“Rick is fine,” he answered. We stared at each other for a few beats before he asked, “How did you find me?”
“In your line of work I’m sure you’ve heard a little refrain, ‘there’s no such thing as a perfect crime.’” I looked to Josh and he made his way over to the table, taking a seat beside me. Josh would serve as my witness. “So tell me, how is it that you kidnap me and Brady Clay, shoot at us as we make our escape, and return to the US without any repercussions?” I stared at him.
“I don’t have to answer you,” he said cockily, reclining in his seat. I didn’t expect this to be easy.
He was an expert at evasion, as evidenced by the lack of his profile on the internet or social media.
“How about I call this lead investigator of the FBI?” I went to press the button on my phone.
“And say what, which I haven’t already discussed with him?”
“How about the fact you orchestrated this whole thing?”
“I supported law enforcement in capturing a deranged woman, who plotted revenge-murder against an old flame and her former sister-in-law. They have detailed notes and evidence of how I was able to thwart many of her efforts,” he retorted.
“Well, that’s wonderful. It’s amazing how you took such a vested interest in protecting an ordinary woman and a billionaire man. Were you expecting a big pay day from Brady Clay?” I watched as he swallowed hard at the mention of Brady, but remained silent.
“What I can’t get out of my head is why take on the case? Why not just call the police when she had an elaborate plan, stop her from harming us and involving you? I just wonder who truly hired who? Did Aida find you or did you find her? And if you found her, who put you up to it? Do you want to know what I think?” I asked.
He remained silent, glaring at me. His features softened and he smiled, shaking his head. “This should be fun to hear; entertain me,” he demanded.
“I think you were approached by a wealthy person to help him conquer a woman he claims to love. I think you two brilliant men came up with an elaborate scheme to set up a self-conscious and lovesick woman just to bring the wealthy man and the common woman together. He would play the hero.” I said. Eric’s eyes widened. “Attempt to make her fall in love. The deranged woman would be put away; incapable of harming anyone else; untrustworthy because she feigned her own death, and lived under an assumed name for almost a year. What I don’t get is why you would risk your reputation and family business to take on such a task. I have to tell you, all those things you did to me weren’t in your company’s list of services on your website.” I finished. I shook my head.
“Perla, you’re wasting your time. You’re not getting anything from me. Services were rendered to the party who contracted with me, I don’t need to do any more.”
“It has to be more than just getting a hefty paycheck. I mean, you were thorough. Meticulous, is how I would describe your work. I believe you have a deeper connection to the wealthy man.” I said. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Could you be friends of some sort? Brady did attend school in California. However, you’re a younger man, so you couldn’t have gone to school at the same time. Then I wondered if Brady had a long standing relationship with your company. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to obtain information about your clients.”
“Even if I wanted to tell you anything, we keep our caseload and relationships confidential.”
“You can just tap your finger once for ‘no’, twice for ‘yes.’ Those are always fun to watch in classic mystery films,” I suggested. Eric smiled.
“Josh, did you know PRISM, Rick’s company, has offices in major cities in the US? Most interesting is PRISM’s offices in Las Vegas, Boston, and Miami are all places where Pentagon holds investments. They started off small, in San Francisco, and opened up another office in Los Angeles. They expanded and branched out relatively quickly over a short time span,” Josh remained silent as was his custom. “PRISM is supposed to be this small family business, but I wonder how a small investigative company can become so big within the last thirteen years. I dare say they had a really big investor. A silent partner of sorts,” I looked at Eric, and by the pallor of his face, I could tell I was closing in on the truth.
“What do you think you know, Perla?” He asked. I smiled.
“I didn’t see you tap ‘yes’ or ‘no’, so I can’t say I’m hot on the trail; isn’t that investigative jargon?”
“Well, I don’t have time to entertain your little teenage girl detective story because I have a lot of work to do, so if . . .”
“I’m almost done,” I smiled brightly. “I’m going to uncover the truth. And when I do, I will proceed in ensuring all involved in my first and second kidnapping are arrested, charged, and convicted regardless of some sort of immunity offered by Federal authorities. I have a handsome picture of you arriving at the airport in the same plane as Aida. You weren’t under arrest. Tony, whoever he is, will be identified. And to encourage this never happens again, I will use all my resources to sue PRISM and its executives for the entire worth of the company. When I own PRISM, I will dismantle every office bit by bit until I receive a fraction of the satisfaction I’m actually wanting now. All you would need to do is tell me the truth,” I finished.
After waiting a sufficient time, I placed my hand on the table to stand, and Josh followed suit. Eric grabbed me by the wrist, and Josh grabbed Eric. Immediately, Eric released me. Both of us looked around us to see if we’d caused a scene.
“Wait,” Eric said. “I’ll give you more information,” he offered. Josh released him and we sat back down.
The waitress arrived and interrupted his revelation, asking if I would still like the other table. I gave it up, preferring to sit with Eric. “What information can you provide?” I asked, feigning civility when I wanted to jump over the table and smack the shit out of his pretty-boy face.
