Run-Ins

At first, I didn't know what Jackson meant by hottest lead. In my mind, what my mother said about their best lead being taken back was true. Derek was the person who would give up all of Mario's secrets, not only to save himself from a harsher punishment but also, it would enable my mother to take such a dangerous man off the streets. But now he was gone and back with his best buddy, who knows what horrifying things those two are concocting. Jackson told me to put what had just happened at the lane to the back of my mind for a second but focus on what we were doing before we got Alison's call. This did confuse me for a second before I remember, we had found the house which Mario had been hiding out undetected for who knows how long. 'Are you sure it's safe for us to go to this house, I mean we just saw him leave this morning?" I ask as we turn on the street of the house, my fear was what if what had happened in the lane will happen here to us if he spots us. 'Mario won't be coming back here, he knows how he has inquired so many of your mothers' agents but not only that, put you in danger, he has to start a new and cut ties with any old places he would stay." Jackson explains while the house soon comes into view, the memory of my dad being carried out by those men soon coming to mind. 'You think Mario knew I was there?" I ask looking over at Jackson a little shocked, I know Derek has probably told him of my appearance changing due to keeping me safe, but I don't think he'd know what I look like. 'Almost definitely." Jackson tells me as we pull up back in the parking space we were previously, it seems to be that this place isn't off the grid but still doesn't get that much traffic. 'As I keep saying, Mario plans every single thing he does to the last detail, whatever he's putting his hand in, he knows everything there is to know. Down to the people he was shooting at, it wouldn't surprise me that he intended not to shoot any bullets in our direction." He shrugs like what he said wasn't that big of a deal, but to hear Mario could have planned that whole thing and shooting the place up was his plan, that's terrifying! Before I could inform Jackson how terrifying that fact really was, he had already gotten out of the car to stand in the street. I quickly unclip my seatbelt and climb out of the car to join him, where he stood by the car just staring at the house in front of him. I walk stand beside him also looking at the house, I wonder what kind of horrors that normal looking house has seen throughout the years? Jackson reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pair of sunglasses, the ones which he had given me before. 'Yes, I want to solve this case more than anything to bring your father back and make the man which put my own sister though hell pay, but it is also my job to ensure your safety. I wouldn't be doing that if any onlookers clock who you are." Jackson tells me still looking towards the house, didn't he just say Mario would know what I look like now? But I didn't want to question him, so I take the sunglasses from him and place them over my eyes without speaking. He looks over smiling towards me before we both begin to make our way towards the house, the fear soon making an appearance with every step closer we would take. Jackson walks towards the front door first, while I trailed behind him my head looking around in every direction in case somebody runs up on us. Jackson reaches for the door handle and opens up the door, which was unlocked! 'Doesn't the fact of the door being unlocked for the world to see freak you out a little?" I ask taking a hold of his arm before he takes the first step in, I know he doesn't seem to be scared but even he has to be a little sceptical that this is really going this easily. 'I knew this door would be unlocked; we were watching them leave this house remember?" He asks with the same smile, I look at him for a second but do nod my head, I guess he has a point. He pulls his gun out while taking the first step in, my hand still being placed on his arm as we both enter the little house. It was trashed, there were papers and appliances scattered all over the floor. This does validate how much of a rush these people were in, maybe they've left somethings behind for us to find due to their incompetence. 'I just had a thought, if Mario plans every little detail of anything he does down to the onlookers which will be present. It can't be a coincidence that your car was one of the only ones not damaged at all during the gun fight, not even the tiniest scratch mark." I said that thought marinating in my brain since he told me, my comment does make him freeze and look over at me deep in thought. 