From the Desk of Federal Agent Tobias Radcliff
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Dear Adam,
The information that you sent me seems to have proved to be accurate, for the most part. After some discussion, my team and I agreed that your information needed to be taken at face value, so we wasted no time in preparing to move before the subject had a chance to escape. At 2300 hours I deployed a tactical team to the residence you provided to us.
What you failed to mention in your information on this man is the skill that he possesses. You also said that he held no serious emotional ties to the people around him, based off of the profile you had built of him. In this, your information failed.
There were three men total, not two, and they banded together against us. Instead of the firefight we expected, they simply ran. That should have been our first clue.
I use our friendship right now as an excuse for the lack of formality in this letter. Because we’ve been friends for so long, I feel safe in saying that you sent us into a shit pile, Adam. You didn’t give us near enough information and my teams almost died. There was a trap on the apartment itself that almost blew us up, if it wasn’t for some quick thinking and a huge chance by one of my technicians…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Fall back, fall back!” Two members of the SWAT team called out. Others moved to the nearby doors, pounding to wake and evacuate the residents. Federal Agent Tobias Radcliff crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, watching as the teams cleared families quickly from their homes. One technician was squatting before the front of apartment 35, attaching something to the front of the door.
Typically, Tobias made it a point to know what it was that his team was doing. But when it came to the technicians and some of the modern day contraptions they had, he knew the general idea but he had no idea how to put them into practice. He knew that what Shelly Bart, his technician, was putting on the door was a sensor of some kind.
Tobias knew that some of the technology in this day and age was over his head, despite the fact that he wasn’t that old. For a senior field agent, he was at a relatively young age. He’d only turned thirty three two months before. There were teenagers who knew more about computers than he did, though. That never bothered him. That’s what he had technicians on his team for.
It continuously surprised those around him that he’d much rather sit and write a letter by hand than type it up on a computer. He much preferred to do things hands on than get lost in the world of technology. Though he did respect that the criminals he went after were more tech savvy nowadays and he knew that they had to fight fire with fire or they’d never win. But he enjoyed the hands on feel of going out and talking to witnesses, to watching their faces when they answered his questions, to writing out his forms and knowing that they were where they needed to be in his file cabinet and not potentially lost in a system crash on a computer.
People frequently underestimated him when they found out his lack of computer skills. They also tended to underestimate him when they met him face to face. He was a lanky man, all arms and legs, standing at about five feet eleven. Not too tall but not short either. He looked, at first glance, like he was more of a nerd than a federal agent. His constantly tousled brown hair and laughing green eyes, combined with his shy smile, set people at ease around him. All around, he exuded a calm, geeky, friendly manner.
Those on his teams knew better than that. Underneath that lanky frame was a wiry build. He was capable of more physical strength than anyone gave him credit for. He could run long distances and maintain his breath, more so than some of the men who looked more physically fit. In his class at Quantico he had been top in all his fitness and weapons testing. He could be hard when the need came for it and had been told he was a tough leader, but his team respected him.
There were times he snapped out orders and expected them to be obeyed. But there were also times that he cracked jokes with them all and had everyone in stitches. It had been said, more than once by those that got to know him, that he had nerves of steel. Absolutely no fear whatsoever. He did; he was just better at controlling it more than most. A job was a job.
But he enjoyed the misleading impression that people got from his physical appearance. When people underestimate you, it leaves more opportunity to get more information than they realize. It allowed a person to observe. Human observation was one of his favorite pastimes. He’d even trained for a while as a profiler for the FBI before he realized that field work was his true passion. Now, he combined the two. It made him a better Agent, he felt. That thought made him smile as he watched his technician work.
“Sir.” She called out softly. Tobias pulled himself out of his thoughts and moved to stand beside her. She rocked back on her heels to look up at him. A pretty girl, he thought to himself, with that short cap of blond curls and her smiling blue eyes. Bright too. She’d been a part of his team for three months now and he felt that she fit in nicely. “What is it, Bart?” he asked her.
“There’s a trap on the other side of the door. I checked the door when I saw the light underneath it and looked down and thought I saw a wire. So I put up my sensor. There’s a small set up on the other side that, when we open the door, will trigger a defense and blow this place sky high.” She didn’t bother using the technical terms, knowing that they wouldn’t mean anything to him. Another thing he liked about her. She didn’t patronize him about his tech knowledge; just simply put it in terms she knew he’d understand.
