Two days rolled by slowly as Victoria waited for her body to recover. Malcolm was out getting groceries for dinner, and taking
care of some other details he refused to share, while leaving Victoria to her own devices. She used the time to track down leads over a secured internet connection. Hacking the Argentinean Federal Database was easier than she thought it would be, but was so far yielding nothing in return.
While waiting for their facial recognition to find some kind of trace of Elizabeth, Victoria found herself staring out the window or looking around the condo. It was more luxurious than she first thought it would be, filled with stunning paintings and expensive, vintage furniture. Malcolm always seemed to surround himself with antiquities and objects that were reminiscent of a bygone era.
She sat at a table by the window, overlooking the city. Goliath was cozily curled up at her feet, and it was far more comfortable than a smelly hospital room filled with people that wanted to constantly poke and prod at her. She hated hospitals and needles with a vengeance, though she was thankful that they had saved her life.
Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, she returned her gaze to the laptop in front of her. She was thankful that Malcolm kept spare cash in the condo for emergencies and she was able to purchase a powerful new laptop.
It was the most expensive piece of machinery she had ever purchased and she was a little blown away by how fast everything went compared to her normal computer. However, all the computing power in the world didn’t help with her search.
She had tried everything to find a name to attach to Elizabeth’s face. Driver’s license, passport, and other various personal documents, but it was as if the woman was a complete ghost. Being with a billionaire had its perks, but trying to find one was a task she was quickly growing to despise.
If one way doesn’t work, attack the story from a different angle. She recalled the wisdom of her journalism professor, Mr. White. She let that phrase run in her mind over and over again while she tried to look at the bigger picture. A person doesn’t just disappear because they have money. It’s not some special shield that prevents everything from working. People are the reason someone is hidden. She needed to find the people.
She stopped her search through facial recognition and began to search the federal database for a different kind of information. Victoria was going to find out who was the most corrupt and have a nice little chat with them.
The entries in Internal Affairs for Argentina Federal Police were classified, but she found that their security was woefully unprepared for her skills. It made her thankful that she was finally of some use and not screwing around with a forest fire.
A name popped on her list: Martin Gonzales, a local sub-commissioner. He was suspected to be taking bribes from local cartels, involved with drug and human trafficking along with a dozen other capital offenses. Nothing was ever able to be proven and the man was under covert investigation.
Victoria allowed herself a small smile. “You’re quite the catch,” she said as she looked over his records.
She stood up from her chair and Goliath growled softly at the sudden loss of her warmth. Ignoring the clingy cat, she went into the bedroom she shared with Malcolm to retrieve his stash of money. There was twenty-five thousand dollars in cash under the mattress. She bit her lip at the sight of the money, debating if she should take it. He’ll do anything for Claire and it’s my best lead, she rationalized and put the bound money into her purse.
She moved quickly despite the pain in her leg, eager to get out of the condo before Malcolm returned and tried to talk her out of going. Her eyes searched for the most professional outfit she could find. Thankfully Malcolm had replaced her clothes. After a moment of looking, she picked out a black skirt suit and button up shirt, along with a lacy bra and panties. She figured showing a little skin to the sub-commissioner, along with the money, would help smooth things over.
The main problem she ran into was her hair and makeup. There was no way she could show up to bribe a high ranking officer looking like death. She couldn’t even believe she had allowed Malcolm to see her like this. She went into the bathroom and applied a quick coating of makeup. She also pulled her messy hair back into a tight ponytail, brushing her bangs over her forehead. Satisfied with the way she looked after getting ready in a hurry, Victoria gathered her things and left abruptly.
Goliath had another idea as he tried to squirm his way out of the door.
“No!” she exclaimed, pushing him back in with her heel. “Stay.” She managed to push his head in the door enough to close it and quickly made her way out of the condo.
Walking took more out of her than she realized, but she pushed on anyway. She took the elevator down to the lobby and briskly walked out into the street. The fresh air felt nice in her lungs and she allowed herself a moment to breathe it in.
After the moment passed, Victoria hailed a cab. It took only a minute for her to get noticed before a driver pulled up. She stepped in with a pleasant smile and told him that her destination was the precinct. Thankfully, this cab driver knew the value of getting to a place quickly and arrived in less than ten minutes. She paid and tipped the driver generously as she exited and took a deep, steadying breath.
She was going to attempt something a little reckless.
There was a hustle and bustle in the precinct that reminded Victoria of home. Being inside and watching the officers do their jobs brought up memories of working stories alongside the cops. It almost pained her to know that there was an insane amount of corruption behind these walls. She vowed that once this story was done, she was going to try and do something about this.
