More Than an Echo (Echo Branson Series) (37 page)

“Need something, Princess?” It was Carl. Then the screen split and Roger was on as well. “Hey Princess. Taking her out for a test drive?”

I couldn’t help but grin. These were my bodyguards? Three geeks and a  woman who feared nothing? I suppose it could have been worse. At least I had brains, beauty
and
brawn. “Hi guys. Yeah, I’m just learning how to use this thing. It’s a neat little gadget.”

“Want me to walk through it with you?”

For the next fifteen minutes, Carl walked me through downloading my notes to Darryl Jardine. I was really proud when I hit send. It was easier than I expected and I felt so technologically savvy. The boys congratulated me and sent me on my way, making me promise never to leave home without it. Apparently, I was worthy of my very own GPS tracking device.

Closing my eyes, I tried to go to sleep, but I had monkey mind and couldn’t sleep. My life had suddenly become very full, and now I had a ten-year-old mute girl to take care of until I could get us on an airplane to New Orleans.

New Orleans.

There were times when it pulled me like a beckoning lover. Now was one of those times. I longed to be on a boat in the Bayou with the sun at my back and the alligators on the banks of the river watching with one lazy eye. I was already looking forward to going back with little silent Cindy. I wondered what she would think. I wondered how big the Bayou must look to a little girl of ten. I remembered how big it looked to me at first, but after I got used to it, it wasn’t nearly as big or as scary. I hoped she would like it.

Tossing around in bed, I thought about Smiley and Bob. Was I too late to help them even if I could? Was I even on the right track?

The file spoke for itself. This wasn’t something new in our country. Our throwaways were being snatched off our streets and no one was lifting a finger to help. As of 2008 there were an estimated 700,000 children reported missing by the National Incidents Studies of Missing and Abducted Children. Over half a million missing children? Why weren’t we hearing about this every day? Why wasn’t someone doing something? The rest of the numbers were staggering as well, and it looked like the government simply passed many of them off as custodial abductions...too domestic for anyone to really go after.

Almost a million missing children. The number was mind-boggling. If children could disappear so easily, imagine how many other people were taken with no one around to monitor them or care. The homeless were the perfect choice to act as incubators for needed organs.

Suddenly, my eyes popped open.

Incubators.

If the organs were to be viable, they needed to be in good working condition, and almost all of the guys out on the streets had a drinking problem. If they put them on ice, then carved them up, them dumped them, they had to have a way to get the organs to their clients. What would be the best way to do this?

Chopper.

Opening the vidbook, I sent another e-mail to Jardine. If they looked for any chopper licensed in the area, they might find evidence to support my theory. Between that and looking for a ship that flew a Colombian flag, he should be able to come up with some place to turn.

I was exhausted. I had sat up thinking and thinking of ways to help Bob. So how could I just walk away? Bob was my friend. He came to me for help. After all, what would the quality of my life have
been
if people hadn’t risked something to help
me
?

Rolling over, I came face-to-face with Tripod. I could see him blinking at me. “Hey there, cutie.” Reaching over, I scratched him under his chin and he purred loud enough to wake the dead. Everyone had told me to put him down; that a cat with three legs couldn’t get around or have a decent life. They were all wrong. He’d been a throwaway once. Against all odds, a three-legged cat had not only survived, but had become a big part of my life.

Staring into his blue eyes, I sighed. It didn’t really matter what anyone else thought about this. It was no longer a story to me, but a debt I needed to repay to the universe.

I was out of the house before seven. My first stop was to the Berkeley Marina. If there was a cargo boat by the bridge, I needed to know, and there was one man I knew who had just the boat to take me there.

“
Necromancer
,” I said, reading the name of the boat and grinning.

“I like to hide in plain sight,” Rupert said, leaning over the railing. “I wondered who was calling this morning, but damned if I could find my phone.”

“You’re a hard man to track down.”

“Not really. You just have to be persistent.” He was dressed all in white and was wearing a white captain’s hat. Salt-and-pepper hair peeked out from underneath the cap.

“Apparently, you’re expecting me.”

He grinned. Rupert was about fifty years old and had a year-round tan that went well with his silver hair. “I know you think of me as just a lowly necro, but I have many other powers as well.”

“Then you
were
expecting me.”

“I was expecting a super, yes, but you are a pleasant surprise. I got your message when I was in Catalina. I wish I had been here to help.”

“Can you help now?” I walked around the side of the boat to the plank connecting the boat to the dock. “Permission to come aboard?”

Rupert tossed his head back and laughed. “Aye, aye, matey, come aboard.” He reached out and helped me across the plank. “Would you like the nickel tour?”

“Absolutely.”

Rupert’s boat had one of the most spectacular living spaces I had ever seen. Cherrywood adorned walls polished until it practically reflected my face. Venetian tiles lay in the spacious kitchen complete with stainless steel appliances. The place was gorgeous and roomier than one might think of a yacht. Every little thing was top quality, from the doorknobs to the crown molding. If I had come in here blindfolded I would never have guessed that I was on a boat.  

We went up to the deck, where he pushed a button and a table lowered from a wall while two chairs rose from the floor. “I don’t care much for clutter,” he said as he served me coffee. “So, I had this made to keep out of my way while I was dancing.”

I accepted my mug. “Dancing?”

“Sure. I love to dance. The rumba, the salsa, the swing. Don’t care much for the flamenco and tango, but the others are big fun if you have the space. Please, have a seat.”

I sat down across from him and wrapped my hands around the warm mug. “You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you. It suits me.” He sat down. “Now, tell me why you’re really here. As much as I wish it was to engage with my scintillating and charismatic personality, I’m pretty sure this is about business.” He grinned softly and looked out over his mug. “Melika business?”

