Afghan War army veteran Bucky Barnes has spent the last nine years working as a private investigator, the only job he could get after being found responsible for the deaths of two young boys in Afghanistan. After a year in military prison and a dis...
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While they had breakfast the following morning they discussed how they were going to approach Ebrahim Gaba and convince him to come with them. If he came willingly perhaps it wasn't kidnapping. They also went over what they would ask him. Who killed his sons and why? Did this have anything to do with importing drugs into the United States? Who else from Afghanistan was involved?
"We should get a recording device to record his answers," said Natalie. "Then if he tries to change his tune later we've got him on a recording."
"There's voice activated ones," said Bucky. "You just turn it on and it records whenever someone speaks. They cost a bit extra but it's probably worth it."
"Do you think we'll need a gun to "convince" him to come with us?" asked Natalie.
"We won't be able to get one legally," said Bucky. "Strict gun laws here. We'll just have to convince him using our natural charm."
Bucky checked his watch and said it was time to begin the stakeout and make sure Gaba showed up at work. They paid their bill, got into the car and positioned themselves so they could see the door of the business. Several people arrived and went inside but none were Gaba. Then Natalie touched Bucky's arm and pointed to a man. The picture in the newspaper had a man wearing traditional Afghani clothing but this man was dressed in a suit and tie. They were unsure if that was him but someone called him by name and he stopped and turned to face the other employee. Natalie had her window open and they could hear them talking in Pashto. Bucky remembered enough of the language to translate.
"The other guy is asking if he heard about the warehouse in Baltimore blowing up," he said. "Wasn't that one of their clients? Gaba is not saying anything. The first guy wants to know if they should be concerned but Gaba isn't talking out here. He told the first guy not to say anything more and he'll try to find out what's going on."
"He's still involved," said Natalie. "I wonder if this business is a front. If the other employee knew the nature of the business in Baltimore it stands to reason."
They watched as the two men went into the building and Bucky pulled away. "We need that voice recorder," he said.
They looked up where to buy voice recorders and picked the nearest place. After looking at their choices they decided to get the best one as it would stay in a standby mode that didn't drain the battery until it heard a sound. They went back to the motel to charge it but housekeeping was cleaning their room so they found an internet café that had charging ports. As they waited for it to be fully charged they each had a coffee. On a whim Bucky checked his emails to see if there had been any potential clients. There were three but all had a time sensitive issue and the time had already passed.
"Three potential clients in just over a week," he said, disappointed. "Of course they would call when I'm busy with my biggest case ever."
"Are you going to keep doing this once we get all the evidence?" asked Natalie. "If they reverse your dishonourable discharge it means you can work regular jobs again."
