Hidden Agenda - Chapter Two
The Snitch.
Nathan cleared his throat, while Alex mentally prepared in the seconds it took for the man to take the seat opposite theirs. All the lighthearted joking from earlier had vanished.
"Do you have anything worth my time?" She asked straight out, pulling no punches.
The snitch ignored her, pulling out a smoke.
"Got a light?" Nodding towards Nathan.
Eyes on the man, he pulled a zippo out of his suit jacket. She'll have to ask him about that later, didn't peg him as a smoker. He lit up and took a long drag, purposely taking his time. Almost on cue, the store owner popped his head out, muttering in a loud voice pointing repeatedly at the 'No Smoking' sign. Nathan simply held up his hand and pulled out his wallet. He spoke to the man in flawless... Korean if she had to guess, probably wrong though, and handed the owner a crisp twenty. The bill disappeared in a flash and they were left alone in the empty restaurant. Alex had seen the snitch's eyes flicker to the money before it disappeared. Bingo.
"I'm willing to pay you for what your information is worth. I'll double it, if it pans out and we catch the bastards," she said coldly.
"What do you know about the Mancias?" Nathan continued flatly.
"Anyone who knows anything about that family is already dead, or too loyal to flip. I shouldn't even be here," he said casting a paranoid look back at the door as if some unseen presence was going to grab him at any time.
"I promise you'll have full protection," Alex said softly, hoping to give him a small sense of security.
Apparently her instincts were wrong on that one.
"What's some broad dressed as a man gonna do against the Mancias? If that's your best offer, I'm out."
He pushed back the chair and stood up dramatically. Alex let him take a couple of steps to make his point before she spoke. Her voice carrying softly yet ominously across the silent room.
"If you walk out of that door, you're a dead man."
His head whipped around and his eyes bulged out of his sockets.
"You can't threaten me, lady. There's nothing you can do to stop me from walking out of the door and disappearing for good. You'd never find me again."
"Maybe not, but let's just say hypothetically, someone lets it slip that the Feds have received valuable information about the Manceria case from a very reliable source. One who looks a lot like this-"
Smoothly she lifted her hand and captured a crystal-clear picture of the informant with her phone.
"From what I hear, that family takes no chances. You're free to go now, good luck out there," she said dismissively.
He was sweating now. Truly scared. Good, she thought. Now they were getting somewhere.
"Look, all I know is that Lucky's lookin' to move all his cash out of the country on the calm 'cause you guys have been putting the squeeze on and the old man's putting on the pressure too."
'Lucky' also known as Luciano Manceria was the oldest son of Pablo 'Pops' Manceria, head of the entire family and cartel. She'd been on the case from the beginning of her career. The Bureau had plenty of circumstantial evidence in at least fifty varying cases that had Manceria's name written all over it. Cases from drug and human trafficking, murder, bank heists, you name it. They were involved somehow but it just couldn't be proven.
Alex briefly remembered her first case, an entire family had been wiped out. Massacred in their own homes, executed Manceria-style. The father of that family had been in serious debt, which she only could assume, he had borrowed to cover those losses and in the end couldn't pay it back. He had paid the ultimate price, shuddering as she recalled the blood coating the walls from ceiling to floor. Even the thirteen year old daughter hadn't been spared. The rage welled up, and her determination renewed itself.
"What else?" She ordered.
"Word is, he was looking for a money manager. He wasn't having any luck till he heard about this Russian chick. A real ball buster but gets the job done clean. He's gotta move all the money from illegal operations before the Feds get him red-handed. Oh, and Pops is also pressuring him to get hitched, wants the family name to be preserved. Won't mention him in the will till he sees him getting a move on. Very into having a stable family base and what-not."
"Busy guy," she commented, brain swirling with the new information.
She sensed he was holding something else back, and brought a few more twenties out of her wallet.
"Anything else?"
His eyes flashed greedily on the growing stack of bills, licking his lips.
"Yeah. Maybe. There was also talk about a shipment of questionable cargo being delivered to the South Bay Port at midnight. No details, that's all I've got."
Alex could tell they'd squeezed him dry, and slid her card along with the money across the table.
"Anything else, you call."
He disappeared faster than the store owner had and finally Alex took a deep calming breath. The slow clap next to her reminded her Nathan was still here.
"Very well done, Lex."
