Louis Marshal
1245 Words
The huge office complex in front of him looked like every other office complex in the city. Many people in suits walked in and out of the building, each focused on the tasks they had been assigned. He shivered a bit; he wasn’t a fan of office life. It was why he wanted to enter the police force in the first place. The disappointment he got was unnatural.
Seeing the no-smoking sign, he crushed the cigarette between his lips with his heel. He smoothened his hair in an attempt to look less scraggly. It didn’t work. He was at least wearing a suit, at the behest of the chief of course. He couldn’t stress how much he hated looking official; prim and proper.
Confidence off the charts, he walked up to the reception. His eyes traced the wall, looking at the various companies located in the building. Apparently, their cover was Administration.
“Good morning ladies” he smiled charmingly. He was dressed better so he quickly caught attention.
“Good morning sir. What can I help you with?”
“I have an appointment with the General manager’s office”
“Oh okay. Let me check”
Mikhail looked around the office again while she checked her laptop. It was quite a luxurious building, even providing a uniform for their front desk staff. They only hired good-looking ones; definitely suspicious.
“Mr. Grisha, correct?”
“Yes”
“I would take you there. Follow me please”
“Okay”
Mikhail thought they would take the main elevator. She turned in a completely different direction, taking him down a deserted hall. A burly man stood in front of a red door with a ‘staff only’ sign. He had black suits, shades, and the wired communicator on him. It seemed so cliche Mikhail almost laughed.
She brought out an identity card from her breast pocket and showed him. He could feel the burly guard giving him a once-over before nodding. The red door opened and it turned out to be a strange type of elevator.
“After you, Mr. Grisha” she sounded amused by his hesitation. Mikhail would have definitely replied with ‘ladies first’ if he wasn’t trying to be professional.
The elevator seemed to be going…...down. Mikhail said nothing, keeping his professional image. The elevator door opened and a long hall with many doors came into sight. She kept leading him down the very end of the hall. From behind the many halls, he could hear they were having a busy day. Was the administration really a front?
“Here. The secretary would attend to you”
“Thank you” He smiled. She flushed a bit and returned to the elevator. His smile disappeared the moment she was out of view. It seemed the receptionists were also in on the business.
Mikhail knocked on the wooden door and opened it. It was like a small reception inside with a side desk, a few conjoined chairs, and a glass door that seemed to lead to more halls. Behind the desk was a bespeckled man. He looked up from what he was doing when Mikhail came in.
“Good morning. How may I help you?”
“I have an appointment with the General Manager. My name is Grisha Mikhail”
“Oh. You’re right on time. Please follow me”
The service was nice and flawless. It didn’t look the least bit shady. It almost looked like he was going to close a clean deal worth millions. What kind of underworld company was this clean?
They walked to a pair of translucent glass doors. Beside it was a couple of desks with people seriously working on them. One of them only paid them attention when the bespectacled man walked to her.
“Please tell the General Manager Mr. Grisha is here”
The secretary only nodded and typed a bit on her laptop. In a few minutes, the translucent glass doors slid open.
“You can go in, Mr. Grisha”
He walked into the office. It was a clean space that screamed official. It made him feel out of place. He was eager to see who owned the place. Louis Marshal, the CEO of The Negotiators. No one had ever seen his face before. A complete mystery with a flawless public record.
This was why Mikhail was surprised when he saw the CEO. At 5’4, she wouldn’t make such an intimidating figure. But coupled with a blank look, impenetrable brown eyes, small round race, slender form wearing a blue suit, she gave off an aura that pressured Mikhail.
So this was why no one had ever seen his face before. He was a she!
“You must be Detective Grisha”
“And I would presume you are CEO Marshal”
“I’ve seen that look of surprise on many before. It doesn’t affect me anymore. Please, have a seat”
He sat in front of her desk. He naturally imagined her seat had a bit of padding with the way they met at eye level. He saw her eye twitch but it must’ve been his imagination.
“The issue with my employee, I wish to get it resolved as soon as possible”
“An issue involving a celebrity can not be resolved as easily. As experts, you should know this. Why don’t you just allow us to question him? You can do away with one employee out of many”
“I cannot allow any of my employees to be charged with a crime. It would ruin my reputation. Besides, this case is strange”
She truly was a professional. Her deflection was good. She avoided the trap in his questions and removed his negotiation. Smooth.
“I recognize that too. We still haven’t identified how she ended up in the river or who would’ve killed her. Your employee was the only one who had contact with her few days before her death”
“He was contracted to deal with a scandal involving her acting in child pornography. We had been paid in advance and one of our best was assigned to the case. He was close to clearing her name before we heard she was dead. Why aren’t you closing the cause of death as suicide?”
“Aren’t you a professional, Miss Marshal? Why are you trying so hard to cover up for one employee? Is he perhaps your lover?”
“I would rather kill him than allow him to be arrested. Please understand”
For such a small woman, she had such big guts saying that to an officer. Her left eye twitched again. He was starting to think he wasn’t seeing things.
“I’ll pay you 2 million dollars to close the case as a suicide. It is the amount we were paid to clear her name. We would also settle the department of course”
“Are you perhaps…..negotiating with me?” He challenged.
“Yes. Isn’t that why you’re here, Detective?” Her gaze was straight and stern. She truly was a professional. His interest in her increased.
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t do, CEO Marshal. I want more profitable terms” he relaxed on the chair, looking like a handsome rogue.
It was the first time that day since entering the building that he felt comfortable. That eye twitch appealed to him even more.
- Writer
