Agent M: Testament (The Agent M Series Book 2) (41 page)

A loud creak signaled more guests were joining the party. Vegas locals Thomas Prince and Lawrence Smith causally entered the room and they were followed by their newest companion Adrian Fischer of the Los Angeles district bureau.

“Good morning Mr. Logan,” smiled Prince, “Sleep good last night?”

“I’ll sleep a lot better knowing you’re going to tank this one again,” scoffed Charles but was quickly silenced by his attorney.

Anything he says can and will be used against him. There was no point fighting a battle that couldn’t legally be decided by the present company.

“Gentlemen,” Miles stated while standing. “Let’s make this real easy. While you have already detained my client for far too long, we may be looking to forgo that should you offer a lucrative plea bargain.”

“Plea bargain?”

Lawrence raised an eyebrow.

“You’re telling me Charlie over here is willing to admit he did something wrong? Now I’ve seen everything.”

The portly lawyer offered a sarcastic smile.

“Plea is a strong word I admit. We’re going to be pushing for a dismissal of all charges. Whatever evidence against my client you’ve procured was obtained illegally.”

A pile of papers slammed on the desk silencing the boisterous Miles in mid argument.

“Relax Mr. Monroe. We’re not here to fight. Actually, I’ve put together a nice offer for your client here.”

Miles looked on with mild anticipation. The Federal Government was never this cooperative when facing an investigation with so much money. There had to be a catch and judging by the thin stack of papers laying before them, it wouldn’t be too hard to find. He began to carefully look them over, making sure to immediately note any little out of place syllable that wasn’t to his liking.

“It’s all there in black and white Mr. Monroe,” Began Thomas. “We will drop all charges against your client here for a sworn statement as noted on the last page. We’ve already taken the liberty of writing the language, now all we need is his John Hancock on the bottom.”

“Bullshit,” Charles spat. “What’s the real catch Agent Prince?”

The Vegas S.A.C. shot his colleague a knowing look. They had to sell this properly in order for their ruse to pay off.

“As much as I’d love to, and believe me when I say I’d really love to, it seems that we’ve found something belonging to Mr. Logan that would aid us in another ongoing investigation in the Los Angeles field office. Given the nature of the case, we were willing to strike out a compromise,” Prince replied.

Charles glanced up and after a long icy stare at his rival, turned towards his lawyer who continued to perform his due diligence and review all of the documents presented. They whispered amongst themselves for a few moments. The longer they stalled meant the longer they had to completely reconsider this mildly generous offer. An ongoing court battle for Logan’s current list of offenses would take years to get a conviction and cost the taxpayers millions. Nailing him today would mean a quick and clean one-way ticket to prison where Mr. Charles Logan would not pass “Go” nor collect two hundred dollars.

“You think I’m stupid, don’t you Agent Prince?”

Thomas felt sharp shards of glass filling in the pit of his stomach. His poker face notwithstanding, list was definitely the less desirable reaction he had hoped to hear.

“You’ve been on my ass for years, praying for the day I would slip up and make a mistake. And now, while I’m sitting here before you, presented on a platter, ready to be ruined you’re just going to let me go?”

The billionaire mocked their futile efforts.

“Bluff called Agent Prince,” he said while pushing the papers aside. “You’ll have to do better than that.”

Adrian could feel their plan crumbling. Despite their best efforts, the history between Charles and Thomas was too much for their plan to overcome. It was time to initiate plan B. There was one thing the wealthy always had in common. No matter how much or how little they had in the bank, all of them loved a good pandering.

“Believe or not Mr. Logan, there are a lot of fish in the sea,” Adrian interrupted. “Much bigger fish than you even. As much as my colleague would love to put your bust on his resume the one thing that we both agree on is that no matter what happens on our plot of soil, we all serve the same unified ground. Agent Prince is willing to put his ego aside for the greater good. We’re offering you the chance to do the same.”

The S.A.C. took a deep breath, looked Charles dead in the eye.

“Help us out here and all of this goes away.”

“These documents appear to be in order Charles,” Miles stated. “Everything regarding your alleged involvement will be absolved.”

The once grimaced expression of Charles Logan subsided for one of apathy. It took a quick turn for the worse as his smug brow grinned widely as he began to open up that sinister mouth of his.

“Isn’t this quite the turn of events? You’ve chased me for years, like a dog begging to find a home and now, when you’ve come the closest you have ever gotten to truly getting what you what, you’re not only going to pass that up but oh ho!”

He laughed making sure to dig into his rival with every passing breath.

“Now you’re asking me for a little charity?”

Logan nearly burst out in full blown laughter. Apparently time behind bars has done strange things to his psyche.

Unlike his cunning colleague, Thomas couldn’t bear to watch. If only Charles had signed the stupid thing without raising a fuss. It would have spared this agent the humiliation of the following few moments. They were pushing their chips all in now. They had nowhere else left to go.

“Look at that look on your face Tommy,” Charles arrogantly teased. “I bet this is eating you up inside. This was your one shot and you blew it.”

He immediately grabbed the papers and flipped them open to the desired page.

“You know, tonight, when I’m at home in my mansion, eating a few pounds of caviar, washing it down with a 1985 bottle of Dom, I’m going to be thinking of you Agent Prince.”

Ink flowed from the pen in his grip as his unique signature soon stained the document.

“There will be no television, no music, not a single disturbance present. I want to thrive in your agony. That look on your face will be all the entertainment I will need for a very long time.”

Logan pushed the documents forward. Thomas begrudgingly picked them up. He wouldn’t even pay the billionaire a glance. Humiliation wouldn’t allow him to do so. No amount of pride could have survived that thrashing.