“Can you crack it?” he asked.
Her lips curved in a smile he recognized; she was enjoying her work, enjoying the challenge. “If I couldn’t I wouldn’t have bothered to tell you, Sir.”
“Get to work then.” His smile and wink had her chuckling as she went back to work.
While she did her job, Tobias looked around the apartment complex. What was it about this area that was important to the man they were chasing?
A voice suddenly filled his ear, courtesy of the earwig device he had in. “Sir, we’ve lost them. They ducked into a drain pipe, it looks like, but by the time we went through them both they were already gone. We’ve got the choppers in the air, but I doubt we’ll find them in this. Too many people out tonight.”
He sighed. So, they’d lost them. This mission wasn’t going anything like it was supposed to. Too little information he scolded himself. You didn’t want to go on so little info, but you trusted a friend even knowing this guy was always going to run. Well, no going back. “Thank you.” He answered back. “Round everybody up and come back. We’ll see what we can get from around here. I want as much information as possible.”
“Roger that, Sir.”
While he waited for Agent Bart to finish her job, his thoughts drifted to the man they were after. On the information of a friend, Tobias had come here today with minimal information. Information from someone who had always been there for him and had never steered him wrong before. But something about this all had felt off from the minute that the information had hit his desk. There hadn’t been enough time to research this man in depth, though, so Tobias had went against his better judgment and went in blindly. They were paying for it now.
On the packet Tobias had received had been a surprisingly small amount of information. Name: Unknown. Alias: Alexander James Mclean, AJ. Suspected Crime: Multiple political assassinations. Training: unknown. Works for: Unknown.
So many things were unknown. On and on the sheet went, with more information ‘unknown’ than there was known. There was also a profile to go with his ‘alias’. That alone was enough to cause Tobias to wonder. If this man was an assassin, working for someone for political gain, why on earth was the man a famous musician in a popular boy band? That seemed ridiculous. Preposterous. How on earth could he be that famous and yet, his name be an alias? He’d have to be quite talented to fake that much history that it withstood the scrutiny of the people in that business, the lawyers, and the press even.
Not only that, but assassins were, by rote, very secluded, quiet people. Their work called for secrecy. They were, often, ghosts. In and out without anyone knowing who they were or what they were doing there. A different name, a different passport for everywhere they travelled to. They needed to be chameleons, changing who they were easily so that they didn’t start to be recognized. By being famous, it guaranteed that this man, this AJ, would be recognized everywhere he went. That meant that this story was either a fabrication, or this man was very talented. If it was the former, than being here was a waste of time. If it was the latter, then this man was one of the most dangerous men they might ever deal with.
It was the risk of being the latter that had Tobias out here this cold winter night, waiting for his technician to finally get him on the other side of the door.
Things were looking more and more suspicious as time went on. Making Tobias lean more towards the story being true, at least in part. If this man wasn’t guilty, what on earth was he doing running? The first question was what he was doing here. That might be explained away as visiting a friend; being famous didn’t stop people from having poor friends if they wanted to. But the fact that AJ and two other men had been spotted here, that they ran just as the FBI was starting to come in, did not look well for them.
Add on that they’d somehow managed to evade capture and had somehow left behind a booby-trapped apartment and it started to look worse and worse.
If it was true, if this man did work as an assassin for someone, he had to be very talented at what he did. Tobias thought it out as he watched the night sky, little flurries of snow starting to fall again.
Being famous meant that AJ would be recognized everywhere that he went. So, to do his job, he’d have to be able to either blend in well if necessary, or be very talented at disguises, or an expert at slipping in and out of a place unnoticed by others. The business he was in made an almost twisted sense, if one thought about it. Instead of all the hassle of creating multiple identities and passports, changing getting caught if they aren’t done well enough, he had a ready-made reason to be in any country at any given time. Touring, press things, society functions, publicity events.
It also gave him quite a bit of money to work with to fund what he needed and where he would need to go.
“Sir, we’re in!” Agent Bart announced proudly. She twisted the handle on the door, opening it with a grin.
