Jack wasn’t so sure about that, but the woman was happy, so he didn’t mind.“Have a good night, Maya.”
“You too, Michael.”She waved goodbye to him and watched him until he made it back to his house.
He was going to have to be careful around that woman.She was far too observant.If she ratted him out to Andrea tonight, that could spell trouble for him.At least the night hadn’t been a complete waste.
Jack pulled out the note he’d scribbled the number down on.He had some investigating to do.He sat down at his laptop and used the company database to reverse trace the phone number.It was listed under J.Smith.How original.
There was no listed address or any other information.Was it a contact or someone with WITSEC?He still couldn’t figure out why WITSEC was protecting her.She was the criminal, unless she’d made a deal, and they were protecting her in exchange for information.
“East Coast Boutique, how can I help you?”came a monotone feminine voice.
A boutique shop open this late?Jack hung up and looked up the company.There was no picture of the place, but there was an address listed that was in town.He’d scope it out tomorrow to get a lay of the area.It was better to see it in daylight versus nighttime.
Jack called Nick, happy to at least have something to show for his work.
“Yes?”Nick answered, not sounding happy to hear from him.
“I have a lead.”
“What?”He still didn’t sound happy.He probably assumed Jack would say anything to keep his position.
“I found a suitcase packed with clothes and a burner phone.The phone had a number in it.It didn’t have any results in the database, but I called it.”
“And?”Now Nick sounded more excited.
“Someone answered as a clothing store.I looked them up and found an address here in town.I’m going to go check it out.”
“Could it be a contact?One of her buyers.”
“Or WITSEC.”That had to be an option.
“Damn, those bastards keep getting in the way,” Nick snarled.He didn’t like being blindsided like this.He was a man always in the know, and with WITSEC, he was always one step behind.“If only they would tell me why they are protecting her instead of us having to sneak around like this.”
“If it is WITSEC, I can try and break in and see what intel I can get.”
“Check it out and see, otherwise keep a close eye on that woman.If she suspects you are looking into her, she could run, and we’d never find her.”
“Yes, sir.”Jack hung up.He looked back at the address of the company.It wasn’t far from the bar.He would drive by the place and head to the bar afterward to do some undercover field work.
Chapter 25
Jack drove past the boutique and parked two blocks away.If it was a WITSEC building, it would probably have cameras surrounding the building.It probably had facial recognition too.If he was caught, he would be in a world of trouble.
Jack was still in his black outfit but had added a baseball hat.A hoodie would just make him stand out more in ninety degree heat.He pulled the cap low over his face and walked casually down the street.
The boutique came into view.It sat on the corner of the intersection with a small alley between it and the building next door.It had a large glass window facing the street with its name across the glass.It was a two story building with two windows above.
There was hardly any traffic going by.At this time of night on a Friday, people were at bars or clubs.
As he approached the boutique, he slowed to a stop to tie his shoelace.His gaze swept up and down the street looking for cameras.All of the lights to the building were off.Even the floor above was dark.
He straightened and walked past the building, casually looking through the window.He could make out a few mannequins dressed in different styles of outfits.He couldn’t make out more than a few shelves with clothing before he had to move on.
The front door was a simple wooden door with a handle lock and a deadbolt.Simple enough to break in, but would it be triggered on the inside?
Jack turned the corner and walked along the side of the building, catching sight of a camera along the roof line looking down at him.He kept up his casual pace, making sure to be looking ahead, and used his peripheral vision instead of looking around.
There was a driveway behind the building.It looked like it connected to the side alley he’d passed.There was one car parked there.He made a mental note of the license plate and kept walking.
