Page 27 of Hook

“Ah, yes, of course.” He opens the door wide. “Come on in.”

I walk into the ramshackle of a place which consists of only two rooms.

“Mind the mess.I understand you need someone to work out who the traitor is in your organization. Is that right?”

I nod. “Yeah, I found this in my office.” I pass him the ledger, feeling uneasy handing over my ledgers to a stranger. However, my cousin, Henderson, vows that he’s the best and won’t fuck me over. “All the circled shipments are ones that got hit by the Tesoro mafia.”

His lips purse together. “I don’t normally get involved in organized crime, but since Henderson sent you.” He looks at me. “I’ll make an exception.”

“Thanks. What ever the fee is, consider it paid.”

He nods. “It might take a while, but I’ll do my best to get this figured out for you. I assume you want it done in absolute secrecy?”

I nod again, “Of course.”

“Very well. It will be a covert operation and I’ll have to tail possible suspects to rule them out. To ensure that the investigation is kept entirely under the radar, I’ll need you to write a list of who you suspect may be guilty.

I nod in agreement. “That sounds like a plan.”

“We’ll also need to look into surveillance footage we can find at your club, the drop sights and the docks. The footage may show something unusual or out of the ordinary happening, or provide insight into who is responsible.”

I grind my teeth, as Smyth normally handles correspondence at the docks. “Fuck, okay, I’ll get hold of it.”

He tilts his head. “If you can’t, I can.”

“I’ll let you know. It’s not normally my style to visit the docks, so I don’t want people to get suspicious.”

He nods. “Makes sense. I can go and get a copy of the CCTV footage on these dates. Once I’ve got them, I’ll let you know if I see anything suspicious.”

I pause a moment, looking at the man whose name I don’t know because he likes to remain elusive. “So you won’t tell me your name?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, it’s part of my policy.”

I sigh heavily. “Fair enough. Let me know when you find anything. I’ll text you a list of the possible suspects.”

He nods and puts his hand forward. “It’s good to meet you.”

I take it and shake his hand, hating that I have to trust someone I don’t know. I can’t go poking around looking for a rat, as I’ll send the bastard scurrying into hiding. A flood of anticipation races through me at the thought of finding who’s working against me and slicing him to pieces.

11

GWENDOLYNE

I’m going insane trapped in a cage like a bird. All I want is to be free and yet the stranger still hasn’t returned.

My stomach rumbles. I’m not sure how long it’s been since I ate, but it feels like days. Suddenly, I hear a jangle of keys on the other side of the door, forcing me to sit upright.

I expect to see the wicked stranger who kidnapped me, but instead a woman who has to be about fifty years old walks in carrying a tray. “Hello, I’m bringing you your meals from now on, on request of my employer.”

I stand and smile at her. “Thank you. What’s your name?”

“Mary-Anne,” she says simply, but doesn’t return the smile.

Walking over, I relieve her of the tray. “I’m so hungry, thank you, Mary-Anne.”

“You’re welcome.”

She turns to leave, but I’m so desperate to talk to someone. “Do you want to join me?”

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