Chapter 28: Chapter 28: A Vexing Case

Part 6: The Rush Job

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I was ruminating over a potential case unrelated to The Maker’s Tear Job in my bedroom when a thunderous clank against my door caught me off guard. I opened it to find Wynn, who rushed in and said to close the door.

“What happened?” I asked,

“We got a new job and saying no isn’t an option."

“There’s always an option.”

“Unless you’re okay with Sylvia getting kidnapped and Lilah exposing you if we don’t get her back, no, there aren’t.”

The news ratcheted my spine. “Pardon?”

“It’s as it sounds. Sylvia got kidnapped and Lilah wants us to find her. We’re the only ones who can find her.”

I chomped on my inner cheek. Then wasn’t exactly the ideal time for a job. “Why is Lilah pressuring us? Doesn’t she have others at her disposal?”

“Not ones who can contact Ozon.”

My eyes began to widen, but I tightened them. “Start from the beginning.”

“Under normal circumstances, Sylvia’s safe in Orchid Park Apartments. It’s Youzai territory. Heavily guarded. Nobody messes with it.”

“I take it Ozon did?”

“It’s the best we can gather, based on the witness testimony and message he left.”

My heart quickened. “Testimony?!”

“Ozon – or an Ozon proxy, who knows – showed up at the apartment above Sylvia’s dressed up like a pizza delivery man. They opened the door, he punched them in the face, and took them hostage.”

“How are they doing now?”

“They’re well enough to share this info, even though they got threatened to stay quiet. We lucked out. The guy’s defiant.”

“His name?”

“Frank Rodgers. Why?”

“I wish to show my gratitude later,” I said. “In the meantime, what all did he see?”

“The attacker was an older guy, probably in his forties. He had a lighter complexion, short black hair, and a goatee.”

My mind flew to Wyatt. Although he lacked the hair and goatee, those could’ve easily been added with a disguise kit. He had already shown a willingness to utilize disguise. “Did Mr. Rodgers recall anything about his voice?”

“If he did, he didn’t say anything.”

I pursed my lips. “Alright… What then?”

“The man tied him up, gagged him, and warned him against saying what happened before leaving out the balcony. The man went outside and climbed down to the balcony beneath his: Sylvia’s.”

“Am I to assume he reached her balcony and bypassed any locks on the door?”

“Yep. Though that’s not the weird part. Nobody saw either of them exit. Only reason we know he was there is because of Rodgers. He somehow found this secret passageway which leads to the underground tunnels. It’s how he smuggled Sylvia out.”

“How do we know Ozonnole is involved?” I asked, as I noticed something was missing.

“Lilah found a note on the fridge. It was from Ozon, written for you.”

I clenched my jaw. How did they know of Sylvia?! Had I made a mistake? I crossed my arms and narrowed my brow. “This doesn’t make sense…”

“What doesn’t?”

“They left the note at Sylvia’s. Sylvia’s connection to me is through Lilah.”

“Still not following what doesn’t make sense here,” Wynn said. “They obviously figured this out.”

“If that were the case, why target Sylvia? Why not target Lilah? Or us directly?”

“Maybe we’re too tough? Could be the same play you made with Narcissa.”

I bore down on the inside of my cheek. Wynn’s suggestion was plausible. If not that, he could’ve been taunting via mirroring – seizing Sylvia was much like my scheme with Gabrielle. Still, it rose questions. If they knew our secrets, how did they learn? If they did learn, why not contact Lilah or me directly after seizing Sylvia? Why leave a note when simpler methods existed?

I should go to the source, I reasoned. Ozon expected me anyway.

I began to rush to my desk, but Wynn gripped my shoulder.

“Cass, I’ve got something to say and you’re not going to like it.”

“I haven’t liked anything you’ve said since returning, so I’m ready for whatever.”

“I think we should tell Edan.”

I blasted Wynn with a smoldering glare.

“Hear me out,” he said. “If things are as bad as they seem, our backs are up against the wall. We need help and he’ll probably find out sooner or later anyway.”

“Have some faith in me. I’ve turned the tables before and I’ll turn them again.”

“I do have faith in you. That’s why I’m suggesting this. I’m sure you can handle the fallout. In the meantime, we should do everything we can to put the odds in our favor. And who edges this in our favor more than Edan?”

I gritted my teeth. He had a point. My grandfather’s history included the military, the police force, and security consulting. It was likely he understood how the proceed better than I.

“Besides,” Wynn continued, “we’re noble thieves, right? Aren’t we supposed to take the heat to protect innocents? Heroes who use crime as a tool, not criminals masquerading as heroes?”

Of course my words are haunting more now… I fumed. Still, he was correct, as much as I despised conceding.

I wish I could say I agreed without hesitance – he raised a stellar argument – but a part of me didn’t wish to cooperate. I wouldn’t martyr myself if there was an alternative. So, instead of conceding, I considered how to execute the job without informing Grandfather.

I still have Becca in reserve, I mused.

I could’ve invited Becca to a hotel and informed her of the truth. Once she knew, she could provide an alibi for me while I performed whatever I had to. I’d have to leave Wynn behind – to maintain the cover and guard Becca – but I could utilize Crow in his place.

I began to open my mouth to speak said scheme, but my tongue refused the words. My thoughts shifted to the hazards of the unknown. I had no inkling as to Ozon’s actual ploy. Who knew what sort of scenario I could’ve encountered? What’s more, with time being of the essence, I was more likely to fail at covering my tracks.

“Please bring Grandpa here,” I mumbled.

