The day had come up beautifully, but the hospital looked as gloomy as ever. Kiara and Jake had very high hopes with their previous interpretations. But, they were conscious this time. There was a chance that the doctor may not help. Who would wish to cut the hand that fed them?
They had to think of something and that too quickly. Kiara saw the doctor standing in the lobby as they entered. She held Jake by his arm and gestured him to stop there. Jake could not understand as she came out and walked towards the motorcycle.
Jake waited for her impatiently with one eye at the doctor and another on her. It seemed the doctor was about to leave making his heart beat faster. He looked out the door. Kiara was holding the report, while walking towards them. He understood what she was planning to do.
As soon as she entered, he walked to the doctor.
"Excuse me," he said and tapped on his shoulder.
The doctor turned around and adjusted his glasses, "Yes," he said while looking at both of them.
"Hi, I am Agent Carter," Jake said and held his hand out.
"You are not in uniform?" Doctor questioned as they shook hands.
"It's my off day. I had to introduce you to Miss Kiara, that's why I came,"
"You came with Paul that day?" he said while recognizing her.
"Yes, I am staying at his place. I am actually here for a college project,"
"Ok, what can I do for you?" doctor asked.
"Actually, I am working on the ecological effects of the factory on Kingston,".
Doctor looked at her one more time, "But, a similar project was scrapped earlier this year. It's on the news."
"I came to know after coming here. My college had arranged for the project. I had no option but to go ahead with it," she said and showed her badge to him.
He looked at it and shook his head, "What do you need from me?"
"About that; I was given this report to take as a reference. I have finished my studies and gone through the recommendation page also, but not able to find names of departments who will help in the actual work," she said while showing him the report.
"You have come to the wrong place. You should go to the human rights office," he said returning the report.
"Actually, I know that too. I hoped that you will be able to give me some contacts. Someone in the factory told me that the earlier team had also visited the hospital with the human rights team. That's why I came to you," Kiara said, hoping her guess was right.
"Yes, I remember. That poor girl," he paused for a moment, "Human rights team has a regional office in Portland. I can give you the phone number of Duncan Jones. He heads the department."
"That would be great," Kiara smiled, "Did he also visit when the earlier team had come? I wanted to know because if he is aware of that project, then it will be easier for me to make him understand."
"Of course, he was here. The whole team was here. They had pledged huge money. Why wouldn't he be here?" he said while taking out a visiting card from his wallet.
Kiara looked at Jake who was equally happy. She noted down the number.
"Thank you, doctor. You have been of immense help," she said and shook hands with him.
"I hope your project doesn't end up as an academic exercise," he said and left. Kiara nodded and kept looking at the doctor till he disappeared in one of the wards. She looked at Jake and both rushed towards the motorcycle.
"Right on the money," Jake said and winked as they came out
"Mr. Jones, here we come,"
"What's the plan?" Jake asked as they reached near the gate.
"Let's get Sarah released first. We will go after Jones after that,"
"We would need something concrete to hunt him down, though. Only his name will not be enough." Jake said.
"When will his local messenger come useful?" she said while flashing Jones's number, "You know what to do."
Jake gave a big smile, "You are awesome."
"No, we are awesome."
With that, they ran towards the motorcycle. They knew time was of great essence. They were almost there. The only thing left was to make one last right move.
Chapter 15
"Have to take this call," Kiara shouted.
"What?" Jake shouted back.
Kiara pointed at the phone. Jake nodded and parked on the side of the road.
Kiara looked at the phone and took a deep breath, "Yes, Sir."
"Do I need to tell you why I called?" Carlson said from the other end.
"No, Sir. When do I leave?"
"Pack your bags and leave right away," he said and paused, "I should have sent somebody else."
"But, Sir. I have collected enough evidence," Kiara tried to explain.
"Doesn't matter. You have exposed yourself," he thundered, "There is no mission anymore. And I will make sure there are no records left of it."
"It’s for a good cause. I am trying to save a life," she argued making Carlson angrier.
"Then why don't you take up all such cases. Why make an exception in this case?" he shouted.
"But…" Kiara was cut off.
"Don’t say a word," he roared, "Get your ass here."
There was a momentary silence. Kiara knew she was not helping her cause by arguing.
"Is that clear?" Carlson said.
"Yes, Sir," Kiara responded, "I will take the next available flight. Will see you tomorrow morning."
"You better not try to act smart with me," he warned her. "I will make your life miserable. Don’t test my patience again."
"I won't… Sir," Carlson disconnected before Kiara could complete her sentence.
"Don't worry. He will cool down by tomorrow," Jake tried to calm her down.
"Leave him. I don’t care even if this is my last case," she said and switched off her phone. "Give me your phone."
"What?" Jake said with surprise.
"Give me your phone," she shouted.
"Ok," Jake pulled out his phone. Kiara snatched it immediately.
She thought for a moment and dialed a number. There was no response from the other end. She dialed again.
"Hello," a voice came from the other end.
