“Since I went to meet my folks.” Kiara sighed. “Mom taught how to make pancakes.”
“Great. Knock yourself out,” Jake said, pointing towards the kitchen. Kiara walked across the room, stumbling on the bags that Jake had thrown in the middle. She gave a muffled grunt. Jake did not notice that. He closed his eyes and started thinking about the past two days. All he could think of was Natalie’s face and the betrayal. He kept thinking about each and every incident of the past two days. Natalie hadn’t left any clues. Heck, even her real name was not Natalie. Her backstory must also be fabricated. No need to pursue it either. Her business, her marriage … nothing pointed at anything.
He was getting frustrated by the minute.
“What is there to drink?” Kiara asked.
“What?” He came back from his thoughts.
“Do you have anything to drink?” she asked while handing over the plate to him.
Suddenly, a smile ran down his face. He pulled her arm in excitement, almost making the pancakes fall on the floor.
“Wow! You’re great.”
“I know that. But, you haven’t even tasted them,” Kiara said.
“I’m not talking about that,” he said while taking a bite. “These are better than I expected.”
“I will take that as a compliment. What were you saying then?” she asked.
“There is a local bar which is run by a guy named Gary. It seems most of the people who come from outside pay a visit there, as there is not much else to do in the town. Maybe I will get some clue there,” he said.
“Maybe,” Kiara said thoughtfully. “What do you want me to do?”
“As if you’re going to do exactly what you are told to,” Jake said and winked.
“Come on.”
“OK. The box of antiques that I had found was left there by mistake. They have a network of couriers. If somehow we are able to crack this network, we can reach the bosses. Also, I want you to keep an eye on the family of the antique shop owner,” he said while taking the last bite.
“What will I get out of it?” Kiara asked with a smile.
“No one knows about this ring,” he said while flashing the ring. “You can keep it.”
“Really,” Kiara said in excitement and snatched the ring from his hands. She immediately threw it back at him. “This is the fake one.”
Jake started laughing. “What did you think? I will give you the original one. This one belongs to a museum.”
“A museum.” Kiara suddenly thought of something. “These antiques must be stolen from somewhere, right? There has to be news about it.”
“See, you’re already onto something. Bob must be teaching you well,” Jake said, getting a pillow on his face in return.
“I have three hours with me. Let me get some groceries for you first.”
Jake nodded. “Get me some ready-to-eat stuff. I’m not sure if my cooking will improve my health or make it worse.”
Kiara smiled and took the dishes to the kitchen. Jake got up and walked across the room. He was feeling much better now.
“I am going. Will you be all right?” she said while coming out of the kitchen.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry,” Jake said.
Kiara nodded and left. Jake kept looking at her till she disappeared at the corner. He knew they were keeping an eye on his moves and that was what he was going to use against them. The only thing he needed was a starting point.
Chapter 4
After walking across the room for five more minutes and not getting any ideas, Jake thought of taking a bath. As the hot water hit his face, he started to think again. What could be the connection between New York and Lake Sivan? Why would someone choose two places so different from each other? He really needs to find out what’s unique about the place. The people behind it are very strong and very adept at it. Otherwise, selling antiques worth millions without making any sound is not easy. There are people involved in it that are influential.
As Jake was thinking, Kiara was walking around the lake. She looked at the lake, so beautiful and serene. She always wanted to live in such a place. Maybe she could rent out Jake’s place sometime, she thought, and crossed the road.
After walking for five more minutes, she was able to see the local market. She could smell the herbs and condiments from a distance. She kept walking in the middle of the market while looking around. The locals tried to sell their produce to her. She just kept smiling and walking. They sure do know how to separate locals from tourists, she thought.
At the end of the market, she saw a small hypermarket. There were not many customers and that made her work easier. She scanned all the counters and picked the groceries that she felt Jake could use. By the time she turned towards the cashier, she noticed that she was the only customer left in the whole store. Not only that, even the cashier's counter was empty. She looked at her watch. It was only half past five. She looked at the door and a sign of “Closed” was adorning the door handle. She knew something was up. She was not even carrying anything to protect herself. A small drop of sweat ran down her forehead as the lights went off. She wiped it off immediately and tried to look calm. She left the trolley near one of the aisles and started walking towards the door.
As she passed by the cashier’s counter, she was interrupted by a voice. “Don’t you want to take the groceries? He is weak. A good meal will do wonders to him.”
A streak of fear ran down her face. She turned around immediately.
A bald middle-aged man walked from the aisle where she has left the groceries towards the counter. He was expressionless. She scanned him immediately. Though his face looked calm, he had sweaty palms and his legs were shaking a little. She knew he was not the dangerous type, but she needed to be sure.
“Oh … I thought the store was closed,” she said and walked calmly towards the trolley. The bald man kept looking at her as if it was not the reaction he was expecting. Now the sweat changed its place and covered his forehead. Kiara noticed that and was sure that he was being made to do that. She knew he wanted her to ask about Jake.
“How do you know Jake?” she asked as he began scanning the groceries. He was taken aback. It took him a moment to remember something.
