The Art of Deception Page 3

  They arrived at the top of the staircase where there was another large door. This door, however, had a keypad. Ringo punched in the combination and the door clicked open. Bright sunlight greeted them as soon as the door was opened and Carlton had to blink repeatedly to adjust. They were now looking at a vast span of green fields. Ringo placed a blindfold over Carlton’s eyes and led him to the car. The door opened and Ringo shoved him inside. “Do anything stupid and I’ll kill you,” Ringo whispered into his ears.

  “Where are you taking me?” Carlton asked.

  “To your office. You have some work to do for us.”

  “What work do I have to do? The meeting isn’t until Friday.”

  “When you go into your office you will see an envelope on your desk. In that envelope is a list of instructions. Ms. Stanford is expecting that you will follow those instructions.”

  Carlton sighed. Being a low ranking member in such a powerful Society meant that he had no choice but to do their bidding. He relished the day when he would be able to ask others to do his bidding. He began to think about Linda again. Would staying with the Society turn him into a killer? Would her death only serve to expose their affair and lead to his demise? He wished he had a strong drink.

  They arrived at the office and Ringo grabbed his shoulders. “Remember what I said. You don’t want any consequences.” They drove off, leaving Carlton on the sidewalk. There was a popular bar around the corner that Carlton visited occasionally. He began to walk casually towards the bar, head down and hands in his pockets. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a man in a dark suit leaning against one of the light posts. He had a lit cigarette in his hand and he was staring at Carlton. There was only one thought that crossed Carlton's mind- the Society had sent someone to keep tabs on him, to ensure that he didn't stray from their bidding. Carlton increased his pace and walked on the opposite side of the road, eying the man closely. There was no one else on the street which made Carlton feel especially vulnerable since he had no weapon to use for protection. There was also no one there as a witness in case anything happened.

  Carlton saw the man throw the cigarette on the ground and out it with the tip of his shoe. His eyes were still focused on Carlton when his cell phone rang. In the few seconds that it took the man to find his cell phone, Carlton moved swiftly into a nearby alley which was out of the man's range of sight. He put his back against the wall and attempted to inconspicuously peer around the wall at the man. The man now had his head up and was scanning the street while talking on the phone. The glow of the light highlighted the man's tall and well-built stature. Carlton guessed that a man like him would have several small knives and pistols hidden in his garments. Clearly he was not a man to be messed with. The man looked in the direction of the alley while talking to the person on the cell phone. A smile formed on his face before he turned and walked in the opposite direction,

  Carlton waited until he was out of sight before he walked out of the alley. His muscles were tense and his heart was racing. He knew the man would be back. He continued his journey to the Moonlight bar. Only a few more steps. He got to the bar’s entrance and swiftly opened the doors. Never before had he been relieved to see Darius, the resident bartender. He walked towards the bar and ordered a burger and fries with a beer. Darius tried to start a conversation with him, but he was distracted by his fear. He knew that he was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it.

  ________________________________________________________________

  When she arrived the meeting had already begun. Seated around a large, gold, ornate table were five powerful men: Granston City District Attorney Fred Harrison, award winning neurosurgeon Reynold Cusric, CEO of Global Innovation Patrick Grandison, VP of Operations for Crayon Insurance, Eduardo Fring, and COO for HQ Designs Paul Inez. She quietly took her seat at the end of the table and the men turned to look at her. “Ms. Stanford, how nice of you to join us,” said Harrison with an acrid tone.

  “I apologize for being late gentlemen. I was addressing that matter we discussed last weekend.”

  “We said that we didn’t want any casualties, Ms. Stanford,” said Cusric.

  “Her death was necessary to teach him a lesson.”

  “Has he learnt the lesson?” asked Fring in a calm voice.

  “Only time will tell.”

  “We cannot afford for anything to jeopardize this deal,” said Inez.

  “I understand that. I assure you that nothing will.”

  “Do your job, Ms. Stanford, before we have to do it for you,” said Grandison.

  As the meeting continued, Angella found it hard to concentrate. For five years she worked extremely hard to become the VP of Special Projects at Global Innovation. She received her MBA from Harvard and was now earning a six figure salary. Life was what she wanted it to be until the day Patrick Grandison walked into her office and gave her an offer she dare not refuse. Her mind drifted back to that meeting that changed her life so drastically. When she finally zoned back into the present, she realized that the men were staring at her.

  “Ms. Stanford, are you hearing anything we’re saying?” asked Harrison.

  “Yes sir. You were talking about the Wallis case.”

  “Yes. We need you to ensure that the jury sides with him. We can’t afford for him to lose the case. He makes significant financial contributions to my daughter’s college fund.”

  “Yes. I understand.”

  With that, the meeting ended and the men briskly walked out leaving Angella seated in the candle-lit room. She knew what she had to do. The key was getting that nosy reporter to fall for the bait.