Tobias turned and smiled at her. He gestured his team in first, letting them clear the apartment first. Only once the all-clear was given did he step inside as well. No one bothered him as he walked in. They all knew the way that his mind worked and how he preferred to work a crime scene.
First and foremost he wanted to get a feel for the place they were in. There were so many things in a place that could tell you endless amounts of information about the person that lived there or had been there. To allow him to observe this, agents backed out of the apartment, posting at the door and at the bedroom door, just to keep an eye on things until he called them in.
The apartment was sparsely furnished. The living room held a couch and a recliner, basic furniture, as well as a TV and an entertainment center. There was a stereo that sat there; nice, but not expensive. Things that were easily left behind if the need to run came along. No pictures on the walls. No knickknacks here and there. This wasn’t a home. It was a temporary residence.
Straight from the door, through the living room, was the dining room and kitchen. The two were made as one room, small as apartment kitchens are, with one window looking out to the forest. The table sat pushed into the corner, as far away from the kitchen counters as possible. There was an empty Wal-Mart bag on the table, as well as an empty ashtray. A knotted cloth sat partially covered by the plastic bag. Tobias stopped, looking down at the little curls of plastic. Someone had opened some gauze. He didn’t touch them, knowing that they’d be dusted for fingerprints.
So, someone was injured. Burned, it looked like, from the special type of gauze it was. He thought about that as he moved through the kitchen. It was meticulously clean for the moment, though it would soon be covered in fingerprint dust. No dishes sat in the strainer. No cereal boxes on the counter or any bowls of fruit. Using a glove from his pocket, he opened the fridge. A half empty gallon of milk, a carton of orange juice, one defrosting pound of ground hamburger, three beers, and a pack of hot dogs.
So, one person lived here, male most likely. No woman that Tobias had ever known would let their fridge get down that low, nor have that little nutritional food inside. Women were, typically, more domestic, even when they denied it. They thought of things like rounded meals and healthy food. Bachelors were more lax, subsisting off of beer and easy food often enough.
A single bowl full of water sat inside the sink, a long, wide piece of metal sitting inside of it. The water was tinted lightly red.
“Agent Roy.” Tobias called out, knowing which of the other Agents was closest. He heard the man move toward him. When Roy was close enough, Tobias pointed to the metal piece. “What do you make of this?”
“That’s a strange piece of metal to be in a kitchen.” Agent Roy said slowly. His eyes traveled around the room, looking at the random things here and there. His eyes alighted on the plastic wrappers on the table. When he saw those, he sucked in air.
Tobias watched his face. He knew Roy’s mind, knew how quick it was, and he knew that Roy was trained both as an Agent, with small training in profiling, as well as being a field medic. He had a very rounded talent that had interested Tobias when Roy’s application had come across his desk three years ago. He hadn’t regretted bringing him to the team. “What is it, Roy?”
“If I didn’t know any better, Tobias, I’d say someone was injured.” Roy murmured, slipping into a friendlier manner as his mind wandered. Off the clock, the two had become good friends. “The evidence suggests that they did field treatment. What the wound is, I couldn’t say. But I can almost guarantee that someone bled, quite a bit.”
“A burn, I assumed, by the medicated gauze wrappers.”
“Partially.” Roy said. He looked around again, his eyes lingering on the propane stove. “I’d say someone was shot, stabbed, something that broke the skin deep. Not deep enough to need a hospital. They had to know they were running, or that stitches would pull too much, so those were out. All of this is only guess work, Tobias.”
“Keep guessing. I want your feel on this.” There had been many times that Roy’s ‘feel’ on something had been dead on. Tobias had learned a long time ago to trust his instincts as well as the instincts of those around him. Sometimes you didn’t have facts; sometimes you had to speculate from what was around you.
There was another moment of silence before Roy continued. “I’d say that the wound needed to be sealed, if the bleeding wouldn’t stop. For a man under my care I’d apply pressure, stitch if necessary. But if they were in a hurry, without the proper tools to stitch it with or worrying about doing something that might tear the stitches later, they’d look at other options. From what’s in here, I’d guess this is what happened.”
Roy pulled gloves out of his pocket, snapping them onto his hands. He moved over to the table. “I’d say they sat the injured one here, easiest place to treat him. Then one of the others goes and gets that metal piece. Most likely they turned on the propane burner, getting a good flame going, and laid the metal on the burner to heat.”
