Chapter Seven

  The drive back to the docks was spent in the same silence that brought Keeva and Dorian this far. Neither of them looking to break that either, at least nothing beyond music pying in the background while Dorian opted to drive this time. Keeva questioning if he’d even known how to drive while Dorian checked the wallet he’d brought with him. Checking over the ID inside that hadn’t held the name he’d been going by up till now. According to his wallet, Dorian was a 32-year-old Colorado man named Robert Lavender. Apparently, Robert not only knew how to drive but he was also an organ doner.

  “How old are you anyway?” Keeva asked as they’d traveled down the road.

  “Old enough to drink too young to retire.” Dorian stated in an almost knee jerk reaction.

  “By what country’s standards?” Keeva asked and watched as Dorian’s gaze met hers. His brow cocking up as he returned his gaze to the road ahead. His attention pulling away as he spotted a strip mall off to the side and began to turn into the parking lot. “Seriously I can’t imagine you’d be much older than thirty give or take.”

  Sighing and rolling his eyes, Dorian thought to himself that she wasn’t going to drop this till she got an answer that satisfied her. Hoping a subject change would get her off his ass for a moment, Dorian pulled the car into a parking spot and stepped out of the vehicle before gesturing Keeva to do the same. Turning to nod to the various store fronts along the length of the strip mall.

  One in particur catching Dorian’s eye from the street as a thrift store for gently use and second-hand clothing and house ware. The very same shop he now stared towards as he looks up at the sun faded tarp that served as a sign. The tarp barely secured or big enough to hide the previous sign that was hanging up beforehand. A sort of off chain super market by the looks of it.

  “Walking around a blue-colr job site in suits is a good excuse not to talk to us or hide whenever they see us coming.” Dorian said as he entered the thrift store with Keeva at his shoulder. “If we’re going to get anything, we should at least look the part.”

  Feeling Keeva stare at him for a moment longer, Dorian flicked his eyes over to see the small smirk curling at her lips. Almost against her own will as she nodded her head and scoffed. Dorian thought to himself that if he didn’t know any better, he might’ve mistaken that expression for a sense of pride.

  The interior of the shop looked hardly any better than the outside with shelves stacked haphazardly with various cookware and dishes with no real organization to be gleamed. Anything from mugs with tacky or ironic slogans on them to cookware that even Dorian could tell was likely made of aluminum just from looking at it. Though they were spoiled for choice when it came to clothes as Dorian walked through the racks towards the back of the store to begin a search for something in his size. Keeva falling in behind him as both were left to fend for themselves. The clothes barely organized by size let alone by sex.

  “You’re still not off the hook about my question by the way.” Keeva pried as she circled around to the other end of the clothing wrack and plucked a shirt from a hanger. The lettering starting to chip away while the design began to crack and curl. Keeva decided she knew enough about Iron Maiden to wear a shirt like this as she tossed it across her shoulder.

  “Get a long sleeve with it.” Dorian droned as he pulled a pair of pants off the rack. A ratty and worn pair of jeans with stitching in the crotch. Though he seemed more concerned about finding the sizing on the inside.

  “It’s already hot enough in these damn suits you seriously want me to get a long sleeve with this too?” Keeva protested as she shook the shirt in hand.

  “Your tattoos will draw too much attention and if you’re going to be working out in the sun all day, you’d want to make sure your body is covered.” Dorian retorted, his voice clipping in a matter of fact while his eyes regarded Keeva from under his brow. Dorian watching as the thought loomed on her face as she nodded her head. Less in understanding of what he said and more in a way that suggested she’d understood the game he was pying here. “You tell me about those tattoos, I’ll tell you how old I am.”

  “For all I know you could be sixteen.” Keeva said as she snatched a Carhart long sleeve from another hanger.

  “I’m fttered you think I look that young.” Dorian said as he turned his head up enough to fully regard Keeva.

  “Alright so we have a soft minimum.” Keeva said under her breath as she found a pair of cargo pants on another rack and opted for a belt just to be safe.

