Dead or Alive

As soon as Agent Forster left the building, Q picked up her phone and dialed Craig.

‘Thank you very much, Craig, for throwing me under the bus,’ she said, as soon as the phone was picked up.

‘I have no idea what—’

‘Oh please, don’t pretend you don’t know what you did,’ she said cutting him off. ‘I had a visit from Agent Forster.’

‘Oh…’

‘Explain yourself!’

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice. They threaten to suspend me.’

‘You couldn’t warn me?’

Craig said nothing.

‘Start from the beginning.’ She took a deep breath and leaned back on her chair. ‘Is Steve in trouble?’

‘While I was doing the background check on your friend Steve—’

‘He’s not my friend,’ she said, interrupting him.

‘I had a visit from the Hawks who were asking me all sorts of questions about him. They told me that they would report me to my station commander if I didn’t tell them why I was snooping around their case.’

‘Their case? I don’t understand.’

‘Steve is in trouble. He’s involved with the notorious Czech businessman that the Hawks have been trying to nail for years now without any luck. And from what I could find out, Steve cut a deal with them so that he won’t be charged.’ He paused. ‘But now he’s disappeared.’

‘Excuse me? What? What do you mean he’s disappeared?’ she said in a whisper as if afraid that someone might be listening in.

Craig took her cue; he also lowered his voice. ‘Yep. No one can find him. The Hawks don’t know whether he’s dead or whether he’s skipped the country. All they know is that they cannot find him.’

Q was silent, assimilating it all. Steve involved with the Czech mafia? No, she corrected herself, the Czech Godfather. The most dangerous man in the country. Anyone who double-crossed him died and the police could never link anything back to him, hence he’d never been charged.

She began to worry. Steve’s disappearance was cause for concern, especially if he was involved with the Godfather.

She wondered if Thando knew anything about the disappearance. She had not said anything to her about it. She shook her head. Craig must be mistaken, maybe—

‘Did Forster say anything about me?’ Craig asked, speaking normal again.

‘What?’

‘Forster.’

‘He didn’t say much. I think he was trying to intimidate me.’

Craig laughed. ‘Intimidate you? Really? He should have asked me how to approach you. You’re not easily intimidated.’

‘You still owe me for throwing me under the bus, but thank you for this information.’

‘Does that mean you’re no longer gonna set me up with your hot friend?’

‘Exactly.’

She ended the conversation with Craig and called Thando. She asked her where Steve was. Thando told her that Steve left the country two days ago on a business trip oversees. He won’t be back for another three weeks. Q took down the details that Steve had left. The country, the hotel name and the business he was visiting. She ended the call with Thando who clearly had no idea of what was going on. She was about to do some investigation on Steve’s trip when her phone rang. She lifted the handset.

‘Q, Steve has left the country with all our money.’ It was Sbu, he spoke before Q could even say hello. ‘The company is bankrupt. He transferred all our money to an offshore account.’

Q didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know why Sbu had decided to call her with all of this information. Maybe it was because they were now friends. She  didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the challenge she had been presented with. No one asked her, but she knew that if she didn’t do it no one else would. So she decided she would find Steve. Wherever he was, whether he was dead or alive she would find him.