As John sat there thinking about his beautiful assistant, the gates opened and Sheila stepped out. One look at her, and John’s heart skipped a beat. Sheila was dressed in a dark red dress, which shone in the night. It wasn’t sparkly but just shiny, as if it was reflecting all the light around her. Her hair was decorated in a way that reminded John of those pageant models. She wore large earrings which were so thin that they were only visible from one angle. “Are you just going to sit there speechless or will you open the door for me, Boss?” asked Sheila, with a smirk.
“Of course.” said John, recovering from this visual shock. He still could not believe it was her, even though she was standing right in front of him. He got out of the car, and then walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her. Sheila smiled and stepped into the car. John closed the door for her and took his driver’s seat. As John pushed the start button on the car, he wished he had worn a better suit. As he drove the car, he could not help but grab a sneak peek at her, her attire, and that hint of beautiful cleavage.
“Will you stop looking at me like that, Boss? You are looking at me like you have never looked at me. Is everything alright?” she asked.
“Stop messing with me Sheila. You know why I am looking at you.” said John, keeping his eye on the road.
“Okay. I am messing with you. Sorry about that. Before you ask again, Boss, I do know that I look amazing today. I figured, we are going to a high-end club and we might as well look the part. We can always drive back to my apartment and I can change to something less flattering if you want.” said Sheila.
“That won’t be necessary. You look grand, just like I asked you to. You are armed I hope. Things might get crazier than yesterday. We don’t even have the element of surprise anymore.” said John.
“Everything as per your instructions, Boss. I am good to go for any sort of action. This time, I would not let them harm a hair on your head. That reminds me Boss. I have a confession to make.” said Sheila.
“Confession?” asked John, taking the next turn of the road and continuing to drive.
“I was just thinking about last night. I should have reached you faster. You were hit pretty hard and it could have been pretty bad. I feel like I failed you yesterday. I am sorry you had to suffer so much.” said Sheila, lowering her head and looking slightly upset.
“What makes you say that? You saved my life. Stop thinking any other way, Sheila. When you think about it, it was I who put you in harm’s way. It is I who should be asking for forgiveness.” said John.
“I won’t have it that way Boss. I should have protected you and I failed. Let’s keep it at that. Stop counter arguing and just hear me out. Going forward, I will keep an eye out for you and I won’t fail again.” she said, with a voice that was grave. For a moment there, John was reminded of his mother. He wanted to argue, but decided to resign to what she had to say. John really wanted to argue with her. Tell her that it was no fault of hers. Then again, he knew that she won’t agree with him. That was one of the things he liked about her.
“Alright Sheila. I am glad that you will not let any harm come to me. Thank you for that.” said John.
Sheila only smiled. The rest of the journey was an uneventful one and the talk between them drifted to other topics. The traffic was slightly heavy at the city center, but the moment they crossed it, it was a smooth drive all along. The sky above was a little cloudy, and it looked like there was a possibility of a slight shower later in the night. There were a few stars here and there, but only some of them were twinkling. The rest of them were dull, as if something was wrong with the night. Every now and then, John would look up at the sky and it felt like he was talking to a silent astrologer.
“That looks like the club. What is the plan, John?” asked Sheila, returning to the topic at hand the moment she saw the club at a distance.
“We walk in. You have seen some of the faces and I have seen, well, nothing. I recognize the voices though. If Drake’s information is right, we must be able to find out more about the guys who grabbed us. I am still trying to figure out what the connection is with the case we are investigating and this red Lipstick Woman. Somehow I feel that she has everything to do with this. She might be here. Keep an eye out for her as well.” said John, parking the car and getting out.
Sheila did the same and she was quite pleased with the flattering impression she was making on those who were at the club entrance. Compared to her, John almost looked like a guy who was employed to distribute charity checks. Sheila seemed to realize that and simply smiled at him. They both walked in, like a couple who had been dating for a long time. The club, Angels and Demons, was one of the prime clubs in the city. The rich and famous, which included a long list of celebrities, sportspersons, and money makers, used the place as their hangout of choice. John had heard a lot of rumors about how the place was also used for a lot of underworld activities. Today, John was about to find out if those rumors were true.
