Copyright 2015 Varun Vashist
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This is a work of fiction and Author's imagination. Any resemblance to any person or event or locales is purely coincidental
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
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A WEDDING AND A THIRTY YEAR OLD GRUDGE
When Kiara invited Jake to a family wedding, he had not thought it would be different from any other wedding. However, he started sensing something wrong with everyone in the wedding party. Kiara shrugged it off as Jake being paranoid, but Jake persisted.
Is Jake going to find out anything or is it a mere hunch? Or, Kiara's fear of Jake creating a trouble in the marriage will come true?
Sign up for author's New release mailing list and get a free copy of latest novella - Wrong One - The Davenport Mysteries
CHAPTER 1
Seven years back
‘The recent hype surrounding the alleged alien abduction of Donald Coleman came to a premature end today when the Doctors monitoring Mr. Coleman concluded it to be nothing but the imagination of Mr. Coleman’s fertile brain. The news had sent the whole nation into a frenzy and the conspiracy theorists had started to see Mr. Coleman as their hero. Mr. Coleman’s firm belief that he was abducted by the aliens and was tested by them couldn’t be properly substantiated as the police find various loopholes in his narrative. Also, he was not able to detail out the series of tests that he claims to have been done on him by the aliens. As per him, he was tested for hours, and then they wiped away his memories of that day using bright lights. He was exposed to the lights of eight suns and soon he lost consciousness.
Mr. Coleman says that he was on his way to Arizona on a hot summer day, when his car came to a sudden halt. He doesn’t remember any other details of the day. He was found lying a few yards away from his car. The heat and exhaustion along with Mr. Coleman’s history of drug abuse has been cited as the possible reasons for this behavior. The conspiracy theory groups, who stood by Mr. Coleman during the last few days, have also withdrawn their support post this revelation. We reached out to the Doctors monitoring Mr. Coleman, and they have concluded that the hallucinogens found in his blood sample made him see the images, hear the sounds, and feel the sensations that seemed real to him but were mere visions. Mr. Coleman, on the other hand, has gone into hiding since this expose. He lives alone and has no known family members who could be approached for any statements. ’
Present Day
“The… eight Suns,” the old man said as he was being taken to the O.T., “They will come again.”
“Mr. Reed... I want you to stay calm,” the nurse urged as the door opened.
“You... don’t understand….” he said with great difficulty before he lost consciousness.
“I think it’s futile,” the doctor said looking at the amount of blood loss.
“You’ve been shadowing me for three weeks now,” Jake said to the young agent accompanying him, “Carlson should see some improvement in your performance now.”
The young agent looked at Jake and smiled slightly. Jake stopped and turned to him. “What was that?”
“Well, you want Carlson to see improvement in my work, but, I have learned nothing from you. In fact, it’s the other way around,” he said and smiled again.
A flash of anger crossed Jake’s face hearing his words. “If it weren’t for Carlson’s orders, I would’ve thrown you out the first day itself.”
However, his words made no impact on the young agent. He stood, meeting his gaze with defiance.
“It’s no picnic for me either. I came here with high hopes, but I had never imagined that I would work with an agent who doesn’t even knows the basic rules of law enforcement. And, the appalling thing is that you aren’t even ashamed of your ignorance. Even a school going kid knows more about the laws and regulations of this country than you do. So, if it weren’t for Carlson, I would’ve left you the first day itself.”
“Okay… you asked for it. Once this meeting is over, I’ll show you how things are taught here. This meeting is the last chance to save your skin. So, choose your words carefully while speaking to him,” Jake said and gave him a wild stare. It worked as the young agent avoided an eye contact with him. It gave a sense of control to Jake. He looked at him for a second and walked away towards Carlson’s office.
Special- Agent- in charge Carlson looked at Jake and Ryan as he removed his glasses. A file with worn out edges was lying on his desk. A faint smile covered Jake’s face sensing a potential case – an old unsolved case.
“Agent Carter and Agent Davis - how is the training progressing?” he asked while looking at both alternately.
“It’s…” both said together. Jake gestured Ryan to go ahead who motioned him to take a lead.
“It’s going great, sir,” Jake said with a smile. “The first week was more of an introduction to the department. I shared the organization structure with him and introduced him to the other department’s key personnel. However, the last two weeks have been the most fruitful. We’ve even discussed some of the live cases, and I think Agent Davis has learned a lot of things that’ll definitely help him once he gets on the job.”
Ryan Davis looked at Jake in disbelief and then gave a forced smile as his eyes met Carlson’s gaze.
“Agent Carter has been handling cases in the field for over ten years now. Make the most of your time while you’re here and learn as much as you can from his rich experience.”
Ryan Davis gave a muffled chuckle at the word ‘rich experience.’ Jake noticed that but ignored it for the moment. He looked at Carlson and then at the file.
“Sir, you wanted to discuss something with us?” he asked.
