Don't own Chuck

Carmen put her last bit of make up on then looked at herself in the mirror. She had to touch up her eyes to cover the bags beneath them from the lack of sleep the previous night. Satisfied that she was in order she left her room and went down to the elevator. Oleg was waiting for her in the lobby for breakfast and was just checking his watch when she got off the elevator.

"Over here," he yelled and waved. She smiled and started to walk across the lobby. Half-way there she noticed his smile had turned to a frown so she looked back and there watching them was Oscar standing with Mr. White.

"You know one of these days I'm going to have to kill him," said Oleg as she walked up to him. She gave him a frown then looked back at the two men.

"You know the way you said that I'd almost believe you meant it. If only I could kill everyone I don't like the world would be a better place."

"And filled with headstones, now look who's talking about killing people. I fought in the war... Oscar and I both did and we killed people but they were trying to kill us."

"Well, I'm happy they didn't succeed but what war are you talking about? Chechenia, Bosnia, the Crimean..."

"All of the above and then some you've probably never heard about but let's talk about happy things, shall we? Are you ready for breakfast?"

"Yes, but let's not have breakfast here," she said as she glanced back over at Oscar and White. "I don't know about you but there are too many prying eyes for me here. There's a yacht club down at the Marina and if we hurry we can have breakfast there."

"Does this have to do with that man in the bushes too? I'm talking about the man who keeps watching you? Are you some sort of heiress and he's your bodyguard?"

"How so very Audrey Hepburn but it's something like that," said Carmen as she looked over at Marcus looking through the shrubbery in the lobby. "So, my dear Oleg, what do you say? We can take a taxi or walk there. However, if we walk we'll probably miss breakfast and have to go straight for lunch."

"I could drive us but if we walk I'll have more time to be with you and this whole continental breakfast thing is okay but I'm usually hungry again in five minutes. That's not to mention all those empty calories too."

"Yeah but a nice warm croissant with Nutella inside... now where are going to find something like that? And don't even get me started on Marmite."

"An acquired test for the discerning palate. But nothing is better in the morning than a full English. The rest of the food might be... well not so good but they certainly know how to do up breakfast."

"We can agree to disagree and it's a nice day out so we can walk. That is if you can spare the time away from your work. I know you need to wrap things up and I'd hate to think I'd be the cause of you running behind schedule."

"I could say the same thing about you," said Oleg as they walked towards the doors. "But don't worry about what I need to get done. I'm in a kind of holding pattern right now and as far as I'm concerned I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

"Oh, Oleg are you trying to flirt with me?" she asked as they cross the square in front of the casino. Oleg stopped on a corner and bought some flowers from a florist.

"Would if be a bad thing if I were," he said as he handed them to her. "I believe that beauty should not just be admired but also worshipped," he said as he took her hand and kissed it then handed her the bouquet.

"My dear sweet Oleg has it never occurred to you to ask me if there isn't some other significant other in my life? Or did you just think I've been waiting around for you to show up on my doorstep?"

"No, not really because if there was someone else he or she must be a fool for letting you walk around by yourself," he said as he took her by the hand. "And as a great philosopher once said '... if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it.'"

"Really, a great philosopher? Hum, I don't know about that," she said as she smelt the flowers in the bouquet.

"Beyoncé is one of the greatest philosophers of this century. She's right up there with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Just look at her other work, 'If I were a boy'. Now tell me that isn't up there with the works of Jean Paul Sartre et al."

"I think I need to watch where I'm walking because it's starting to get deep around here," said Carmen as she laughed. It felt good for her to laugh and it was a relief to get out of the casino.

Not far away Marcus was lurking in a doorway just back far enough where they couldn't see him but near enough where he could keep them in sight. As they walked down the alleyways towards the marina he followed.

"Why are you taking him to the marina? What are you up to," he mumbled to himself. Something in him told him that he couldn't trust Carmen anymore and that he need to keep them in sight to look after his own interests which blinded him to what was going on around him... a fatal mistake.

