Chapter 7 Family Business

"Grace..." I don't know what to say at this point. I'm happy to see her alive and well, but sad and disappointed by the

circumstances of our reunion.

"What? Got nothing to say sis? I'm hurt" she says sarcastically. "How long has it been? Seven years right? Since my last piano performance the day I had my incident"

"How...you know I was there?"

"I saw you. I was always happy to see you at my shows. I'm just confused why you never said hi"

"I...I don't know. I'm sorry"

"Whatever. Our relationship isn't what's important right now. Amanda, I need your help"

"My help? With what? Are you in trouble? What's going on? And why are you the

Magpie? Explain yourself"

"Woah, calm down sis. Jeez, you really are a cop aren't you? All these questions." A smirk appears on her face. "Actually, you aren't a cop, are you? You're a private investigator. The amazing Amanda Orson of M.O. Investigations. Here's a question for you, why did you keep dad's last name after everything that happened?"

"Changing my name seemed like too much hassle"

"The police academy must have been difficult for you. Going around, trying to be a cop, all the while with a criminals name"

"I got by"

"I know. If it's not obvious by now, I did my research"

"What's going on, Grace? What's the point of all this?"

"Tell you what. Let's make a deal. You help me and I'll answer all of your questions. Every single one. How's that sound, sis?"

"What do you need help with?"

"Nah ah. Tisk tisk, sis. Say 'we have a deal' otherwise I'm turning off the monitor and we're done here"

"Fine. We have a deal. Now, what's the problem, Grace?"

Grace smiles, as if I walked into a trap. "I need money. Lot's of it. More than you can provide. Now, dad has money. All that magpie loot hiding away somewhere. Actually, it's in a safety deposit box at

Chase Bank"

"What? How can all that stolen stuff be in a single safety deposit box? And what branch? Chase Bank is all over the city. Where do I start?"

"Simple. Find the box registered to Trevor Lane. That'll answer some of your questions. Now, normally, this is the part where I say you've got a certain amount of time to accomplish this task. Well, you do. Because of how late it is, I'll give you forty eight hours. Find that box, then text this number" A phone number appears at the bottom of the screen. I quickly write it down before Grace turns off the monitor. "Good luck sis. Ta ta." Grace waves and then the monitor goes dark.

I take a minute to contemplate what just happened. Grace is the Magpie, she needs

money for something. Also, who the hell is Trevor Lane? Too many questions and still no answers. I decide I'm not going to come up with anything while just standing around here. I head back outside and catch Tiffany up on what I learned.

"At least she's alive." Tiffany says after I tell her everything. "So, what's the plan boss?"

"I'm going back to the office to think. You should go home, it's getting late"

"Not tonight boss. This is important. I'll sleep at the office. You're probably not going to use your bed tonight anyway"

"Alright then. Let's go" I call for a taxi to pick us up and send the police cars that Emily sent to us, back to the precinct. On our journey home, I try to get some sleep, but I can't stop thinking about Grace. Why is she doing all this? What's her endgame?

We arrive back at the office. I walk over to a whiteboard we keep in the corner and start writing down everything we know about the case. Tiffany checks the phone for messages then sits down at the computer. "Should we let everyone else know what we found?"

"No Tiff. Not yet. I don't want everyone on a man-hunt for Grace. Best we keep things between ourselves"

I continue to write down the case notes on my 'crime board', when my phone starts ringing. "Tiff, it's Emily" I'm busy writing, so I pass the phone to Tiffany.

"Hey Emily. What's up?" Tiffany puts the phone on speaker so I can hear Emily too.

"I found your missing persons case. It's

weird. The officer in charge of the case never wrote down their name. It's a blank report"

"Officer? Isn't a missing person's case supposed to be headed by a detective?" Tiffany asks.

"That's right. However this report is just a plain officers case report. And I seriously mean plain. It's as blank as snow. All I've got is the name Grace M."

"What could that mean?"

"It means, Tiff, that someone wanted to keep this off the record" I answer.

"She's right." Emily adds. "This report was probably filed by accident"

"So, let me get this straight, Emily" I say.

