“Miss Roads. May I offer you a Korean BBQ pork jerky in this trying time?”
“Pass...but I appreciate it. And thank you, I mean it.”
Detective Merlin shrugged with a content smile. He pulled out a packet of Teriyaki Beef jerky from his coat pocket and plucked out a stick to chew on. He entered Liam Ferguson's office, along with a certain suspect. It was a simple office space, with a lofty work desk and computer and the corner had a small lounge of couches and a coffee table. It even had phone operated Espresso Machine!?
“So.” Merlin muttered as he nibbled on the jerky sticks. “This is the room of a top insurance broker huh? Private air conditioning, their own lovely secretary sitting outside in the noise, and...oh dayum.” Merlin peeked through the window behind the work desk, gulping down his food from how high it was. “I can see everyone’s house from here.”
Tessa Roads wandered in the office. Her pacing was a means to calm down, escaping the jungle of employees. She ended up sitting down in the client chairs, taking a few deep breathes and rubbing her cheeks and neck with her comfy sleeves.
Merlin noticed and he sat on the corner of the desk. “10 years huh? Working with people like them?”
“Isn’t it the same, anywhere?”
“True. I don’t recall fond memories in my first years on the Force.” Merlin plopped another jerky stick and gave it a slow chew. “Was there ever a day where you went ‘nope’ and wanted to walk out?”
Tessa stopped shuffling papers with a flat stare. “Detective, no offence – would you ever go ‘nope’ and pinch someone to death?”
“...Sometimes, but I see your point.” Merlin glanced around. “So either Liam retires or gets promoted and this office could be yours?”
The suspect clenched her jaw, but answered as politely as she could. “There are four team leaders under his management. I am one of them. It just so happen he has been working closely with me in the past few months.”
“What about before those past few months?”
“Just reports and meeting. Never really talked to him outside of office hours.”
“Huh.” Merlin would then turn about, to flop onto the late boss’s chair. He gave the large and comfy office chair a few turns – then a spin. Weeeeee. “Miss Roads, the team leaders. Male or female.”
“Two females, myself included, and two males.”
“The other lady--”
“Engaged when she was promoted, currently second year in her marriage.”
“...So, you’re the only one who is lonely and single.”
A long stare.
Merlin shrugged and ate his jerky. “Remind me again, why was he training you all of a sudden?”
Tessa thought back for a moment. “Liam was about to be transferred to the HQ branch in the Central District. It’s pretty much the high point in Precious Life, better salary, ocean view office you know. He said he saw me as his potential replacement, and he wanted to train me to take over his future clients. All of which were the high roller types.”
“Liam is dead. So who would benefit from his loss in the office?”
“...M...myself...and Bentley.”
“Mr. A-2023419055?”
Tessa shrugged. “We’ve been competing for the next promotion for a while and we have the highest quotas so far. Everyone else, I don’t see much benefit than a new boss to...cozy up to... But then again.”
“Then again what?”
“It’s not like Game of Thrones where the next in line takes the spot. With Liam dead there is a chance HQ will transfer someone else to take over, an outsider with more qualifications and experience... I never really held that much hope in branch manager, anyhow. Knowing the system.”
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“Meaning if you really killed Liam, this is a big gamble for you?”
“...”
“Hey. I have the right to speculate. You want to prove you’re innocent, you got to put that brain to work yourself. I can’t be the one carrying all the weight.” Merlin spun in the office chair. After three turns he dug his heels in. “Right, his clients. How many does Liam have?”
“One.”
Merlin choked on his jerky. He punched his chest to clear his airway and coughed. “Wh-what? Branch manager only has with one client!?”
“The one quota is in the billions. So he’s fine.”
“Dayum.”
“Besides.” Tessa started to sort through the files on the desk. “He is the Branch Manager, leading four teams of over 100 agents. Essentially he has a percentage of all our sales, which tallies up as part of his commission. So there’s really no need to have 10 or 20 clients like we do.”
