Chapter 596: Chapter 596 Lincoln Lawyer
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[Time: 17:17 PM | Location: Interrogation Room A – FBI Jacksonville Field Office]
McIntyre blinked as his pupils dilated, caught off guard by the sudden line of questioning. ’Looks like they aren’t on the same side, interesting.’ "Mr. Parker," he began, his hand moving to adjust his cufflinks either because of nerves or a subconscious tick to calm himself. "I’m here at the behest of your investors—primarily Atlas Fund LP—to ensure your rights are protected during this process."
Victor leaned back in his chair, expression unchanged as he folded his hands. He glanced at me briefly, leaving me confused about his intentions, but he didn’t linger long and turned back to McIntyre."That’s not what I asked. I asked who you’re representing. Not what you’re here to do."
A dull silence followed as neither I nor Lilly bothered to interfere with content to let things play out.
McIntyre gave a lawyer’s smile as he responded in what could only be rehearsed after years of practice. "I’m here to represent the interests of Atlas and its connected entities—"
"Their interests, not mine, right?" Victor repeated flatly. "Since you’re not my lawyer, I guess we don’t have any lawyer-client confidentiality then."
I leaned forward a little, studying McIntyre’s poker face and how easily Victor had cornered him. "Victor, we’re here to ensure—"
"—Agent Greg, I’d like to make my call now, you wouldn’t want your investigation tainted because I wasn’t provided proper legal representation." He calmly stated as he glanced down at his watch, knowing perfectly well that it was still within his legal right. "Oh, and you might want to ask him to leave, as far as I know, a civilian tampering with an active investigation isn’t such a good thing."
McIntyre looked like he’d just swallowed a thumbtack, his lips pressed into a thin, artificial line. "Victor—"
"I said I’ll be making my phone call now."
I glanced at Becket, who gave the faintest nod. Then I turned to the monitoring officer outside the glass. "Take Mr. McIntyre out of the room. Mr. Parker is requesting personal representation and his phone call." Following my words, two agents entered the room, forcibly escorting the suit out, much to the latter’s displeasure.
"On record," Becket added, sliding the interrogation file closed and flipping off the recorder. "This session is over pending new counsel."
Without waiting for us to speak, Victor stood from the chair without prompting, walked to the mounted phone on the wall. Without wasting time, he dialled a number from memory; the call rang three times before finally connecting.
~~~
[Time: 17:30 PM | Location: Orlado, Florida | Inside a 1963 Lincoln Continental Convertible]
Inside a Charcoal Black Lincoln, driving down the almost empty streets of Orlando, a man dressed in a neat black suit can be seen behind the steering wheel. He had one hand on the steering wheel, while in his other hand was a half-eaten taco roll. It was the end of his shift after a hard day of litigation meetings, a case that he had been working on for the past month.
All he wanted now was to get home, open up a bottle of scotch, and put his feet up. However, just as he arrived at a red light, his phone, resting on the passenger seat, rang. Putting down his food, he reached over to pick it up, eliciting a frown at the unknown number.
He didn’t hesitate long, though, as most of his clients would call from unknown numbers when they found themselves in a bind. Sighing, he pressed the answer button, bringing the phone to his ears, "Michael, this is Victor. I know it’s been a minute, but I need a favour."
Michle didn’t answer at first as he instantly recognised the voice at the other end. For a few seconds, the only sound was the rhythmic click of his thumb against the steering wheel and the low hum of the Lincoln’s idling engine. The last time he heard Victor’s voice was when he left Neyork for rehab following his helicopter accident.
"Tell me where." He asked with a resigned smile, knowing he wouldn’t be getting any sleep. Receiving his answer, he stepped on the gas just as the lights changed to green, performing a swift U-turn as he charged down the road at speed.
~~~
[Date: Fri 14/06/2020 | Time: 18:00 PM | Location: VELTINS-Arena Gelsenkirchen,]
The players lined up in the tunnel, socially distanced but still carrying that familiar pre-match tension. Young Alexander Nübel, making what many suspected could be one of his final appearances before his move to Bayern Munich, bounced on his toes, his gloves already damp with perspiration despite the cool evening air. Beside him, Kai Havertz cut an elegant figure, his blonde hair perfectly styled, calmly carrying the weight of expectation on his shoulders despite rumours of a summer move to Chelsea swirling around him.