"There's a missing persons report with nothing on it except Grace M written on it"

"That's right"

"So where did it come from?" I ask.

"Files origin was the eighteenth precinct"

"Why's that ringing a bell?"

"Because, Tiff. It's where Chris was posted before he transferred to Sophie's team. I don't believe in coincidences. Something suspicious is going on here and i don't like it"

"Wait? Why did he transfer?"

"If you're suspecting him, Tiff, your instincts are probably right. Emily, could you find out why Chris transferred? I'm

seeing a lead but I need more evidence"

"I'll do it Mandy. Should I let Sophie know?"

"No. If Chris is behind this missing case, I want as few people to know as possible"

"Ok. Could I get to it tomorrow? I'm tired"

"Sure Emily. Get some rest. Oh and could you possibly find us a safety deposit box? It's registered to a man named Trevor Lane"

"Is this magpie related?"

"Can't say Emily. Could you still do me this favor? Please? I'll owe you one"

"Tomorrow morning. No earlier. And you'll owe me big. I'm serious Mandy"

"You're a lifesaver Emily. Goodnight." Emily

hangs up and Tiffany passes the phone back to me.

"So, we just wait now?" Tiffany asks, yawning.

"Yeah. We're done here. Nothing we can do except find that box. Looks like I'll get to sleep tonight after all"

"I hate to say it boss, but if Chris is somehow involved, what are we going to do about it?"

"Kick his ass"

"I'm serious boss"

"Me too Tiff. I've been wanting to do it since I first met him. Actually, now that I think about it. He's always been against having me on the Magpie case. I always

thought it was because I'm not a cop. But now, it could be because I might be the only person who can actually solve this"

"Hold on. Who told us about the missing persons case to begin with?"

"Charlotte Meridian" Suddenly, I realize where Tiffany is going with this. "Oh shit. Is she in on this? But why? Argh, too many questions"

"My guess, if she's the one behind this missing case, she wanted Grace found but officially still missing. But I can't figure out why. Grace is her adoptive daughter. It just doesn't make sense"

"Ok, this is all very strange, but we don't know if any of this has something to do with why Grace is looking for dad's missing loot. All we can do is find that safety deposit box and hopefully we'll

finally get some answers to all this"

Not long later, me and Tiffany go to sleep. It's been a long day, full of surprises, I'm exhausted but can't sleep. I can't stop thinking about Grace. I lay awake for ages, staring at the ceiling. I don't know when, but eventually I fall asleep.

The next morning, me and Tiffany are at the precinct. Sophie called demanding an update on our progress from yesterday after Gage dropped us off at the rehab center. "Finally. I thought you'd never arrive"

"Fuck Sophie. That's a horrible way to say good morning. Why the hostility?"

"She's on her period" Emily said jokingly, typing away on her laptop.

"EMILY!" Sophie shouts. "That's inappropriate and unprofessional"

I start laughing. "Hahaha. Good one Emily"

"Morning everyone. What's so funny?"

Sophie stands at attention. "Good morning captain. Emily was just joking around at my expense. I believe Amanda is a bad influence on her"

"Really? Darn. I can't just kick Amanda out. Not this far into the case" Captain Gage looks around the room. "Hmm. I know Mark is working the front desk today, but where's Chris? Has anyone seen or heard from him this morning?"

Me and Tiffany share a quick glance at each other. "When was he last seen?" I pry.

"He was at the prison yesterday. In fact, I don't remember seeing him after that" Sophie points out.

"Me either." Emily added. "No idea where he went afterwards. I assumed he came back here"

"I hope he has a good excuse." Gage says. "Ok then. No point waiting around when we have important work to do. First, Amanda. What did you and Tiffany find out at the rehab center yesterday?"

"Grace was there. Two years ago, she checked herself out. Nobody has seen her since" I lie. No point in telling anyone about Grace just yet. Not until I get my hands on the box.

"So, it's possible she's the Magpie?"

"Yes cap. The possibility is there. But, even though we haven't spoken in years, if my sister is behind this, I'm sure she has good reasons for it"

"Did you uncover anything else?"

