The Director's decision was
apparently taken after a long, deliberate and intense period of thought the
previous day. Here was Martin, the man who had solved tough mysteries like the
case of the Mayor's murder. He had even apprehended and single-handedly held
out against a gang of Mexican Drug cartels for three whole hours in the siege
of Oklahoma. In fact, high on the list of Martin's achievements was the tracing
and apprehending of the notorious Bitcoin Brothers. These Bitcoin Brothers had
used cryptocurrency for gun running and human trafficking. Martin's actions had
enabled the FBI to seize three percent of the world's cryptocurrency which the
Bitcoin Brothers had amassed.
“Now, there’s something else we
need to tell you before we get into the details. Even though we can’t afford to
give you time off before and we can’t now, we’re willing to make a
compromise". There, it was the "We" again. "Finish this
mission as fast as possible, and you can have all the time off you need. Take a
well-earned vacation and settle your affairs. Before you get excited, however,
Martin, this case Isn’t going to be easy. you’ll find it stimulating- something
that will challenge your abilities.
“Giving you this solo case isn’t
meant to be an opportunity to prove you’re still capable of being great or that
you can work without a team beside you. In fact, we assign you this mission because
We think you are capable of it. This mission will require every ounce of your
detective capabilities to solve and close. I have absolute faith in your
ability, but Martin, we need you to use your talents now, not in a month from
now. This case is high priority, and we need you at your best to solve this
before it’s too late. Are we clear?” his Director asked.
“Yes, sir,” Martin nodded. Man!
That was a lot of 'we' over there. He concealed a curious sigh before
finishing. “I’m ready to get to work.”
It was only half a lie, and he
could see on the Director’s face that he knew Martin wasn’t quite ready. But
Martin wasn’t about to let the man down. He was sure that the Director knew he
would give it his very best, as he always did, even when at his worst. Martin
was determined to get that time off, even if it meant temporarily getting back
in the game and working his ass off.
“Very well,” the Director paused
and pressed a button on his desk, the sunlight projecting through the window
screen dimming in response. It was time for him to learn about the specifics,
about what he actually needed to get done, how much work he had to put in in
order to earn that precious alone time.
With the window’s screen dimmed, it
was the darkest Martin had ever seen the room. It was the first time he ever
saw the screen in action, and though he could see the American flag on the
screen, he could also see the scenery beneath it with perfect clarity.
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