Lucas said, “And what brought you here?” He looked at Renan. “Or who?”
Renan said, “All right, Lucas, listen up… Have you heard about the mass disappearances?”
Lucas nodded. “Of course.”
Renan said, “Well, we need to find some of the missing.”
Lucas said, “You lost his mind? Even the Federals do not allow anyone close to this matter.”
Jonathan said, “Why not?”
Lucas said, “I heard this may be due to military actions. Some kind of experiment or something like that, but the sources are not reliable. Perhaps they do not want publicity and by the way, Renan… Journalists and writers cannot publish details.”
Renan said, “But should there be anything?”
Lucas said, “You should talk about this with Jomie.”
Jonathan said, “Jomie?”
Lucas said, “Yes. He is here one of the best hackers, he can find information in closed bases.” He pointed to a lonely guest, who was still working at the laptop.
They turned around - a man with dark glasses and a wave of waves on his neck cheerfully waved at them.
Each case is special…
Jonathan and Renan sat down opposite Jomie, he studied them carefully, he heard their pulse…
Renan said, “Jomie… You heard everything. How many?”
Jomie said, “If you work with me, forget about the money.”
Renan said, “So what do you want?”
Jomie looked closer. “A car. Without plate numbers and any identification marks. Without a navigation system.”
Renan and Jonathan exchanged glances.
Jonathan said, “Well, that’s possible.”
Jomie said, “Fine.” He started working on his laptop. “The FBI has information. This is related to Calico, this is a ghost town in California.”
Renan said, “Ghost town? It is an ideal place to hide dozens of people.”
Jonathan said, “I do not think so. Such places are protected or periodically the police come there to make sure that there is no illegal action there.”
Jomie said, “Yes, but now this city is guarded around the perimeter. And… Classified information - the FBI found the bodies of some people, who were in the crowd of those who were among the disappeared.”
Jonathan felt a slight dizziness. “Are there any children among them?”
A minute later, Jomie said, “No - only adults.”
Jonathan breathed out.
Renan said, “If these were murders… Was it a kidnapping?”
Jomie said, “According to the information, they were found in Calico. The causes of death are not yet established.”
Renan said, “Anyway - it looks like a planned action against the inhabitants of the United States.”
Jonathan said, “Something else, Jomie?”
Jomie said, “No.” He took off his glasses. “Now it’s your turn. I will keep you informed. I know how to contact you.”
***
Meanwhile, Agent Devon Warren was working on the case at the FBI office. He studied Colin’s file, but for some reason he focused his attention on the words of his doctor - he was too perfect, he breaks into someone’s head, attacking consciousness. However, this could be his professional tactic. Unfortunately, it did not help to prevent the disappearance of people after his words. Now, it was conclude that not all crazy people lose their minds. But now there are victims… Now these are serial killings, and Colin probably had a common space with these people until sometime. They took him away… again. How did he get into a psychiatric clinic? Was it an accident?
“Agent Warren?” Nicholas Gonzalez, the chief of the FBI branch approached him. “What do you have now?”
Devon got up. “Sir… Colin LeCompt’s words are like pieces of a puzzle that I’m trying to assemble and this will give me a general picture of what actually happens during all the disappearances that happened that led to the murders. It’s not just a serial killer, Mr. Gonzalez. He probably also has a mental breakdown like Colin LeCompt, perhaps this is the reason he talks about it.”
“And how did a guy with this disorder knew about this?”
“That’s it, Sir. How did he know? Could he be involved in this? That’s hardly. He is afraid of getting into this “Nowhere”, which he so often mentioned. No, Sir, but he certainly could know who’s behind it. And he was pushed to hide the truth behind the confusing sentences.”
“So what do we have?”
“This.” Devon showed him Colin’s files. “He talks about “Nowhere” that surely means the ghost town of Calico, where the victims were found because during the conversation about it, he said, “They will disappear to nowhere, then it will just burn them.”
“Does it mean they kill?”