"The facility seems nice on the outside, but there's something I'm missing. I couldn't get the full picture"

"I see. Is that all?"

"Yes. We tried to visit Grace's adoptive family but they weren't in"

"Very well. Amanda, I know I'm not your boss anymore but could you try to contact the family again. It would be helpful if they know where Grace is"

"I'll go there right away"

"Alright then. Before you go, here. Take this report" Captain Gage hands me a police file. It's a copy of his report about my dad's escape. I quickly glance over it and it seems there's no information here that Emily didn't tell me about last night.

"I'll read it on my way to Grace's house. Thanks cap"

"No problem. Stay safe out there ladies"

Me and Tiffany leave everyone to their jobs. Immediately as I step in the elevator, I receive a text from Emily. It's an address, with the words 'you owe me' written afterwards. "Good girl" I say aloud.

Tiffany glances over at me. I show her the text. "Are we heading there now boss?"

"No point in holding it off. We're on a deadline after all" As we step out of the elevator, I spot Mark sitting at the front desk. "Hey Mark. Good morning"

Mark looks up from the paperwork he's writing up and smiles. "Oh hello Amanda. Miss Tiffany. How are you two doing today?"

"We're good, thanks Mark. It's a shame you're tied to the front desk today"

"Actually, Amanda, I prefer it. Once you reach my age, you don't want any more excitement. Just a nice relaxing desk job until retirement"

"Honestly Mark, that does sound nice. You deserve it. How long do you have left?"

"Eight months, then it's relaxing days back

in our home town" Mark looks down at his ring and fiddles with it.

"You're not from the city? I didn't know that"

"Yeah. Me and Helen are from Maine. We moved here when we were young. We were dreamers. Helen wanted to be on Broadway. I wanted to be a cop. You know the rest"

"I'm sorry Mark. We'll miss you when you're gone. You're like the grandad I never had"

"I feel the same too" Tiffany adds.

"Thank you ladies. Now then, I better get back to work. These papers aren't going to file themselves"

"See you later then, Mark. Take care" I turn around to leave and notice Sophie exiting

the elevator. "Oh Sophie, hey. What's going on? Where are you heading?"

"The boss wants me to go to Chris's apartment and check up on him. I hope you're not distracting Mark"

"Wouldn't dream of it" I say as I start walking away. Tiffany follows me outside and we catch a taxi and head straight for the bank Emily texted us about.

We arrive at the bank. Nothing out of the ordinary, so far. "So, boss, what's the plan? We can't exactly open someone's box without their permission or a warrant" Tiffany points out.

"Actually, something tells me that I can" I look ahead at one of the bank employees. A young lady in her twenties with long black hair. Me and Tiffany walk up to her.

"Hello, miss. Could we get some help please?"

The young lady turns to face us. It takes Tiffany a second, but eventually she realizes who the employee is. "Hello ladies. My name's Amanda. But you may call me Mandy. How may I help you today?" She says with a smile.

"I'd like to access a safety deposit box please" I play along with the game.

"Certainly, miss. Do you have the key?"

I present her with a random key from my keychain. "Right here"

"Excellent. Right this way please" The young lady guides us to the room with all the safety deposit boxes. It's a small room, filled with lockers. Each locker is in fact a

box. In the center of the room is a circular table with four chairs.

Now's my chance. "Ok, Grace. Cut the crap. What's going on here?"

"Hello sis. Fancy meeting you here. I have to admit, I'm impressed. I didn't expect you'd be here so early" Grace says playfully. She's toying with us. With me.

"Ok Grace. That's enough. What's your game here? What are you planning?"

"Fine. If you must know, I'll tell you. Dad had his loot sold and converted into a single bank account, that's been accruing interest these past twenty one years. Do you know how much money that is? Because I don't"

"Ok, but why are you here?"

"In one of our letters, dad told me where he put the only paperwork that exists for the account. In a box, right here in this very room. Unfortunately, I can't just use my key to open every box. The walls have eyes" Grace gestures to the many cameras in the room. One in each corner, all pointing towards the boxes and a final camera in the ceiling. A special one designed to look at the whole room in a 360° angle.