  Chapter Four

  Five days missing

  The sounds of Maroon 5’s hit song “Daylight” were crooning through the speakers in the dimly lit bar. Miguel sat on the bar stool drowning his sorrows with a bottle of aged scotch. At three in the afternoon the Moonlight bar only had a few patrons. Some men were sitting in the far corner watching a skimpily clad woman and a heavily intoxicated man play pool. A man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties sat in a chair close to the window fiddling with the wedding ring on his finger. Miguel wondered what his story was. Maybe his wife was threatening to leave him or maybe he had come here to meet his lover and was having second thoughts. As far as Miguel was concerned everyone in the world had a secret story, a story that portrayed the weakness of the human spirit.

  Miguel’s secrets stemmed from as far back as when he was ten years old. He grew up in the slums and it was customary for young boys to be initiated into gangs. There was no choice. You were either going to become a part of a gang or spend your time in the slums being hunted by one. His initiation required him to rob a store owner at gun point one Friday evening. He never forgot that night. What should have been a simple robbery escalated into a horrifying tragedy. As soon as he pointed his gun at the store owner’s face, he saw the man’s five year old daughter walk down the stairs that led to their home above the store. His hand began to tremble and the man who had gone with him into the store, sensing his fear, took the gun and shot the man in the head. No apologies. The little girl screamed and the man grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the store and into the waiting car. Eventually, the police caught up with them and the shooter was given five years to life in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Miguel didn’t have to serve any time but was required to do one year of community service.

  From that day he chose to live the rest of his time in the slums being the prey and not the predator. He worked hard and got a scholarship to attend Michigan State University. That’s where he met Mark Douglas. They were inseparable from the moment they met and were there for each other through some of the hardest periods in their lives. Although Miguel became a sought-after computer programmer, he always made time to meet with Mark at least once a week. When Mark’s parents died in a devastating car accident three years ago, Miguel was by his side. When Miguel’s brother was killed during a shoot-out between his gang an
d a rival gang, Mark was by his side. Now that the love of Mark’s life had disappeared, Miguel was once again doing everything he could to support Mark.

  Being a skilled computer professional meant that Miguel could access virtually any information. So, it was no surprise that while he was working on a project for the Mayor’s office, he was able to find some intriguing information about Mayor Rolston. There were pictures of his rendezvous with Linda and details of some shady contracts he had signed. Miguel fervently believed that people who hold a public office should be above reproach. However, due to the nature of the contract he had signed with the Mayor’s office for the project he had worked on, Miguel had to find a way to leak the information. He couldn’t afford to compromise his reputation, but he wasn’t going to allow this information to slip by. So, he decided to pass it on to his budding journalist friend, Mark. He gave him the skeleton of the information, just enough to create a winning story. However, the story never got published and Miguel was beginning to wonder if his friend had chosen the wrong career.

  Before he could get any deeper into his thoughts, his phone rang. “Hello.”

  “Miguel, where are you? I need to see you.”

  “Mark, why does your voice sound like that? What’s wrong?”

  “Some crazy things are happening dude. Where can we meet?”

  “I’m at the bar.”

  “Alright, I’ll be there in 20,” Mark said before abruptly hanging up the phone.

  Miguel listened to the dial tone for a minute before hanging up. Somehow he felt that he wasn’t going to like what Mark needed to tell him. So, he continued sipping his aged whiskey, dreading Mark’s arrival.

  In exactly twenty minutes Mark walked through the door. He looked harried and perplexed as his eyes scanned the room looking for Miguel. Miguel held up his hand to show Mark where he was. When Mark spotted him, he briskly walked over. They greeted each other with their classic knocking of fists and pat on the back and then sat on the creaking bar stools. “So, what’s up?” Miguel asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

  “I need your help bro.”

  Mark then proceeded to explain to Miguel everything that had happened. When he stopped to take a breath, Miguel stared at him in disbelief. “So you’re telling me that the man who killed Linda knows where Karen is and you want me to find out as much information about Linda as possible?”

  “Yes, or if you can tell me anything about the Mayor that could lead me to some clue, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Before we go any further you need to tell me why you haven’t published the story on the Mayor.”

  “My boss wanted to know my source and I wasn’t going to tell him anything about you.”

  “Something isn’t right with that picture. Why would your boss be so adamant about knowing your source?”

  “He was saying that the story could have serious implications so he had to be sure the information was accurate.”

  “Doesn’t he just usually trust your word?”

  “Usually, but I can see where he’s coming from. He wouldn’t want the paper to face any disrepute.”

  “Hmmm…something still doesn’t seem right, but ok. I’ll try to see what information I can find and get back to you.”

  “Great. I’m meeting with Eddie tomorrow, so do you think you could tell me something by tomorrow morning?”

  “I’ll try my best.”

  _______________________________________________________

  Ginger eyed Mark cautiously as he emerged from Penn Station. He looked emaciated and forlorn, nothing like the man she viewed as one of her closest friends. They had both started as young journalists at The Atlantic Times together. Sitting in cubicles beside each other caused them to develop a good friendship that extended outside of the office. She knew that Karen’s disappearance was taking a toll on Mark, but she didn’t realize how rough of a time he was having. She also desperately missed the company of her good friend.

