In the "abandoned" warehouse in New York's outskirts:
"So you found him, but aren't you afraid of the governmental agency he is part of? And he is just one of my many contacts. He doesn't even know my whereabouts."
An answer with a hint of smile came:
"Hmm. I will be generous and let you know that the world is changing and unless that organization changes it will not be relevant."
Not letting the listener process the enigmatic hint, the answer continued:
"And about your friend, you are right. But as a person who does the job he does, he is someone who pays attention to details and he did notice something."
"What?"
"Not what but who?"
A while passed as if to consider the possibilities before a bitter voice spoke:
"Vans. F*ck!!!"
With a small laugh, the voice in the darkness spoke:
"Indeed. That f*cked up the situation for you. I must say, your friend is not bad at his job. One weird encounter that was not out of place, a bit of observation plus some analytical thoughts was all it took to get me an answer."
Jack's face was so bitter at that moment.
"But how did you make him talk? Unlike Monroe, he is trained."
The voice in the dark replied to the upside down Jack:
"You would know he was trained. After all, you were in the army together."
"Yes, and it was not some kind of state secret but still, he is not the kind to disclose information to those who are not allies and are even more probably enemies."
"You know him well."
The approval he got didn't make Jack relieved at all. He heard:
"Do you know what misery is?"
Without giving him the time to answer, Ghost continued:
"In my opinion, it varies from person to person. For some, it is other people's joy. For others, it is pain, disability or even having their convictions broken. Some are really afraid of death, maybe because it is the ending of life itself, or because they have some regrets, some things to do. Well, humans are complex."
Ghost concluded then seemed to smile:
"Your friend was a champ. He was unbendable by threats of pain and death. But then I thought, what could be the chink in his oh so pristine armour of? You wouldn't believe the answer."
The bitterness oozing from the upside down Jack seemed to take form:
"I think I would."
"Yeah, maybe."
"The opposite sex, right?"
"You do really know your friend. I proposed paying a female junkie to help him release some tension. And if he still wouldn't cave in, she would help him try all kinds of kinky games."
"And he gave you what you wanted."
"He tried his best, don't blame him. Actually, I wonder what his mother did for him to turn out like that, to loathe the opposite sex that much. And he is not even homosexual. His love life, really… Is his hand his soul mate? I forgot to get to the bottom of that question."
Jack's bitterness receded a little even if he couldn't be lively in his situation:
"Of course, that was not what you were after."
"You are right."
"I also thought that you were the cold type Ghost, not the chatty type."
"Hehe. Just consider that I'm happy for our meeting."
"Alright, but is Vans still alive? Because I take it that you found him later. But he didn't let me know that you'd caught him, nor did anyone else."
"Don't think I didn't spot your lie, but yes your friends are alive. I'm not a homicidal maniac. I just let them know that since I can find them once, I can do so a second time. And you know that it's not every first time that is easier."
"I get it. So who did Vans clue you about?"
"Someone I thought would be easy to get to talk and who might even be happy to give you troubles."
"..."
"Since you can't guess, there must be many acquaintances of yours that answer the criteria. I wonder what about you offends people the most? Is it your greedy nature?"
"That acquaintance of mine didn't tell you?"
"She did, but her answer is just a sample. It's not enough to conclude."
"She?"
"Yes. An ex-girlfriend of yours, though I don't know how many of them you've had. Though Vans had been more troublesome to find than your FBI friend, since the latter was pretty exposed, your girlfriend was even easier to find. She didn't like your controlling side, though she still had feelings for you. Or was it for your bank account, it was difficult to differentiate. Anyway, women are extraordinary creatures. A civilian like her managed to get information about you. Was it trust that made you lower your guard?"
"..."
"Whatever. She was pretty loyal to you, something I found weird by the way. But hey, women right?..."
Ghost made a pause and seemed to mutter to someone else:
"Bee to Honey, do you get me? …Honey, do you hear me? The communications might have been compromised and there are some voices on our frequency."
"Who are you talking to?"
"Shut up Jack, have some awareness. So, where were we?"
"You said women were weird…?"
"Ah yes, but you heard wrong. I said that your ex was still loyal to you even now and that women are wonderful creatures."
The coldness in Ghost's voice made Jack unhesitatingly agree:
"Y-yeah, tha-that."
He seemed to hear Ghost sigh in relief.
'I have been getting blood in my head for a while, now I'm hallucinating.'
*Cough* "It doesn't matter if you've not guessed which of your exes it was. Maybe she found you stingy or she was just almost as greedy as you. As I was saying, I got a bank account from her. She didn't get to use the account in question since you were not alerted and still kept it for usage. Now you are smart enough to know where this is going."
"I used the account to make transactions."
"Hm. You did, and it was from a small town. Not a bad one, pretty isolated but with fresh air you can't find where there are people in this country and a simple lifestyle. I found your little house but someone loved you more than themselves. They threw my warning to the window and gave you a heads-up."
"I left some tracks that showed that I was escaping in a hurry."
"Yes. When I will be bored someday or look for a relaxing trip like the one I just ended, I will take the occasion to visit that loyal friend of yours."