Red's Love

Chapter 10

Red approaches Chuck Shaw, Liz and Baz with him "Good afternoon, Chuck."

"Yo. Who the hell are you?" Red smiled and stepped closer 

"Someone with a schedule that leaves demonstrably less time to hit the gym than you. Let's see if it's been worth it."

"What do you want?"

"Richard Fickman." Chuck shakes his head "He's dead." Red nodded 

"That's unfortunate. Who put you up to it?" Baz applies pressure on the dumbbells.

"It wasn't my idea!" Red nodded "Was it the Sanctum Corporation?"

"What is Sanctum?"

"How did you find him?" Chuck groans "O-Over there. The folder." Liz grabs the folder

"It's a full dossier on Fickman. His movements, past addresses." Red looked from the folder back to Chuck "Who hired you to kill him?"

Chuck groaned "We made a deal."

"Who?"

"Dr. Sofia Gallup." Red nodded "Please, go on." 

"I was locked up. She was my therapist. She got me paroled. Dr. Gallup said all I had to do was kill a guy she wanted dead. She gave me that folder when I was leaving Otisville."

"She must've given you a way to contact her to confirm the job was done." Chuck nodded

"A burner. I destroyed it." Red nodded "We're done here." Liz grabbed his arm

"Hold on a minute. He's a murderer." Red shakes his head "We don't have time for this. Baz."

Baz knocks out Chuck. Liz sighed and dialed a number on her phone "Yeah, this is Elizabeth Keen. I got a case for DCPD. I'm gonna give you an address." she left the folder on top of Chuck's body

---------

"I did it, okay? Here's the data you wanted. But - " Dembe sighed "Who was it?"

"I don't know. The scanner uses proprietary encryption. I'm sorry, but it would take me days to crack this and figure out who uh, accessed the - this locker. I'm so sorry."

Dembe lowered his gun and sat down on a curb "You can go."

"I-I can go? Just like that?" Dembe nodded "Please, forgive me."

"Well, uh, there might be a way to get past the proprietary encryption. Are you really trying to help Mr. Reddington, Dembe?"

"I have three people in my life. My daughter Isabella, my granddaughter, and Raymond."

"I have an idea."

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Liz's POV

I nod "Thank you." I hang up, then turn to Red "Bureau of Prisons confirmed Dr. Sofia Gallup consults for them. She covers the entire Northeast. No home office is listed and her license is registered at a PO box." Red nodded

"How about the last parolee for whom the good doctor testified?" I answer him

"A felon named Dennis Cauley."

"And he was released?" I nod "To an address in Richmond."

.............

"This looks like a dossier on Dr. Gallup's next victim, Alex Soto." Red looked at the man's photo

"Except his real name isn't Alex Soto. It's Daniel Nakamoto, a master forger of antiquities. 13 years ago, he was paid a pile of money for a cuneiform tablet by the boss of the Sacriponti crime family. Daniel claimed the tablet was part of the Sippar Library. What Daniel didn't know and what Mr. Sacriponti was rather upset to learn, was that two weeks earlier, looters had broken into Iraq's Museum of Antiquities and destroyed the entire collection."

"Oops." 

Red nodded "Daniel Nakamoto disappeared shortly after." I look at Red "So the Sanctum Corporation helped him vanish. And now they want him dead. Why?"

"I don't know. But if Sanctum helped him disappear, only they can make him reappear."

"And Dr. Gallup - how is she connected?" Red shakes his head

"I have no idea. But she certainly understands the dynamics of leverage. She gives these prisoners freedom in exchange for murder. I'm quite certain many of them would feel it's a small price to pay."

I sigh "This guy's been tracking Nakamoto. Tracing his movements." Red nodded "Circling his prey."

"Looks like Nakamoto is at the Gabor Museum every afternoon."

...................

Gabor Museum

"Afternoon, Daniel." Nakamoto looked at Red "I think you have me mistaken for someone else."

Red chuckles "Oh, I assure you, I have not. In fact, I'm something of a fan of your work. I saw a Xuande Ming urn you fabricated fetch quite a price at the King Family's final auction. It was near perfect."

"Raymond Reddington?" Red nods "Now that we're speaking plainly, I'm afraid your cover has been blown. I suppose that's fairly obvious at this point. But nonetheless, I'm here to tell you that an assassin is coming to kill you."

>>>>>

Liz sighed "No sign of Cauley. Why would he pick such a crowded place?" Baz nodded "It's like a prison yard."

>>>>>>>

"The Sanctum Corporation has given you up. But I'm willing to help you vanish again in exchange for - "

"You're lying. There's no way Sanctum could betray me. Impossible."

>>>>>>>

"Baz, I got eyes on him. Bald, brown leather jacket. Baz, tell me you see him. Baz, he's getting close."

>>>>>>

"I'm warning you, Daniel. Your life is in grave danger."

"If you're right, and Sanctum has betrayed me, then no one can keep me safe. Not even you, Reddington." The man in the brown jacket approached Nakamoto. 

"Aah!"

Baz attacked the man and kicked away his knife. Liz drew out her pistol "FBI! Hands on your head."

"What do you want to know?" Red smiled "Everything you can tell me about the Sanctum Corporation."

Cauley explained the couple that owned it died months ago. Red sighed "Glen. I need information on a deceased couple. Tony and Maria Lopez. They were apiarists."

"What? Ape fairies?" Red let out an exasperated sigh "Apiarists. Bees."