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Wynn departed while I deflated into my desk chair. I dropped my head against the back of my chair and stared at the ceiling. Raindrops rattled against the roof and were in near rhythm with my rapid heartbeats.

I slouched forward and raked my fingers through my hair. I chose this route, I told myself. I selected the most logical route. I hadn’t been caught. I hadn’t been outmaneuvered. I was still in control.

Nevertheless, my mouth had become a desert by the time Wynn led Grandfather into my bedroom.

“Is anything wrong?” Grandpa asked as Wynn sealed the door behind him.

I took a cleansing breath. “Wynn brought me a vexing case which I believe we should unite on.”

Grandfather twisted his gaze to Wynn. “Is this why you were gone all day?”

Wynn nodded. “There’s a little girl who's been kidnapped by a mystery man.”

Grandfather’s eyes doubled in size. “Why is this being brought to us? Contact the police!”

“The hostage-taker has warned against police,” I said. “Furthermore, the client would rather steer clear of the law as well.”

“Who is this client?” Grandpa shifted to Wynn. “Are they someone related to your past?”

“Something like that,” Wynn said.

“There’s… more…” The words began to snag in the dry patch known as my mouth, but I reminded myself that there was no going back and forced them though. “If we fail to recover the child, the client will notify the authorities that I’m The Grandmaster of Theft.”

A heavy clap of thunder boomed. It was almost as if some otherworldly force was having fun at my expense. Whatever the source, Grandpa’s response remained the same: to become as stiff and still as a corpse.

A couple of seconds passed before Grandpa said, “Cassidy… Are you The Grandmaster of Theft?”

“I’d rather it not be reported for a reason.”

Grandpa’s brow creased and his eyes darkened into a glower. “Answer the question directly.”

Spasms rippled through my muscles while a flame lit up within me. I didn’t wish to yield. My chin notched up a couple of inches and my voice firmed. “I am the thief that everybody’s talking about. I am The Grandmaster of Theft.”

“What are you thinking, Cassidy?! Why are you wasting your talents?!”

“I’m doing exactly what you taught me.”

“I never taught you to do this! I would never want you to do anything like this! I swear, this is your mother’s influence.”

Something frigid ripped through my core. “What do you mean?”

“Your mother and I disagreed on how to best handle training you. She wished for you to maintain the edge you’ve always had. I thought you grew out of it, but I guess some things can’t change.”

My hands bawled, but I remained still. “The reason I became The Grandmaster is because of what you told me. About how I’m supposed to hold myself to a higher standard than most because of all I’ll inherit.”

“How is being a common criminal holding yourself to a higher standard?!”

I struck my desk. “I AM NOT A COMMON CRIMINAL! I’m helping the less fortunate! I’m helping in a way only I can.”

“I didn’t teach you to be a criminal.”

I scoffed. “Criminals and investigators are two sides of the same coin. The knowledge translates with ease. As you should know, what with how your old security consultant firm worked.”

“You mean the firm which I created to steer criminals away from a life of crime? I can see how that gave you the idea I wanted you to commit crimes!”

“Sylvia is still in danger,” Wynn said, his voice neutral. “Can we work together long enough to save her?”

I huffed a sigh. “Grandpa, I confessed because I’m going to save this child and feel you’ll be of help. You can attempt whatever you please against me after, but until then, let’s cooperate.”

Grandpa clenched his eyes as his face contorted. Without opening his eyes, he said, “Bring me up to speed on the situation.”

I instructed Wynn to instead, as I had no desire to speak any further. I’m not certain what I would’ve said. I imagine nothing good. Regardless, Wynn summarized well while I readied my laptop to speak with Ozon and reminded myself that protecting Sylvia took precedence. Our discussion could wait. Besides, prioritizing her granted me more time to calculate how to contend with Grandpa.

“The lack of direct contact is indeed odd,” Grandpa said after Wynn finished. “Is there any way they could’ve connected Sylvia to The Grandmaster of Theft without connecting any of the other pieces?”

I froze. There was one theoretical thread. “Sylvia is a hacktivist… She’s also a fan of The Grandmaster of Theft… who she knows was interested in Ozonnole. Ozonnole is a Zimavatan name. And the closest Zimavatan connection in the Bergmastand criminal underworld is The Braterdarii… who Ozon tried to get me to target…”

My innards sharply crashed. Then I crashed my forehead against the desk. “I shouldn’t have allowed her to listen!”

“Allowed her to listen?” Grandpa asked. “When did this happen?”

“It’s…complicated,” Wynn said.

I gritted my teeth. No matter what, I was rescuing Sylvia. I was rescuing Sylvia from Ozon, and I was rescuing Sylvia from Lilah.

I straightened up and swiftly zoomed into the covert chat option I had with Ozon. His icon showed him online.

“He’s online,” I said.

I went to press entered, but before I could, Grandpa spoke.

“Wait, kiddo! Do you recall what I taught you about negotiating without your typical resources?”

“Yes.”

“Then tell me, what is negotiation?”

I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t in the mood for a pop quiz, but I decided it best to cooperate. “A human interaction in which two or more parties who may perceive a difference in interests or perspective attempt to reach an agreement.”

“How does one negotiate when they lack muscle or money?”

“By focusing on how the other side perceives the deal, on the process itself, or the feelings involved via empathy.”

“What must you focus on in this negotiation?”

“Process.” I spun around to face him. “May I proceed?”

Grandpa pressed his lips into a thin line. “I’ll be right here to help you through this. We’ll get Sylvia back.”

I nodded before spinning back to my laptop. Back to Ozon. I pressed the call button.

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