Crimson Pt. 07

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise showed, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this story are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All characters are over the age of eighteen, unless otherwise specified.

A note from the author:

This part contains no sex. Just be aware before you begin. This, and the next in the line, Santo Diablo Chapter 13, brings the two series together in a conclusion to the inevitable collision between Rich from Santo Diablo, James, Reggie, and someone from Rich's past. So, while there is no sex, the action picks up considerably. - Assassin Wolf

Crimson Part 7: The Walls Come Tumbling Down

We spent the next two weeks putting our new house together and getting things organized at work. With the help of Brenda, Jordan completed the files on all the women in Crimson. Not only that, but the women also started files on all of Crimson's members. For the first time, we had a comprehensive roster of almost everyone connected to the organization. Only a few things hampered us from completing the project faster. One was when our network was non-responsive for half a day. Also, there were still some chapters that hadn't quickly responded to our request and were dragging their feet. Those would require a more personal touch, probably in person.

Before I had the chance to put a travel itinerary together, I received a call from Reggie. He had another important man he wanted to recruit as a member. He said this businessman was American, but lived overseas, where he made his fortune. His name was Angel, and from what he told Reggie, he was looking into investment opportunities in our town. He hired Reggie's law firm to protect his assets that he would need to transfer into the country and handle any contracts that would arise.

That man, it appeared, had a fondness for sadomasochism. Reggie wanted me to provide Brenda for that purpose, as we did with Rich Burkhart. I told him I would get back with him the next day with my answer, after I did a background check on Angel.

That would make two men in a short period, from out of town, bringing money to Crystal Lakes. The town of Crystal Lakes went decades without a major influx of business before Reggie built the casino. Afterward, hardly any businesses, besides grocery stores and other smaller shops, opened. Reggie mentioned Angel commented on Rich Burkhart's new shipping hub, and how that would attract more business, so he may just be the first of many investors flocking to the area. Still, to have the first two men show up and show an interest in not only Crimson but also BDSM, didn't set well with me.

I put Angel's name into the database. He initially came back clean, but it was how clean he came back that raised my suspicion. This man didn't have a blemish on his record. Even his past addresses were too tidy, everything lining up perfectly. I checked his passport. He arrived in the country on the West Coast a couple of days prior after flying out of Lithuania. I dug up what I could from the European databases from Interpol, and his record appeared the same: neat and clean.

When I perform background checks on people, I normally find some blemishes. I even pull credit reports, which can give more insight than just their credit worthiness. Someone who always defaults on loans, or regularly declares bankruptcy, is someone that will not hesitate to lie for their own benefit. This is especially true if other sources point to a steady income. In Angel's case, he didn't have a credit history: no loans or credit cards. A wealthy individual will always have some sort of history, even if it's small because of paying for most things in cash or transfers.

That's the secret to remaining wealthy; you don't spend your own money. Why pay $100 thousand for something when you can take out a loan for that amount? You put your money in a high return bond, or put it in other investments that will make money over the short term. Sure, you pay finance charges on the loan, but if you have good credit and money in the financial institution the loan is from, you'll get very favorable terms. Angel didn't appear to do any of that.

I've seen enough people involved in organized crime to recognize that Angel may be one of them. He most likely paid someone for the false identity, and they put together his background to fool anyone looking into him. It all appeared well done, and I'm sure he paid a high price for everything. However, I'm always suspicious, and with Brenda, I won't even give someone a chance if I find anything out of place. I was close to not sending Brenda to Rich, but I left my judgement for after I met him. If I showed up and didn't like what I saw, I was prepared to turn around and take her back home.

In Angel's case, I didn't even need to meet him. My answer was no, and Reggie wasn't too pleased. I explained to him my suspicions, how his record was too clean, and I just didn't get a good feeling about him. Reggie told me I was overreacting, and that Angel came across to Reggie as someone I could trust. As Reggie put it, he was a typical wealthy man that had some kinks with women. I reiterated I would not send Brenda for this job. Reggie pressed it, telling me Angel was prepared to pay a large sum of money to Crimson, and for me to hold off until I met him.

