Rue: Web of Deceit - Part 46

Civil action

After a night full of ups and downs in bringing down the disparate elements of the Hightower trafficking ring, Blue and Rue finally discover the name behind the moniker and prepare to take the fight to him.

"So, what's the plan with Nichols?" Rue asks as the van containing them and Blue briskly coasts back towards Bathala Heights.   "Think I might just do it the old fashioned way; knock on his front door and ask," Alec says, his demeanour entirely more relaxed than it had been on the drive earlier, "He's a businessman and it wouldn't do to have his good name smeared by getting embroiled in a police investigation. If I play my cards right, he might just tell me what I want to know just to get me off his lawn."   “And what, he just gets to carry on with his life?” Rue asks, their expression darkening, “He’s involved, surely he should pay for his part in it?”   "He wasn't in the VIP area," Alec says, "I'm not convinced that he's in on this. But he's a man with connections, if anyone will know who Mister Hightower is, it'll be him." Noting the lack of dissatisfaction on his companion's face, he continues, "I'll keep an eye on him over the next few weeks... see if he's in some way embroiled in all of this. If so, I'll take him down."   Rue purses their lips in thought, the frown on their face showing that they’re not entirely convinced, but they relent after a beat, “Okay. Fine… As long as you promise to keep an eye on him.”   "I promise." He says with a smile as the two continue their journey into the night. It doesn't take too long to make their way over to the outer suburbs district and to the southernmost part where some of the larger and more grandiose houses in the city lay their foundations. Rue soon feels a familiar discomfort in the pit of their stomach as they see the mansion of Eli Manchen, front facade covered in plastic sheets since Rachel tore it open a few weeks prior .   Continuing onwards, Alec eventually pulls up a short walk down from a large estate house bearing the name Nichols, "Alright, here we go. You okay to wait here while I go speak to him?"   ''Sure,'' Rue replies with a shrug, leaning back into their car seat, ''I can keep an eye out from here, just let me know if you need me to handle anything.''   "You got it," he replies as he steps out of the van and into the cold night air, taking his normal human form and making his way up to the front door of the mansion. A quick press of the doorbell button sends a shrill ringing sound throughout the building, a light in the master bedroom flicking on as Alec waits for a response, “Mister Nichols, it’s the police. Open up.”   A few moments later the door indeed does open but, instead of a wealthy industrialist, Alec is brought face-to-face with a boy of about ten or eleven, with bright golden hair and eyes looking up at him with reverence. “Well, hello there, David Junior,” Alec says, raising a brow at the child before shaking off the surprise and smiling down at him, “My name’s Alec and I’m here to talk to your Dad.”   The boy opens his mouth to answer him but is swiftly cut off by the approaching David Senior, “Davey, get away from that door! How many times have I got to tell you not to answer the door to strangers!” The stern bark seems to scare the child away from the situation and he flees into the house, the elder making sure to see him around the corner before standing in the doorway to bar the Detective, “Who the Hell are you to be coming around here at gone midnight. My family is trying to sleep.”   “Detective Alec Upton,” Alec says, retrieving his badge from his pocket and flashing it at the gentleman, “I’m here about the yacht party this past evening.”   “Yacht party?” Mister Nichols echoes, “I don’t know about any yacht party. I was just—”   “Mr Nichols let’s not do this,” Alec interrupts with uncharacteristic curtness, “I have several witnesses from the scene, including your own eldest, who have identified you at the scene. Wanna tell me why you fled the area?”   “That girl will be the death of me,” Nichols mutters, his face dropping as he carefully chooses his next words, “I simply didn’t want to get in the way of rescue and recovery operations.”   “And you didn’t think anyone would wonder where you went?” Alec retorts, “Look, Mister Nichols, I’m going to ask you a simple question and you’d better think hard about it. Who’s Mister Hightower?”   “I have no idea who you’re talking about, Detective,” the man replies, his face going pale at the mention of the name, “I don’t know any—"   “Wrong answer, Nichols,” Alec says, his tone becoming accusatory, “Because, right now, the Bathala City Police Department are combing the bowels of a yacht that was being used to host a child trafficking auction. A yacht I happen to know has your fingerprints all over it. Now, I’m sure the rental was paid in cash, no questions asked, but you’re a well-connected man, David. Well-connected and very public. I’m sure you don’t want your name tied up with a child trafficking investigation, do you?”   The older man swallows hard, suddenly seeming a lot smaller than he had previously, “Give me a real name, Mister Nichols, or come the morning, you’ll have the whole might of the BCPD storming your house with a warrant to tip this place upside down in search of evidence, and I happen to know some of those officers have loose lips and friends in the media. How do you think you’d like that little rumour spreading, hmm?”   “Well played, Detective,” Nichols says with a heavy sigh, “Robins.”   “What was that?” Alec presses, leaning closer to hear the man speak.   “Hightower’s real name is Archer Robins,” he says, looking up to speak more clearly, “He’s a real estate developer who owns many of the buildings in the Administrative district.”   “And where can I find this Archer Robins?” Alec presses, “You got an address?”   “He lives in the penthouse suite of Olympus House,” he continues, “That big apartment building near City Hall.”   “Well done, Mister Nichols,” Alec says, smiling condescendingly at the man, “I’m sure your heroic mother would only be marginally sickened by the man you’ve become. Have a good night.” With that curt response, Alec turns on his heels and makes his way back down the path, walking past the van at first to divert suspicion before returning once he’s sure no-one is watching. He opens the door quickly and slides into the driver’s seat, “I suppose you heard all of that?”   “I’m not sure junior should be hearing the names he’s calling you at the moment,” Rue says, one brow arched in amusement, “So I’m guessing our next stop will be Olympus House?”   "Even if he weren't, I doubt that kid has any chance of turning out normal," Alec says with a shrug as he begins the van for the final leg of their trip, "Oh yeah, this is the big one. About time too, I doubt we've got much night left. You ready?"   ''As ready as I'll ever be.'' Rue confirms. As they approach their destination, they slip the mask back on, pulling their hood up over it. ''Do you think Mr Hightower will be expecting us after the yacht raid?''   "I would bet good money that Nichols called him the minute he was sure I wasn't coming back," Alec says, looking up at the imposing building, "There might be trouble, so I'd understand if you didn't want to be involved any further. You've done far more than I could've asked for tonight."   “If there’s a pool to deal with, I’ll leave that up to you,” Rue jokes, “But I’d love to meet the man who tried to purchase my friend from The Dingo.”   "Alright then," Alec says, nodding in a way that conveys his determination even through his faceless visage, "Let's do this."   To be continued...