Chapter Sixteen: The Police Inspector General's Mission

Calder sat on his armchair by the big desk in his office, thinking about what the D.I.G had earlier discussed with him. Every day seemed to be bringing in more puzzles, he thought to himself.

 If he had to be relevant or make an impact in this detective job of his, this was the time to do it, he perceived. Otherwise, they would find a replacement who would crack this case once and for all.

 The D.I.G, Mr. Robert Kansa, had come in that morning. At first, Calder thought he was in trouble, especially as most of the cops saw him as a threat. However, he was surprised at the cold and mild composure of the inspector on his visit. He had come for a private reason, and after they exchanged pleasantries, they sat quietly for a brief moment, and then the inspector spoke.

"I learned you are also working on the missing jewelry case?" he had asked, breaking the icy mood in the room.

Calder was shocked at first. He perceived his earlier hunch about this visit was right. Even though the cops hated him, however, he seemed to know his way with people, and this had given him an edge over the cops. He had also gained credit and respect from them within his little time of staying here. For that reason, he perceived he had to be technical and diplomatic with this man in his response, he thought to himself.

"I am hired by anonymous prominent government personnel," he replied calmly, attempting not to give out the names of his employer.

"Well! I don't care about your employer...!" Kansa replied in a cold gesture and then hesitated for a moment. "And how far have you gone with the case?" he asked ingenuously.

 Calder sat calmly observing the D.I.G for a brief moment with a lot running inside his head. What could this man want with his findings? Why the sudden interest in his findings? Those were all he could think about.

"Well, not much...," he finally replied and halted for a moment, then continued again. "You know your boys won't allow me to have the vital information I needed, which could have helped me put one and two together," he explained.

The inspector chuckled for a moment, then asked, "How long do you think it will take you to crack this case, suppose I can pass you that information you spoke of?"

 Calder stared at him in surprise. He wondered if the inspector was sure of what he was saying, and at the same time, he was thinking within himself as to why the sudden interest in him and not his boys? Something seemed fishy here, but he had to play along, as he badly needed that information.

"In a week or two," he replied calmly.

"Two weeks?" Kansa retorted sharply while gaping at him with a disappointed expression on his face. "That's way too long, and I don't think I have the leisure of such time," he said while staring at the ceiling.

 Calder stared curiously at him now. He wondered what this whole dialogue and visit were all about.

"Well, if the information matches my findings, maybe I could resolve it in less than a week's time. However, complications might mean more investigation needed, and with my neck on the hook as well," he explained and hesitated briefly, then asked, "Why the sudden interest in me?" He asked with his eyes fixed on Mr. Kansa, who looked a little disturbed and eccentric.

 Mr. Kansa raised his eyebrow in a weak gesture, dragging his gaze to stare at him. "You don't seem to understand the extent of this case and the harm it's already doing to me," he said and paused for a moment, then went on. "The Feds believe that some of my boys have a hand behind this whole racket, and as their head, I'm the first in the spotlight." He elucidated.

 Calder shook his head in amusement. Now everything seemed to be making sense to him. Mr. Kansa, he understood, wanted him to carry out an underground private investigation on his behalf, without the knowledge of his boys, and this sounded good to him. The most interesting part of it all was the information the inspector had offered to provide him with, and this opportunity would make his job easier, he perceived.

"Well, it sounds interesting," he replied. "However, suppose I crack it soon. I'm sure you don't expect I'd do it for free? So, what is my cut in it?" he asked curtly.

 Kansa stared at him with a sly grin on his face. "Money," he mumbled while staring at Calder straight in the eye. "Well, there is a quarter million bucks from the headquarters, and a hundred thousand bucks from me, which half will be deposited to your account by noontime, and the rest will be transferred to you after you must have resolved the case. I believe that settles it for now, right?" he asked.

"That is huge!" Calder exclaimed, then paused for a second. "And suppose I run into some sort of trouble, like being gunned down or getting burned to ash like the other Feds agent, what happens to the contract?" he asked anxiously.

"We won't allow that to happen to you," Mr. Kansa replied firmly. "Because right now, I have two of my most trusted boys watching your house and office from both angles. They keep me posted on every update and activity around you and your spouse intermittently," he revealed.

"That sounds amazing," Calder replied with a grin. "I see you've taken your time to have it all planned out. Well, I must commend your effort," he said in a surprised gesture.

 The inspector chuckled again. "Well!" he said while standing to his feet. "When will you resume the investigation?" he asked.

"Uh, umm," Calder stuttered briefly. "I think the question should be, when will I be getting the files?" Calder replied.

 The inspector hesitated for a while and the spoke again. "I will arrange for someone to get them delivered to you latest by the evening," he said. "And I hope that settles it?" he asked again, while staring blankly at Calder.

"That will do," Calder replied.

"I guess I'm done here then," Mr. Kansa said. "Now do have a nice day, Mr. Calder."

"Have a nice day," Calder replied, and the inspector saw himself toward the exit door, shutting it behind him, leaving as quietly as he had come.

 All alone now, Calder sat quietly, trying to figure out where to start. He stood up abruptly as he suddenly remembered the girl with the brunette hair he had seen before the inspector's visit. He had completely forgotten about her because he was carried away by the visit of the district inspector general to his office and the offer he had made to him. He rushed back to the window, where he had been watching her before the inspector's visit. He looked toward the direction in which she had earlier parked her car, but it had vanished from the spot. 'Too late,' he thought to himself.

 He looked further toward the bank entrance door and noticed a guy cutely dressed in a suit, sauntering toward the entrance door of the bank. He looked familiar. 'Oh Peter!' he muttered to himself as he recognized him. Peter, who he knew was one of the bank's youngest, favorite, and most trusted senior officials, had somehow managed to get to a senior official position within his few years of working with the bank. He was aware that most of the executives fancied him.

'Perhaps he had come to see the lady off?' he thought. 'Or could it be she was his girlfriend?' he reasoned. However, he waved against the idea on a second thought. 'She couldn't have been his girl,' he contended within himself. She looked much more sophisticated and expensive. Peter couldn't have had her as his girlfriend, for he was certain that Peter couldn't afford her, not with this job, and not if he really wanted to maintain his career on a positive ground.

He watched Peter as he strode into the bank entrance door. He wished he was in his shoes. However, his mind raced back to the girl with the brunette hair. Perhaps some other day she might return or perhaps she might visit the bank again. Some other day, he thought to himself as he picked up some documents and walked out of his office, feeling an earnest desire to see the dearest person to him, which was his wife.

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