Covert Novelist

Myerson chose Maggy’s car, figuring it would give him an easy target to follow.

The sun was setting but it was warm still. They wandered for a while and it was evident they were all feeling the strain.  Everyone began relaxing once they lit a fire in one of the available covered pits provided.  Joking and laughing and ribbing each other, as one would expect from close personal friends, they played it up.  It didn’t take much coaxing and before long they were paired off and huddling together.  One thing led to another and Myerson leaned close and said, “Ready or not,” before moving in to take Cassy in his arms.  He leaned her over and kissed her breathless.  Ordinarily Cassy would have hesitated at public overtures, but she instantly gave as good as she got.  Before long, the shoe was on the other foot, and it was Myerson that looked, if momentarily agog.

God, he thought, his insides turned to mush.  Under the pretext of stoking the fire, he rose and grabbed a long stick to move the glowing embers around and stacking more wood in the pit until a large sized bonfire burned brightly.

Moving back to Cassy, he said, “Now where were we?”

Their antagonist watched from across the park behind the arena.  His binoculars trained on them, he cursed aloud. “God damn!  What the hell is going on?  She was never like that before. Without thinking, he turned the engine over and was about to drive by, when a police car rolled up.

 “Sir, you need assistance?” the unwitting officer asked getting out of his vehicle.

“No.  I pulled in, and the engine died.  I guess I must have flooded it, but it’s alright now.”

“Ok, then, move along sir.”  The officer watched until he did. Because he had moved on without fuss, and because his story seemed logical, Parker wouldn’t bother writing up a report. He stood for a moment, staring up at a full and glorious moon. That always meant trouble, a long night and it was just beginning. Then he got back into his squad car for a quick tour of the beach.

“I’ll be back after I check on her.”

“Oh, by the way, what is my scenario in this little play of yours?”

“Play it by ear and do whatever feels right.”

“Thanks,” she said before leaving to join Cassy.

“Who the hell does he think he is anyway?”  Cassandra muttered to herself.

Maggy smiled.  “Hey, I just want to change into something warmer.  You ok?”

“Yes, I’m fine!” Cassandra nearly barked. “Sorry.  Sorry.  I don’t mean to take this out on you.”

“It’s ok.  I’m not offended.  I think it’s interesting.”

“What’s interesting?”

“You.  Myerson.”

“What do you mean?”  Cassandra asked in puzzlement.

“I think you protest too much.  I think, you should let nature take its course and find out where it leads. It could be very gratifying, and illuminating.”

“Doubtful!”  Cassy responded.

She’d been fighting this growing attraction to Myerson from the first.  He was easy on the eye, strong, determined, smart and apparently, very good at his job. She wasn’t sure she was ready for another relationship.

Patrick had all but worn her out.  He had been so demanding, possessive and controlling.  It had taken everything out of her and she had cautiously avoided getting into another relationship since.

Besides, her life was here.  His wasn’t.  She wasn’t sure she would welcome that kind of a change right now.  She wasn’t in charge of anything, and the last thing she wanted was to give up what little control she had to another man.  Even if he was as sexy as Myerson, or as delightfully funny, or had the sexiest eyes she’d ever seen.  Damn him! She thought.

Meanwhile, Max was filling Craig in on the plan and what he hoped would transpire.

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“I suppose that doesn’t mean much,” Cassandra retorted.  “We don’t have any real evidence, do we?”

“Exactly,” Myerson acknowledged.

“Even if it is him, we need more.  We need hard proof we can take into a court of law and put the son of a bitch away for a good long time.”

“So, what’s the plan then?” Craig asked, his eyes never leaving Max’s face.

“Continue as is.  If it is him, he’ll respond one of two ways; he’ll back off, and possibly leave town, because he knows we’re looking at him, or, it’ll force his hand. Either way, we’ll know.  On the off chance it isn’t him, no harm no fowl.  And whoever the real perp is, that person will be forced to move.  Probably make them more relaxed feeling we’re looking in the wrong direction.  No matter what happens, we need to remain vigilant.  Suspect everyone, presume nothing.”