"No, you're laughing at his stupid jokes. What's wrong with you? You're acting like a giddy teenager in love... crap is that it," he said to himself. But as a light came on in his head he found himself being propelled down an open alley falling flat on his face on the filthy cobblestone.

"Why are you following them," said a voice with a thick Russian accent as Marcus rolled over and quickly got to his feet.

"What's it to you? I'm not following anyone I'm just taking a stroll in this lovely town. Now just look what you've done to my clothes," said Marcus. He recognized his assailant as being one of the Russians that came into the casino the night before. "I ought to make you pay for my dry cleaning. This will never come out."

"You still haven't answered my question. Why were you following that man and woman? Who are you and who do you work for?"

"I work for International Harvester and I'm here to make a deal with the locals. I'm trying to sell some tractors and farm equipment. I don't suppose I could interest you in a snowplow? I hear you guys get some serious snow."

"Don't make me ask you again," said Oscar as he cracked his knuckles. "This won't end well for you so just tell me what I want to know before there are any unpleasantries."

As they were talking Marcus reached up under his jacket and put his hand on his weapon. He didn't want to end Oscar but he would if he had to.

"Look Mister, I'm just going to walk away and I recommend you do the same," said Marcus but the alley was a dead end and for him to leave he had to get by Oscar.

It happened in a flash Marcus started to pull his weapon from under his jacket but Oscar recognized the bulge for what it was and what Marcus was hiding. Oscar moved in closed grabbing Marcus' arm to keep him from being able to extract the pistol. The way Oscar rushed Marcus he knocked him off balance and Marcus had to flail for a bit to stay on his feet staggering back.

"I am so sorry," said Oscar as he stood in front of Marcus with the weapon now in his hand. "I didn't want this to end this way. Why didn't you just answer my questions? I would've let you walk away."

Marcus moved his lips but words wouldn't come out and he had a pain in his neck. He reached up to feel his neck and terror came over him when he discovered a pen jabbed in it. He slowly cascaded down falling on his knees. Oscar propped him up against a wall.

"Don't look at me just close your eyes and think of beautiful thoughts. Don't let me be the last thing you see," said Oscar but in that instant Marcus' eyes glassed over.

"Crap, now what do I do," said Oscar. He heard people coming and he couldn't afford to be caught in an alleyway with a corpse. "Damn you Oleg, this is part your fault too."

Oscar ran out of the alley then started heading back to the casino but he hadn't gone very far when he heard screams behind him and knew he needed to double time it. But first he ran to a nearby fountain where he washed his hands after he washed them he took a drink. His heart skipped a beat when he looked up and saw policemen running down the alleyway towards him.

"Stay calm," he told himself. He still had Marcus' Beretta tucked away in his belt but the last thing he wanted was to get into a shoot out with the police especially not having any place to run to or hide.

"Get yourself back to the casino. This needs to come to an end right now and White may not like this but I'm finished with screwing around."

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Jack was in his office early putting things in order. The seating chart was basically done and the last details of the tournament were finished so now he could take a break. He sat for a moment at his desk and just took a deep breath.

"Every year I tell myself that I'm going to get an early start on this and every year it never comes together until it gets down to the wire," he said to himself as he sipped on his coffee.

"I guess it's time to look at what I've put aside to work on this," he said as he turned around in his chair and opened his safe. Inside was a stack of correspondence that had remained untouched.

"Okay, if I tossed this stuff in here in order so if I pull it out then flip it over I'll start from the oldest to the most recent. You know Jack, your powers of observation at amazing sometimes," he said to himself.

"What do we have here," he said as he opened a letter with a strange post mark on the front. "Mr. and Mrs. ... yeah, yeah..." he said as he quickly scanned the letter. "So, they want to arranged their diamond anniversary here... no expenses spared. Now that's my kind of couple... wait a minute that name... I remember it from somewhere," said Jack as he picked up his coffee cup and took a drink.

