Chapter 33: A SHOCKING SIGHT

I looked at the two files I had been given. The first was for a man named Sandy Fink, what an unfortunate name. I couldn't help but laugh when I looked at his name or his face. He had a long, hooked nose, thick bushy eyebrows, and hair that was thinning and a graying muddy brown. He was apparently an icecream truck driver, which along with the charges he had racked up I could guess he had an obsession with kids. According to the file, ones that were between the ages of eight and thirteen.

The second file was much less interesting, or sickening would be the right word for it. The second guy I was after was named Bradley Larkin, a computer analyst that had been arrested for a DUI and hadn't shown up at his hearing. Most likely he had let it slip his mind, I could tell from his file that he was a hardworking man, his details were very thorough. He would probably be very easy to catch, just like Ronnie had said.

I figured it was worth a shot to try and find the guy at his office. If he was the type I thought he was then he was going to be there for at least seventy-five percent of his time. I went straight to his office which was in one of those massive multi-function buildings that housed several different businesses. A little research told me that his company, Boston Digital Securities Management, was located on floors thirteen through fifteen.

After stopping by the desk and showing my badge to the receptionist I went straight up to the fourteenth floor, which was where I was told he should be. There were so many people moving around in the lobby and crowded into the elevator that it was making my nose feel stuffed up. That happened sometimes when there were too many scents overwhelming my senses.

The people on the elevator car slowly started to file out but there were still at least six people in there with me when it was finally heading to the fourteenth floor. I didn't know which people it was, but some of them had a slight scent that matched Kyle's. I could smell the mint and the stream, hmm isn't that an odd coincidence?

When I got off the elevator I saw a lot of desks in scattered groupings. Some of the desks were separated in cubicle style but most of them were not. For the most part, though, it just looked like any typical office setting you would walk into.

I knew the man I was looking for was going to be up here so I went to the first grouping of four desks that was closest to the elevators, and apparently near the coffee and water cooler which really did have employees standing around and gossiping.

I didn't want to ruin this guy's life by turning him into office gossip so I didn't want those employees to know why I was here. Chances were he was a decent guy that made a bad decision. He was a first time drunk driver with no priors, maybe getting arrested by a bounty hunter would scare him permanently sober, I know I was never touching that foul stuff ever again.

"Excuse me?" I spoke to the woman whose desk was facing me when I got closer to the grouping. "Do you know where I can find Bradley Larkin?"

"Brad? Yeah, why is he in trouble?" She looked worried for a moment.

"No, I have something for him."

"I can pass it along for you." I saw a smirk on her face and a glint in her eyes, she was a gossip type as well.

"I'm sorry, it's confidential. I'm sure you can understand."

"Oh, yeah, sure." She shrugged and looked a little deflated. "He's back there, across from the meeting rooms." She pointed to the back of the floor and a wall of glass that clearly separated the place.

"Thank you." I nodded to her and started in the direction that she had pointed.

The closer I got to the meeting rooms the more uneasy I felt. I could still smell those people from the elevator, the mint and the stream. Or I thought it was them anyway. He couldn't possibly be here right now, that would just be crazy. Right?

I was looking at the name plates on the desks as I went, trying to find the man I was after. I found him, in the desk closest to the glass wall. He was working diligently, dark circles under his eyes that proved he had been sleep deprived and probably working hard for days on end.

"Bradley?" I called out to him when I was in front of him, he had been so absorbed into his work that he hadn't noticed that I was there.

"Huh? Oh, hi, how can I help you?" He smiled sweetly, he really looked like a good guy, albeit kind of clueless at times. His dark brown hair and matching dark brown eyes were enough to make him look like an innocent little animal.

"Mind if I sit down, I need to talk to you?" That seemed to surprise him.

"Me?" He was confused. "What for?"

"I don't want the others to hear this, so let's talk quietly."

I sat in the chair that was right in front of his desk and leaned forward, putting my arms on the desk.

"Bradley Larkin, that's your name right?" I wanted to make sure I wasn't mistaken somehow, even though I had seen his picture before.

"Yeah, that's me, is something wrong? Are you a detective of some sort? Is my wife OK?"

"She's fine. I am here for you." I kept my voice soft and low to keep it from travelling across the large room. "Do you remember your DUI you had two months ago?"

"Don't remind me, I haven't let myself drink since. I usually called a cab after those work parties but I was an idiot and didn't want to leave my car downtown."

"I can understand that, but you had a court hearing last week about it."

"No I didn't, it's next week." He looked so sure of that fact that I hated to burst his bubble.

"No, I'm afraid it was last week." His face crumpled as if I had just told him his puppy died, I hated coming after genuinely good people that just make stupid mistakes.

"I was certain it was next week, that's why I've been working so hard, I was trying to make sure that I didn't leave anything unfinished."

"It's easy to get things like this mixed up. But unfortunately your bail has been revoked."

"Wait, are you a bounty hunter? Is there a bounty out for me?" His voice was getting a little louder as he started to panic.

"Shhh. Calm down Brad." I did my best to settle his nerves. "You're a first offender and you can prove that you've been working every day so the judge will most likely go easy on you. But yes, I am a bounty hunter, and I don't want you to become the source of gossip and ridicule around here. That's why I want this to be peaceful."

"I-I would never resist." He looked even more terrified right now.

"I know that. So let's come up with a reason why you need to leave. Do you have a sick relative that anyone knows about? Or someone who could have been in an accident? We can say your mother was hurt and I came to get you."

"Yeah, OK, whatever you say. My mom lives over a couple hours away so she's not too local."

"That will work. Is there a boss you need to go and inform before I take you out of here?"

"He's in a meeting, but I will let him know anyway."

"OK." I nodded in agreement with him. "Where is he? I really shouldn't lose sight of you right now."

"He's in there." He pointed to the room behind me. "If he wasn't in a meeting right now he would be in his office on the next floor up."

I followed the direction that Brad's hand was pointing and looked into the room behind me.

"He's the big boss then?" I asked as I looked at the largest chair at the head of the table. The place where everyone in the room was looking and where the most important man in the room was sitting like a king.

When I saw who was in that chair I spun around and instantly felt like my heart was about to jump right out of my throat.

"Um, Brad, what's your boss's name?" I already knew but I had to ask.

"Mr. Donovan, do you need to talk to him?" Brad looked and acted like a lost little kid right now.

"Nope, I don't." I was shaking my head feverently. "I will wait for you by the elevators, don't make me come looking for you." I spoke in a firm voice as I told him these words.

"No, of course not."

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait at the elevators for long, but I swear I had seen Kyle Donovan turn to look right at me, and was that the hint of a smile I saw on his face? Still, Brad came out soon enough and went with me peacefully to the police station. I asked that they expedite things since it was so early. I even stuck around to give the judge a good word for the man. It pays to have friends in the right places. Bradley ended up only having to pay his fines and got a six month probationary period. He was home before dinner.

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