Bab 179: Chapter 179: Back to New York
After Church left, Sedes gathered his spirits and ordered his subordinates, "Use computer analysis to compare the thief's silhouette with our database to see if we can find a match. Call and check if William Devonshire left his hotel last night. I want the interrogation results of Bill Gates within half an hour. Finally, issue a wanted notice for Ian's group. I want them found within a day."
"Understood, sir."
While Sedes was frantically trying to handle the situation, William was sound asleep in his bed.
Yesterday, William had used a phone at the archives to call the cleaner, aiming to increase the difficulty for the Special Services in their investigation.
Carrying the drawing tube found in the archives, he deliberately walked in front of the archives' cameras with a hunched posture to make the Special Services believe that the entire incident was a cover for a thief hiding inside the archives.
William was confident that his suspicions would be cleared soon. By the end of the day, he might regain his freedom.
Back in Washington, Sedes listened to reports from his subordinates, holding the information Lily had provided. It detailed how Pittsburgh police had found the bodies of Ian and a retired security guard from the archives along with three others.
Combining this with what he already knew, Sedes formed a theory. He was now certain that the plan to steal the Declaration of Independence might have been in motion for years, possibly targeting Bill Gates all along.
Perhaps Ian and his crew were part of the plot but were silenced in the end. Given that a retired security guard had been bribed, there must be other moles in the National Archives. Finding them could lead to the mastermind.
Around 12:00 PM, William's doorbell rang. Hearing the butler's voice, William groggily rubbed his face, got up, and opened the door. Entering the suite's living room, he saw a haggard-looking Sedes standing there.
"What's up, Director Sedes?"
After confirming that William had not left his room since entering and that the hallway cameras corroborated this, Sedes' suspicion of him was greatly reduced.
This time, Sedes came with the intention of making amends with William. Knowing his own downfall was imminent, he thought befriending William might prove beneficial.
Sedes forced a friendly smile onto his weary face. "Good afternoon, William. I'm here to officially inform you that you're free. Congratulations."
"Oh, really?" William's face lit up with a genuinely surprised smile. He hadn't expected to be cleared so quickly. "What happened, Director Sedes? Did you catch the killer already? Congratulations, Director."
Though he said congratulations, William's tone was clearly sarcastic, and Sedes could sense the disdain in his eyes.
This darkened Sedes' expression. It seemed his previous actions had deeply offended William, making it difficult to win him over now. With a sigh, he shook his head, "No, but we've determined that you're no longer a suspect. I can't go into details. Sorry, William. I have other matters to attend to. Good luck."
"Oh, you're leaving already? Well, thank you for coming personally, Director Sedes. Goodbye." William shook hands with Sedes and watched him and his team leave in a hurry.
Back in his bedroom, William pumped his fist and jumped with excitement. He was finally out of the whirlwind. The measures he had taken were evidently effective, and now the Special Services were likely focused on finding the fake John Wick and last night's thief.
With the Declaration of Independence in his possession, all other treasure hunt leads were cut off. Only William knew the treasure's location.
Unfortunately, Abigail was under investigation, so meeting her was not feasible at this moment. This left William without a companion for his celebratory workout.
He picked up the phone he had used to contact Winston previously. Opening it, he saw a message from Winston saying John Wick had returned to the Continental Hotel to complete his mission and inquiring when William would come to the hotel to fulfill his end of the deal.
Since meeting Abigail was off the table and staying in Washington seemed pointless, William decided to return to New York.
He instructed the suite's butler to arrange a private jet. At 4:00 PM, William disembarked from the private jet and got into a car driven by the Continental Hotel's manager, Garon. Once inside, William asked, "Garon, is Winston at the hotel?"
Garon nodded, "Yes, Mr. Devonshire, Mr. Winston has been at the hotel, waiting for you."
"Good, let's go."
The car did not stop at the hotel's entrance but drove into the underground parking lot of a nearby building. Garon led William through a secured door. After a few minutes, they arrived at an elevator.
Garon entered a code and used a fingerprint scanner to open the elevator. "Mr. Devonshire, you can use this private elevator to meet Mr. Winston from now on. Only he and I know about it. The passageway is guarded by automated defenses. Anyone attempting to break in will be dealt with. You can register your fingerprint shortly."
William thought to himself that Winston truly trusted him, sharing such a secret passage. Perhaps Winston really saw him as a successor. His paranoid nature surfaced again, wondering how he had developed such a trait despite being an ordinary person in his past life.
Maybe learning about his grandfather's long Special Services career and family secrets had shaped him this way. Some secrets were even kept from his mother.
Exiting the elevator, William saw Winston waiting with a big smile. Hugging William, Winston asked, "Is the trouble resolved?"
William grinned, "Just a minor issue, all settled."
"Let's get down to business. John Wick is waiting for you. Afterward, join me for a meal. I miss the times when Henry, your grandmother, your mother, and you lived in London."
Entering the living room, Winston asked, "Would you like something to drink? I heard you enjoy whiskey. I have a 1948 Jack Daniel's. Interested?"
William's eyes lit up at the mention of 1948 Jack Daniel's, nodding eagerly.
Winston smiled, retrieved a bottle from the cellar, and poured two glasses. "Neat or on the rocks?"
William quickly shook his head. "Neat, to savor the original flavor." Taking a sip, he nodded in satisfaction. He usually drank Irish whiskey but found this American whiskey to his liking. He decided to collect some vintage Jack Daniel's in the future.
The two chatted about William's childhood mishaps and some adventures Winston and Henry had shared.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock. Garon entered and reported, "Sir, John Wick is waiting for you. Shall we go now?"
Winston nodded cheerfully, "Let's finish our business. John Wick is waiting. Afterward, we'll have dinner."
"Alright, see you in a bit, Winston."
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