“Tell him to give it back or this time he will go to sleep for good,” he said the rehearsed words, though the calmness had gone from his demeanor.
“Who wants it?” she asked.
He looked at her and shook his head. “Do as I have told. Don’t act smart.”
“Do you even know what it is?” she mocked him.
“It would be twenty-five dollars,” he said while printing the receipt. “Tell him to leave it at Gary’s. He knows the place; tonight at nine; third booth from the old jukebox.”
Kiara paid the money and looked into his eyes. “We don’t want any problem. Tell your boss it will be delivered as you told me.” With that, she leaned over the counter. “I hope you don’t disappear just like the others.”
Her words hit him like a hammer. His whole body started to shake. Sweat covered his whole face. “Get out!” he screamed while taking support of his chair.
Kiara did not utter a word and left immediately. She came out and hid herself behind one of the cars. The light was fading, helping her stand at a distance without getting noticed. She waited for ten more minutes when she saw him coming out. His hands were still shaking. It took a couple of minutes of fumbling before he closed the store. He looked around and started walking towards the other side of the road.
Kiara followed him. The groceries were making it difficult for her to keep pace with him. He was continuously looking around, making it even more difficult for her. Suddenly, he noticed something. He stopped and looked in the direction of a van parked at the extreme end of the road. The van did not have any license plate. The windows had a dark film. She could not understand what was happening, but it was better to stay at a distance from them. Suddenly the front window was rolled down. All she could see was a hand gest
uring him to come to the van. He walked up to the van at once. As he reached nearer, the back door was opened. He got inside immediately—or maybe was pulled inside. It was difficult to make out from the distance. Kiara knew her plan was foiled as soon as she heard the engine running. She walked a few meters and hid behind one of the cars as the van started to move. Still, she was not able to see anything on the van that could help her identify it. Before she could make any sense of it the van was gone. She could only see it disappearing at the corner. She grunted in frustration. She stood there for a moment, thinking of what to do. After much contemplation, she decided to go back and discuss it with Jake.
“You took more time than I thought. You should have taken my motorcycle or your car,” Jake said while opening the door.
“Someone took a shower after all,” she said while entering. Though Jake could sense that the words did not follow a teasing smile that was the norm.
“What’s going on?” he asked while taking the bags from her.
Kiara looked at him. He still looked a bit tired. She thought for a moment. “Nothing. So where is the ring?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just like that,” she said and paused for a moment. “I think you should come to New York with me.”
“What?” Jake said and left the unopened bags on the kitchen slab. “We had this conversation earlier also. If I go back, they will think that they scared me off. Then no one will come after me. If I stay here, they will be alerted and come out to stop me. That’s our only chance of finding out who is behind all of this.”
“That’s what I fear,” she mumbled.
“What is happening?” Jake held her from her shoulders.
“I just want you to be safe,” she said and looked in his eyes. “They almost killed you. If you don’t get aside now, they will harm you again.”
“You agreed to my plan in the day. What suddenly changed in the grocery store?”
Kiara took a deep breath. “They know the ring is with you. They want it back. They want you to leave it at Gary’s.” she said and paused. “How do you know the place?”
“The handyman told me the other day.”
Kiara got up at once. “See what they have done? Everyone you’ve met in this town is planted to keep an eye on you: the handyman, the kid from the jewelry store, the grocery store manager, and that woman.”
“Did you follow him?” Jake asked.
“I did. But then, he got in a van and vanished. The van didn’t even have a license plate. We are dealing with someone way smarter than us,” she said. “They even know I’m with you and that I know what happened with you.”
“How could they’ve possibly planned everything before I even thought of coming here?” Jake was not paying heed to what Kiara was trying to say. He was hung upon finding the reason behind all of this.
“Are you even listening to me?” she almost yelled. “If you don’t give the ring back, they’re going to come for you tonight and in your present condition, you will not last long. You got to come with me. I’ll pack your stuff.”
With that, she got up and turned towards the bedroom.
“Or I will give the ring back.”
“What?” Kiara said at once.
“Let’s go outside,” he said and opened the door. Kiara could not understand, but walked behind him.
“Will you tell me?”
“How do they know that you know about the ring?” he said. “It’s safe to talk outside. The house may be bugged.”
Kiara nodded. She did not have any other explanation either.
“When are you leaving?”
“In an hour, why?” she asked, still not sure where the conversation was heading.
“Can you stay a couple of hours more?” he asked.
“You got to tell me your plan in entirety. I’m getting confused here,” she impressed upon him.
Jake took a deep breath. “If they know you are privy to the ring, they will also know that I may give it to you to take it away to a safe place. If you leave now, they may follow you and may harm you. But, if they see me going to Gary’s, they will know that I’m returning the ring and that way they will not suspect you.”
“OK.” Kiara raised her brow.
“You will take the ring with you to New York. Study it and find everything about it. That may lead us somewhere—” he said, when Kiara interrupted him.
“And you will go empty-handed to the bar. Are you out of your mind?”
