“Very slow detective.” she said smiling.
“Well, I am still recovering from an injury, Lipstick Woman. The trackers are in place. I am guessing that you have done the same.” said John, returning her smile.
“Did and almost felt like taking a nap while you returned. I will get the rope down and we should climb down and return to our car.” she said.
John nodded. She got started right way. Just like before, she pulled out the rope and the dart gun from the bag. She tied one end of the rope to the railing on the ship and threw the other end downwards and got it anchored to a railing on the edge of the dock, right beside the sea. She motioned John to climb down first and waited while John did that. Once he was down on the ground, she climbed down quickly and pulled the rope down after her. She knew how to undo the ship-end of the knot from the dock in a matter of seconds.
Placing the rope and dart gun back into her bag, she led John back into the drain they had used to come there. Since they had already come this way earlier, they found the way back much easier. In a few minutes they had reached John’s car. The whole operation at the dock took less than fifteen minutes.
“If you are too tired to drive, I can drive your car detective.” she replied.
“I am good. Where do we go now?” John asked, getting into the car. She did the same. John started the engine and the car began to move.
“To my apartment detective. The necessary equipment to track those containers is at my apartment.” she said, locating her apartment in the navigation system of his car. She pointed out her address and asked him to follow that. John agreed to it and continued driving towards the location she indicated. The time was about 1.30am and John was feeling extremely tired. He observed that she looked tired too, but after all the hours he had spent with her, he knew that she would never admit to her tiredness. Soon enough, John had driven the car to the address she had indicated.
The apartment she had identified as her own was in one of the busier parts of the inner city. Street lights burnt bright, shedding enough light to make any sort of activity on the streets visible. The streets were empty except for an occasional cop car on the beat or a late night taxi. John looked outside the window of his car to get a good look at the apartment building he was about to enter. It was a six storied building and he noticed, not surprisingly since it was about 2am, that most of the apartments had their light turned off. Only one apartment had its light turned on and he could clearly see a guy smoking a cigarette. John wished that he was in that guy’s place, for he was getting tired with all this running around. He also felt that he needed some rest to allow his injuries to heal. John drove into the basement parking and they both made their way to the lift. Once inside, she pressed the button for the third floor.
The music inside the elevator was soothing, like a lullaby to a baby. John felt his eyes getting heavy, the lack of sleep getting to him. He saw his own reflection in the mirror inside the lift. His eyes looked tired and he looked like a guy who hadn’t got enough sleep in a while. He also caught the reflection of his companion. She looked just as tired as he was, but there was something different about how she looked now. John had been thoroughly impressed by the way she worked, almost making him forget that she actually worked for the bad guys. Not only that, she had still not mentioned her name nor any details of how she planned to help John. The lift doors opened and she led him into the third door on the left. She pulled out her key, unlocked the door, let him in, switched on the lights, and locked the door securely from inside.
“You have a nice apartment here.” said John, appreciating the two bedroom apartment that was well it and looked ready to invite guests.
“Thank you detective. I rarely get to come here, and I find it very peaceful.” she said, walking to the computer, which was on the desk that was propped up against the wall.
“I will get something from the kitchen. Do you want anything?” said John, thinking of grabbing a glass of water and perhaps some juice to energize his tired mind.
“On the second shelf in the refrigerator, there are bottles of energy drinks. I will have that.” she said, powering on her computer.
John walked into the kitchen and grabbed two energy drink bottles, one for himself and the other for her. He returned to the living room and found that she was sitting in front of the computer, which was now fully functional. He opened both the bottles, handing one to her and started drinking from his own bottle. He pulled a chair next to her, and saw what was happening on the screen. The screen on the table looked like a standard computer monitor, but it was huge, roughly sixty-five inches, John thought. She was playing around on a large track pad on the table. Even as he watched, he noticed that the map of the city showed up and there were five glowing dots on the top right corner. She tapped on one of the maps, and the map zoomed in, showing ground level images of the port they had just sneaked in and out of.
“All the trackers are working, John. So far, everything is going as planned.” she said, taking a sip from the bottle of energy drink he had given her.
“That sounds perfect. What happens now?” John asked, still looking at the map.
