Chapter 3
"Leah!" A voice called through the parkade as the young woman prepared to leave.
"Yeah?" She turned around to see James running toward her.
"Drew needs to see you in his office."
"Why?"
"News came around this morning about the Americans, he wants to talk to you."
"Oh, okay." Leah closed her car door and dropped her keys into her bag. "Fourth floor right?"
"Yup."
"Mmkay, thanks James." Sighing lightly, the twenty-year-old left the parkade for Drew's office, within a few minutes, she had reached it.
"James said you needed to speak with me?" She asked as she entered, slightly surprised to see Isabelle also in the room.
"Leah, glad you could make it, this'll be a short one."
"Mmkay, what's up?" She slid onto the arm of the empty chair beside Isabelle.
"Word has reached us that Shadowfax has joined the Americans."
"Well that's lovely."
"Because of this, you two-" He gestured to Isabelle and Leah, "-are going to have to work together on the case."
"Fine with me." Leah stood up, "I've got room 149 at the hotel they're at. You're welcome to join me if you'd like."
"149?" Isabelle scribbled it down on a scrap piece of paper, "I'll be there at five."
"Kay." Leah smiled at Drew and quickly left the office. Turning down the left hallway and pausing to listen, hearing no sign of Isabelle leaving Drew's office, she continued to the woman's office. It was locked, but, luckily for her, she knew the small tricks. Quickly pulling out a credit card and slipping it down the door crack opened the door rather fast. "Perfect." She muttered, seeing the stacks of paper on Isabelle's desk. Leah hurried across the room and began shifting through the piles, finding one labeled "to give out". In it, were pictures of nearly all the Americans, and write ups from what she guessed was sixteen and a half years ago.
Leah grabbed these, and left for her own office, where she shredded all the evidence that they had on the Americans and the crimes they had committed. She then left the office for her hotel room again.
As the young woman neared her hotel room, she noticed Tess and an unfamiliar man standing outside.
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever come back." Tess greeted, smiling brightly.
"Why?"
"Because of the Le Marc news."
"Oh, right." Leah slid her key into the door lock and opened the door. "I'm supposing that you're waiting for me?"
"Yeah."
"Then come on in." The three entered the room, Leah dropped down into a chair as Tess and the man did the same.
"This is my husband by the way, Danny, this is Leah."
"Hi." He reached out his hand to shake hers, and she shook it.
"Hey. The leader of the pack eh?"
"Well...I wouldn't know about that."
"From what reports I've read, I'd say so."
"Reports?"
"I'm a detective." Danny looked taken back, he looked over at Tess.
"Also known as Shadowfax." His wife commented, relaxing him.
"You're Shadowfax?"
"Yup, and I'm here to help you."
"So I've heard."
"Good."
"You have any ideas?" Leah asked, "And what exactly do you need?"
"To get back at Benidict, and money if he wants it back." Danny explained.
"A lot of money, he might want interest in a few year." Tess added.
"That can taken care of two swift trips."
"Seriously?" The man looked taken back again.
"Well, someone would have to come into the club to check things out first, but aside from that, yes."
"What club?" Tess asked.
"De La Vega, it's only a few blocks away. A ten minute walk maximum."
"Nice and close."
"Good escape routes too."
"How do you know of this?"
"I work there."
"As what?"
"Dancer or bartender, it's a fifty-fifty choice on how busy it is, or how much entertainment is needed."
"Ah." Danny settled back in his chair, "Tess, how about you go into the club tonight."
"Why me?"
"Because Benidict likes you more than any of the rest of us."
"That is true."
"You're working tonight, right?" The man asked Leah.
"Yeah, I work there every night, it's part of working for the police."
"So tonight it is?" Tess asked.
"Yup." The other two replied.
"What's the plan?"
"Come in around midnight, I should just be getting off stage. Order a drink at the bar, and sit at the far right corner of it. Wait until I come and get you, act like a friend. I'll take you through the stuff, then I'm back on stage. Finish your drink, and then leave."
"Which is when I transfer all the codes to Danny."
"Exactly."
De La Vega was rather busy that evening, which, unfortunately, meant that Leah would get less time off stage, she would have to do her job quicker.
The dance group was currently doing a combination on stage when Tess entered. Leah kicked over in her back walkover and saw the woman sit down at the bar, in exactly the corner where she was told to.
Two minutes later, the routine ended, and the dancers were off stage. Leah walked over to her purse and pulled two small things out.
"I'm going for a smoke!" She called out, then headed out to the bar, where she was allowed to smoke. "Hey." She greeted as she dropped down beside Tess and lit the cigarette, gagging unnoticibly when she inhaled. It was that point that she reminded herself it was all for the job.
"Hey." Tess smiled.
"Let's get going. I don't have as much time off as I thought I would." Leah glanced around, smiled at the bartender, then her and Tess slipped through the backstage door.
"So that's the first door?"
"Yup." Leah replied, "Go to the far end of the bar, order a drink, finish it, tip, and disappear." They turned right. "Here's your first security door, the code's 1795." Leah punched it in, and they moved through a long, straight hallway. "That door locks automatically, but it'll push open from in here." They reached another door, "Second, and last security door. Combo is 8263. You punch it in twice in that order, then once backwards. So the com actually comes out to 826382633628."
"Mmkay." Tess nodded, and the younger girl unlocked and opened the door.
"This is where it gets tricky."
"I can see that."
"A laser field is the usual thing to have, but this one's odd, if you're within thirty centimeters of the beam, it will go off. Danny can figure this one out for me."
"Are the vaults right across there?"
"Yup."
"And to get back, it's the same way?"'
"Yeah."
"And you're taking care of Benidict?"
"Yes I am."
"Sounds like a plan." Tess stated. The two then left the vault room, Tess went back to the bar, and Leah went back to the stage.