"The Virtuoso"

Betrayal

Raymond and Dembe drove downtown later that day in silence. A call from Cooper broke the silence. "So Raymond, I saw that a speakeasy was destroyed and the owner refuses to cooperate with law enforcement. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Raymond chuckled heartily. "Raymond please, I don't have the patience. Is everything alright?" "I assure you Harold, everything is being handled in a professional manner. No further questions" As he hung up the phone his tone suddenly became very serious. " Victor gave me up. I need to find out where he's hiding. Now that his club is gone, he must have another place to hide away." "Well Raymond, you of all people know that he is somewhere trying to remain out of sight. His club was home to many criminals." As Raymond thought this over, his phone rang. "Unknown number" were the words that flashed across the screen. As soon as Raymond held the phone to his ear, a voice on the other end whispered his name. "Victor, speak of the devil. Were your ears burning knowing I was just talking about you?" "Raymond, listen to me. I had no choice." His voice was low and he kept repeating his words out of fear. Luckily his call was being traced, even though he was using a pay phone. Before he could say another word, Raymonds car pulled up next to him. He got out of the car with Dembe following close behind. Victor dropped the phone out of his hands. "Red please, I don't know what else to say. He'll come after me. He set me up." "Victor slow down, who set you up?" Raymond asked, holding his hands in front of him to show he meant no harm. "There's a girl. A girl who wanted to meet you. He wanted me to give her access to the club. I know nothing after that." Raymond's eyes widened and he exchanged a glance with Dembe. "Victor, I know your loyalty and discretion lies with me. Whether you want to admit it or not, you betrayed it when taking a bribe from this man. I need to know who he is." Suddenly Victor's demeanor changed. His once scared face broke into a menacing grin. "You'll never find him Red. He's a good, if not better adversary than you." He drew a gun from the inside of his jacket but before he could strike, a red dot appeared on his chest. Dembe grabbed Raymond as a silent bullet hit Victor. They fled the scene quickly. Dembe looked at Raymond from the rearview mirror. "We're not safe here on the streets. We need to stay in the safehouse, with the girl." Raymond shook his head. " Nowhere is safe Dembe. People that I trust have seemingly turned against me. I just hope this young woman can give me an answer."

Later that day, Raymond and Dembe were in the dining area, clutching warm cups of coffee. Raymond and Dembe sat in silence for a little while. "This woman means something to you Raymond." Dembe said. "I haven't seen you this way since Elizabeth." At the sound of that name, Raymond looked up. " You're right." he replied. "I had a feeling there was more to this woman than some stranger at a piano. I had no idea it would come to this. She has a family, a history, and people looking for her. We need to solve this before it's too late."