“Sure,” Raquel agreed readily.
She browsed through the magazines in the periodical reading room while he roamed through the library, canvassing the staff, volunteers, and patrons. It was a repeat of the morning. Nobody knew anything. He was starting to lose heart. Then he struck a vein of gold in the audiovisual room.
“Sam Blank? Sure, he’s in here all the time,” the floppy-haired teen behind the circulation desk told him.
Charlie glanced around at the rows of carrels that ringed the room, each with a DVD player, a monitor, and a set of oversized headphones.
“Are you sure? He’s—”
“Deaf,” the kid said. “Yeah, I know. Mr. Blank watches his movies with the closed captioning on.”
“Oh, right. Of course.” Charlie shook his head at his own cluelessness.
“But that’s not why he comes here. For the movies, I mean.”
“Oh? Then why does he come here?”
The kid abandoned the stack of DVDs that he’d been checking in and came out from behind the desk. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
He trotted off down a small hallway to the right of the desk and Charlie followed. They stopped in front of a glass-fronted room, and the kid pushed open the door. He stepped inside and flipped a light switch. Dim, soft light puddled down from the ceiling to illuminate several overstuffed chairs and small sofas, many of which had fleece blankets draped over their backs. The room was cozy, dark, and warm. Charlie yawned.
The kid laughed. “I know, right? It’s like the greatest nap room ever.”
It was. “But what is it?”
“It used to be the audiovisual room. The idea was to make it comfy for our movie watchers, but it was a little too comfortable. People tended to drift off to sleep and miss their movies. So, we moved the carrels with the DVD players out to the big room. Now this room just sits empty. Nobody uses it much.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “Except for some of the guys.”
This kid was so transparent he was see-through.
“So you let the homeless men hang out back here when you’re working. They sleep?”
The kid turned out the light, pulled the door closed, and hurried back up the hall without meeting Charlie’s gaze.
“Yeah, I’m not supposed to. But, you know, it’s getting cold out, and they’re harmless—most of them. And they know if they get rowdy, I’ll have to ask them to leave.” He turned and gave Charlie a quick look. “But Mr. Blank never does. Get rowdy, I mean. He falls right to sleep no matter what’s going on. I wake him up when my shift ends.”
Charlie could tell there was more to the story. “Why? He can’t stay here after you leave?”
“He used to. But one of the librarians found him asleep back there and started yelling for him to wake up and get out. She didn’t realize he couldn’t hear her, and she ended up calling the cops. It was … a bad scene. So now I make sure he’s awake before I leave”.
“What’s your name?”
“Mike Young.”
“Mike, I can tell you’re a good person. I’m a friend of Sam’s. He’s gonna stay with me for a while, but he left this morning and didn’t come back.” Charlie figured a partial truth was better than a whole lie.
“Okay?”
“I’m worried something might have happened to him. Have you seen him today?”
Mike shook his head no. “Sorry, I haven’t.”
“Well, if he comes in, ask him to borrow a phone and text me so I know he’s safe, okay?” He scribbled his name and number on a call slip and handed it across the desk.
“Sure thing.” Mike pocketed his number and returned to the pile of DVDs.
“Thanks.”
He turned and made his way through the maze of rooms. He was almost to the periodical reading room when Mike came jogging up behind him out of breath.
“Mr. Robinson, Mr. Robinson!” he stage whispered.
“Yeah?”
“Sam didn’t come in, but the minute you left, one of his buddies did. He’s another regular.”
“You think this guy knows where Sam is?”
“I know he does. I asked him.”
Charlie’s pulse quickened. He’d done it. He’d found Sam.
He tried to keep his excitement in check. “Great. Where is he?”
“The police station. Joe says he got arrested this morning.”
32
Leo, Finn, Fiona, and Mocha were almost home from their trip to the playground when Leo’s cell phone rang. They’d just stopped so the twins could jump in a pile of crimson and orange maple leaves, and Mocha was busy barking at squirrels.
He took the phone from his pocket and checked the display.
“Naya, what’s up?”
Her voice crackled with urgency. “Where are you?”
“We’re walking back from the Blue Slide. We stopped at the church on the corner to jump in some leaves and terrorize the local wildlife. Where are you?”
“I’m on your front porch. Do you think you could hurry the kids along?”
“Yeah. Do you wanna tell me what’s going on?”
“When you get here.”
She ended the call.
Leo frowned down at his phone, then slipped it back into his coat pocket. “Come on, dinosaurs. It’s getting chilly. Let’s get home and have some hot cocoa and a snack.”
“Dinosaurs are like chickens, right?” Fiona asked.
“Mmm-hmm,” he answered distractedly.
“That’s what I thought. What do chickens eat, Finny?” Fiona asked.
“Eggs?” Finn ventured.
His sister burst into peals of laughter. “Noooo, that would make them camping bells, silly!”
Leo’s mind was on the unusual call from Naya. But ‘camping bells’ caught his attention. He turned and studied Fiona for a moment, then chuckled. “You mean cannibals. Cannibals are animals that eat their own species.”
“Hmph. Well, camping bells sounds better,” she insisted.