“I think it’s about time we were seen around town, perhaps a walk along Storey’s Beach,” he announced. “We’ll stick to the grassy areas around the ball diamond, where it’s easier for Cassy to move around,” he suggested quickly.

“Cassy, we’re going to call on those latent acting skills now,” he informed her.  “I want you to act loverly.”  Moving closer he grinned, “Think you can do that?”

Slightly miffed and in a very off hand manner she replied, “Of course I can.  I doubt you can keep up.”  She rose smartly from the table.  “I’m going to change.”

She would have marched upstairs if her vision were better, but since it wasn’t, all she could muster up was an exaggeratedly dignified exit.

“You do that on purpose,” Maggy muttered.

“What?”  Max asked quietly.

“Goad her.”

Smiling a lopsided grin, he said, “Yeah, who can resist, she’s so adorable when she’s miffed.”

“Just be careful you don’t out-do yourself,” she warned.

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Myerson sure as hell hoped so because Bertrand was the only likely suspect so far.  He looked good for it, but time would tell.  If he was the guy, he had covered his tracks so far, and well.

Myerson got back to Cassandra’s about 6:00 o’clock.  He phoned ahead and said he was bringing dinner.  He picked up steaks, salad, potato salad and dessert.  When he arrived, they were relaxing around the table as a bottle of Reisling sat breathing.

“Hey, hope you’re hungry, I brought enough to feed an army!”   He smirked then went to retrieve the plates and cutlery while Maggy brought out wine glasses, coffee mugs and napkins.

“How did it go?”  Maggy asked, concerned.

“Good progress,” Max then asked, “Mind if we wait until after dinner?”

They talked about sports, how the blue jays were doing and which was the better hockey team invoking a lively debate.

Pushing his plate away, he said, “Does the name Bertrand mean anything to anyone?” Max asked almost nonchalantly.

“Bertrand.  Bertrand.  I don’t think so,” Maggy said after turning the name over in her mind.

Max explained beginning with a general description – where the guy worked, what he thought about the likelihood that this could be their man.

Craig asked, “He on file anywhere, for anything?”

“No, he’s flown under the radar, inconspicuously.  He has a rep as a loner, but most describe him as off, even scary.  Women in particular don’t have anything nice to say about him and his attitude. Even a few men told me he gives off weird vibes.  There is a pact among a few women and two men I know of so far, that if he becomes bothersome they need only call.  Whether he’s our guy or not remains to be seen, but he’s under surveillance as we speak.”

“How do you know her?”

“We met once, at a party.  Pretty lady.  I like pretty ladies.”

“Are you into threatening pretty ladies, when you don’t get your way, Bertrand?”

“What the fu…”

Myerson got in his face.  “I asked you a question, MR. Bertrand.” He emphasized the point by stabbing his finger in Bertrand’s chest.

“NO!” Bertrand pushed back.  “I don’t!  Don’t need to.  The ladies are only too willing.”

“Not what I hear.”

“Why, what do you hear?”  Bertrand asked bravado evident in his voice and eyes.

“I hear you get aggressive and pushy with the ladies and they don’t much like it.  In fact, I hear you’re an unwelcome addition to our community, Mr. Bertrand.  If I hear any more stories, I’ll be back.”

“Fuck you,” he said under his breath before heading back up the pole.

Myerson figured Bertrand for a pushy, mouthy arrogant asshole, but was he the one after Cassandra?  Inside the car, he called Jason Marks and told him where to find Bertrand.  “He’s working, Marks, so keep a low profile, but don’t you lose him, you got it?”

“No, sir!” Marks answered immediately.  “You can count on me, sir,” he promised.

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“Whatever you do, don’t approach him, or talk to him.  Most importantly, don’t threaten him.  Whoever he is, it sounds like he’s a loose cannon and he could be aggressive and definitely dangerous.  If you see him hanging around her, call me, immediately.”

“I’ll do some investigating into this guy.  This is on a need to know bases.  So far, you’re the only one outside a small circle of individuals who knows anything at all and I want to keep it that way. Don’t even tell your closest associates.  Here’s my number.  You can reach me any time.”

“And thanks, I appreciate your help.” Myerson hopped in the car and instantly contacted his immediate superior for assistance in obtaining a list of local phone company workers and their contact information.  Hopefully it was a solid lead.