As the couple entered the club, John could see that it was nothing like the club they were at yesterday evening. Last night’s club was loud and crowded. This one, resembled more like a lake. Melodious music filled the large hall in front of them. The entire floor was covered with red carpet and there were tables spread out everywhere. Some of them had two chairs, some had three or four chairs and there were some which were set up for larger groups. John noticed that there were four pairs of stairs, all leading up to the first floor. The whole floor was like a dome. Grand curtains and decorative glasses blocked off the view. John noticed that each of the stairs that led to the secluded areas was guarded by armed personnel in suits and dark glasses.
John and Sheila walked onto the carpet, navigating through the gap between tables and seated themselves at the far right table. From that table, they both could see all the movement in the club. John immediately noticed that the club was lit with dim light. The music and the light intensity greatly enhanced the ambience and made the environment very relaxing.
John ordered the night’s special for him and Sheila, who was also keenly observing for any signs of the people she took care of last night. They were both on the lookout for that red Lipstick Woman, who had continued to remain something of a mystery for both of them. The waiter returned with the ordered meals in ten minutes and laid out the table. John and Sheila decided to take a break from their watch and decided to dig into the meal. As the waiter was about to leave the table, John noticed that he had poured a drink in Sheila’s glass, but not in his glass. John called out to the waiter, but he was already gone as if ignoring John’s call.
John thought that it was odd, the waiter behaving that way, especially in a place like this. He picked up the glass to pour the drink himself and noticed something strange. There was a small folded note inside the glass. John turned the glass upside down, and the folded note fell into his free palm. He unwrapped it and there was a message.
Come over to the men’s rest room next to the dancing floor. – The woman who kidnapped your assistant
John read the message and re-read it. Due to his natural habit, he was reading the note in a concealed fashion, hiding it from everybody’s view, even from that of Sheila. He slipped the note into his shirt pocket and thought about what it could mean. Clearly, the person who wrote the note knew what was going on. They also knew that John and Sheila were there for a reason, and that reason was known to them. John thought of all the implications of responding to the request in the note and actually going over to the men’s rest room. Perhaps, this was a trap. Perhaps this Lipstick Woman was really trying to communicate with him. John reminded himself that he was a detective and that he should be willing to take some risks. He felt a little concerned. The club would not allow him to bring weapons inside and that meant, from a defensive perspective, he was completely naked. John decided to just take the risk.
“Sheila, I need to go to the bathroom.” said John, pushing the chair away from the table and getting up.
“Sure, Boss. I will continue to keep an eye out for the Lipstick Woman and her gang.” said Sheila, looking up from her dinner plate.
John nodded and walked toward the dance floor. As he walked he looked around like a casual young man who could not help but stare at all the young women who were dancing on the dance floor. If he wasn’t on a case, and not accompanied by his assistant, John would have considered picking someone up from the crowd, buying them a drink, and enjoying the rest of the evening. However, that would not happen. John was on a job and all he could do was pretend to be interested. As John’s eyes swept the dance floor, a couple of eyes met with his and seemed to like what they saw. John continued to reflect on that and reached the restroom.
Just as John was about to enter the rest room, someone grabbed him by his tie and pulled him into the restroom. John would have panicked, but the ‘gentleness’ of the pull indicated that the person was not trying to hurt him. Before John realized what was happening, he was inside one of the cubicles sitting on the closed toilet seat. Sitting on top of his legs was a woman, whose face was a few inches away from his face. For the first time, John was able to get a good view of the woman with the red lipstick.
The Lipstick Woman had blond hair; although John was sure the hair was black in color. A dye job, John assumed. He began to observe the rest of her features. Her eyes were jet black, her nose was sharp with something of an attitude about it. Her lips were covered with dark red lipstick, something which John noticed previously. Her face was not exactly beautiful, although she looked good with the help of makeup. She had tiny earrings which were not matching with each other. While John couldn’t see her whole body well from such close quarters, he could feel that she was light, and her cleavage looked pretty impressive.
