UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck Read online

  “Oh! Okay, son, I will tell your Father to do that.” replied Mrs. Russo. She was slightly taken aback by this sudden change of tone and words. His tone was different. All the shaking was gone. She knew that something good had just happened. She thanked God, for whatever it was, and ended the call. On the other side of the phone, John returned the phone to its holding place. He rushed back to the door and asked his client to step into his office.

  John Russo returned to his desk and took his chair. For the first time in six months, he had an actual reason to sit on that chair. He felt good about the day, about this client. Suddenly, the rush hour traffic outside was no longer bothering him. He thought the sun was pleasant, and the day itself was looking better. He was happy. Deep inside, his mind kept cautioning him not to get too carried away with this sudden turn of events. He would not listen though. He kept blocking out those negative thoughts. Even if this was a false hope, he deserved a little joy. It was a tiny reward for his six months of waiting.

  Before he took his chair, he motioned Ms. Luck to the visitor’s chair. She took the seat. John Russo moved a glass of water toward her. She looked at it, and seemed to think for a few seconds before gulping it down.

  “Thank you, detective.”

  “You are welcome. Ms. or Mrs. Luck?”

  “I am Ms. Luck. I was told by a friend of mine that you are a good detective. Do you recall June Little? She was here a few months ago. You helped her out with her cheating husband.”

  John Russo did not recall that name. He quickly ran a search on his tablet. June Little’s file showed up. The notes talked about her husband who was having an affair with her cousin. The case was slightly more complicated because June did not wish her cousin to be implicated. John Russo figured out a simple solution. The former Mrs. Little paid a handsome bonus for managing all of it pretty well.

  “Yes, I remember helping her.” he said, putting his tablet away and looking back at her.

  “She also said that you no longer work on divorce cases anymore. She did mention about the clarity with which you worked. I am her friend, who was with her during those difficult times. I was very impressed with your work, Mr. Russo.” she said, grabbing a tissue from the table. She wiped her tears away, dropped the tissue in the nearby waste basket, and grabbed another.

  “Thank you, Ms. Luck. Now that I know how you found out about me, why don’t you tell me how I can help you? You are not married, which obviously means you are not here to make me go back to spying on your spouse or some such.” said Russo, containing his excitement. Finally, an actual criminal investigation was coming his way. If he was a young boy, he would have run down the hallway that connected his office to the elevator, screaming words of joy, and perhaps some profanity as well. He told himself that he could not do that, although he did think about it a few times. He had half a mind to call up Rod and tell him to come over with some champagne. That would have to wait for a while, John said a voice inside his head.

  In response to his question, Ms. Luck dug into her handbag. The handbag was just like her, simple, and a little dull. It had a single green ornament on the opening flap, but otherwise, it looked completely ordinary. She pulled out a large photo which was folded twice. She opened it and handed it over to the detective. John noticed that the photo was crumpled, as if it was held in her hands for the last few days. He also saw traces of dried tears.

  “This is my brother, Todd Luck. He lives in this city. I think something might have happened to him.” she said, dabbing her tears with another leaf of tissue. John noticed that the tissue box was at the end of its life. He got up and walked to the cabinet of his office. He grabbed a new box of tissues, and placed it next to the old one. He then returned to his chair, all the while focusing on the picture and the man in the picture. The man in the picture bore no resemblance to the lady here. He looked to be about twenty five years old, with that youthful appearance in his face. He was clean shaven, and his eyebrows seemed like they were trimmed. John thought that was odd, but some guys did go the extra length to make themselves look good. The man was wearing a red and blue checked shirt. Odd choice for a shirt, John thought. He looked a lot happier than his sister was right now. At the back of the picture, a date was printed, indicating that the photo was snapped three years ago. It was an old picture.

  “What makes you think that he is missing?” asked John Russo, returning the photo to the crying client.

  “He worked in this city. I am not from around here. I don’t know where he worked, or what his job was all about. He would call me once a week. It’s been ten days now, and he hasn’t called.” she said. She had stopped crying now. Perhaps she thought that this detective might be able to help her. As she spoke, John looked at her closely. She seemed a lot older than the guy in the photo. John assumed that he must be her younger brother. She was a wearing blue top that that had slight wavy patterns on the right side. Her pants were a darker blue shade, and she had a gold wrist watch on her right arm. John noticed that the watch did not really fit her, as if it was a gift from someone else. John ventured a guess that the watch might have been a gift from her brother. Her hair was held together by a single band in a ponytail. Her eyes, the only thing that would relate to the person in the photo, were blue, and they were pleasant to look at. She had an ordinary face.

  “Did you call him?” asked the detective, trying to understand more about the situation.

  “I couldn’t.” she replied.

  “What do you mean? You don’t have his cell phone number?”