“Not this time. I wanted to take you up on your offer to sail the bay.”

The corners of his mouth twitched as he set his mug down. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you? Not much has changed since your college days. What’s this really about, Echo?”

“If I told you I needed to see if there was a certain boat in the bay, would you think I was nuts?”

“Actually, I would think you are a reporter getting a story. But if you want to use my very expensive boat, you’ll have to tell me the whole story. This is my home, Echo, and if I’m going to put it at risk I need to know what I’m risking it for.”

So I told him. All of it. When I finished my explanation, he leaned back in his chair. He was wearing what could only be described as a Cheshire cat grin. “So let me get this straight. You want to cruise around looking for a ship full of abducted people who may or may not have been taken by the Colombian cartel in order to carve them up for their organs for the Black Market. Does that about sum it up?”

I nodded. I couldn’t tell how he felt about my request. He was a great blocker; nothing leached out. “I’ll know it when I see it, Rupert. I’m sure of it.”

He studied me for a minute. “When do we leave?”

I blinked several times. “That easy?”

“Sure. You’re not asking me to do anything illegal; not that it matters, of course. I’ve done quite a few illegal maneuvers in my life. It’s a beautiful day for us to sail, E. Just tell me what time and your chariot will be ready.”

“You do understand this could be dangerous, right?”

“We’re locating a boat, not going aboard. It’s not like they’d come after us in broad daylight. I say let’s see what we can see.”

“I really appreciate this, Rupert.”

He reached over and laid his hand on mine. “We have to stick together, Echo.  I’ll never forget how wonderful you were with that boy last year. He was so scared, and yet, you managed to calm him down enough so that we could get to the heart of the matter.  I think your skills are being wasted on the naturals. I hope someday you realize how much
our
people need you.”

“For now, there are a bunch of homeless guys who need me.”

“Just name your time and I’ll be ready.”

“Well, I have to pick up a little girl, so how about eleven?”

“Eleven it is. I’ll have the
Necromancer
up and at your disposal.”

When I got back to my car, I sat there a moment shaking my head. It had been awhile since I had dealt with as many supers as I had in the past week and a half. It was weird, really. At Mills there were a couple, but we never interacted. I think they were trying to live the “normal” life. After I graduated and started at the paper, I was too busy to notice, so all this extra psionic energy was beginning to kick my ass. Rupert was incredibly powerful, yes, and I still hadn’t determined the extent of his powers, but he was a great blocker and a superior necromancer. Now, I was on my way to pick up another whose powers I was unsure of. No wonder I had a headache.

An hour later, I was pulling out of the hospital with Cindy quietly occupying the passenger seat of Ladybug. Her aunt and uncle had been there and done their best to appear concerned about Cindy; sending her to a special school lessened their guilt. But I knew better. These people were relieved and practically gleeful at the prospect of getting rid of her. It was heartbreaking, really, to see how easy it was for these two to dump her in the hands of a woman they didn’t even know. Whatever Cindy had done in their home had made them very afraid of her; so afraid it was palpable.

So, after filling out numerous forms and whatnot, the family said tearless goodbyes. Not even Cindy shed a single tear. She was done. Not that I could blame her, of course. It’s very difficult to see any good in a human being who could dropkick you to the curb of a mental hospital. Still, there was no love lost between Cindy and her aunt, so maybe Melika’s  was best for her after all. At least there, she would find a family like I had.

“You’re not sorry to be leaving them, are you?” I asked, looking over at her. She shook her head. “I thought as much. Didn’t like living with them, eh?”

She held her palm up and then flicked it over.

“Oh, I see. It was the other way around?”

Nod and a sigh.

“Well, don’t you worry because you’re going to love it where you’re going. I know I did. It was where I learned about my special skills and how to use them. You’ll love Melika. She’s a really good teacher and a wonderful friend.”

At the word friend, Cindy’s head swiveled toward me, her eyes two huge question marks.

“Yes, she’s now my friend and she cares about me. Even though she hasn’t met you, she cares about you as well. We all will. We are like a little family who looks out after each other. I’ll be like a big sister to you. Would you like that?”

Vigorous nodding.

“Okay. Now I’ve got some boring adult work to do, so you have to promise me one thing.”

She looked at me, expressionless.

“You have to stop talking so much.”

I was rewarded with a huge smile that spread across her face and made her eyes light up for the first time.

“I take it that means yes?”

She stuck her hand out to me and I released the wheel to shake hers, marveling at how warm it was. I really liked her. Maybe she just reminded me of me a long time ago, but I liked the spirit in this girl. She had
chutzpah.

I drove a little farther until I heard this strange beeping sound. Cindy looked in my bag and pulled out the vidbook. She started to hand it to me when she realized I was driving.

“Go ahead,” I said. “Open it up.”

Cindy nodded and then opened it.

“Goddamn it, Clark...Oh...you’re not Clark.” It was Danica in all her foul-mouthed glory. “I...uh...where’s Echo?”

Cindy grinned and held the vidbook so I could see it. I decided it was best to pull over so I could talk. “Hey there. What’s wrong with a cell phone?”

“I’m sorry for my potty mouth. The boys wanted a test run. Where have you been?”

“Picking Cindy up. Why? Are you keeping tabs on me?”

“You know it. I know you, Clark. Until you tell me that you’re letting this story go, I’m watching you like a hawk.”

“Well here I am. I’ve got Cindy until tomorrow night. Then we’re on the redeye to NOLA.”

“And your story?”

“I’m taking her out on the water with Rupert and—”