'That is a very compelling theory which we'll think more on after we're out of this situation." He tells me which does make me nod my head, perhaps it was a bad idea for me to bring a comment like that up in the middle of this situation. I look away from Jackson and towards the room we were in, the layout of this house open in which was good for us in a sense. There were only two doors leading off from the room we were in, which seemed to be a living room, dining room and kitchen all in one. This leaving the bathroom and the bedroom being the other doors. Jackson tells me to wait in here while he does a check of the other rooms, as much as the thought of me being alone in a place like this freaked me out a little, I knew he wouldn't put me in a line of fire. He soon bears off to check the rooms while I scan the rooms I was in; they had trashed this house so much that the microwave was now in the middle of the sitting room area. I walk deeper into the room, heading closer to what appeared to be a dining room. The medium sized dining room table filled with papers; how many trees had to die for them to make all of those? With that thought, I begin to walk around the table to the sliding door which showed the little back garden they had. It didn't seem to be looked after, the hedges in the back wildly overgrown. I open up the door where the wind was the first thing to hit me, this causing a memory to fill my brain. I was back in my own home; this time it was my day off and I was watching my dad mow the grass outside. He's always very precise when it comes to the length of the grass in the back garden. He told me the garden was always something he needed to be looked after, it was the reason he chose to move into our house in the first place. My mum and dad brought the house when my mother was about 5 months pregnant with me, they saved up for their family home and my father only had one request, we had a big enough garden where I could run around a play no matter how old I was. The size of our garden is what sold it for my dad, by the next month they had moved in, and dad was making sure the garden was safe enough for me. It always brings a smile to my face when I see him out there, it shows he cared about me before I was even born. Before I had time to watch my dad any further, the front doors knock behind me. I send my dad a smile before heading towards the front door, my cold iced coffee in my hand as I went. I open up the door where my heart sinks at the memory, Mario was stood right in front of me. I snap out of my memory where my eyes go wide, while also the feeling of wanting to be sick and cry all at the same time make an appearance. I had seen and spoken to Mario before this even happened! Why didn't I remember this earlier when I was shown what this dude looked like that first time?! 'Ally, what's the matter?" Jackson asks from behind me which did cause me to jump, I turn around but shake my head at the shock which was passing through me. 'I just remembered something, it seemed so irrelevant that I had subconsciously put the memory to the back of my mind and and nearly forgot about it all together!" I say beginning to ramble while my hands shock, what if Mario had decided to do something to my dad and I then and there?! 'Woah, slow down and tell me what you remember." Jackson says taking my shaky hands in his, I nod my head taking a deep breath in to calm myself down so I could make sense to him. 'Around two months before my dad went missing and my life was turned upside down, my dad was in the garden while I was drinking my iced coffee because it was a hot day. The door starts to knock and as my dad was in the garden, he didn't hear it, so I went to get the door. I didn't have any idea who the man was until now, it was Mario." I say nearly crying at the memory, Jackson's eyes go wide on hearing I had seen Mario before this all happened. 'He asked me if Joanna Carter lived here, and I told him she did, but she was away on work at the moment. He smiled at my comment and told me he knows how dedicated my mother is to her work and how it must be hard for me. This comment did confuse me, but I told him my dad was home if he wanted to talk to him, before I could call my dad though he appeared and wasn't happy to see Mario there. He began to shout saying he had no right to show up at his house and talk to his daughter, if he shows up again, he'll have no choice but to call the police. Mario laughed at his comment and began to take steps away, he looked at me and told me he'd be seeing me very soon before fully leaving the house. Once he left, I tried to ask my dad so many times who this man was, but he told me he wasn't important, it was nothing I had to worry about, and we left it at that." I say explaining the frightening story, which once again causes Jackson to look at me shocked but does place his hands on my shoulders to try and calm me down. 'It seems like your dad had a few run ins with Mario before any of this happened, we have to inform your mother in case she knows more." Jackson tells me before pulling his phone out, I nod my head beginning to walk around the room to try and calm myself down. I head closer to where the counter of the kitchen part begins, where I feel a section of the floor move under my foot as I stepped. This does shock me as I whip my head down to the floor, a section of the floor moving as I placed my foot onto it again. 'Jackson, look at this." I say my eyes not moving from the floor, Jackson looks over at me confused before stepping forward, his eyes also going to the place I was freaking out over. 'Look, it seems like the floor is moving." I say showing him what I meant before stepping back, this doesn't seem like a wonky floorboard as it wouldn't move that much. Jackson leans down and begins to play with the edges of the floor, it wobbled and moved in place as he did so. He somehow manages to put his finger under the board and lift it up, he places it behind him while my eyes go wide as we both stare down. A dark hidden staircase!