I agreed to meet Angel. I made my mind up, but I wanted to see who this man was. Even if he came across as pleasant, I didn't see myself changing my mind. The next day, I received a call from Reggie that Angel was on his way to the casino for a day of gambling. This was a gift from Reggie, of course. Angel was told that I would sit down with him, that it was customary to have me interview new members. A good back story on Reggie's part, and I wondered if that wouldn't be something I should do for every new member.

When Angel arrived, security notified me. I walked into the lobby where our day manager, Paul, was talking with him. Angel was in his mid-forties, standing over 6' tall. He looked to be in shape, maybe a little thin, but with his suit, I couldn't tell for sure. He wasn't what I would consider refined. His suit, while appearing expensive, didn't fit him well, like he borrowed it from someone. His shoes looked to be department store stock, nothing bad, but certainly not what anyone with money would be seen wearing. Even his posture looked off. He stood bent slightly forward with his hands in his pockets.

"Good afternoon." I commented as I walked up in front of the two men. "I was told you had arrived. My name is Lieutenant Greene, but please call me James. I'm a liaison here at Crystal Lakes casino, and Reggie wanted me to sit down and talk with you, as we do all new Crimson members."

"That works for me." Angel replied. "Where do you want to talk? I hope it doesn't take too long. I'm looking forward to hitting the blackjack tables."

Just then, Allison walked up behind Paul. "Oh yes, here's the woman I mentioned." Paul remarked. "Her name is Allison, and she will see that you have all of your needs met today."

Even though it was customary to provide Crimson members with a woman at the casino, I was hoping Paul hadn't gotten to that yet. That was my fault for not thinking of it and letting Paul know. If I saw something in Angel that made me think he was dangerous, I would escort him out myself. To hell with what Reggie thought; I would deal with that later if I needed.

"Angel, will you please follow me back to my office?" I asked.

Before I turned to walk toward the gambling hall, I noticed Angel study Allison closely. He looked like a starving man who was presented with a full table of food. She barely noticed, looking straight ahead and not making eye contact. As I led Angel to my office, Allison dutifully walked behind us, not saying a word. Angel commented on the main gambling hall as we walked through, telling me how he planned to walk out of the casino richer than he had walked in. That wasn't new. Most people thought that, although very few ever did.

As we entered my office, Brenda was seated at Jordan's desk talking to her. When they saw us, they both stood up and faced us. "Ladies, this is Angel." I explained. "He's a new member of Crimson."

"It's nice to meet you." Jordan spoke up. "I'm Lieutenant Taylor. I hope you find your stay at the casino pleasurable, and you membership in Crimson rewarding."

"Thank you." Angel replied. He looked her over, top to bottom, as he did with Allison, then turned his attention to Brenda. Jordan wore her typical black suit. Even though it was plain, it fit her nicely, showing off her curves and exposing a little cleavage. Brenda, on the other hand, wore a light blue dress that was at home, both in the office and out in town. It fell from her shoulders, exposing the top third of her breasts. The dress fell to her knees and cinched up around her waist, accentuating her hourglass figure. She didn't wear it intending to be sexy, but that was the result. To her, it was just a light, comfortable dress, and she enjoyed wearing it.

Angel's eyes were glued to Brenda. In between uncomfortably examining her, he uttered, "And who is this beautiful woman?"

I took a deep breath before answering, "This is Brenda, my assistant."

"I would love to have Brenda assist me anytime." Angel remarked, smiling.

"If you would follow me, please," I remarked, putting my hand on Angel's arm to get his attention away from Brenda. "We can head into my office. Allison, please wait for us out here."

It took another few moments to break Angel's attention away from Brenda, but he finally turned his attention to me. After walking him in and closing the door, I told him to have a seat.

"So, what brings you to our small town?" I asked, taking my seat behind the desk.

