Page 248 of Lodestar

Me: You knew he was a Sparrow?

Unknown: Yes. He was a Brother first.

Unknown: Belyaev had a bride from the Sparrow slaves. When Aleks learned that she died, he suspected Belyaev was behind her death and used it as leverage against him.

Unknown: Before that point, Aleks was well-positioned but not highly ranked.

Me: Why didn’t you tell me this when we started?

Unknown: I wanted to see what you’d uncover on your own.

Me: And what I’d share with you?

Me: You were testing me.

Unknown: This comes as a surprise?

Me: It shouldn’t. You didn’t know their deaths were linked?

Unknown: I don’t see why. Belyaev was visiting Ohio at the time of his death. He passed away from a heart attack in a hotel room in Cincinnati.

Me: He didn’t. He died in a car crash. Where did you get that information from?

Unknown: It’s irrelevant.

Me: It isn’t if someone fed you false intel.

Unknown: I’ll deal with it.

Unknown: Are you close to finding his killer?

Me: Closer to finding your granddaughter.

The opposite was true but he didn’t need to know that.

Unknown: This is fantastic news.

Me: I have to go.

Unknown: Whatever you need to facilitate this investigation, you can have.

Me: Now that I’ve proven myself?

Unknown: Yes.

Me: Okay, so who fed you the dirty intel?

Unknown: As we speak, Interpol is creating a place within its infrastructure for a department dedicated to the Sparrows and their trafficking.

So it was going to be like that, huh?

I hated stonewalling.

Me: Even though I haven’t provided results yet?

Unknown: Results or not, they are scum and scum needs eradicating.

Me: Were you always going to create this department?

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