Who Will Find Them

Jake awoke from a restless night’s sleep. With all the activity over the last two days, getting any sleep at all was a surprise. He had gone from an ordinary bus driver to making the national news, and now he was contemplating working undercover for a private investigation firm. It was a lot to consider. Would this investigator job be a permanent position, or a one and done? If that were the case, would his driving job still be waiting for him? So many questions, so few answers. Then there was the questions Bill asked him toward the end of their meeting, “Do you own a gun, and do you have a conceal carry permit?” Jake carried a gun in the Air Force but never felt the need to carry one as a civilian. His phone buzzed and the caller ID showed him it was Bill. Jake picked up on the second ring.

“Good morning, Bill. You’re up early, what’s up?”

“Morning, Jake, you’ll find there are no set hours in this business. I wanted to update you on the interview at Safe Harbor. My contact at the Sun set it up for tomorrow morning at 10:00. Can you make it?”

“I’m off tomorrow morning so that won’t be a problem. Just send me the address and let me know the name of the reporter who’ll be meeting me.”

“Actually, I was hoping you could meet her today at my office here in Annapolis. I’ve got a few things to go over with you if you’re going to be working here.”

“I’m glad you mentioned that. I had some questions about my status. For instance, is this just for this one case or will I be a full-time employee? If it’s permanent, I have to give the bus company a notice of some kind.”

“That’s up to you, Jake. I’d like you to come on full time, but it’s your call.”

“I enjoy the bus business, especially driving tours, but this is the type of work I’ve always wanted to do.”

“My friend Mike said almost the exact same thing about the bus business. It’s surprising how much the two of you think alike. Welcome aboard, Jake!”

“It will probably work as a good cover if I keep the driving job until things are settled with Beth, then I’ll give my notice.”

“Good idea. Our primary goal with this case is to keep the girl safe. We’ll need to tread carefully on this one.”

“So, tell me about this reporter: young, old, a real reporter, or someone pretending to be one?”

“Profiling already, I like it. She is a legitimate investigative reporter for the Sun and has published multiple articles. She’s in her early thirties and quite attractive, but I’m not playing matchmaker. She’s well versed in her craft and should be a strong asset to our investigation.”

Jake and Bill agreed to meet in his office at ten a.m. to go over his new hire paperwork and meet his temporary partner, Sarah Gallagher. It would be nice to work with someone experienced at interviewing people and having the ability to uncover secrets by asking targeted questions. It also didn’t hurt if she was as good looking as Bill insinuated she was.

Jake was going about his morning routine when he happened to glance out his living room window. It overlooked the parking lot and his car from his second-floor apartment. After yesterday’s early morning encounter with two assailants, he was much more aware of his surroundings. While he was taking in the boring view, a non-descript white van pulled up next to his car. A man exited the sliding door carrying a tool of some sort. He quickly slid under Jake’s vehicle, then just as quickly came back up and jumped into the van. The vehicle sped away before Jake had a chance to confront them. He quickly slipped on some shoes and rushed down the stairs to the parking lot and his car.

On his initial inspection, he didn’t see any obvious damage to the car, but when he slid under the vehicle it became obvious what the man had done. A small puddle of fluid was forming directly under a brake line. The saboteur had nicked the line just enough to create a slow leak but not enough to allow the fluid to gush out all at once. The plan was to put Jake on the highway at high speed with no brakes. He pulled himself out from under his car, went back inside, and made two calls—one to his mechanic and the other to Bill.

“I’ll give these clowns credit for one thing, they are persistent. My mechanic is close by so by using the hand brake I can get my car there, but I will need a ride to your office. Can you pick me up, or do I need to call Lyft?”

“I’ll come get you. Good thing you spotted them. Things could have gotten ugly fast if you hadn’t.”

“Yeah, karma was on my side for once. Okay, Bill, see you in about half an hour.”

Jake finished cleaning up. While he was waiting for Bill, Jake couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched. Maybe it was simple paranoia caused by everything that had gone on in the last couple of days, but he wasn’t the skittish type. When he gazed across the road he spotted a white van in the convenience store parking lot. He was about to walk over to it when Bill pulled up.

“Good timing, Bill. I think the guys who sabotaged my ride are sitting in the parking lot across the street. I was about to go pay them a visit.”

“That may not have been the smartest thing you ever did, especially unarmed. Instead, let’s get the plate number and see who the van belongs to. Once we know who we’re dealing with we can go from there.”

“I probably was a little overzealous, but these attacks are really beginning to annoy me. I must have ruffled some feathers big time for them to come after me this way. My upcoming interview might be making some people nervous. Guess it’s time for me to get that carry permit.”

“It was one of the things I wanted to go over with you today. I hope you’ll never need it, but you see the type of people we deal with. Your primary job is to stay safe. First, let’s find out who these clowns are, then we can go from there. If you’re sure that’s the same van I can get a picture of the plate with my dashcam.”

“If it is them they’ll probably follow me when I leave to see if their plan worked. If they do, it will confirm we’ve got the right van.”

“Good plan, Jake. You’re catching on to this super sleuthing stuff fast. Let’s see if it works.”

Jake waited until Bill positioned his car in the store parking lot. Acting as though everything was normal, Jake started his car and pulled out onto the main road. As soon as he did the white van left the convenience store parking lot and joined into traffic several cars behind Jake. Bill was several cars behind them. Jake used his brake pedal sparingly and relied on his hand brake for the majority of the trip to the garage. When he stopped at the repair shop, the van sped by and Bill pulled into the shop’s parking lot. The owner told Jake that his car would be ready late that afternoon. He got into Bill’s car.

“Were you able to get a good picture of the plate?”

“Not only did I get a good picture, but my office already identified the van.”

“Wow, that was quick.”

“It pays to maintain good relations with the Feds. The van belongs to a Serbian community social group based in D.C.. According to my sources, this isn’t the first time it’s been spotted where suspicious activity has occurred.”

“I don’t get it, Bill. Why would they target me? All I did was rescue a young girl. I didn’t kill one of their people.”

“True, but I think they feel it’s necessary to send a message in case anyone else wants to stick their nose in where it doesn’t belong. This is the second time you’ve beat them and that shows weakness to their competitors. You’ve become a high value target in their eyes.”

“Good. Let them continue trying and in doing so. They’ll become more and more exposed. The thing is I think there is more to this than a gang of thugs. There must be someone or a small group playing puppet master."