Dupe Alias

Final Chapter

Leo approached the house. Or perhaps it would better be described as a mansion. It made Azure's house, by comparison, look like a cardboard box. The mansion wasn't as tall as Azure's house, but it was a lot wider and deeper. The walls were made of stone. The yard was unfathomably large. The grass was all smoothly trimmed and well-watered. There was a luxurious swimming pool, a hot-tub, a hedgemaze, and a playground.

He made his final steps towards the house, stepping up a stone porch, undernearth the large overhang. He knocked on the door. Within a matter of seconds, the door swung open. Amber's accomplice, Craig, stood inside. His scruffy-looking facial hair was gone, and his hair was neatly done. He was out of his casual clothing, now wearing a black tuxedo. Leo figured that Craig must be a butler of Amber's, in addition to being a criminal accomplice.

Craig stepped out of the house. Leo backed up to make room for him to exit. Craig stooped down to Leo's feet, and began patting him down. Leo didn't expect that, but he quickly realized he was being frisked.

When Craig finished patting him down, he pulled the side of his tuxedo backwards, exposing a small, radio-like device, hooked onto his waistband. Craig grabbed it, and bent down to Leo's feet again, holding the device close to Leo, as he slowly moved it upwards. The device emitted a static-sounding noise as Craig moved it around.

Craig slowly raised the device, as if hovering it all over, just inches away from all parts of Leo's body, before he finally ascended the device to Leo's head. Leo intuited that he was being scanned for wiretapping devices.

"Okay, you're good. Come in," said Craig, as he stepped inside.

Leo followed behind him quickly.

"This way," Craig instructed, as he walked further into the house.

Leo followed Craig through the entrance, into a large, stone-walled room with a fireplace, and expensive bookcases, saturated with literature, covering nearly every wall. The next room appeared to be a dining room. A large wooden table sat in the middle, with cushioned seats placed all around it.

On one end of the table, sat Amber.

"Hey, Leo! Did you come here to beg for money?" she greeted.

"I prefer the term 'negotiate'. I didn't really have a choice. Azure kicked me to the streets," Leo answered, as he sat down at the opposite end of the table from Amber.

Craig stood still, as if prepared to defend Amber from Leo.

"It's okay, you can leave us," Amber told Craig.

"Yes ma'am," Craig headed out of the room.

"Are you going to say I should pay you money in exchange for you to delete the recording?"

"I already know what you're thinking. Even if I delete the recording, it's useless, because, like I told you earlier, Azure has a copy of the recording, too," Leo began.

"Uh-huh," Amber nodded.

"That's why I'm also willing to help deliver Azure to you. You don't have much of a choice. If she has the recording, it's just a matter of time before she uses it. Who knows how that'll turn out. Law enforcement could show up at your home at any time and arrest you over it. She has a police officer, and even an FBI agent in her control. Or maybe she'll just blackmail you with it. Either way, you're in trouble if you don't do something about her, and fast."

"There's just one problem there," Amber said.

"What's that?"

"After you called and I gave you my address, it took you several hours to get here. You look like you're exhausted, and you smell like a bum. Could it be you've walked all the way here, from The CrimINNal? When Azure booted you out, she took your stuff, didn't she?" Amber asked, smiling smugly.