Chapter 50: Another Spy?
Tucked away in the secret corners of the Rising Phoenix Hotel, an underground conference room had become the epicenter of a marathon of information exchange between Ben, James, and Edmund. What had begun the previous evening had now stretched into the dying hours of the afternoon the next day. Now, after many hours of fervent discussions, debates, and planning, the three of them were lost in their thoughts, mentally processing the ocean of information they had shared.
Ben had started off the discussion and spent a good deal of time bringing Edmund up to speed. He had been kept in the dark ever since the tragic murder of William and Bethany Hall. In fact, he was still wrapping his head around the fact that David had been alive, all this time.
Ben gave Edmund an overview of everything he had done to protect David. As David’s self-appointed guardian, he had done his best to keep David from harm’s way and to steward the Hall family’s assets until David was ready. From the delicate process of moving the Halls’ assets and funds to the complex and intricate task of completely erasing David’s existence from all public records, Ben walked Edmund through the various steps he had taken. At first, Edmund seemed angry for being kept at arm’s length up until now, but that quickly dissolved to relief as he listened to Ben’s explanations and reasonings.
Afterwards, they spent some time formulating a strategy for Edmund’s imminent meeting with Tammy. They agreed it would be best for Edmund to wear a wire during the meeting, allowing Ben and James to eavesdrop on the conversation, ready to intervene should the situation spiral out of control.
Just as they were wrapping up their exhaustive discussions, Ben’s phone buzzed. The incoming call was from Richard, one of the personal guards he had assigned to watch and protect David.
“Richard, talk to me. What’s going on?” Ben asked, his voice laced with concern.
“Ben, we’ve got a potential issue,” Richard reported. “There’s a woman, a coworker of David’s from the grocery store, who’s been acting suspiciously and is currently staying at the Rising Phoenix Hotel.”
Ben began to feel a tinge of unease creep into his senses.
“That’s odd. Are you sure it’s her?”
“I’m positive,” Richard confirmed. “Tommy and I spotted her in the hotel lobby last night. We didn’t recognize her at first, but we realized who she was when we surveilled the grocery store today. Her behavior definitely raised some red flags. She was asking too many questions about David, not just to the other coworkers, but to the manager as well.”
Ben’s brow furrowed as he processed this new information. A grocery store worker staying at the Rising Phoenix Hotel, a place typically reserved for the wealthy and elite, was highly unusual. Combined with her overly enthusiastic interest in David, this woman was certainly suspicious.
“After her shift, she took a roundabout route back to the hotel,” Richard continued. “She went out of her way to enter from the back, walking behind and around the block. She was definitely trying to avoid being seen.”
“Okay, keep an eye on her, but don’t let her find out she’s being watched. She was undoubtedly spying on David; we need to find out what she knows and who she’s working for. Figure out which room she’s staying in so we can detain her quietly.”
“Understood. It will be done,” Richard replied, his voice confident and reassuring. “Where do you want us to take her?”
“Lock her up in one of the basement storage rooms and make sure you remove any communication or tracking devices she may have on her. I’ll figure out how to deal with her later. And, Richard, make sure you handle this quietly; I don’t want any of the hotel guests to perceive any disturbance or suspicious activity,” Ben instructed.
Ben ended the call and sighed as he turned to James and Edmund.
“We have an unexpected development,” he said, his voice heavy with the weight of this new information.
James, who had been listening quietly to Ben’s phone call, crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with concern.
“I overheard a bit,” he said. “There’s another spy tailing David?”
Ben nodded solemnly.
“It seems so. One of David’s coworkers from the grocery store has been acting suspiciously, apparently trying to pry into David’s life. That alone wouldn’t raise my suspicions too much. However, the fact that she’s staying here at the Rising Phoenix Hotel gives me reason to suspect she’s not an ordinary civilian. What’s more is that she’s been taking roundabout ways to get back to the hotel after her shift at the grocery store. She’s clearly trying to avoid detection.”
Edmund’s brow furrowed.
“Could this be a spy from the Amos family?” he asked. “The Hall family was, indeed, powerful; if they know of David’s existence, it wouldn’t be too surprising that they’d be spying on him.”
James interjected, shaking his head.
“Spying isn’t really the Amos family’s style. They’re more about brute force, about showing their power and dominance. They’re not the type to spend their time gathering information. They’d rather just barge in and take what they want.”
Ben nodded in agreement.
“That’s consistent with what I’ve heard from my sources. The Amos family is known for their ruthless and aggressive tactics. They have the resources and the manpower to steamroll through anything standing in their way. However, I don’t have much information regarding the current head of the family, Kain Amos. All I know is that there was a violent takeover, and he’s now in charge.”
“Well, if the spy isn’t one of the Amos family’s, perhaps it’s one of Tammy’s from the Gund Intelligence Network,” Edmund suggested. “It is oddly coincidental for Tammy to be coming to Dalton at the same time as the Amos family, all at the same time that we find a spy tailing David.”
“That’s a possibility,” James acknowledged, his expression turning thoughtful. “The Gund Intelligence Network is known for its extensive information-gathering operations. It wouldn’t be out of character for them to have eyes on David.”
Ben frowned as he considered the implications.
“We need to handle this carefully,” he said, his voice firm. “If it is indeed a spy from the Gund Intelligence Network, we need to find out how much she knows about David and what information might have already been sold. I hope David hasn’t revealed too much about himself.”
Edmund agreed, his gaze solemn.
“When your men apprehend the spy, we’ll interrogate her and figure out what to do next. Thankfully, you’ve kept David in the dark, so he doesn’t know much about his own legacy. Though, that’ll likely have to change soon.”
The room hushed as they each grappled with the gravity of the situation. The presence of a spy added a new layer of complexity, and though they didn’t want to interfere with David’s life, they would have to find a way to break the news and reveal everything to him soon for his own safety.
Copyright © 2024 by A. J. Knight
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