  Once Dorian had finished picking out his own clothes, she followed him to the counter before setting down their wardrobe. As an afterthought, Dorian gestured to the shoes near the counter and Keeva nodded in understanding. Grabbing a pair for each of them. The woman at the counter looking at the tattered clothes before looking up at the duo wearing their fine suits and couldn’t help but chuckle. The irony was hardly lost on Dorian either as he couldn’t help but reciprocate by way of a small smile of his own. When the total came up, Dorian slipped a bill to the cashier and swiped up his clothes without waiting for change. Opting to forego the information as to if that bill was even real US currency or not when he’d walked out of the store and back to the car.

  “Hop in and change first, I’ll keep watch out here.” Dorian said as he turned his back to the car door and crossed his arms over his chest. Turning his head slightly enough to survey the area to ensure there was no prying eyes. Keeva had enough forethought to use her jacket and blouse to block the windows while she changed before stepping out and dusting the shirt off.

  Bringing the colr up to her nose, she took a whiff before sniffing the air and sniffing the shirt again.

  “Whoever wore this st was a smoker.” Keeva said. The long sleeve pced under the Iron Maiden t shirt and despite the worn and loose fit of the clothes, Dorian noted that Keeva’s shoulders just as broad as they did in her suit.

  “You should be used to that smell by now.” Dorian said as he slipped into the back seat to get himself changed as well.

  “Yeah, not that kinda smoke pup.” Keeva corrected as she scrunched her nose at the smell wafting in her face at the slightest breeze. Hoping to drown it out with something perhaps just as bad, Keeva reached into the passenger side of the car.

  “Oh yeah just go ahead and grab your cigarettes, not like I’m in my boxers or anything.” Dorian droned from behind Keeva.

  “Not looking pup, just need something to down out this smell.” Keeva droned in return, producing a cigarette from the pack, lighting it and inhaling deeply. Blowing the smoke down onto her shirt in the hopes of covering the smell from before and already feeling her mind ease at the smell of the tobacco smoke.

  “You know those things are going to kill you one day?” Dorian said as he hopped from the back seat before settling himself into the driver’s side. His own shirt being bck at one point though with a massive bleach stain across the chest and being washed repeatedly had more or less turned grey. The jeans he wore had a hole in the knee, of which Dorian wasn’t sure was there intentionally or not.

  “We work in an industry where the life expectancy starts with a five if we’re lucky,” Keeva said as she took another drag on her cigarette before flicking the butt to the side. “I like my odds with these getting to me first.”

  With a shrug that said fair enough, Dorian started up the car and drove towards the port. It was another fifteen minutes before they were able to park and stepped out and surveyed the area. It seemed like lunch had just ended for many of those working as well as the dock was teaming with cranes unloading freighters. Trucks transporting the containers elsewhere, and other rigs already pulling out of the port.

  “You got a pn from here on out or is it just an accuracy by volume situation?” Keeva asked as she stepped from the car with Dorian.

  “Call me Rob from here on out, act like you’re lost and we tell them were the new hires and ask questions about some rumors you’ve been hearing.” Dorian stated as though he were listing off items on a grocery list. Pausing to look over to Keeva as he already had a few answers in mind had she any questions. When none came, Dorian shut the door to the car and set off into the port. “We’ll meet back here in about an hour and see what info we have.”

  “Yeah alright.” Keeva agreed as she parted ways from Dorian. Spreading themselves out across the docks as they walked along till someone either caught their attention or they caught someone else.

  Dorian expining that he was part of the new hires, as discussed with Keeva. Made mention of a few rumors he’s heard about shipments going missing and wondering what that was all about. When pressed as to who Dorian worked for, he figured the best lies had a hint of truth to them.

  “Pat.” Dorian said.

  “Pat…?” Rouser said, the woman introducing herself as such. She was a stout woman who kept her hair short and advertised herself as an individual who kept her patience shorter. Right now, being one such case as she balked at Dorian.

  “Yeah, you know the guy who works in the office, bald head kinda looks like Mr. Clean?” Dorian said as he nodded in the direction of the trailer Pat made his office.

  “Patrick told you to call him that?” Rouser stated and spped Dorian’s shoulder. “No one calls him Pat dude and honestly, I don’t know what you’re really talking about. I’ve been here all of twelve hours and haven’t heard anyone talking about trucks going missing. If you’re worried about it, I’d just go talk to Rick about it.”