"Sarah's life is on the line and you still fear for unknown numbers,"
"I am sorry. I am wary of media… Is there some news?" Chris inquired.
"How fast can you arrange for five million?" Kiara ignored his question.
"I don't understand," her question confused Chris.
"We have found who is behind all of this," she said, "Human Rights department head; Duncan Jones."
"Who?"
"He is the one who runs all funding from the corporates. He suspected you will be giving the money to his department. Sarah was here to meet him not knowing that he could go to this extent."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. But, we are going to do some more checks to be hundred percent sure. Meanwhile, I will tell you how to ensure Sarah's release,"
"I will make the arrangement," Chris said before Kiara disconnected the phone.
"Is he in?" Jake asked as Kiara returned the phone.
"Five million is not a big amount for him. Besides, he loves her too much,"
"So, what's next?"
"You get the details of our man in the ski mask," she said and paused for a moment, "I will get packed."
Jake did not expect what she said. He looked at her. "So, that's it?"
"You can come to see me off," Kiara said with moist eyes.
"What?" Jake smiled, "Agent Davenport is crying?"
Kiara looked down, "Something fell in my eye."
"Both eyes?" Jake asked with a smile.
"Don't tease me," she said, "Come on. Drop me at Paul's"
Jake nodded and put his helmet on. Suddenly, the thought of Kiara leaving for forever dawned upon him. He felt a pain in his heart. He knew he was never going to forget about the time spent with her.
Kiara closed her eyes and thought about her stay in Kingston. What started as a boring mission ende
d up as one of her most emotional ones. She was sure that Sarah will come out unscathed and in a way this kidnapping had brought her closer to Chris. She may not be aware of this, but by tomorrow her life was going to change. Whatever doubts Chris had about his feelings towards her were also cleared due to the kidnapping. She smiled at the thought of helping them come closer.
On the other hand, without Jake's help, this would not have been possible. She never thought she would ever get a partner of her liking. But, with Jake she had achieved that impossible feat. That thought brought Carlson to her mind. He meant every word when he said that he was going to make her life miserable. He was going to put her on a desk job. She shook her head at the thought of working with Bob.
She opened her eyes and looked at her watch. It was almost twelve O' clock. She was reluctant, but had to check her emails. As she scrolled down, she grunted in angst. Carlson had sent a ticket for six O' clock flight and had left a note warning her against missing it. She had only three hours left in Kingston. With that thought, she got up and started packing her clothes.
Paul came with lunch at one. He looked at the packed bags.
"You going somewhere?" he asked while keeping the tray on the table.
"About that. My project is done. I will need a ride to the airport," she said in a soft voice.
Paul took some time to understand, "So soon. You said that you will be here for a month."
"I got all the details. No need to stay back."
"When will your report come?"
"It's a college report. It is not going to make any news," Kiara replied.
Paul looked a bit disappointed. Kiara came near him, "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."
Though she was not sure, but, hope was the only thing that she could give him.
Paul smiled and left. Kiara looked at home made food and heaved a sigh. It was going to be a long time before she would again be able to have it again. Maybe she could take a break and visit her folks some time, she thought.
Suddenly she remembered that her phone was still off. She turned it on and as expected found missed calls from Jake. She called him while having a bite.
"Thank God, You are back," Jake said, "I have Duncan's call record. Wanna know who is our mystery man?
"Is it Arthur or Charles?" Kiara said softly.
"It's Arthur. You knew the messenger was one of the agents?" he said with surprise, "Since when?"
"I had a hunch. There was a rumor across the town on Chris's arrival. They were planning to block the factory entrance and I suspected a riot by evening. A riot meant Chris had to leave the town and Duncan could not have afforded that. When I came back in the evening, everything had returned to normal. I knew Duncan had taken help from his local contact, but still it was not clear who that was. Today morning Harrison told how hard he had to work to make that happen. I knew that moment that it had to be one of them,"
"You didn't suspect Harrison?"
"No, he wouldn't have told me this if he was involved. He has his issues, but he is a very good officer. He made sure that except you none of the other agents come to know who I am. Even Arthur kept thinking that I was a student,"
"Wow! I never thought it that way,"
"So, now we have enough proof against Duncan. You should inform Chris to seal the deal," Jake suggested.
"Yeah, I have dropped the message just now. Waiting for the response, "she said as her phone beeped, "Here it is."
"Good. Then, let's wait and watch," Jake said and remembered something, "You packed?"
"Yeah," she said and looked at her watch, "One more hour to go."
"Hm.. I will be there is ten minutes. Let's savor this moment together," Jake suggested.
"Thanks. That will be nice," Kiara said with a smile.
"Ok then, see you in ten,"
"Yup,"
Kiara kept looking at the clock impatiently. Jake came after half an hour. She had kept the door open for him.
"I thought you will never show up," she said angrily.
"Got caught up. I got the details about that guy, Kevin," he reasoned, "I don't have access to the mails outside the office. So, had to wait for it."