"Crap, here it is," he said reading the names on the newspaper under his coffee cup. "Couple divorces after almost seventy-five years for marriage... reason wife was caught in bed with another man and neither could move fast enough not to be caught."

"Way to go there Martha. I guess we know who's been taking her vitamins," said Jack as he laughed. "I wonder if I can still bill them?"

"No, you may not," said Emma standing in the doorway with Molly. "We're going to have breakfast and we wondered if you wanted to come along."

"You just can't find good help these days. Those guys by the door are supposed to stop people from coming in here unannounced."

"I'm not just anyone," said Emma as she gave Jack a look. "And for your information I take vitamins too so you'd better watch out."

"Ewe yuck, I think I'm going to be sick," said Molly. "Come on Dad have breakfast with us. You can figure out ways to swindle people later."

"If I've told you and your sister once, I've told you two a thousand times a two-bit thief has to run out of town but a conn man..."

"Can leave when he wants. I remember now come along you can tell me all about what it was like in the day as we're having breakfast. I'm hungry."

"Okay but let me put this stuff back in the safe then I'll be with you two," he said. But as he was putting the correspondence back in the safe a letter fell out. Jack put everything in then locked the door.

"Maybe you need to start taking vitamins," said Emma as she went over and picked up the letter handing it back to him.

"Deutsche Bundespost," he said as he looked at the post mark then slipped it into his pocket. "I take vitamins regularly, I'll have you know. They come in brown bottles and I take them in liquid form."

"You're incorrigible," said Emma as she put her arm around him and the three of them walked out of his office. "Are you ever going get your head straight?"

"By now you should've figured that was a lost cause," said Jack then he turned to the two well-built men dressed in black standing outside his door. "Tiny and your brother Tim we're going for breakfast. You two look like you could use a good meal... my treat."

They walked through the casino that was being cleaned now getting ready for the opening in the evening. This was a quiet time that lull before the storm as Jack called it. But for him there was no other place to be when it was in full swing.

"You know a lot of fortunes are made and broken in here. Some people just never learn that the house never loses."

"Up to a few years ago you were among those people you're talking about now. What brought on this sudden great epiphany?"

Jack was about to answer when they were almost run into by Oscar who scurried across the lobby floor heading for the elevators. The two men guarding Jack started to intervene but Jack stopped them.

"Don't worry, it's nothing. The man's in a hurry," said Jack as he looked over at Oscar pressing the button for the elevator. "That's desperation," he told himself filing it away but continued on towards the bar. Sarah and Margot were standing just outside talking when they came up to them.

"We're going in for breakfast would you like to come and join us?" said Jack as he looked around. "Where's Razhib?"

"He's upstairs in the suite. He was still asleep this morning when I got up," said Margot as Sarah looked away. "I decided to let him sleep in today."

"Good," said Jack as everyone looked at him. "What? I didn't mean anything by that. It's just I can order bacon without feeling guilty."

"Jack, you're never going to change," said Sarah. Emma was about to tell her they'd already had that conversation when two Montenegrin policemen walked in with the new Commissioner.

"Oh, carp what's going on now. This doesn't look good," said Margot as the three men walked straight over to them showing that they knew who they were.

"I would say good morning but it's not been a good morning for me. Let me introduce myself, my name is Boris Djokivic. I'm the new police commissioner for this area..."

"Welcome commissioner," said Jack. "Maybe we can go into the bar and sit at a table. If you and your men would like we were getting ready to have breakfast. Maybe you'd like some coffee and some doughnuts?"

"Very funny Mr. Burton but my name isn't Winchester," said the Commissioner as Sarah and Margot gave Jack a look and Emma elbowed him.

"Commissioner, I'm half owner of this casino along with my husband and this is Margot Silverman our executive assistant maybe we can go somewhere private and talk. Your last name is Djokivic. My husband is friends with a Serbian with the same last name."

"Ševo, I'm his sin od strinc. I'm not sure how you say that in English? But the man is... and your husband is friends with him?"

