Knowledge is power (PG) - challenge #116 (part 1 of 3)

[redwinter101]

Title: Knowledge is power
Author: redwinter101
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own Moonlight or any of its characters
Note: written for Champagne Challenge #116 - "Between the fire and the fountain". This takes place in 1985, shortly after Coraline's "death" and therefore follows on from Rubicon (but you don't need to have read that story). This is part one of three.

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--- Knowledge is power ---

“My car was stolen. I’d like to hire you to find it.”

The eight by ten glossies floated across the desk, coming to rest trapped under Mick’s fingertips, but his gaze never wavered from the prospective client sitting at ease, but not easy, across from him. He was a referral, apparently, but wouldn’t say from whom. Mid-forties, dark hair peppered with grey, the soft hands of a man who spent his life in an office although there was a weather-beaten look to his face that gave Mick cause to wonder at his profession. His suit was immaculate but conservative, nothing showy or flashy. Wire-rimmed spectacles and well-polished loafers completed a picture of a man making a determined effort to be forgettable.

“So, Mr… Jones, what makes your car so valuable the insurance won’t cover it?” A quick glance at the pictures showed a mid-range, silver BMW. Late model. Nothing ostentatious. A recurring theme. The man, whose name was almost certainly not Jones, smiled. Mick sensed genuine amusement; he knew his story was thin and he knew Mick knew it too; they would play along and see where they ended up.

“There is nothing illegal, or immoral, if that bothers you,” there was the smile again, “or otherwise likely to be of interest to anyone other than me in that car. Let’s just say it has sentimental value.”

It was all Mick could do not to snort. Whoever this guy was, and whatever was in that car, sentiment had nothing to do with it. He could understand emotional attachments to cars, just not this man and not this car.

“That’s not an answer,” he stared over the photos, one eyebrow raised in query. “Usually, this goes better when clients tell me the truth.”

“I prepared an inventory of contents, a full description and a copy of the police report,” Jones placed a folder of documents on the desk. “My contact information is all there, Mr. St. John,” placing a thick envelope on top, “and a fee I believe will cover your retainer.”

His certainty, his evasiveness, his implacability, Mick couldn’t decide which irked him more, “I didn’t say I’d take the case.”

Jones rose, “I know,” and he was gone, the door closed behind him, his soft, steady tread retreating along the corridor.

Mick was certain he was lying. The minute changes in pulse, temperature, a bead of sweat on his tightly-controlled brow, the moment of hesitation before each carefully-constructed answer. But it was a case. A human case. Honest money, if such a thing existed, fee paid upfront and even if it turned out the car in question now resided in various chop shops across the city at least it was a puzzle to unravel. It didn’t always have to be about saving the world.

The information Jones provided was thorough and easily confirmed with the DMV. Licence and registration checked out. Nothing suspicious there. The inventory was a different story. Mick swayed back in the deep, leather chair turning away from the office toward the window, rubbing his hand over his jaw as he read. Why did a man like Jones need to carry a .44 Magnum and what was in the briefcase, listed low on the sheet in what Mick was sure was an attempt not to draw attention to the real reason this case had landed on his desk?

"Curiouser and curiouser," he whispered into the silence, turning and reaching for the telephone. Intrigue had made his decision easy and he made a couple of brief calls to kick off the hunt for information on the theft and the possible whereabouts of both car and cargo, leaving him free to focus on Jones. So much of what Mick had learned over the years, the mistakes, the successes, the consistency of human motives, had formed his own set of rules, his SOP. He smiled at the memory of an ageing, celluloid gumshoe, frozen in black and white, dame on his arm, fedora firmly in place, educating his audience. Mick St. John’s rule number one: know your client.

His first call was to the precinct where the theft had been reported. Yes, the desk sergeant could confirm the details. No, he most certainly had not recommended that Mr. Jones engage the services of a PI to recover his property. Bobby Desmond was the only other person in the police department who could possibly have sent Jones to him, but that was a call he was saving for an emergency; Jones didn't qualify. He had some satisfied former clients who could have referred Jones, but no-one jumped out at him as a link, and if it were just a regular client, why the secrecy?

Which just left Josef. Mick made the call and tapped impatiently on the desk as he waited to be put through.

"I'm sorry, Mr. St. John. Mr. Kostan is in a meeting and asked not to be disturbed."

Mick couldn't remember the last time he'd failed to get past Josef's secretary. "You told him who it was?"

"As I said, he asked not to be disturbed. Can I take a message?"

