Chapter II
Espionage
Inside a court room restroom in Memphis, way back August 2011, Kathryn Knowing stood by the mirror fixing her silver leather jacket. Another woman, looking like a lawyer, came in the restroom and pulled out a lipstick from her metallic purse.
"What do you think, pink or red?" she asked Kathryn.
"I think pink looks refreshing on your skin tone." She replied.
The other woman paused for a fraction of a second and put away the lipstick. She took out a gun and pointed it at Kathryn. But before she could aim it properly, Kathryn already stole it and pointed it to her instead.
"Take this as a message to headquarters: cover is NOT blown until I say so. I am taking that deal with the D.A. and hide away with the US Marshals. I did what I had to do."
She threw the gun to the trash bin and walked out the door. The security cameras caught her walking towards the court room to testify against Gerardo Maine.
Back in the restroom, the woman made a phone call.
"This is Jones. Yeah, Snow, I got Knowing. Tell Hardwick to meet me at the court room. We are implementing Plan B."
She then took off her blazer, wore that pink lipstick, and walked out into the same court room and testified against Rodrigo Maine with James Hardwick.
In Midtown Manhattan, John Reese walked inside an apartment building and subtlety broke inside. He took in every detail of the house- the furniture, the photographs, its order, etc., and proceeded towards an office. He sat down the chair and opened the drawers to see what useful things were inside. He discovered a framed photograph of two people on a beach. They were Kathryn Knowing and James Hardwick Jr. aka Arthur Wiles on their wedding day. The man had glasses and birdlike facial features that he almost looked like his lonesome boss- they even had the same smile. He put it back. Afterwards, he opened her desktop computer and installed the hacking drive for Finch to take advantage of later. His phone rang.
"Mr. Reese. Found anything yet?" it was Finch.
"I found her wedding photo inside her desk but no other photos of Hardwick anywhere else." He looked around and noted the pink curtains, pink couch, and the cherry blossoms pattern of the wallpaper. "Except inside my wallet."
"You know Hardwick?" the other man asked astonished.
"No, but I do know you," he teased him. If his boss would ask why he had a photo of him in his wallet, he would never tell.
"We do not look that much alike."
"The resemblance is quite striking"
The older man huffed as the computer beeped and the drive installation was finished.
"You got eyes and ears here, Finch. Anything else you want? Dinner, perhaps? It is getting late." He was feeling a bit flirtatious today. It must be Zoe's effect on him.
"Don't get lost for a change," theolder man sighed.
John chuckled. "I cannot help it if my phone keeps getting smashed. I think the bad guys have something against you, Harold."
"Not more than they do for you."
"With good reasons." The main door's lock just clicked. Someone else wanted to break in Knowing's apartment. John reeled and hoisted his gun. He walked towards the door, his back on the wall, and ready for a surprise attack.
"I think we have a visitor."
In a neighborhood at Midtown Manhattan, Harold Finch was having a cup of tea and an untouched cupcake topped with a ridiculous amount of swirling cream and candied peaches at the local Frozen Yogurt Café. He was never a fan of frozen yogurt hence the tea. The cupcake, however, was an accident- apparently it was the café's Free Cupcake Day and he could not convince the waitress not to leave one on his table. It was also their Free Toppings-For-Every-Succeeding-Fill-Of-Frozen-Yogurt Day but he managed to get a pass since he did not order a first fill.
He would never willingly go inside this kind of food establishment- he was more of a conventional guy who loves to eat traditional food. But, when he decided to exploit the fact that Arthur Wiles, otherwise known as James Hardwick Jr., looked like him, he had to pull off the tactic Friendly-Attitude-And-Familiarity-Equals-More-Information with success. However, he would never admit firsthand to Mr. Reese that they really do look alike- a lot.
Part one of his operation: Meet-And-Greet, was a complete letdown and he could not get away with another failure. So, trusting his notes on how Mr. Reese handles his reconnaissance, he went over Knowing's routines and found that she frequented this café. Then, he planned to approach Knowing, act surprise on the "coincidence", and have another go at the "friendly chat".
