“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” It felt weird, to have an intern see her father’s memories when she hadn’t seen them herself.
“How are you doing?” Kat asked, her eyes on traffic.
“I’m feeling a little invaded.” She laughed wryly. “I guess I can dish it out, but I can’t deal with it myself.”
“Remember when you couldn’t conceive of anything at the Institute being an invasion of privacy?”
“Seems like a lifetime ago.”
Her friend lowered the car to the ground. “Here’s your stop.”
“Can we go in, Mom? I want to see Lexil and Zaidee.”
“Sure, might as well. Dani will probably need a ride home again after she gets done here.”
RIACH LABORATORIES, Alki Beach, Seattle, WA. 1140, Monday, September 18, 2215.
Before she headed over to meet Detective Rayes and his “smart young intern,” Dani took Kat and Jored to her old lab. She hoped Althea wouldn’t be there. She assumed someone had told Althea that Dani’s dad was the top suspect. Whatever small friendship they had managed before, Althea would not want to see her now. What could they say to each other after that?
Zaidee spotted her and called out to the others. “Look, everybody! Dani’s out of bed and hobbling around. Are you working today? Is that a good idea?”
“I got cleared to leave. I don’t think I’m working yet, but Detective Rayes was going to meet me here. Brought you a visitor.”
Zaidee nodded at Kat, and then she turned her attention to Jored. “I’ve got some jobs you can help with. You up for it?”
He nodded eagerly.
“Your mom can tag along, if she wants.”
“He wanted to see Lexil too,” Dani called after her.
Zaidee stopped abruptly, and turned toward her. “That might not be a good idea. I’ll take Jored. You should go talk to Chali.”
Chali heard her name and looked up. She gestured for Dani to come.
Dani glanced at the time on her eyescreen. She’d have to be quick. The detective would already be going through the box.
“What’s going on with Lexil? Where is he?”
“He came in and went straight to the back room. We can see him through the glass. He’s been in there all morning, going through old records. Busy work. If you ask me, he wants to be left alone. First time I’ve ever seen him like this.”
“Did he and Althea have a disagreement?”
“I don’t think so. She came by for something or other and went in to talk to him. He stopped what he was doing and chatted with her a bit, and she left with a smile on her face. So I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t think it has anything to do with her.” She hesitated. “I know you haven’t been wanting to be around him much, but do you think you could try to see what’s wrong?”
If Althea could go in and talk to him, Dani figured she could too. Besides, Chali asked her. It’s not as if she’d be barging in on her own.
Except she probably would. She’d do the same for any friend.
Lexil was sitting with his head in his hands, clutching at his hair. Yeah, he was definitely upset about something.
“Hey,” she said softly. “You okay?”
He looked up and shook his head. “No.”
“What’s going on?”
“I can’t really talk about it. Let’s just say I got blindsided by someone I trusted.”
“I’m sorry. Actually, that sounds like my morning.”
He blinked, and his eyes widened. “What happened to you?”
“I probably shouldn’t talk about it either.”
Their eyes locked. Dani realized she was going to tell him anyway. Of course she was. He’d heard the worst of her struggles already, and she knew she could trust him with this. Besides, he’d know better than anyone how Althea might react.
“I found out—” she started.
“Last night, I—” Lexil said, at the same time.
“You first,” they both said, in unison.
A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, and pretty soon they were both laughing, not in any big joyous way, because Dani’s heart still hurt, and she could tell his did too. But laughing, nonetheless.
Dani caught a glimpse of Chali watching with surprise and relief.
Lexil pulled a chair over for her to sit down facing him across the worktable. “Go ahead,” he said.
“I don’t know how much Detective Rayes has shared with you…”
“Nothing this morning. I haven’t talked to anybody but Althea.”
“Did she say anything about the case?”
“Just that she was going to the bank with Doyle to verify the funds for tomorrow’s delivery. Is there news?”
She nodded miserably. “Detective Rayes came to see me at the hospital yesterday.”
He winced. “I’m sorry. I meant to come see you yesterday too. I was so upset, I forgot. I didn’t even call you.”
“Well, his wasn’t a social call. He came to tell me…” She swallowed and took a deep breath. She was going to have to get this out in a rush or it would get stuck in her throat. “…to tell me that the person who rented the kidnap vehicle was my father.”
“What? Why would your father be involved in this?” His face showed nothing but concern for her. No horror at what her father might have done. That helped.
Another deep breath, as if she were fortifying herself for a race. “My mom told me that Drummond Morgan blamed my dad for his son’s death, has been blaming him for all these years. Threatened him. Threatened us. And that’s why he left us, I guess. To keep us safe.” Tears brimmed in her eyes and she blinked to chase them away.
“So then, what? He chooses this moment to come back and face the guy he’s been running from? That doesn’t make sense.”
Dani remembered her mom’s elaborate motions to turn off her eyescreen earlier. She wondered if anyone was listening. And then she wondered if she was being unreasonably paranoid. Still, she reached up and shut off her connexion, and suggested he do the same. “Turn off your eyes and ears, just in case.”