"I'm looking for investment opportunities." Angel replied, looking around my office. "I see some potential in your town, and I want to jump in. I've followed Burkhart Shipping, along with his other businesses, and I know where he goes money follows. I want to get in on that, and this is a good place to start."

That made sense, but he just didn't carry himself like someone with money. He certainly didn't sound educated. I began questioning whether he had the money he claimed. Either way, after talking with him for another thirty minutes, I felt even worse about sending Brenda, or any other woman, with him. I called Jordan into the office and had her escort him back to the lobby. When they left, I immediately called Reggie.

"Absolutely not." I told Reggie, who wasn't happy. "There is zero chance I leave Brenda alone with this guy. I would strongly recommend you not take him on as a client, and under no circumstances send a woman to him for any reason. I don't get a good feeling about him."

"I still think you're overreacting." Reggie replied, going silent for a few moments. "He has money, which is something we could use, both for Crimson and the town."

"Why do we need money?" I asked. "I thought we were flush."

"Over a month ago, we had some of our accounts emptied." Reggie remarked.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, not sure if I believed it.

"It had something to do with Russell Smith and his brother, Reed." Reggie explained. "One day everything was fine, but the next Russell and his family disappeared, along with the money I mentioned. His brother Reed was picked up by the FBI, along with other members of their chapter. The next day, Reed and his father, Roger, were killed trying to escape custody. From what I could gather, they wanted to question the two about Crimson."

"That sounds like something you would orchestrate." I remarked.

"Normally, yes." Reggie answered. "This time, however, we were trying to gather all the information we could on both the FBI raid and Russell's disappearance."

"Why didn't you call me?" I asked. "I could have helped."

"There was nothing you could have done that my other men didn't do." Reggie answered. "Besides, you had your hands full putting your team together and getting everything set up at the casino. I needed you to finish that so we could get a better handle on the other chapters. Having us on the FBI's radar just made what you were doing even more important."

"Were you able to figure out what happened?" I inquired. "Did you find Russell and his family, and where did the money go?"

"There are a few theories regarding Russell." Reggie explained. "The first is, he absconded with the money, and he and his family are somewhere out of reach. The second is he turned evidence against Crimson, and is in witness protection. The third is he was killed, along with his family. I don't think he stole the money. That doesn't make sense. I mean, he was never very bright, and what appeared to be his escape plan looked a little too complicated for him to come up with himself. We found a ticket in his name, that led to many more, in various names, flying to different countries. We couldn't follow that trail far enough to either confirm or eliminate that as a possibility."

"The next is witness protection." Reggie continued. "That makes more sense to me. Russell doesn't strike me as someone who would put Crimson ahead of his own freedom, so I can absolutely believe he would turn on us. The only question I have is why did his father and brother end up dead? Neither are men who would risk their lives in such a foolish endeavor. The report was they tried to run from the prison transport after grabbing a guard's gun. Why didn't they kill the guard if they were that serious? It sounds like an arranged hit, but that might mean whoever arranged it has connections in the bureau."

"The third option is Russell and his family are dead." Reggie continued explaining after pausing for a moment. "That's the most likely explanation, when taken together with the stolen money. Somehow, Russell must have taken on the wrong person and paid with his life. Whoever killed him extracted our accounting information from him and accessed our accounts. This possibility bothers me the most. The person who accomplished that has means that may exceed my own. They have access to federal law enforcement, and eliminated Russell, his family, and Russell's security, without leaving a trace."

"Did you try tracking the stolen money?" I asked. "You must have connections that can help you find out where it went."

"That's the next part." Reggie admitted. "They transferred the money into a dizzying array of accounts, both domestic and international. It almost looked like a government operation. We lost track of it after about twenty transfers and splits. There is no way to know who, or where, that money is."

"How much did they take?" I asked, almost afraid to.

"Around $750 million." Reggie replied, sounding crestfallen.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "No wonder you need money. How much did that represent to Crimson?"

