Adventure in the World of Crimes

2.12 The Unknown Masked Man

Warren didn't understand why greedy people, those who longed and lusted for everything there was in the world to be in their possession to the point that they were ready to kill other people and kill the humanity inside of them, existed. And how come these people were getting more and more in number and even powerful and influential in persuading others in doing something humiliating that will forever be encrypted in their lives in exchange for temporary pleasures.

He even did not understand how come that kind of people was able to enter such a great profession which supposed to protect people through their guns and not the ones that will kill them. It's ironic, but it's true, it's real. It was happening. He had just witnessed it last night.

It was already all over the news, and it was infuriating, Warren wanted to tell everyone about it, but Senior Merit's voice was telling his mind not, and he, in the agent's view, knew better than show himself and let everyone know what he had witnessed, that they were killers and not the way they think they were. They were being praised, especially that they were taking the CCTV where the robbery in the store and the chasing of the g**g contained.

Then Warren abruptly sat up from laying down, he was now clad with his favorite gummy bear designed boxer, unexpectedly given by Sean on his birthday last year, paired with just a white thin sleeveless shirt. He had come home for about an hour now, and his mind was still clouded with all of what happened, but now he had another thing to think of. He cursed himself for only realizing it now.

He took his phone, dialed Dale's number, and waited for her to answer. He knew she's already up, she always woke up at five in the morning for a jog, she never forgot to live healthily although she was always surrounded by radiation. It was already seven so she's probably awake.

But she was not answering, instead, after a few rings, an automated phone system replied to him which pulled his lips downward.

"Why do you choose to ignore me when I needed you the most, Dawson!?" Warren irritatedly talked to the phone, dialing her number for the second time. "Dahlia!"

"What again? I'm having a peaceful breakfast, Black. I expected you not to contact me throughout your task but here you are ringing my phone every hour, every day. You-"

"Just text your rant to me some other time, Green." He cut her seemed to be a never-ending rant off, "For now, please hack the CCTV of Jeffrey Street before the police could even get a copy of it. You'll know why from the news later but please, it can blow up my existence if they found out that I followed them."

Dale felt the exasperation and worry of the agent, an indication that he was truly taking everything seriously, unlike his usual self when he was with the other agents in a task, he was the mood-maker along with Laura.

He heard Dale sighed, and a screeching sound of a moving metallic chair and the clanging around of a plate and assumingly utensils, so he supposed she stood up and finished her breakfast. "I will message you, along with my rant, about this."

"Thank you, Green."

He put his phone on his bedside table and went back on lying down. feeling his head throb and eyes got heavy so he decided to take his deserving sleep, but he thought again how did those police had been able to sleep after their horrendous crime? Are they peaceful? Do they get to sleep a lot and rest enough without worrying about anything? Or even their conscience had been killed by their own?

"Someone saw you killed the four."

The Deputy Commissioner who was walking to his car suddenly slowed down to a halt. His phone pressed on his left ear, talking to an unknown man he had been with connection for a time now but he still had no idea who was this man.

He just suddenly contacted him, it was the time that his career in the police was on the brink of being terminated because of the scandal he was in of one of those officers who were using drugs, they were being reported in national television, newspaper and bashed in social media. But this man offered to clear his name in exchange for obeying whatever he asked for, and Sergio Carpio was too desperate not to accept that offer.

"Do you happen to know who?" He asked through gritted teeth. He continued to walk in his car, resting his back on the side, and took a piece of cigarette, his way of calming his agitated self.

"No. You have to know who and eliminate him within three weeks, if not, it's your end."

"What- Hello?" He cursed, gritting his teeth even more when he just cut the call off. He sighed, had his face scarily dark, pocketing his phone as he threw the cigar on the floor and stepped on it while thinking of the possible person who saw them. "I've killed a lot, this isn't a problem anymore."

He went inside his car, droving to his destination where he would find who had seen them, and of course, begin the hunt. There was no doubt that the mysterious man wouldn't know about it, by just the time when he had suddenly out of the news and it all turned to another bigger news, the attention of the people changed from the police to the other issue, a way of saving them from termination. If he made it in a blink of an eye, he assumingly came from a powerful family, or, he was powerful himself.

He arrived at the Center where he would get the copy of the CCTV record yesterday, the Center was just at the opening of the Daunt Street, the street on the other side of Hudson Street, so he didn't have to drive long. But when he went out of his car, the car of Theodore Merit was there, and it was full of dried hays on its tire, earning a furrowed brows from him.

"Oh, sir. You'll get the copy of the record?"

His gaze turned to the man, probably in his thirties, brown-skinned, and not more than 5'4 of height. He just came out of the room and saw the officer looking at the car.

"Yes." Deputy Director Sergio answered, looking back at the car. "This car... Is the owner inside?"

The man looked at the car, scratching his head, also in confusion. "That car has been there since last night, sir. I don't know how it ended up there, what time, where it came from, and who put it there but I think it didn't go inside the street, sir."

"Really?" He said, still not tearing his eyes away from it especially to the tire part. After a while, he then decided to shrug it away, "Anyway, I'll get the copy now."

"Yes sir, come in." The man said, leading him inside.

The place was full of cameras, it was the area where all of the cameras around the city located. There were two more men inside seated in front of the camera and watching everything closely. He looked for Jeffrey Street, and he grinned to himself upon seeing that the last camera was there was the one far from the open field. Who would put a camera on the open field where people barely go to?

"Here is the flash drive, sir." The man handed him a black flash drive.

He took it from him, "Can I watch it here?"

The man, once again, scratched his head, looking so conflicted. "Sorry, sir. To tell you honestly, we had a hard time saving this record because the computer keeps on restarting. We thought the files were lost when we look at them but it was then there again when we looked through it."

"You were hacked."

"Where is my car, Warren!?"

"I'm fetching it now, sir!" Warren answered immediately, putting on his shoes while holding the phone on his ear through his head and shoulder.

"Where did you left it!?"

Warren winced at the loudness of his voice, especially that the speaker's phone was pressed right on her ear. He took his black bag on the floor and went out, securing the door locked before running out to catch on the bus.

"I have to be less suspicious, sir. I said I came from another street to check on the case I was working on. I left it somewhere on that place sir." He explained, scanning his card as he went in after and settled on the middle part of the bus.

"That better be still in the same good condition as how I handed it to you, Valore."

"You mean, without gas and dying?"

"How dare you-"

"I'm kidding, sir!" Warren instantly defended, chuckling. The other passengers looking at him weirdly. "I'll take it back to you more than okay. I'll go there after a while, sir. Bye."

It was already four in the afternoon, he once again skipped his meal, and the chance of eating at Senior Merit's house was high, he hoped there wouldn't be any scolding when he reached their house because he felt sorry for the Merit Junior, for Senior Merit, and his ear because of the undeniable ear-piercing high tone of Mrs. Merit's voice.

He went past Hudson street, stopping on the next street where he parked the car. When he went to the area where he parked it, he was still not even near but the sight had already eyes-catching, and just like how his heart thumped loudly last night, it was exactly the same, or even more now.

He shakily took his phone in his pocket and dialed Senior Merit's number again.

"What is it again? Are you on your way now?" He asked him, but Warren wasn't able to answer back shortly so he had to look at his phone if the call was still on-going, and it still was. "Hello? Warren?"

The agent gulped, walking slowly towards the car.

"Sir, I'm sorry."