If all else would fail, there was always Plan B. His information retrieval and social abilities could only get him as far as the observable truths, anyway. When another waitress passed him by without another glance, he made a phone call.
"Detective Carter," he greeted after the third ring.
"You," she paused and continued with a low voice, "Lost your friend again?"
"I know where he is." He looked at the apartment building across the street through the glass walls. That building was where Kathryn Knowing lives. John was probably taking care of the house's would-be burglar and succeeding. He was not sure. John hanged up the phone on him before he could ask. He could hack it, sure, but it would be rude if he distracted him at that moment- he could die.
"Although, I could not say much about his well-being. Mr. Reese is kind of busy at the moment."
"Is he making trouble again?" she snapped.
"No, he is trying to prevent it. And, if we really want to stop anything violent from happening, we need your help."
"No, I am not cleaning up his mess," she retorted.
"We need you for information this time."
There was a short silence.
"I am listening."
"Her name is Kathryn Knowing, 28 years old, divorcee, and a real estate agent for Helix Real Estate Agency. Also, we need her file from the US Marshals when she testified at the Maine case back on August last year."
"That's it?"
"No less."
"Say hi to John for me- that is, if he lives another day."
"I will pass him the message."
He hanged up the phone just in time for it to beep. John finally phoned him.
John waited for the door to swing open when he tackled the burglar into the ground and disarmed him. The man was taller than him and had broader shoulders. He was also wearing a ski mask over his head and hit John's jaw with it. John reeled back and the burglar took advantage of that instant to stand up and kick his gut. He was breathless. His gun flew far away to his side. The punches and kicks kept coming afterwards and the ex-agent avoided only half of them. Clearly, he was overpowered by his opponent on hand-to-hand combat and so, he ducked towards the ground, rolled over to where his gun was and shot the man.
He missed- the bullet digging deep inside the burglar's left thigh instead of his gut. The man cursed with thick Spanish accent. And then, he dashed towards the doors and had gone. John had tried to chase after him but the other tenants were already peeking out of their doors to check where the gunshot came from despite the silencer. So, he went back inside the apartment and inspected if they disturbed the place more than necessary- it turned out they did. And, Knowing was about to come home in five minutes tops. So, he phoned Finch.
"Mr. Reese. Have you gotten rid of the burglar?"
"Oh, I'm fine, Finch. Oh why, thank you for asking." He sarcastically greeted him back. Damn, he hurt all over the place! Show some concern.
"The phone traffic from that building got busy with 911 calls about a gunshot. You didn't get shot, did you?"
"I shot him. Check hospital records around the perimeter for a 6'3" male with a gunshot wound on the left thigh- of Spanish descent, maybe. He cannot be that far from here- I didn't hear any cars leaving here."
"If he is indeed Spanish, he might be one of Maine's men. I'll confirm Detective Carter's information about them as soon as she calls back. In the meantime, I will try and stall Knowing's arrival there as much as I can."
"How would you manage?" he still wanted to ask as he started rearranging the dislocated furniture and eyed the bloodstains on the stark white carpet.
"I have my ways." And not a second later, a female's voice sounded through the phone.
"You look ridiculous drinking tea at a Frozen Yogurt shop."
Kathryn Knowing had just fished her order of frozen yogurt with blueberry, peaches, and mixed nuts toppings- her usual order at her favorite Frozen Yogurt Café, when she noticed a well-dressed man drinking tea, of all things. She squinted a bit, trying to get a better look of the familiar stranger whilst pretending to search for a seat, which, she actually did need. Then, she settled that the man was, indeed, familiar- he was no other than Christopher Lammergeyer, millionaire extraordinaire from this afternoon's business meeting.
At first she thought Arthur- no, James, came back to haunt him about their unresolved past but, that was impossible since he died this morning. She got the call from Bellevue Hospital to confirm it. Ever since then, her entire day had been awkward: from grave news to haunting ghosts poised as a rich client to stealth interviews with one Mark Snow.