“The container vessel should leave port in about ten hours from now. My guess is that after travelling for a while, these five containers will probably be offloaded and taken to a nearby place. That is what we are trying to find out. The location where these containers will go to. We need to go and find the guy who is receiving these containers. That guy, to whom the containers are being delivered, is our target. Once we get him, my job is done and I will deliver on my promise.” she said, pushing her chair away from the computer screen and getting up.
John was still sitting on his chair and nodded.
“We have about twelve hours before we may have to travel again, detective. If you want to, you can join me in the shower. Alternatively, this apartment does have a guest room which also has a shower. You are free to use either of these facilities and get a well-deserved rest. Your choice detective.” she said, walking away from him and heading to her room. John noticed that she left her room door open and he could see her removing her clothes.
I am still working John said to himself, getting up and walking to the guest room.
John got up at 8am to notice that the Lipstick Woman was still asleep. He had about six hours before going with her on the next leg of the assignment. Previously, John wanted to be sure about Todd Luck. It was a way of confirming his character that would provide John with an important clue about what was going on.
At that point, he decided to go back to that idea. He had to find a way of confirming whether this missing guy was a criminal or not. He called up Drake right away.
“John, early phone call. Don’t like it, but it’s you, so I answered.” answered a half-asleep half-awake Drake.
“Drake, sorry about that. One of things you mentioned about this missing person. You said something about him being extra-ordinary in his school life. What did you mean by that?”
“That’s what it said on his school certificate. I don’t really know what it means. You may want to ask someone at the school for that.” said Drake.
“Looks like I will have to do that. Have you provided the school address in you report?”
“Yes, it is all there. I am ending the call John. Bye.” said Drake, hanging up.
John Russo, realized that he had to speak to the principal of that school where his missing person went to. He opened the report that was sent by Drake, found the name of the school, called the principal’s office, and booked an appointment for ten o’ clock. He skipped going to the office for the time being, and drove directly to the school. On the way to the school, he phoned Sheila and told her that he would be in the office after his meeting with the school principal. The principal’s office let him in.
“Hello Mr. Russo. I am Jason Kimble, the principal. I usually don’t take non student related visitors. I understand you are here on some investigation. I would like to see your license please.” said the portly man, behind the principle’s desk.
John Russo was ready for a cold welcome. He did not sit on the visitor’s chair. He took out his wallet, and presented his private detective license. The principle looked at it, made some notes on his notebook, and then looked at it some more. Finally, he seemed to be satisfied. He looked at John and motioned him to sit down, handing back the license. John took his seat, and his license and pulled out two photos from the same wallet. He presented a picture of the missing person to the principal.
“Do you recognize this man?” asked John.
“Not really.” said the principal, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was unhappy about their meeting.
“How about this?” said John, putting a photo of the missing person, when he was a school student.
“I remember this guy. Wait a minute. Sandy, can you get in here!” he shouted. A middle aged woman wearing librarian glasses walked in. The principal showed that photo, and she let out an expression of recognition.
“This is that student all right. Could you tell him something about this student?” he asked her, and then turned to the detective and said, “Detective, she will help you out. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a school to run. Thank you”.
John Russo was led out of the principal’s office and onto the corridor. His assistant seemed a lot less rigid and more talkative.
“What is his problem? I did book an appointment didn’t I?” said John.
“Don’t worry young man. Mr. Kimble has always been like that. Come this way and here we are, the glory room. The room where we celebrate some of the most popular students who passed through the halls of this school.” said the lady, walking him into a trophy room.
John Russo was overwhelmed with all the trophies in the room. Right in the center of the left hall was a big photo of a newspaper article. The article mentioned his client’s brother by name and a photo of him next to a drowning school bus. The article said that this young boy saved the lives of four other students with extraordinary swimming skills.
“Four kids. He really saved their lives?” asked John, shocked.
“Yes. He did. He was always like that. Always running around, trying to help anybody who was in danger. He was the best boy scout that there ever was from our school.” said the lady.
John thanked her for the information and walked back to his parked car. As he drove to his office, he had a smile on his face. He just confirmed his suspicions. The brother of his client was working outside the law alright. The evidence from the school indicated that he was a good guy and that most likely meant that he was not a criminal. Yet, he was working above the law.
