by Nancy Skopin
“Many changes are coming, Nicoli. Some will be difficult for people to accept. Those who are uncomfortable with change will fight to hold onto their illusions.”
This whole conversation made my teeth hurt.
“Loretta,” I said, “please stop talking in riddles. Just tell me what I need to know about Sky so I can figure out who took her.”
“Fine. Sky was, as you so eloquently put it, a product of parthenogenesis. A virgin birth.”
“What the hell, Loretta? I’m not Tom Hanks and this is not the Da Vinci Code.”
She didn’t say anything. She just looked at me with solemn eyes and shook her head. It was response enough. I threw up a little bit of tea in my mouth, but managed to swallow it down again. This was way outside my comfort zone. For a moment I considered consulting my mom, the former nun, on the implications of a modern day virgin birth, but just as quickly dismissed the idea. If what Loretta said was true, the fewer people who knew about Sky the better. I decided to suspend disbelief, for the moment. The circumstances of her conception and birth only mattered if they led me to whoever had taken her.
“How many people know this?”
“Only a few. I’m the only person Jea has confided in, but I’m sure her doctor noticed, and there was a nurse in attendance during Sky’s birth.”
“Do you know their names?”
Loretta shook her head.
I pulled out my cell phone and called Jea again. When she answered I said, “It’s Nikki. I need the name of your obstetrician. The one who delivered Sky.”
“My doctor? It’s Johanna Nielsen. Why?”
I made a note and ignored her question. “Do you know the name of the nurse who assisted with Sky’s delivery?”
“I only know her first name. It’s Cammie. Actually it’s Camilla, but everyone calls her Cammie.”
“Thanks. Where is Doctor Nielsen’s office?”
“Palo Alto Medical Center. Nikki, what’s going on?”
“Not sure yet. I’ll call you later.”
“Wait! I spoke with Tama at the preschool and she’s okay with giving you the parents contact list.”
“Great. Thank you.”
I ended the call and locked eyes with Loretta. “You think Sky was taken because of this, don’t you?”
Loretta nodded slowly, holding my gaze. “If you consider the views of some Christian sects, Sky could be perceived as either the second coming or the anti-you-know-who.”
“So she may have been abducted so that she can be, what, tested?”
“Or trained. I think it’s possible some individual or group believes that having influence over Sky will work in their favor.”
“And by trained, you mean brainwashed.”
“Pretty much. They may try to indoctrinate her into their belief system, but Sky must be free to follow her own unique path.”
“Isn’t that true for everyone?”
“Of course. However, Sky is not only a catalyst, she’s also a power source.”
“And you think someone intends to use her. If that’s the case, aren’t they less likely to harm her?”
“Unless they’re convinced their efforts to control her will be unsuccessful.”
“Crap. I need to get moving on this. Thanks for your help, Loretta.”
I stood and gave her another hug and she returned the gesture, whispering in my ear, “Trust yourself, Nicoli. Follow your instincts.”
Right now my instincts were telling me that I needed to find Sky in a big fat hurry.
CHAPTER 12
Buddy and I hightailed it back to the marina, fighting lunch hour traffic all the way. We found an open space in the boat owners’ lot and jogged to my office. Buddy is a great jogging partner. He pulls me along behind him, automatically increasing my speed. Once we were inside I unclipped his leash, made sure his water dish was full, and quickly e-mailed my schedule to Jim, including the lunch survey that needed to be done at Caliente Bistro. I’d probably have to turn that account over to him anyway, since at least two employees knew who I was.
I took out my notes on Jea’s case, located the number for the preschool, and placed the call, fully expecting to get voicemail, since it was Saturday. Tama answered on the second ring.
I introduced myself and she said, “Oh yes. Jea told me you’d be calling. I have that contact list ready for you.”
“Great. I can be there in about an hour. Will that work?”
“That should be fine. If I’m not in my office, check the playground. I like to spend as much time as possible outdoors with the kids.”