"You, the Magpie, are scared of a few cameras? I thought you had an emp device that wipes out all electronics. Won't that help you here?"

"Wow. Now that is very impressive. I am surprised you found out about that. It was practically impossible to steal that from London"

"So how'd you do it?" Tiffany asks. "And

how did you find out about it in the first place? It's supposed to be top secret"

"You must be Tiffany. I've been doing my research on you too. Such a traumatic past. Abused, hospitalised, pushed to suicide by your ex boyfriend. But miraculously, you were saved by a hero cop. Our very own, Amanda Orson. My, what an inspiration you are, sis. I'm so proud of you"

"Quit it, Grace. Stop being a sarcastic bitch and answer her question"

"Hey! No need for that type of language. If you must know, I learned it from my partner"

"What? A partner? You mean dad right?"

"Hehe, nope. You still haven't asked the

most important question"

I think for a second, then it comes to me. "Grace. Who's Trevor Lane?"

Grace just grins like the Cheshire cat. Then, before I realize it, someone else walks into the room. I turn around and couldn't be more surprised. "Hello, Mandy"

"Chris" I say spitefuly. "How'd you get in here?"

"All access pass" He pulls out his police badge and tosses it onto the table.

"What's going on? What are you doing, Chris?" Tiffany says, surprised and a little nervous.

"You didn't tell them?" Chris asks Grace.

"Nah. Why spoil the surprise"

"Would someone please explain what the fuck is going on?" I yell, impatiently.

"Very well. Twenty one years ago, your dad, the Magpie, decided to quit. He wanted to stop being a thief. But his partner wasn't too happy about that. He wanted more. Always more"

"Dad had a partner?"

"He did." Chris replied. "A man named Trevor Lane. You see, Mr. Lane was a nobody. An alcoholic who was never given a fair chance at life. But, to everyone's surprise, he was a genius. A wizard with technology. The man could build anything he set his mind to. All the equipment a world famous thief needed to succeed. But then, that thief had enough. That was the

end of it all. But Trevor still wanted more. So one day, he tried to steal your dad's money, however, your dad stopped him. As revenge, Trevor called the cops on your dad."

"So that's how dad got arrested. The anonymous caller was his disgruntled partner, Trevor. But, why is dad's money in a box under Trevor's name? And what's your stake in all this, Chris?"

"Trevor Lane is my father."

"What?!"

"My father died five years ago. He spent the rest of his life trying to find the money your dad hid away. His money. My money. So I tried to pick up where he left off. With little success. I even tried visiting your dad in prison, but he refused to see me.

Stubborn bastard. But then, imagine my surprise when I bumped into Grace at the prison, two years ago."

"We began chatting." Grace continues. "Then we came up with this plan. I become the new Magpie, with help from Chris and eventually reveal my identity to dad and insist that I'll stop if he tells me where the money is. He didn't want his little girl to end up in prison, so he told me exactly where to look. The only thing I couldn't get out of him was the box number. He claims he forgot, so with Chris's help, we broke dad out of prison so he could help us find it. We narrowed it down to this bank, but the number is lost to dad. So I got a job here and waited for you to find the right locker."

I stand there, confused. "This plan seems very improvisational."

"I'll admit, we are making it up as we go at this point, but the plan is working. You are here and so is the money."

"Is it? I mean, how can you be sure, Chris? What makes you think my dad isn't tricking you both this whole time? And, actually, breaking dad out of prison with top secret technology from another country, seems like a seriously unnecessary thing to do. By the way, you never answered my question. How did you know about the E.M.P. device?"

"My dad told me. It was one of his designs that your father used for his crimes. After your father was arrested, my dad sold his ideas to the highest bidder. A corporation in London was more than happy to buy his E.M.P. plans."

"So, where's dad now, Grace?"

"No idea. He ran off somewhere. Last night, in fact."

"And he didn't come here? Where the money is supposed to be?" I look at my phone and read the text from Emily again. It says the box number, so I walk up to the boxes and tap the right one. "It's this one, sis. Knock yourself out."