Her heart swelled with the compliment.
"Let's get outta here, we've got work to do," she replied with a smile.
"Do you have anything worth my time?" She asked straight out, pulling no punches.
The snitch ignored her, pulling out a smoke.
"Got a light?" Nodding towards Nathan.
Eyes on the man, he pulled a zippo out of his suit jacket. She'll have to ask him about that later, didn't peg him as a smoker. He lit up and took a long drag, purposely taking his time. Almost on cue, the store owner popped his head out, muttering in a loud voice pointing repeatedly at the 'No Smoking' sign. Nathan simply held up his hand and pulled out his wallet. He spoke to the man in flawless... Korean if she had to guess, probably wrong though, and handed the owner a crisp twenty. The bill disappeared in a flash and they were left alone in the empty restaurant. Alex had seen the snitch's eyes flicker to the money before it disappeared. Bingo.
"I'm willing to pay you for what your information is worth. I'll double it, if it pans out and we catch the bastards," she said coldly.
"What do you know about the Mancias?" Nathan continued flatly.
"Anyone who knows anything about that family is already dead, or too loyal to flip. I shouldn't even be here," he said casting a paranoid look back at the door as if some unseen presence was going to grab him at any time.
"I promise you'll have full protection," Alex said softly, hoping to give him a small sense of security.
Apparently her instincts were wrong on that one.
"What's some broad dressed as a man gonna do against the Mancias? If that's your best offer, I'm out."
He pushed back the chair and stood up dramatically. Alex let him take a couple of steps to make his point before she spoke. Her voice carrying softly yet ominously across the silent room.
"If you walk out of that door, you're a dead man."
His head whipped around and his eyes bulged out of his sockets.
"You can't threaten me, lady. There's nothing you can do to stop me from walking out of the door and disappearing for good. You'd never find me again."
"Maybe not, but let's just say hypothetically, someone lets it slip that the Feds have received valuable information about the Manceria case from a very reliable source. One who looks a lot like this-"
Smoothly she lifted her hand and captured a crystal-clear picture of the informant with her phone.
"From what I hear, that family takes no chances. You're free to go now, good luck out there," she said dismissively.
He was sweating now. Truly scared. Good, she thought. Now they were getting somewhere.
"Look, all I know is that Lucky's lookin' to move all his cash out of the country on the calm 'cause you guys have been putting the squeeze on and the old man's putting on the pressure too."
'Lucky' also known as Luciano Manceria was the oldest son of Pablo 'Pops' Manceria, head of the entire family and cartel. She'd been on the case from the beginning of her career. The Bureau had plenty of circumstantial evidence in at least fifty varying cases that had Manceria's name written all over it. Cases from drug and human trafficking, murder, bank heists, you name it. They were involved somehow but it just couldn't be proven.
Alex briefly remembered her first case, an entire family had been wiped out. Massacred in their own homes, executed Manceria-style. The father of that family had been in serious debt, which she only could assume, he had borrowed to cover those losses and in the end couldn't pay it back. He had paid the ultimate price, shuddering as she recalled the blood coating the walls from ceiling to floor. Even the thirteen year old daughter hadn't been spared. The rage welled up, and her determination renewed itself.
"What else?" She ordered.
"Word is, he was looking for a money manager. He wasn't having any luck till he heard about this Russian chick. A real ball buster but gets the job done clean. He's gotta move all the money from illegal operations before the Feds get him red-handed. Oh, and Pops is also pressuring him to get hitched, wants the family name to be preserved. Won't mention him in the will till he sees him getting a move on. Very into having a stable family base and what-not."
"Busy guy," she commented, brain swirling with the new information.
She sensed he was holding something else back, and brought a few more twenties out of her wallet.
"Anything else?"
His eyes flashed greedily on the growing stack of bills, licking his lips.
"Yeah. Maybe. There was also talk about a shipment of questionable cargo being delivered to the South Bay Port at midnight. No details, that's all I've got."
Alex could tell they'd squeezed him dry, and slid her card along with the money across the table.
"Anything else, you call."
He disappeared faster than the store owner had and finally Alex took a deep calming breath. The slow clap next to her reminded her Nathan was still here.
"Very well done, Lex."
Her heart swelled with the compliment.
"Let's get outta here, we've got work to do," she replied with a smile.
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