“You’re open on the weekend?”
“Only on Saturdays. Many of our single parents work more than one job, so we try to be accommodating.”
“Okay. I’ll see you around one-fifteen.”
We ended the call and I logged onto the Palo Alto Medical Center website. I found a bio and photo of Johanna Nielsen, Jea’s OB-GYN, on the “about us” page. I copied the photo and pasted it into a Word document, then went back to the website and searched for her nurse, Camilla. After locating her bio under Cammie Sutcliffe, I added her photo to my Word document. Then I copied and pasted the photos of four other nurses into the document and sent it to the color printer. After printing just the photos I copied the name and title of each of my subjects from the website and added that data below each photo, then printed a second set. I numbered each page, one through six, stacked them in two separate groups, and folded them into my shoulder bag.
I gave Buddy a couple of organic jerky treats and walked him around the lawn a bit before we set out for Palo Alto. Twenty minutes later we were parked under a huge elm tree on Amarillo Avenue. The school looked like any other, except for what appeared to be a large, fenced-in vegetable garden on the grounds.
I rolled down the windows and admonished Buddy to, “Stay,” then walked around the exterior of the building looking for a door labeled “office.” Several classroom doors were open, allowing the preschoolers fresh air and a sense of freedom, but also increasing the risk of one of them wandering outside without being noticed. The interior of the classrooms was colorful, unlike the elementary school I attended, which seemed industrial by comparison. Education has, indeed, come a long way, at least in Palo Alto.
I finally located the office and found Tama on the phone. She was a slightly round woman in her late thirties with long dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail and liquid brown eyes. She nodded to a chair across from her desk and held up one finger, indicating she’d be just a minute.
Tama assessed me with a casual scrutiny while finishing her phone call, then replaced the receiver in the cradle, and said, “Nikki Hunter?”
“That’s me.” I smiled and held out my hand.
“Tama Begay,” she said. She clasped my hand firmly for only a second, but I could feel the burden of responsibility she carried. I discreetly shook my hand out when she released it, hoping it wasn’t catching. I made a note of her last name and wondered about the origin, but didn’t ask.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” I said.
“No problem.” She opened a desk drawer and handed me the list of parents and their contact info, as promised.
“Thank you,” I said again, glancing at the pages. “Jea told me another child saw Sky with a woman the day she was taken.”
“Yes. That was Aiyana. But she wasn’t able to describe the woman, other than to say she was ‘old.’ Aiyana’s four. Old could mean anything over fifteen to her.”
I pulled out the pages on which I’d printed photos of the staff members at Palo Alto Medical. “I was wondering if I could show her some pictures. See if maybe she recognizes one of these women. It would only take a minute.”
Tama squinted at me. More assessing, I assumed. “I’ll have to check with her mother first.”
“I can wait.”
That got a half smile out of her. I was relieved that my tenacity amused her. Most people find it annoying. Tama keyed something into her compu
ter and picked up the phone. In the end, she had to leave a message for Aiyana’s mom.
“Sorry. I can’t let you talk to her without her mom’s permission.”
“I understand. Will you call me when you hear from her?”
Tama nodded. “I will.”
When I got back to the car I started the engine, closed the windows, cranked up the air conditioning, and called the number Jea had given me for Detective Jan Halstaad. She picked up on the third ring.
“Crimes against persons, Halstaad speaking.”
“Detective Halstaad, my name is Nicoli Hunter.”
“Ah yes, Ms. Solomon called me about you. You think you have a better chance of solving this case than a group of trained professionals?”
If I wasn’t mistaken, there was something behind that sarcasm. It sounded like she was enjoying herself.
“It’s not the first time a police detective has asked me that question. You know Bill Anderson, don’t you?”
She laughed out loud. “You caught me. Yeah, I know Anderson. He’s a good cop. I’ve heard a lot about you, Ms. Hunter. Not all of it bad.”
