Highway scandal(book 1)

Chapter 1

Marissa Daniels was 28 her birthday had just come and gone. It was mid-October in the town of Chicago and it was cold. Halloween was only a few days away, and she had plans to go to the law firm's animal Halloween party. She was NOT dressing up for anything, just putting on her best dress and heels and going to socialize with some co-workers. She was a brunette and blue-eyed woman. And the top secretary of the law firm she worked for. Mitchell and Mitchell was a big law firm. Passed down from father to son. It was a big name for over thirty years. And she was in deep.

And like any big law firm, there were a few secrets in the walls. She knew her boss, Frank Mitchell had a lot to hide, but she didn't think it was anything too scandalous. But everyone had their skeletons. And she was about to find out, but let's start from the beginning.

Marissa was born and raised in a small town called Dunlap, Illinois. And moved to Chicago to go into law. She studied for 4 years in college and got a degree in law but she decided to stick with being a secretary because it was easier and still paid the bills. She moved from Dunlap to Chicago when she was 20 years old. When she turned 24 she graduated and at 25 she became the secretary to the biggest lawyer in Chicago. Frank Mitchell. And for 3 years she's worked hard too. Frank was paying her a set monthly rate of seven thousand dollars. Not much in Chicago but it paid her bills. And he bought a car for her after the first year. She befriended him. Her car, she chose a 2015 Toyota Camry, it was black. And she loved it.

She didn't live far from the firm. Maybe five miles. She rented a nice one-bedroom duplex. The water was included but electricity was tricky. And her boss kept her in clothes. Mostly because he hadn't met someone as qualified and un-curious as she was. She knew his business was his own. And she likes the secrets kept away from her. And for that, she was blinded by a lot of truth.

Drake Williams was a 35-year-old whose birthday fell mid-summer. July 25th. He loved being alone on his birthday. Ever since his brother's death. But he kept to himself and for good reason. Drake was a fighter. Around five years ago he took up weightlifting and fighting. He wasn't a buff but he was stout and he could hold his own. And he could shoot a gun. And throw a knife. Just in case he needed to.

Drake grew up with one brother, an older brother. He was born 2 years before Drake. His name was Devin, and he loved his brother. But a lot had taken place over five years. And things would never be the same. A deal gone wrong, and a brother who was murdered was just what the police had been told about Drake. But he was never arrested. And the police dropped the case, but Frank and his boys knew the truth about all of it. How? Well, you'll see.

"Marissa, will you come here for a moment," Frank speaks through the intercom at her desk.

She sighs to herself and places her folder down with her pen. She had been signing paperwork for Frank. She gets up and walks calmly to his office. Frank is anxious to speak with her. And she was not nervous because she had been doing everything even putting overtime for his case files. As she walked to the door she stiffened herself and breathed in opening the door. Frank is sitting at his desk with a file in his hands. He looks up at her as she enters.

"Ah Miss Daniels, I'm glad you could come in today, I have a rather unusual task for you," he says standing from his desk with his folder in his hands.

"Nothing is ever unusual just unique, what is it Sir," she asks. He hands her a file that says 'Unsolved case.'

"I'm aware that some cases go unsolved, and it's the police officers' job to catch the guilty party but, I'm hoping, maybe you could look at these reports and see if you find anything unusual about this unsolved case maybe some leads to where this man landed, according to police, he vanished without a trace but, something tells me he is still around," Frank said. That was unusual for him. Usually, she's signing paperwork about cases won or lost. Rarely did he lose. But now he was asking her to investigate?

"Sir, I am not a detective, I know I studied law and I took a semester studying criminal behavior but I'm a secretary and I'm not sure how I can help," she said. He places his hand over hers.

"Marissa, I've had faith in your hard work and dedication and I pay you to work for me, so I'm asking as a friend and your employer, to study this case, and see if anything pops out at you," he said. She sighs at him. She knew she couldn't argue.

"Oh, and I want your assumptions to me by the end of the day Saturday," he said. She shot a look at him.

"Saturday is the Halloween party, sir, that's only three days," she said. He walked behind his desk.

"Then hold off everything until you study the files, and I want your opinion Saturday, before the Halloween office party," he said. She nods and turns to walk away. He sits at his desk and she walks out.

She returns to her desk with the file in hand. The papers weren't thick so she wasn't sure what she would find. But if her boss wanted her to investigate then she had no choice. So she sits down and opens the folder. Inside is a picture of a man with a short beard and mustache that comes together. It's dark and his hair is scruffy and dark. His eyes are chocolate brown. He's wearing a peach sweater-like shirt and his arms are folded. It looks like a photo taken by a family member. They cropped it and changed the background. The name 'Drake Williams.'

"Drake Williams, he doesn't look like a felon," she spoke flipping through the papers. Articles about his brother being killed by him. But she was confused.

"Drake was an honor student in college and high school, with a grade point average of 3.8. And he had a bachelor's in criminal justice, he was a detective for a year until he turned on his brother after a scandal had gone wrong, in light of killing his brother it is believed he also had dealings with the mafia, selling and peddling drugs and dirty money."

She kept reading but she couldn't believe what she was reading. He didn't seem like the type to do this. He knew the laws, and he was a very bright man. His brother too. She needed more to go on. Maybe his brother's file would've helped her.

"Something is off."