  Any further interactions with the workers resulted in conversations unfolding much the same way. The moment Dorian mentioned Pat, the body nguage of those he spoke to changed. Their bodies physically backing or turning away from Dorian with everyone saying the same thing. It was best for him to talk with Pat about the missing trucks and that they hadn’t heard of anything. Dorian figured this was enough to call his hour of searching short as he could already feel his patients wearing thin and his temper beginning to rise.

  Returning to the car, Dorian perched himself on the hood and crossed his arms over his chest. His mind occupied with trying to find the consistencies in each statement. Something to link everything together or perhaps a pattern. Pat already mentioned that he’d pass on the information that he’s having some people coming to ask a few questions about what’s been going on. So then why did no one seem to know anything at all? Before he could attempt an answer, Dorian saw Keeva walking back towards the car, looking just as defeated as Dorian must’ve looked as she perched herself right beside him on the hood.

  “Anything?” Dorian asked.

  “Told me to go ask Pat about it.” Keeva said as she ran a hand through her hair and drew in a breath before mimicking Dorian’s stance by crossing her arms over her chest. “Anything on your end?”

  “Told me the same, but one of them said they just call him Rick not Pat.” Dorian said, keeping his eyes trained on the horizon.

  “Someone’s not telling us something.” Keeva sighed.

  “Or we already told them everything they need to know about us.” Dorian responded.

  “How do you figure?”

  “Three trucks go missing and no one has anything to say about it beyond telling me I’m calling the boss by the wrong name?”

  “You thinking that we got the wrong guy here?”

  “One of the workers called him Patrick and Pat or Rick or whatever his name is told us that he’s got some employees with records and some without records, how do you think he decided they were worth the hire?”

  “Probably had someone vouch for them, I doubt these guys have a CV typed and ready.”

  “So, you’re saying someone gave them a name and that’s how Patrick knew who to trust?” Dorian said, his head slowly shifting over to meet the side of Keeva’s head. Watching as her brows knotted before her eyes went wide in realization.

  “That cheeky bastard!” Keeva cursed, her hands swinging out to either side to hoist herself from her perch.

  “I want to know what else he’s lying about.” Dorian said as he pushed himself off the hood of the car. “Think you can get him out here?”

  “What did you have in mind?” Keeva asked.

  “Just keep him busy till I give you the signal.” Dorian said as he started off towards the office.

  “Keep him busy, I’ll keep him busy.” Keeva said to no one as she rolled her neck and shoulders before finding her victim. “Hey! You think you can fuckin lie to my face like that? Do you have any clue who you’re messing with?”

  Turning around the see the carnage, Dorian saw Keeva snatch at a worker’s chest and bring them in close. Her face contorting into an animalistic smile with the slightest fsh of catharsis in her eye. Dorian could tell that much from where he was standing. When the worker made the mistake of trying to put hands on Keeva, it wasn’t so much that Keeva punched him as it was that a fist appeared across his chin. The only thing keeping the poor bastard standing being the hand Keeva kept wrapped inside the front of his shirt as she delivered another blow to the bastard’s head.

  “Get your boss out here now!” Keeva shouted to another by standard as her accent thickened to the point that even the most mundane word seemed like it was some form of sng from her home country.

  Cracking a smile at the crowd she was amassing, Dorian had to break himself away from the sight before booking it over towards the office. Not a moment too soon either as he was able to press himself flush up against the wall that the office door sat against. Waiting only a split second before it nearly burst off its hinges with Pat not even bothering with the steps as he hit the ground running. His boots kicking up dirt in the process as he sprinted off towards where Keeva’s scuffle had begun. Just as soon as he was nearly ten strides away, Dorian slipped into the office just as the door shut behind him.

  Surveying the inside of the office, Dorian looked to the corners for any cameras or anything that might compromise him on time. When his initial search revealed nothing, he took his seat at Pat’s desk. Josteling the mouse to summon the computer screen back, Dorian cursed under his breath as the screen asked for a password. Pat having enough forethought to lock his computer before leaving, even in such a hurry.

  Figuring Pat also wouldn’t be dumb enough to leave his password on a sticky note somewhere, Dorian realized he’d need help getting into this computer. Reaching for his phone, Dorian searched through his contacts as his finger hovered over Ashley’s contact information. His movements halted by way of Nicole’s conversation with him just days earlier. His mind too occupied by the time constraints to think of a reasonable lie to tell Ashley as to why he needed to break into a computer. Instead opting to call Nicole.