“I assume you know better than to believe everything you hear. So what can you share with me about your investigation into Sky’s abduction?”
“We haven’t made any progress at all on that case. As soon as we found out about the kidnapping an AMBER Alert was issued. We got a few calls from people thinking they’d seen a child who looked like Sky, but they didn’t pan out. It’s like she just vanished. We’re pushing the AMBER Alert on social media, but so far nothing.”
“What about the woman who was seen taking Sky?”
“When I was interviewing people at the preschool I spoke with a little girl who said she’d seen Sky with a woman, but she couldn’t give me a description. Kid’s don’t retain memories the way adults do.”
“Huh. I didn’t know that.”
“Can I ask a favor?”
“Sure.”
“If you get anywhere with this, will you bring me in? I really hate child abductions and I’d like to make sure whoever took Sky never gets the chance to do it again.”
I detected a hint of vigilantism in her tone. It reminded me of Nina Jezek. Nina is a serial killer of sexual predators who was abused as a child. I wondered if Detective Halstaad had a similar history. Nina had become a merciless crusader, protecting and avenging young victims.
“I’ll be happy to keep you in the loop, detective.”
“You can call me Jan.”
We ended the call and I labeled her number in my cell phone, then drove home.
CHAPTER 13
After a quick walk around the marina, Buddy and I returned to the office. I tossed a few ice cubes into his water dish, served him his lunch-time kibble, started a pot of coffee, and turned on my laptop. While I was waiting for Windows and my coffee maker to get moving, I called Jim’s cell. The call went to voicemail. Instead of leaving a message I called his office. Sherry Troop, one of Jim’s agents, answered on the first ring.
“Superior Investigations. Sherry speaking.”
“Hey! What are you doing answering the phones? Why aren’t you out in the field?”
“Heather took a late lunch. I’m just covering her break. How are you, Nikki?”
“I’m good. I wanted to check in with Jim to make sure he got my schedule.”
“He’s on the phone at the moment. You want to hold, or should I have him call you back?”
“I’ll hold,” I said, opening my Excel workbook of restaurant and bar surveys.
“Did I tell you I have a new kitty?” Sherry interrupted my guilty thoughts about my regulars.
“No. Congratulations!”
“His name is Charley. He’s a beautiful, black short hair rescue.”
“And how do Fiona and Chloe feel about the new addition to their family?”
The first time I’d met Sherry she was waiting tables at the Garden Grill and she’d shown Elizabeth and me photos of her two gorgeous cats.
“They’re mostly ignoring him, but it’s only a matter of time before they accept him into their clowder.”
“What’s a clowder?”
“It’s a pack of cats.”
“I didn’t know that. I’m sure you’re right. It’s just a matter of time until the girls accept Charley.”
“Oh, Jim’s off the phone. Hang on.”
Sherry put me on hold and a moment later Jim picked up.
“Nikki! How’s my favorite PI?”
“I thought you were your favorite PI?”
“I stand corrected. How’s my second favorite PI?”
I couldn’t help laughing. Despite the stress of looking for a kidnapped child, not to mention a client who had been murdered, Jim still managed to cheer me up.
“I’m okay,” I said. “I wanted to make sure you got my schedule.”
“I’ve got it. We have everything covered except tonight’s dinner and bar survey at Edouard’s.”
“I can do that one.”
“Great. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.”
We ended the call and I went over my notes, then opened a blank Word document and entered all the information I’d gathered so far. When everything I knew was in the file, it was obvious the next step had to be meeting with the little girl who might be able to ID Sky’s kidnapper. I called Tama and asked if she’d heard back from Aiyana’s mom yet.
“No, but if she’s working she may not be checking her cell for messages.”
“Okay. Sorry to bug you. I guess I’m feeling anxious about Sky’s situation.”
“That’s understandable. I’ll call you as soon as I hear back from Kate.”