He herded them home quickly by suggesting they see if they could reach the sidewalk square in front of their porch before he counted to one hundred. They did it with nineteen digits to spare. When they saw Naya and Jordana standing on the porch, they broke into excited squeals and clambered up the stairs ahead of him. He and Mocha followed at a more sedate pace.
When he reached the porch, he noted Naya’s drawn, tight expression and the furrow between her eyes. She was worried about something.
She smoothed her forehead and greeted the kids with a broad smile and two warm hugs. “Hey, super twins, I need to borrow your dad for a bit, so Jordana came to hang out with you. What do you think of that?”
They cheered excitedly at the prospect of spending an unplanned afternoon with their favorite babysitter. Connelly handed Mocha’s leash to Jordana.
“They need a snack. Apples and almond butter are probably your best bet.”
“And hot cocoa!” Fiona reminded him.
“And hot cocoa.”
“Got it. Do the pets need to be fed?” She bent and scratched Mocha behind her ears.
Leo shook his head. “Not until seven, assuming I’m not back before then. I guess if I’m not, you’ll—.” He trailed off as he realized he had no idea where he was going or when he’d be back.
“I’ll make dinner. And we’ll do baths and pjs, too, if it gets late.”
“You’re a lifesaver. But I’m sure Sasha will be home before bedtime even if I’m not.”
Jordana and Naya exchanged a furtive look. It was quick and subtle, and most people would have missed it. But he didn’t, and something about it chilled him.
He crouched and gave Fiona and Finn each a hug and a kiss. “I love you. Be good for Jordana, please.”
“We’re always good,” Finn said indignantly.
“Right, Jordana?” Fiona demanded.
Jordana grinned and winked broadly at the kids. “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.” She pulled out her set of keys, unlocked the d
oor, and ushered them inside with promises of hot chocolate with marshmallows.
Leo turned to Naya. “Okay, now tell me what this is about.”
Naya studied him for a long moment. “Have you heard from Sasha lately?”
He pulled out his cell phone and checked his text and call logs. “Not since early this morning. She was on her way to meet Charlie Robinson, and I texted her a picture of the kids. It was a little before eight o’clock. Why? What’s going on?”
Naya frowned. “That’s what I was afraid of. Look, do you want to drive or do you want me to?”
He glanced up and down the street but saw no sign of her BMW. “Where’s your car?”
“We walked over, so we’ll have to go back to the office to get it if you want me to drive.”
“I’ll drive then.” He shrugged and headed for his SUV, which was parked in the driveway. “But you need to start talking, and I need to know where we’re going.”
She fell into step beside him and pulled out her own phone. “Your office. I already spoke to Hank. He’s expecting us.”
“Naya, for the last time, what’s going on?”
He was starting to feel impatient. He popped the locks and opened the passenger door for her, then circled the front of the SUV, trying to keep his irritation in check. As soon as he slid into the driver’s seat, she turned to him and locked eyes with him.
“After Sasha met with Charlie, the two of them went to see Max Barefoot to get him to join in the complaint. According to Charlie, Landon Lewis had a team of men stationed outside Barefoot’s house doing surveillance. Sasha made them and confronted them.”
“That sounds like her.”
“Yeah, it does. She told the guys on surveillance that she wanted Landon Lewis to contact her. Then she dropped Charlie off at the library to see if he could get a lead on Sam Blank’s whereabouts.”
“Wait, Blank? The deaf man? I thought he was staying with Charlie Robinson?”
“The imperative word in that sentence is was. Something spooked him, and he left. He was gone when Charlie woke up this morning. Mr. Barefoot suggested they check at the library for him. Sasha said she had something she needed to do and asked Charlie to look for Sam at the library. She gave him instructions to call me if he needed help, and then she texted me to let me know that. I got that text at ten-thirty. We exchanged a handful of texts then, but no one’s heard from her since. She’s not answering her cell phone. She’s not returning texts or emails.”
Leo pulled out and headed toward the field office, even though he thought Naya was perhaps overreacting, just slightly. “Maybe she’s in court or at the training studio with Daniel—somewhere where she’s not able to check her messages?”
Naya glared at him, eyes blazing. “Do you think I showed up at your house without asking Caroline to check her court calendar and appointment book first?” Her voice was heated.
“No, I guess not.”
“That’s right. And do you really think she’s been sparring for the past five and a half hours?” She was still agitated, but her temper sprang from deep love and concern for Sasha.
He glanced at the clock. It was nearly four o’clock. That put Naya’s concern into perspective.
“And you said nobody’s heard from her since ten-thirty?”
“Yeah, and here’s the thing, Leo—Charlie did find out where Sam Blank is.”
“That’s good news, right?”
“Well, it’s good that we know where he is. It’s bad that he’s been re-arrested by the Milltown police. Charlie texted that to Sasha at one-thirty. No response. There’s zero chance your wife would ignore a text telling her her client was in custody. None.”
Leo’s calm facade began to slip. “No, you’re right. She wouldn’t. Maybe she’s at the police station. Maybe she found out before Charlie did. Maybe Sam called her. Maybe—”
“Maybe so. I hope you’re right. But since nobody’s heard from her …”
Realization dawned. “You want me and Hank to track her phone.”
