Gather the Sentient (20 page)

“And what makes you think he might be psychic?”

She called to mind the way Salomon held the photos in his hands.  The way he sat motionless, as if in prayer or meditation.  As she described what she’d seen to Thomas, she became even more convinced there was something inherently supernatural about it.

“It could be psychometry,” Thomas said, without missing a beat, clearly unfazed by the ridiculousness of what she was suggesting.

“Which is what?” she asked.

“Mia described it to me as the ability to use an object to understand more about the events surrounding it.  He might have been using the pictures to see back in time to the point at which they were taken.  What were the pictures of?”

Her stomach churned at the thought.  “Mutilated native Congolese.  They were enslaved and tortured by the Dutch monarchy in the late 1800’s.  I’ve just been reading up on it.  Such a tragedy.”

Thomas looked away from the screen, and she could tell he was thinking.  “Do you have a gut feeling about him?  About whether he’s light or dark?  Because maybe he’s interested in their persecution because he’s looking forward to its return.”

Another woman entered the restroom and eyed Lanying suspiciously as she slipped into a stall.

“I had the same thought initially, but the more I think about it, the more I’m inclined to think that’s not the case.”  She spoke more quietly now that she was no longer alone in the room.  “He works for World Vision, an organization which partners with communities to address immediate food needs and to grow sustainable food for the future.  When I saw him, he appeared to be teaching a village about crop rotation.  He was hands on, Thomas.  He was helping those people.  And I think he might actually be Congolese himself.”

They were both silent as the other woman appeared from her stall, washed her hands, and returned to the library without attempting to make small talk or even eye contact.  Lanying’s muscles relaxed as the door clicked shut, and she realized just how nervous it made her to think someone else might discover her secret.

“So you think, assuming he’s one of us, that he’s light?”

“Yes.  My gut tells me he is.”

He frowned.  “So really, we’re no better off than we were before, right?  Because finding good guys doesn’t do us any good if it’s the bad guys we need to keep apart.”

She hadn’t considered this, however, she felt compelled to trust her gift.  It had to be showing her Salomon for a reason, and not just to prove there were other good psychics in the world.  She already knew that.  Her visions had a purpose, she just had to figure out what it was.

“I’m going to reach out to him, Thomas.  There was an email contact on World Vision’s website for him.  I don’t know quite what I’ll say, but we need to at least find out if his birthdate matches ours.  Beyond that, perhaps bringing him into our circle won’t stop the dark psychics, but it can’t hurt to have another person on our side, can it?”

He smiled into his phone, and she saw herself smiling back in the tiny image on the bottom corner of her screen.  “I like your thinking,” he said.  “And it’s not a bad idea.  Although to be honest, he might not even respond.  He might think you’re crazy.”

She returned his smile, surprised by how their conversation emboldened her.  For the first time in her life, she felt truly purposeful, a valuable member of a team.  Crucial even.  And it felt wonderful.  “I can handle it,” she said.

CHAPTER

34

MIA

Friday, September 30

Baltimore

The phone on Mia’s desk rang.  It never rang.  She looked at it for several seconds before registering that she should pick up the receiver.

“Hello?” she said cautiously.

“Is this Rosetti?”

She recognized the voice immediately.  Sisco.

“What do you want?”

“I got something for you on the guy you been lookin’ for.”

Criminals didn’t typically call her out of the blue, offering unsolicited information.  It was clear he needed something from her.  “What do you want?” she repeated again.

Jack looked up from his laptop, curious now about who was on the other end of her conversation.

“Mi amigo, Trece.”

“What about him.”

“He got picked up by your department this morning.”

This was the first she was hearing about his arrest, but it wasn’t a surprise.  The question was whether the arresting officer would be willing to make a deal to get her the information she needed about Alejandro.

“And?” she said.  She was going to make him ask.  It felt good to make him say the words aloud.

“And I’m willing to give you what I got if they let him go.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then I ain’t got nothin’ to say to you.”  And with that, the line went dead.

She set the receiver back on its cradle and had to laugh at Jack’s expectant expression.

“That phone never rings,” he said.

“I know.  And you won’t believe who it was.”  She gave him the CliffsNotes version of the conversation and he followed her out of their office to the detaining facilities.  “I hope they haven’t already shipped him off to central booking.”

She needn’t have worried because as they reached the holding cells she spotted one of the senior officers escorting him into a room for questioning.

She nodded at Trece.  “Is this guy your perp, and if he is, can I get a minute with you, Zelnick?” she called.