  “He did not use one. Every time he called, it would be from a phone booth. I had no way of contacting him. He said his job required him not to have a cell phone. I did not ask him too much about it.” she said, fully aware of the fact that it was unusual for anybody to not have a contact number. The detective thought it was strange too. He could think of several jobs that might prevent a person from giving contact information to his own sister. Most of these jobs were of the sinister kind, and he did not really enjoy the direction the discussions were taking him. However, his mind was racing, his blood was pumping, and he was getting excited.

  “I have to admit, this is very strange. Please do not take this the wrong way. Was he involved with a criminal gang?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so. He was a little spoilt during childhood. When our parents died, I took care of him. He moved to this city two years ago, looking for a job. After that, he would randomly come to visit me. Ever since he moved here, he would always insist on calling on his own, and not once would he let me call him. Nor would he let me visit him here. I thought that it was strange in the beginning. Over the months, I got used to it.” she answered.

  “Have you lodged a complaint with the police?”

  “I did that three days ago. I have yet to hear from them. I got anxious as days passed. Finally, I called up June, got your address, and came to see you, first thing this morning.” she said. She was speaking a lot better now. Something in her gut told her that this private detective would help her out.

  “I see. I will need some information from you. First, please give me your contact information. You have to understand that I may have to intrude into your personal affairs in order to ascertain your claims about yourself and your brother. I will probably need a few things, and there will be an advance payment that you would have to make. By tonight I will email you all the information that I would need. Missing person cases can get pretty expensive. I do not know how much you can afford to spend on this case.” he said.

  “Money is not a problem, Mr. Russo. Please state the advance sum in the email you will be sending. I will make the payment by tonight.” she said.

  Looks like I finally got something. John Russo said to himself. He had a real criminal case. The money is good. The client seems to be eager. On top of that, she already had confidence in his working capacity. So far, so good. He made a note of her contact nu
mber and email address and bid good bye. She got up, smiled, and let herself out. John Russo heaved a huge sigh of relief. A wide smile took over his face.

  John got up from his chair, pressed the button that locked the office door, and relaxed on his favorite sofa. The television was off and John hoped that it would remain that way for a long time to come. As John relaxed on his sofa, staring at the ceiling, his brain started working out the path that lay ahead of him.

  So far, all John knew was that there was this woman, Ms. Luck, who felt that her brother was missing. Oddly enough, she was assuming that her brother was missing. For all John knew, the brother could be dead. The only thing she knew for sure was that he lived in the city of Primer. Was he still in Primer? If he was, why did he call her from public phone booths? Why did he never give his contact number, or even an email address, for that matter? What if Ms. Luck was not what she seemed to be? What if she was working on behalf of another agent, and this was all just a clever ruse to get some advantage over this Todd person? The eyes in the photograph and that of Ms. Luck matched perfectly. Then again, she could be wearing contact lenses.

  That won’t do. John had to be sure that the client was genuine. That would mean checking her out at two different places. He would have to verify her name and contact details at the hotel she was staying in. Then he would have to make a trip to her residence and verify her identity in every way he could. Yes, that seemed to be the right way to go about it. First he would go to the city hotel she was staying in for the night. John hoped his Father would be there soon with his car. He glanced in the mirror at his attire and was relieved that he looked professional. He wore his silk suit which made him look like a banker. John loved silk, mostly because of its smoothness. There would always be times when John had to run, jump, and even use firearms. The many pockets and the flexibility of silk made it his favorite option for clothing.

  John walked into the small cabinet that contained his collection of firearms. He picked up two guns and put them into his hidden holster underneath his jacket. Then he grabbed two blades and put them into secret slots in his shoes. John would normally not carry the two blades, but something told him that things were going to get pretty dangerous with this new assignment. On top of that, he had been without any action or activity in a seriously long time. If he were to rate himself, John would consider himself a seven out of ten. John hoped that this assignment would not get so dangerous that his first criminal assignment would be his last. John shuddered at the thought of that. Once he had his weapons secured, he headed down to the parking garage. His Dad was just reaching the lot.

  “Thank you, Dad for letting me use your car; I really appreciate it.”

  “It’s no problem; I hope this means you have a case.” John did not want to get into details, but was pleased to indicate that yes he had a new case. “Use the car as long as you need it. I have called a cab, and it will be here soon.”

  John smiled and thanked his Dad before jumping into the running car. “Thanks again, Dad.” His Dad waved as he exited the car park. John drove to the hotel in which Ms. Luck was staying. As he drove, he asked himself if it made sense for him to worry so much about the identity of his client. He could have just asked her for identification cards, but John had seen fake IDs before. John had a general mistrust of such IDs, mainly because he himself used a number of faked IDs for his work. Sometimes, the old fashioned way of doing private detective work on foot was the best. As far as John was concerned, this case demanded that old fashioned approach.

  Chapter 5

  A few minutes later, thanks mostly to the light traffic en route to the hotel, John had handed his car over to the valet. John looked up at the grand Hotel Trinity that stood in front of him. Hotel Trinity looked like it was decked out for a wedding bride who was taking her own sweet time to come out of the carriage. The main entrance seemed wide enough for a couple of elephants to walk through. John noticed a few security cameras that were discreetly placed at different parts of the entrance. If John weren’t a detective, he probably would not have noticed those cameras.