That could only mean one thing. This brother, the missing person that John had been searching for three days, was some kind of government agent. He could be a spy or an undercover police officer or an intelligence gathering agent. John Russo had almost solved the case. All that was left to do was find the brother, and reunite him with his ever crying sister. Having made up his mind about Todd Luck, John felt a lot better about the mission. He was pretty confident that the guy that he was searching for was a good guy. That also meant that the Lipstick Woman was not a bad person either. Things were beginning to fall into place.
John phoned his loyal assistant Sheila to say that he would be in the office in 15 minutes. Although he had stayed in regular contact with her during last night’s mission, he was still looking forward to seeing her and briefing her on the latest developments.
Chapter 10
John drove back to the Lipstick Woman’s apartment and arrived there by 2 o’ clock. He was let in by a middle aged woman who apparently worked for the Lipstick Woman as a housekeeper. John noticed that the Lipstick Woman’s bed was empty and he could hear noises from her shower. John returned to the computer screen. All the trackers that they placed were still in the same position as before. The timer indicated that they had about two hours before the trackers would start moving. John continued to stare at the screen when the housekeeper spoke to him from the direction of the kitchen.
“Mr. Russo, shall I lay out lunch on the table for you?” asked the housekeeper.
“I am hungry, thank you. I notice that you know my name?” inquired John.
“My house lady told me about you, Mr. Russo.” said the house maid.
“Oh. Thank you. I will be at the lunch table in a few minutes.” said John, heading to the washroom.
When he returned, the table was laid out for him. It was a small lunch table, with enough space for two guests. John took the seat to his left and the maid started serving him. John was about to start eating when he heard a familiar voice.
“Starting without me, detective?” asked the Lipstick Woman.
“Well, I was hungry. I also did not think you would mind.” said John.
“I don’t mind at all.” she said, taking the seat opposite him. The maid had already laid out a place setting for her as well. With her job done, the maid retired to the kitchen.
“She seems really nice. This is the first home cooked food I have eaten in almost three days. It’s really tasty.” said John, enjoying the food.
“She has been taking care of me ever since I was a young child. She is all the family I have.” said the Lipstick Woman.
“Oh. I am sorry to hear that. Your parents, I mean.” said John.
“That is alright, detective. My parents died a long time ago. I have also gotten over it a long time ago. I do miss them occasionally, but that is just how it is.” said the Lipstick Woman.
The two ate their lunch casually, as they still had only so much time to spare. An hour passed and a few minutes after that, the trackers on the screen started moving. The container vessel was moving across the map and her computer was tracking its progress. The vessel must have travelled for about thirty minutes, when it stopped abruptly. Then, something odd happened. Of all the trackers that had been placed, two of them started moving while the rest stayed stationary. The Lipstick Woman refocused the map and zoomed in on the relevant location.
They noticed that the two trackers were being moved slightly to the right of their current location. They kept moving slowly for about five minutes, and then they both stopped. After a few minutes, the trackers started moving again. The two trackers started moving in one direction and the remaining three resumed the previous path that they were already set on. John appeared surprised by this, but the Lipstick Woman kept her expression intact, almost as if she was expecting something like that to happen. They kept watch on the map, even as the trackers kept moving. About thirty minutes later, the two trackers stopped moving after having arrived on an island that was not too far from Primer City. The Lipstick Woman made a note of the location. With this information in their pockets, they decided to leave her home.
They left the Lipstick Woman’s apartment at 4 o’clock. As they drove from the apartment, the Lipstick Woman explained what they were to do next.
“That went just as I expected, John. I am guessing you are still not fully clear about what just happened with those trackers. I don’t mind explaining the situation to you.” she replied.
“I would appreciate an explanation at this point. I was rather intrigued with the way the trackers moved in two different directions.” said John, who was sitting on the passenger seat.
“I am sure you have figured the part where we placed the trackers so we could track the movement of those five containers. According the informant who provided me with the container information, either all five or at least some of them contained chemicals that were being smuggled to this person. This person, Jory Hunger, is a smuggler. You are probably not familiar with that name. To the public, he is a well-known and respected businessman. Behind the shadows though, he is a sinister person. He has many operational sites around the city. You are clear, so far?” she asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the road.