“Oh... yes,” Carlson said and reached into a drawer. Jake’s enthusiasm evaporated as he noticed it wasn’t the old file that Carlson was reading earlier.
“A man named James Reed died in the city hospital last week. The doctor’s report states the excessive blood loss as the cause of the death, but we think there’s more to it than meets the eye. It is as if the whole blood has been sucked out from his body. And, yesterday, two more deaths were reported in a similar fashion. Not only the manner in which the deaths have happened are similar; there is another thing connecting the deaths – the last words of the victims .”
With that, Carlson pushed the file across the table towards them. Ryan leaned forward, but Jake pulled the file towards him before Ryan could have taken it. Carlson noticed it but said nothing.
“The eight Suns?” Jake read with confusion.
Carlson nodded, “Yes… and there’s another commonality amongst the victims.”
“What commonality?” Jake asked while placing the file on the table. Ryan dragged it immediately towards him. Carlson noticed that too but ignored once again.
“Their background,” he said, “James Reed had done time thirty years back for stealing a bike. The second victim has charges of tax evasion, and the third one was fighting a case for a forged
fire insurance claim. In short, all of them had a brush with the law in the past.”
“They have another thing in common – none of them had a family,” Ryan said as he glanced through the report.
“That must be a coincidence,” Carlson said and turned to Jake. “There’s something else that would be helpful in our investigation.”
With that, he pushed the old file towards them. Jake gave a faint smile looking at it. “Finally,” he mumbled.
“We had a similar case seven years back, wherein another person had claimed to have seen the ‘eight Suns.’ Luckily, for us, he survived the attack. His name is Donald Coleman. I want you to speak to him. This file has the details of that case including his current whereabouts,” Carlson said. “He was found on…”
“On the way to Arizona,” Ryan interjected. “That’s why ‘eight Suns’ sounded so familiar.”
“So, you already know this case? That’s great. Anyhow, I was getting late for a meeting,” Carlson said and rose from his chair. Jake looked angrily at Ryan who in turn looked at Carlson. Carlson had enough of it by now.
“You wait outside,” he said to Ryan, “I need to talk to Jake.”
Ryan got the hint and left at once. However, before leaving, he made sure he carried both the files with him. A streak of anger crossed Jake’s face. Carlson noticed it.
“What’s happening?” he asked, “You don’t like him?”
“He gets a little difficult to handle sometimes,” Jake answered diplomatically.
“What do you mean?” Carlson asked while looking at his watch.
“He is more interested in reading the manuals than learning from my experience,” Jake replied. “I feel he isn’t interested in learning from me,”
“Or, maybe you aren’t teaching him properly,” Carlson said, “Because, I see a lot of potential in him. Look how he connected these cases with an old case within a second.”
“I didn’t mean that…” Jake tried to defend but Carlson cut him short.
“See, I don’t have time for this. We had a deal. You solve this case with him and then go back to your old partner provided she solves her case with her new partner,” Carlson said and reached out for his journal. “Is that understood?”
Jake nodded and stepped aside. Carlson looked at his watch one more time and left.
“What a nightmare,” Jake mumbled looking at the swiveling door.
As he stepped out, he looked at Kiara’s desk, which Ryan was using in her absence. He gave a muffled grunt, “Kiara, where are you?”
“You understand that I haven’t slept in the last twenty-four hours? I look awful,” the young Agent said while looking himself in the rear-view mirror. Agent Kiara Davenport paid no heed to his words, her eyes fixed at the main entrance of the swanky hotel at the other side of the road eagerly waiting for any movement by their target.
“He went inside with a bag and the way he dragged it, I believe it had a lot of cash in it,” she said, “I just need a lead, and he’ll fall into our clutches.”
“Then why don’t we go inside and catch him red-handed?” he asked in frustration.
“And, then what?” she glanced at him momentary before going back to her position, “We have to find the source of his illegal investments. Catching him now will mean alerting his handlers. He is just a pawn. We need to bring down the whole syndicate and….” she stopped mid-sentence. “There he is. Drive slowly keeping a safe distance. Do you understand?”
“It’s quite complicated, but I’ll do my best,” he said with irritation, “Now, where does this key go?”
His mocking had no impact on Kiara, however. She didn’t want to lose the sight of her target, who waited for his car at the hotel entrance. He was still carrying the bag, but it looked empty now.
As they took a U-turn, Kiara lost the sight of the hotel entrance for a moment.
“Move fast,” she shouted.
“Fast or slow? Make up your mind, lady,” he shouted back.
Kiara shook her head as she saw a car coming out of the hotel main gate. “I will make your life miserable if we lose him.”
“It can’t get worse than this,” he replied, and before Kiara could have retaliated, he increased the speed.
“There he is. See, we didn’t lose him,” he said pointing at the car that was entering the main street.
