The General stood in Chet Hackett’s office at New Horizon R&D. “I can’t believe that with all these scientists that you have not been able to put any of Grace’s work in an analyzable format.”
“General, our team has been working on this around the clock. Dr. Grace’s work is very complex and cutting edge. We just need more time.”
“Chet, get it done!” The General stormed out of the office.
He got into his chauffeur-driven car and sat next to Reed Logan.
“Anything, yet?” the General asked.
“Nothing official. Grace is off the grid.”
“How about unofficial?” the General asked.
“We get a lot of stuff that I don’t tell you about because it’s a waste of your time. We have to run it down, and that takes time,” Logan said.
“Give me your best of the unofficial,” the General ordered. He was desperate for information.
Logan sighed. “We have some intel from the underworld that a junkie saw a large van disappear in Camden a few nights ago. We’ve dispatched a team, but they haven’t reported in yet.”
The General sighed. “I see what you mean. Is that all we have right now?”
“It is, and we are all over it. If this junkie is the least bit credible, we’ll smother the area, but there is nothing in the information we have that ties Grace to Camden or the Delaware Valley.”
Two dark Chevy Suburbans pulled up to the out-of-the-way bar in Camden. Eight heavily armed men got out. The leader was greeted by a large man and escorted to the back room.
The leader sat at a table with the supplier, the dealer, Horseshoe and a young boy, no more than thirteen years old. “Who is Horseshoe?”
“I am.”
“Tell me what you saw,” the leader said.
Horseshoe squirmed in his seat. “What I git if I do?”
The dealer grabbed Horseshoe by the neck, “You want to know what you git if you don’t.”
“K, K, man!” Horseshoe yelped. “I saw a big van disappear before my eyes, down by the corner lot.”
“Did you see what color it was or anything special about it?”
“No, man. It was dark.”
“Is this real important to you?” the supplier asked.
“Yes.”
“How much important,” the supplier asked.
“Cash money important,” the leader answered.
The supplier considered the answer. “Okay. This is Junior Jimmy.” The dealer nodded to the boy. The boy pulled out his phone and handed it to the dealer. “Junior Jimmy is one of our team of spotters. We look for cops, competition, anything that ain’t right that could affect business. Check this out. This is the van that Horseshoe seen.” He handed the phone with a video on it.
The leader hit go and his spine stiffened when the van came into view. As the van drove by the spotter, there was a clear close-up of the driver. It was Dr. Alvin Grace.
“Does it help?” the supplier asked.
“Send this to this email address.” He handed him a card with the email address on it.
“Done,” The supplier said.
The leader handed the supplier ten, one hundred dollar bills. Nodded and left.
The supplier smiled. “Pleasure doin’ business whichya.”
The Suburbans left Camden.
The leader called his boss, Reed Logan. “We found Grace. I just sent you an email with a video attached. He was in Camden driving a van that disappeared.
“Stay in the area until I contact you,” Logan said.
Logan pushed the speed dial on his phone.
“Talk to me,” the General said.
“We have a video of Grace driving the van and a witness that says the van disappeared.”
“Get a net over the area.”
“Roger that,” Logan said.
The General looked up at the ceiling and muttered, “Finally.”
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