Questions burned on Tobias’s tongue, but he stayed silent, watching as Roy moved the plastic Wal-Mart bag with a gloved hand and picked up the knotted cloth.
“My guess is that they put this in the injured person’s mouth, the knot meant to gag them. One person would wrap either end on his hands, like this.” Roy wrapped the cloth around his hands so that it was stretched between the two, the knot in the middle. “Then they’d place the knot in the injured guys mouth and pull back, holding it there so he can’t spit it out. Then, the third guy would grab the metal when it was heated and used it to cauterize the wound.”
Surprise had Tobias’s eyebrows winging up. “You mean they used that metal to burn the guys skin?”
“Pretty much. If nothing inside is injured and it’s a simple flesh wound, one that’s bleeding profusely, sometimes some people consider it easier to burn it off. There’s only a small scar, a small burn mark, to deal with. Easier than having to worry about pulling stitches or tearing the wound open again if you’re moving fast or working hard. Hurts like hell done like this, though, and it’s dangerous if not done right. If there’s a bleeder inside, you’re sealing it off for internal bleeding.”
What kind of man must it take to willingly sit down and let someone burn your arm shut? Or to make the medical decision that it was safe to do? Tobias imagined sitting that chair, letting someone gag you and hold it tight, holding a part of your body out to let someone stick burning metal onto it, on a spot that was already hurting. He would have staked money that it was AJ who had been injured. Even with a gag, loud screams would have been heard. It would take someone with a strong mind and a strong will to do this. Not only that, but to run the way that they had with that kind of injury. “Fascinating.” He muttered.
The bedroom was empty but for a few articles of clothing. They’d test for fingerprints in here as well. But there wasn’t much more to give them away. Tobias could feel that he wouldn’t get much more from this place, at least not until his teams were done and the scene was processed. He gave the signal, allowing everyone to come in and get to work. Once he got a little more information, he’d see where to go next.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hours later, in the early morning light, Tobias found himself driving toward downtown. Roy sat beside him in the car, a quiet companion. For a while now Tobias had been thinking of bumping Roy up, bringing him in as a partner. Now, as they drove, Tobias glanced at of the corner of his eye at his fellow agent, his friend.
Roy was a handsome man, there was no denying that. What made him even more so was that he was so blind to it. He was muscular, in very good shape, and taller even than Tobias, standing at six feet, three inches. His brown hair was short, the high-and-tight military look. There was a small tan that came from all the time he spent out in the sun. It made the blue of his eyes seem to pop out even more, looking even brighter in his face. There were wrinkles on either side, showing how often he’d laughed in his life. Those handsome looks have often gotten him more information from witnesses and others than some might get because they were either attracted to him, or he managed to set them at ease.
Beyond his looks, he was a very intelligent person. He could have gone much further into profiling than he had. But, like Tobias, he’d enjoyed field work too much to stop what he was doing. So he’d switched over. For years he’d worked in the domestic terrorism unit before putting his application in for Tobias’s team.
The team that Tobias ran was a special unit, not often listed where others could see them. If asked, they were a violent crimes task force. But under that, they basically dealt with the tougher criminals. They worked quietly sometimes, undercover, and other times they blended in with other units to work side by side. They went where the need was strongest and where the suspect was difficult. But even to the director of the FBI, the team had no official name and were simply listed as Violent Crimes Task Force. It worked fine for Tobias.
Roy had fit in perfectly from day one. The two had met once or twice before, briefly, so when his application came to Tobias’s desk, he’d taken an extra moment to look at it. After he’d let Roy on the team, the man had proved himself time and time again, providing invaluable information and perspectives that had helped catch quite a few criminals, terrorists, murders, and others .
The decision to bring Roy up to partner was one that Tobias didn’t take lightly. Right now he was the sole head of the team, the only boss that the members reported to. If he added Roy as his partner, it would not only bump up Roy’s pay grade, but his responsibilities as well. It would lighten the load for Tobias a little, helping to even it out, and would give him one person he could trust implicitly. That was why he’d taken so many years to find a partner. It had to be someone he could trust.
He trusted Roy Garson.
As he stopped at a red light, Tobias turned to look at his friend. “Have you ever thought about advancing in your work, Roy?” he asked him casually.
