Alpha Squad: Boot Camp

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter ThirteenAs hard as Adam had tried to stay focused, he couldn't stay away from the police station. So that was where he waited now, uncertain about what was next.

Dawn had come and gone, and the town was starting to wake up from its early morning slumber.

But Adam had no interest in the passersby, or the shops that were starting to open their shutters. His eyes were fixed on the station.

Felicity was in there, and she was counting on him to free her.

That he had handed the files of the murder investigation over to Eric was only a small consolation. Actually, he felt like he had just passed the buck and wasn't pulling his weight anymore, which totally hadn't been his intention.

But no matter how he felt, he knew it didn't matter. Nothing did, except Felicity's wellbeing and freedom. That was why he was here; staking out the police station in a last ditch attempt to be useful in getting her out.

He didn't even know what he was waiting for exactly. Was he planning on sneaking in and trying to see her? That would be stupid and reckless and possibly get both of them into even more trouble. No, he was just… waiting.

A familiar figure appeared at the main door of the station. The horrible detective. He rummaged around in his pocket and retrieved a packet of cigarettes, lighting one and taking a deep drag.

Adam's eyes narrowed. It would be too easy to overpower the man and fight his way inside to rescue Felicity. How many cops would even be here at this hour?

But Adam resisted and instead continued to observe the detective as he smoked. When his cigarette was almost finished, he twitched subtly, as though something had startled him. Had he noticed Adam staring at him from across the road?

The man threw his cigarette down and put it out with the heel of his shoe, then he reached for something else in his pocket: a phone.

It was already ringing; the sound of it echoed against the surrounding buildings now as it grew louder and louder.

Adam held his breath and listened carefully.

"Yeah, this is Nye. No problem. I can be there in ten minutes."

The detective hung up and checked the street as though he was conscious of being watched. When he had seemingly satisfied himself that he was on his own, he started to walk resolutely toward the small parking lot located next to the police station, and got into one of the cars.

Adam was certain that this phone call and the meeting discussed within were significant somehow. If it was all just routine, surely the detective wouldn't acted so suspiciously on the way to his vehicle.

So now it was just a matter of continuing to follow him without being seen… Adam swiftly moved across the street and got into Felicity's car, waiting patiently until the detective had pulled out of the parking and progressed some distance up the road, before turning on the engine himself and joining the traffic.

There were few cars on the road, although the traffic did get busier as they passed through the main market area of Sevenoaks.

Adam took care not to attract attention to himself, and even allowed multiple vehicles to join ahead of him to give some distance between his car and the detective's. So far, all seemed normal. The detective was driving along calmly, as though he was unaware of Adam's presence.

Once they got to the outskirts of town, things became more difficult. The traffic thinned out, forcing Adam to fall back further. Unfortunately, that meant he was unable to react quickly to any change in direction. A couple of turns through twisty narrow country roads, and the detective's car was nowhere to be seen.

Adam pulled over and punched the steering in frustration. This had been his chance, and he'd blown it by letting the detective get away.

He took a deep breath and forced his anger back down. This wasn't the time to lose control. He still had work to do.

Just as he turned on his indicator, preparing to head back into town, a pair of large black SUVs passed him by. He only saw inside for a split second, but immediately recognized one of the occupants who was looking out the rear window.

Victor Domnall. Leader of the militant anti-shifter organization the Sons of Domnall, which was responsible for numerous shifter deaths and disappearances for multiple decades, even before mainstream society had found out about their kind.

What was the arch nemesis of all shifterkind himself doing here, driving along an empty country road only moments after Detective Nye had passed by in the same direction?

Adam wasn't sure what this meant, only that it couldn’t be a coincidence.

He acted quickly and gave chase. No way would he let these people get away as well.

He followed the two-car procession through the twisty section of road up ahead, until they pulled into an overgrown path off to the left. Adam continued on straight and pulled up on the soft berm next to the road just out of view, beyond the next turn. He'd have to go the rest of the way on foot.

Adam did his best not to make too much noise as he cut through the overgrown field that separated him from the property where Victor Domnall's vehicle had turned off. A shifter would have heard him coming, but a bunch of humans? Not a chance.

Finally, he reached a chain link fence. On the other side, he could see the two black SUVs, as well as Detective Nye's car.

The men stood in a cluster in the center between the three vehicles. Adam listened as best he could, but they were just a bit too far away, and the rustle of the leaves overhead covered a lot of their conversation.

Still, this was significant. Adam found his phone in his pocket and took numerous pictures of the gathering in front of him, zooming in to the men's faces as best he could and finally taking a video of it as well.