Chapter 9
“Hello detective. How are you doing this evening?” she said, in a voice that sounded like it was practiced to make the listener feel good about her. John could not help but admit that it was working.
“Hi.” said John, gritting his teeth in anger. He had sudden flashbacks about the woman kidnapping his assistant, and then him being captured and tortured. John did not know what would happen if he wasn’t rescued by Sheila under very dangerous circumstances.
“I am guessing you are very angry, detective. I thought it was about time I introduced myself to you. You must be pretty excited to meet me.” she whispered in his ears. This was after all the men’s restroom. John did not say anything. He was angry but that did not mean he was going to hit a woman. Not unless she decided to attack first. John happened to be an equal opportunity crime investigator.
“Okay, you are really angry with me, then. Expected. I am guessing, you are wondering why I got your assistant and took her away?” she asked.
John continued to maintain his silence.
“I am also convinced that you are trying to figure out why my men had you captured and beaten.” she stated, continuing her whisper.
John continued to be silent, still not bothering to reply to her. He was still very angry and he did not want to say anything that he might regret later.
“Okay detective, I understand the silent treatment. In many ways, I think I deserve it. This is not the time to explain why I did what I did. I am working with a limited window of opportunity here. Now, if you really want to get to the bottom of everything that you are working for, you better start talking detective. Are you going to talk or not?” she asked, her voice going a little over a whisper.
“I am listening.” said John, finally breaking his silence.
“Take this detective.” she replied, handing him a small packet. When John did not take it, she simply slipped it into his shirt pocket, under the jacket.
“Well detective, I will leave in a minute. In that packet is an ear piece. That ear piece is going to transmit important information that will be discussed during a meeting starting soon in one of the secret rooms that is setup on the first floor of this club. I want you to listen to it. Perhaps, that will change your opinion about me and then, check the packet itself. I have a message for you there.” she said, pressing her lips against his. Despite not liking it, John seemed to enjoy the kiss and she tasted really good. Ten seconds later, she got off his legs and stepped out, adjusting her top and hair. There were two other men in the restroom who were shocked by that.
As John stepped out, he noticed that somehow she had managed to undo his belt buckle and unzip the zipper on his trousers. John realized what she was trying to do. He faked an expression of being proud of himself, wiped the lipstick off his own lips and walked out casually adjusting his pants. He returned to the pathway next to the dance floor and finally to the table where Sheila was still in the middle of her dinner.
“Boss. It looks like you were molested by a seriously desperate woman.” she remarked, clearly noticing the traces of lipstick and his pants which were a little shuffled around.
“Yeah, I was. Sheila, please call for the check. We need to return to our car now.” said John, in a serious voice.
Sensing his tone, Sheila quickly called for the check and paid the bill. With that done, they walked out of the club and were soon driving down the highway at the mandated speed limit. At John’s request, Sheila was driving. She was periodically looking back through the rearview mirror to see if they were being followed. So far, they weren’t being followed. On his part, John pulled out that packet from under his jacket and shook it.
An earpiece fell out of it and into his palm. He returned the empty packet into his jacket pocket. Sheila did not ask him as to what it was. She knew that when the time was right, he would explain everything. John then pulled a small ear piece holder from his car dash, a gift from Drake. He placed the ear piece in the holder and connected the other end to the car speakers. He then turned on the speakers in the car and vague voices began to be heard through the speakers. John lowered the volume and turned to Sheila, who continued to drive.
“Remember the Lipstick Woman?” asked John.
“Yeah. Of course. We both remember her and that is why we went to that club.” replied Sheila.
“And, do you know, why I went to the restroom?” asked John, keeping one eye on the sounds that were coming from the car speakers and the other on Sheila.
“That note in the drinking glass. I know you don’t do anything, including going to the restroom, unless you have a serious work related reason.” replied Sheila.
“So, you know about the note in the glass. Sheila, I always knew you were smart. That was one of the many reasons why I hired you and after almost two years, you continue to impress me.” said John, taking a short sidesteps from the issue at hand.