“So far, so good; continue.” said John.
“I did not know which of these sites were his. I needed to find out. I knew that at least one of the five containers were going to his operation site, but did not know exactly how many of the five would be making the journey. My informant was clear about one thing. This was the last time he would be able to give shipment related information. He said that he had taken enough risks to provide me with this information. That meant I only had one chance to do this, and I had to increase my chances of success.” said she.
“That seems like the smart thing to do. That is what I would have done. I know how finicky informants can be. Especially when, for most of them, a simple mistake could mean the difference between life and death.” said John, agreeing with her decision making.
“This is one of the things I like about you, John. You are someone who is almost in the same line of work as I am. As you have rightfully agreed, John, I had to do something to increase the rate of success. So, I decided to attach trackers to all five containers. It was risky, and if you weren’t there, I would not have been able to do that. That is why I needed your help, John. They could have caught us in the act, and that could have been the end of me. I have already lost one partner, and I would be damned if I lose another partner.” her voice was shaky, and it startled him.
“Another partner?” asked John, a little surprised at this new piece of information.
“I used to work with another partner. We both had been working on this for a while. She was taken away from me a few weeks ago.” she said, her voice going a little slow.
“Was she killed?” John asked, feeling sorry for this person.
“I don’t know. I really hope she is alive, though. I haven’t heard from her in a while. This mission was our job and I have to complete it, whether she is there or not.” she said.
“I can agree with that. If I was in your place, I would have done something similar.” said John.
As she kept speaking, John could not help but collate that information with what he had found about Todd Luck from the school. John was also provided with the information Drake hacked out of the phone data. Now, this woman was talking about an operation to bring down a smuggler. All this led to a single logical conclusion. Sure, John met this Lipstick Woman at the villain’s place. Except for that one fact, this woman seemed to be on the good side. Perhaps she had some connection to Todd Luck. She had already promised to take John to the location of Todd Luck, if John helped her out.
The more she spoke, the more John was convinced that she had to be a nice person. Then again, John was trained to be a detective. He always had to keep an eye out that even the nicest looking folks could have a dark side to them. For all John knew, this woman might be making a big fool out of him. His gut feeling and his heart suggested that she was a nice person. John couldn’t take such leaps of faith. He might take a leap of faith when he was dealing with something non-human, like a dog that was about to attack him, or bad weather. Those things were ideal subjects for leap of faiths. Human beings, on the other hand, not so much. John had learned the hard way that people could not always be trusted, especially when you knew them for less than three days.
They soon reached the edge of Primer city, and John noticed that they were back in the vicinity of the dock that they were on about 16 hours ago. They parked outside an outlet that rented out boats for fishing trips and casual water travel. This outlet was located near the main docks. John waited outside the booking office, as the Lipstick Woman went in to make a booking for a boat. She returned a few minutes later and informed him that they would be travelling to that island location that was marked by the tracker, by a boat that she had rented. They would board their boat in about 30 minutes at a marina beside the main dock. They decided to drive to the marina and wait until their boat was ready for the trip.
The boat she had rented was named Aurora. Given the nature of their business, she had decided against taking a captain or a guide with them. If someone really wanted to, they could easily track their travel route since all boats GPS location systems were installed in all boats. Just before they got on the boat, the Lipstick Woman grabbed John suggestively and gave him a deep kiss. John understood that she wanted the people at the marina to believe that they were a couple who just wanted to spend a nice evening alone on the harbor. That may have thrown off any suspicions anyone might have had.
Once the boat left the marina, the Lipstick Woman set the course for that location on the map. Based on the speed at which they were travelling, they would reach the island in less than an hour. The sea was quiet, and at a distance the sun was a few minutes away from sinking into the ocean. It would be dark soon, and that made perfect sense for their mission at hand. It was always easier to sneak around at night instead of during the day time. It was also the more dangerous option, John thought. After the last two days of hectic action, John was mentally prepared for almost anything. The good sleep had also helped his recovery, and he was no longer restricted in his movements.