Who knew, this could be important evidence. He would hand it over to Eric as soon as they got out of here.

One of the men who had accompanied Victor Domnall stepped away and reached for something in the backseat of one of the SUVs. Adam held his breath. Was the meeting going bad?

But it wasn't a weapon which the man had retrieved, it was a medium sized brown envelope.

Adam kept the phone as steady as possible while continuing to videotape the exchange.

What was it? A pay off? And what exactly had the detective done to earn it?

The detective and Victor Domnall shook hands, then each returned to their respective vehicles. Adam put the phone away and darted back across the field to where he had parked Felicity's car.

This wasn't over yet. He had to figure out what was in the brown packet Domnall had given to the detective. Whatever it was, perhaps it would blow this case wide open and set Felicity free.

Adam pulled out onto the road, stopping just short of a turn that would shield him from view, and rolled down his window. He waited there just for a moment until he heard the other vehicles drive away. He crept up around the turn and could just about make out the rear of Detective Nye's car. Now or never.

The drive back into town was easier; at least Adam had a fairly good idea of the direction they were headed in, so he didn't have to follow too closely.

Right until the detective took an unexpected right turn.

Adam gripped the steering wheel tighter and waited feverishly for an opening in the traffic.

Where the hell was he going? This wasn't the way to the police station!

Finally, Adam could make the turn as well. It led into a residential area which looked kind of familiar.

Detective Nye's car was nowhere to be seen.

Adam kept going until he hit a T-junction. No sign of his prey to the left or the right.

Someone pulled up behind him and honked their horn, forcing him to move quickly, so he randomly decided to turn left.

As he continued through the narrow road, lined with apartment buildings on one side and family homes on the other, it dawned on Adam where they were.

Felicity lived just around the corner.

Could it be?

Adam pulled into the nearest parking spot and got out of the car, cutting through a children's playground and a small park on the way to Felicity's house.

Detective Nye was already there.

Adam positioned himself behind some shrubbery across the street and watched as the detective fumbled with the lock of the front door.

Adam pulled out his phone again and recorded the man's every move. It didn't take Nye long to pick the lock and break in.

Detective Nye checked over his shoulder once before entering Felicity's home, the suspicious brown packet he'd received from Victor Domnall in hand.

Adam got out of hiding and sprinted across the road and checked the windows facing the pavement. The kitchenette window allowed for the best possible view inside; luckily, the curtains weren't drawn.

From here, Adam could see Detective Nye pull something out of the envelope; unfortunately, the latter had his back turned so the exact item was out of view.

He then rummaged around in a chest of drawers in the living room and stuffed the envelope's contents deep inside.

That was Adam's cue to move yet again. He ran around the side of the apartment block and concealed himself in a stairwell until he heard the detective shut the door of Felicity's flat behind him and start his car. Adam breathed a sigh of relief when he was on his own again. At least he thought he was.

Upon turning around, he found a pair of light blue eyes looking up at him in awe.

"Well hello there, little man," Adam stammered. Usually, he was much better with kids, but not now, when he was so clearly caught in the act of spying on someone.

The boy, who didn't look older than five or six, blinked a few times and continued to hold on tightly to the football in his little hands.

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers," he said.

"That's good. You shouldn't." Adam attempted to smile.

"My mommy says they took Felicity away. The police did. She says Felicity has done a very bad thing," the boy said.

"You know Felicity?" Adam asked.

He nodded. "She's nice. I hope they let her go."

Adam nodded. "Yeah. Me too. Well, she's asked me to pick up something from her flat. So I'd better not make her wait."

The boy nodded gravely. "My mommy hates it when I make her wait."

"You be good now, okay?" Adam said.

"Tell Felicity I don't believe she did anything bad," the boy called after him.

Well, at least they had someone else on their side, even if it was just a little boy from her neighborhood. Adam approached Felicity's place and was about to check that nobody was watching when he remembered the keys in his pocket. He'd picked them up on the way out after she was taken. To hell with everyone; he wasn't breaking in! He was here with her permission.

It didn't take Adam long to find the mysterious items the detective had stashed in Felicity's living room. But what he found was so damning, it very nearly took his breath away.

He took a few pictures of the entire drawer, and close-ups of the evidence itself. Then he made a phone call.

"Eric, I have evidence of Detective Nye framing Felicity for the murders. I'm going to send you the address. Hurry. Bring the team." Adam didn't wait for any acknowledgment, just cut the call.

From a straight up surveillance mission, this had escalated into something much bigger. By sheer luck, Adam had achieved a breakthrough in the case.

The worst was almost over.