Moments later, the players emerge from the tunnel into the silence of the Veltins-Arena, causing the squeak of boots on turf. Giant banners hung by the home club decorated the terraces, Schalke’s royal blue emblazoned on one end, while Leverkusen’s red and black crest hung from the other. They had tried to make it seem like a normal match as much as possible, going as far as to hang the opposing teams’ banners.
"Well, a very warm welcome to Gelsenkirchen. We are back for another Bundesliga match in the bubble atmosphere." Derek Rae’s voice cut across the live broadcast, sounding rich, filled with excitement."Schalke, desperate for points after a torrid run, hosts a Leverkusen side hoping to cement their Champions League spot after dropping out of the title race during match week 30. And Stewart, when you look at these line-ups, you sense this could be a very intriguing clash of styles."
Stewart Robson followed a second later, giving a calm, precise reply: "It certainly is, Derek. Schalke are setting up in a flat 4-4-2. They’ll rely on the energy of McKennie in midfield and the industry of young Kutucu and Boujellab up front."
He paused for a second, looking at his files, before continuing. "But look at Leverkusen—Bosz has gone 4-2-3-1 with Rakim back in the familiar wide left, Amiri on the right, and Havertz floating centrally. That gives them fluidity, and with Alario leading the line, they’ve got a proper focal point. Schalke’s defence will need to be extremely disciplined."
"And what’s fascinating here, Stewart, is the absence of that usual Schalke cauldron," Derek continued, his voice carrying a note of melancholy as the camera panned across the eerily quiet stands. "This is a club that feeds off its supporters’ energy, the famous Nordkurve that can lift the roof off this place. Tonight, David Wagner’s men will have to find that inspiration from within."
[1]
With no roaring crowd to drown out the opening whistle, the echo of the referee’s sharp blast pierced the chilled air, bouncing off the vast, empty stands. The meticulously mowed pitch shining under the evening floodlights looked almost surreal, resembling an empty coliseum awaiting drama.
Wearing their classic royal blue, Schalke passed the ball backwards, establishing an early rhythm as Ozan Kabak shaped up to clip a pass wide to Miranda on the left. Leverkusen, dressed in deep red with black trim, rushed up sharply, looking to pressure their opponents from the first whistle.
[3]
Schalke tried to settle into a pattern early, but it wasn’t long before Leverkusen’s intentions became clear. Aránguiz and Demirbay operated like twin snipers in midfield, stepping up just past the halfway line to compress the field and choke the space between Schalke’s midfield and defence. Every pass Schalke played sideways seemed immediately met by a crimson blur rushing in to force the next one.
On the far side, Wendell stood tall against Caligiuri, who was attempting to find joy down the right flank. The Brazilian fullback read the angle like a hawk. He waited patiently for Caligiuri to overcommit, then struck low and clean with a slide tackle to dispossess him near the touchline.
Leverkusen’s Tapsoba recovered the loose ball and played it out to Sven Bender, who drifted up a couple of yards. The Defender Spun away from Boujellab’s pressing before calmly playing the ball out to Weiser. The Reds calmly played out from the back with a sequence of short, concise passes, slowly moving up the field.
Havertz dropped back just past the centre circle, receiving a crisp pass from Aranguiz. The German playmaker deftly received the ball, delicately spinning away Schopf.
"Lovely work by Havertz to glide out of trouble," Derek Rae purred. "He has an uncanny ability to make time for himself."
Now with space to operate, Havertz surged forward before feeding a sharp diagonal ball to Amiri on the right, who was already peeling into the space between Bastian Oczipka and Juan Miranda. Amiri received the ball on the run, dropped a shoulder, faked the drive inside, then slipped the ball laterally to Demirbay, who was catching up from midfield untracked.
With one sweeping switch, Demirbay picked out Rakim on the far left corner of the box. The young winger brought it down with an immaculate first touch to set himself up for a shot as he faced Jonjoe Kenny.
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To Be Continued...