  “Hello~” Nicole sang when she picked up his call. “How is work going?”

  “Time sensitive request, I’m at the job site and I need to get into a computer.” Dorian stated.

  “I have to say I’m more surprised by the skills you don’t have then with the skills you do.” Nicole said while Dorian could hear her tapping away at her keyboard. “I’ll get Ashley to work on this for you. And Dorian…”

  “Yes ma’am?” Dorian snapped to attention.

  “I appreciate your discretion here.” Nicole sated before a pause caught the two of them. Another series of taps and key strokes before Nicole started again. “She said if you can find a charging cord to hook it up to the computer tower.”

  “Charging cord…” Dorian mused under his breath as he searched through Pat’s desk. Finding what he needed as he hooked up one end of the cord to his phone and the other to his tower. “Alright it’s connected.”

  “She told me it will take her a minute.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “I told her I had some files on my other computer I needed you to get for me. She doesn’t seem to…” Nicole paused before Dorian heard another series of keystrokes. “She said she’s in the files now, what did you need to find exactly?”

  “Shipping manifests and proof of deliveries for any shipment leaving this port and keep it within the time frame of when the thefts started happening.”

  “Interesting…” Nicole mused. “What’s your thought process here?”

  “That your client has more to gain from lying to you and us than he does with telling the truth, I’ll be able to tell you more once I get the files.” Dorian said as he felt his knee begin to bob. His eyes darting from the computer to the door leading into the office. His toes digging into the carpet, ready to sprint at the very moment he heard the door open.

  “I have to admit how unfortunately true that is, I’m never really in the market for questions anyway and that won’t change now. I’ll send the files directly to you once Ashley sends them to me.” Nicole said began before broaching what seemed an attempt at idle conversation. “What did you and Ashley talk about over your lunch break, she seemed a little less than enthused after she hung up.”

  Opening his mouth to speak, Dorian felt the void of the words on his tongue. His mind bnking as to what he could even say before finding his attention returning to the phone upon seeing the screen light up with a notification. The files sent to his phone with the name reading ShippingDocuments.zip.

  “I’ll have to call you back.” Dorian lied as his finger hovered over the end call button before Nicole summoned his attention back.

  “Dorian,” She began. “Stay safe, okay?”

  “Yes ma’am.” Dorian said and watched the call end before he could hang up himself.

  Without sparing a single moment, Dorian burst through the door as he started back towards where Keeva was keeping Pat still distracted. Sprinting up to the scene where Keeva had her fists clenched out to either side. Her face contorted into a snarl. Keeva was still bellowing in her thick accent. Pat trying to talk over her with an array of curses strung between them. As Dorian approached, he summoned up the character he’d need to portray with this as he rushed forward and shoved Keeva in the chest to get her to back away. Dorian’s other hand smming into Pat’s chest to keep him from closing the gap.

  “The fuck are you doing!?” Dorian bellowed. “I told you to wait by the fucking car and I turn my back for five seconds you do some stupid shit like this!”

  Opening her mouth to respond, Keeva caught the glimpse of Dorian’s phone lighting up as she saw the notifications on the screen. Her fury nearly dying on her lips in that moment with Dorian occupying the space in a matter of seconds.

  “I don’t want to hear it, get in the car, were leaving!” Dorian shouted and watched as Keeva seethed. Her shoulders bobbing with every breath she took before her head snapped towards Pat still standing behind him. With another shove of Dorian’s hand to her shoulder however, Keeva pyed her part as well and turned away as the two started towards the car.

  “Your boss is gonna be hearing about this one!” Pat hollered after them.

  “She sure is asshole.” Dorian said under his breath before turning to Keeva, keeping his voice low enough that only she could hear. “You looked like you were having a good time.”

  “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.” Keeva said as her expression washed away with a smirk and a chuckle. Her hands flexing and tightening into fists as Dorian could see the red marks along her knuckles. A few scrapes and some broken skin made Dorian wonder what the other guy looked like.

  “Sorry I had to interrupt.” Dorian said before perking at the sound of a phone chiming. The two of them nearly to their car by now as Keeva produced her phone to show a picture of Nicole under the caller ID. “That was quick.”

  “What am I telling her?” Keeva asked.

  “The truth.” Dorian said and watched as Keeva picked up the call.