Before he’d reached Cassandra’s he already had a list of names and was tracking them down.  He found out who was on shift and talked to those first, then the off-duty workers next.  It was 4:30 by the time he tracked him down.

“Mr. Bertrand.”

“Yah, who’s asking?”

Holding out his badge, Myerson gave his name.  “Would you come down here a minute?  We need to talk!” He said firmly.

Bertrand slid down the telephone pole, one of the few remaining in town, and confronted Myerson somewhat cockily.  “Ok, I’m here, what’s so urgent?”

“Do you know Cassandra Jeffrey’s?”

“Yeah, somewhat.  Why?”

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“You can count on it…”  Shawna felt inordinately guilty.  She went back over the conversations she’d had regarding Cassandra and couldn’t remember having slipped up. She’d memorized the script and had adhered to it very strictly.  She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened.  Something or Myerson wouldn’t have come to the store.

Shawna’s thoughts were cut short as a customer came in, so she tabled it until later deciding to talk with Kevin about their mutual ‘friend’ and warn him.

Myerson looked to see what information they had on Kevin Barrister and headed over to his metal shop.

“Kevin Barrister?” he held up his badge.

“Yeah.  What’s this about?”

“You had a discussion with Shawna Dickson recently regarding a man you described as ‘bad news’.”

“Yeah, what of it?”

“What can you tell me about him?”

“I don’t know much really.  He’s bad news, that’s for sure.  He came to town about six months ago as I recall.  He’s showed up at a couple of parties I attended and he comes across as cold, calculating and definitely a loner.”

“The women at the grocery store asked me for assistance when he was there, because he was badgering them.  They say he’s something else.”

“Do you know his name, or where he lives?”

“It’s Bertrand or Bertram or something along those lines.  You might get in touch with the phone company.  I heard that’s who he works for.”

“Thanks for the assistance, Kevin.  If he should contact you, let me know, immediately.  Keep an eye on Shawna, too, if you can.  Your friends, right?”

“Yes, we are.  I’d like more, but there you are.”

“Keep an eye on her when you can.  I’ve got an undercover officer watching the store, but in her off hours, it would be helpful if you hung out or gave her a call to make sure she’s ok.”

“What is this about?” he asked, walking up to Myerson.  “What’s going on?”

“I can’t give you details, it’s an ongoing investigation but it’s urgent and involves Cassandra Jeffreys.  My concern is that Shawna could become collateral damage in the process.”

“You think this guy’s dangerous?”

“Can’t say for sure.  I’m looking into it.”

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“A few days ago, we circulated a picture.  Do you have a copy?”

“Yes, it’s right here, under the counter.”

“Take another look at it, Shawna, tell me what you see.”

“You think this is the guy?” her eyes widened.

“Can’t say for sure, but I can’t rule him out either.”

“I don’t know.  It could be him, there’s something familiar about this guy though – the hair and eyes are wrong.  I couldn’t explain what they should be, but I know this isn’t right.”

“This guy, I figure he’d just gotten off work or something.  He was wearing a tool belt. He seemed very proper, which is why he caught my attention.  That and the fact I’d seen him before and I couldn’t figure out what he was doing here.”

“Thanks, Shawna.”

“Has something happened?” When it became obvious he wasn’t going to elaborate she added, “Tell Cassandra, everything’s going according to plan and the new stock is a hit so she’ll need to re-order sooner than she expected.”

“I’ll pass that information along.”

“Oh, and one more thing, Shawna, were you aware that Cassandra had moved back home?”

“No, I wasn’t.”

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Every detail you can remember.  Start a list and beside each name in point form, what the conversation related to.  It’ll help jog your memory.”

He watched her closely as she thought about conversations she’d had with visitors and patrons alike.  “Well, there have been three or four reps, who wanted to get in contact with her about the new season lines.  I gave them the number she asked me to use.”

Shawna wrote down a dozen or so names following his instructions.  Hmm, he was right, it did help make remembering easier and more detailed. A blush suddenly covered her cheeks and noting it, he immediately asked, “What?  Something just came to you.  No matter what it is or how insignificant it may seem, I need to know, Shawna.”

