Chapter 11: Pieces of the Puzzle

Agent Shade was an action guy. Infiltrating gangs, befriending criminals, planting surveillance gear—that was his element. But now, sidelined by lingering injuries from his last mission, those options were off the table. This low-level, evidence-gathering operation, while seemingly less dangerous, was proving to be a different kind of challenge. The mission brief was frustratingly vague and riddled with loopholes. Beyond the money trail, they had nothing. What was being traded? Who were the suppliers and clients? What necessitated insider help? The unanswered questions gnawed at him. He knew this could easily turn into a wild goose chase.

His first priority was a new identity. Shade preferred authenticity. Instead of fabricating a persona, he searched for a recently deceased individual, close to his age, with burn injuries mirroring his own. Fate seemed to smile upon him when he discovered ‘Mark Thompson’, an ex-firefighter. Thompson had sustained severe burns during a rescue operation and, after leaving the service on medical grounds, had died in a car accident in his hometown. A loner with no social media presence, Thompson was the perfect cover.

Choosing the target was straightforward. Being the primary suspect, Sarah was the obvious choice. The plan was simple: befriend Sarah, infiltrate Global Logistics Inc., observe their operations, and gather evidence. But experience had taught him that “too easy” often translated to “most difficult.”

He studied Sarah’s psychological profile. It painted her as a power-hungry seductress. She was called ruthless in her pursuit of success. But the profile felt simplistic and one-dimensional. Real people were rarely so easily categorized. He observed Sarah from a distance, and the report seemed utterly wrong. Had she changed drastically overnight? Or was she really so good at keeping the polar opposite persona for her personal and professional life? He couldn’t shake the feeling that the reports were wrong.

He decided to proceed cautiously. Landing a cover job, he tracked Sarah down to her friend’s wedding. Their initial meeting had a contrived, almost cliché, “love at first sight” feeling. His carefully crafted persona seemed to resonate with her. She seemed genuinely smitten with him. He played the role of a devoted lover, offering her all the affection she craved. He had to keep up with the act, and soon he was talking about the stability and the promise of a family. While she loved his attention, she was guarded at first. It took him some time, but her defenses began to soften.

That’s when he encountered his first real problem. Sarah was nothing like the person he had envisioned. She was gentle, caring, and authentic. Yet he could see a lingering emotional strain in her eyes. A wariness born of hidden secrets. A wariness he recognized all too well from his own experiences. It was as if she was living a double life. The pieces weren’t fitting together.

Marriage was the next logical step he’d hoped to avoid. He tried all other avenues. Getting inside Global Logistics was no big deal, but it also did not help at all. Their operation was clean, rather too clean. All other leads, apart from Sarah, were keeping a low profile. There was no easy way to make progress with them. Proximity to Sarah was essential for his mission, and there was no alternative.

Agent Shade, or ‘Mark’, married Sarah in a small, intimate ceremony. Sarah’s emotions were raw and genuine during the ceremony. He found himself genuinely touched by her vulnerability and affection. Sarah seemed to blossom in their life together. She was more relaxed and at ease.

It was in those moments that he realized that he had messed up. He couldn’t reconcile the woman in front of him with the image of a criminal mastermind. The weight of his deception began to settle in. He was starting to believe that she was innocent. Worse yet, her genuine warmth was eroding his professional detachedness.

The more he learned about Sarah, the more he was sure that Sarah was a victim. She was being used as a scapegoat to take the fall of this operation. However, he could not work on his emotions and hunch alone. He needed hard evidence. Mark had his own opinion of this situation and quite a logical one at that. The CEO, James Wright, was the key player and not Sarah.

This man was too careful and elusive. While Mark could find evidence of petty crimes, nothing linked James to the larger, more sinister operations he was investigating. James’s history was an open book. He lived lavishly and was never shy of scandals, but he had changed in recent years. Now he was a social recluse. Nothing was making sense here. It was as if there was a seasoned advisor guiding all his actions.

Mark realized he had to change his approach. He could not trust anyone, including Sarah. He began meticulously gathering information on James, Sarah, and every other potential target at Global Logistics Inc. He had to cross-reference every detail, no matter how small it was. Verifying each piece of information was slow, painstaking work, but he had little choice.

There was no immediate rush, though. He had time to pursue his mission while recovering from his injuries. The only problem was that he was used to a more hands-on approach. The slow pace and long periods of inactivity were starting to grate on his nerves.

Mark was bored. While his injuries were healing nicely, the investigation was progressing slowly. He had a day job for appearances, but mostly he was stuck playing househusband. This slow life was driving him nuts.

Then one fine day, a loud crash from the garage broke the monotony. He and Sarah rushed in to find a skinny kid who looked like a cornered animal. Sarah recognized the boy. He was a dockside hustler, and Sarah had seen him many times.

Mark seemed amused rather than upset. “Looks like we got a little burglar,” he called playfully.

Sarah wanted to call the cops, but Mark stopped her. “I think we can handle this,” he said.

He then turned to the boy. “What’s your name?”

“J-jinx,” the kid stammered.

Mark chuckled. “Well, Jinx, your luck’s run out. But I’ll give you a chance. Ever think about going straight?”

Jinx looked surprised, then suspicious. “Straight? How?”

“I could use some help around here,” Mark shrugged. “Errands, odd jobs. Nothing fancy.”

Jinx hesitated before accepting. “Okay.”

Just like that, Mark had an errand boy. He wasn’t sure if Jinx would amount to anything, but it was something to do.

Turns out, training Jinx was exactly what Mark needed. The kid was a natural, quick to learn, and reliable. What started as a way to kill time turned into a wholesome training program for Jinx.

Mark had never processed the loss of his mentor in his last mission. He needed a connection to process his grief, and Jinx provided just that. Mark could finally process his pain and guilt from his past failure. The kid was sharp and adaptable. He became Mark’s eyes and ears out there. He started small, sending Jinx on errands. Then he began testing him, watching how he handled people and pressure. Mark was impressed; he had found his protege.

One day, Mark gave Jinx a real assignment. “Follow a manager from Global Logistics after work,” he instructed. “See where he goes and who he meets. Anything you can get.”

Jinx came back later with a detailed report. The manager had met someone in a dive bar near the docks.

“I heard them talking about a big shipment. I think they were talking about drugs.” Jinx said.

Finally, Mark had found his first lead into the criminal activities of Global Logistics.

Life at home had settled into a routine for Mark. However, he noticed some changes. Sarah had gone silent recently. She spent more time at work and often carried the work home. He had recently found Global Logistics connection with drug trafficking. He knew they were working on something big. He decided to wait and watch how things would develop from here.

Sarah’s father was getting weaker, and his illness was growing worse. Mark chose to quit his cover job to take care of him full-time. One afternoon, the old man called for him.

“Mark,” he croaked in his weak voice. “I want to ask you something.”

“Of course, sir,” Mark said, leaning closer.

“Sarah,” the old man began, his eyes fluttering shut. “She’s been through so much.”

“I know, sir,” Mark replied softly. “She’s incredible.”

The old man smiled weakly. “She is. Stronger than anyone I know. But even the strongest need someone to lean on.” He paused, struggling for breath. “Promise me, you’ll be there for her. When I’m gone.”