My eyes scan the documents, reading over the information, reading it carefully. Have to love paperwork. I grimace at the thought as I stare at the stack of work I have left to do. Just when I think I've got it managed, I'm proven wrong with the mindless nonsense sent my way to be reading over! No one can say that they are shocked to hear that I'm out doing something wild, paperwork on the other hand? Yes, everyone knows sitting down behind a desk isn't where I like to be. I hate, no despise it.
Rolling my eyes, I rested my chin in my hand, working through the papers painfully slowly, focused on the details, setting them aside if need be. I hate contracts, reading them over is a nightmare. A knock sounds on the door making me call them in. Please give me an excuse to walk away from the computer! The door opens and I smile seeing Digger walk on in, closing the door behind him. "Cowboy, what have you been up to?" I can't like and say that seeing Digger in some dusty jeans and cowboy boots aren't a major turn on for me.
I can't help it if he looks hot dressing the part of a cowboy. "Not much, been hunting you down. You're slippery." He chuckled and I shook my head with a laugh watching as he sits in front of me, dropping into the chair with a grin.
"Sorry Cowboy, I was camped out up here working on some paperwork. Has Ryan been keeping you busy?" Digger shook his head with a sigh.
"No, your father has, he's been showing me more of the reins." I nod slowly, my computer dinging making me look at it. I have so many questions about that, but I know better than to ask. Brad's most recent email draws me attention.
"I hope he hasn't been running you into the dirt with that. I know how he likes to train people." I chuckled sitting up reading over the email, narrowing my eyes. I don't like reading that. I'm still on the lookout for Mr. Callgarey, or Jerry Callgarey. No one vanishes like this, not without help.
"No, not really, it's been really interesting." He hums and I nod slowly. "Everything alright?" I shake my head with a sigh.
"I don't know, I had my contacts dig into someone who's been MIA and I don't like what I'm seeing. It's never a good thing to be reading." I respond as I reach for my phone, dialing his familiar number. I need answers.
"Kode, I'm guessing you're not liking what I found?" I scoff at that and shake my head.
"Not even close. There hasn't been a trace, not even on the security cameras you first found him in?" I ask as I rewatch the footage that had been sent to me. He knows he's being watched, he hid out.
"No, he went into the hotel room and hasn't left it. I can't check the records, it's an old school hotel, books on paper, hidden in filing cabinets." I rub my face and watch the chilling footage.
"A man can't go into a room empty handed and survive for as long as he's been hidden. Something happened to him." The question is what? Brad heaves a sigh, his chair creaking loudly over the line.
"I know that, I think you need to do some investigating. I haven't seen any activity with the room. The cameras went dark for routine footage change over, that was only thirty seconds." I rub my face and shake my head. Long enough for someone to slip into the room through the door.
"Have you checked the other cameras linked to that feed? Was that really just routine footage change?" If it was who was watching him to hunt him?
"I've checked around, they all show go down." I nod slowly.
"Check for cars, any activity in a block radius. If something did happen to him, they'd only manage a short walk without being watched and having someone call on them." Unless they had an accomplice who waited to pick them up.
"Alright. I'll watch the tapes, focusing on that time. I'm guessing your radar is spinning?"
"Hard. Something happened to him, something bad." I don't think I'll be able to bring him home. Brad sighs again, the sound of his fingers clicking against the keys fill the air.
"Alright, I'll get back to you, pull all the information I can on them, I'd recommend you hunt that hotel, slip into the room, dig around a bit." I nod and rub my face with a heavy sigh of my own.
"Yeah, I'll do that. Try to get back to me soon." I comment before hanging up and staring at the screen, watching as Jerry Callgarey pulls into the parking lot of the hotel, rushing into the reception before leaving the building to grab a small bag and head to room eight, glancing over his shoulder before entering the room. The last time he was seen on camera.
"What's going on?" I close out the email, pausing the video before turning to look at Digger.
"Mr. Callgarey's children came to me a week and a half ago, their father, Jerry Callgarey hasn't talked to them for a few days. They asked for me to help find him, I've located the hotel he was last seen at. He went into room eight a little over three weeks ago, he hasn't been seen since." Digger's eyebrows raised surprised.
"Three weeks in a hotel room? No visitors?" I shake my head.
"No, there was a brief period of the cameras being disabled because of tapes being changed over." Digger's eyebrows furrow making me nod.
"Yeah it's suspicious."
"No ones' visited him? Not even room service?" I shake my head.
"No, if I had to guess, he paid extra money, he probably won't even be on the books, on record. The maids have probably been told to stay out of that room." It's not a good look.
