Chapter II - She Did What!
"You are dead."
Those three words had sent chills through the insurance cop's blood. But that was only the beginning.
"I just don't understand it Nate. You always find trouble but this... This tops everything."
"Thanks for the praise." Nate glared at Ian before turning back to computer screen and watching the footage again.
He walks over to the gallery and looks around, then Amara comes up to him. They talk and then leave the museum.
It was amazing how something so simple could be turned into such a nightmare so quickly.
"I still don't understand it, I tracked Sophie all day. Nothing she did indicated that she was about to rob anything." Nate said as he took a sip of beer and continued to watch the footage.
"Well she did, and not only did she rob an painting from the gallery you, the person who's been on her case for the past three years, were inspecting minutes before she got there, but she also happened to rob a painting that's insured for $6 million by our biggest rival, T.M.D.A. Do you know how bad that makes us look?"
Nate took another sip of his beer. "Yeah, we're in trouble."
"You really blew it this time." The old man waved his clenched fist in frustration.
"I'm telling you Blackpoole, I was on Sophie's tail all day yesterday. It doesn't make sense!"
"Well, Ford, thanks to you I.Y.S.'s stock has already dropped twenty points, and I'm getting calls from some of our biggest clients threatening to take their business elsewhere."
"And, we'll be paying a boatload of money to a public relations specialist."
Nate closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The last person he wanted to see or hear at the moment was Sterling.
"You found a PR specialist?" Ian asked hopefully as Sterling entered the room.
"The best of the best. They say she could convince a dead person that they were still alive if she wanted to."
"Oh goodie." The old man clapped his hands together like a little kid.
"When will she be here?"
"Within an hour. She says it's crucial to nip the rumors in the butt."
"Good." Ian smiled for the first time that day and Sterling turned to face Nate.
"Hello Nate." He said as he joined the man in watching the security footage, which was now at the part where a female walked into the gallery. The back of her head was covered by a scarf, hiding her hair color. Her face never once turned towards any of the cameras in the museum.
"We never see the woman's face, how can we really know if it's Devereaux?" Nate asked.
"The witnesses description fits Devereaux's perfectly, and the way she operated, it's the way Devereaux operates.
Nate shook his head "I'm still not going for it."
Ian turned to face him. "What you go for or don't go for doesn't matter. All that matter's is that the public is going for it and our stock is down 20-"
"Thirty." Sterling interrupted.
"Down thirty, in less than twelve hours." Ian finished.
"Well let's hope your PR specialist is as good as Sterling thinks she is." Nate snapped before turning away from the computer and storming out of the room.
Nate didn't return to I.Y.S. Headquarters until later that afternoon, after getting some much needed rest. Amara had tried to call him several times but he ignored her. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what he was feeling but something was definitely not right.
The headquarters was surrounded by press when he finally showed up to I.Y.S. again, and it took Nate nearly ten minutes to push past everyone and get inside. He hurried back up to Blackpoole's office and was thankful to see that Sterling was no longer up there.
However, a young blond lady who appeared to be in her early thirties was.
"Hello Mr. Ford." She greeted when he entered.
"And you must be the PR specialist." Nate held out his hand and the woman shook it firmly.
"Daniella Carvins" she said with a smile.
Nate nodded and gestured to Ian.
"I take it he explained the situation."
Daniella nodded.
"He also mentioned that you don't believe the thief was Sophie."
"I've been tracking her closely for several weeks now, I would have known if she was planning something like that. Plus, the woman's face is never shown in the security footage."
"A fact worthy of noting." Daniella smiled as she scribbled something down on a notepad.
"I must say there are a lot of holes in this story," she turned to Ian, "It sounds almost as if I.Y.S. was set up."
"But by who?" Ian asked.
"That's not my job." Daniella replied. "My job is to convince the public that this is all a big coincidence, and that the woman who robbed the museum is probably not Sophie."
Ian nodded "so how are you going to do that?"
Daniella smiled.
"Well, I'm going to call up some contacts and have them write a few things. You are going to assure your clients that they have nothing to be worried about. And you, Mr. Ford, are going to find Sophie Devereaux."
Nate frowned "don't you think it's best to let someone else cover Devereaux's case?"
"Yeah, hasn't he already caused enough of a ruckus?" Ian asked.
Nate glared at him as Daniella replied.
"My motto is this is just a big coincidence. Taking Mr. Ford off of Sophie's case would mean you believe he did something wrong. You don't believe that."
"Well, I don't know-"
"Yes you do. In order to convince anyone of anything you need to believe it yourself, and I need you to convince your clients and stock holders that your company is innocent, but you have to believe it yourself. Agreed?"
Ian sighed, but nodded, opting to trust the professional.
"Good. then it's all settled. Mr. Ford, the sooner you arrest Sophie Devereaux, the sooner I can prove that you aren't on her side.
"I guess I'd better get to work then." Nate shook Daniella's hand again before turning and heading for the door.
"Now, go make those phone calls. I'm going to set up a press conference for this evening." Was the last thing Nate heard before he left the room.
But press conferences and newsletters were the last thing on Nathan Ford's mind at the moment.
His job, his reputation, his sanity depended on catching Sophie Devereaux as soon as possible. And after years of chasing her, if anyone knew how difficult of a task that was, it was him.
Hey all, thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and/or faved this story! I hope I'm keeping everyone sort of in character. I love love LOVE Sterling's "Hello Nate," that he says every time he and Nate meet during the show, so I couldn't help but add that. -P
Oh, and hang in there leverage family enthusiasts, the first kid will be introduced to the story very soon. Who do you think it will be? Put your guess in your review and I'll put everyone's answers together as a sort of poll when I post the next chapter.
Anyway, thanks for reading and be sure to review and follow!