"Anything that needs our attention," Kiara asked while closing the door.
"Nothing much. Normal kid; just graduated. This was his first job. Richard had offered him a permanent position, but he declined. Now working for a magazine in New York," he said while sitting down, "So, what's our update?"
Kiara opened her laptop and started browsing news sites," Nothing as of now."
"Don't check the national dailies. Check local news first," Jake suggested.
Kiara nodded and started browsing local websites. She kept scrolling till she saw something.
"Here it is," she said, pointing at a news flash, "They updated it just now."
'In an unprecedented move, Mr. Chris Cooper, the Managing Director of Cooper Industries has announced a sum of five million dollars for the rehabilitation of Lake blue leaf and the surrounding town of Kingston. This will be disbursed through the regional human rights office to the various charity organizations. He made this announcement from his regional office at Portland, where he has been stationed for the past few days. Cooper Industries are going through turmoil and this has come as a surprise to all market observers. More details are awaited.'
Jake gave a high five to Kiara, "Wow! What an epic end?"
"Let's hope they release Sarah now," she said with a sense of relief.
"He has to. He is feeling that he is safe and his entire plan has come to fruition. It will be interesting to see what he has done to safeguard himself if Sarah charges him for kidnapping,"
"That will indeed be interesting. Anyhow, he is going to jail. So, it does not matter in the larger scheme of things,"
Their conversation was broken by knocking at the door.
Kiara looked at the clock, "That must be my ride."
Jake looked at her, "I will miss you."
Kiara smiled. "Don't worry. Life is long and the world is getting smaller. We will meet again."
Jake nodded and got up. Kiara opened the door.
"Can you put my bags in the van?" she asked Paul," I need to make a call."
"Whom are you calling?"
"Sarah's mother. She is the one who is waiting for this news more than anyone," she said and dialed a number.
"Hello,"
"Mrs. Edwards, this is Kiara,"
"Did you meet Chris? Do you have any news of my daughter?"
"I met him… He loves her more than anything. He has given five million dollars for her release. We are hoping that she will be released by tomorrow," she said softly.
There were no words from the other end. The only thing that Kiara could hear was the gentle sob of a mother who had given up all hope.
"I always doubted Chris's feelings. But, the day those pages came, I knew he could do anything for her," her voice was trembling.
"Pages came?" Kiara asked with surprise, "Who sent them?"
"Kevin. He was working with her on the project," she replied.
"So, she did not take the diary after all," Kiara mumbled.
"What?" Sarah's mother said.
"I was saying that you are a very strong person. You did not let the hope in your heart die for a moment,"
"It's because of all the support that came from people like you. Thank you," she said in a frail voice.
"No need to thank me, Mrs. Edwards. Let's hope to hear the good news as soon as possible," Kiara said. "Chris has promised that he will bring her back to you."
"I don't know what to say. It is as if a long night has ended and a new dawn has arrived."
"No one can do anything to a daughter who has a loving mother like you. Sarah is very lucky,"
"I am so happy that I don't know what to say," she said, the words barely coming out of her mouth.
"Don't say anything. Just relax and prepare for Sarah's arrival. Take care Mrs. Edwards," Kiara said and dis
connected. She herself felt a lump in her throat and did not know if she would be able to hold back her tears if she kept talking to her.
"Let's leave or you will be late for the flight," Paul brought her back from her thoughts.
Kiara nodded and looked at Jake.
"So, the moment has come, finally," he said and hugged her.
"I will miss you, too," she said with moist eyes.
She looked at the house one last time. She took a deep breath and opened the door of the van.
Jake kept looking till the van disappeared into the main street.
"I will always remember you, Miss Kiara Davenport," he said and put his helmet on.
Kiara looked around as the van crossed the main market. Everything looked business as usual. No one knew what had happened in the town in the last few days. She had made an anonymous entry, but had grown fond of everyone she had met and everything she had seen. When she had come, she wanted to leave the town immediately. But, now she felt as if she was leaving a part of her behind.
As Paul took a left turn, she saw the lake and the factory for the last time. The smoke from the chimney looked whiter and much less in quantity.
"You all right?" Paul looked at her through the rear view mirror.
"Yes, Just looking around for one last time," she replied with a smile.
Paul pulled a box from the adjoining seat. "My mother prepared this for you," he said while handing the box, "You liked her cooking?"
"I loved it," Kiara took the box with a beaming smile," The mothers are always.."
As she took a bite, she remembered her conversation with Sarah's mother. She dialed Chris's number immediately. She hoped that he will pick. By now, the media would have been behind him. There was a chance he may not notice her call.
However, there was a response within three rings.
"Hi Kiara," Chris said, his voice laden with happiness.
"So, you reached in time?" she asked.
"Yes… No one would know I was in Kingston," he said, "Thanks for all the support."
"My partner will send you some details that you can share with the officers working on this case. Those will be enough to start an investigation against Jones and his local associate,"
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