He complied. She was glad that all the monitoring devices present throughout the building had been removed after the corporate shake-up in June. Whatever they shared now would be private.
“My dad’s been in touch with my mom. I didn’t even know if he was still alive, and she’s known it all along! He told her he was going to do something to make all this right again.” She balled up her hands into fists and squeezed, trying to get control. “I don’t know what to think. Do you think he could be the kidnapper?”
“I don’t know, Dani. All you know for sure is that he rented the car that was used, right? But people sometimes surprise you about what they can do.” His gritted his teeth for a moment, and then he went on. “What kind of a man is he? If he was angry enough, could he plan something like this and carry it out?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know what to think.”
“What did the detective want you for today?”
“He wants me to look at the contents of that box that was in the helicar in the video we watched. I’m supposed to tell him whether I think it was my dad’s.”
“Do you think it was?”
“I’m pretty sure it has my old softee blanket in it.”
“Oh. That’s hard to think about, isn’t it?” He walked around the table and took her by the hand. “C’mon. I’ll go with you down to the observation box. You shouldn’t face this alone.”
“Thanks. What should I tell him?”
“I guess it depends on what you want. Do you want to protect your dad, even if he’s done something wrong? Then be cagey. Tell him the least that you can. But if you want the truth, tell him everything. If anyone is going to dig down to the truth of this whole situation, it’ll be Detective Rayes.”
“What if my dad did the wrong thing, but for the right reasons?”
“I still think you can trust Rayes. He can be blunt, but I’ve seen how he cares abo
ut people.”
“Okay.”
“You ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
Lexil stopped to tell Chali where he was going. Dani did the same with Kat.
Kat eyed Lexil, and then she asked Dani, “You still going to need a ride home?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind.”
“As long as you get back here within two hours, we’ll be fine. Then I have some things to do, but I’ll come by and pick you up again tomorrow if you want.”
Jored looked up and shook his head. “You’ll be busy.”
Kat ruffled his hair and laughed. “You don’t keep my schedule, young man. I’ll call you around 0930, Dani. Unless you want to get out earlier.”
“That’s plenty early, when I don’t have to get up for anything. Thanks.”
“All set.” Lexil was ready. They went out the door together, and Dani was comforted by the old familiarity. It seemed so long ago when they had done that nearly every day.
They walked down the hall in silence for a few minutes, and then Dani remembered what he’d said earlier. “What were you going to tell me?”
He growled, and she looked over in surprise.
“No, that wasn’t at you. I’m still mulling it over in my mind, and it really jabs me.”
“What happened?”
“I just found out that someone else’s selfish choices cost my mom and dad their lives.”
“The other driver?” Her mind flashed back to what Jored had said. She had an idea who that other driver was, and she could probably make a good guess why Dr. Brant decided to tell him now, after so much time had passed. She must have thought it was better that he hear it from her than from someone else. She didn’t want to think about how he’d feel if Jored happened to blurt something out.
He nodded. “And that other driver hasn’t even had to face charges. Hasn’t had to face me. Lied about the whole thing.”
Now it was her turn to take him by the hand, squeezing sympathetically. “I’m so sorry.”
“I ran out of the house last night and walked for hours. Doc had already turned in. He knows I was upset.”
“You haven’t seen him today?”
“No. Left early this morning. Came here and closed the door. Didn’t want company.” He shook his head and then he looked back at her. “But hey, you know what? I’m glad you came.”
“Me too.”
“You know something else? I could really use a hug right about now. Could you?”
She nodded. A hug was exactly what she needed too.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Tasty
COTTAGE #5, Blake Island, WA. 1200, Monday, September 18, 2215.
By now, the prisoner was accustomed to the routine. Sometime around noon every day, a food machine in the boarded-off kitchen would whirr to life. Today was no different. He heard a whirr and a ding, and went to retrieve his meager ration from the slot in the wall.
The food machine had become a nemesis of sorts. It taunted him from behind the thick walls. He longed for tools, big heavy ones that he could swing at the barrier, break through to force the mocking machine to make real food instead of tiny spoonfuls of tasteless mush.
The part of his mind that was still rational told him that it had only been twelve days. Humans could go without eating for three times that and still survive. He’d been allowed enough water to keep him from dehydrating. He had sustenance. It wasn’t enough to keep him strong, but it was enough to keep him alive. He wasn’t going to starve.
But that same part of his brain nagged at him with stories of people completely broken from lack of deep sleep, and he was certain he was near that.
When he got to the narrow window, the cover slid up. Was he hallucinating? Steam rose from a plate filled with generous servings of protein, starches, and vegetables, seasoned to satisfy a far more discerning palate than his. Delicious smells wafted through the air to tickle his tastebuds. His mouth watered.
He pushed any suspicious thoughts aside, banished any caution borne of self-preservation, and ate ravenously. Later, he would worry about condemned men having sumptuous last meals.