Roy looked surprised by the question. “I’m sure everyone does at one point or another.” Roy answered slowly. “But I like the unit I’m in. To advance would mean leaving, and I’m happy where I am. I do good here. I like who I work with.” Here he flashed a smile. “You’re a pretty good boss, too.”
That made Tobias smile. He moved the car forward when the light went green. They were only three blocks away from the hotel now. “What if I said that there might be a position opening up in the unit itself? A chance for advancement. Would it be something that might interest you?”
“In the unit?” Roy sounded curious. “It would depend what the position would entail, I suppose. I wouldn’t agree to anything without knowing the kind of job I’d be taking.”
The perfect answer. Tobias smothered a smile. “There’d be more responsibility. More paperwork to handle, too. But you’d still be in the field just as much.” He let that stew for a minute as he pulled the car into the parking garage attached to the hotel that was their destination. Only when the car parked did he turn in his seat to look at Roy. “I haven’t had a partner for a long time, Roy. I haven’t trusted anyone enough to work in that capacity with me.” His words had Roy’s eyebrows shooting up and his mouth dropping open a little. “I need someone I can count on. Someone who will not only have my back on the field, but in the office as well. Someone I can trust with the secrets of the job, even from other agents. Someone with a quick, sharp mind and a good heart that hasn’t turned hard yet. I’ve thought for a while you fit this. It helps that we’re friends, off the job.”
“You’re asking me to be your partner?”
“Yeah, I am.” Tobias gave him a charming smile. “You’re a good person, Roy, and a damn good agent. I can’t think of anyone else I’d trust to have my back and cover my ass if needed. Your job title would be the same as mine, your pay and duties same as mine. We’d just do it together. You interested?”
Roy’s warm face stretched with a wide grin. “You shitting me?” he exclaimed. “Of course I’m interested! Damn, Tobias. That’d be great!”
“Consider it done, then. We’ve worked together long enough and been friends long enough that it shouldn’t take too long to make the adjustment.” Tobias said formally. Then he grinned again. “We know all each other’s bad habits already. We should be able to work together this way without killing one another.”
The two laughed as they climbed from the car. “Does this mean I get to move outta the bullpen?” Roy teased him with a smirk.
Tobias laughed out loud. “Shit, Roy. You get the office right next to mine. A view and everything.”
“Nice!”
“Yeah, just remember. With the new desk comes a shitload of new paperwork to deal with. You guys thought I was just the boss so I could order people around?” Tobias tossed a smirk over his shoulder as they moved into the hotel’s front doors. “It also comes with a ton of paperwork that sucks a lot. You’ll find out why I work as late of hours as I do.”
The two ribbed one another all the way to the front desk. But once they were in view of the receptionist waiting there, both men instantly switched on their work faces. Tobias pulled out his ID and showed it to the woman there. “Agent Tobias Radcliff and Agent Roy Garson.” He introduced them. The two put their ID’s away. “We’re here to see a Mr. Kevin Richardson”
Purposely Tobias hadn’t called ahead, not wanting to give them time to hide out or run from him. Nothing in the paperwork suggested that any of the others in the band were in on this, but he wasn’t going to take his chances. A quick look into their backgrounds had showed nothing out of character.
The woman stuttered a little as she told them “I’ll just call on up and clear you through.”
“No need to alert him, ma’am. If you’d just radio one of their security guards down, we’ll explain it to them on the way up.”
A few minutes later a burly man stepped from the elevators, walking straight to them. Tobias didn’t even paused to say anything before he pulled out his badge and ID and showed them to the man. He saw that Roy quietly did the same. Good. Security for anyone was supposed to check these kinds of things; Tobias didn’t begrudge them doing their work. He respected someone who did their job well.
After the man made sure, as well as he could, that they were who they said they were, he gestured them to follow. When they were in the elevator, heading up, he looked over at them. “Names Marcus.” He introduced politely. “The lady said you two are here to see Mr. Richardson?”
“Yes, though we’d like to speak to each of the boys if that’s possible.” Tobias answered.
“I can gather them all up. They might already be at the hub, though.”
Roy quirked an eyebrow. “The hub?”
That comment had Marcus smiling. “Mr. Richardson’s room. Kevin’s the central point for these boys. They’re generally in his room on their time off.”