Grace rushes to the box and unlocks it. She pulls the box out of the wall and places it on the table. She opens it, with Chris standing next to her and their expressions drop. "Noooo!"

"Mother fucker!" Chris takes the only thing out of the box. A magpie feather.

I can't help myself and start to burst out with laughter. "Hahaha. Oh wow. You got

played. Hahaha. Oh I tried to warn you, but...hahaha."

Chris is angry. "Where's my fucking money?"

"It's not here, genius. My dad probably hid it away somewhere else. He's probably long gone by now, with all the money. I got to admit, I'm impressed. Was he the one who came up with the idea to break him out?" Grace's expression shows me I'm right. Then something else shows on her face. Pure fear. "Grace? What's wrong? Dad's proof that prison isn't too bad."

"Shut up, bitch. Without the money, I'm going to..."

BANG!

All of a sudden, two men in ski masks

burst into the room, carrying shotguns. Tiffany quickly hides under the table before the men notice. Chris instinctively makes the first move. "NYPD!" Chris tries to pull out his gun, but he wasn't fast enough. One of the men aims their shotgun at Chris and pulls the trigger. The bang from the gun is loud and causes my ears to ring. Chris gets thrown to the wall from the shotgun blast. Grace screams. She's too terrified to move. The other man grabs Grace.

"Hey, fucker! Let go of my sister" I yell at the guy, but before I could move, the guy who shot Chris grabbed me. Something about his movements and reaction time suggests he's had some kind of training. Military, perhaps.

"Sister? The boss didn't say anything about a sister" The man holding me says.

"Take her anyway." The guy holding Grace says. Something about his voice seems familiar, but with the mask, I can't tell exactly why.

The men take us both out of the room and to the main lobby of the bank. People are lying, face down, on the floor. Two other men are wearing ski masks. One of them is carrying a bag, presumably full of money. I get it now. They are kidnapping us but using a bank robbery as a cover to hide their true intentions.

"Alright everyone, listen up. Me and the boys are taking these two as hostages. If anyone follows us, we will kill them."

One word pops into my mind 'Liar'

The men leave the bank and force us into

the back of a black van. I study it as best I can, but there's nothing to see. It's plain black with no license plate. People are watching us and filming on their phones but nobody is doing anything to stop our attackers. The men holding us, place us in the back of the van and climb in with us. The other two men get in the front and a fifth man drives us away.

Sophie arrives at the bank. Panicking and running about, trying to find something, or someone. She spots Tiffany in the back of an ambulance. "Tiffany! Oh my god, Tiffany, are you OK? What happened?"

"Give the young lady some space please, detective." Captain Gage says as he appears from a small crowd of cops. "She's been through a lot."

Tiffany gets up and hugs Sophie. Tears start rolling down her face. "Sophie...they...Mandy..."

"Tiffany. Calm down. Please, tell us what happened."

Tiffany wipes her tears away and tells Sophie and Captain Gage everything. About the factory, about Trevor Lane, the kidnapping and about Chris.

"What a mess. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, Tiffany. Mandy should have known better than to keep everything a secret."

"Hold on there, Sophie. Would you not have done the same if it was your brother in Grace's place?" The captain asks.

"Perhaps." The mood doesn't get any

better, as a hospital gurney comes out of the bank, with a body bag on top. "Damn, Chris. What were you thinking?"

"We found evidence that connected a cop from Chris's previous precinct to a suspicious missing persons report, with the victim's name being Grace M. We think he was involved this whole time. Doing everything he could to find the missing money."

"Then, who were the people that took Grace and Mandy?" Sophie asks.

"Whoever they are, they were good. Real good" Emily appears, holding her laptop. "Take a look at this" She opens her laptop and shows everyone the security footage of the attack.

"They are very coordinated. Military,

maybe" Captain Gage points out. "Emily. Did you find anything else?"

"No. Like I said, they're good."

"Tiffany. Is there anything else? Any details at all"

"Well, we did suspect the Meridians were involved somehow."

"Grace's adoptive family? Why?"

"As I told you, the suspicious report was for a missing persons case and Charlotte Meridian told us that she got the cops involved in a search for Grace after she left the rehab center."

