Missing Link

by Varun Vashist

  While William and Jeremy were discussing a way-out, Chris stood there lifeless. After a moment, William noticed that.

  "What happened to you?" William asked with a demeaning tone, "Why are you not saying anything now? You always have a solution for everything."

  "It's my fault," Chris said with pain, "I told her about this."

  "What?" William said and looked at Jeremy who was equally eager to know what Chris meant. Surprises were not ending for them today.

  "Yesterday, at the party, I told Sarah about our business secrets and… and the diary." Chris's voice cracked with pain.

  William's face turned red with anger, "Why would you do that? That back stabbing bitch. First, you are stupid enough to write a diary and now you told it to the person whom I trusted the least."

  "No..No.. It can't be her. She can't do this to me," Chris was still in disbelief.

  William punched at the table and stormed out of the room at once. Chris stood there as if life had been sucked out of him. Jeremy patted on his shoulder and followed William.

  Chapter 2

  Kingston was around fifty miles South of Portland; the nearest airport. It was around noon as Kiara came out of the flight. She looked around while pushing the trolley. The airport was full and had a buzz around it. Some were reading the paper; some were walking around while some of the passengers were discussing while sipping coffee; some about the last night's game, some about politics and quite a few about the hot topic: Cooper Industries meltdown. Quite understandably, as Portland was the regional headquarters for Cooper Industries and the nearest to their cash cow: the Kingston chemical plant.

  She came out and looked around for someone. Carlson had messaged her about somebody named Paul who was supposed to drive her to Kingston and make arrangements for her stay. She looked at everyone carefully, trying to find out what a Paul might look like. There were several placard hoisted among the crowd. She was sure that her name was unique enough to spot.

  And, there it was, though misspelt as Kaira. She groaned and walked in that direction while checking her bag for the badge that Carlson had given her. As she reached nearer, she was able to spot Paul among the crowd. He was a kid, barely out of his teens. He was around five and a half feet, barely able to hold his head out of the crowd.

  "Hey…," Kiara said while pointing at him.

  He nodded and ran towards her.

  "I am Paul. I am so very glad to meet you," he said ecstatically. Kiara was taken aback by his friendliness. Even her own family had never been so happy about seeing her.

  He took her bags and started walking in front of her. He was short and weak, making him look even younger. He was wearing a sweatshirt that was torn at the elbow. His ruffled hair looked as if they were kept in sand for days. Even the wind that forced Kiara to make a hair bun failed to move a single strand of his hair.

  Paul guided her to his minivan. She took the rear seat while he put the bags behind.

  "It will take an hour to reach Kingston. I have made arrangements for your stay, Miss," he said while starting the ignition. Kiara nodded and started looking around.

  In a few minutes, they had entered the main city. Kiara looked at the skyline wondering when next she would be able to see it again. The last mission had taken her away from the city for a whole six months. Hopefully, this will get closed faster.

  'Just go there. Get the information and come back. It is that simple. Don't stray' Carlson's words reverberated in her head. She gave a wry smile, knowing beforehand that she was definitely going to stray.

  The van passed another skyscraper. However, there was some difference. Hoards of vans from various news channels were parked outside the gate. As they crossed the second gate and she was able to get a glimpse of the compound, she was able to see media people buzzing around. She looked at the top of the tower: Cooper Industries.

  This brought her back to the mission.

  "So, you must be happy they are going bankrupt?" she asked Paul while still looking at the building.

  Suddenly, Paul's demeanor changed, "No one can do anything to these bastards. They only change hands. The filthy brains remain the same."

  Kiara did not understand the sudden outburst. She had thought that Richard would have published the proofs by now and taken the Cooper's to the task, but, Paul's words meant something else.

  She took her phone out and opened the news site immediately.

  'In an unprecedented move, Washington Chronicle's Editor-in-chief Mr. Richard Johnson has taken his statements back and has apologized to Cooper Industries. Speculations are rife that Cooper Industries are in advanced talks with Morgan Investments for a takeover. The deal is being estimated at Ten billion dollars'

  "So, Morgan is actually behind all this. Richard's threats were not baseless," she smirked as she scrolled down.

  "Did you say something?" Paul asked from the front.

  "Nothing," Kiara replied and locked the phone screen.

  The new development had confused her about her mission; whether it was still on. This was not the right place to call Carlson though. She thought of reaching Kingston first. The thought of going back so soon made her so happy that she almost chuckled drawing Paul's attention. She controlled her emotions somehow and gestured him to concentrate on driving.

  They must have come about ten miles from the airport when she saw the sign for Kingston. As they turned left, Kiara felt as if they were hundreds of miles away from the buzz of the city. The whole stretch had lush green fields and nothing else. The fields stretched as far as she could see making it look as if they were meeting the horizon. She opened the window a little. Fresh air hit her face, making her forget everything. She closed her eyes for a moment. Paul's chuckle brought her back to senses.

  "How much time will it take from here?" she inquired while closing the window.

  "Half an hour," he replied while looking at her from the rearview mirror.

  Kiara nodded and pulled the report out of her bag.