"Does he have enemies?"
"In his line of work, it's not unlikely, he's a developer, buys and sells land, clear cuts the land, builds stores and such. It wouldn't be uncommon for him to make a few people unhappy. He recently started working with a new partner." Sucks that I don't have records, don't have access to his paperwork.
"Well isn't that a good lead?"
"It would be if there were records of it. All that I know is that it's a woman and she'd come to the house late at night to talk to their father in his office." Digger leans back in the chair crossing his arms over his chest with a pinched expression.
"They couldn't give anything on her?" I shake my head and offer a shrug.
"He said that he never heard a car, saw head lights. So, a possible electric car. He also mentioned that she had a feminine voice, honeyed. She normally wore heels, he could hear her walking around." He never said she sounded familiar or had an accent. I pause and think, weighing my options.
"Do you have any guesses?" I nodded and heaved a sigh.
"Yeah, I have someone in mind, it's a bit of a longshot, but it's a logical estimation based off of what he's given me so far." He arches a brow at me waiting for me to continue.
"What's your guess?" I watch him and heave a sigh.
"Isadora." I respond watching as his eyes widen and he leans forward.
"Really? Why? I thought she was approaching you herself?" I nod.
"She didn't offer paperwork when she made an offer, she doesn't do things like that. Callgarey did, he had to. He's by the books official, I've been doing something. Isadora showed up in town a few months ago, she started hunting Sarah, when her death was faked she made contact with her brother, he's been trying to expand the family business. This chunk of land is a good way to do it. By a hunk of land, drain it of resources, clear cut it and build casino's you have the start of a drug pen." In a town like this with a history, it's a good start.
"Holy shit, you mean he could want to bring that cartel here?" I offer a shrug.
"Pruszkow is expanding, it has been for years. It wouldn't be shocking, Russian cartels have been reported to be pushing into the states, they're competing cartels. Pruszkow is an intelligent organization, it's a smart, meticulously planned move on their part." Digger nods mutely before glancing at my desk.
"Where does Kevin, your ex play into this?" I shrug simply.
"I think he was just a pawn to get at me. At the land, if I had to guess he had Isadora talking in his ear, whispering sweet encouraging words to yank the land from me through marriage then they could live happily ever after." That probably just would've gotten the idiot killed.
"What was his encouragement to do that though?"
"Kevin's been having some money issues, his business hasn't been profiting as much as he'd like, he likes to live luxuriously, it's biting him in the ass now." He really doesn't make the kind of money he likes to say he is. While he isn't poor by any means, he can't afford the number of cars and large house he lives in.
"He doesn't make it sound like he's poor."
"No, he's not poor, just manages his finances poorly. He's too ambitious at the moment, he's living his life luxuriously, too luxuriously. He's in debt, maxed out credit cards to afford his mortgage payments, car payments and business finances. His credit's taking hits because of his lack of money management, he heard more money, he saw the dollar signs this place would bring him." I offer a shrug and stare at the computer. It's great knowing I let myself become a pawn. I shake my head at the thought.
"Holy hell, do you have any guess of what would've happened?" I give a nod.
"Pruszkow is an interesting cartel, their methods are unique and very identifiable. They tie off loose ends, they tend to go missing, getting tied up presumed to be brought into a trafficking ring before their case gets buried in a number of other cases." Digger stares at me, his eyes fixed as he shakes his head.
"Wow, that's, bad. What else do you know about them?"
"There's a good amount to be known by them. They're run by four fall guys. Isodora is one of them. The organization's leader has always been hidden in shadows, the identity for the most part is always hidden, kept a secret. Given it's origins, it's a strong assumption that it's true leader is Andres Broz, Isador's brother. He's the true mastermind running the place. Without him, the whole thing would be falling apart." Digger's face morphed as he listened his features pinching with the information he's been given.
"How do you know so much?"
"I was in the military still, I was recon, it's believed that Pruszkow was funding a number of terrorist cells, it's kept low but they've been of interest with Uncle Sam for years." Digger rubbed his face as he leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.
"That's why you brought your team in, you knew just the monster that's been sitting on our doorsteps." I nod with a soft sigh.
"Yeah I'm afraid so Cowboy. They've been on our radar for a few years, their interests have been growing, their organization has been spreading like a plague overseas. It was only a matter of time before they hit North America. There's been some reports of them slinking down to Mexico, getting some drug connections close to their base for easy supplies." Yeah, it's not a pretty thing we're looking at. Not in the slightest.