UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck

by James Kipling

  About two hours later, John was at 254 Wallop Street, Townley. This was the address that John had picked up at the hotel. The house was a three story place, and the exterior was made of stones. The door had an elaborate decoration on it. There was no mail in the mail box, and the windows were all closed. John looked to the houses to the left and right. The one on the right was closed and John assumed that nobody was at home. At the house on the left, there was someone at the balcony. John looked up to find that it was an elderly gentleman who was reading the newspaper. The neighbor soon noticed John. He put his paper down and walked to the edge of the balcony.

  “The folks at that place are not at home. Can I help you, young man?” shouted the neighbor from the balcony.

  “I had an urgent message for Ms. Luck. May I have a word with you, sir?” asked John, in the most innocent of voices he could manage.

  “I will be there in a minute, young man. Hold on.” said the neighbor. By the time John walked to the entrance of the next door, the neighbor was already standing at the open door. John smiled, continuing his pretense of being a young man who would enjoy nothing better than a conversation with an elderly person. He slouched his shoulders a bit and his voice was humble. The neighbor was easily impressed. John was aware of that. What is a detective if he cannot get some information he wanted nicely.

  “Hello, sir. My name is Tim. Tim Alex, from the courier company.” said John, lying convincingly.

  “You can call me Tom, young man. Tim, you say? Did you have business with Ms. Luck?” asked the neighbor.

  John pulled out his phone and showed Rita’s picture to Tom who recognized the picture right away.

  “Yes, that is her, young man. Did you say you are from the courier company?” .asked Tom.

  “Yes, sir. I had a delivery from Mr. Luck from the city of Primer. I am guessing that would be her brother.” said John, pushing his luck with information.

  “I remember her mentioning a name Luck. I have never met him, though. Is this package you are talking about, from him?” asked Tom.

  “Yes, Tom. We got a call from our office in Primer an hour ago. The package has been delayed. We tried reaching Ms. Luck on the phone but she is not answering. So, my Boss sent me to check with her personally. Looks like she is not at home.” said John.

  “I can give her a message when she comes home.” said Tom.

  “Well, that would be great. Do give her the message that I was here. Here is my card, sir,” said John, handing over one of his many fake ID cards that he had in his wallet.

  “I will give this to her, young man. Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee? My maid can have it ready in ten minutes.” Tom seemed eager for a visitor.

  “No, Tom. I have to rush back to my office, or my boss will have my neck for sure. Thank you for your help. Goodbye” said John, stepping down and walking back to the street. Tom waved him away, and closed the door after him. As John stood on the street, looking for a cab, he noticed that Tom was back on the balcony, reading the same newspaper again. John got into the cab and asked him to drive to the main office of Carpet’s House Bank. That was the bank that issued Ms. Luck’s card, and he needed one last piece of information to complete his client verification.

  The cab had him at the front offices in only a few minutes. It took John a few minutes to gain an interview with the manager of the bank. The bank manager was a man in his early thirties. He introduced himself as Peter Storms and asked John to step into his office with the courtesy that one would normally expect from a senior manager. He verified John’s private detective license and his work order. The whole process took about ten minutes. Once everything was green, the manager returned to his desk.

  “Well, detective. Your information is legit. How can I be of assistance today?” asked the manager.

  “Thank you for your time, Mr. Storms. I wanted a little more information about Ms. Luck’s finances. From what she has told me, I understand she works at a not for profit organization?” asked John.

  “That is correct. She has no income that comes from her job. At least, that is what her bank account tells me.” answered the manager.

  “Then again, she is paying me handsomely for my services. I have looked at her home, as well as the hotel she is staying in today in Primer city. I was curious to know where she is getting her money from.” John definitely felt something was amiss.

  “There is no mystery in that detective. Every month, like clockwork, there is a deposit made into her account from the city of Primer. I have to admit, it is a lot of money, and it has been deposited, without fail, for the last five years.” said the manager.

  “Is it wire transfer?” John asked. Even before John came to this bank, he was sure that the deposit would not be made by wire transfer. John had a hunch that it would be cash.

  “Surprisingly, no. The amount is deposited in cash. Each time, the name of the depositor is different. I found that odd when it was brought to my attention once. Then again, there is no rule that a person should not have money deposited into the account. So, we did not look into that.” said the manager.

  The manager had told him everything he wanted to know. John took his card for if he ever had to contact him again. He thanked the manager and left his office. Once on the street, he grabbed a cab and asked the driver to drive him to the train station. As the cab drove toward the train station, John realized something. Townley was where Nancy worked. He thought about that wonderful time they both had a month earlier. That was also the last time John had gone on a date. He thought she would be upset if he came to her city and did not even say hello.

  “Driver, could you stop the car for a minute?” said John. The driver slowed his vehicle down, and stopped it on the side of the street. John took out his phone and dialed her number. As the phone rang, John noticed that the time was about six pm. The phone was answered and Nancy spoke on the other side.

  “John. This is a pleasant surprise. How are you?” asked Nancy.