  'Kingston is a small town with a population of fifty thousand. Residents are mostly traditional and agriculture is the main profession. In March 2010, Special Economic Zone was developed in Kingston and corporates were invited to invest in it. Owing to the vast land spaces available and the natural water resources, including Lake Blue Leaf, the major sector that was promoted by the government was the chemical industry. To preserve the local ecological balance, a special certification was created and only the organizations that fulfilled the criteria were shortlisted. After six months of evaluations of the business plans submitted by the shortlisted corporates, Cooper Industries was awarded the contract.'

  "Kingston boundary starts from here," Paul said with pride bringing Kiara back from her thoughts.

  Kiara looked out the window. A signboard with 'Welcome to Kingston' stared back at her. It was painted red with a cow and a horse carved out at the corners. She looked at it with bemusement, but not for long. In a minute, she found out why the animals were imprinted on the signboard. There were hoards of them roaming on either side of the road. The fields were as vast as she had seen earlier, however, there were people working on them. Every now and then she could see a couple waving at Paul, who responded back with equal zest.

  After five minutes or so, they took a right turn from where she was able to see the lake. It certainly looked like a large leaf. However, as she had expected the color of water was no longer blue.

  As they drove further, she was able to see the factory with thick white smoke coming out of the chimneys. The factory covered the entire eye span.

  "So, that's the factory?" She asked Paul, who looked at it for a moment and then at her through the rearview mirror.

  "They have turned the lake from blue to black," he smirked and pointed at the pipes coming out of the factory. A black frothy fluid was flowing from the pipes into a large tank.

  "But, they are storing it in a tank after the treatment. Right?" she asked while trying to decipher what Paul meant. />
  "It seeps through the ground and pollutes the lake water," Paul said with a tinge of anger. "We drink the same water. You be careful. It will take time for you to adjust."

  "There goes the certification," Kiara murmured, and clutched her water bottle.

  "What?"

  "Nothing. What does this factory produce?" She knew, she should have read the report beforehand, but Paul did not seem to judge her knowledge.

  "Insecticides and pesticides," he replied at once. "They run the factory above the capacity, but, the chemical waste treatment plant doesn't have that much capacity. So, they dump it without treatment."

  "How do you know so much?" she asked with surprise.

  "People from town work in the factory," he said with sadness, "Factory has divided the town. We were like brothers. But, now we squabble over whether the factory should remain in Kingston or not."

  "They want to keep working there and you want it to shut down?" she asked softly.

  He nodded in the affirmative. "The news had made us feel that there was a chance of shutdown. But now…"

  He punched his hand on the steering wheel. Kiara had understood by now that Paul was quite sentimental about the factory issue. She thought of dropping the discussion.

  "So, how far is the town?" she tried to change the topic.

  "There it is," Paul pointed with a gleam in his eyes.

  Kiara looked in the direction he was pointing. She could see the colorful houses all around. All houses looked more or less alike with some of them still unfinished.

  As they drove further, the road bifurcated. They took the right one that had flowers lined up on both the sides. As they crossed, people recognized Paul and started to wave. Kiara looked with astonishment that was further increased as the kids started chasing the van. Paul reduced the speed, letting them run parallel to the van.

  There were small shops lined together. People were standing outside most of the shops; chatting.

  "The shops are more of a place to pass the time. There isn't much to do around." Paul said while still waving.

  Kiara nodded her head, bemused by the simplicity of the life.

  In a minute or so, they took a small muddy road that ended in front of a house. It was a small house with one extended room on the patio.

  "It is small but that's the only place in the town," Paul said with pride.

  "What? That's someone's house?" Kiara could not believe her luck.

  "There are no hotels around here, only the guest house in the factory. But, they won't let you stay there," he reasoned, "This is a small house, but you can call me for anything you need."

  "You?" Kiara was further surprised.

  "Yes, that's my house. I live with my mother and sister," Paul said while getting down.

  Kiara did not know what to say. Maybe, she had to talk to Carlson about it. There was no point discussing it further with Paul.

  She got out and stretched her arms.

  Paul took her bags and started walking in front. A small gravel walkway led to the house from the point where the mud road ended.

  "Your university had sent the letter to the community college that sent it to me in turn," he said while struggling to hold the bags, "I thought, you knew beforehand."

  Kiara was a bit angry but kept her calm. She just nodded and kept walking. Carlson should have told her, but, he was too eager to get rid of her. Anyway, from the look of it, her mission was about to be terminated. She could spend a night, she thought.

  Flower boxes adorned the entrance of the house. Orange, red and yellow colors mixed together gave a cheerful appearance. She touched one of the daisies while Paul went inside to bring the key to her room.

  Kiara looked at the house. It was a small house and looked quite old. Plaster from the walls was peeling off screaming for a new coat. However, it was properly maintained. There was not a speck of dust or mud on the floor. There was a small old couch, lying in the wooden portico with neat and crisp cushion covers. The flowers on the sides of the gravel walkway were well pruned with all the grass weeded out. Making the most of whatever is available, she thought.