“Thank you very much for your cooperation Mr. Logan. We really appreciate what you’ve done for us here today,” Adrian stated as he collected the documents.

“Now let’s talk release,” Monroe chimed in.

“Hold it there pal,” the D.A. interrupted. “We need to bring these all before the judge. He’s the one in charge, remember? Sit tight for one more hour. Then we can put this whole messy endeavor behind you.”

Charles stood up and causally stepped right into the D.A.’s comfort zone. “I bet this is killing you too eh Smith? Another one bites the dust as it were.”

“This is a big empty desert Mr. Logan. No matter how far you crawl, it won’t be that hard to find you.”

“Better luck next time gentlemen,” Miles nodded as he escorted his client out of the room and back into the awaiting cell.

The door came to a slow close. Once the metal frame slammed shut, all three men inside breathed a sigh of relief.

“I still can’t believe that worked,” said Agent Prince.

“I can’t believe you didn’t want to punch him right where he stood,” Smith replied.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to. I just couldn’t let our plans die just as good old Fischer resurrected them for us.”

“We’re not out of the woods yet gentlemen,” Adrian stated snapping both men back from their brief sabbatical from reality.

“He’s right. I’ll take these papers and present them to the judge immediately. I’m sure he’ll want to draw up the new documents and press charges just as soon as he drops the priors,” Lawrence replied. “I’ll be tied up on the phone with my contacts in D.C. until then but I’ll be sure to see you two inside the courtroom for the fireworks display.

Both agents nodded. The D.A. took his leave and left the bureau men to their collective space and thoughts.

“This is going to be some victory for us. Thanks again for all of your help Adrian. You want to grab a bite to eat after it’s all said and done? My treat of course.”

The S.A.C. smiled.

“Thanks but I really need to get back. I’ve still got some work to do after the charges are filed. I’ll be heading back to L.A. as soon as the gavel slams.”

“Ever the workaholic,” Prince joked. “Then at least let me offer you a first class ticket home and an escorted ride to the airport. We’ll get you back at your desk before lunch is called. It’s the least we can do for all that you’ve done.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

The agents shook hands and stepped out of the interrogation room. Adrian was content with the results but couldn’t share the same enthusiasm as his colleagues. Though one criminal will surely see justice served today, there is even a greater mystery that awaits him. They were going to need the judge’s order to proceed but after coming this far, Adrian was damn sure not going to let up now.

Things were starting to look up despite the messy circumstances it took to get here. All in all, today was proving to be quite the productive day. Adrian sat in silence for a moment hoping to relish in this bit of fortune that has stumbled on his path when suddenly he felt his phone vibrate. A new email had arrived. The brief flash of content in the subject line stabbed his vision and sent a terrible jolt of pain swimming in his gut. This message had obviously been through the rounds before Adrian was even notified which added to his growing apprehension and concern. He knew this was inevitable. It was by the book after all. He just never thought he’d actually see the day where they finally pulled the trigger on Michael Madison’s career.

March 27th, 2013 12:49AM

Washington, D.C.

Local and national film crews swarmed outside of the White House gates. Hundreds of reporters, cameramen, and crew members pressed against each other vying for the prime spot to witness the beginning of history. Barely one tenth of a mile separated the ravenous media crowd from the entrance. All other roads, entrances, and walkways have been blocked and were under tight security. The United States Secret Service spared no expense or ounce of manpower. Every available agent and local police officer they could spare were within a one thousand foot radius of the Oval Office.

Meryl had never been a part of such a grand spectacle before. This sight alone would be enough to make anyone nervous but it only added to her anticipation. Granted, this wasn't the toughest assignment she's ever taken on. It might even qualify as one of the easiest but nevertheless, she was going to be a part of history. Her name may not be written down in any textbooks but this would surely be a grand story to pass down some day.

Standing next to her, President Marshall waved to the crowed and smiled brightly. Despite being hundreds of feet away, he knew that all of those gloriously accurate and high tech devices from behind the big black bars would be all zoomed in on his prestigious appearance and he'd be damned to be caught on tape not looking his very best.

“Meryl” her earpiece chimed.

The ever gentle Agent Yuan had snapped her back to reality.

“Go ahead” she whispered through her teeth.

Meryl had practiced a bit of ventriloquism so as to not look to suspicious when receiving and responding to commands. Any phrase she was authorized to say she could now perform without moving her lips.

“Targets are inbound. ETA thirty seconds.”

“Roger that,” replied Meryl.

The eastern gates began to slide apart. Two black limousines slowly crawled through and made their way into the heavily watched White House entrance. The vehicles came to a gentle stop. A group of assistants and administrators carefully poured over the cars and opened the doors for their newly arrived guests.

“That's your cue Meryl.”

All of the details of her assignment had been clearly planned out and memorized. Meryl began her decent. Each step down was careful and calculated. The only way this was going to work is if it looked authentic. Meryl Lewis was not here. From here on out, April Winters was running the show.

A pair of advisers stepped out first from each vehicle. They wore sharp black suits and styled their hair uniformly and nearly identical to one another. Despite the gaping age difference between them, they all acted and behaved as if they were one. Though only two would be allowed inside with their leader, they felt much more comfortable with a few more of their own at least within the general vicinity.

The President of South Korea was the last to make her grand exit. A few cheers could be heard from the gawking citizens beyond the gates. The noble Park Su-Ji made sure to look both humble and friendly to the onlookers. This wasn't her first time in America but with such high stakes on the line, this wasn't going to be just any old rodeo either.