"So the cops involved, you suspect Chris?"

"Yes. We did. Though we never got a solid

piece of evidence. However, I believe that when Chris found out he's looking for Grace, that's when their plan began."

"Their plan. Let's figure this out." Sophie says, her mind connecting all the evidence. "Mandy's dad steals millions in art, jewelry and other items. Chris's dad, Trevor Lane, helps him. One day, Mandy's dad wants to stop being the Magpie, sells everything and puts all the money into a single bank account. He refuses to share the money with Trevor, so Trevor calls the cops and Mandy's dad gets arrested. Mandy gets adopted by a family and separated from Grace. Grace gets adopted by the Meridians. One day, Grace has a drug overdose and gets put into rehab. She uses her free time to visit the prison and chat with her dad. At some point, Grace and Chris meet at the prison and start talking. Once Grace leaves rehab, their plan starts.

Steal while using the Magpie name and find the money, anyway they can. Grace's dad refuses to help unless she breaks him out of prison. He tricks her into thinking that the money is at this bank, but it isn't. When she gets Mandy to come to the bank, some unknown people arrive and kidnap them. What are we missing?"

"Why does Grace need the money? Where is the money? Where's Mandy's dad? Who kidnapped Mandy and Grace? And what's the Meridians' connection in all this?" Tiffany lists, while captain Gage looks on, impressed and proud of the young detective Tiffany has become.

"Alright then, team. Here are your orders. Tiffany. I want you to go back to Amanda's office. Stay there and rest up. You deserve it."

"But, captain. I want to help"

"You can help at the office. But you can't leave. That's an order"

"Yes, captain."

"Emily. I want you to go with Tiffany and keep her company. Look after her and make sure she's OK. I also want you to look over every security camera you can and find these guys. Lastly, I want you to do a deep dive on the Meridians. Find out everything you can about them. If they are involved, I want to know."

"Yes captain. Come on then Tiff. We're having a girls night in." Tiffany and Emily walk away together.

"What about me captain?" Sophie asks.

"I want you to get Mark off of desk duty

and go with him to interview the Meridians. Ask them questions about the bank robbery and Grace."

"What will you be doing, captain?"

"I'll be making some phone calls and seeing if we can get some backup. And I'll make sure the people down in forensics go over the evidence from the bank robbery with utmost priority."

"What about Chris? I mean, his body."

"I've pulled Carla off of her vacation. She'll be overseeing the autopsy. Now then, get going. We need to find Amanda and bring her home."

I don't know how long I've been here. Two

hours, three, four. Time passes slowly when you're tied to a chair in an unknown location. All I know is I'm either in an abandoned building or some basement somewhere. There's hardly any light, just a single light bulb hanging from a cable coming out of the ceiling. I keep hearing footsteps but nobody has come to check on me yet. I worry for Grace. She was their target, whoever they are, and she's not here with me now.

"You moron!" Finally I hear something new. A voice starts yelling from behind the door. "I specifically told you to grab Grace and if anyone got in the way, shoot them. Instead, you think it's a good idea to kidnap someone else too. A cop, no less...I don't care who she is. You were given orders and you failed. Also, what's this I hear about a bank robbery? What the fuck were you thinking. You worthless piece of shit."

The door bursts open and a man falls into the room. I recognise him. The security guard from the rehab center. Lucus Rhodes. He's laying on the ground at the bottom of a set of stairs that lead to the door. His face is bruised and a large cut is bleeding on his cheek. A second man then starts walking down the stairs. He's a large, bulky man. Tall, bald and fat, yet something tells me he's more fit than he looks. He reminds me of Kingpin from Spider-man comics. I also recognise him from somewhere. The Meridian family portrait. He's Mr. Alex Meridian. "First you let Grace escape two years ago, then you disobeyed my orders today. No more." Alex stomps on Lucus's neck, and with a horrific crunch, it breaks and Lucus dies. Alex then walks up to me after wiping his shoe on Lucus's back. "I'm sorry you had to see that, miss. But that's what happens when my employees fail me too many

times. Now then, where are my manors? I'm Alex Meridian. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Amanda."