The Connections We Make

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

            Detective Langer pushed open the large wood doors to the building. He entered into the large foyer with a briefcase in hand and a freshly pressed suit on his back. His black leather shoes tapped against the marble floors as he walked across the grand area. Most people would feel the need to stop and look around at the magnificent building. However, he wasn’t there to enjoy the building. No, his intentions there were simply to get the business done and then to leave. This was a new city to him, but he wasn’t there to sight see.

            Langer was a good looking man. What with his blue eyes and dark brown hair, he could be confused as a model. He was constantly told that he was too young to hold the position that he did. He didn’t see it that way, though. In all honesty, he would rather be a little younger. But that didn’t stop him. If anything it fueled his ambitions. He was chop-full of pride. It was a family trait.

            When he stepped into the stainless steal elevator, he couldn’t help but notice the looks the only other person in the elevator was giving him. She was a petite blonde. Just his type. But, again, he wasn’t there for pleasure. This trip was all business. So, with a smug smile he walked out of the elevator when it got to his desired floor.

            He was greeted by the secretary who told him to take a seat and someone would be with him shortly. She was an aging woman with graying hair that was piled onto her head in a loose bun. Langer couldn’t help but question what she was doing there.

            Hardly the person one would expect at a business quite like this.

            “Ah, Detective Langer,” the new voice greeted the waiting young man, “I am so glad you were able to make it.”

            Langer took the chance to look at the man. He was older, about the age as the secretary, yet he had aged better. His hair only had a subtle touch of gray while still maintaining its dark brown look. His face showed some wrinkles but it was his eyes that showed his true age. Langer was sure that the dull green eyes that started back at him once were sparkling with happiness and joy. Being a business tycoon could make a person mature rapidly.

            “Mr. Bradly, I assume,” Langer greeted the man as he stood up to formally meet the man who had called him all the way here.

            “Yes, well, shall we head into my office so we can discuss why you are here?” Bradly asked Langer already gesturing the younger man towards the large glass office settled in the back of the floor. Langer couldn’t help but look over the office itself. He wasn’t shocked that the penthouse office suite had one of the best views of the city or was he surprised that there were only a few offices on this particular floor. Mr. Bradly noticed Langer’s gaze and chuckled slightly, “The perks of being CEO of one of the largest corporations in the world.”  

            “Money will buy you the best,” Langer mentioned. The two men entered the impressive office with a slight, strained, chuckle. Bradly made his way to sit behind his large all-wood desk while Langer decided to make himself comfortable in one of the chairs facing the desk. When Langer looked up to see Bradly, he saw the light green file that Bradly was holding.

            “As I told you over the phone, this matter is one that I prefer not to go to the police with and is one that I need the utmost secrecy about. I was told that you are the best,” Bradly started as he put the file down, only to grab a different file and hand it to Langer. The younger man leafed through the papers before taking a pen from his suit’s pocket and signed the non disclosure agreements inside. As he handed the file back over to the powerful man behind the desk, he couldn’t help but notice the family photograph resting just behind the man. It was a slightly older picture, probably taken a year or two ago, but it showed Bradly and what Langer assumed to be his wife and two children.

 Good looking family.

“Here is the file,” Bradly said as he handed the light green file over to Langer. Langer briefly flipped through the pages, occasionally stopping to read something. When he was done he closed the file and set it in his lap.

“You want me to find someone?” Langer asked, although he already knew the answer.

“Yes, I want you to find her, find out everything you can about her, and then let me know,” Bradly confirmed before grabbing a white envelope from his breast pocket and handing it to Langer. “This is the first quarter payment. Get me the information I need and then I will give you the rest of the money.”

Langer nodded his head in agreement before putting the envelope and the file into his briefcase. Standing up, Langer turned to Bradly.

“With my job, people in your position with your power don’t normally ask me to find someone unless there is some connection to that person,” Langer started, “and they certainly don’t ask for me to find young women.”

Bradly gave Langer a long hard look before letting out a deep sigh. It was then that Langer saw the first signs of this man being a human rather then the machine like tycoon that the newspapers constantly showed.

“That girl,” Bradly said as he motioned towards Langer’s briefcase, “is someone who is very important to me. People didn’t know that she is as important to me as she is, but recently I have discovered that she may be in some trouble. I want to make sure that she is okay, safe. If this gets out, people will want to hurt her. If this gets out, there will be more then one life that is in danger.”

Langer nodded again. He understood enough to see why Mr. Bradly called him. He was the best at what he did. He had dealt with similar situations in the past. Bradly nodded as well and showed Langer out of the room. On his way off of the floor, Langer couldn’t help but think one thing.

She is the same age as my sister.

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So this is yet another character twist in the story. Hopefully this will make more sense as everything ties together later on in the story!

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