"That was over half of Crimson's assets." Reggie admitted. "We have all of our holdings and properties, but we're cash poor at the moment. Rich Burkhart was a godsend when he arrived. His payments, and membership, put us back in the black. That, combined with our normal membership fees, has us slowly climbing back out. That's also why I needed you to finish with your job. Once we have a good count of all members, we can accurately charge each chapter for their dues."

"Well, we have that almost finished." I informed Reggie. "Just a few stragglers who don't keep complete records. I'll need to fix that myself, along with my team. There are just six that we need to call or visit, so it shouldn't take long."

"That sounds great." Reggie replied, sounding a little more upbeat. "As for now, I really need you to consider sending Brenda to our new member, Angel. If he joins, he told me he will pay double my entrance fee for the privilege of having women meet his needs, along with what he pays me to represent him."

"Reggie, you need to be careful of this guy." I warned him. "I think your need to refill your accounts may blind you. As I've said, don't get a good feeling about him, and I would lay money on the fact he doesn't have as much as you believe. Hell, his background was probably fabricated."

"He transferred $50 thousand to me just for the opportunity of trying out Crimson." Reggie explained.

"That may be true," I replied. "My answer still stands. I will not approve of sending Brenda to Angel."

"Well, that's your choice, and I'll respect it." Reggie answered, sounding disappointed. "I'll take what you told me into consideration. Thanks for you time James."

"Have a great day, Reggie." I answered before hanging up the phone. I can never tell how Reggie felt on certain topics. He sounded like what I told him got through, but I didn't know. I just hoped he listened to me and kicked Angel back out of town.

That night I told Brenda, Jordan, and Peter about what transpired with Crimson, and my conversation with Angel. They all agreed I made the right call by keeping Brenda away from him, Brenda especially. None of them could believe that someone stole that much money from Reggie, and that Reggie did not know who it was. No one wanted to be that person when Reggie found out, though. We all believed whoever stole it had a death wish, and would soon find that wish fulfilled.

We passed a quiet night, and the next day was routine. Peter continued interviewing the women in our Crimson chapter, while Brenda and Jordan worked on finalizing the chapter databases. I toured the farm and had a few interviews with women and family members Peter pegged as potentially unstable or dangerous. No one warranted anything more than warnings to keep following the rules and honor their agreements that kept them out of jail.

The next day, things unraveled quickly. I received a call as I walked into the casino. It was from one one of our members. He was a senior member who oversaw a few women, one of whom was Allison. He sounded panicked, and I had a difficult time finding out what he was attempting to tell me. I could understand just enough to know I needed to get to him quickly. I told Jordan she was coming with me, then told Peter and Brenda to go about their routine. They asked what the problem was. I couldn't give them an answer, but promised I would fill them in later.

In between his hysterics, the member gave me the address where he was located. Within five minutes, Jordan and I were on the road, lights and sirens on. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up outside of a small house in what appeared to be a working class neighborhood. There was nothing special about the house, or those that surrounded it. Most looked to be about 1400 square feet, with small yards. A few trees dotted the yards and along the street, but otherwise, pretty plain.

As we walked through the gate and up the front stairs, I noticed the front door open slightly. As I reached out to knock, the door flew open, and a man, presumably the person who called, greeted us. I recognized him from my interviews with the local members.

"William, what's wrong?" I asked, guiding him out of the doorway and to the side of the porch.

"She's dead." William replied. "I just came this morning to pick her up, and I found her like that. Oh my God, why would he do that? She didn't deserve to die like that. Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick."

After saying that, William flung himself toward the railing of the porch, leaned over, and lost whatever breakfast he had. I told Jordan to stay with William and ensure he didn't leave. I asked William if there was anyone else in the house, and he answered no, still leaning over the railing.

In his state, I didn't fully trust his answer, so I pulled my service weapon and entered the house. It was dark, and no lights were on. All the curtains were pulled, so the morning light wasn't able to penetrate fully. There was enough faint light to see, but not much more. I glanced around and noticed a few decorations knocked over or on the floor. Other than that, everything seemed in order. The living room only held one couch, a recliner, two end tables, and a television mounted on the wall.