No one had slept the entire night. They were working and none of them had even troubled to look at the watch. When the sun rose the next morning, it illuminated three agents who were highly caffeinated and over-exerted. They had managed to find the cab which had been used by the presumed fugitives. It had been left near the last recorded location of Brandon and Olivia, the car had been searched and scoured for any evidence but so far, they had got nothing. The car had been cleaned by alcohol and thus there had been no prints. The DNA evidence had been processed with top priority, but the results were inconclusive. This was nothing surprising since tons of people sat in an NYC cab on a daily basis and thus it was the pot which contained a complex mixture of tons of DNA samples, so much so that not all of it was human.
Suddenly, while working, Jefferson received a message on his mobile.
Hello old “friend”
Jefferson’s first thought was to try and trace the connection, but then he remembered that his opponent was not a fool, thus the only thing he did was call Sam and Michael to his office and shut the door.
Michael said, “Why does he always have to pick the wrong time to make contact?”
Sam said, “From his point of view, he always chooses the right time.”
Jefferson had started typing a moment ago and now, he sent the message
Don’t think this is over, very soon you will be behind bars
Let’s keep the incorrect future predictions for later, let’s talk business
You want to come in and now you want a deal?
In your dreams
Then what?
I hear that two of your “consultants” are missing.
A chill went down Jefferson’s spine. The sentence had a certain feel about it that made it seem like the thief knew more than he was letting on.
That is incorrect. They’re in my office, with me
I don’t believe that is true
Why not?
Because I’m the one who has kidnapped them
(II)
Oliver was in contact with Jefferson Brown, and he could not help but smile when he imagined the look on Jefferson’s face when he realized that his biggest advantage was now in the control of the very person whom he had expected to use the advantage against.
The plan had been made and executed with perfection. Oliver had gone to a garage which was the cover for two operations and one of the operations was providing stolen cars without any registration or any sort of paperwork. The cars were not clean, and that was intentional, the scattered DNA and the dirt and grime reduced the chances of DNA evidence being isolated and the perpetrator being apprehended. After he had managed to secure the couple, he had also wiped the car with alcohol so as to not leave any fingerprints behind. All the registration numbers on the car had been filed off and thus, as far as the government was concerned, the car did not exist.
Oliver terminated the connection and looked around him. He was in an old warehouse in NYC, and it was one of the properties which belonged to some company but due to legal issues, the company could not use it. For the same reason, the property was empty and made a great hiding spot. Brandon and Olivia were in the back of the building and that was where Oliver intended to go now, after all, he had to send a message.
(III)
Jefferson had tried to send messages to the number repeatedly, but he had received no response after the message in which the shocking revelation had been made. In the end, he just gave up with the idea that the connection had been terminated. The three people who were in Jefferson’s office looked at each other with serious expressions.
“It appears we were wrong about Brandon and Olivia,” said Michael.
“Yes, it appears so,” said Jefferson.
“The thief would never do anything without a reason, he must have had one for kidnapping them,” deduced Sam.
Michael shook his head. “But that can be anything! From something as simple as removing an obstacle to a complex part of his plan.”
Jefferson was silent for a few moments. Then he said, “We need to inform the Marshals, tell them that it is a hostage situation and Brandon and Olivia are not fugitives.”
Jefferson picked up the phone in his office and dialed a number. He waited for a few seconds before the call was received and then he proceeded to explain the latest developments in the case in clear and short sentences. When he hung up, his face had an expression of concern.
“What did the Marshals say?” asked Sam.
“That they haven’t found any leads so far.”
“But that might be because they were looking for places where Brandon and Olivia might hide, not places where they might be kept as hostages,” said Michael in a hopeful manner.
Jefferson said, “Let’s hope you are right, and the change of perspective does them some good and they get something. Until then, put everything else on hold and try to find some leads as to where they may be.”
Jefferson got up and exited the office and entered straight into the office of the head of the unit. Michael and Sam went to their respective cubicles and began their search. After a few moments, the head of the unit came out to address all the agents in the bullpen.
He said, “Everyone listen up! We have a hostage situation and right now the priority is finding where Brandon and Olivia are being kept, so get going everybody!”
The other agents nodded their heads and bustled to get started with the search. For the next hour, security footage was scrutinized, and every other means of surveillance was utilized, but to no avail. The only conclusion which was drawn by everyone was that their adversary was someone who knew how to cover his tracks.
After some time, Jefferson received another message on his phone:
You should watch the news, agent
Jefferson wanted to smash his mobile against the wall. He was fed up with the games, but he had no choice other than to do what he was told. He switched on the television and turned on the news channel, and what he saw almost gave him a heart attack.
He was about to call Michael and Sam when they banged open the door of his office and ran in. They had their phones in their hands it was obvious that they had also received the same message. All three of them had received the same message at the same time, which was an indication of how serious the matter was, but what was even more grave was the fact that the news channel was displaying a live video feed. The presenter was explaining that the feed was from a person who called himself the best thief there was.
“…the man has claimed that he would be removing two people from his path, two people who have been causing him trouble. We warn the viewers, the live feed may contain disturbing imagery,” continued the presenter.
The three agents were watching their screens with bated breath. At that moment, nothing existed other than the TV and the office in which they were, and when they saw the live feed, they felt their stomach churn and their hands go cold. Perspiration made their forehead moist and the air around them seemed to get colder.
Brandon and Olivia were sitting down in chairs with their hands tied to the arms and tape across their mouths. A man dressed in black was standing in between the two chairs and he had a mobile in his hand. He typed something and suddenly Jefferson’s phone vibrated.
I hope you’re seeing me agent
Jefferson did not waste any time, he typed as fast as he could
Don’t do this, this is not what you want
The man on the screen laughed. A harsh laugh, that made his two hostages flinch. The man then took out something from the pocket of his jacket and when the agents saw what it was, earth seemed to shake below their very feet. The man had withdrawn a gun from his pocket, and he proceeded to take out the magazine from the other pocket. In front of the eyes of the viewers, he loaded the gun.
Jefferson typed another message:
Please don’t do this!
But the man did not even look at his phone. He pointed the gun at Brandon’s head and then at Olivia’s head. A single shot rang out in the air, everyone’s heart seemed to skip a beat and Sam had even closed his eyes, but when he opened them, he saw a very afraid, but still alive couple. The man had shot in the air, but it was enough to strike fear in everyone.
Jefferson was feeling helpless, he was forced to watch the couple’s ordeal, but he could not do anything about it. Perhaps Michael was not aware, but his hands were shaking, and Sam was hyperventilating.
Two shots rang out in quick succession. The first one penetrated Brandon’s skull while the second one penetrated Olivia’s. For a moment, the entire city seemed to go silent. The connection of the live feed was terminated, and the news presenter was back on screen but she, like everyone else, was at a loss for words. They had witnessed an execution, something that they could not forget until the day they died.
Jefferson’s phone vibrated. It was a rather long message
Hello agent, I’m sorry to say that our game of cat and mouse must come to an end. What you saw was a demonstration of my capabilities so I hope you will be wise enough never to stand in my way again. Soon, I will sell off the diamonds and all of it will be over, then you can rest and think about the only failure of your career.
Yours Truly,
Oliver
Jefferson was in shock. Oliver. So that was the name of the man who had rained hell on their lives. The man who was responsible for everything. Jefferson Smashed his phone into the wall of the office. The phone splintered, and as it lay on the floor, Jefferson stared at it.
Aurum Regium 