“...Wait so...he sits around and harvests from your blood, sweat, and tears? How much he makes?”
Tessa told him the approximate number.
The detective lost his appetite and shoved his bag of jerky into his pocket. “Six month of basic training. Two year beat patrol. Sergeant in C.I.D. working 27/4 no holiday. Catching bad guy after bad guy only to see them walk out on bail... I should just quit and work for you Tessa. I think with your minimum wage, I could have retired at the age of 17!”
“You say that, but being an insurance agent isn’t that simple.”
“Bro. I just make up some B.S., honey up a client, boom, I have three months of my salary in a single sitting.” Merlin wiped a hand over his mouth. “This one client, man or woman?”
“Man. Robert Stark.”
“Liam Ferguson has no female clients, whatsoever?”
“Well.” Tessa would gesture a one moment and she walked out of the office. A few minutes later she comes back with some files, handing them to the detective. “Liam used to work with these clients, before he transferred them over to me.”
Merlin rubbed his fingers on his coat and picked up the files. A flip open as he skimmed it. “Huh. So this policy is worth $400,000?”
“Oh no. That’s the monthly subscription.” Tessa pointed at the right spot. “That’s the pay out.”
“HOLY SH—$8 MILLION!? FOR JUST THE LEGS!? Who does this woman think she is, David Beckham!?”
“Oh Madam Belle. She’s a dancing instructor. Runs her own dancing studio in Lemonleaf Plaza. Even runs a YouTube channel showing off tutorials. Hundred thousand subscribers.”
Merlin flipped to the next file. “Wut? $10 million? For...Coverage of potential car accident!? Geez, her monthly subscription will bankrupt me!” After glancing at the numbers of all three files, he slapped them shut and covered his eyes to block out the reality...only double take and eyed the names of each files again. “They’re all women.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“And what? Liam handed all three of them to you? At the same time?”
Tessa shrugged and folded her hands on her late boss’s desk. “They’re very difficult to handle. I was the only one able to keep up with their ‘demands’. We were also women so it made negotiations a little easier once you know their angle.”
Merlin glanced at the insurance folders again, tapping a finger. “Three cash cows, and he just gave them to you on a silver platter? Why?”
Tessa swept her hands through her hair with a polite. “They’re Karens.”
“Terminally?”
“Genetically.”
“Dayum. Well that solves one mystery.” Merlin pushed the folders onto the desk to think it over. “Is this all of your clients?”
“More or less. Just these three files alone surpass my quota, so I rarely have to go out and look for more ‘opportunities’ like I did when I first started. Despite what I say about them, we’ve been on good terms.”
Something occurred to Tessa and she voiced it. “Detective. Is there any reason why you’re very keen on these three women, exactly? Are they involved in the investigation or--”
Merlin interjected with a small snort. “I’m thinking of a career change. If I’m gonna step on your playfield--” he pinched at the folders. “I’m scouting my own prospective clients.”
Tessa returned a snarl...only to gasp with a laugh. It felt good, that laugh. Such a simple gesture, yet it cleared a burden on her chest. It made breathing a bit easier.
Knock. Knock.
“Huh?” Tessa turned to the office door just as it opened.
An awkward stare with Liam Ferguson’s secretary. “Um. I have a message for Tessa.” After Merlin gestured a go ahead on the suspect’s behalf, the secretary replied. “Miss Amelia wants to cancel the policy.”
“...Wait, when was this?” Tessa bolted to her feet, fist clenched and fingers turning white. The detective opened the folder, spotting the name. To be sure, he pointed at it – which Tessa nodded in startled confirmation. “Wh-what happened? What else did Miss Amelia say?”
The secretary hesitated. “Just called in. She said she wasn’t interested in the insurance policy any more. Asked for us to cancel it entirely.”
Merlin raised an eyebrow as he chipped in. “Immediately?”