“It’s an emergency.”
“I promised her I wouldn’t ever do that, Naya. After Tannerville—”
“I know you did. And, believe me, I know how she feels about it. Big Brother, creepy surveillance state, invasion of privacy, infantilizing. Trust me. I’ve heard the speech.”
“And you still want to do it?”
She turned and looked him full in the face. “Leo, I have a really bad feeling.”
His stomach hit his shoes. “Then we’ll do it.”
“Good. Maybe you could drive a little faster?”
He threw her a look but hit the gas. He used his voice assistant to dictate a text to Sasha as he zoomed through a light that was definitely no longer yellow. “Text Sasha’s mobile: if you get this, ping me. Love, L. Send text.”
Naya watched out of the corner of her eye but didn’t comment. He was glad for that. He didn’t want to talk about his rising worry.
After a beat, he asked, “Did Charlie know why they arrested Sam again?”
“No.” She hesitated. “But you know what he saw, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” he answered grimly. They drove in silence the rest of the way.
33
Landon hummed a Christmas carol as he walked into the conference room. He saw no reason to subject Ms. McCandless-Connelly to the box. He could afford to be civilized with her.
His tune died in his throat when he pushed open the door and got a look at her. Her expensive cream-colored suit dress was streaked with dirt and blood, and her hair hung over her face like a curtain. She raised her chin when the door opened and pinned him with glittering green eyes that looked out from a face that was covered in scratches. A red bruise on her puffy left cheekbone was already darkening to purple.
He grimaced, then pasted on a smile and strode across the room, his hand outstretched. “Ms. McCandless-Connelly, I’m Landon Lewis.”
She didn’t accept his handshake, and he blinked at the affront. After a moment, she snorted and half-stood from the chair and raised her shoulders. Chains rattled. She was cuffed and shackled to a waist belt.
“I can’t shake. Not that I would.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, take those off,” he ordered Agent Scott.
Scott and Fox exchanged a look.
Fox cleared his throat. “Sir, the team who picked her up said she’s violent.”
“Agent Fox, look at her. She’s the size of a small middle school child or maybe a large fifth grader. She can’t weigh a hundred pounds. Moreover, Cesare has determined she’s absolutely no threat. Zero latent criminality.” He shook his head.
“Sir—”
“Now, agent.”
“You’re the boss.” Scott, who was closer to her, shrugged and bent to unlock the cuffs, then the shackles, and finally removed the length of chain.
“Thank you,” Sasha said.
“You’re quite welcome. And I apologize for the rough treatment. It appears to have been considerable overkill,” Landon told her.
“Do you think I could get a cup of coffee? It’s been a long day.” She smiled warmly.
“Of course.” He turned to the guards. “Bring us coffee service, please.”
Fox raised an eyebrow, then nodded. The pair left the room. Landon considered the woman for a long moment, trying to ascertain how to approach her. Directly, he decided.
“I understand your services have been engaged by Messrs. Blank and Barefoot and Professor Robinson.”
“Yes. We plan to sue the Milltown Police Department and Chief Carlson, personally, for various violations of my clients’ civil rights.”
“I see. So why are you seeking copies of the nondisclosure agreements your clients signed with my company? We’re not part of the police department.”
“No, Mr. Lewis, you’re not. The Milltown Police Department, whatever flaws it might have, is an official law enforcement organization, subject to state and federal oversight. Your PPC Program is rogue,
secret, unaccountable, and unsupervised.”
“Are you saying you intend to sue the PPC, as well?”
“Yes,” she said evenly.
He pressed his palms against the table and held her unwavering gaze. “I wish you wouldn’t. Perhaps you don’t understand what it is we do here.”
The door opened, and Fox entered the room with a coffee tray and a surly expression. Landon ignored the scowl. “Thank you, agent.”
The guard slammed the tray down on the table with unnecessary force, turned on his heel, and stomped out of the room. Landon rolled his eyes. He poured coffee from the carafe into two blue ceramic mugs and placed one in front of the lawyer. She picked it up and cupped her hands around it as if it were precious.
“Cream and sugar?” he offered.
“Black is fine, thanks.”
He stirred cream and sugar into his own mug until the coffee was the perfect shade of pale tan. “I wish he’d thought to bring some cookies,” he mused.
She blinked. “Did you say cookies?”
“Yes, why?”
“I’ve been smelling cookies—butter cookies—for hours in that cell. I thought I was imagining it.”
He chuckled. “No, the cookies are quite real. This space used to house a test kitchen for the Nabisco Company—not the manufacturing plant proper.”
She sipped her coffee. “Right, because that’s been turned into retail space and a hotel.”
“Correct. We’re sitting in a warehouse about a quarter of a mile away. Above ground, I have my headquarters. Down here, we use this basement space as a beta test for our detention program.”
“And where do the cookies come in?”
“Oh, right. When we bought the space, the contents conveyed. And those contents included several hundred pounds of cookie dough in a deep freezer, along with the commercial ovens in which to bake them. So, we indulge in the occasional treat.”
“Interesting.” She took another drink.
Inevitable Discovery Page 16