Pushing thoughts of the future behind her, she made her way to the front desk. The young woman behind the desk peeked up from her paperwork and flashed Victoria a pleasant smile.
“Hello,” Victoria said kindly. “I need to speak with Sub-commissioner
Gonzales.”
The woman frowned slightly. “Sorry-my English… not good very.”
Victoria nodded her understanding and repeated her request in choppy Spanish. The woman’s lips turned into a tight, unfriendly scowl.
“Por que?” she asked in an irritated tone.
Struggling over her words, Victoria tried to speak what she hoped would roughly translate to: “It’s in regards to his AFIP audit. He’ll understand once you tell him.” Victoria smiled sweetly. It was strange lying in another language, and she fought her tongue to respond the way it needed to form the words.
The woman said something that Victoria believed to mean, “You don’t look like an auditor.”
Victoria put on a stern look and set her jaw. She spoke her next words slowly, “Young lady, what I look like is none of your concern.” Victoria narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on the desk. “You tell SubCommissioner Gonzales that an AFIP official is here to talk about his disconcerting spending habits in five minutes or the next time I come back here, it won’t be for a pleasant chat. Am I understood?”
The woman’s tan skin paled considerably and she nodded quickly. She stood up and swiftly went into the back to fetch the sub-commissioner. He arrived a few moments later with a concerned look on his face. He was shorter than Victoria in her heels, stocky, and had a greying beard lining his mouth and jaw.
“What is this about an audit?” he asked as soon as his eyes gazed upon Victoria.
“Is there somewhere private we can speak, sub-commissioner?” she asked, unfazed by the harshness in his tone. The more she spoke in Spanish, the easier the language came back to her. She was more than used to dealing with men who thought they could get their way, and her old fire was also returning.
“In my office,” he replied. He turned on his heel and motioned for her to follow.
She did so quietly, her eyes glancing around to take in the background of the building. She stepped into a room with glass windows covered by shades. He closed the door and went around shutting all the blinds so that none could see what happened inside.
“Do you speak English?” Victoria asked once she was sure they were alone.
“I do,” he responded in a thick accent. “So what does the great AFIP want with me now?” he asked, showing his familiarity with the organization.
“Nothing, and if you’re smart, they may want nothing to do with you in the future,” Victoria said, gambling a little.
Martin raised a brow and crossed his arms across his chest. “I’m not sure I understand.”
Victoria’s lips pulled into a tight smile and she took a small step toward the officer. “I’m saying that I have an offer for you and if you help me, I may be able to help you.”
His eyes narrowed, and his voice became agitated. “I don’t know what you are talking about. Get out of my office.”
“Are you sure you want to do that? You’ve been a very naughty boy, Sub-Commissioner Gonzales. You’re in all kinds of trouble,” she said in a honeyed voice. “The kind of trouble that lands you in jail-or worse.”
His face blanched slightly and sweat formed on his brow. Victoria smiled again, knowing that he was on her hook.
“I’m not in any trouble,” he defended weakly.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly, Martin. We both know you like buying expensive jewelry for your mistress. Even being a subcommissioner is meager pay. I only want to help you, but first you need to help me.”
He seemed to ponder her words for a moment. “What do you want?”
Victoria walked over to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, bending slightly so that he could gaze down her shirt. “I need you to find someone for me, Martin. That’s all.”
He gulped. His eyes transfixed on Victoria’s bra-encased breasts. “Who?”
“This woman,” she said, pulling a photograph from her purse. It was Elizabeth on the day she had arrived in the country. “All I need is a name and address.”
He took the picture from her hands and looked at it closely. “I’ll see what I can do, senorita, but I don’t do this kind of work for free.”
Victoria nodded and reached into her purse, pulling out the twenty-five thousand. “Half now, half later,” she informed him. “You only have twelve hours before my offer of extra help expires.”
He eagerly took the money and placed the stacked bills into his desk. “Deal. How do I contact you once I’ve located this woman?”
She smiled and picked up a pen and paper off his desk. She wrote her number down and tucked it into his suit pocket. “Day or night, Martin,” she said in a sultry voice.
“Perhaps I can call you after for something other than business,” he suggested with lustful eyes.
She coyly shrugged. “Maybe. It depends on how good of a boy you are.” She turned on her heels and left him speechless. It was fun, toying with the man. She sometimes got so lost in the roles she played, like she had that night at the club. It almost made her wonder if this entire thing with Malcolm was just some role she was playing.
The thought was shaken off as she made her way out of the building and went back to the condo. Malcolm would be there and likely furious. She giggled, thinking that she could play with him a little, too.