The Night Gods II- Chapter XIV: The Weakest Link Part 1

Artwork by @marty-art on Steemit... With many thanks!

[After the darkness of the last chapter, I thought we could all (me certainly) use something a bit lighter- enjoy]

Life was beginning to return to normal a little bit, thanks to the presence of Bret and Lena's new neighbors. Lena had gone back to work to the Senator at Dicks request and Bret had taken an anchor position at a smaller cable news operation- it not only provided him with some extra income, it gave him access to information and the freedom he had once enjoyed at his former position. Their relationship had blossomed as well, there had even been talk of marriage.

During an afternoon BBQ at Dick's the "Crew" as they had come to call themselves, it was time to bring the Senator in on the plan. If anything positive was ever to come from the investigation they would need some political muscle... and there was nobody better for the job than Senator Ashby, he was honest and had a sterling reputation. If they were going to make anything against Denning stick, the source must be unimpeachable... Ashby was the man. A day or two after the BBQ, the calls to Lena's cell began again... Bret called Dick.

"Bring me the phone," Dick told them. It was almost 11 PM but they got up and headed to Dick's. "Did they leave a message?" He asked when they arrived.

"They always do," Lena replied, clearly shaken. "Always threatening, always graphic."

"Well," Dick said with a smile. "I think it's time to turn the tables on our caller friend... You don't answer, do you?"

"No, never," the frightened girl replied. "As soon as I see 'Blocked Call' on the caller ID, I don't answer."

"Good, that's what I was hoping for." Dick held out his hand. "I think you can stop worrying about the calls now... You just leave it to me," he said reassuringly.

"What are you up to?" Bret asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Come with me," said Dick leading the way to the stairs. When they arrived at the makeshift office he plugged the phone into a cord that led to a series of boxes. See this little baby? It will unblock your mystery caller."

"You mean you can trace the call?" Bret asked.

"Better than that my friend... State of the art," Dick said proudly. "As good as the NSA, maybe better. It won't only tell us where the call originated, but who made it."

"Wow," Lena said clearly impressed.

"Your troubles are almost over," Dick told the anxious couple.

"What will you do?" Bret asked.

"Have a beer," Dick laughed. "Let's go downstairs and give your friend some time to call back. how frequent are the calls Lena?"

"He'll call two or three times within an hour or so, then stop," she replied.

"Good, David will be up here and hear the phone if he calls, or we can check it in a bit. I'm ready for a beer." Dick rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"So when's the big day?" Ann asked bringing a round of beers into the living room.

"How did you..." Bret looked at ASnn in surprise. "have you been..."

"It's written all over your faces. It doesn't take James Bond to figure it out," she laughed.

"Oh," Bret's face flushed with relief. "For a minute there..."

Their wait was shorter than anticipated. They had barely begun their beers when David was at the top of the stairs shouting down: "Hey guys... you need to come see this."

They all raced up the stairs. On Lena's phone was a typical message... It was the source of the call that brought the surprise... it had originated from the desk of one Detective James Walsh- DCMP.

Dick threw back his head and laughed heartily: "The idiot used his office phone. Talk about hubris! I guess pride does indeed come before a fall."

"What now?" Bret wondered aloud.

"Let's have a little fun," Dick said with a smile. "We're going to call him back and fuck with the detective a little bit."

"Do you think that's wise?" her eyes belied the fear she was feeling.

"Don't worry. He can't trace it back to here- watch." Dick unplugged the cell phone and chose the speaker option so all could hear. Then he plugged it into another cord. "Where shall we call from?" He asked. "make it someplace not too far."

"What the hell are you doing?" Bret asked in bewilderment. "Don't the cops have caller ID?"

"Exactly," Dick told the confused journalist. "This little gadget will pick a random number in any area code we choose. That's why I said to make it not too far away. If it comes from Texas, he'll know something's up. Although, we can program it to make it look like she's running away... But that's no fun. Let's fuck with him."

"Dick rang the number for Walsh's desk and when the detective answered, he played back the message.

"What the fuck is this?" Walsh shouted into the phone.

"This is a warning," Daic said into a voice masking device, "if you bother this lady again, this will be on the news. You're more fucked than you can possibly imagine."

"Oh yeah, you fucking shithell," Walsh spat back. "I've got your number right here... Mrs Watanabe..." Walsh's voice trailed off in confusion.

Dick was practically rolling on the floor laughing uncontrollably. "Mrs. Watanabe... Ha ha ha! See what I mean, this thing is great."

"How does it work?" Lena asked.

"Look at this box over here," Dick pointed to a black box on the console. "I program an area code in and the box does the rest... it's random digit dialing like telemarketers use only this is set for outgoing calls, see?" On the box was a small screen that read: Mrs. Yuki Watanabe 2147 Newlon Dr. Wheaton MD.

"But what id Walsh goes after her?" Bret asked concerned.

"He won't," Dick smiled. "Watch." He programmed a Virginia area code into the contraption and let it dial. Walsh's phone rang again.

"Detective Walsh," came the voice.

"Hello sweetie," Dick said into the voice masker. He played the message again... Walsh's caller ID read: Luis Ramirez and showed an address in Richmond VA.

"What the fuck is this?" Walsh shouted into the phone.

"Have a nice day," Dick said into the device and hung up.

"Do you think he'll come after Lena now?" Bret asked his concern showing in his voice.

"I doubt he's that stupid," Dick replied. "He knows we're onto him. My guess is he'll report this to whoever is pulling his strings and they'll tell him to back off. Hey, what to do it again?"

As tempting as it was, The Crew decided not to press their luck. After another celebratory beer, Bret and Lena excused themselves and agreed to meet the next evening to compare notes. Lena was to speak to the Senator in the morning and let him in on the plan... a little at a time.

GIF by @papa-pepper

V V.jpg