Aurum Regium

The sun rose next morning to find its light being blocked by dark storm clouds that were brewing over NYC. The wind was stronger than usual, and it was evident that the people of the city did not have much time before it started to pour. Jefferson reached the field office to find the rest of the members of his team already assembled. They seemed to be talking about something important and were so engrossed in their discussion that they didn’t even notice when Jefferson walked up to where they were sitting.
“Would anyone tell me what’s going on?”
Sam, who had tilted his chair on its hind legs, was startled, and he fell down. “What did you watch before coming here today? Batman?” he asked while rubbing the side of his head.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“That means you need to catch up on pop culture references,” said Michael.
Jefferson looked at Michael and what he saw troubled him. He looked as though he had not been able to sleep the entire night. Jefferson did not say anything, but he knew what Michael’s problem was. Alcohol Withdrawal. That was the problem, but at times, expressing sympathy weakens the person and thus, Jefferson decided to put up a façade of being oblivious to Michael’s symptoms.
Brandon said, “Now that you are here, we need to repeat the entire thing again, couldn’t you have come a bit earlier?”
“I’m not late.”
Michael sighed and said, “That’s as good as stating Einstein- Time is relative.”
Jefferson sat down on a chair. “All right, Olivia, did you guys do what I asked you not to?”
Brandon nodded and said, “I have a strong feeling that Jack Williamson will be going to inspect his collection today.”
“And better yet, we know what he collects,” said Olivia with a cunning smile on her lips.
“How?”
“Someone called his mother, who let slip two words – The Animalia, and the skins,” began Brandon.
“And Animalia being the Latin for Animals, and skins most probably referring to animal skins, we believe that he collects animal skins,” concluded Olivia.
“That’s it!” exclaimed Jefferson “That’s why he wants to keep the collection a secret, he acquires animal skins and other wildlife-related objects illegally.”
“That makes sense. His father would not approve of such a collection, thus, he doesn’t tell him and illegally buys it with money from his account,” said Michael.
“But he cannot let anyone trace it and thus the discrepancies in the account,” said Sam.
Olivia made a mock applause and said, “Finally, all of you are able to catch on!”
Jefferson said, “But why would he go to examine his collection today?”
Brandon adjusted the cuff of his shirt and said, “Well, the person who called him, we don’t know who, must have told his mother that his collection would be stolen today. Obviously, his mother would have told him, and her son would go to check the security.”
Jefferson stood up and said, “No time to waste then. Michael, you and Sam will come with me, and Brandon and Olivia will stay here.”
“Why?” asked Brandon.
“Because we think that you might try to escape custody, so we prefer to reduce the time you spend outside your apartment and the federal building.”
Olivia rolled her eyes but did not say anything, Brandon scowled at Jefferson, got up and stormed off.
“Where do you think you’re going?” asked Jefferson.
“To the bathroom!” bellowed Brandon.
The three agents got up and were soon on their way to the Williamson residence. The car they had chosen had no visible markings which classified it as a federal vehicle and thus it was ideal for following a suspect.
Jefferson was the one behind the wheel and Michael was riding shotgun. Sam had reached the car just two seconds after Michael and thus, he had been forced to sit in the back.
Sam said, “What is the guarantee that he hasn’t already left?”
“He is a spoilt rich kid which means he is in the habit of getting up when people are expected to be at work. Even in times of distress, it is hard to let go of old habits,” replied Jefferson.
The rest of the trip went without another word being exchanged between the agents. Each one of them was absorbed in their own thoughts. Finally, they reached a spot near the Williamson residence. They parked on the opposite side of the road, close enough to monitor the activity, but far enough to not be noticed.
“He’s got some security,” remarked Sam.
“That’s right. This place has more CCTV cameras than a museum,” said Michael.
Jefferson brought out a pair of binoculars and looked in the window of one of the rooms, then the other. He saw Jack, who looked as though he had just gotten up from bed.
Jefferson looked at his watch and said, “It might be some time before he leaves, be prepared to wait.”
Indeed, they had to wait for quite some time. But even though the wait was long, the three agents watched the house as eagles watched their prey. Their eyes never left their mark and their concentration never faltered.
After two hours, their wait was over. They saw Jack exit the house and get into his car. Jefferson started the engine but did not move. He let Jack gain a substantial lead before he began his pursuit. Jefferson was an expert driver, and he tailed the car expertly, always a perfect distance away. Michael was assisting Jefferson in keeping an eye on the vehicle, while Sam was keeping a close tab on the route they were following. After Jack had driven the car quite some distance away, he drove into a garage. Jefferson parked the car and waited for him to exit, but nothing happened.
Michael said, “Don’t expect to see him come out in the same car.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jefferson.
“I mean that he is rich, there is no way he would resort to getting his car fixed in such a garage. He is on his way to view an illegal collection, he would never use the car which everyone knows he owns.”
Sure enough. After five minutes, Jack exited the garage sitting in a different car, a car that no one would even imagine that he would care to drive. Jefferson also started the car and soon, the game of cat and mouse had resumed. After travelling continuously for a considerable distance, Jack turned into the lane where some of the most expensive houses were located. The Williamsons owned one of these houses, the one at the end of the lane, which had a private garden and complete privacy. This house was mainly used for parties and other social engagements, as Harold was against the idea of letting a horde of people into the house where he lived, just for the sake of a party.
Jefferson parked the car some distance away and the three agents got out. Jack also exited the car and could be clearly seen conversing with a guard, then handing him the keys to his car and entering the house.
Jefferson said, “Time to catch the man red-handed.”
The three agents waited for a few minutes before boldly walking up to the main gate.
The guard looked at Jefferson and said, “Who’re you?”
“The man who will make sure that you spend the rest of your life behind bars if you don’t open the gate right now,” said Jefferson.
Jefferson flashed his badge and the guard looked at someone on the other side of the gate, said something inaudible, and then let the three agents in. Thinking that things went easier than they expected, Michael entered the house and instantly realized what was going on. Two guards had surrounded the agents at their six and two were standing at their twelve. Their muscles flexing and their intentions unsavory. Before the agents could get their guns, the guards were on them. Jefferson presented the guard right in front of him with an excellent example of his right hook, while Sam tumbled on the ground with another. Michael had caught the wild blow of the guard in mid-air, he had then sidestepped, twisting the man’s arm with him and then a clean yet powerful strike aimed at the larynx sent the man into the ground. Before the fourth guard could get to him, Michael had his gun in his hands, aiming it right between the eyes of the guard. The guard froze and Michael saw that the other guards were reeling on the ground and Jefferson and Sam were straightening their clothes.
Jefferson turned to one of the guards and said, “Take us to Jack, immediately.”
The words had just escaped the man’s lips when Michael saw a figure dart out of the house towards the back. Without waiting to explain what he was doing, Michael followed the figure. He was running at a breakneck speed, taking deep breaths, while keeping his mind focused. His feet touched the ground and rose a split second later. It became a perfect rhythm. Soon, Michael had pushed Jack Williamson, made him lose his balance and pinned him to the ground. Jefferson and Sam came running behind him.
“Good job, Usain Bolt!” complemented Sam.
Jefferson leant and cuffed Jack. The Millionaire’s son was seething.
“You have no right to detain me!”
“We know about the Animalia,” said Michael.
Jack looked at him with a startled expression and let himself be pushed to move towards the gate. The guards were looking at the agents with terror-filled eyes and gave them a clear berth. Jefferson made Jack sit in the back of their car and started the engine with a triumphant smile.