“He’s not mine.  Just dropping him off.  If you need somethin’ you’re gonna have to talk to Fields.  Last time I saw him he was with the Chief.”

Her heart sank.  Fields was about the last officer she would have chosen to deal with, given their past history and current situation.  Jack shot her a knowing glance as she called to mind the last run in they’d had with him just after Commissioner Dalton’s arrest.  A ‘by the book’ hardliner, he was a stickler for both details and justice.  Which meant he hated that Mia went after Dalton on a hunch and carried out her plan for his arrest outside standard operating procedures.  The fact that he’d defended Dalton on principle ensured the two officers would never get along, much less see eye to eye with regard to Sisco’s negotiations.

“You wanna go talk to him, or do you want me to?” Jack asked.

“Let’s just go together,” she said.  “Maybe my dad will run interference.”

Fields was standing in the doorway of her father’s office as she and Jack approached.  She stood in the hall, just inside his line of sight, until they finished their conversation.

“You need me?” her father asked as Fields began to walk away without so much as acknowledging her presence.

“Actually, no,” she said to both men.  “I was looking for you, Fields.”

He turned on his heel, making a slow production of her imposition.  “Can it wait?  I’ve got a guy detained in questioning for me.”  He checked his watch.  “I’m late already.”

“That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about,” Jack said, taking the lead.  “We’ve got an opportunity to get some intel on a case we’ve been pursuing if we can work a deal to get your guy sprung.”

Fields laughed and continued down the hall.  “Fat chance,” he called over his shoulder.  “I’ve had this punk in my crosshairs for months.  Like hell I’m gonna let him off now.”

He rounded the corner and was out of sight before Mia’s father broke the tension.  “What’s going on?”

She rolled her eyes.  “You know the case we’ve been working about the woman whose boyfriend followed her from Phoenix to kill her?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Fields has this guy Trece down in holding.  I have no idea what he picked him up for, but his buddy Sisco called me a little while ago to make a deal – Trece’s freedom for intel on Alejandro, the guy who’s out to kill his girlfriend.”

She could see her father weighing their options.  He walked a fine line between being the chief of police and being her dad.  99 times out of 100, he erred on the side of the department, but she still held out hope.

“You think your informant is credible?” he asked.

“As credible as any criminal can be,” she answered honestly.

“And you trust him to keep his end of the bargain?”

“He knows I’ve got stuff to bring him in on if he doesn’t.”

Her father glared at her over the top of his glasses.  “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that, Officer.  But let me talk to Fields about it.”

Mia couldn’t keep from smiling.  It was good to have friends, or family as the case was, in high places.

“Wipe that grin off your face, Mia.  I’m not making any promises.  If he’s got this Trece kid in here for something legit, I might have to let it ride.”

“It’s a girl’s life on the line, Dad.”  She didn’t love playing this card with him, but sadly, it was all she had.

He shooed her off with both hands, ushering her back down the hall in the direction she’d come.  “I said no promises.”

An hour later, she and Jack were sharing a foot-long turkey melt and a bag of chips when her father appeared in the doorway.  His expression spoke volumes.

“So it’s a no,” she offered before giving him a chance to speak.

“I’m sorry, Mia.  Fields has him on felony charges.  If it had been a misdemeanor, maybe I could have pulled some strings.  But I can’t let this go.  I’m sorry, but you’re just going to need to find this guy another way.”  When she and Jack didn’t respond, he apologized again and walked away.

A moment later, without a word to Jack, she picked up her cell to place a call.

“Hey, Jose,” she said.  “This is Officer Rosetti.  You ready for your 15 minutes of fame?”

CHAPTER

35

JOSE

Monday, October 3

Baltimore

The makeup artist from WJZ’s crew would not leave him alone.  Just when he thought she was finished with the powder and the hair gel, she returned, her fingernails manicured into severely lacquered points.  He hoped she wouldn’t somehow lacerate him with them, and was relieved when the show’s producer, Frank, appeared to escort him to the sound stage.

“How’s it going this morning?” he asked.

“I’m a little nervous,” he replied honestly.

“First time on TV, huh?  It gets to the best of us,” Frank said, draping an unwelcome arm across Jose’s shoulders.  “Just do your best out there, and Denise will do the rest.  She’s the best.”

He had no doubt the seasoned anchorwoman would paint him in the very best light, commanding the screen with all the talent he lacked, however, he didn’t need her to win an Emmy.  He just needed her to put the word out that he was looking for Andrea.  And then he needed Alejandro to take the bait.

