Wandering Old Case Officer Part 1 is the sixth chapter of the Black Lagoon spinoff series Eda Initial Stage. It was originally released on September 16, 2022.
Plot[]
At a cemetery, several people dress in black and surround a casket for a funeral. The pallbearers carry the casket and put it into the ground. Whereas everyone else has left, one man still stands at the grave. He soon returns home and begins cleaning his house and doing chores, then opening a drawer and pulling out a Mauser pistol. Sitting down with a gloomy face, the depressed man silently sits down and holds onto his pistol. Some time later, at a public park near the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial, two CIA officers, Chesterton and Richard Ravencroft, talk in private. Sitting on a bench, Ravencroft asks the former why he wants to speak privately. Chesterton's granddaughter happily runs to him and asks for money to buy ice cream, so he gives her some money and politely denies a serving himself. Ravencroft assumes that Chesterton did not invite him for a family outing, but Chesterton looks ahead and only asks him if he knows what the most necessary skill is for a CIA agent.
Confused, Ravencroft earnestly tells him that admissions tests determine an agent's skills, but Chesterton retorts that is not what he is talking about, claiming that those tests are only for making more obedient agents. Turning around, Chesterton responds that intuition is the best skill, i.e., to be able to know whether a situation will worsen or not. He elaborates that he once had a colleague, Harold Meyer, who had bad luck in his life but got along well with him, even seeing each other once a year. Chesterton recalls that Meyer, a retired case officer, is all alone in the world ever since his wife died the previous year and his son and family killed in an accident years ago. Ravencroft opines that it is a very sad story, and Chesterton states that he has not heard from Meyer for three days, rebuffing Ravencroft's guess that the old man killed himself. Hearing Ravencroft's inquiry about the point, Chesterton says that he has hunch, a bad feeling, but is stuck with his current operation. Therefore, he needs Ravencroft's help to take care of the matter discreetly, agreeing that the news will be bad for the agency if it gets out to the public. Smiling, Ravencroft jokes that he is going to owe him a favor, which Chesterton does not deny at all.
Driving on a long road, Eda asks her senior partner Amber if they really need to go look for a missing old man since the police could be assigned for that. Amber answers that they must obey orders from superiors even if the task is stupid, advising her not to forget that. She also reminds Eda that their new mission is their only chance to save their jobs from their last blunder of killing two policemen as well as Percy's list turning out to be useless. Yelling at her, Amber sternly asks her to make things work this time so that they can finally get Chesterton off their backs, so Eda awkwardly agrees. Eda in turn asks about the missing man's identity, and Amber briefs her about Meyer's East German background and defection from the DDR to join the CIA thanks to his language skills, including engaging in counter espionage in Berlin and covert operations in the Middle East and South America. Viewing his history as lacking achievements, Eda wonders why Chesterton is friends with such a man, but Amber, taking out an alcohol flask, does not understand men's friendships either. Seeing Amber throw her flask in the backseat, Eda asks her if she is refraining from drinking, which Amber confirms, clarifying that she has to be more presentable for a meeting with her daughter, a revelation that shocks Eda.
Calming down, Eda nonchalantly asks her what her husband is like, and Amber tells the confused agent that she has been divorced and lives with her daughter, her ex-husband, and his new wife. Pulling out a photograph of her six-year-old daughter, she asks Eda if she wants to see her, but the latter rebuffs, claiming that she does not like seeing pictures of people's families, annoying Amber. Noticing her continuing to smile, Eda tells her to stop smiling so weirdly, angrily thinking to herself that Amber has some gall to mix private and work life. Arriving at Meyer's house, the two women enter inside, with Amber noting that Meyer has been gone for three days and that the house is probably so clean because he has the resolve to not turn back. Looking at Meyer's family photos, Eda is surprised that he had a tight family, believing that CIA agents tend to have messy lives. Replying that it varies by agent, Amber tells her to stop mocking her so much. Declaring that she is different, Eda affirms that she has no plans on having children. Amber merely retorts that it does not matter and can see that Eda is smart but irate enough to end up dead in an alleyway with no name. Unconcerned, Eda comments that she will drag Amber down with her if that ever happens.
Crossing her arms, she thinks that there is no evidence they can find, but Amber smiles and guides her to the outdoor dumpster. Amber jokes that men are narrow-minded and rely on their wives to do daily work, showing that Meyer thought evidence just disappeared if it is thrown in the trash. Soon, the two see a clipped newspaper from Lansdale Reporter, a Montgomery County outlet, and they begin heading to the small city. As she drives, Eda asks what was in the newspaper, to which Amber responds that they need to find a new issue first. Stopping at a gas station, making a phone call, and buying some groceries, Amber returns to the car and tells Eda, who is pumping gas, that the clipped story was about an ex-CIA agent named Jeremy Stainton. She reasons that Meyer is likely pursuing the ex-agent, causing Eda to think that Meyer is going through quite the effort for a meeting, wondering what they should do next. Knowing that they need to make up for their last failure, Amber proposes that they go anyway to make sure that Meyer is still alive.
Finally arriving in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, the two women agree that the town looks like a miserable place, and Amber tells Eda to make a certain turn. Amber assumes that Stainton had fared as all right as Meyer did, recalling that Stainton is now doing charity work thinks age got to him. She orders Eda to take the street to the left. As they turn the corner, Amber is shocked to notice Meyer in the corner of her eye, frantically ordering Eda to backup. Eda stops the car to him as Amber inquires about his identity and specifies that the agency sent them. Immediately, Meyer begins firing on the car with his machine pistol, forcing Eda to push the gas pedal and drive forward, crashing into a street pole while Meyer casually walks away. Raising her head from the driver's wheel, Eda confirms that she is all right, rhetorically asking Amber why she thought Meyer only wanted a meeting with Stainton. In pain, Amber responds that she had no idea, reminding Eda that she, not her, claimed his motive was merely gaining a meeting. Knowing that they would have been dead if not for the reinforced door, Eda suddenly notices that Amber is profusely bleeding from her arm, shocking her.