"Just tell him to call me." The receiver rattled into the cradle. Mick usually knew when Josef was lying; maybe that's why he wouldn't come to the 'phone, or maybe he really was busy and there was no connection to Jones. But who else could it be?

The phone rang, "Josef-"

"No, man, it's Scotty. I got the info on your guy."

Well at least it was progress. "Shoot."

Peter Jones, it turned out, was really one Simon Marsden and he was involved in security but he wasn’t a bodyguard, he was a professional courier. Documents or diamonds, he was your go-to guy, case handcuffed to his wrist, moving unseen through ports and airports the world over; nondescript, never raising any red flags. Somehow he’d lost this particular consignment, something Mick doubted Marsden’s employer would look kindly on. If he was going to solve this, he really needed to know what was in that briefcase.

Only one way to find out.


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Marsden did a pretty good job of hiding his surprise as he stepped from café to sidewalk to be confronted by Mick, leaning nonchalantly against the hood of the Benz, arms folded, sunglasses and glare firmly fixed.

“Mr. St. John.”

“Mr. Marsden.” Mick levered himself upright, lips pursed as he swung the passenger door open. “Get in.”

Marsden hesitated; he knew as soon as he'd hired Mick it would probably come to this. Now it was about damage limitation.

Mick swung out into the late afternoon traffic, glancing across to Marsden, wondering what story he'd spin, “It’s a problem, isn’t it? Trying to hire someone good enough to find your client’s property but not so good they’ll dig into things you’d rather keep hidden. Was that some kind of test? See how long it took me to figure out who you really are?”

"Look. It's a confidentiality thing." Marsden's tone was snippy, "Normally I'd never bring someone outside in, but," he paused and Mick could almost hear the cogs turning.

"Let me save you the trouble of coming up with a new story. You and I both know the best chance of getting that briefcase back is finding the fence who is trying to move it as we speak. To do that I need to know what I'm looking for. If you don't trust me to give it back to you when I find it, tell me now and we can both go our separate ways."

Marsden puffed out his cheeks, his own decision made, "In my line of work, after a while you know what to expect. You know who to look out for and how they're going to come at you. Believe it or not, I'm very good at what I do. What I wasn't prepared for," he paused, sucking up his wounded professional pride, "was getting carjacked the day I arrived in LA. No-one knew I was here. It was random and stupid." He grimaced in frustration, teeth grinding, still smarting at the memory.

"I still need to know what was in that briefcase."

"I can't tell you that."

"Can't or won't?"

"Does it matter?"

They drove on in silence, Marsden trying to gauge Mick's response, getting twitchier and twitchier. "Where are we going?"

"We aren't going anywhere." Mick pulled over, letting the engine idle, staring straight ahead, "You can get out here."

"Is this how you treat all your clients?" His voice lightened with the faintest trace of amusement.

"Only the ones who lie to me," Mick couldn't stifle a grin. In spite of himself, he was enjoying the conundrum of Simon Marsden. He waited as Marsden stepped from the car, leaning over, peering over the top of his sunglasses. "I'll be in touch."

Mick was on the hunt. He couldn't deny the thrill, the energy, the clarity of purpose. Snitches giving up the goods, levers pulled, favours called in, the occasional threat and a strong-arm when needed. He was purposeful, determined. It wasn't about Marsden. It was a challenge, personal and professional. Prove to himself and the universe, this was where he was supposed to be.

It hadn't even been that hard, less than twenty-four hours' work, and by the following night, it was with a secret, satisfied smile that Mick drew himself along the alley just south of the intersection where Marsden had been jacked. He'd narrowed down the crew to a small operation, part of a wider network he hadn't quite figured out yet, who operated and controlled a four-block radius from this point. The evening shadows lengthened into dusk, their favourite moment to strike if the police reports were accurate, which suited Mick just fine.

He didn't have long to wait. Even if he hadn't noticed the Lincoln Continental as it pulled up to the intersection, he could feel it, the crackle, the electricity, the anticipation, the echoes of other raiders on foreign lands. Mick felt it in his bones, the blood memory of battle.

Time to get this show on the road.