This second meeting with the so-called ghost of his ex might be a startling coincidence, or he was following her since her apartment building was just across the street. She was not sure but, paranoia was part of her ingrained training from her past job as a covert operative. The coincidences this day was just too overwhelming. And so, wearing her most charming smile, she walked towards him to ask.
"You look ridiculous drinking tea at a Frozen Yogurt shop."
He was startled, or at least he pretended to be, and hanged up the phone he was holding. He smiled back when she sat across him and hid away his gadget when the waitress- Anna, her favorite one, left a chocolate cupcake topped with pink icing and mixed berries at the table for her.
"I was just passing along this street when I suddenly felt parched. This is the only nearest café- and they do offer tea. What are you doing here?" he had the gall to look innocently at her when his lousy excuse just revealed that he was undeniably following her. It turned out he was one of those clients that hangs around after the check was signed. Had she overdone the flirting this afternoon? Karma was such a bitch.
"Oh, I was also just passing by. But I did order their frozen yogurt- it is rude, you know." She eyed him with conviction. Damn, he looked a lot like James.
"What is rude?" he asked nervously.
Following me, stalking me while looking a lot like my dead ex-husband, creep, she thought but said, "Not ordering their specialty. It is bad for their business if a rich guy like you insults this humble establishment right on its face."
He was taken aback and cleared his throat. "I assure you, Ms. Knowing, it wasn't my intention."
"Please, call me Kathryn. We are friends now, remember?" Okay, she was leading him on with this attitude but she had to find out if he was a stalker, just a weird admirer, or one of the spies the agency sent to collect her. He did sound very concerned back at the chateau- as if she was in mortal danger that only he knew about. It was time for her to get straight to the point.
"What, exactly, brought you to this neighborhood, Christopher?"
He looked pensive for a while before he said, "Do you receive death threats from the Maine brothers?"
Shocked did not even begin to describe her. But, she presented a collected persona when she replied, "How did you know about that?"
"So, you do get threats."
"No, no threats from them. How did you find out about the case? It was supposed to be confidential information only the US Marshals or the FBI know. Are you an agent?"
"No, I am just a concerned citizen."
"Concerned citizens do not get that information easily. Are you a stalker?"
"No." he sternly answered, almost as if he was very offended by the label. His phone buzzed but he ignored it to frown at her. Well, it was very offensive, to say the least.
"Are you one of Maine's enemies, then?"
"You could say that," another plain response. When the silence stretched into minutes and it seemed that Lammergeyer was not giving any further information, she sighed.
"What do you want from me?"
"Your safety, Kathryn."
"Am I in danger?"
"Yes."
"From what? Who?"
"That is what we are trying to find out."
"You don't know?"
"Either Mr. Gerardo or Rodrigo Maine seems like suitable candidates as culprits. Do you have any more enemies besides them?"
"Not that I know about, no."
Silence again. Was he serious?
"What now?"
"We move you out from your apartment into a disclosed safe location. Whoever the culprits are, they planned the assault against you beforehand. It is only a matter of time before they take action."
He watched her with a grave expression- the same one James used to propose to her, and that was when she decided to give his words serious thought. She stood then. And, after she faced towards the waitress Anna to box their cupcakes she exclaimed, "What are we still sitting here for? My apartment's this way."
Inside the apartment building, John Reese was cleaning up a carpet with a cloth and that Instant Stain Remover he learned from his boss, Harold Finch. And he thought his knowledge about these things from the CIA were convenient enough to solve anything.
"Got any plans, Mr. Reese? I can't stall our arrival any further."
"I am just finishing up here." He made a final wipe on the now bloodless carpet. "Make sure to say hi to Kathryn for me."
"That window over there, at the fifth floor- that is my apartment," he heard a woman's voice through the speaker.
Just then, a tall shadow was coming towards the pair outside. Harold noticed. And, when he squinted, he saw that it was a man with a ski mask over his face.
