A strange coincidence? (Casey POV)

The slow ticking of the second hand mocked me as my gaze fell on the watch repeatedly. It was startling how much time I spent in meetings, despite the fact I chose an occupation, which hardly fit conventional norms.

“If we don’t sell to the Congo, someone else will. That’s…” Manny, who couldn’t finish his plea for the third time this evening, was outscreamed by Sandy.

“Your partisanship is so inferior. We did business with the Congo five times already. Good intentions or not, we pursue more than one goal.” Her tune couldn’t have been sharper, and yet she was drowned out by the voices of eight more participants. I had promised myself a lot from employing these people, and they fulfilled their tasks satisfactorily. But discipline and structured operations weren’t their forte.  

With a resigned sigh, I stood up. Instantly, the room fell silent as I gained their undivided attention. “Tell our partners in Congo they will get 70 percent this month and the remaining 30 percent once we have come to a new agreement. Should we invest in them long term, we need better conditions.” Manny nodded. 

I turned to Sandy. “Sandy, revise the satellite’s profile of military activities in the relevant territory in Afghanistan. We need further information before we decide on our next steps. And find me a reliable contact. A ruse like last time should not repeat itself.”

It knocked and a woman with dark blond hair, dressed in a neat designer suit accompanied by fitting pumps stepped into the room with impressive vigor.

One look at her told me it was urgent. She wouldn’t have interrupted the weekly session without a valid reason. The tablet she held out to me confirmed my assumption. ‘Connection lost’ was shown in a small window before countless data blocks in which the name ‘Jonas Krewood’ appeared. 

“And the backup?”, I asked her, but she only shook her head.

“No results. The transmitter was removed.” 

Frowning, I turned to the waiting members of the meeting. “Focus on Congo and Afghanistan. Surveil the delivery on Friday. The sitting is adjourned.” With bustling murmurs, the participants rose from their seats and left the room absorbed in further discussions. 

As soon as the door had closed with a soft click behind them, I focused on the tablet in front of me. I only needed a few taps to determine the time of the last transmission. “00:41. About twenty minutes ago.” 

This was an untypical time for Jonas to show any activities. I had chosen him because he was a predictable person with a consistent daily schedule. For an accident involving this man, it was clearly too late at night, so a medical reason for the removed transmitter was out of question.

“Do you have access to the surveillance cameras in his apartment complex?”, I asked Judith. 

She nodded. “On the big screen.” 

I turned around while pressing an unremarkable button on my desk lowered the wall behind me to reveal a four by two meter large display. It already showed a freeze image of the hallway in front of Jonas’ apartment. With a casual swipe the tablet connected to the monitor and I could start the video. As I had expected, Judith had already prepared everything and after a few seconds of video material I reached the important section of the recording.

I was bewildered and replayed the recording anew. “Why does someone kidnap my artist?” This didn’t make any sense. Of all the people within my organization, he was the least important. There was no one with less information. Either someone had no idea, who he belonged to, or this was an attempt to operate secretly by claiming the person we’d least expect to be kidnapped. Was this a strange coincidence? 

Sadly, I was unable to make out any facial features of the attacker. The only thing which the cameras had caught was the back of his head. 

“Did you talk to the night porter?”, I asked Judith as I replayed the video a third time. This time I chose a slower playback speed, so I wouldn’t miss an important feature. 

“He didn’t see any strangers. Neither before nor after the abduction. Mr. Krewood returned at 22:30 like usual and took the elevator to his apartment. Afterwards, he wasn’t seen by anyone.”

Of course. After all, he had been taken by our nice friend in the video. According to his stature and the controlled movement which were efficiently focused on the weak points of the body, I suspected the man to be a professional. He had studiously avoided being caught on camera. Even with access to the other cameras in the apartment complex, I had no way to determine when he entered or left the building. 

“Contact our man in DC. Raster search, careful without causing a stir. We need information before we can approach them in the open.” 

Judith nodded and started to type a message on her smartphone. “Should I raise the alert stage?”

“No, Jonas knew nothing about us. He was just a figurehead who represented me in public.” Still, I couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling in my gut. “Send a memo to the heads with all necessary information. They shall keep their eyes open, but keep the procedure as usual.” Things looked grim for Jonas, still there was a chance that it had nothing to do with me. Until I knew for sure, I wouldn’t let myself get carried away nor act rashly.