The Heiress Bride

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Final Deception

A/N: Hello. I know you’re probably sick and tired of my excuses for my stupid updating schedule, so I’m just going to say I’m sorry. And I’m just going to post the rest of the story now. Oh, and I just remembered I created a Tumblr for this story's characters. I know...I'm a loser :P But if any of you are interested, here's the link: http://theheiressbride.tumblr.com/ It's not too exciting, but yeah. Have fun with that ♥

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Final Deception

Ryan Carter. That was the man’s name. I looked down at the business card he started to hand out to each of the four of us. On the left hand side of the card, there was a small picture of a magnifying glass with an eye in the middle of it. On the other side of the card, there was a small seal that ensured he was a licensed detective. Smack dab in the middle of the two things, his name was printed boldly in italics.

Looking up from the business card, my gaze was met with the detective’s old, expressionless eyes. Wrinkles creased the skin around his eyes, and his silver hair showed us he had years of experience. “Thanks for coming.” I told him sincerely. He was our last hope to solve this whole fiasco with Evander.

“It’s really no problem,” he answered mechanically, without emotion. To him, everything was a job. Through years of working with the CIA and detective, he was conditioned to never reveal anything personal about himself. The only reason why he’s helping us is because we paid him a fat sum of money we managed to collect.

“So…” Karter eyed the man wearily. “What’s next? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to start with the basics,” Ryan began to explain his strategy to us. “Contrary to popular belief, I am not allowed to do anything more than a mere citizen like you guys.”

His gaze met each of ours, and I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh of disappointment. I expected him to be able to sleuth through confidential files and make dramatic arrests. Needless to say, I already doubted our decision to hire a private investigator.

“But I do have more knowledge than an average person on how to use my resources. There are ways of obtaining information legally, but it is really tricky sometimes so we’ll just have to find ways around that.” Blake nodded at what Ryan was saying, hanging on to every word that came out of his mouth. He was clearly impressed by the old man standing before him. “I usually start out with phone records. Although it is nearly impossible to see someone’s records without permission, it is okay if we use connections and contacts. From there, it depends on what I find before I decide what to do next.”

I voiced my approval of his methods. It was simple, concise, and we had nothing to lose. “Okay. So when will you start looking into things?”

“Probably right after we finish this little talk,” he answered professionally. “It’s best if we start quickly and finish quickly.”

I smiled at his efficiency. Although I do appreciate his work ethic, I felt a little sorry for him. Does he ever let loose a little? Does he have a wife? I shook these thoughts from my head as Ryan began to close his briefcase that lay on the table next to him.