"Uh, oh, Mr. Reese. I think our mysterious burglar decided to stay around and assail Ms. Knowing. Right now!" he whispered anxiously at the speaker phone.
"What?" John closed Knowing's computer and fixed the rest of her desk occupants the way he had found it. Then, he took all of his apparatus and sped towards the door.
"A man in a ski mask is walking towards us with a gun." The recluse grumbled. The masked man pointed his weapon at Knowing but Finch placed himself as a human shield for her. "It's now or never, John."
"Stay calm. I am coming." The chime of the elevator rang through the communication line.
As John emerged outside the apartment building, a gunshot was heard around the neighborhood. He ran.
Police sirens were ringing nonstop at the streets in Midtown Manhattan- a rare occasion at this part of the neighborhood. John Reese was running, he knew, and he was about to have a panic attack. But, as composed as he wanted to be at the moment, his boss was in mortal danger.
His main job was to protect or persecute the persons of interest whose social security numbers came up from the machine. That was the main reason why Finch hired him in the first place. But he made it his personal duty to protect the only person that still has faith in the goodness in him. Ever since the kidnapping incident, he never let Harold got out of his sight- he even asked Detective Lionel Fusco to stalk him regularly without fail. But, he just had his eyes turned and the recluse got himself into a gunpoint crisis. Does he attract trouble that badly?
As he neared the alley, the sirens reached a louder echo and there stood a blonde man in a brown coat and cheap suit. It was Detective Fusco. He held a handcuffed and unmasked guy on his right and a .45 gun on his left. Behind him, there stood Harold Finch with Kathryn Knowing and Detective Carter. The female detective saw him then, and returned to her conversation with Knowing. He crossed the distance as he mentally sighed in relief.
"We just responded to a 911 call from this address about a gunshot fired," the male detective started explaining without the ex-operative asking. John ignored him. But, he still continued.
"Everything is fine… this young lad just decided to…" But before Fusco could finish his sentence, John was already three steps away from Finch. He skipped the remaining distance and cupped the billionaire's face with one hand while skimming the rest of his body for visible injuries. Better safe than sorry.
"Mr. Reese," Finch started. But, he had to see with his own eyes that he was alright physically if not emotionally- Finch do hate firearms and the trauma of his abduction, although lessened, still haunted him.
"I am fine," he continued his tirade then added with emphasis, "and so is Ms. Knowing. Detective Fusco came just in time to disarm the young man over there." He eyed the very tall teen held by the investigator.
"Moreover, I hacked the nearest hospitals and clinic's network connection around here and the burglar's description matched with a patient flagged for lack of identification- here are the coordinates."
And, out of nowhere, without second thoughts, John's soft lips caressed the billionaire's. Blame it on the libido or the moment of huge relief, but his lips were already sealed to the other man and he could not take back the time to undo it. Yet, before his boss could process the whole scenario, he felt him kiss back. And then, John pulled away as fast as he came near. His hands were tingling and a shiver was threatening to overcome his senses. And so, he stepped back and turned away. He was already walking away from the alley when the recluse came to.
"Where are you going?!"
"I am going after our mysterious burglar. Stay with Carter." He plainly said without looking back at them or even stopping. Don't think about what your actions mean. If there was one important lesson he learned all these years, it was: thinking is dangerous.
"Fusco, take Ms. Knowing to the address I gave you immediately."
"What address?" the detective asked his advancing figure. But, the other man's phone later on buzzed and he read his text message. It was an address. He watched the blonde man with vehemence as if saying: do it or you are dead.
"Oh," he uttered nervously. "I guess you are coming with me, Ms. Knowing. After you."
The two entered Fusco's car while the teenage thug rode with the police cars. Detective Carter, though, stayed put in order to guard the recluse. She offered the man a car ride but he shook his head and turned to look at John's retreating back.
"What is your plan, Mr. Reese?" he heard Harold's voice through his earphone and slowly released the breath he did not know he was holding. Stay calm. Things may have started to become awkward between them but at the end of the day, he was still his employer.
"Find out this man's connection with Knowing and if he works for Gerardo Maine."
