Edgar strolled back into his favorite Thai restaurant close to five hours after he had left, confident that when he returned Jerome would have an update for him. Devon didn't even ask why his trip to the cop shop lasted so long, as he knew they had some tough questions for him. The news that they got an address from the buyer that Jessica was confident was her mother was big news. The address provided wasn't helpful as it was a P.O. Box, but that only seemed to excite Jerome more. He had traced the I.P. address of the bidder to learn that the person didn't even live in the same town as the box she was asking them to ship the necklace to. This led Jerome to believe someone was going through and inspecting her mail before eventually delivering to her at a later time. Jerome was very careful to trace the location of the computer, using more difficult means to get it that didn't raise any red flags with the people who were likely watching the subject and her computers like a hawk.
Edgar was all smiles when he got the news, and he could tell Jessica was excited until he informed her she wasn't going. They had pictures of her mom, and would make an ID on their own. While the young lady wasn't impressed with the idea of being benched when it counted she understood after Edgar told her it wasn't safe, and she needed to stay in the background until they had things under control. After talking over the plan, Edgar took Devon aside for a little private conversation.
"Do you have a problem with the revised plan?" Edgar asked once they had some privacy, "The others don't need to know about this part."
Devon cracked an evil grin, "I have no problem with that at all. I made some calls, and we'll have some more muscle here tomorrow. They were close to my team and want a piece of these people as much as I do."
"Well, let them know there is more in it for them than just revenge. This is a paying job and as the money man that means I'm in charge." Edgar said as he followed Devon out to the back behind the restaurant, "You still have that truck we used the last time we had to fake a delivery?"
"Oh yeah," Devon confirmed, "That job worked so well for us there was no way in hell I was going to part with it. I've used that bugger to catch over a dozen bounties. You'd be surprised how trusting someone is when they see a truck that pro show up at their door. They hardly ever question it, especially when using stolen uniforms."
"How soon can we get going?" Edgar said, eager to set a timetable.
"We need to paint the truck." Devon said, "The trucks are usually updated often to prevent exactly what we're trying to get away with. I took the honor while you were gone to photograph a few trucks while they were parked outside. We're not the only people in town who love to take advantage of this place's lunch buffet."
He pulled out his digital camera, and started to show Edgar some of the pictures. The trucks were updated only a tiny bit, only a few minor details but that's all it usually took.
"That's not too bad," Edgar said as he looked at the photos, "Just need to add a fresh coat of paint and the new logo and we'll be good to go. Are the uniforms pretty much the same?"
"They are." Devon said as he shifted to another photo, "They haven't changed those buggers in years. So I don't need to buy any new ones but I will need to shave and get a haircut. That's the only thing I don't like about this gig. Normally I'd have Tuck do the whole delivery thing, but since he's gone, one of us will have to do it."
"We'll all be there for support." Edgar said, trying to be supportive, "And if things go according to plan, we'll net ourselves a few big fish. When does the rest of our new crew arrive?"
"They'll be here tomorrow," Devin confirmed, "But I've got to warn you, the new crew is going to cost you another two hundred large. They come at the same price my team did."
"That's alright." Edgar confessed, as he more comfortable with the idea than he normally would be. "After what happened to our people, we can't afford to take any chances, so they'll be worth it. Better to have too many bodies instead of not enough. We also need a crew tough enough to put up a firefight if necessary. If those guys attempt to torch us again, I want to make sure all they get for their effort is some extra lead in added to their diets. They'll know we mean business and have no intention of backing down."
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"Preach on brother." Devon replied, as he too liked this plan, "We haven't been on the same page this well in a very long time. I almost forgot how that felt, and I'm rather comfortable with it."
"The feeling is quite mutual." Edgar observed as he scanned the truck over, "I'll get Jerome to work on that new logo. With all that fancy new equipment he bought on my dime, there should be something in there that will allow him to manufacture what we need. Make sure he gets that picture and I'll make sure he does it right."
