The Last to Break

13. The Deception

"Go on," Jay said.

"We want to recruit him. He would be able to continue his life as normal in The Annex. We need to find the mastermind behind it all. It is not The Warden, as he is called."

The man couldn't see the smile on Jay's face.

"What if my boss is not interested?"

"It will leave me with no choice but to put him behind bars as well, then."

"You think you can catch him?"

"Yes, I will catch him tonight."

"How will you do that? He is not here."

Jay knew he had caught the man off guard when he noticed the hesitation.

"If he is not here, how will he ensure the success of his mission tonight?"

Jay changed the topic.

"My boss already established who you are. He decided not to partake in this operation."

The frustration was now visible in the Lieutenant's behaviour.

The Lieutenant took an envelope from his jacket and passed it back to Jay.

"Make sure your boss receives this."

Jay took the envelope.

"Ask your boss to contact me urgently."

No response. The Lieutenant turned around. The booth was empty.

After the seventh item, there was a short interval. Jay stood at the bar, a glass of whiskey in his hand, with no intention of drinking it. He casually looked around. Lieutenant Ambrosius was talking to someone, even though no one was near him. He shook his head. How obvious.

He returned to his booth.

The auction commenced.

When "The Object" of the evening was displayed, a dead silence fell over the guests. At the same time, the power went out. Jay put on his 'glasses' and watched the show. Some women uttered soft screams. The auctioneer's voice boomed.

"Stay where you are. If anybody moves, they will be shot on the spot."

Immediately after, a noise came from the door on the right side of the auction room. Guards rushed there. Ten seconds later, someone tried to open the door on the left side of the auction room. The guards didn't know where to go. They were shouting among themselves. Then they decided to run to the other side.

When they opened the door, Tam was standing there, pretending to be drunk. He shouted at the guards, fighting them half-heartedly and asking them why they had locked him out. He was only having a drink at the bar.

The guards took Tam away. The emergency power came on. Everybody immediately looked at the glass display containing 'The Object'.

A sigh of relief could be heard. 'The Object' was still there.

The auctioneer announced a short break. The people were ushered to the bar area. Jay walked to the men's room and took a turn to his left.

He waited in the janitor's room. Tam knocked. Two soft knocks, two hard knocks.

Jay opened the door and pushed 'The Object' towards Tam.

Tam guided 'The Object' down the passage.

Jay returned to the men's room. Lieutenant Ambrosius walked in, talking to someone through his earpiece.

"I don't care what you do. I want this place cordoned off. He must be here. I'm sure of it."

Jay finished and left the men's room.

Ten minutes later, it was announced that the auction would commence.

Everybody took their seats. The bidding started at one billion dollars.

Without further ado, someone from the top-floor booth bid ten billion.

Jay quickly spoke into his earpiece.

"Find out who is in the booth on the top floor."

The auction room went silent.

No one dared to bid more.

Everyone knew who was on the top floor, but Jay needed evidence.

The auctioneer's voice boomed.

"Bid won by..."

The auction doors burst open. A young boy rushed in with a trail of guards behind him.

"That is my grandpa. Please, give my grandpa back to me." Tears were rolling down his face.

For the second time, the auction was disrupted.

The guards eventually got hold of the boy. The auctioneer told them to take the boy away.

A voice from the top booth echoed. "Let the boy speak."

Luca looked at the auctioneer.

"Please, Sir. That is my grandpa. We were in the mall. I saw someone taking him. I ran after them and saw how they dressed him up and pushed him into a white van. I lost them."

The auctioneer, not impressed and totally at the end of his patience, asked, "If you lost them, how do you know this is your grandfather?"

"I have his location on my cellphone. My grandpa has the same app on his phone to track me. I followed him here. The cellphone is showing this is the location. I also remember the clothes they dressed my grandpa in."

Again, the voice from the top booth echoed.

"Open the cell and check if this boy is telling the truth."

The auctioneer said something into his earpiece. A man walked in, keys in hand.

He opened the glass cage. As soon as the door opened, the old man ran to Luca and held him tight.

"Thank you, my boy. Thank you," the old man said over and over.

Every person in the auction room was stunned. Had they been fooled? What was happening? Who would try to swindle the man in the top booth?

The auctioneer walked to the old man and pulled him up roughly. He looked at the man closely, then went pale.

"This is not the painter. This is an imposter." Although his words came out as a whisper, everybody heard him.

The man in the top booth shouted.

"What kind of sick joke are you playing, Arthur?"

Within minutes, the police were there and took Luca and his grandpa away.

The auction was cancelled.

Everyone was still sitting, waiting to see how this would end.

The voice from the top booth shouted, "Everyone out. Now!"

People got up immediately and exited the auction room.

Jay stayed hidden. All booths were opened and checked. When the guards confirmed that the room was empty, the man from the top booth came down.

He walked up to the auctioneer.

"Arthur, what happened here tonight? It was a total mess, to say the least. Have you lost your touch?" There was no understanding in the voice.

The auctioneer lowered his head and knelt.

"Mr Zao, please. This is not me. I don't know what happened."

"You don't know?" The voice boomed. "You get paid to know everything. To be aware of everything. You have been in this business long enough to know all the tricks of the trade. Yet, whoever is responsible has made a fool of you and damaged the reputation of this auction."

The auctioneer, with tears rolling down his cheeks, said, "Mr Zao, I promise this will never happen again."

Mr Zao looked at the auctioneer.

"You know the rules. No mistakes."

He called two guards. They took the auctioneer away.

Jay, leaving his hiding place, followed the guards.

When they reached the car, Jay quickly stepped forward, knocking them both unconscious. He searched the guards' pockets, took out the keys, and handed them to the auctioneer.

"Go. This is as much as I can help. You are on your own."

"Why?" The auctioneer looked up.

There was no one.

He quickly jumped into the car and sped off.

Jay walked to his Aston Martin, got in, and drove away.

He stopped at the rental agency, parked the car, and left on foot. In a dark corner, he got undressed. A little flame could be seen. After a few seconds, someone walked away and started jogging. He reached The Annex, walked to his room, and waited.

Twenty minutes later, Tam, Azea and Luca entered his room.

Everyone was smiling.

"We did it," Tam said.

Azea, also smiling, said, "We certainly did."

They had a high five.

Luca was smiling so broadly, it looked like his mouth was touching the sides of his face.

"Master, that was awesome. I was so nervous, but it worked. The police were so dumb. They put 'grandpa' and me in the car and left to speak to their colleagues. I would have liked to see their faces when they realised we were gone," Luca said, playing with a mask in his hand.

"Luca, didn't I tell you to burn everything when you were done?" Jay said sternly.

Luca, now looking embarrassed, said, "Yes, Master. I was hoping I could keep this as a souvenir."

"That is what will get you caught one day. Go and burn it right now. In the future, do not deviate from the rules. This is your first mission. Another mistake like this, and you are out."

Luca got up and left the room.