The bodyguard seemed a friendly enough sort. Tobias had already studied as much as he could on everyone connected to this band, so he had basic information on the players. Marcus had been with them for a while and was technically assigned to AJ Mclean, ironically enough. “When you have the band together, we’d like all the guards there as well. First we’d like to speak to the group, then maybe to individuals.”
Marcus nodded, his face suddenly serious. He was smart enough to know that something was going on, even if he didn’t know what it was. He pulled out his cell phone, punching in a number quickly. After a second he said “Sean? Big meeting, asap, us and the boys in the hub. Gather up everyone and get up there five minutes ago. I’ll snag the boys that aren’t awake yet.” After another second, he snapped his phone shut and put it away.
When the elevator doors opened, Marcus escorted them down a long hallway to a room on the very end. With a large fist he knocked on the door. A moment of silence passed and then the door opened. Tobias recognized the man on the other side as Kevin Richardson. Tall, dark hair, smiling, dressed comfortably in sweats and a t-shirt. “Hey, Marcus.” That southern drawl was on his words, as well as the slightly slower way of speaking. “What’s up?”
“There’re two Agents here to see you, Kev. FBI Agents.” Marcus said bluntly. “Said they need to meet with all of us, guards included.”
Kevin’s wide eyes traveled to where Tobias and Roy stood side by side. Tobias knew the image they probably presented. Roy, dressed in his dark suit, looking every inch the federal agent, just without the stereotype sunglasses. Then there was Tobias, dressed in dark jeans, combat boots, and a long sleeved white shirt with a black suit jacket over it. His hair, as always, was windblown looking.
“Uh, come in, come in.” Kevin said nervously. He stepped back and gestured into his room. “Howie and Nick are already here. We just finished breakfast.” Still looking slightly lost, Kevin looked over to Marcus. “I think the two are in AJ’s room this time.”
That comment was tucked away inside Tobias’s brain. There was a tone to the way Kevin said that, as if it was totally normal, that had Tobias wondering. Were Brian Littrell and AJ Mclean a couple? There had been nothing on that in the information that Tobias had on either man. But, then again, being in a boy band, something like that would most likely be kept very secret. A glance to Roy showed his new partner must have been thinking the same thing.
The two were escorted inside by Mr. Richardson, led to a sitting area where two other men were sitting on a couch. They, too, were dressed in comfortable clothes. It was obvious that it was their day off and that they were taking the time to rest and enjoy themselves. “Nick, Howie.” Kevin called out. “There’s…there’s FBI here to see us.”
“What?” The one called Nick exclaimed. The blond kid spun on the couch, looking at them with wide eyes. Information said he was the youngest of the group. A playful person with a personality that charmed loads of girls. “FBI? You shitting me?”
That had Tobias giving a small half smile. He pulled out his ID, showing it to them. “Nope, not shitting you.” He answered cheekily. “My names Agent Tobias Radcliff. This here is my partner, Agent Roy Garson.”
The Latino one, Howie, put a restraining hand on Nick’s arms, keeping him in place. Then Howie rose to his feet. “Why are federal agents coming to see us?” He asked cautiously. From what Tobias had gathered, Howie was the most legal minded of all of them. Smart, practical, and very analytical when it came to business. Those were traits that Tobias could understand and respect.
“If you don’t mind, Mr. Dorough, I’d like to wait until everyone’s gathered so that this isn’t explained twice.”
Politely, Kevin offered them drinks while they waited. Both men accepted some coffee. As they all sat down around the coffee table, Roy and Tobias on a loveseat, Tobias flashed them one of his most charming smiles. “You know, I have to admit, I’ve never heard you guys sing before.”
The kid, Nick, smile in a shaky sort of way. “Not too surprising. We’re pretty popular with mostly teenage girls.” He said, showing a good sense of humor even under stress.
Roy picked up on what Tobias was doing quickly and stepped in to help ease the tension. “I’ve heard you before.” He admitted to them. That had three sets of eyes jumping to him in surprise. Roy gave them a full grin, breaking some of the stiff look that the suit lent him. “What? My sister played you in my car and I enjoyed it, so I bought a copy. Don’t know all the songs, but I like what I know. I think Spanish Eyes has got to be my favorite.”