Eric took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He wiped his brow and fidgeted, looking around the café. I sat back bidding time. I knew what he had to reveal was big, and I wasn’t going to push him until he was ready. I wanted all the details.
“My grandfather started PRISM before it became the big company it is now. My mother became part of the company. She met my father who was one of the investigators. There are three of us; a brother and a sister, each have roles in the company. My older brother attended a very prestigious University, not far from here,” he informed. I nodded for him to continue. “My brother made a friend in college. His friend from the East Coast became his fraternity brother,” he continued, and my pulse quickened.
“Knowing about our family’s company, the friend hired our father to do investigation and surveillance over the years. In turn, this young man provided investment for the expansion of the business. Eventually, the request was to provide information and surveillance of a young woman who was studying dance in Boston,” he said, staring at me intently. My breath quickened, but I remained still as he continued his story.
“At every turn of the young lady’s life, we informed the friend of her actions. When her mother died, he attended quietly. When her half-brother died from an overdose of heroin, he watched from afar as her brother was buried,” Eric stated as he watched my tears gloss my vision. “When she had a performance in Boston, he’d show up—each and every time. When she went to Vegas, he attended a week’s worth of her shows. He was always in the shadows, knowing exactly what she was doing. When she graduated from community college, he watched as she received her degree while her fiancé attended with his family,” he recalled.
My breath halted with fear. I looked to see if here was some semblance of a lie, but he didn’t flinch and he didn’t stutter.
“His turning point was when she purchased her wedding dress. The information was never enough. He was never satisfied. He spent several years formulating a plan to pull her away from her new family and my God, did he ever succeed. Yet, he could never have imagined his best friend swooping in and making
her fall in love with him. All those years of planning and near-perfect execution gone to waste because you needed simple medical attention,” He chortled.
I remained still as if paralyzed by the information overload. Many questions swirled through my mind, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask even one. It didn’t seem to matter.
“He tried everything to keep you two apart. He made me find the sex tape after he saw the smug look on your boyfriend’s face that night at Carve. He thought he succeeded in placing a wedge between you two. After your break up with the good doctor, it was believed to be a good idea to whisk you away. But your body guard interfered. A new plan was hatched, but it had to be executed immediately because you did the worst thing imaginable to him; you married the doctor. The courier had to be detained and license retrieved. His plane and flight crew had to be used. Convincing the demented ghost of the plan was a chore. She is one piece of work. The dominoes had to fall perfectly in line. And it was, right down to the shot on his arm for your sympathy,” he smiled. I felt sick, watching his face reel with varying emotions.
“I didn’t want to do that to you, but it was an expectation. We’d always done his bidding. He has done much for our business. We’re at the top of the industry because of his financial support. I’m poised to take over one day, so I had to oblige. Because of this job, I’ll be the youngest CEO in the industry to take over the Los Angeles office. I stand to make millions a year and run my own operation. He holds so much power and influence. And whatever he wants, he gets. He wanted you, and he will get you. You may think he’s sitting back, waiting for you to make a choice, but he’s really calculating what to do next,” he warned. I gasped, and he frowned.
“He won’t go as far as harming your husband. They’re friends. He’s made it clear the good doctor interfered because he didn’t know any better than to stay out of it. Although, he will try to make him hurt where it hurts others, which is Pentagon. If he can convince the three friends to side with him, then the good doctor doesn’t stand a chance. And seeing as you have the stocks, then it is perfectly aligned to ensure the doctor no longer benefits from all the hard work the four, and you, actually do for Pentagon. Never in his wildest dreams did he think you would join him at the company. He practically danced a fucking jig when you submitted the new plans for Pentagram. It was as if you conformed to his plans for the two of you. One perfectly happy couple ruling the industry together,” he ended, watching the myriad of emotions coursing through me.
“I want evidence he’s been doing this for years.”
“You won’t get it from me?”
“Should I ask the authorities to get a search warrant to obtain at least twelve-years of information?” I threatened rather than asked.
“You have all you need to know.”
“I need everything to stop him,” I demanded.
“He’ll know it was me,”
“You’re a smart man, and real family is more important than just some random fraternity brother, right?”
“You don’t understand. We owe him a debt, and you’re a minor player in the grand scheme of the game.”
“Well, you’ve given me something to go forward. Thank you, Eric . . . Merrick . . . Maverick . . . Rick, whatever you call yourself,” I stood, and Josh followed, ensuring I was protected.
I left the restaurant, reeling from the information learned. I couldn’t believe Brady had stooped so low to try to convince me to love him. Then again, it was exactly the behavior I expected from an ridiculously wealthy man with control issues.
*****
On our return drive I called Irena to let her know what Eric had revealed to us. She stated she would do everything to find out more about the claims he made. Despite the inquietude I felt, I took a nap in the luxurious suite Gill booked. When I awoke, I spent time reviewing documents for the morning’s meetings. The hotel room phone rang. When I answered, the operator told me an envelope was delivered to the front desk. I told them I would send Josh down to retrieve it, and sent him a text. When Josh knocked on the door, I opened the door. He held the padded envelope.
