Deadlock || ᴠᴍɪɴ

Chapter 4

Jimin telephoned Heiden. He gave him a brief rundown of what Mayer had told him and asked him to do a background check on a man named Fritz Bonaham right away. As soon as Heiden found out that Bonaham was very likely to be Corvus, he hung up the phone in high spirits, seemingly having forgotten how reluctant he was about letting them go to Philadelphia in the first place.

Jimin was in charge of the drive back. As soon as Rob slid into the passenger seat, he turned on the cabin light and immediately began going through Odds’ manuscript that had been given to him by Mayer. Jimin warned him that he would get car sick, and that he should wait until they reached their destination. However, Rob answered that he would be fine and fell silent as he turned the pages.

The car threaded through the streets of Philadelphia before entering the freeway. Jimin was thinking about Mayer the whole time. If Odds had really been murdered, it was likely that Mayer had suffered the hit-and-run by the same perpetrator. But he had gotten out alive. Was it a warning?

“Oh, damn!” Rob suddenly exclaimed, after they had been on the road for about an hour. Jimin looked at him in surprise.

“Jimin, we haven’t had dinner yet. I’m starving,” Rob said.

“—That’s what the fuss was about? You scared the hell out of me, shouting like that.”

“It’s a big deal, alright? Nothing is more important than getting my three square meals a day. Can you pull off at the next exit? We’re going into the first restaurant we see. I’m begging you.”

Rob looked like he was dying. Jimin laughed and relented.

“How’s Odds’ manuscript? Find anything that might help with the investigation?”

“Yeah, there’s a lot of useful information here. But I’m still trying to sort out my thoughts. Ask me again once we finish eating – I can’t think straight when I’m hungry, so I wouldn’t be able to explain myself logically.”

“I’ll wait as long as you need,” Jimin said. Rob’s knowledge and deductive skills were essential to solve this complex case. Although Jimin could seek out the scattered clues, it was hard for him to link them together to draw the bigger picture.

Soon after getting off the freeway, they found a restaurant attached to a motel. They had a late dinner, after which Rob suggested that they stay tonight at the motel. The vacancy sign was lit up outside the window.

If they got back on the road now, they would reach DC after dark; it would be a hassle to find somewhere to stay after getting back. Jimin figured it was a better idea to stay the night here, and agreed with Rob’s suggestion. When they reached the motel office, fortunately they were told that there was one twin room available.

They took turns showering. Rob sat down on the bed and spread the documents out. Jimin also sat down on his own bed.

“Ever since I started working with you, I’ve been putting my imagination to work and thinking about this case. Until now, I had no idea whether my conjectures were true or not. But after reading Odds’ manuscript, I can see that my predictions weren’t off the mark.”

Jimin stared silently back at Rob’s grim expression. He didn’t want to disrupt the man.

“I could go on forever about the details, so I’m going to start with the conclusion. Is that alright?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“The first point is what V said about the enemy in the White House. I think it’s Bill Manning.”

“Bill Manning…?” Jimin murmured apprehensively. It was name that had come up countless times in conversation.

“Manning is married to the daughter of Peter Waddell, who’s the president of General Mars. Manning’s family is in the oil business. He took a wife from a family in the munitions industry, which has close ties with the government. Just that fact tells us clearly that he’s an ambitious politician.”