Chapter 2
Hardison nodded at Nate and then started with his presentation.
"Ok we have Garrison Hartley; he is one of the most influential men in Washington DC, he owns a few Senators and Congressmen, and it is said that owns more than a few policemen too. They in turn help him when he has…let's just say his little problems. He is a trust fund kid. He has more money than Bill Gates and is not afraid to use it to get what he wants. He has various business interests around the world, some of which are considered on the less than legal side." Hardison said then changing the slide to show a woman and a young girl he continued. "He is married to Cynthia and they have a daughter Monique. Cynthia married Garrison who is more than ten years her senior when she was only nineteen. It seems that the marriage was arranged by Hartley and Cynthia's father who received a sizable chunk of cash the day of the wedding…"
"He sold his daughter…?" Eliot said with disgust.
"Yeah, well he died a few years ago of a heroin overdose." Hardison said giving the probable reason for Cynthia's fathers' actions. "Monique is seven years old. Now…there have been no visits to the hospital for either Cynthia or Monique, however there have been frequent visits by a private doctor to the Hartley home over the years. Cynthia very seldom goes out in public and when she does she is always accompanied by a 'bodyguard' or is on her husbands' arm. She has no friends that I can find; basically he isolates her in the house and keeps her on a short leash when she is out in public. Monique has private tutors and also hardly ever leaves the house except under guard or with her father."
"So he is rich and powerful with some dodgy businesses. What's the angle Nate?" Sophie said turning to the Mastermind.
"Well…" Nate said standing up and taking Hardisons place in the front of the group. Hardison sat down in front of his laptop, ready to give Nate the information he knew he was going to ask for. "It seems as if Mr. Hartley likes to gamble and he also likes art. Specifically, he likes unique and unobtainable art." Nate said with a smile at his Grifter.
"That's true. He likes to gamble, poker mainly, and he is not very good at it or so it would seem..." Hardison said his manner indicating that he believed his lack of ablility in the game. "He has a weekly game with some high powered people, politicians, big business men and the Chief of Police amongst others."
"So you think he is paying off these guys by letting them win big dough in the game?" Eliot said following Hardison's train of thought. It was plausible and very cleaver. Nothing could lead back to the players…after all it was a game of chance.
"Well Hartley drops a couple of thousand a week, almost exactly the same amount to each of the participants…you tell me?" Hardison replied smiling at the Hitter. "Anyway, he is also rumored to have one of the best private collections of stolen art in the world." He continued as he saw Nate's eyes on him.
"What I don't understand is if he kept such a tight leash on his wife, how did she get our clients help in the first place?" Eliot asked.
"That I can't tell you that…but what I can tell you is that a maid in the Hartley household left their employ the same time as Cynthia and the kid disappeared…" Hardison said meaningfully.
"So she had help from the maid…" Parker stated.
"Yes, and that very same maid, a Martha Hammond, had an unfortunate accident, she fell down her stairs at home and broke her neck the day afterwards…or that is what the official report said anyway." Hardison said intimating that he did not believe a word of it.
"So he had her killed…?" Sophie asked.
"I didn't say that and I can't prove it but I wouldn't bet against it." Hardison confirmed.
"So Nate…?" Sophie asked expectantly of their Mastermind.
"Well, we need to get into the poker game…Hardison will set me up as a rich business man who has just moved to Washington, a rich business man with good connections of course…then I will drop a few hints about my art collection…"
"Which will bring me into play as your source of the art…?" Sophie finished for him.
"Right and then…." Nate confirmed.
"Then we get him to want to get his hands on something that every art collector wants…" Nate continued for him.
"Then we have him arrested and thrown in jail…" Parker said happily.
"No, I can't see how that's going to work, what with him having all that influence…" Eliot piped up.
"You're right Eliot, we can't have him arrested here, he will either buy or bribe his way out of it, but if we get him to another country, one where they don't take kindly to theft of national icons…" Nate said with a sly smile.
"And how do we do that?" Eliot asked seeing far too many dangerous variables in the plan Nate was hatching in his mind.
"Well Eliot I haven't got to that yet…but I'm working on it." Nate said thoughtfully. His thoughts; and the discussion; was interrupted when his cellphone started ringing. Nate answered it and immediately Eliot could see there was something very wrong.
"Hardison get an ambulance to 1122 Woodlands drive NOW." Nate said, he was already moving toward the door, grabbing his keys along the way. "Eliot you are with me, the rest of you stay here, and keep the door locked." He said meaningfully.
"Nate…what's happened?" Sophie asked him as he opened the door.
"Hartley got to Geoffrey…" Nate said then walked out the door without further explanation and Eliot on his heels.
Nate and Eliot arrived at Geoffrey's home in short time. They approached with caution, Eliot keeping Nate behind him. The door was open and the house was silent. When they entered, the house seemed deserted, but then Nate saw a hand protruding from behind the sofa in the living room. He ran passed Eliot who gave him an exasperated look then followed him into the room. Nate knelt at the side of the badly beaten and obviously tortured man who lay unmoving on the living room floor.
"Geoffrey…" Nate said loudly as he felt for the man's pulse. Geoffrey's eyes fluttered open on hearing Nate's voice.
"Mr. Ford…you, you need to help them…find…at…Murphy's" Geoffrey said battling to get the words out. He lost his battle though and his head lolled to the side, his eyes wide and unseeing.
"Nate…he's gone, we need to get out of here before the cops arrive." Eliot said urgency in his voice.
Nate nodded then stood up and looking down at the bloody body on the ground shook his head sadly.
"Nate…now man..." Eliot said again as he heard the distant sound of sirens approaching.
Nate looked at his Hitter and nodded again and started moving toward the door. Eliot followed behind and after they had both exited he took a second to wipe the handle of the door. It was the only place that he could think either he or Nate had touched in the house. The last thing they needed was the cops tracing Nate or him to the house and linking them to a murder, especially with Hartley being so connected to the force. They then both got in the car and Eliot drove off sedately, he did not want any neighbors reporting a car speeding away from the scene. They passed the cops a few blocks later as they sped toward the scene.
"He is going to pay for this…Hartley is going pay dearly." Nate said softly his voice full of deadly menace. Eliot turned and looked at their Mastermind; his job had just become a lot harder because this job had just become very personal to Nate, and that meant the Mastermind was going to stop at nothing to bring down their mark, no matter what it took.
Thanks to stella, Sphinx and carebear818, I really appreciate your enthusiasm…I will try not to disappoint.
