Chapter 11

"Are you off your rocker, Charlie? My God, who taught you how to drive?" George shouted with a horrified look on his face from the passenger seat as he clenched the grab handle. "Oh, Georgie, this is how you're supposed to drive. You get there much faster this way," Charlie replied with a big grin on his face.

"Because nearly taking out the old woman trying to cross the road is the best driving procedure," George muttered sarcastically under his breath. Since they'd left the station, Charlie had been driving how he usually did, recklessly and out of control. George tensely sat beside him, cringing every time he took a hard turn or almost hit something.

They arrived at the security system's Birmingham headquarters, surprisingly unscathed. George nearly jumped out of the car before Charlie put it into park. He was already halfway to the main doors when Charlie got out of the car.

Charlie jogged in George's direction in order to catch up with him. The building was tall with large glass doors and windows that let the natural light inside. When they walked through the doors, there was a small desk in the expansive, high ceilinged lobby with a young blonde woman sitting behind it. "May I help you gentlemen?" she asked them as she looked up from the computer screen in front of her.

"Hello there, my name is Agent Evans from Interpol," Charlie greeted her as he pulled out his badge and showed it to her. "We are here looking for some information on a couple of employees that work here. Do you know who we would be able to speak to about that?" Charlie asked with a bright smile on his face.

"Of course, let me call up to Mr. Bennett's office and see if he's available. He's in charge of all the employees that come in and out of this branch of the company," she replied cheerfully. "Thanks, love," Charlie gave her another big smile, making her blush. She dialed a number on her corded phone and then held it to her ear.

"Hello, Sir, I have a couple of agents here from Interpol that would like to speak with you about a couple of employees," she paused. "Uh huh...uh huh...okay, Sir, I'll let them know," she said before she hung up the phone. "Mr. Bennett's office is on the fifth floor. Head down this corridor here," she pointed. "And then take the lifts on your left up to level five. Once you get there, there'll be another receptionist and if you let them know who you are and who you're here to see then she'll be able to guide you to his office and let him know that you're up there," she explained.

"Thank you, Miss…?" Charlie trailed off, hinting that he didn't know her name. "Scarlett, Scarlett Coleman," she blushed and tucked the piece of hair that was in her face behind her ear. Charlie slipped one of his business cards onto the desk and gave her a smile before they walked away. George rolled his eyes and then thanked the young woman before heading towards the lifts.

Charlie pressed the top button and took a step back. "What was that all about?" George asked him, referring to the flirtatious exchange he'd just witnessed between Charlie and the receptionist. "What, Georgie, you didn't think she was hot?" Charlie replied. George rolled his eyes. "Can you not be randy for once in your life?" he muttered, loud enough for Charlie to hear.

Charlie ignored him and looked up at lights that indicated what floor the lift was on. Within a minute, the lift dinged and the doors to their left flew open. They both stepped into the car and Charlie pressed the button for the fifth floor. They stood in silence as the lift ascended. Once they reached their desired floor, the lift dinged again and the doors opened in front of them.

The two stepped out into the small lobby area and were greeted by an older woman sitting behind a desk. "Can I help you two boys?" she asked the two agents. "Yes, I'm Agent Jones and this is Agent Evans. We're with Interpol and are here to speak with Mr. Bennett," George explained as he pulled out his badge to show her. She looked at his badge and then picked up her phone. "Sir, there are some agents here to see you," she spoke into the phone. After a brief pause, she spoke again. "Very well, Sir, I'll let them know," she replied before she hung up the phone.

"He's just finishing up with a few things and then he'll be with you. You can take a seat over there," she pointed to a small seating area over in the corner. "Thank you, Ma'am," George replied. They walked over to the seating area to sit down. Charlie picked up a magazine off the table and began flipping through it while George picked up a brochure for the company and began to read through it.

After a few minutes, a middle-aged man came through the large glass doors. "You must be the agents from Interpol. I'm Knox Bennett. I was told you're here to speak with me about some employees?" he said, extending his hand. The two agents shook his hand and George introduced them both. "My name is Agent Jones and this is Agent Evans. We're conducting an investigation and believe a couple of your employees might be involved," he explained. "I see. Why don't we step into my office to discuss this?" Knox suggested.

The two agents nodded and followed him through the glass doors and down a short hallway. They entered into a large office with a large oak desk that had a tall black leather chair behind it. They sat down in the two armchairs in front of the desk. Knox made his way to the other side of the desk and sat down also. "What can I do for you?" he asked them as he pulled himself closer to the desk and folded his hands and placed them on the desk.

George pulled a file out of his leather briefcase. He flipped the folder open and placed two photos onto the desk in front of Knox. "This is Killian O'Doherty and this is Douglas MacClellan. They both are employed at your company and recently both transferred to the Birmingham office from the Dublin and Edinburgh offices," he explained.

"Ah, yes. I recognize the names. I processed their transfers not too long ago. We haven't had too many people requesting to transfer, so I should be able to find their files fairly quickly," Knox replied as he slid his chair back and began flipping through files in the file cabinet to the right of his desk.

After a minute he pulled out one file and then a few seconds later, another. "Here they are," he stated as he slid back to his desk. "Wonderful. Do you happen to have their addresses by any chance?" George asked him. "Yes. Well, they both live at Chadbrook Crest, Birmingham B15 3RL. Here let me write this down for you," he said as he grabbed a pen and paper from the side of the desk. He scribbled down the address and added the apartment number as well.

He tore off the paper from the notepad and handed it to George who thanked him. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked. "I think that's all for now," George replied. "Very well, if you need anything else don't hesitate to pick up the phone and give me a call," he told them and handed George his business card.

"That's my personal phone so you'll be able to get me right away without having to speak with anyone else," he told George. George nodded and then Knox showed them back to the lobby. They said goodbye and then turned to the lifts and waited for one to arrive.

Once they were outside, Charlie called Emily to let her know what they'd found out from Knox. The phone rang a few times and then he heard Emily's voice on the other line. "Hi, we have an address for O'Doherty and MacClellan. They both live in the same apartment. I wouldn't be surprised if the other two live there too," he told her. "Great, we're just about to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Campbell right now. Head back to the station and we'll meet you there when we're through," she told him. "Will do. See you then," he replied before he hung up the phone.

Charlie got into the car and found George already there waiting for him. He was sitting in the passenger seat and already had his hand on the grab bar, trying to keep calm even though he knew that they were in for another wild ride. Charlie put the key in the ignition, turned the car on, and then began to drive away.