FBI Field Office, NYC:

Brandon was sitting in a chair, thinking, while his wife was tossing a coin in the air with one hand and then catching it with the other. Suddenly, a thought came into her mind.
“We never asked about Claire,” she said.
“I did,” replied Brandon with a grim expression on his face.
“How is she?” asked Olivia.
Her husband did not reply. She looked at him and said, “Brandon, how is Claire?”
“She…passed away,” replied her husband.
“What?” Olivia was thunderstruck. “Who told you?”
“Jefferson did, I asked him when he came to offer me the deal.”
Olivia was silent. That was unusual, but given the circumstances, it was perfectly natural. Claire had been a pillar for them, a person they relied on, and a person who had been sentenced to imprisonment with them.
“What about her son?” asked Olivia.
Now Brandon had a look of astonishment on his face which soon turned to one of shame. He said, “I didn’t ask about him.”
“How could you forget?”
“I was shocked! I had never even imagined that she would pass away in jail, it’s a horrible thing to happen to anyone.”
“Even more horrible when you have a kid outside,” said Olivia in a heavy voice.
For some minutes there was silence. The two people were lost in thought and for the second time in her adult life, Olivia came close to tears. The first time she had done so was when her life had been turned upside down, when she had been arrested and sentenced.
The silence was pierced by the return of the three federal agents. The person who was in their custody was a high-profile individual whose parents were sure to arrive with a bunch of fancy lawyers soon. This meant that the window during which the suspect could be interrogated was closing fast and Jefferson intended to make use of every single minute he had.
Jack Williamson was made to sit in the FBI interrogation room, while Jefferson waited outside. While he was aware of the shortage of time, he also knew that people talked when they were nervous and what better way to achieve that condition than to leave the man alone in the interrogation room. The first thing they did was think about how bad the mess is, then they would increase the stress on their brain by thinking what if they couldn’t get out? That was usually when they started to show the first signs of nervousness, the rubbing of hands, the tapping of the table and the perspiration. Next came the thought of why they were alone, why they had been read their rights and made to sit alone in a room facing a mirror, which they knew was a mirror only from their side. That was when they realized that they were being watched the whole time, that someone was viewing them when they were vulnerable, and that realization made a person uncomfortable. That was when Agent Jefferson stepped into the interrogation room.
Jack looked up and said, “You don’t have anything to hold me.”
“I think we both know that’s not true. You know as well as I do why you were there, you were there to check on the Animalia, your collection…sorry, your illegal collection of animal skins which even your father is unaware of.”
“Do you know who you are talking to? I own cars which are more expensive than your entire year’s salary.”
“Be that as it may, you’re the one in handcuffs.”
Jack fell silent. Jefferson said, “There is something I must tell you though, you’re lucky.”
“How so?” asked Jack sarcastically.
“Because your illegal activities have been discovered at a time when they could be of some use and thus you may have a chance of getting a sentence that is not very severe.”
Jack’s eyes lit up. If he could just wrap the whole thing without his father knowing…
“How much do you want?”
“If you offer me a bribe again, I will make sure that you never get out of a prison cell.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Your cooperation. As you are aware, some thieves have claimed to steal some items from your collection, and naturally, we hope to catch them.”
Jack shook his head and said, “If you want to catch them you just missed your chance, they had said that they would be coming for the collection today.”
“No thief would be naïve enough to go for the collection after all the activity which has taken place at the property, that too in the presence of federal agents. No, they would now strike at some other time, and we need to be ready.”
Jack was confused. “And exactly how do you want me to help you?”
“Tell us everything about your collection, the security arrangements, the contents, everything. Then do what you are told.”
Jack nodded like an obedient child.