As they went past the hotel, Kiara noticed the security guard talking to the hotel owner. She ignored them and focused on the task at hand.
“Where is he going?” the young agent asked while looking at the signboard, “He lives in the upper west, right?”
“Maybe, he is going to his restaurant,” she replied.
“But, he goes there on Tuesdays and Thursdays and today is Wednesday?” he asked again.
“Yeah… let’s find out,” Kiara said while looking at the car that was getting into the heavy traffic.
“That’s some busy street,” he said with a faint smile.
“And, it doesn’t bother you why he chose it?” Kiara asked while shaking her head, “Will you be able to navigate through this traffic?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you drive?”
Kiara took a deep breath and looked up at him, “See, Jason, it will only work if you try to understand the seriousness of the situation.”
Jason nodded, “You’re right. The situation is getting out of our hands.”
“What?” she asked with confusion.
Jason pointed at the traffic signal that had turned red. The car they had been chasing for the last 10 minutes, had crossed the signal, leaving them stranded on the other side.
“Don’t stop,” Kiara said hastily.
“I can’t do much,” he said, “These cars aren’t going to get aside by themselves.”
And, he was right. The honking bothered no one. Instead, they got a few stares in return. Suddenly, Kiara remembered she was not in her official car.
“Worst day to go undercover,” she said with frustration in her voice.
“I think chasing him is futile now. Shall we go back to the division or to our apartments?” he asked while making some calculations. “The bar must have opened by now.”
“Unbelievable,” Kiara said in disbelief, “Why did you even join the force if you didn’t want to chase the criminals?”
A streak of nervousness flashed across Jason's face, but it left as soon as the signal turned green.
“Which way should we go?” he asked trying to avoid the discussion.
“He turned right; I guess,” she said with little confidence.
“Right it is,” Jason said and signaled.
By the time they negotiated the vehicles coming from either side and took the right turn, the car they were chasing was nowhere to be seen. Jason slowed down while Kiara kept scanning all the streets on both the sides of the road.
“It’s looking for a needle in a haystack,” Jason said in frustration.
“There it is,” Kiara said and looked at the car parked outside a building. She got down as soon as their car came to a halt. She stopped a few yards before it and pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket. While pretending to talk on the phone, she walked to the front and tried to get a glimpse of the inside of the car. The driver was reading a newspaper while the backseat was empty. She looked at two-storied building. The ground floor had a salon – ‘Blue Door Salon & Spa’ and the floor above it had an antique shop – ‘The Crystal Shop.’
The antique shop drew her attention, but before she could have planned her next move, she heard the sound of the car engine. She looked at the car for a moment, and as she turned back, she saw a woman in her thirties holding a large red leather bag with golden pattern stepping out of the salon. Before she could’ve made sense out of it, she got inside the car and left.
“Shall we follow them?” Jason came out of the car and asked hurriedly.
“It’s the same car. Where did he go?” she said in confusion and then closed her eyes as soon as she understood
what had happened, “He knows we are keeping an eye on him. Our cover is blown.”
“We’re losing time here,” Jason reminded her.
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? Our cover is blown. The show is over,” she said. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” he asked
“Where else?” she said and got inside the car. Jason shook his head and followed her to the car.
While Kiara had involved Jason at every step, Jake was thinking of different ways to keep Ryan away from his case. But, his luck ran out eventually.
“Don’t you want to discuss the case?” Ryan asked Jake, who was trying to avoid this conversation for last hour and a half.
“I’ll go through the files tonight. Let’s talk about it tomorrow morning,” Jake replied without removing his stare from the computer screen.
“Don’t you think we should meet this guy Donald Coleman first thing tomorrow?” Ryan asked with a hint of astonishment at Jake’s lax behavior.
Jake finally looked at him. “Then we’ll discuss it while we drive to his house. And, that’ll help us pass the time too. It’s a two-hour’s drive from here. Right?”
Ryan didn’t respond, and Jake thanked his stars for that. He went back staring at the computer screen. Suddenly, Ryan walked to his desk startling him. Jake closed the browser window at once. Ryan didn’t notice it and kept looking at Jake with some hesitation.
“I... I know you’re avoiding me. I understand that… I’m used to that, in fact,” he said in a measured tone. “But, I’ve found something in the files that I wanted to discuss with you. Moreover, I think it shouldn’t wait until tomorrow. This guy… Donald Coleman holds the key. We have to frame our questions beforehand and by beforehand I mean today.”
Jake looked blankly at Ryan for a moment, “Who is this guy?” he thought and feigned a smile.
“What’s on your mind?” he finally asked what Ryan wanted to hear. Ryan sprang into action at once and rushed to his desk. Jake looked with bewilderment as Ryan fetched his journal. Jake got a glimpse of the notes he had taken. He knew it was going to be a long conversation. He dragged a chair from the adjacent desk for Ryan.
Davenport Mysteries 04-Loose Ends Page 1