For now, he just let his mouth revel in every morsel of heaven he could consume.
Finally, when he had finished, his sated stomach dragged him into sweet sleep.
And twenty minutes later, bright lights and loud noises jarred him awake again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Opportunity
RIACH LABORATORIES, Alki Beach, Seattle, WA. 1215, Monday, September 18, 2215.
By the time they got to Detective Rayes, Dani was feeling just a little bit braver about facing what he might have found, but she wasn’t sure what she was allowed to ask.
Lexil must have noticed her hesitation. “What have you found, Detective?”
“Not a thing. Everything in the box is synthetic. We had hopes for this little bracelet, but it doesn’t use any metal at all. Do you recognize this, Dani?”
Her heart sank, but she nodded. “It was a birthday present for my fourth birthday. I wore it every day until it got too small for my wrist. Those are definitely my dad’s things. The box is probably one of the ones my mom packed up for storage before he left. We didn’t know he’d taken it.” She found some comfort, though, in knowing that he had.
“I’m going to ask you to look at each object as I pull it out and let us know if there’s anything he might have added after he took the box from your house. We’re looking for clues as to where he’s been, what he’s been doing.” He sniffed. “All this chronetic stuff is helpful, but it’s beginning to look as if we’re going to need old-fashioned police work. We need to know which objects to focus on.”
“May I have the bracelet?”
The detective consulted his notes. “Yes, you can have that one, since we didn’t find anything readable on it.”
She took it and looped it twice around her first two fingers. She wondered if her father had ever taken it out and done the same thing.
They went through a few more items. A threadbare stuffed dog. A jewelry box. Dani recognized them both from childhood, but everything was made of synthetic material and they hadn’t been able to get any readings off of it.
“Here’s a rotating holo-frame. Acryllic. No glass, no metal. Six sides, flip it over to get six different holograms. Useless in the machine, here. Do you recognize the images, or are they new?”
She took it from him. The first hologram was an image of a little girl with her hair in a ponytail, sitting on the floor with a puzzle. A kitten crawled onto her lap and curled up. The little girl looked up with a delighted expression. The hologram stopped there, and then it began the cycle again. She recognized immediately, of course, but she watched through two cycles before she said anything. “That’s my kitty and I, when I was three years old.”
The next image showed a seven-year-old Dani. She was with her dad, riding on a water float that skimmed along the water, leaving a wake. They fell in at the end with a big spray of water. “My dad and I.”
The ache in her heart grew as each image took shape.
“Were these images loaded on the frame when you owned it?”
“I’d have to ask my mom, but I’ve never seen this frame before. He must have transferred these images over from something else, or loaded them on it before he left.”
“That brings up another question. Do you know why he left?”
She glanced over at Lexil. He nodded reassuringly. Tell him everything.
“He left because he was being threatened. My whole family was, I guess.”
“Threatened by whom?”
“Morgan,” she said in a small voice. “He blamed my dad for his son’s death. I know it looks bad,” she added hastily.
“You’re right; it looks very bad. Threats—and the fear they produce—can push people to acts they wouldn’t normally do. I’ll ask you about your father’s character, too, but we’ll have to discount most of what you remember in light of that informatio
n.”
“I know.”
“Keep turning the frame. See if there’s anything more recent, anything that might have been recorded during his absence.”
“My mom and dad when they got married. I’ve seen this before. Watched it a lot when I was little.”
“Remember, we’re looking for something more recent.”
“I know.” Reluctantly, she tore her gaze away from her parents, so happy, so young, and turned to the next face of the frame. She wanted to watch these holograms over and over. She wanted to picture her father watching them for comfort, and to derive her own comfort from knowing he needed it.
“Oh, this was all of us, sledding in the big snow of 2205. That was fun.” She noticed Lexil was watching too, almost as absorbed in her memories as she was. It was nice to have someone to share them with.
“You can look at these in more detail later. Just let us know if you recognize them all.”
She put her hand on the box. “I can keep these to look at later?”
“Only the ones we’re done with, but yes, it will go to you and your mother. And you’ll probably get the rest as soon as we close this case. But we don’t have much time right now.”
“Okay.” She flipped the frame over to the next side: a scene of her dad and his parents. “I’ve seen this one too. It’s old. The quality is not very good either.”
The last image made her catch her breath. “It’s—it’s Wade’s accident. I’ve never seen this before. I mean, not in a hologram, just on the news vids.” Why would her father have this? Had the Devine people given it to him? Or had Morgan sent it, to remind him?
“Interesting. We’ll have to look at that one more closely.” He reached out his hand, and she gave the frame back. “Now look at this.” He pulled out a ragged piece of blue cloth.
If she hadn’t recognized it when she saw it, her fingers would have remembered the softness and texture. “It’s my baby blanket.” The brilliant blue-and-teal vari-colors had faded over the years until the blanket wavered between pale blue and almost-white. Parts of the fabric had worn so thin that sections flickered in and out of transparency. But it still felt like her softee blanket from childhood.
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