  As he approached the door, the doorman smiled at him. John returned the smile and entered the hotel lobby. John noticed that the lobby looked nothing short of a palace, if palaces were still allowed to retain their formal glory. There were a few customers who were waiting in the lobby, seated comfortably on the many waiting chairs. John noticed a family of five step out of the elevator with one of the kids just breaking into a run towards the fountain at the center. John could hear light music in the lobby, but could not locate its source. The air had a pleasant smell to it, sort of like being on a hill top. John made a mental note to go there and spend a weekend the next time he was on a date. Perhaps he could ask Sheila out. John ignored that thought and approached the desk.

  He pulled out his wallet and placed his private detective license on the desk in front of the receptionist. The receptionist, who slightly resembled the famous model Alice Long Walker, took his card and looked puzzled. She quickly decided that this was something she wouldn’t be able to handle and went inside, behind the closed door. John waited at the desk, and a minute later, a man returned from the door. He had a rigid expression on his face, like he would like it nothing better than to punch John in the face.

  “Hello, Mr. Russo. Your card checked out okay. How can we help you?” asked the man. He did not venture to give his name out, and John did not bother asking. John took back his license card from his outstretched hand and put it back into his wallet.

  “Perhaps, there is a place where we can discuss this in a bit more detail, Mr...” said John, trying to figure out his name.

  “This way, please,” said the gruff guy, leading John to his cabin. John entered the office and took his seat while the manager sat on the opposite chair, behind the desk. John now felt how his clients felt when he would ask them twenty questions when they came with an assignment. John smiled, and then stopped midway, because the guy on the other end did not seem to like it.

  “I am looking to know about Rita Luck. I believe she is staying in room number 567.” said John, getting straight to the point.

  “One moment please,” said the manager, picking up the phone. He spoke in his gruff voice, “Bates. I need you to pull up the file of Rita Luck. She is in room 567. Make it quick!” John thought that the man always spoke with a gruff voice, and maybe that was just how he was. John guessed that he might be a man of about forty-five. There was a wedding ring on his finger, which made John wonder if any woman could really stay married to a fellow like him.

  The phone rang again a moment later. The gruff guy answered it, “Okay. I will check my tablet. Thanks, Bates”. The manager picked up his tablet, made a few swipes, and he seemed to have opened the file that John would use. “Perhaps this is what you are looking for, detective?”

  John picked up his tablet and found the customer information. The photo matched with that of his client. He was looking for her home address and it was mentioned. He also wanted her citizenship number and her credit card number. John knew that he could have got this information directly from her. For good or bad, he knew that the less his clients knew about his workings, the better.

  “With your permission, Mr. Manager, I would like to make a copy of it.” said John.

  “I would like to see the authorization letter that Ms. Luck would have given you when she hired you. I would like to dock that in my file, in case, this turns into a police investigation later, detective.” said the manager.

  “I would not mind sharing the authorization letter. Just give me a minute. Also, could you give me your email address?” asked John, pulling out his phone. John opened the scanned copies of signed document and forwarded a copy to the manager. The manager opened it on his tablet, and seemed satisfied. Then, he forwarded a copy of the customer information to John. The indicator on John’s phone went off, notifying him of the document being received. Hi
s task done, John got up, shook hands with the manager, and headed to the exit. Once outside, he gave the valet the ticket to his car. A few minutes later, John was back in his Dad’s car and driving towards the train station.

  John parked his car, reached the ticket booth. Rita Luck was from the nearby city of Townley. It was about an hour away by train. John was clear about what he wanted to do next. He wanted to visit her house, do some speaking with the neighbors. Then, he wanted to visit her bank. There was something fishy about her, and he wanted to be sure he was working for the right agent. There had been a few times when John had been hired by ‘fake’ clients. There was this one time when this guy hired him to spy on his wife. That was way back in his business’ early days. It turned out that the guy wasn’t the husband at all. He was simply a co-worker with a serious crush.

  As John sat next to the window seat in the train, he could not help but smile at that fake client case. John praised his good fortune that the case wasn’t a serious one and things ended satisfactorily. John looked around to see who else he would be sharing the journey to Townley. The seats next to him and the two opposite to him were both empty. On the other side of the train, there was a young woman sitting. She was wearing her headphones and there was a portable computer in front of her. Opposite of her was an elderly couple, and they had already dozed off.

  The woman with the headphones had a distinct lipstick on her lips, blood red. John continued to stare at her lips, as if enamored by them. She seemed to notice him staring at her and glared at him. John looked away and returned to the sight outside. The train started moving and it picked up speed fast enough. Soon the train had left behind the vehicle filled streets and tall buildings of Primer and the view outside was filled with the open expanses of the small towns and villages that passed. Pleasant music filled the interior of the train. John shut his mind off the case and let his mind wander away to the music.