"Report your progress a.s.a.p.… and be careful." Maybe it was his imagination but he heard caution in his boss' voice mixed with many different emotions that he might actually had called it concern. He must have imagined it then.
Outside Knowing's apartment, Detective Fusco was driving his car with Kathryn Knowing on his passenger seat. He passed by John Reese, the vigilante who took care of his promotion to NYPD. Some promotion it was- they put him at mortal danger every day without pay!
Before driving away, the detective developed a gut to ask his personal blackmailer about the incident earlier. So, he slowed down and slid down his car window to face him.
"So, you and Mr. Glasses…?" But, before he could finish his question, Reese glared at him with homicidal promise. This made him decide to abandon the interview and proceed to follow the other man's orders. "As I said, I am taking Ms. Knowing to the safe house."
"Be careful, Fusco. We would not want anything unfortunate to happen to Kathryn or it will be on your head." The man turned around, went inside a parked SUV and sped off.
As soon as he left, Fusco let out a breath and addressed the latest person in his custody, "Are you ready to leave ma'am?"
She was beautiful, he had to admit. And, she seemed really calm considering that she was just assaulted at gunpoint a few minutes ago. She was quietly brooding about something and he mentally berated himself for disturbing her thoughts. Yet, she faced him and smiled.
"Yes," she replied just before a gunshot was heard.
Along another street opposite Knowing's apartment building, Detective Joss Carter walked alongside one Harold Finch. She was here with her partner Detective Lionel Fusco to respond to a 911 call about a gunshot heard inside the building. But, instead of the long and frantic interviews with the tenants, they found the man with a hot lady being harassed by a guy with a gun. Fusco confronted and disarmed the thug while she consoled the victims. Their mutual friend John Reese arrived at the scene not another minute later and left again to find another assailant- apparently, someone break inside the woman's apartment beforehand thus the gunshot fired. Fusco was tasked with escorting Kathryn Knowing to a safe house while she was left to babysit John's friend.
She tried to be nice to him- offering the enigmatic recluse with a stiff gait a car ride. But, he blatantly refused saying he had a car waiting for him. Bastard.
So, she then decided to walk with him onto the streets. Along the way, she could not help but look back at how the events turned out- the undeniable kiss between the ex-soldier and the recluse beside her was, so to speak, a shocker. And so, deciding to satisfy her curiosity to pry, she cornered the billionaire and asked him, "So, you and John…?"
"There is nothing going on, detective," he replied sternly.
"So the kiss was just a fragment of my imagination, then?" she frankly asked.
"I do not want to talk about it."
"Is that your decision about the matter or is that your way of dodging my questions?"
"Why do you have a lot of questions? As much as I am concerned, I never bothered with asking you about your personal life, Detective Carter. So, I would really appreciate it if you would do the same to me." He snapped and limped with speed towards the street corner. She turned her head from side to side in disbelief.
"Goodbye, detective." He almost shouted to her and turned left after reaching the corner.
"Wait, John told you to stay with me!" She ran after him. But before the detective could cut off the man, he disappeared into the main street full of people. He was nowhere in sight. She cursed loudly. Just then, a gunshot was heard.
Author's Notes
To Harley San Pedro- many thanks for lending me those books as reading materials. They influenced me on most parts of this story. However, they did not help me learn more words- if you noticed the word repetitions. I don't know if you ship these sorts of stories. I should have written a warning label. Anyway, I am changing the genre to Humor/Suspense, what do you think? Follow me on twitter!
To readers and would-be reviewers- I have bad taste on food, I know. And, I haven't had frozen yogurt so I do not know what would go well with it. So, do NOT, under any circumstances, mention it to any reviews. If you think my updates are slow, don't complain. My evil plot bunny only speaks to me in dreams- and it hasn't visited me for a while. So, for the updates of my other stories- blame evil plot bunny for not lending a helping hand.
And, to that anonymous reviewer- thank you for giving the first review. If you would kindly introduce yourself, I would reward you with a chapter sneak peek.