“I’d like to open it, please,” he stated.
“Why?”
“I want to ensure there are no toxic agents or small explosive,” he stated seriously. I shook my head.
“Knock yourself out,” I retorted.
Josh retrieved a booklet, handing it over to me after he flipped through. It was the passport created for the trip to Brady’s paradise. If it weren’t a necessary piece of identification, I would have destroyed it to eliminate the bad memory. A flash drive was next. He poked his hand back in and pulled out my wedding ring. I brought my hand to my mouth, taking it from his finger. I looked at the beautiful vintage ring encased in diamonds, which Matt placed on my finger two weeks ago on our engagement and wedding day. Immediately, I put my ring on. It was slightly snug, but perfect.
I took the flash drive, hoping it was what I needed it to be.
“Nothing else,” Josh said.
I took the flash drive from his hands, connecting it to my laptop. When I clicked to open the drive, a series of folders listed per year, each with the tag of ‘PerMer’ and the year going backwards from the current year back to the start. I opened the first year in which he started investigating me. I was sixteen-years-old. It was before my mother died. There were health records, school records, and copious pictures. There were pictures of me walking in the street with friends; at rehearsals; in classes; smiling; looking sad; and at my mother’s funeral. My eyes narrowed at the intimacy of these images. It truly was an invasion of my life. The images made me relive my entire sixteenth-year. I didn’t have the stomach to open each and every year, but forced myself to learn the truth.
Josh stood beside me, quietly observing everything I opened. I opened the present day folder and it was much of the same: pictures of me walking to the bus early in the morning; working at Duration; sitting at the desk at Liberty; and even dancing at the club the night I left with Matt. The amount of pictures seem to double: a pic of Eric Pierce at the gym on the day I introduced him to Matt; Matt and I arriving at Carve; and even Matt and I arriving at Stella’s home the first night I met her.
I stopped looking at the evidence when I saw pics of Matt and I at Chelsea’s wedding. How he managed to have a photographer take images of us in a private citizen’s ceremony was beyond me. I felt sick. Brady chronicled my life as if he were living it with me.
*****
Anxious to return home after my day’s meetings, the return flight back to Boston felt shorter than my departing flight because I spent it working. Even my fear of light took a backseat to my need to finish work and make a decision on the design plans provided by the architects.
Josh and I arrived in the early evening on Monday. Instead of returning to the office, I had Josh drop me off at home where I could get some chores done. When I entered my apartment, the fresh scent of a clean apartment wafted throughout. I checked every room, which was organized and cleaned. My laundry was done and put away. My sheets were changed. I looked in the fridge and found food with a note from Glynnis about the individual meals and how much time to heat.
I smiled because Matt hadn’t stopped taking care of me. I wanted to call him and thank him; apologize for my stupidity. But I had to be strong for the both of us, which was the polar opposite of what he wanted from me. He wanted to be my rock instead of me standing on my own as a lone boulder.
*****
After I completed a day’s work at the office, I proceeded to take care of Pentagon’s other issue, its salvation. I reviewed some of the files on the flash drive, sending a copy of the contents by email to Irena. For safekeeping, I did the same for Turner. I called Zipper on the burner phone.
When he responded, I answered, “Hey, I have more evidence.”
“What kind of evidence?”
“The kind we can use against him in our plan. I’m at home now. I just returned from California. I will have Gill make a c
opy and send it to your office. I’m too afraid to send anything to your email,” I finished.
“Sounds good. Are you okay?”
“I could be better. Is Matt okay? I haven’t heard from him since Saturday.”
“I’ve got you beat. I haven’t heard from him since you got back last Friday.”
“I saw you were notably absent from the event.”
“Yeah, Jenna will never let me live it down. She saw all the pictures in the society pages,” he admitted.
“I feel like I’ve fucked up everyone’s life.”
“They did that on their own.”
“Where are we?”
“Our investigation has not yet concluded. Our investigator is due to give us a full report by tomorrow. Our new filings will be sent in the morning, but it takes a couple of weeks to be approved and registered. It won’t hinder what we need to do, but it will take some time. I have a team on this Perla, but the timeline we’ve set is quite ambitious. If you have something which can help, then we’ll just add it to what the independent investigator has determined, but it won’t speed things up,” he added.
“I’m pregnant Zipper,” I confessed because Matt was already aware. “This remains with us. This information could derail everything we’re working toward,” I warned. “Matt found out on Saturday. I was going to tell him after our presentation, but he’s not happy. I haven’t heard from him. I’m worried this news may have set him off.”
“In what way?”
“Ultimately, he threatened to fight for custody if I don’t file the marriage license on time. And you know I can’t file yet. But it isn’t just about the baby. My stalling has made him angrier and more distant. I think we’re done.”
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“I don’t know what kind of clout you have right now, but anything would help,” I pled.
“Perla, Matt’s a really stubborn man, but we know he loves you. You being pregnant will only enhance his feelings.”
Bound: The Pentagon Group, Book 3 Page 30