The Good and the Bad

Better to Lie

Chapter Thirteen

*~*~*~*

Scout's lips were pursed together as she sat around one of the tables in the briefing room with Gaby, Otis, and Herrmann. Her eyes were trained on the box sitting in front of Gaby as the other woman sifted through its contents yet again.

"I'm cursed," Herrmann ran a hand down his face.

"Herrmann, this contract, if you wanna call it that, is ancient." Otis tried to reassure the other man as he took one of the papers from Gaby. The older man hadn't stopped complaining once since they'd opened the box to find the old contract inside. A contract that pretty much said that the bar's previous owner hadn't been the sole owner-- meaning they might not be the true owners of it after all.

"Doesn't matter," Herrmann shook his head. "It states right there that Stephanides and whoever the hell that this Clifford Baylor is held a fifty-fifty stake in our bar."

"It's handwritten," Scout pointed out. "For all we know this thing was just some rough draft that they never got taken care of properly."

"It's not even dated," Gaby added.

"Should've never opened the safe," Mouch chimed in from where he was sitting on the couch that had been pushed up against the side of the room.

"Shut it, Mouch." Herrmann shot the other man a glare.

"Oh, my God," Gaby muttered when she reached the bottom of the box, quickly finding that it wasn't actually the bottom but rather a false bottom.

"What?" Otis asked.

"Oh, my God," Gaby chuckled as she lifted the false bottom out to reveal what was hidden underneath.

"What the hell is it?" Herrmann frowned.

"Another box?" Scout frowned as Gaby lifted a small square box out of the bottom.

"You think it's okay to open it?" Gaby glanced around at the others.

"Think we're down the road on this one," Otis shrugged.

"Dawson, please, don't." Herrmann shook his head. "It is a gateway to hell, I'm telling you."

"I think I'm gonna go with Herm on this one," Scout backed the older man up. "I mean, look at what the safe brought us. For all we know the finalized contract could be folded up in that thing."

"Besides, it's not even rightfully ours," Herrmann pointed out.

"Possession is nine tenths of the law," Mouch reminded them.

"Shut it, Mouch." Herrmann sent the man yet another glare.

"I'm opening it." Gaby ignored the other two as she grabbed a paperclip and began to fiddle with the small lock. Before she could actually get it open though the intercom sounded.

"Smoke eater in the house!"

"Who?" Scout's brows furrowed as they all got up and headed towards the garage, leaving the boxes behind. When they got there they found themselves being greeted by the sight of Benny Severide standing out there, chatting with some of the others.

"Candidate, front and center." Matt waved Peter over when he came out behind the small quartet. "You don't let a smoke eater hump his own bags."

"Peter Mills," Peter introduced himself as he took Benny's bag.

"Benny Severide," the older man shook his hand.

"Oh," Peter glanced over at where their own Kelly Severide stood. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Okay, well, welcome."