  Her part of the house was around ten feet from the main house. It looked much better than the main house from outside. The wooden door looked new and polished. Even the walls had a fresh coat of paint. However, it did not look like done by a professional. Rather by the homeowners themselves. Maybe Paul had done it, she thought.

  Suddenly, there was the sound of keychain dangling.

  Kiara turned around. Paul was carrying the keys while an old woman with a weathered face and a weak frame followed him.

  "That…that's my mother, "he said while opening the room.

  "Hello," Kiara forced a smile. She was always uncomfortable striking a conversation with unknown people. The old woman did not say anything either adding to her discomfort. She kept looking at Kiara from head to toe. Kiara moved her fingers through her hair trying to see if there was something wrong with it, but the old woman still kept staring. She further adjusted her jeans and T-shirt but to no avail. Finally, she chose to ignore her and followed Paul into the room.

  The room looked bigger than what she had anticipated from outside. It was as clean as the portico. It was divided by a wooden wall to give the appearance of an apartment. The makeshift living room had two chairs and a table. In the corner was an old television. She was not sure if it worked or was there only for decoration. Well, only if it could play the news, she wished. There was a curtain dividing the living room into two. As she crossed, she almost bumped into another chair and table facing the kitchen. Though, there were two chairs, the kitchen was for one person only. Anyhow, she was not going to entertain anyone, she thought.

  Paul walked her to the adjoining bedroom. It had a twin bed with a crisp bed sheet with floral patterns and a homemade quilt. The bed was enough to fill the entire room, but, somehow they had pushed a small chest on one of the corners. How she is expected to open it, she wondered. The bedroom had an attached bathroom with a shower and a small sink.

  "How would you like to pay?" Paul brought her back from the thoughts.

  "What?" she asked at once.

  Paul took a moment, "Either you can pay thirty dollars daily or seven fifty dollars monthly. I will take two hundred as advance if you want a monthly package,"

  Kiara looked at him with disbelief. She had thought that Carlson would have at least taken care of this. Paul kept looking at her until she realized he was waiting for an answer. She searched her bag and paid thirty dollars to him. Anyhow, she was going to leave in a day or two.

  "Would you like to cook yourself?" he asked further.

  Kiara could handle the toughest of criminals, but not the groceries. And, there was no chance she was going to dabble in learning that now.

  "I don't cook," she replied tersely while looking around the room.

  "I will arrange for the food, but, the charges will be separate," he said while making some calculations, "I will take the money at the end of the month along with the charges for today's ride."

  Kiara nodded in affirmative.

  "Anything else?" Paul asked.

  "No,"

  Paul left at once. Kiara closed the door and sat down on the chair lying near the window. She opened the window and kept looking till Paul went inside the house. Once assured, she closed the window and called Carlson.

  "So, you already on the ground," Carlson said in his inimitable style. He was happy that Kiara was not his problem anymore; at least not for the time being.

  Kiara heaved a sigh, "Sir, What are my further orders?"

  "What? I guess, I had already explained the mission to you,"

  "But, now the dynamics have changed,"

  "How so?" he asked with disbelief.

  "I read that Richard has taken back his accusation and Morgan may take over the Cooper Industries," she tried to explain whatever she understood from the news, "The stocks have also stabilized, I guess. I don't think the government needs any
thing against Cooper's now."

  "See, Kiara. All of this is speculation. Besides, Morgan wants the goodwill of Cooper Industries and not the bad name that they might have made around Portland. You should not forget that he is equally influential. We have to be prepared from our end. Once the deal is signed… assuming there are actually discussions happening; Cooper's would like to make a clean getaway. That's when your report will come handy in case they try to act smart."

  "The only thing I understood is that I need to do what I was ordered to do and there is no chance of me returning tomorrow," she said ruefully.

  "Yes.. Anything else?"

  "Do I have to pay the rent from my pocket?" she asked while looking at the house.

  "You have left your current apartment. And, rent there must be much lesser than New York. So, what's the issue?" he reasoned.

  "I am paying the warehouse for keeping my stuff in New York. At least you can get the department pay for that," Kiara tried to get something out of Carlson.

  "I have been to your apartment. You don't have much stuff. They must be charging you the minimum," he was not the one to give up so easily.

  "Still…"Kiara did not budge either.

  "OK . I will see what I can do," Carlson gave a diplomatic answer.

  There was a momentary silence.

  "OK, then. I need to get into a meeting. Keep updating me," Carlson said before disconnecting.

  Kiara threw the phone on the other chair and grabbed the water bottle. It was not that she hated the work. It was the excitement of unearthing something related to the meltdown of Cooper Industries that she was looking forward to. However, with the stocks stabilized; the meltdown was gone too. All she was supposed to do was to steal some documents; get something out of locals and file it. It was not as much fun as chasing some goon and breaking some bones. It was more of an academic exercise for her. She took a deep breath and gulped some of the water trying to calm down.

  After handling Carlson or failing to handle him, it was time for her new boss: Ralph Harrison. She hoped him to be a much nicer guy. She almost chuckled at that thought. Even if someone nice was there, he would lose that entire nicety once he understands her ways of disobeying every order. She scrolled through her messages till she found his number under a message sent by Carlson.