The Plan and the Beginning of an End
Dan sat at his modest yet elegant ebon wood desk, in his study at the lake house. He had two desktops and three laptops before him and still his area looked neat and organized. He reviewed editing, answered correspondence, and was doing deep dive research.
With all of this his mind was still on Amber Ann, their growing baby, and the ever looming threat of his sister-in-law, Jessica Lance. It was frustrating him that he could not think of a clear plan to handle Jessica effectively.
One of his laptops notified him of a new email. His eyes darted to it and his back straightened – it was a message from Clarence Dens, his private detective. Dan narrowed his eyes and read the message.
From: Clarence Dens
To: Dan Trace
Subject: Final Status Update – Surveillance: Jessica Lance
Good morning, Mr. Trace.
This email is to provide a critical update on our ongoing surveillance of Ms. Jessica Lance. She continues to engage in heavily encrypted conversations with a contact we believe to be Anthony Shaw. We have successfully tracked the signal origin of these encoding calls and video chats to a specific sector within Central Asia—placing it firmly within the range of Shaw's last known mobile laboratory location.
Sir, if she is still in contact with this individual, our firm strongly recommends that you hire a specialized security detail for both yourself and your wife immediately.
Secondly, working in tandem with Mr. Samuel Lance, we have identified only two chemists on the global market who possess the rare knowledge required to manufacture the substance used to contaminate the tea at your recent event. One is currently tenured at a university in Germany; the second seemingly vanished into the "grey market" five years ago. We have a high degree of confidence that the latter is now operating within Anthony Shaw's dark organization—this fits his historical pattern of acquiring high-level talent.
Sir, we believe we have reached the limit of what a private firm can do for you on this case. Ms. Jessica Lance is no longer actively engaging third-party contractors or local help for her schemes. She is communicating solely through Shaw, and his proprietary tech is currently several tiers above our interception capabilities. However, we have noted she continues to receive significant funds from Christopher Patrick; this remains a viable point of leverage to arrest her behavior.
Other than these financial spikes, she has gone silent. We suggest you allow Mr. Samuel Lance to provide full, state-level security. We will be closing your file with our firm today. Thank you for your trust.
Clarence Dens > Two Minds Private Eye
Dan read the email several times – his mind sinking into an abyss of quandary, worry, and utter disbelief. He had placed the Two Minds Private Eye agency on a pedestal risen to the level of gods, and they failed. It was a moment of devastation for him and it took several minutes to recover.
He told Amber Ann that he had the PI agency on the case and that they would help them suss out a plan to handle their familial issues, and now…
But he did recover, and his stalled mind kick-started back into gear. He reached for his phone and called his brother-in-law. Samuel answered the phone a bit too quickly and Dan had another stall in the flow of his thoughts.
"Dan. What can I do for you this morning?" When Dan failed to answer timely a sense of apprehension rolled through Samuel. He sat forward in his seat and spoke with a sense of urgency. "Dan! Is everything okay?!" He looked to his secure laptop and opened his tracking software. Just as he found the icon for Dan's phone his brother-in-law finally spoke.
As Dan spoke he heard Samuel's sigh of relief. "Good morning Sam. Did you read the email from Dens yet?"
Samuel nodded as he spoke, his heart only just beginning to calm in his chest. He exhaled deeply, his thoughts of his sister in danger drifting from his mind. "I did. Don't worry though, Virginia and I are going to take things up from here. We have access to tech that Two Minds Private Eye only wishes they could access."
"Virginia? Will she be safe? I do not want to risk more of your father's daughters."
Samuel chuckled. "She is actually more skilled in all of this than I am, believe it or not. Actually all three of my sisters are pretty spectacular, it is just that Jessica is so dang evil." Samuel shook his head in disappointment as Dan continued.
"I wanted to talk to you about a plan. Amber is ready for action and I do not want her doing things on her own, especially now." He paused, with a smile, thinking about their baby.
"You're right. I don't want her losing another baby. What do you have in mind? I don't want to see you in danger and this Anthony Shaw is a tricky piece of business."
"I think it is time for Christopher Patrick to take responsibility for his role in things. Gladys has made a sizable investment into two of Trace Progressive's projects and now she and Amber are working on a mental health project together."
Samuel nodded as Dan spoke. He had seen the social media posts about the new mental health clinics in the works and the new online-distant services that they would begin offering even before the first clinic would be complete.
"I saw the CTA on all of your websites. Amber has really taken to this social media influencer role."
Dan smiled. "She has, hasn't she? She truly is a marvel. I know she won't be happy about using her friend to slow Jessica down, but I really feel like we need the time to get to this Shaw."
"I agree, on both counts. You will have to tell your wife though, I am not going to be the bearer of that news."
Dan feigned a sigh. "Maybe Virginia would do it."
As Dan and Samuel finished their conversation Amber, Virginia, and Jessica sat alone in a private room at an exclusive women's club. The décor was lush and full of replicated antiques, and expensive artworks. They sat in a round room with pale sea foam green satin walls. Their table was a massive sculpted pewter base with an etched smoky grey round crystal top. It was ostentatious, exquisite, and a wonderful centerpiece for the sibling battle about to take place.
Jessica smiled, her eyes sliding over her sisters, her hand swirling her glass of exotic fresh juices. She cocked her head toward Virginia as she spoke. "Little sister. Thank you so much for inviting your older sisters out to such an exquisite place." Her voice dropped and dripped with jealousy. "I keep forgetting that you have a membership here. How exactly did you obtain it?"
Virginia smiled slyly as she took a sip of her passion fruit mojito. "I am rather capable elder sister dear. There are many things that I have access to that you could never fathom."
This even piqued Amber's attention and her gaze flicked to Virginia for the briefest of moments before returning to Jessica. "We are here for a specific purpose Jessica."
Jessica scoffed quietly and turned to Amber. "And what purpose is that, sweet little Amber?"
Amber narrowed her eyes. "The end of you ruining other people's lives and the beginning of you finding something real to do with yourself."
Jessica's laughter seemed to ring off of the surface of the crystal table top. It went on for far too long and both Virginia and Amber narrowed their eyes and pursed their lips.
"Amber you are smarter than that. You know that you don't have the resources to truly take me on."
"She doesn't?" Virginia leaned in, her eyes and voice becoming dangerous, her drink swiveling from the tips of her fingers. "I do. And I am ready to use each… and every… one of them." Her smile had gone and her expression became deadly serious.
The three Lance sisters sat, staring at each other. Was it a stalemate or an elaborate calculation?