As the weather segment ended and the crew took a commercial break, he was whisked into an upholstered armchair toward the edge of the stage.  A moment later, Denise arrived, looking much fresher than she should have for the early hour of the day.  She greeted him warmly and within seconds the lights came up as the crew counted down to the on-air cue.

“This morning I have Jose Torres here with me with an appeal to the people of Baltimore.  He’s looking for his friend, Andrea Morillo, who disappeared unexpectedly from her home in Phoenix earlier this month, and now his search has led him here.  Good morning, Jose.”

“Good morning,” he replied, as if they hadn’t just greeted one another seconds before.

“What can you tell us about Andrea’s disappearance?”

A recent photograph of Andrea, taken from her own phone, flashed across the screen behind them, and Jose attempted to slow his breathing as he recalled the words he and Mia had rehearsed the day before.  “Andrea and I are good friends,” he began, reassured by how steady his voice sounded despite the queasiness in his gut.  “We had plans together and when she didn’t show up, I went to her house, in Phoenix.  Her keys were there, her purse… everything.  I kept calling her cell, hoping she would pick up, you know?  But she never answered.”  He tried to look convincingly distraught as he recounted the fabricated events.  “Finally, last week, I got a strange call from a number with a 410 area code.  Nobody said anything.  There was just breathing and crying.”

The anchorwoman nodded sympathetically.  “Can you share with us why it’s important for the people of Baltimore to be on the lookout for her?”

Mia had stressed the importance of not mentioning Alejandro in the interview.  The last thing they wanted was to spook him.  “She’s been known to self-mutilate, inflicting pain to punish herself.  She’s been suicidal.  In fact, she recently ran her car into another car, on purpose, in what I think was an attempt to kill herself.  If she’s here in Baltimore and she’s still alive, I need to find her.”

“Do you know why she’d come to Baltimore?  Does she have friends or family here she might reach out to?”

He shook his head.  “Not that I know of.  The only other clue that brought me here, besides the phone call, was a paper she’d printed off the internet I found at her place back in Phoenix.  It was for Absolute Tattoo in Dundalk.  I already went there and she hasn’t been by yet, but I’m not giving up hope.  I’ve been looking around that area for her.”

The stage assistant gave the signal that it was time to wrap up the piece and Denise immediately cut in, turning away from him to speak directly into the camera.  “Let’s take one more look at this picture of Andrea Morillo.  Again, if you see or hear anything regarding her whereabouts or well-being, you’re encouraged to call our tip line here at the station.  The number at the bottom of your screen is 888-555-TIPS.”  She turned back to him, extending her hand in a gesture of consolation.  “Hopefully we’ll find her,” she said sincerely.

The WJZ theme song began and Denise stood, unclipping her microphone from her lapel.  “You did so well, Jose,” she said.  “Much better than my first time on air.”  She turned then to Mia, who’d appeared unnoticed off-stage during the interview and was looking expectantly, hands on her hips.  “You think that’ll do the trick?” Denise asked her.

Mia shrugged, acknowledging Jose with a small wave.  “It’s really the best we can do.  We’ve given him a place to look for her.  Now we just have to hope he sees the interview and decides to check it out for himself.”  She paused then, looking to him.  “We have an unmarked unit posted there already.  If he shows up, we’ll get him.”

He and Mia thanked the WJZ crew and walked to the parking lot together.  It struck him then, as Mia clicked her key fob to unlock a Honda Civic halfway down the lot that she was alone, without her partner, and also wasn’t dressed in her uniform.  “Are you on duty?” he asked.

“I worked overnight,” she said.  “Got off at six and came straight here.”

It seemed strange to him, that someone would go so far above and beyond what was considered reasonable to assist Andrea in her situation.  Most people, he found, did only what was required.  Nothing more.  And yet here was this cop, who could have easily brushed their case aside as a lost cause, sending them on their way back to Phoenix to fend for themselves, but hadn’t.  She’d already done more than he’d ever expected the police to do for them, and now here she was, taking her off-duty time to check in on his interview.

“How’re you getting back to the motel?” she asked.

“I Ubered,” he explained, pulling out his phone.

“You want a ride back?  It’s not too far out of my way, and I’d actually like to talk to Andrea about a few things.”

Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he couldn’t help but feel as if there was something important he was missing about her.  Something he should have known but didn’t.  He figured it wouldn’t hurt to spend a few more minutes getting to know her, so he accepted her offer, saying, “Sounds good.  As long as you’re sure it’s not out of the way.”

“Not at all,” she replied, smiling.  “I’d do the same for a friend.”