“Thanks.” Howie said. Some of the tension had eased on his face a little. “I love that one too.”
Tobias shrugged and reclined back in his chair. “No offense whatsoever to your group.” He told them. “Pop’s just not my genre.”
“Not everyone likes to blast out their hearing with Black Sabbath.” Roy taunted him. It was a familiar taunt between them, obviously genuine, and helped to set the others at ease even more.
Just as he always did, Tobias rolled his eyes a little. “Listen, Black Sabbath is classic music. I’ll take that over that Britney girl any day of the week.”
Nick laughed. “You sound like Age.” He told Tobias with a smile. “He’s into that older shit. The harder rock stuff. Black Sabbath is one of his favorites.”
“Sounds like my kind of guy.”
Just then the hotel door opened and Marcus came in, four other security guards trailing behind him. Quiet, Marcus moved over to Kevin. “They weren’t in their room, either one.” Marcus murmured to Kevin. “I tried calling their cells, but Brian isn’t answering and I can hear AJ’s ringing in his room.”
It didn’t take long before Tobias saw Kevin start to make the horrible connection in his head. He turned, a horrified look on his face, toward Roy and Tobias. “What is it you two gentlemen are here for today?” he asked, his voice scratching slightly with fear. At the tone to his voice, Howie and Nick both automatically reached out. The three sat together on the couch, Kevin at their center, clasping hands as they looked to Tobias. This part of the job was never fun.
How should he do this? Subtle, with little hints here and there? Or blunt? What would get him the most information? He decided to feel things out first. “Two of your members missing? When was the last time you saw them?”
“Yesterday afternoon.” Kevin said, looking around and receiving agreeing nods from everyone. “Yeah, yesterday afternoon, before they snuck out for a walk.” He looked apologetically at the security. “Sorry, but they were disguised. They just wanted some time to be together, without anyone there.”
There it was again. This time Tobias was sure of it. Brian and AJ were an item. That made things much more interesting. He glanced over, saw Roy thinking the same thing. This explained a few facts, like why Brian was with AJ in that apartment. Fingerprints had confirmed that.
“None of you have seen or heard from them since then? No phone calls, no texts, nothing?” Tobias watched, trying to make sure no one lied to him.
“Nothing.” Kevin said. His voice trembled only for a second before he firmed it. “What is going on here? Are they ok? Are…are they alive?”
Something told Tobias that he’d get more honest responses and information if he was blunt with these men. There was too much at stake to risk leaving things out and messing things up for them later. “As far as we know, your two friends are alive.” He said bluntly. “Do any of you know why Mr. Mclean or Mr. Littrell might have gone down to southern Lancaster?”
“Where’s that?” Kevin asked, even as Howie said “Age has a friend down there.”
The two other band members turned toward Howie, who shrugged. “I don’t know anything about him, but I know J visits him sometimes when we’re here. Just a buddy he’s known for a few years. Why? What happened there? You said they’re alive, but are they ok? Are they hurt?”
“Would he take Mr. Littrell there with him?” Roy asked, not alluding to what they knew. “Is that something he’s done before?”
“No, not that I know of.” Howie said. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if Brian went with him. They do everything together.”
“Are they an item?”
After a moment’s hesitation and a glance to his friends, Howie nodded. “Yeah. For a while now. It wouldn’t surprise me if Age took Brian to meet his friend. Those two are pretty serious about one another.”
Kevin sat up straighter, letting go of his friend’s hands. “This is enough. Either you tell us what on earth is going on, now, or I call our lawyer and we say not another word until he’s here.”
“We received intelligence yesterday that led us to the apartment of your friend’s friend.” Tobias told them simply, trying to keep it as basic as possible. But he’d already decided to give them a general run down. Their reactions to things, their mannerisms, plainly told him that they had known nothing of the previous night’s events or of anything that might even bring the FBI around. Tobias would have bet that these people in this room had no idea about the double life AJ led. Question was, did Brian? “Your two friends and one other fled the scene, evading the members of my unit and escaping. The apartment they left behind was booby-trapped and almost blew us sky high if my tech hadn’t been able to disarm it. Inside, we found their fingerprints everywhere, as well as suggestions that someone had been injured. We also found items and receipts that suggest that they purchased supplies to run with.”
His words were met with silence for a single moment before sound exploded in the room.