But It Isn't Right (Duskwood Fanfic)

Seeing Double

Richy and I were having our morning snuggle sesh before getting out of bed when my phone rang. I grumbled when I saw it was Laura calling. I huffed and answered the phone.

"Why is Jake's name now obscured from the prison records?" Laura started in before I could even say hello. "I don't have the clearance to see his records any longer. Usually, this only happens when the Marshalls get involved."

I glanced at Richy. Could we trust her? I tried a roundabout approach. "Have you heard the name Tyler Jameson before?"

"Of course, I have," Laura scoffed. "We suspected for a long time that he was the head of Raven's Claw, but starting about two years ago we couldn't get any more surveillance on him. Our best guess was that one of his subordinates took him out and is now in charge, but we're not sure which one. Why are you asking me this?" she demanded excitedly.

"I've gotta go..." I hung up the phone and stared at Richy.

"Shit," he said, running his hands through his hair. 

"He lied to me again!!" I yelled.

"Why did he warn you, though?"

"Because it's some kind of trap..." I dialed my phone. "Jake?"

"Li, what is wrong?"

"Laura just told us that the FBI thinks Tyler is the head of Raven's Claw!"

"Who is Laura?"

"Tyler's former coworker from the FBI that he had a fling with."

"Why is she telling you this? Someone who sleeps with your ex does not seem like a reliable source of information." I smirked at that.

"Because she wants the man she thinks of as Jake to get out of prison," I said. "Listen, that isn't important right now. He lied to me about this, Jake. He acted like he was just working for Raven's Claw. He never said he ran the whole thing. So anything else he told me could have been a lie, too. It could all be a trap for you!"

"One moment. I am going to send you a picture," Jake replied calmly.

I looked at my screen. The picture was of a tall man in his 30s with slicked-back black hair. His build, the way he stood, these things looked familiar, though his face didn't. But when I looked closely at the eyes, my breath caught. "Is that Tyler?"

"Yes. This is how he looked prior to plastic surgery. Have you seen him before?"

I tilted the screen to Richy so he could look. "What the--"

"Richy? What is it?"

"He came to Thomas' parents' house, years ago," Richy said. "When they first moved here, Thomas lived with his parents. I'd go over there to hang out with him sometimes, and I swear that guy was there more than once."

"So Tyler knew where Mr. Miller was all along? And obviously, Mr. Miller wasn't afraid for his life because otherwise, he would've asked for help when Tyler showed up..." my head was spinning from the deception. "I don't even know what to think anymore," I said, leaning back against Richy's chest.

"Raven's Claw is associated with the arms dealers in our government. However, they are just a small group, possibly puppets to the government officials."

"That would make sense," I agreed. "There are very powerful people involved in this crime ring, aren't there?" 

"Correct. As for why the Millers came to Duskwood, that is still unclear. But Tyler's visits are an indication that Mr. Miller continued to do business for Raven's Claw. Meanwhile, Tyler's assertion that he was sent to look for Mr. Miller must be false."