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While Max waited in the car, Carmen went inside of the building and told the receptionist that she was Carmen Taylor with Channel Four News and that she would like to speak with Frank Abbate.
The receptionist politely asked Carmen to have a seat while she checked on Mr. Abbate’s availability. She had been sitting in the lobby for fifteen minutes or so when a man walked through the door.
“Walter Bonner to see Frank Abbate.”
The receptionist checked her list and then she looked up at Bonner. Carmen observed the way her facial expression changed. “You can go right in, Mr. Bonner.”
It was less than five minutes later when the two men came out of the office. Bonner turned to Abbate, pointed in his face and said something that, even though she was sitting less than ten feet away, Carmen couldn’t hear.
When he turned quickly to leave the office was when he first saw Carmen. Bonner stopped, looked at her and then he glanced back at Abbate before he left.
“I have Carmen Taylor with Channel Four News here to see you, Mr. Abbate,” the receptionist said, and an angry look washed across his face.
Carmen stood up and was about to approach Abbate when he stepped quickly to Carmen.
“I’ve already talked to the police and I have nothing to say to you, Ms. Taylor. So if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.” And then he spun around and went back in his office, slamming the door behind him.
The receptionist and Carmen exchanged puzzled looks, and then the receptionist shrugged her shoulders.
“Have a good day, Ms. Taylor.”
When Carmen turned to leave, she bumped into someone and looking up. She found it to be a man that didn’t seem to be in the lobby a moment ago.
“Excuse me,” the man said.
“Totally my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Carmen said and left the office.
She went outside and got back in the car with Max, and proceeded to explain that Abbate wouldn’t speak to her. She then told him about the man who was there and the reaction everyone had to him. It was then that she was startled by a man knocking at her window. It was the man that she had bumped into in the lobby. Carmen let down her window enough to ask the man what he wanted.
“I don’t have much time. My name is Calvin Simpson and if you want to know what Katana Jackson wanted to tell you, meet me in an hour at a place called Enzo's Palace,” he said and rushed away from the car before Carmen had a chance to say anything. Thinking it was strange, Max advised that they don’t go, but Carmen wasn’t hearing it.
When Carmen and Max arrived at Enzo's Palace, they found that Enzo's Palace was a gentlemen’s club. Carmen looked at Max. “Really? A gentlemen’s club? Really?”
“A gentlemen’s club,” Max smiled as they got out of the car and approached the place. “Really.”
Remembering the detective’s warning, Carmen told Max to go in first and have a look around, and if he thought that it was safe to send her a text and she would come in.
Max went inside, wandered around and got his eyes full before he took a seat at the bar, sent Carmen a text, and ordered a drink. Once Carmen came in and sat down, it wasn’t long before Simpson came and sat down with her. Max moved to a spot where he could watch her.
As soon as he sat down at the table with Carmen, he slipped her a flash drive. “What’s this?”
Just then, another man came to the table and slid into the booth next to Carmen.
He looked directly into Simpson’s eyes. “Leave. Now.”
Not having to be told twice, Simpson got up and very quickly went in the back of the club.
With Simpson gone, the man turned to Carmen.
“You need to give me the drive that Simpson gave you and back off the story.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t even know that man; he just came and sat down.”
“Don’t fuck with me; just give me the flash drive he gave you.”
“I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s the way you wanna do it, fine,” he said and took out a gun. He pressed it in Carmen’s side. “Now get up,” he demanded and stood up.