After disconnecting I scanned the list of parents Tama had given me earlier. There were two Katherine’s and one Kate. Since I didn’t know Aiyana’s last name, it could be any of the three. I didn’t want to risk alienating Tama, but I felt a sense of urgency about this case that was impossible to ignore.
I Googled both Katherines and found nothing for them on Linked, so I tried Kate Reed. She was a founding partner of Samson & Reed. Impressive. There were pictures of the partners and associates on their website. Kate appeared to be in her mid-thirties with dark hair, hawk-like features, and an intimidating glare aimed at the camera. She looked like she might be Native American. Although it wasn’t a requirement for the preschool, it did make it seem more likely that she was Aiyana’s mom.
I dialed the number listed for the corporate office of Samson & Reed and an automated voicemail system asked me to type in the last name of the individual I wished to speak with. I typed in Reed and listened to a moment of canned music before a woman with a husky voice picked up.
“Kate Reed’s office.”
“My name is Nicoli Hunter,” I said. “Is Ms. Reed available?”
“What is this in regard to, Ms. Hunter?”
I thought for a moment before answering, “Her daughter, Aiyana.”
“Has something happened to Aiyana?”
“No. I just need to speak with her mother for a moment.”
Silence. Then, “I’ll see if she’s available.”
After a full minute of muzak, Kate Reed picked up.
“Who are you?” she asked without preamble.
“My name is Nicoli Hunter, Ms. Reed, and I’m a private investigator working for Jea Solomon concerning the abduction of her daughter, Sky.”
“What has Sky’s abduction got to do with Aiyana?”
“You really don’t know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Aiyana was the only child who saw the person who took Sky. I’d like to show her some photos to see if she recognizes anyone.”
More silence. “I wondered why Tama was calling.”
“Aiyana may be Sky’s only hope. You can call Tama or Jea to confirm who I am. I promise it will only take a few minutes for me to show these photos to your daughter.” I decided to pull out all the stops. “Think ab
out how you would feel if it was Aiyana who was missing.”
That must have done the trick. She said, “I can meet you at the preschool this afternoon at four-thirty.”
“Thank you. I’ll be there.”
Kate hung up without saying anything further. I assumed she’d confirm my identity between now and 4:30. I looked at my watch. I had two hours to kill before I had to be back at the preschool. I parked Buddy with D’Artagnon and drove to Palo Alto.
CHAPTER 14
The Palo Alto Medical Center is located on El Camino and takes up a full city block, including multiple parking lots. I circled the facility, identifying the ER, visitor, and employee parking areas. The cars and SUVs parked in the employees’ lot were mostly midrange vehicles, with the exception of a couple of Mercedes and BMWs. There was an “employees only” entrance at the back of the main building.
Having completed my reconnaissance, I drove back to Amarillo Avenue and found a shady place to park until my scheduled meeting. I rolled down the windows and took out the photos I’d printed to show Aiyana, wondering how much detail a four-year old would be able to remember. Thinking back to myself at that age, I reflected on my own ability to focus. Mom had started teaching me how to play the piano at the age of three. I’d loved music, but resisted her demand that I practice two hours a day. Still, I’d done it. By age four I was working with a different teacher and performing in recitals. I was touted as a “prodigy,” but I always had terrible nightmares before a performance. I remember one concert when I was playing a Bach prelude and I lost my place in the piece. Rather than stopping, I simply improvised the rest of the prelude. The only person who noticed was my teacher, Mrs. Ish.
I decided that if I was cognizant enough at that age to improvise a Bach prelude convincingly, Aiyana might be focused enough to remember a woman she’d seen abducting her friend only a few days ago.
At 4:25 I gathered my photo array, locked up the Bimmer, and headed for the office where I assumed Kate, Aiyana, and Tama would be waiting. I knocked before entering the office and found Tama with a statuesque woman dressed in a sleeveless black sheath and red pumps, her dark hair pulled back in a French twist. Kate Reed.