The day had been full of surprises. The raid on Willis' hideout was hardly surprising, but he was again impressed by how fast the new location was discovered. Fortunate the investigator wasn't there when they came crashing in for the second time in a row. No such luck for his forensic nerd and Ms. Johnson, who were apprehended. Sir Norsberg had pulled many strings to find out what facility they had been transferred to, but everything led to dead ends. It was like they dropped off the face of the planet, much to the shock of his law enforcement and congressional contacts. No one had been able to give the old man a satisfactory answer and this led him to believe the worst had happened. They had been taken by the enemy.

     Norsberg didn't like the idea that people were being kidnapped and/or murdered to hide a secret that he had hired Edgar Willis to expose. This bloodshed was not unexpected, he just didn't expect it to occur this soon before he could properly prepare himself. It was something he'd have to get over in his own time, but right now the old man had something bigger to chew on ever since he spoke with Edgar Willis. The PI had given some big news and it was something that had been nagging him throughout the day. Like the violence, he never expected Edgar to produce results so quickly. The old man sat at his desk and was a still as a statue as many thoughts were bouncing around his sun burned brain. Did he really find the person he had been looking for? He hasn't spoken to Edgar since that afternoon and was hoping Edgar wouldn't take his time verifying the woman's identity. He was eager to find out whether the person they had was the person Edgar claimed she was. The sheer thought of having this person in custody offered so many possibilities. She would be able to answer the questions everyone had been asking but thus far had only fallen on deaf ears.

     There are so many people, victims and citizens who have a right to know what happened. Norsberg fully understood how they felt, and he had the means and the opportunity to expose the whole story for the pack of lies that it was and would do it in grand fashion. Earlier that day, he had contacted several major reporters who were on his payroll. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and several other major papers were ready to print what he wanted, when he wanted. All he had to do was meet their price and the press was his. All hail the first amendment.

     After Mrs. Johnson is exposed to the world, he would contact the politicians that were in his pocket, and even the ones he had dirt on, and force them to push for a formal investigation. People would be exposed and then pushed under the bus to save those higher up on the political food chain. He doubted anything would save them, but he didn't care. The biggest and most important goal of all this was to find his daughter. He was working on a plan that was no doubt bring her home to not only him but to a family that he was no longer a part of. While he was thinking about it, the phone at his desk rang. He quickly tapped a button.

     "What is it?" he called out to his people.

     "I apologize for the interruption, Sir Norsberg." the voice responded, "But I have your stock broker on the line. From what I gather, whatever he wants to talk to you about sounds rather urgent."

     "Put him through." Norsberg quickly replied. He was well aware what this was about, "Jeffery, it's so nice to hear from you. I assume you got my message?"

     "I was calling in to make sure this was a hoax." the broker angrily snarled back, "Do you have any idea how much money you'll lose if you sell all these stocks?"

     "Fully." Norsberg responded, "But the request stands. Sell them all, every single one of them."

     "Even your own company?" the broker squealed, not believing what he was hearing.

     "Especially sell the shares in my own company." Norsberg barked back, "I want every single share or stock with my name on it cashed out by the time the bell rings out tomorrow. Is that understood?"

     There was a long pause on the other end, "Yes, Sir." he quietly responded, "I'll do my best to have them all sold out by the bell. Are you sure about this?"

     "I am." Norsberg quickly confirmed, "I've never been so sure about something in my entire life. Sell the whole lot of it. Finish it quickly and I'll make sure you are well compensated for your work."

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     "Yes, Sir Norsberg." The man said before the old man hung up on him.

     After that the line went dead and he chucked to himself when he thought about how insane the broker must think he is. There are a lot of blue chips that are bound to sky rocket in the next year or so, but they mean little to him right now. Norsberg was willing to do anything, even mortgage out his own mansion to raise as much money as he could to get what he wanted. He wanted to see his daughter again, and he didn't care what he had to spend to get her. He was selling off everything he could, and the reason for that was to make the mother of all bounties. He was going to toss out a number so high, that it would make the rewards being offered by the FBI for their top ten look like chump change.

     The result would be every bounty hunter in the world looking for his little girl and no covert operation would be able to stop that. It was a brilliant plan, one that he looked forward to announcing on live television. The interview would be about regular stuff, but then dive into the conspiracies and he'd offer the reward. It would be amazing and make the news. Everyone will hear about it and want a piece of the action. It would be too rich for anyone to want to stay on the bench. He didn't have much time to enjoy the thought it as the phone beeped again.

     "What is it now?" he barked into the phone after activating the speaker.

     "My apologies again, Sir Norsberg." the servant repeated, "but I have Edgar Willis on the other line. I assumed you would want to take this one."

     "You assumed correctly," Norsberg confirmed, "Put him through." as the phone clicked over to the other line, the old man seem to immediately cheer up, "Edgar! I've been dying to get an update since we last talked. How are things going, dear boy?"

     "We're doing fine." Edgar answered, being very reserved and respectful, "I called to let you know that we've made brief contact with the other people who are holding Jerome and Jessica."

     "I see," Norsberg said, somewhat relieved that there would be a chance to get the two of them back "What is it you think they want?"

     "I didn't speak to him very long," Edgar replied, "But chances are they're going to ask for a trade. Our people likely for all of theirs. This puts us in a pickle because it takes us back to square one. This is why I wanted to make sure it was alright to negotiate this with your blessing."

     "I appreciate the courtesy," Norsberg said as he chewed on it for a while. This would change everything. Without any proof that someone was alive, it would be hard to make the bounty for his daughter stick, but money is always a big factor so he would have to rely on the majesty of American greed rather than actual proof to bring home his little girl.

     "Go ahead and negotiate a trade," The old man said, "We've lost a lot of people in this crusade already and it would be awful to lose any more."

     "I agree, and appreciate your understanding." Edgar responded.

     "I just need one thing from you Mr. Willis." Norsberg stared, "You are an investigator whose instincts I hold a great deal of respect for. You've always got a good grip on reality, so I need your honest opinion for my piece of mind. Before you return this woman to her captives, I need to know the truth. In your most professional opinion, is this really the person we've been looking for?"

     "Yes, I believe she is." Edgar confirmed, "And Devon's pretty sure Jerome is never going to let us hear the end of this after he finds out."

     "I have no doubt about that." Norsberg agreed with a short chuckle, "When do you plan to speak with this man again to give your terms?"

     "Well, I have a plan about that." Edgar replied, "Something that I think you'll appreciate and give you the peace of mind you're seeking."

     Sir Norsberg sat there at his desk in silence and listened as Edgar went over his plan for the process in which to get his people back. It wasn't the best of plans, but given the situation Edgar was doing his best to make sure they couldn't be double crossed and get out with what they are trying to achieve and get their people back at the same time. It wasn't fool proof, but worth a shot. The old man at least appreciated Edgar's efforts to keep him involved despite the setbacks they had been handed.

     "So what do you think?" Edgar asked as he finished going over the plans for their next few moves.

     "I like it." Norsberg approved, "You have the green light to go ahead with it. And don't you worry about starting over from square one. I have the resources and the contacts to keep up the search for a long, long time. Understood?"

     "Perfectly, Sir Norsberg." Edgar replied, not sure how to respond to that, "I appreciate the support in this matter."

     "Get back to me when things are in motion, I've got a few calls to make. Until then, a due Mr. Willis." Norsberg put the phone down, and then started to file through his own contact list. He had a few more calls to make and some travel plans to arrange. He first contacted his pilot,"I need to arrange a flight to Washington DC. When? Well, what time is it right now?"