“No, I am not. Let me finish,” Jake requested. “I will give them the other ring, the fake one. I’m sure Gary is not that smart to differentiate it from original. By the time the boss comes to know about it, you would have hidden it some place safe. Now either they communicate with us or forget about the ring.”
Kiara nodded her head. “It’s still very risky.”
“I know they can still harm me. But even if they come after me, you can act as my fail-safe. If they hurt me, they lose the ring forever. You can throw it away or do whatever you can with it to make it useless for them.”
“You know we can lose our jobs for good.” She knew Jake was not the one to give up so easily. Even she liked his idea. At least it was better than the desk job and way better than working with Bob.
“If we solve this, we can solve the antiques case. I guess it will look good on our resume,” he said. “Besides, we are not going to do anything unusual that would alert Carlson.”
Kiara nodded, though she was not sure if that could be said with certainty. Creating a plan and executing it were two entirely different things. A single slip and their lives could be on the line. She hoped everything would go as Jake wanted.
As soon as the clock hit eight, Jake got ready. He slipped the ring into Kiara’s bag and put the fake ring in the box. Though he knew he had to go to Gary’s, he had to still find the place. They waited till half past eight.
“OK, I’m going there,” he said while flashing the ring. Kiara nodded.
She stood by the door and looked as he started his motorcycle. He looked at her one last time and left. Kiara’s heart was beating faster. She hoped that everything went by the plan. Instead of catching the thieves, they had become the thieves themselves. There was a million-dollar worth antique in her bag. The thought made her even more nervous. She bolted the door and walked to her bag. She kept looking at the bag and then her phone, nervously waiting for Jake’s missed call.
Jake drove up to the central market till the road forked. He was not sure which way he had to go. He had only fifteen minutes left with him. He knew the people they were dealing with were not normal thugs. Any slip from their end could have serious ramifications.
He parked the motorcycle in front of a half-opened store. He knocked on the glass door. There was a young boy on the other end who pointed at the “Closed” sign on the door. Jake knocked again holding a ten dollar bill—he was desperate.
“What do you want?” The boy opened the door.
“I need directions to Gary’s place.”
The boy looked at him for a moment and then gave a smile. “It’s the last building on that road.” He pointed at the road going uphill. Jake looked towards the road. The boy used Jake’s distraction for snatching the bill from his hand. Jake looked at him. He was looking at Jake’s attire and smiling. Jake found something amiss, but did not have time to ask. He ran towards his motorcycle and started it in a hurry.
As he entered the road going uphill, he noticed that the market was a bit different at that end of the town. The hawkers market was replaced by high-end showrooms. Posters of all the renowned international brands adorned the showrooms.
After a minute or so, he saw a huge signage on top of a building at some distance with “Gary’s” written on it. The place was actually called Gary’s, to his surprise. Farther down the road, the market ended and the residential area started. There were huge mansions on either side of the road. Suddenly, Jake felt as if he was in a different city altogether. Not only was
the area posh, the roads and the whole landscape reflected the riches. High-end cars were parked outside each mansion. People were driving imported motorcycles. Jake felt as if he was driving something ancient. He shrugged the thought and looked at his destination. It took him five minutes to reach Gary’s.
He parked his motorcycle at some distance from the building and walked towards it. As he reached the gate, it was opened by one of the bouncers who scanned him and then gestured him to go inside. Jake knew at that moment that he was expected. As opposed to his calculations, he was not supposed to make an anonymous entry and leave the ring. This made him a little nervous, but there was no going back.
He took his phone out and gave a missed call to Kiara.
As soon as her phone buzzed, Kiara pulled out her car keys and got outside. She locked the house and left the keys under the doormat. She looked around, but no one was in the vicinity. She started her car, breaking the quiet of the night.
Jake pushed the wooden door and looked around. There was a small lobby followed by another door. Another bouncer was standing at that door. He opened the door as soon as his eyes met Jake’s. Jake gave a fake smile, but did not get any response. He walked past the bouncer and entered another room that looked like the main bar area. But, there was a difference. Unlike the other bars he had visited in his lifetime, this one had a pin-drop silence. He looked around. There was a small place in the middle where a bartender mixed the drinks. However, no one was tending it right now. It had some stools in front of it and was surrounded by booths on either end. However, there was not a single soul in the whole room. A drop of sweat ran through his face. He wiped it quickly and looked for the old jukebox.
It was at the far right corner. He pulled the box out of his pocket and walked to the third booth from the jukebox. He placed the box in the middle of the table and rushed towards the door. Before he could push the door, it was opened from the other side. Both bouncers entered together. Jake noticed that the door at the other end of the lobby had a metal rod inserted between the handles. His heart sank a little. Maybe Kiara was right: these guys actually wanted to get rid of him. Before he could think of anything, one of the bouncers started frisking him. He took his phone and motorcycle keys and gave it to the other bouncer.
Mystery: Double Cross - The Davenport Mysteries (Suspense novel series of adventure mystery books and Crime mystery thrillers) Page 5