A Dangerous Liaison

-22-

May

Tuesday

May's fingers flew frantically over her phone as she scrolled through the photos she'd taken in Star's office, her heart pounding with every document she reread. She leaned forward, the light of her laptop casting a cold glow over her face as she jotted down notes, her mind racing as the pieces of the puzzle began to click into place. Star's potential involvement in a money laundering cartel was something May had never seen coming.

It was almost too careless, too brazen, for someone like Star to leave all of her sensitive documents just lying around in her office. May had always thought Star was more meticulous, more protective of her dirty dealings. Maybe she is as incompetent as I thought, May mused, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinised a photo of the next document. 

One file stood out—a long table of financial transactions, large sums of money dating back to last year, all flowing through accounts that raised more questions than answers. Her gaze moved to the bottom of the page, where a signature in bold block letters caught her eye. She zoomed in: Jenny Sombat, financial advisor.

May's breath hitched. Jenny Sombat? Why hadn't she noticed this sooner? Could Jenny have been more involved than she initially thought? Was she just another person involved in Star's little game, or was there something deeper?

May's fingers danced over her laptop as she punched in her password. She needed to find out more about Jenny - specifically, her contact details. There had to be something online. She had to move fast, her instincts screaming that Jenny held the key to unlocking this whole mess. If Jenny knew about Star's financial schemes, maybe she could even expose Star's connection to the cartel.

As the laptop hummed to life, May's thoughts briefly shifted to Talay. Should I tell him about this? she wondered. He had been unusually distant lately, always out, meeting Akira with the hope to find more of the evidence that they needed. In a way, it was convenient. His absence gave May free rein over Star's case, and she relished the idea of presenting her findings to Korn all by herself and first. 

Talay was responsible for Akira's case, but it was taking forever for an update. What was he doing? More than a month had passed - the investigation was taking all the right and wrong turns, but Talay was still without evidence. May wondered if he actually did have it and just refused to share it with her; it was plausible, considering their mutual hatred of one another. 

She knew Talay wouldn't listen to her, so she asked Korn to encourage him to make a more effective move. Talking to Akira was wise, and in order to keep their identities a secret, Talay had to gain his trust. The clock was ticking; the higher-ups at the station were already preparing to make the first arrests within the next month, but the evidence was not sufficient until Talay found something more concrete. 

Talay frustrated her, a lot. 

Her search results popped up on the screen. Jenny Sombat's website. A recent interview about her resignation from Star's company caught her eye, along with a few articles that piqued her interest. May clicked through them quickly, scanning for anything useful. And there it was -Jenny's contact information beneath her bio. May grabbed a scrap of paper, scribbling the number down in a rush. She added Jenny to her contact list - for future need - her heart racing as she stared at the digits, the next step clear in her mind.

She picked up her phone, took a deep breath, and dialed. The ringing felt endless, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Am I really doing this? She wondered, but there was no turning back. A formal approach might give Star means to suspect, and May wasn't ready to reveal her hand yet. Besides, Jenny might not even be fully aware of what she'd been caught up in.