“Thanks Boss.” said Sheila, visibly happy.
“When I went to the rest room, I found out that the message was, in fact, sent by the woman in the red lipstick. She gave me this earpiece and that is where we find ourselves. Driving through the night, hoping to listen to some clandestine meeting that is taking place, or will take place in the club that we just left.” said John, wrapping up his narrative.
“This Lipstick Woman is trying to help us? Another trap?” asked Sheila, navigating a difficult curve on the road, slowing down, and then picking up speed.
“I don’t know. Hopefully, this earpiece and whatever will come out of it will help clear things up a bit. At least, I am hoping so.” said John, turning his attention to the speakers. Sheila continued to drive. They were halfway to Sheila’s apartment and there was still a lot of road to cover. As the car continue to get closer to Sheila’s apartment, the occupants had their eyes fixed on the road and ears on the speakers. Every now and then, they could hear sounds of chairs being moved around, glasses being placed on the table, and people walking around and murmuring an occasional word or two. John figured that the room was being prepared for a meeting.
Then, everything went completely quiet. All the shuffling around, chair moving sounds stopped. The only sound they could hear was the humming of the car engine. Then, it started. There was sound of feet movement and chairs being dragged for people to sit on them. This went on for a few minutes and finally, someone started to talk.
‘Is everything ready?’ said a voice.
‘Yes. Everybody is here, as well.’ said another voice.
‘Good. Get the Boss from the club.’ said the first voice. ‘Wait!’ screamed the same voice, just a second later.
‘This is not the drink he likes. Where is the waiter?’ screamed the same voice. Some feet shuffled and they came closer.
‘Sorry sir. I forgot what Mr. Dragon likes. My mistake.’ said a voice, trembling and scared to death.
‘It’s fine. At least, it was me who found out what was wrong. Quick, get a replacement drink in a minute.’ said the first voice. A minute passed and there were sounds indicating that a glass was being lifted off the table and being replaced with another one.
‘Get out of here and ensure that you won’t make this mistake again. You, get the Boss.’ said the first voice.
Then everything went quiet for another minute. John and Sheila were listening intently to find out what else was going to happen.
Sounds began to come from the speaker again. Someone was walking with calculated steps towards the table and then a chair was pulled out and seated upon. This sound was followed by the sound of at least a dozen people sitting down.
‘Truck, what is the status on the shipment?’ said a brand new voice. John recognized that voice immediately. It was that cool voice that was speaking to him the previous night.
‘The shipment will be carried through five of our twenty-four containers and loaded on a container ship. The contents will be verified by one of our agents tomorrow night.’ said a new voice.
‘Have you made the arrangements as per my new request? I want complete anonymity with the person we are dealing with here. I do not want the person to be tracked back to us like last time.’ said the cool voice.
‘Boss, this time, the inspection will be done by using an unknown agent. We are using a system of codes to communicate. The code system is a little old fashioned, but for now that seems to be the way to go until we find a more reliable code checker.’ said the voice.
‘Given the circumstances, I would go with that.’ said the cool voice.
‘Thank you, Mr. Dragon. I am glad that you like the new plan.’ said the other voice.
‘Lake, what about those two we captured the other day? I forget the names.’ said the cool voice.
‘John Russo and his assistant, Mr. Dragon.’ said another voice.
‘Did you get anything out of them?’ asked the cool voice.
‘No Mr. Dragon. The lady was knocked out the whole time. As per your instructions, we did not harm her in any way. It might be a while before she realizes that we let her escape.’ said the other voice.
‘That other guy? What was his deal by the way?’ asked the cool voice.
‘He is a local detective, Mr. Dragon. We checked his work history and we found out that he is a small time investigator who helps people get divorces.’ said the other voice.
‘Why is a divorce investigator poking his nose around our people?’ asked the cool voice.
‘I have a theory Mr. Dragon. Contrary to what we would like to claim, many of us are married. Maybe one of us hired a private investigator to check up on his cheating wife. Two years ago, I remember hiring a private eye to sneak up on my own wife. Easiest divorce I got of all of my marriages.’ said the other voice.
