December 2018
Everyone wakes up with a specific purpose to fulfill.
Eylul woke up with hope, this day would be the end of X.
a drug dealer that she was after for months.
Throughout her morning routine, there was a bounce in her step. She wore her favorite maroon suit and let down her shoulder light brown hair.
In her mind, nothing could turn wrong. Undoubtedly, whoever's DNA on that necklace would lead her to X.
She drove to the FBI building lip syncing to her favorite Turkish songs not bothered by the traffic.
Like New York, the high gray FBI building never gets empty, on the contrary, the floors tend to be quiet on regular days. The only heard sounds would be, electric doors opening and closing, hushed conversation between agents on the open space desks area and keyboard clicking.
Eylul hardly maintained her lips from quirking up in the way to her office; to pick up the case report. It only needs a small visit to Forensic Science to fill the identity of the necklace owner.
Forensic Science, was a unit specialize in collecting and analyzing evidence. there worked Marc, a short genius black man.
" Who the DNA belongs to?" straight away Eylul asked Marc.
Marc was giving her his back looking at the photo of the necklace in one of the many screens there.
The chain was 24K gold catholic rosary with E and F letters at the end of it. The initials of Erick Fuchs, the pawn X used to run his illegal deals.
When the agents swoop on a storehouse X used to create his drug. The chain found after an extended search inside a small room. It believed X was using it as an office.
Marc turned with disappointment. "You already know it's not Erick's. Unfortunately the DNA didn't match with anyone from the database.
That means either, it belongs to someone with no criminal record so it doesn't help us. Or to X since he is like a ghost we don't have anything about him. I will not add it to the case file as evident."
Running around in circles, was what the past five months been to Eylul. Every time she found something it turned out to be a dead end.
In the hope of keeping her mood bright, "but X doesn't know we had undercover agent keeping an eye on Erick. Any progress from them ?"
In a bored tone, "according to the agents latest report, there is nothing more than the usual. He is still keeping minimum interactions with the ones around him, even his manager. "
"Don't give up; we have X latest drug material so he for sure will use Erick's money anytime now and we will catch him." Refusing to blow the candle of optimistic, she lit in the morning.
A strong intuition was telling her, X was one of Erick's close circle.
To the world, Erick was on vacation.
Whoever X was, he knew the couple of thousands he was taking from Erick's accounts wouldn't noticed.
Compared to hundreds of thousands he knew Erick would spend when he was in a vacation.
No one knew about Erick being in rehab except his manager. Since the money still got drown from Erick's accounts. Despite the fact he won't destroy his golden goose, the manager wasn't considered as a suspect.
"Why you never thought that maybe X is Erick?" Marc still insisted that Erick is not oblivious as it seems.
"He grew up in an orphanage with a terrible education system that he didn't even finish high school. Do you think someone like him is able to create this killer nerve agent? he needs to have at least a bachelor degree in chemistry. If you found any-"
"Anything I will tell you. You go and have a date with your coffee. You might be able to handle after it the Supervisory Special Agent disappointment again." Marc interrupted sniffling a laugh.
He knew the misery of telling uptight Caleb again what they found was another dead end.
+++
A week passed and Eylul optimistic at the start of the week started to subside to dejection.
In her apartment, she paced the living room. All the cases she worked in. Eliminating organized crime groups. Bringing some radical into custody and many similar ones.
She always achieved massive progress by the five-month mark. Thanks to her extensive knowledge in Criminology. What she completed now was close to claiming a few meters to reach the top of Mount Ararat.
X case was a thing Eylul never encountered. What she had from evident consider not existent.
Erick on purpose wasn't told about X, to not alarm him. Until now she has names and hypothesis needed a strong evidence to became facts. For the nerve agent they don't know what the goal it made for ,since it kills from the first pill. that's why the mafias still hesitant to deal with it.
She hoped for a miracle to happen and find something to make progress in the case.
On the contrary of the earth tone formal attire she wore to her job, Eylul loved to let loose a bit at home with only wearing sweatpants with colorful bralettes.
In her bedroom, Eylul picked up the phone to set the alarm, but held back from doing so by a message from Marc:
There is a fire in Erick rehab.
She changed quickly then ran to her car.
+++
Red flames of a blazing fire. Steady drizzle. Mixed sirens of ambulances and fire trucks were what met Eylul reaching the rehab.
She prayed that X doesn't have a hand in it .
X loved to fill the place with Propane gas, then lit a small spark to set the place on fire in seconds. A rare method indicate how lunatic X was.
The fancy rehab had a lot of fireplaces operating on Propane. Since Propane cause rotten eggs smell, That would make setting the place on fire without being caught or anyone alarmed by the fire easier.
She searched for Lexi ,one of the undercover agent assigned as bodyguard to Erick. Finding Lexi was a bit difficult, thanks to the smog and the shouting around her.
