The Manifest

Chapter 11

     "A missing person case? Fuck me." Devon said as he sat back, "I knew this sounded too good to be true. You want me scouring the country for a person who has no criminal history?"

     "We'll make it worth your time. Cash now and more after the person we're looking for is found. We'll even cover expenses." Tuck knew that one would hit the mark with Devon. The tough guy seemed to settle down a little more. "We'll let Edgar give you all the details and then you guys can negotiate a number that will make everyone happy. Even though this isn't going to be an easy case, we all want you and your team here because we know you guys are the best. And if this job is done promptly, it will be a big payday for everyone. This client is known for tipping, big time."

     Devon, a fellow admirer of Uncle Ben, cracked a large yellow smile, "Now you're playing my tune, mate. Let's wait for Edgar and then we'll see how things go from there." He said as he put his feet up on one of the desks in the lobby.

     "This isn't your home," Edgar said as he walked in and lightly slapped Devon's foot off the desk. He paused for a moment and then offered an open hand, "Good to see you again."

     "Is it?" Devon asked.

     "It is," Edgar said as shook the man's hand, "Let's take this into Tuck's office and we'll crunch some numbers."

     "My, my... you are very direct with this one. No chit chat or foreplay, just getting down to the nitty gritty. This really is an important case." Devon chuckled as he walked into the office and took one of the chairs in front of Tuck's desk.

     Tuck took his usual spot behind his desk, and waited for Edgar as he closed the door behind him and took a seat on the sofa in the corner of the room. He looked over at Devon, "Like I said before Edgar arrived, we're offering cash now, and I'll have it wired to your account. There's also a bonus if the subject in question is found, preferably alive."

     "That sounds nice," Devon replied, "So what is the exact dollar amount? My normal fee for a bounty is around ten grand, minimum."

     "Add an extra zero to that first number." Edgar said without twitching. "And we'll also cover expenses."

    "So you're saying the fee is a hundred grand upfront and then another fifty after the person is found?" Devon said with a slight quiver to his voice, hardly believing what he was hearing.

     "If you agree, I'll have a hundred large wired within the hour." Tuck said backing up his partner, "You'll have the money before you or any of your team lift a finger."

     Devon likes money as much as anyone else, and this was a shit load of it, but he needed to ask the questions. "Who are we looking for?"

     "You'll be looking for someone who has already been declared dead." Tuck quickly repeated.

     Before Devon could ask the obvious question Edgar took over from there. "Our client spotted this dead person at a vigil earlier this week. She's convinced the person, her mother, is still alive. Our job is to find her and arrange a reunion for our client."

     "This seems like basic grunt work, so why do you need my team?" Devon said, as he had a bad feeling that Edgar was hiding something. "Our expertise is in dangerous bounties. We're made to take on the tough cases, and missing mommies are not exactly our specialty."

     "We fear opposition to her recovery." Tuck said trying to sound like he believed it himself, "There is a good chance someone doesn't want this person to be found and we might need some muscle to break through potential road blocks."