"Mr Conner, This will close the account , is that ok?"
Daniel Conner grunted "Yeah, I’m moving."
The cashier, closed and locked her drawer. "One moment Sir I just have to get the amount countersigned." She went to a man in his forties sitting at a desk in the back of the office. He peered at the scruffy man at the counter over the top of his glasses then signed the slip and handed it back.
Daniel glanced around careful not to look at the security camera. It had been his dads idea to transfer the money back to the US in small amounts, everytime a different bank, a different name, a different town. They were back in Washington dc, he never much liked this place or the people who lived there.
"How would you like the money Mr Connor?" The cashier had returned while his mind had been wandering.
"$20’s, $50’s and $100’s"
The female assistant counted out the $40,000 and placed it in a bag. "Thank you for your custom, have a nice day Sir." The rough man snatched the bag and using all the control he could, walked out the exit.
A black saloon was waiting for him, he climbed into the passengers seat. "Drive" he barked. Daniel’s younger brother slipped the car into gear and pulled into the traffic. "How much ?"
"$40,000."
The younger of the two concentrated on the road. "What name did you use this time? I got to make sure you don’t duplicate it."
"Daniel Conner."
"K"
The older man picked up a magazine from the dash board and growled in disgust and slapped the driver round the back of the head with it. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?"
"It’s just a mag, I was bored."
"It’s about the fag ....... Ahh look at the pussy boy, all sad looking." He made believe to cry at the pathetic picture of JC leaving the hospital being supported by Justin and Chris.
"Don’t call him that."
"What’s wrong Ryan? Sorry you didn’t fuck his ass while you had the chance?"
"I’m not the rapist here!"
The man calling himself Daniel laughed. "You know his ass was soooo tight and juicy. Just like fucking a pussy, He loved every minute. You should have heard him moaning begging for more."
"Just shut the fuck up Garrett. You’re fucking lying, I saw him after you’d finished with him, he NEVER enjoyed that." Ryan called his brother by his real name as he stamped on the breaks and jumped out the car throwing the keys angrily at his brother.
Garrett smirked. " Think my Iittle bro’ got himself a crush on the faggot boy popstar!"
Ryan fumed "Why the fuck you hate him so much? He never did any harm, it was never meant to be personal. He was the means to an end that all."
"You think?"
"What’s that mean Garrett?"
The scruffy man scooted in to the drivers seat. "Bowie junior high school, Check out my year book, 7th grade."
Garrett pushed the saloon into drive and left Ryan standing stunned at the side of the road.
* * *
Agent Gosman sat next to Claudia as she traced the next transaction.
"Got you, Oh I am so good and you know it." She gloated at her success. "They are getting greedy, 70,000 Euro’s this time" she muttered as she smiled at the young American agent. "I think I deserve a drink for that!"
Agent Gosman grinned back. "C’ babe if we get these bastards, I’ll buy you more than a drink." He grabbed her face and planted a big sloppy kiss on her forehead. "You little gem you!"
"Ewww Yuck" She wiped the back of her hand over the wet spot.
* * *
Lance sat in Starbucks sipping his choco latté as the craggy private detective slid an A4 envelope over the table to him. The green eyed blond pulled out the glossy photographs.
"These are all people that have worked on or around JC’s house in the month prior to his abduction."
Lance flicked through the pictures, stopping at a picture of a long haired blond with sparkling blue eyes. "Who’s this?"
The detective pulled out his note book and flicked through the pages. "Ryan Buckfield, Pool man, worked for JC for about 3 months."
Lance looked thoughtfully at the print before he looked at the others. "And who’s this, He looks familiar?"
"That’s ...... Garrett Buckfield. JC hired him on recommendation from Ryan to fix a lock that had been forced on his rear patio door."
Lance raised an eyebrow "JC had a break in?"
"Yeah. He reported it to the police, they said the fact nothing was taken except some boxers lead them to believe it was a fan looking for souvenirs."
"Still he looks familiar to me I’ve seen his face before, Do me a favour find out where these brothers are now, especially Garrett, look into his background, where he’s worked before, criminal record, education. I want everything you can find on him. If he changed a lock whats to say he didn’t keep a key, Jace’s place wasn’t broken into when they took him, they let themselves in." Lance gathered the pictures back together and dropped them in his briefcase. He shook hands with the craggy man and left.
* * *
Ryan ripped through his brothers bedroom tipping out drawers and gutting cupboards till he found the black leather bound year book. He turned page after page scrutinising the small rectangular photos of students passed. He stopped stunned as he spotted the smiling face and read the name beneath it Joshua Scott Chasez, four pictures below it was Garrett, so it had been personal, the money wasn’t as important to his brother as getting revenge for some real or imagined insult or mis-deed on JC’s part. He pushed everything back to where he had got it from and went back to his room. He picked up his binoculars and went out to his truck.