“There was this guy a couple of days back. He was kind’a cute so I asked around about him.”

“What did you say to him, Shawna?  What did he ask?”

“He was making time, or trying to, and then he suddenly backed off.  He said he thought I was the owner and when I explained she’d taken time off, he said was looking for the hardware store, which is what part of this building was originally, before Cassandra rented the space.”

“I talked to Kevin Barrister, a friend of mine, who is acquainted with him. He was at this party that we attended at Christmas.  Kevin told me he was a loner and a freak.  He said no matter how cute I thought he was, he was bad news.”

“I need Kevin’s name and phone number,” Myerson stated emphatically.  Shawna wrote it at the bottom of the list.

“What’s happened, is Cassy ok?  I haven’t heard from her in a few days.”

“She’s fine,” he responded without expanding; the less she knew, the better off for her and Cassandra.  The less knowledge she had, the less likely she’d inadvertently let something important slip.

“If this guy shows up again, or contacts you or Kevin, or anyone else you’re familiar with, let me know immediately.” he admonished.

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“He’s manipulative, conniving, but charismatic, Cassy, and possibly charmed someone into giving him what he wants.  They probably did so innocently.”

“I need to get on this, start tracking from our end, find out where the leak is!” he informed them.

“Thing is, this info isn’t something Cassy, Maggy or any of their friends acquaintances or residents of Port Hardy would have.  It directly relates to you and me Craig.”

“Stay with the ladies, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Turning back to Craig he asked, “Who knew you were coming here and why?”

“My commanding officer of course, since he had to ok the transfer and even he didn’t have all the details.  Not that he would expound on them if he did.”

“Ok, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

His first visit was to Cassandra’s shop.  He waited until Shawna was free and cornered her.  “Shawna, how are you?”

“I’m fine.  It’s been pretty busy lately.”

“Anyone shown up asking questions?”

“Not that I can think of,” she replied thoughtfully.

“What about the store, has anyone been asking questions about Cassandra, or her whereabouts?” he asked directly.

“Several people have, why?”

“Names, Shawna, I want names,  what it pertained to how it relates.”

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Carefully opening the envelope with a handkerchief, he was shocked at the pictures he found inside.  ”God damn!”

“Max, what is it?”

“Well if he didn’t know who I was before, I assume he does now and it was real quick work. Craig, get on the horn, call headquarters and have them station protection for your family,” and looking down at the photos in his hand, he continued, “and mine.”

“Max, your scaring me, what is it, who are these pictures of?”  Cassandra beseeched.

“It’s my mother and Craig’s aunt.”

“How could he obtain that information?”

“Damn difficult to hack our files, our techs are some of the best, they’d have noticed immediately.  That or he has connections and he’s used them.  So, he’s watching closely.”

Pulling his cell out of his pocket, he moved out of range of the others.  When he was finished, he said, “They are on it.  Tech’s are interviewing everyone and going over all logs emails and phone calls to determine the methods he used to get inside information.  They’re looking for bugs.”

“God, I can’t see how it could be a leak on our end!” Craig said, voicing his own concerns.

“Whether it was or wasn’t, I can’t rule out the possibility, but it’s doubtful.  However, he got the info, he came up with the right answers.”

“Who would do such a thing?”

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“Now you’re here, the party can begin,” Craig quipped.

“Right on.”

“Here, Cassy, allow me.”  Myerson took the kettle from unresisting hands prepared to make tea.  “Where do I find the makings?”

“Bags are in the cupboard above the stove,” Maggy told him.

“Listen, do you think anyone will get back to sleep tonight?” she asked.

“Doubtful,” Cassandra replied. “In which case, why don’t we make an early breakfast and coffee instead?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Cassy agreed appreciatively.  Before long the sun was shining brightly, and well fed, they took turns showering and changing.  Cassy decided to inspect their handiwork on the flowers outside.  Myerson was right behind her.

“Cassy, wait!” he ordered.

Having preceded her out to the front steps, he found an envelope laying on the stoop.  “Inside,” he commanded, “now!”  Half pulling half leading her, they hurried around the back and entered the way they’d come.

“He’s been here, wanted to rub it in our faces,” Max said.

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