  “I am fine. Nancy, are you still at your office?” asked John.

  “I just finished work. I was pulling my car out and heading home.” replied Nancy.

  “I am in Townley on work.” said John, waiting to see what she would say.

  “Really? That is wonderful news. I am not doing anything this evening. You up for dinner?” asked Nancy.

  “I was hoping for it. Do you know any good restaurants?” asked John.

  “John, forget the restaurants. You are in my town now. I am mailing you my address. Show that to your driver and he will bring you here. It’s evening time, and that means it will take you about an hour to reach my home I will have dinner laid out on the table by then. Would you mind if dinner is pizza?” asked Nancy.

  “Pizza sounds great. See you soon.” said John.

  A minute later, an email arrived on his phone. John opened it and found that it was her home address. He shared the address with the cab driver. The cab driver turned around and drove towards Nancy’s house. John phoned his Dad and requested him to pick his car from Primer train station using the spare keys. His Dad confirmed that he would do so.

  Just as Nancy had said, the drive took about an hour. John paid the driver the taxi fare and a generous amount as tip, as usual. When he reached her apartment, she opened the door even before he could knock.

  “Hey, John. Come right in.” she said.

  John walked into an apartment that was almost similar to his. The living room had a lot of space and there was minimal furniture. There was a huge television screen on the wall and John noticed that there was a surround sound system lined around the sofa set. There was a lot of light in the living room, coming through a window right behind the dining table. John could see a wonderful view beyond that, another thing that was similar to his own apartment.

  “You checking out my apartment, John? What do you think?” asked Nancy, mov
ing to the dining table.

  “It’s a nice apartment. For some odd reason, it looks remarkably like my apartment.” John said.

  “You can freshen up in the bathroom. It’s right in that direction. I have picked you out some evening attire, if you feel like changing. I bought them on the way over, after you phoned me.” said Nancy.

  “Thanks, Nancy. You are still ever the planner.” said John, heading to the restroom. In the few minutes it took him to get ready for dinner, there was a remarkable change on the dining table. Pizza was served on two plates. Side dishes where properly arranged and there was a bottle of wine and two glasses that were half full.

  “How long was I in there?” asked John, taking the seat closest to him.

  “The pizza had already arrived. I just laid the table, instead of waiting. Time to dig in.” said Nancy, taking the second seat on the table.

  “What brings you to Townley, John?” asked Nancy, taking a bite out of her slice.

  “Work. You won’t believe the change that has happened since the last time we met. That was one of the reasons why I called you.” said John, following her lead and biting into his own pizza slice.

  “Changes? I am guessing they are positive changes. You are looking quite the different man than the one I met a month ago.” replied Nancy.

  “Is it that obvious? Me being extremely happy?” asked John.

  “You are positively glowing. If you were a woman, I would have said that you are about to announce that you were pregnant.” said Nancy.

  “I am glowing, you would say. You are right about the positive change. Do you remember what I told you when we met last time?” asked John.

  “You told me that you had quit your previous line of work and were looking at something else. I already knew something was bothering you, and that, things weren’t really going according to plan.” replied Nancy.

  “That is a succinct summary. After that, a month later, things did not improve at all. It got so bad, Mother spoke to a friend of hers. Made me apply for a job as an insurance investigator.” said John.

  “What? You would never be happy with such a job. I hope you did not consider it.” said Nancy.

  “Things were so bad, and Mom sort of mothballed me into it. I eventually ended up having an interview with the manager of the company. I almost considered taking up on that offer.” said John.

  “That’s insane. If I know you, and I do know you, you would hate such a job, John. If you had taken that job, I would probably read about you in the news. ‘Young investigator kills himself by jumping off the building’ would read the headline on the news app on my phone.” said Nancy.

  “You are not wrong in saying that, Nancy. I almost had a vision of doing something like that if I took that job. You know how God keeps an eye on all of us? Do you believe in such things?” asked John.

  “To some extent, I do believe such things, John. There is someone watching us. Sometimes I just convince myself that it is the government that is doing all the watching. Much more believable.” said Nancy.

  “Yeah well, I did not believe in such things. Then, on the last day, or what I thought was going to be the last day at my office, I picked up the phone and called my Mom. I was going to borrow money, of all things. That in itself was a bizarre thought for me. I was just about to tell Mom that I wanted some money, and then there was a knock on the door. Do you have any idea who it was?” asked John, continuing his narrative and eating his pizza slice.

  “Your Mom, who was already in your office?” asked Nancy.

  “It wasn’t my Mom. My first client in six months.” said John.

  “Wow! What are the chances of something like that happening? You were just about to quit and on that fateful moment, a client walks in. Your story is making me rethink my faith in the whole God business.” said Nancy, finishing her last piece of pizza and going for the drinking glass.

  “That was the weirdest part. That happened just this morning and I have taken advantage of it ever since. I wish I could tell you more about what I am working on, though. It has all the potential to turn out to be an impressive case. Things are very fishy, including my client herself. I think I may even find myself in some danger from unknown parties.” said John.

