Chapter Three: Twist in the Findings
Hardison scanned the system for the sister. "Alright, Eliot sending you the coordinates to your phone."
"Did you and Parker find anything about Gina?" Eliot asked.
"She's a teacher at a small, privately funded school for the deaf and blind. She mentors three students. Gina's even raised money for the school with the help of this man, Caleb Michaels. He's a business man that made most his wealth from the stock market. I'm checking his financials and searching for a picture for you."
Parker leaned over Hardison's shoulder. "You won't find a picture of him. Well, not the same picture. He's a master of disguises. I read about him somewhere, but I can tell you one thing he can't change one thing because he's too proud of it. He's got a birthmark that goes across his left eye. It's kind of raised. "
"How do you know that?" Hardison asked.
"Parker, don't you think that's information you should have brought up earlier?" Eliot snapped.
"Didn't occur to me." Parker smiled.
"Damn it, Parker!" Eliot snapped. "Hardison, send me what you have on the guy. I'll ask around."
"Alright," Hardison said
He hung up the phone and looked at Parker.
"How do you know that Caleb Michaels has a birthmark?" Hardison asked.
"I came across him once, years before I started working with the team. He was really smooth talking and tried to pull a fast one on me." Parker looked at Hardison.
"Pulled a fast one? Now, this guy is pissing me off."
"He's a master thief, he has a trademark when he does a lift, he leaves a red rose in the place of the object."
"Don't look all dreamy eyed about this guy, Parker," Hardison remarked gruffly.
Parker smiled and hugged him. "Don't worry, Hardison, you are still my number one."
"I better be," Hardison remarked.
"I'm going downstairs and see if those two come back." Parker looked at Hardison. "Keep me posted."
"Of course, don't forget an ear bud so I can whisper sweet nothings in your ear," Hardison remarked with a smile as he handed her an ear bud.
"I always like your sweet nothings," Parker replied.
Eliot pulled up to a house just outside the city limits in upstate New York. It was quiet and there was plenty of land to hide the walking dead. Eliot glanced around as he strolled up to the front only to be surprised by a warning shot.
"You stop right there!" A young woman shouted from the porch. "I'm not buying what you're selling and I sure as hell don't care who sent you!"
Eliot stared at the young woman as she held a double barrel gun up. He raised his hands up slowly and stopped where he was.
"Can I ask a question?" Eliot asked.
"You just did, now you can see yourself to your car and get the hell off of my land." The young woman said.
Eliot narrowed his eyes at the woman. "Are you Gina Costa?"
The young woman didn't flinch or even move from her position. She stared Eliot down still with the gun pointed in his direction.
"If you wanted to shoot me, you would have already done so." Eliot slowly moved. "Sniper?"
He watched as she lowered the gun and looked at him. She stood straight and pushed back some of her red hair that caught in the breeze.
"How did you know?" she asked.
"The way you hold your gun?" Eliot pointed.
"You can tell I was a sniper by the way I hold my gun?" She asked.
"It's a very distinctive way." Eliot lowered his arms.
"Who are you?"
"Eliot Spencer," Eliot answered.
"Spencer? I know that name, my brother spoke of an Eliot Spencer," she said.
Eliot wrinkled his brow, no one outside the people he knew, knew about him. He walked a little closer and stared at the sharp blue eyes.
"Gina is at school, I'm her sister," the red head said. "Sarah. What's your business with my sister?"
"More curious about your brother, Randle Costa," Eliot said.
"Half brother and he's dead."
"So I've heard. But there's a system that suggest that Randle Costa rose from the dead." Eliot stopped right by the first step of the house.
Sarah lifted the gun and put the safety on. She smiled a little and walked towards the screen door. She looked over her shoulder and invited him in.
"You might want to check your records, Mr. Spencer, but I'll show you something."
Eliot stepped up the stairs and followed Sarah into the house. He looked around the humble home. He noticed that there was heavy surveillance that was wired to the home.
"Paranoid?" he asked.
"Never can be sure who your friend is and who isn't." Sarah smiled.
She walked him into a living room where there was someone sitting with their back to them.
"Hello, Eliot," the familiar voice of the past said.
The gentleman stood up and turned to Eliot.
"What the hell?"
"I don't think we were ever properly introduced, Derek Michaels, but I think you know me as…"
"Lt. Gonzales, Special forces," Eliot remarked. "I watched you walk into a minefield."
He nodded and looked at Sarah.
"Could you give us a minute?" Derek questioned.
"Of course."
Derek watched as his sister walked out the room. He turned and looked at Eliot and invited him to sit down.
"You and I are a like," Derek said. "We do jobs that keep the bills paid and suspicion always on us."
Eliot stared at the supposedly fallen soldier that he served under. Derek lifted a glass to his lips and looked away.
"Who was that man at the coffee shop?"
"That was my half brother, Randle Costa,"
"But he's dead."
"Yes, well, it's hard to keep a supposedly dead guy off the radar of FBI, CIA, Interpol…any government organization that wants the best recon specialist to spy on other governments. We call him Caleb Michaels; he funds the school Gina teaches at. A very good business man using those stupid made for TV inventions."
"So, why were he and Gina there?"
"We wanted to see just how good your team is?"
"My team?"
"I did my research, Eliot, a band of five thieves that help those who the law has forgotten."
"Afraid it's three of us?" Eliot remarked.
"Yes, I know, my brother met one of your team members. I believe you call her Parker."
Eliot folded his arms and looked at Derek.
"I believe we can help each other, Eliot, just like the old days. I can provide you with the military grade technology that can help you do what you do best."
"What do you get?"
"Access to your team. When I need them I can use them?"
"No thank you."
"Why are you turning me down, Eliot?"
"Because you remind me of someone; someone who screwed my team over before." Eliot stared down Derek. "I don't like the offer."
The sound of a gun being pumped was heard. Eliot glanced over his shoulder at Sarah standing there. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Sarah must have a crush on you, Eliot, she would have shot you already," Derek said.
"Think about it, I know old friends have their secrets that they don't want to share with other team members."
Eliot looked at Sarah as she kept her gun ready to shoot on command.
Derek stood up and rested his hand on Eliot's shoulder. "I know who is looking for your team, Spencer. All it takes is for Caleb to make a call."
Eliot took a deep breath and looked at Sarah as she raised her brow.
"How about you move it along, Spencer?" Sarah encouraged him.
Eliot walked towards the hall and made eye contact with Sarah as he passed by her. She narrowed her eyes at him and followed.
"Your brother is a psychopath," Eliot mentioned.
"He's a mastermind. We help people," Sarah said.
"I'm sure you do." Eliot walked out the door. "I'll see you around."
"I hope not."
Eliot walked towards his car and called Hardison.
"We have a bit of an issue, Hardison," Eliot said. "I'll be back in a little."