Back in his apartment, James looked at his blank wall and gauged how much room he would need. At the computer, he uploaded the images he got from his phone, checked the police database for better ones if the quality was too poor, and printed them. Slowly, he copied the layout he found, placing the pictures and making a spider web of red thread over them. Finally, he grabbed Alannah's photo from the CCTV footage and placed it below The Gentleman's, drawing a question mark over it.
Although he couldn't be sure if she was counted as one of the inner members, the familiarity she had with the Gentleman gave him a hunch she was. They were too friendly for her to be a subordinate and too intimate to be mere associates. Grabbing a seat, he pulled out a cigarette and stared at the wall.
His eyes darted over the Gentleman and Alannah before passing over to the Magician. Shaking his head, he looked at the singer and once again passed over her, focusing on the black jogger. Either he couldn't get close to the others, or he didn't know enough to start. He could easily find the singer, but without a start, he brushed over her.
'Arms dealer. Very well connected.' Moving over to his computer once more, he looked into the primary weapons siezers the NPPD had done and tried to find a link between them. It wasn't hard, with most being related to active war zones, where weapons were smuggled out, usually with the support of ex-military. The very few that didn't come through were handled by a major criminal organisation abroad.
'Keeps in good shape, has connections, gun for hire and arms dealer.' The pieces fell in place, and James leaned towards the ex-military. Looking back at the wall and following the locations that the man had previously associated with the jogger, he narrowed it down, recognising them. All were located around the Port District.
Focusing on a few buildings he recognised, James opened a new tab on his computer and searched for who owned them, many of which had been made private. Yet seeing one, he saw a name. 'General Otto Waltz.' Taking a sharp breath, he chuckled in delight. The law across the nation required any public official to disclose their assets. Although there were ways around it, it became a headache if too many loopholes were broken, leaving public officals to have their least important properties left public.
Quickly looking it up to see if any crimes were linked to the property and getting nothing, James' smile widened. 'Well connected and a dark spot in our system. It's falling in place.' Looking at the jogger, he pulled out his phone and called a number.
Waiting a few minutes, he heard a rugged voice on the other side. "Phillip, how have you been?" James politely asked, getting a scoff from the man.
"You don't call unless you need something. What is it?" James didn't delay and sent an email to Phillip with the picture of the jogger.
"Check your email. I think this guy is ex-military with ties to General Otto Waltz. I don't have a name, just a face." Phillip groaned and went silent, only the tapping of his keyboard coming through. Groaning even louder, Phillip spoke.
"More detail."
"Arms dealer. A gun for hire. Connection to The Gentleman and a couple of other people, who they are, I don't know." James tried to think of anything but not wishing to guess, sighed, "That's it. I'm sorry." Phillip's keyboard sounded once again as he bit onto something wooden, crushing it between his teeth.
"I'll get back to you. Give me a day. This will cost you."
"How much?"
"Five thousand." Phillip hung up, leaving James in silence once more. Taking a puff of his cigarette, he looked back at the wall. 'He runs in Judith Park.' Taking another smoke, he called Rose.
Her tired voice spoke on the other side, "It's late. What do you want?"
"Do you want to help me with a case. It's linked to your informant."
"You couldn't wait until tomorrow."
"Yes or no." James waited as Rose sat up and sighed.
"Fine, but we aren't storming a building. It's my day off, and I don't want to get in trouble." James laughed.
"I just want you there as backup. It's strange if I go to the park alone after all." Rose chuckled.
"See you at ten." Hanging up, James finished the cigarette and put it out in the ashtray, before going to the sink, splashing his face with water and going to bed.
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Stepping out, he saw Rose standing under her umbrella, dressed in suit trousers, a white shirt and a blazer, her fiery red hair flowing freely. "You have a strange way to invite me out on a date, James." Smiling, he opened the door to his car for her and got in the driver's seat. "What are we doing?"
"There's a guy who runs through the park. I just want to get a look at him. See if he meets anyone or if it's just routine." Rose nodded and turned on the radio. Hearing the news, she clicked her tongue and switched to a heavy-metal station. James frowned, turned it down, and sped off.
There was an awkward silence as James sighed and stopped at the red light. "I've been asked to do something." James said with a rare hesitation, "Completely off the record."
"Are you sure you want to tell me?" She asked, lazily leaning on the armrest.
"You're not George, you won't tell anyone." James bitterly smiled and drove when the light changed, "I saw Xavier yesterday, and he gave me a choice. Kill someone for him, and he will give me what I want."
Rose sat up and looked at James, unable to believe what she heard. "You can't be serious. Are you actually considering it?" James stayed silent, making her mouth go agape, "You are. James, what the hell is going on with you? Ever since that alleyway, you've been strange. You were always on the line, but now." She scoffed in disbelief, "This isn't a blurred line but a crime."
"I know, but Rose, you have to understand."
"No, I don't." She cut him off, "What is going on? Before you would have spat on anyone who had links to someone like Xavier, and now you're his lapdog and you know it." James bit his lip and wanted to look down in shame, but focused on the road.
"There's something so big at play, something that is threatening the city." Stopping at another red light, he looked her in the eye, "I can't sit still. If I do, it will claw away at me, and when it's too late, I know I will regret everything." He kept the issue with Hopkins silent, knowing he would just get scorn about his one-man crusade against the Saint of Newport.
"James, I know you love this city, but these things, these dots you always connect. Every time, you're only one slip away from falling. I trust your gut; it's been right many times. But you stopped yourself from ever falling. Why is this different? Have you finally gone postal and need to vent?" Rose sincerely said as the car drove off again.
James took a few deep breaths, "I've tried to be clean for a long time, as clean as I can be. You're the same, and look what is happening. Have we actually made a difference?"
"Of course we have. How many have we put away?"
"And how many have been let straight back out because they have someone behind them ready to unlock their cell?" Rose didn't answer, knowing the truth, "This city is filthy, and I don't think this case can be solved staying clean. Look at your informant; they killed him. Now what if, just if, he decided to be like them? Maybe he would have still died, but maybe he could have nipped it in the bud."
"James, we make a difference, you know it. I get your jaded but murder. I mean, why, why does Xavier even want him dead?" James didn't answer, not knowing it. "See, you're ready to execute a person, and you don't even know why."
"I know, and that's why I'm going to look into it first. I'm not lost, Rose, it's just." James looked ahead at the people walking the streets, seeing their happy smiles as they went about their days, "If I can keep this city, the people smiling just a day longer, it's worth it." Turning to Rose, he stared deep into her eyes, "No matter the cost." The sincerity in his voice stunned Rose into silence. She wanted to argue against it, but couldn't.