[susieb]

Oooooh... this show is already on the road! Mick and a good mystery

[francis]

You had me intrigued from the get-go because of Mick’s assessment of the man in front of him. This has so much noir without being even remotely cheesy. It captures Mick’s PI business and how smart he is. The case is multilayered and interesting, and the dialogue is flawlessly done. This reminds me of Fleur de Lys when Mick so obviously disliked Mr. Haggans but still took the case.
I love the name of the client, too. Mick takes it all as a challenge, and that’s what makes him so intriguing, and so dangerous. He isn’t in it for the money, or fame, or anything but for himself. And thus there’s no personal handle to grip him, to mold him. He’s his own man. This captures so well what kind of man he was after being free from Coraline and before falling for Beth. A lone warrior in profession, a zen monk in private, out to right the wrongs of the world out of the deep seated knowledge, that he himself was a monster and needed to do something to balance that. I love how you got this show on the road and am waiting for more.

[darkstarrising]

I love a good mystery and this is shaping up to be just that.

Focusing on Mick as a PI with a case to solve brings us all back to what he does for a living. Yes, he's still a vampire, but right now, he's a PI with a case to solve and it intrigues him.

But it was a case. A human case. Honest money, if such a thing existed, fee paid upfront and even if it turned out the car in question now resided in various chop shops across the city at least it was a puzzle to unravel. It didn’t always have to be about saving the world.

and later excites him

Even if he hadn't noticed the Lincoln Continental as it pulled up to the intersection, he could feel it, the crackle, the electricity, the anticipation, the echoes of other raiders on foreign lands. Mick felt it in his bones, the blood memory of battle.

Love how your making Marsden's appearance unremarkable makes it remarkable to Mick, and later he finds out why. The man's job calls for blending in, not standing out in a crowd.

Anxious to see where you take this, and us

[redwinter101]

Thanks, susieb.

francis, I you for the noir comment. Totally. Not long to wait for more - the rest is done...

dsr, thank you. I always loved that Mick was good at his job so it's fun to take him out for a spin with a new case.

Red

[GuardianAngel]

You've got me. Lock, stock and barrel. I'm a sucker for a good mystery and this certainly is. I want...no, NEED to know what was in that briefcase. What is Marsden hiding?

As always, you've got Mick down to a 'T', Red. You can feel his frustration and excitement perfectly and every nuance therein. *hugs*

[allegrita]

This is so exciting. So wonderfully Moonlight-noir! It's great to see Mick working a case, just a case... but we all know that it's never "just a case" when you're telling the story...

This one's got so much potential. It could be anything at all, and I'm dying to find out what you've got up your sleeve. I've got that crackle of anticipation running through me right now, Red. I'm loving this story. Mick's putting himself out as bait, isn't he? The next few minutes of this story should be very interesting...

[fairytoes]

Finally, finally I had time to read this. I've seen it posted earlier but RL kept me from reading.

Red, this is a fabulous start. Like Allegrita said, this has so much potential and it could go in any direction. I'm so looking forward to finding out what happens next.

Oh, and just for the record, I'm dying to find out what is in that briefcase.

[redwinter101]

Thanks, GA - re the contents of the briefcase, well,

Spoiler:

you'll have to wait and see.

Thanks, alle, you are so sweet to me. Mick as bait. Hmmmmm... not sayin'.

fairytoes, thanks for reading and commenting, sweetie. Not long to wait!!!

Red

[jen]

Intriguing, Red.

This showcases Mick, very much in his element. He is comfortable here, and it shows in the way he moves in this world of shades of deception. This he knows (or thinks he knows). The question remains why he came to Mick?

Looking forward to the next three chapters!

Thanks

Jenna

[redwinter101]

Well, Coraline's dead (as far as Mick knows), Ben and Josh are both toddlers with no connection to this world for years to come. No Guillermo in this story either. As for Josef, well, he's coming... 'cos you know he's never far away.

And Beth? Hmmmmmm.

Red

P.S. Only 2 more chapters.

[jen]

Okay, okay. I edited.

Shutting up now.

[mitzie]

I am so intrigued by this story. What a great start!! Mick would, of course, want to take this case. He feels in control in this situation thinking that Marsden is easy to read and intrigued enough to want to know what Marsden is hiding from him. The Josef connection makes it even more interesting!! I am loving this story and can't wait for more...


mitzie

[redwinter101]

Thanks, mitzie.

Red

[seamus3333]

Ahh, the real Mick is back in the house! (Pause to wallow in the sight and sound of Himself). And, he 'thinks' Coraline is dead which means (young) Beth is in his life. And, he's doing what he does best, matching wits with a mysterious client/mystery. And, the story is already written, which means I can hope to finish reading it before I'm senile. Bring it on, Red, anything you write is a Must Read.