  “What do you mean by ‘danger from unknown parties’, John?” Nancy asked, suddenly her voice turning serious.

  “I meant that as a joke. Really.” said John.

  “I hope you are just joking, John. Please don’t tell me that your job is actually like one of those stories I read when I was a teenager. Do you think you would get kidnapped, tied to a chair and beaten mercilessly?” asked Nancy, concerned.

  “I was really just joking. No one is going to catch me and beat me mercilessly. That stuff just happens in novels and movies, for added drama. A private detective’s job is as safe as a stamp cellar in a post office. You have to believe me, Nancy.” said John, trying his best to assure her.

  “Okay. I hope you mean what you say, John. I would really be upset if it turns out that you have put yourself in harm’s way, like you joked about. Looks like we are done here with dinner. I am guessing you will be returning to Primer city in the morning. What do you say, want to rent a movie and take things from there?” asked Nancy.

  “That sounds like a plan.” said John, getting up from the table and heading to the washroom.

  Next Morning

  John left Nancy’s apartment just after six o’ clock. About an hour later, the seven am train from Townley to Primer left the train platform toward its destination. The moment the train stopped at Primer city, John got down. He had phoned ahead, asking Rod to meet him at the station if he was free. John walked out of the train platform and as he entered the lobby, he noticed that Rod was sitting in the waiting room of the train station. Rod got up and walked up to John, greeting him.

  “John, what were you doing in Townley? You look tired, my friend.” said Rod, mixing surprise with concern.

  “Guess what…” said John, squeezing a smile from behind a tired face.

  “What? You took the job from the insurance company and they made you join their office in Townley?” asked Rod.

  “Nope.” answered John.

  “You borrowed money from your Mother, finally?” asked Rod.

  “Is that all you can guess? Come on, I am hungry. Let’s find a place to eat first.” said John.

  The two friends crossed the road and got into the diner across the street. They ordered the morning’s specials at the restaurant and grabbed a table next to the television. The food was on their table in minutes and they dug in.

  “Okay, will you now stop making me guess and tell me why you were in Townley?” asked Rod, ordering another plate of the breakfast special.

  “I got a job. An actual criminal investigation.” said John, looking very pleased with himself.

  “Seriously? Wow, that is fantastic. Can you believe your luck? You spend six months moping around like a drunk guy who has forgotten his car keys. The day you are about to quit and give up, you get a client. This is definitely proof that someone upstairs really loves you.” said Rod, continuing to eat his breakfast.

  “That’s what I was thinking. To be honest, I never thought about it till now. You are right. The lady luck sure has turned her smile towards me.” said John, truly enjoying his breakfast after the previous day of heavy duty work.

  “Well, either way, I am happy for you. So, what is it about? Missing money? Stolen jewels and diamonds? Lost dog?” asked Rod.

  “It’s something a little more mysterious than that. I am investigating a missing man. The client is his sister.” said John.

  “A missing man? You think he might be dead?” asked Rod, observing that the discussion was finally becoming a lot more serious than the food.

  “I am keeping all my options open on that one. Right now, I don’t have m
uch data. We both know that drawing conclusions before we have grabbed and analyzed all the relevant data is an idiotic thing to do.” said John.

  “I agree with that. That reminds me, did you do that background verification thing?” asked Rod.

  “That was the first thing I did. I still have nightmares from those days when I did not do that. Do you remember that case when this neighbor was pretending to be the husband for this woman? I had to take your help with that one.” asked John.

  “Oh yeah. What was his deal again? Was he stalker? Ex-husband?” asked Rod.

  “He was the ex-boyfriend from high school. He wasn’t exactly stalking her, but he was sort of obsessed with her. I cannot imagine her shock when she found out that there were two guys - the guy and me - spying on her. That could have been an expensive mistake for me, Rod. If it wasn’t for your smooth talking with her. I never got around to thanking you for that. Thanks, buddy.” said John.

  “That is quite alright, John. She was hot, so I had my own reasons to do that.” said Rod, winking at him, implying a lot more than what he was saying.

  “I don’t need to know the details, Rod. I can make the necessary assumptions. I visited my current client’s hometown, her neighbors, and even her bank account manager. She checks out okay. Multiple points of verification. She is who she claims to be, and this brother she is searching for, he is definitely her brother.” said John.

  “I doubt that you will always be in a position to do the identity verification on your own. You have got to get someone else to do that for you, John.” said Rod.

  “I guess you are right. Then again, this is just my first job in a long time. I will consider that suggestion, though.” answered John.

  “Your client is confirmed. What is your next play?” asked Rod, finishing up his breakfast and the waitress grabbed their dishes.

  “There were some odd facts about the way this woman gets money to her bank account. I doubt if she, herself, is involved with any sort of fraud or criminal activity. I cannot rule out her brother though. Again, no data. He could be a criminal, he could not be a criminal. That is what I need to find out. Of course, I still need to find out if he is alive or dead. If he is alive, then where the hell is he? Why hasn’t he called his sister in such a long time? So many questions, Rod.” said John.