  The hum of the morning traffic and the swarm of people walking along the streets signaled the beginning of a typical day in the city. He hadn’t seen her so she slowly made her way through the thickening crowd. It had been five days since Karen had disappeared. Ginger was concerned about the heavy toll Karen’s disappearance was taking on him. As she drew closer to him, she began to reflect on the first time she had met Karen.

  It was last Christmas at Mark’s annual Christmas party. In the weeks leading up to the party, Mark exuded an aura of happiness. He was completely enamored by Karen and was the happiest Ginger had ever seen. Although she was happy for him, she was also secretly jealous. At this party Mark was in his element and as soon as Ginger walked through the door she was brooding in jealousy. Thoughts of her sad love life swirled through her mind. At 24 years of age, she had been in three relationships. Her most recent relationship was with a verbally abusive man whom she left after six months. True love hadn’t found its way to her yet. While she stood in a corner of the room reminiscing, she noticed a chocolate brown woman dressed in a knee-length dress that accentuated her curves and 6-inch heels. She was gorgeous with huge brown eyes, full lips, C-cup breasts, and broad hips. The perfect silhouette that Ginger’s bony thin figure and tiny breasts could never measure up to. The woman made her way towards Ginger and stretched out her hand. “Hi, my name is Karen. You must be Ginger. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “So you’re the woman who has captured my friend’s heart,” she said while shaking Karen’s hand.

  Karen smiled and said, “He stole mine long before I stole his.”

  “I’ve never seen him so happy. You must be really special.”

  “I think we’re made for each other,” she said blushing.

  “Just make sure you don’t hurt him or you’ll have me to deal with.”

  With that said, Ginger walked towards the bar leaving Karen standing alone in the corner of the room. There was something about her that seemed fake to Ginger. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she knew that something wasn’t right. However, Ginger knew she couldn’t spoil Mark’s happiness. So, she kept her thoughts to herself.

  Ginger snapped back into the present and realized that she had gotten to where Mark was standing. Seeing him like this made her question her decision to hold back what she had felt almost a year ago. He looked at her with tear-filled eyes and embraced her in a friendly hug.

  “How’ve you been?” she asked.

  “I feel like crap, but we’ve gotta earn money right?”

  “That’s right. I can’t believe the boss didn’t give you some more time off.”

  “Well, I’ve been gone for 3 days and you know what a valuable asset I am,” Mark replied sarcastically.

  Ginger laughed and said, “Oh come on! You know the boss loves your work.”

  Mark grunted and began walking into the thick crowd. Ginger followed closely behind him. By the time she got close to him, he had already hailed a cab and was getting in. She ran quickly and sat beside him, panting softly. “Looks like you need to get a good workout,” he said. She gave him her evil stare and they continued the car ride in silence.

  When they arrived at the entrance of The Atlantic Times, Mark breathed a heavy sigh. “Are you ready to face the day?” Ginger asked. Mark looked at her with such pain in his eyes that it tore her apart. He then walked through the revolving doors and headed to the elevator, leaving Ginger standing on the sidewalk.

  Within minutes they were at their cubicles. While Ginger began thinking about the best way to start the conversation she knew they needed to have, Ramirez walked swiftly towards Mark’s desk. “Douglas, in my office now!” he shouted with a tinge of anger in his voice. Mark gave Ginger a quizzical glance before following his boss.

  By the time he arrived at the entrance to Ramirez’s office, Ramirez was already pacing the room. “Come in, close the door, and have a seat,” he said. Mark did as he was told and waited in puzzled silence. “Have you heard about that blonde woman who died in the
building across from your apartment?” Ramirez asked.

  “My sister and I were the ones who called the police sir.”

  “I want you to cover the story.”

  Mark’s eyes lit up. Would this finally be his chance to make a breaking point in his career? Before he could express his enthusiasm, Ramirez said “Before you get too excited, I have to warn you that this is going to be dangerous.”

  “How do you know that sir?”

  “Don’t question me young man. Go out there and do your job.”

  “Yes sir. Can Ginger work with me on the story?”

  Ramirez paused for a few seconds, contemplating. Mark began to question if he had said something wrong. Just when he was about to retract his suggestion, Ramirez said, “Sure, why not? Just make sure you don’t get into any trouble.”

  “I will sir. Can I leave now?”

  Ramirez nodded and waited for Mark to exit the room. He watched Mark walk down the corridor, then he closed his office door and took out his iPhone. Her dialed the first number on his speed dial and waited for her to answer. “What is it Ramirez?” she asked.

  “He fell for the bait.”

  “This is only the beginning, Ramirez. I need him to be delivered right into my hands.”

  “Only time can tell if that will happen.”

  “Your time is running out, Ramirez,” she said curtly and then abruptly hung up the phone.

  Ramirez swallowed nervously. His pulse began to race and he began to sweat profusely. He really hoped that this nightmare would be over soon, but this seemed to only be the beginning.

  When Mark arrived at his cubicle, he found Ginger spinning in his chair. “So, what was that about?” she asked.

  “We just got our first major news story to investigate.”

  “Really?” she asked in an excited tone.

  “Yep. It gives me the perfect opportunity to have an excuse to get the information I need to find Karen.”