"I'm sure he will... he was a good pick up, mate." Devon confirmed as he took the camera, "And we're going to make these people pay for what they did, aren't we?"
"The best way I know how." Edgar said as he looked his compadre in the eye, "We hit them hard by doing the one thing they've fought for all those years to prevent. The one thing that would shatter their world apart, and take down some of the biggest people in politics while we're at it by exposing their secrets to the world. We get a confession and then we broadcast it to the free world. After that we take what's left of Norsberg's money and retire."
"Retirement?" Devon repeated as he thought about it, "Not exactly the word I thought I would ever hear myself saying."
"Once this thing comes out, chances are we're not going to have a choice." Edgar said, "We'll have to go underground. I already have a plan and prior investments in place. The original plan was for me and Tuck, but make this work and I'll settle for you.
"Gee, thanks." Devon replied, as he didn't like being treated like leftover dinner.
"We'll have to go into hiding," Edgar explained, "But with the money the old man is paying, that won't be an issue."
"Sounds like a plan," Devon said, "But for now let's get all this on track and get back to work. I have a truck to paint, so I had better get back to the shop and get to it. I'll have the cell on if you need to contact me. If not I'll be back for a little late supper when I'm finished."
"I'll be here." Edgar said, as he watched Devon leave the building and take off for his own shop. The plan was in place and it was only a matter of time before they caught their enemy with their pants down and took them to the cleaners for a change.
At first his quest was to find the truth and use it to squeeze more money out of Norsberg. Now it was personal, and Edgar was going to do everything he could to make them pay for what happened to Tuck and his people. As the plot for revenge was rattling around in his head, Edgar took the time to head back upstairs to where Jerome was hard at work. He took out his cell phone and passed it over to Jerome.
"I got some pictures of the updated delivery truck." Edgar said, showing him the picture. "We need a replica of the new logo so our plan to deliver the necklace to our bidder works as planned. You sure this is the right person?"
"I'm more confident than ever," Jerome answered, "Unlike the other auctions, this buyer responded in less than a half-hour to my email and you can tell by the way the letter is typed that she's extremely thankful for the chance to buy it. This buyer has personal written all over their motive for going after this item. The email is also listed under a female name. All her emails are also being screened."
"How can you tell?" Edgar asked.
"Have a look at this." Jerome opened up a new window that presented a lot of computer code that Edgar didn't understand nor want to even comprehend at all, "This code is kind of like the barcode for it's delivery through cyberspace. Normally it can take seconds to a few minutes for an email to be delivered. But this email went through a few servers before finally coming out to me. What interests me is the second server right here."
Jerome pointed to certain portion of the code, but to Edgar it was all Swahili. It might as well been that confusing code from the Matrix, as most people in the room couldn't make squat out of it.
"This server held the letter for almost thirty minutes before eventually letting it go." Jerome continued, "This is consistent with someone that is screening all of her incoming and outgoing letters. She's being censored, as if someone is making sure she doesn't reveal anything she's not supposed too over the internet."
Edgar could smell what Jerome had cooking here. "I see what you mean. They can't restrict her from the internet because it's safer for her to buy stuff from it than having her roam around where she could bump into people, but you need to make sure she doesn't just try to email or chat online in a forum where she could easily spill the beans. This is looking more and more like the person we're looking for. Nice work." he said as he padded Jerome on the back. "Tuck would have been proud of this. Let's take this thing down for him, okay?"
"Nothing would make me happier." Jerome said as he kept working, not taking his eyes off the screen. Jerome had his own reasons for wanting to avenge Tuck's death. If it wasn't for his generosity to let him go get the equipment, there's a good chance he might have been in the building with him. It could have easily been him as well, so he knew the risks and wanted to finish this to prevent anymore people on his side from being taken out, especially himself. It was only a matter of time before they were knocking on this lady's door, and when they do, that's when it's going to hit the fan. Then everything will be exposed. Something he was definitely looking forward to.