“It is going to be a short journey, John. Assuming that the winds and the weather hold the way they are doing right now, I guess a total travel time not more than sixty minutes. Hope you don’t mind a little sea travel, John. There is a deck below if you are feeling uncomfortable.” said she.
“I am fine. I don’t particularly enjoy water rides, but it’s manageable. If I am to continue working in my line of work, I better get used to doing things that I normally do not do.” said John.
“I suppose so. You are, after all, a private detective. If you don’t get used to this, who else would?” she replied, laughing.
“I guess so.” said John, looking out in the ocean and becoming quiet.
“There was something I wished to tell you, John. Like an apology.” she said.
John simply looked at her and said nothing. He had a hunch that she was about to give him more details about herself and her operation. He thought that the journey which began a few days ago was going to end shortly. John might finally get some answers that had been bothering him, mentally and physically, for the last couple of days.
“I wanted to apologize for getting undressed in your apartment that night. I think, in hindsight, I should not have done that.” she said. For the first time since he had met her, John saw her like a normal person. She had a haughty expression about her all the time, and that was gone now. It seemed like she was a different person, although appearance wise, she looked the same as before.
“That is alright. If I wasn’t working on a case, I would have probably had more time to appreciate your beautiful looks.” said John.
“I was surprised by your reaction. I expected the night to end differently.” she said.
“Sorry to disappoint you. Although, is that all you wanted to say? Like you said, we still have a lot of time to kill before we reach that island. Are you sure you still want to hide your identity and continue to be referred to as the Lipstick Woman? One of the guys who works for me told me that your name is Christie Palmer. I know that is not right. It cannot be, mostly because that name sounds like it was pulled from a James Kipling novel.” said John, pushing his luck, trying to find out more about her.
He was almost baiting her, hoping to get leverage on her, based on all the things that they had done together. She kept quiet. John could see that she was thinking really hard, trying to figure out where all of this was heading. John could imagine that she was having an internal conflict of faith. Sitting in front of her was a man she hardly knew. Could she trust him? What if this man was not who he seemed to be? There were probably questions that John himself would ask if he was about to tell something, a secret that no one else knew. She continued to keep silent, and John did not wish to interrupt her. Patience had many rewards, and John was a firm believer in that. Then, as if she had made her decision, she started speaking.
“My name is not Christie Palmer. I have many fake identities and one of them is that. You are right in your guess, John. I did take that name from a novel that I was reading while creating the identity. My real name is Diane Crowe. I work for the city police department. I have been undercover for a while now, and part of that cover is working for Mr. Dragon.” she said, stopping to take a breath.
John had figured out much of this on his own, but was glad to have the information come from the horse’s mouth. He let her continue.
“Todd Luck, he was my partner. I am searching for him because he went missing a few weeks ago.” she said.
“Earlier today, you said your partner was a female. Another attempt at throwing me off the scent?” asked John.
“I am so used to lying, John; it comes out naturally for me. I am sorry about that. I had to do what I had to do. I am sure you understand.” she replied.
“Of course I forgive you, Diane. You are the one who said that we are in the same line of business. I have a couple of fake identities of my own, and I use them constantly. It is hard to get anything done in this world, especially when everything is so connected. You are saying that Todd Luck went missing a few weeks ago. That would explain why he has not contacted his sister in such a long time. The puzzle pieces are beginning to fall into place. Do you think something has happened to him? What is your theory on this?” asked John, fully aware that she had taken him completely into confidence.
“As I told you, we were both assigned to this mission. That was almost six months ago. We are partners, but we joined the organization as individuals who didn’t know each other. Todd has been doing this for years, and he is one of our most efficient and useful undercover officers. I was his understudy. The mission was considered a simple one, and I was trained by him. It made sense that I would work with him on my first mission in the field. Todd expected me to make mistakes, and just as he predicted, I did make some mistakes. Most of them weren’t that bad, and it was all okay for a while. Then, three weeks ago, I made a mistake, and Todd did everything he could to cover it up. One thing led to another, and his identity was revealed. In the process, he managed to keep my cover as it is. They took him away, and that was the last time I heard from him.” she said.