‘Hmm…There was something about the way that guy would not say anything. Did you guys torture him enough?’ asked the cool voice.
‘We did Boss. Just as you mentioned.’ said the other voice.
‘Send out a message to all of our members. Find out if anyone has hired a private eye lately. It’s not a priority matter, just something to keep an eye out on, okay.’ said the voice, continuing to be cold as ever.
‘Will do so, Mr. Dragon.’
‘That is all gentlemen, enjoy your evening.’ said the cool voice. That was followed by the sound of him standing up. This was quickly followed by the sound of a dozen folks standing up. One person, probably the guy with the cool voice, walked away. The door opened at a distance and closed. This was followed by a lot of feet moving, door opening and closing constantly and two minutes later, there were sounds of a vacuum cleaner. The room had been cleared out and the cleaning maids were busy in the room.
John and Sheila listened to all of this. John looked at the map display on the GPS in his car, and it showed that they were still about a mile from her home. John noticed a coffee shop that was still open. He motioned her to stop next to it. Sheila did what he wanted her to, and five minutes later they both had a mug of coffee in their hands and were seated at the far corner table of the coffee shop.
“Looks like this Lipstick Woman wasn’t bluffing.” said Sheila, adding some sugar to her coffee and then doing the same for the mug in front of John.
“Unless the whole thing was staged. We have no clue or any way of finding out where the conversation actually happened. All we know is that the voice in the transmission was the guy who thought it was fun to watch me get beaten while I was blindfolded.” said John.
“So, what happens next John? We heard what we were supposed to hear.” stated Sheila.
“Somehow, the person I am looking for seems to be connected with this gang of Mr. Dragon.” said John.
“Mr. Dragon. That is just a silly name. People still use such names?” Sheila asked with a laugh.
“I think that is the point of it. A person uses a silly name so that he can conduct serious business.” said John.
“At least we learnt something. This Luck person you are looking for, has something to do with these people. They seem pretty dangerous. We have already had a taste of it.” said Sheila.
“Let us hope that Drake has some news for us in the morning. He did say that he might have something about this Luck person in the morning. Oh wait!” exclaimed John.
John then reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out the packet that contained the ear piece. He looked inside the envelope and he noticed that there was something written on the inside of the envelope. John grabbed a knife, slid it inside the envelope and cut it open. The message read as follows
‘Ditch the girl. Go to your apartment.’
John looked up at Sheila and then thought about that message. It could only mean one thing.
“Why do I get a feeling that she wants to meet with you again John?” asked Sheila, understanding the meaning of the note.
“Looks like she does. Here is what we do Sheila. Once we leave from here, we are going to go in separate cars. I will grab a taxi and head to my apartment. If you don’t hear from me in an hour, come calling.” said John, paying the bill for the coffee and getting up to leave.
Once outside, Sheila agreed to do what he said and drove off. Given the late hour of the night, finding a taxi took a while. Eventually John called up a taxi service which came as he finished another cup of coffee in the café. On reaching his apartment building, he tipped the driver, and took the elevator to his apartment. He noticed that the door was locked from the inside. He wasnt entirely surprised by that.
As he touched the door, the lock was opened from inside but the door remained firmly shut. He pushed the door away and found that the entire apartment was in darkness. John entered the apartment, bracing himself for an attack. Nothing happened. He locked the door and stepped in and turned on the living room light. The light lit up the whole room. John noticed that everything was as expected except there was a minor change in the living room. The Lipstick Woman was lying on the sofa, and all her clothes were on the floor.
“Hello detective.” she said, standing up and letting John get a full view of her.
John looked at the naked form of the woman who was standing in front of him. The only thing she was still wearing was her red lipstick. Normally, John would have jumped at the opportunity. For good or bad, John was on a case and he never mixed business with pleasure. So, her showing up like that was nothing more than an inconvenience. She was standing there with an expression of pride, perhaps at her extremely well-toned physique.