"I think the translation is 'son of my uncle'. Well friend might be overstating their relationship and my husband makes friends with everyone he meets."

"Right, well what I have to ask can be done very quickly. A John Doe, as you Americans would call him, was found dead in an alleyway not far from here. He had not identification on him and his fingerprints have been surgically removed. I've sent off asking looking for a match of his DNA and we're trying to use his teeth to identify him. This is his photo," said the Commissioner as he noted the lack of reaction from Sarah and Margot to the image.

"No, I've never seen him before," said Sarah as she shook her head. "But I've only been in town for a few days so I really haven't seen anyone."

"If you give me a copy of that photo I can pass it around the people who work here to see if they know who he is but I don't believe he was a guest here. However, I wouldn't swear to that, we get so many new people each day. But why did you come here if he was killed out in town? There are other places around and near here where someone could end up on the wrong side of a gun."

"I understand that but this man was stabbed with a pen through the carotid artery that penetrated the larynx resulting in him exsanguinating into his stomach."

"A rather gruesome way to kill someone but you say they used a pen then it sounds like the murder wasn't premeditated and the killer used what he had with him."

"You sound like an expert," said the Commissioner as he looked at Sarah trying to figure out if she was capable of the crime.

"That would be my husband again. You see other than owning this casino we also run a security agency... Carmichael Securities. I don't know if you've heard of us?"

"And where exactly did you say your husband is right now?" asked the Commissioner wondering if this husband didn't need to be check out.

"Not in Montenegro right now if that's what you're asking. He's trying to workout a deal with some very important people.

"And in what country did you say that meeting is taking place in?"

"I didn't, but you've still to explain to us why you're here at our front door? Are we going to have to worry about the dog catcher coming in the next time a stray is reported being seen nearby?"

"I wouldn't get so cheeky if I were you," said the Commissioner as he pulled out of his pocket a pen in an evidence back with blood on it. "Does this look familiar?"

"Yes, that's one of our pens but anyone could've taken it. There is a stack of them over there next to reception. We leave for people to take... you know they're cheap publicity."

"I assume you've checked it for fingerprints," said Sarah. The Commissioner gave her a look. "Sorry, I don't want to tell you how to do your job," she said as she thought to herself. "Even if it looks like you're in over your head."

"I would appreciate it if you could double check your guest register and I'll need the security camera footage from the lobby this morning. I want to see if I can see someone grabbing a pen before leaving."

"And people in a very warm place would like a glass of ice water. You're going to need to get a court order for that and our guests pay to have their privacy protected. I think you can understand that but I don't want you to think we're being... well difficult. If you leave us that photo I will personally ask everyone of our receptionists if they've seen this man."

"I could have a car parked out front and have my men come in from time to time then they could ask the person on the front desk."

"And I could call your Minister," said Sarah in Serbo-Croatian. "Which one of us can you guess will get what they want?"

"We'll see. I will be back later," said Boris as he turned and left taking his men with him. Sarah and Margot stood there watching him leave.

"What'd you tell him to finally get him to leave or do I want to know."

"Nothing really, I just pointed out that in a pissing contest he'd come up with the short stick. I'm sure he's on the phone right now to uncle Ševo asking him who we are. Did you recognize that guy because I did. I remember seeing him in the casino and hanging around here."

"I remember him all right. I remember seeing him every time that Carmen woman was around and she went out this morning with that Russian Major."

"We need to look back through the security footage from this morning to see if we can see what went on. You need to have Mike try to get his hands on all the files the Commissioner has on this John Doe."

"You think it might have something to do with what's going on with Jack? I'm sorry I just can't see how this is related."

"I think we can't rule that out until we get all the facts straight," said Sarah as she glanced down at her watch wondering how things were going in Moldova with Chuck.

"I'll get the man's room number then we can go up and check his room. Do you want to come with us?"

"What? I'm sorry what did you say? I'm just a little distracted right now."

You have breakfast with everyone and I'll come and get you when I have the room number."

"Thanks. Yes, let's do that."