" Please tell me this fire is not X doing." Eylul pleaded when she found her.
Lexi was freezing wrapped in a grey blanket next to a police vehicle away from the noise of the sirens.
"I am afraid to say it is X; because the Propane sensors showed a large amount of leaking. A.K.A, X signature move. We were able to evacuate everyone safely." contemplatively Lexi replied while rising the blanket to cover her pixie blonde hair. That reminded Eylul of the rain still drizzling above.
She told Lexi to follow her to the car. Eylul forgot the heater on when she rushed outside to the rehab, so it took only moments for them to worm up.
Eylul still denied believing the fire is X doing. She faced Lexi , "how come it is X. We chose this rehab especially because of the isolation of it's location. Even on the internet considered not existent. How come he found him here not on the previous tow ?"
"Don't worry, Marc kept the critical details of the case on a flash drive. If X did hack us, he wouldn't know about the sensors we installed, nor the tunnels that lead to the outside. What is important now that Erick and the rest unharmed."
Eylul could not comprehend what she heard."What? I saw the plan for this place, and it didn't have any freaking tunnels!"
Lexi scratched her neck, " Umm -Well-You see- ."
Like every time she gets mad Turkish poured out," Allah Seversen ' For the love of God ' Lexi spell it out "
Lexi nervously closed her eyes then took a deep breath. She knew what she was about to say would make Eylul furious. "Sara changed the drown plan of building as a safety measure in case X discover Erick being here."
"WHAT, Caleb told us him being here is exclusive information only for us. How could she access it", Eylul seethed.
"Like always she pulled her dirty ways to get involved like you Turkish people say Sara İşte ", Lexi replied.
Holding the anger for later when she sees her. Eylul focused on what important, X now realizes he still on FBI radar.
+++
After a few hours in the FBI building, she was riding in the elevator to her floor.
All who worked in the open space desks used to self-possessed Eylul in classy black or shades of brown suits.
Seeing her getting out of the elevator unkempt, looking around with black blazing eyes, was for sure a shock.
The walk from her office with the case file till arriving to investigation rooms, soothed the anger a little.
When she reached the room, Eylul could hear shouting coming from inside. Checking the next door where Lexi was watching behind the glass she said," Make sure she doesn't get in here."
" Sara is your latest worry now ." Lexi pointed out where Twenty-three Erick was shouting. "Don't forget, he did not know that his bodyguards were agents," she said in an attempt to lower Eylul anger a notch.
She had never met Erick. What his stubbornness made her team endure to maintain safety of his life since the middle of July gave Eylul general idea, of who was the 5'10 feet singer.
After tugging her white shirt in and rejoining the escaping strands behind her ears Eylul entered the investigation room. Sat down putting a file on the table.
" You can leave." She said to the agent next to her, turning to Erick," Mr. Fuchs, could you please sit down."
Erick was beyond irritated. Instead of being in one of his apartment resting after what happened, he was in here held under investigation." I didn't bother to call for a fucking lawyer. Knowing it will be like the last time you arrested me, then let me go. You all stupidly thought I am involved in some case. " With mockery lasing his voice, "so how about you be a good girl and tell your boss to get me out. "
He reminded standing.
She ignored his attitude. "You are here because we found one of your privet planes filled with an illegal type of drug. " She showed him the plane photo.
Erick replied with rage, " I will tell you what I said to the other." Ripping the photo. "THIS PLANE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME."
Then he hit the table with both of his hands. leaned close to her face, she could see the blue lining the green in his eyes. " You will get me out of here, or else I will sue you for ruining my reputation and wasting my time. I still suffer the fucking outcomes of the first time you dummies arrest me."
Eylul used to kill threats, range of curses. Never come across disdainful people. Her inner lioness didn't like that. Grasping his shoulder, in a harsh tone. "Know." pushing him back to the chair. "Your place."
He didn't expect such a reaction. He thought she would handle his outburst calmly like the other agent, so he sat there bug-eyed staring at her.
With increase incensed she said, " You don't realize a thing, don't you? It's not only the plane that was under your name. Even the money used to produce these drugs was yours. " Eylul sat back. Slid the money statement to him.
Erick's hand thread through his dark brown flock of hair.
He kept chanting, " No, no. that's none sense. " Even when the officer came to take him to the cells.
He would stay there for the night to teach him a lesson.
In the same time, gave her a time to put a new plan without worrying about X trying to kill him again.
Thanks to Erick's kind manager, who proved to them Erick was staying in rehab since January. That helped connect some dots about X identity. Also he told how Erick stupidly allowed three of his friends the access to all his purchases.
Knowing the password to his bank account won't be a hard task.
A childhood friend. A Muslim friend. A fellow singer. Which one of them has the motive to set Erick up? Eylul thought while looking to their pictures in the file.
_________________________
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