Central Park:

Calvin was sitting on a bench. The people around him were unaware of the fact that there was a thief in their presence, a thief who was soon going to pull off another robbery. In fact, only two days were left now, then the plan would be almost complete. The completion of the plan meant two things – money would no longer be a problem and he wouldn’t need his partner anymore. Calvin snickered. He had always wanted to be a millionaire, who didn’t? but then, most weren’t bold enough to take the steps that were required to achieve their goal. Calvin was not going to hesitate. He was so close to achieving his life’s goal that there was nothing that could stop him. Oliver was not with Calvin; he was in the hotel room. They changed hotels every day, and each time they attempted to move as far away as possible from the previous one, they used fake IDs which were as good as originals, and they had almost no interaction with anyone else. It was Oliver’s idea, so that they did not leave a trail or get noticed, but Calvin thought that it was a useless tactic, even if someone did notice them, they didn’t have “thieves” written across their foreheads.
Suddenly, Calvin saw a man standing some distance away. He could not be sure, but he felt the odd tingle on his spine which one feels when being stared at. After ignoring the man for a few seconds, Calvin got up and then walked for some time before sitting down on another bench. He looked around him once again. There was no one who was staring at him. He relaxed and laid back on the bench. He told himself that he was panicking unnecessarily, there was no way that the FBI or anyone else could know who he was or what he was up to. He didn’t like Oliver, but that didn’t mean there was something wrong with his plan, it was perfect, and there were no loose ends that the FBI could take advantage of.
If only Calvin knew how wrong he was, he would have been more careful, because the FBI had already started their search for the man.

Williamson Residence:

Harold Williamson was sitting in his room. He was alone and the door was locked. His head was throbbing with pain, which was obviously due to shock and stress. His wife had just told him the truth about their son, about his collection. He had been a law-abiding man his entire life, never had he thought that his son would turn out to be a criminal. He was further troubled by the thought that even his wife had hidden the truth from him just because she had loved her son. If the robbers hadn’t made a threat on Jack’s life, then Harold was sure that she would have never told him about the collection.
Harold pulled himself together. This was not a time to feel hurt or angry, this was a time to protect his son. No matter what he had done, he was his son, and it was a father’s duty to protect their child. Harold knew that what his son had done had earned him a punishment, but he didn’t deserve to die. He picked up his phone and just as he was about to dial a number, he heard a knock on the door. He got up and opened the door to see himself facing his wife.
Alice was in tears. Her eyes were puffy, and her lips were trembling. “Please Harold, do something!”
“He is my son too. I won’t let anything happen to him.”
“Does that mean you forgive him?”
“That means I can’t bear to think that his life is in danger, but in no way does that mean he is getting away with what he has done.”
Alice nodded her head. She was ready to accept anything as long as she knew that her son was safe, that he was alive.
Harold was dialling a number on his phone when he received a call from an unknown number. He put the phone to his ear and said, “This is Harold Williamson.”
“Hello Mr. Williamson, this is agent Jefferson Brown from the FBI.”