why isn’t she taking her own car?” Mike frowned, but then he understood. “Because her car would’ve been traceable. Anton What’s his name was a car dealer. He was driving a stolen car, probably with a fake license plate. The accident was supposed to happen. It was all part of the plan. They wanted to weaken her, to get an advantage…Deirdre, exactly when did the FBI find that car?”
After what seemed like hours, which, in reality, was scarcely twenty minutes, Mike left the building. Ryan was waiting outside, with some kind of envelope in his hands.
“Finally. Took you long enough” Ryan said. Mike snatched the envelope out of his hand, and opened it, while he walked to his car.
Once in his car, he took out all the artefacts, one by one, and put them on the dashboard, after examining them.
Cellphone, or what was left of it. Pictures of crime scene.
“Anything useful?” Ryan asked, as he got in the car as well, just when Mike pulled out a necklace, with a little tree.
“I’ve seen this before” he said, breathless.
“Really, where?” Ryan asked, curious.
Mike started the engines, and put his car in first. He looked sideways at Ryan, and said grim: “We need to get to prison”
Mike put his hands in the air, and turned around slowly. When he saw who was behind him, he dropped his hands, and his eyes bulged angry.
“Ryan, what the hell…?” he hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“Just covering you, buddy” Ryan replied, his gun still up.
“Put that thing away, before you kill me” Mike insisted, a little irritated.
Ryan sighed, but then put the gun away, and followed Mike to the entrance.
On good faith, Mike pushed, and the door opened. He wanted to enter, when Ryan grabbed his arm. “The door is supposed to be locked” he pointed out. “If it’s open, it means someone’s already here”
“Wow, Ryan, why aren’t you always this brilliant?” Mike asked sarcastically. Ryan let go of him, and followed him inside. “Okay, you go straight ahead, then I’ll go see what she has for me”
Before Ryan could ask who ‘she’ is, Mike walked through a side door, into a room with a lot of desks, and a lot of computers. One of them was being occupied by Deirdre.
As Mike approached her desk, she shoved a pocket knife toward him.
“What’s that for?” Mike frowned.
“If anyone asks,” Deirdre started, her eyes on the computer, “I’m going to say you threatened me”
“Are you serious?” Mike asked, uncertain.
“No, I’m kidding” she replied in a ‘not kidding’ tone. “Listen, Mike, I want to find Deb just as much as you do, but if Donovan finds out I’m helping you, or that I’ve been spilling every detail about the case to Ryan, I could lose my job”
“I really don’t mean to get you into trouble, and I appreciate you coming here” Mike replied apologetically. “So, if you could just pull up the footage, we’ll be out of here in no time”
“Of course losing my job means nothing, if Deb is lying somewhere, dead, in a dumpster” Deirdre said.
“She’s not lying dead in a dumpster” Mike exclaimed shocked.
“If you say so” Deirdre commented. “I’m way ahead of you, by the way”, meaning she had already pulled up the footage.
“Why isn’t she taking her own car?” Mike frowned, but then he understood. “Because her car would’ve been traceable. Anton What’s his name was a car dealer. He was driving a stolen car, probably with a fake license plate. The accident was supposed to happen. It was all part of the plan. They wanted to weaken her, to get an advantage…Deirdre, exactly when did the FBI find that car?”
After what seemed like hours, which, in reality, was scarcely twenty minutes, Mike left the building. Ryan was waiting outside, with some kind of envelope in his hands.
“Finally. Took you long enough” Ryan said. Mike snatched the envelope out of his hand, and opened it, while he walked to his car.
Once in his car, he took out all the artefacts, one by one, and put them on the dashboard, after examining them.
Cellphone, or what was left of it. Pictures of crime scene.
“Anything useful?” Ryan asked, as he got in the car as well, just when Mike pulled out a necklace, with a little tree.
“I’ve seen this before” he said, breathless.
“Really, where?” Ryan asked, curious.
Mike started the engines, and put his car in first. He looked sideways at Ryan, and said grim: “We need to get to prison”