“I think so. Next, Dr. Fallon asked him - who is standing on all this? To which he replied - this is the one who hides under the mask, but everyone sees his face.”
“Your theory?”
“Under the mask. He hides the real essence under his own face. As I said, whoever it is, he certainly has a mental disorder. But Sir… The son of Dr. Jonathan Fallon also disappeared or… kidnapped, so what if it’s not an accident? After all, LeCompt has not been so open with other doctors before. Perhaps he could be his patient in this very clinic. What do you think?”
“For now, it’s just a thought, Devon. To move on, we need real clues and it needs to be found until someone else is hurt.”
“As I understand it, he has a choice of victims - he steals several crowds of people, then kills only some of them. But why did he need the children from the school, which he… maybe not yet touched?”
“If he has a mental disorder, he may not know why he does anything he does.”
“Yes, he does not need motives and consequences are not important.”
“Talk to the Doctor. If he was his patient, he can recognize him through a psychological portrait.”
***
“Episodic paroxysmal anxiety that leads to unpredictable panic attacks, repeated fears of crowded places. Periodically, the patient was disturbed by the perception of the real world and memory impairment. Also, he has depersonalization that means a disorder of self-perception. Before, he needed to find the real reasons that affected his mental state. But he keeps it in his mind, which is protected by his sense of self-preservation…” Renan looked through Jonathan’s notes of Colin.
They rode along an empty road, time showed an hour after midnight. They noticed that on the sideways lay somebody’s lost things - watches, school notebooks, scarves, broken mobile phones… Jonathan was looking at it and it made him sure he was on the right track.
“You violated the rights of your patient, Doc.” Renan closed the folder with the notes. “Share information with an outsider?”
“But you will not tell anyone.”
“And you just trust people like that?”
“I can see their mind, Renan.”
“Hmm…” Renan looked out the window. “And these cities… Ghost towns, are they really guarded?”
“No.”
“But you said so?”
“Because I do not know who is involved in this.”
“Colin LeCompt? He is mentally unstable, he can be the initiator of all this and see in himself two people, while thinking that the second is someone from the side. Is this possible?”
“Yes, but not in his case. Usually, when the personality is split, each person is not related to the other. But he is afraid of who… Who did this to him.”
“The FBI found out that among the victims there were no children. Your son is alive.”
“And they did not even inform about these victims. That means this information is classified. Calico can be a pacifier or temporary shelter, although it looks more like a place to get rid of unnecessary souls.”
Renan looked out the window. “Jonathan, stop the car…”
“What…?”
Renan shouted, “Stop it now!”
The ca
r stopped abruptly, Renan got out and leaving the door open, he headed along the curb. Looking at him, Jonathan followed him; he drew attention to stuff that lay on the ground… Were they alive when they lost them?
“Jonathan, look at this.” Renan approached him, holding a photo album in his hands. “It lay on the sidelines.” He gave it to the doctor.
Jonathan opened it and looked through the photos - random images of people from the streets, in coffee shops, in a cab… in the school corridor. “Photos of Daniel… What the hell is this, Renan?”
“Well… I think he… he watched them before getting them kidnapped.”
“And how could he collect them all, random people in one place and organize their abduction?”
“Because he is no worse than you, Jonathan. He could see their mind.”
***
The ghost town of Calico was a typical abandoned city with a style of the Wild West - empty houses and lonely things in them filled the whole atmosphere. Arriving there, Jonathan and Renan headed along the stony road, listening to the sounds around. The cold emptiness in the open buildings made them feel extremely alert, but step by step… they continued to move forward, lighting their path with the light of their lanterns.
Renan said, “You know, abandoned cities always have their own charm, but it’s something else. All the doors are open, all that is there is through you.”
Jonathan glanced at him and lit up a couple of houses. “And how many similar cities have you seen?”
“In general, seven - Poggioreale, Sanchi, Oradour-sur-Glane, Chernobyl, Milovice, Kolmanskop and now, Calico.”
“It’s impressive.”
“Well, people love disclosing the secrets of such cities. After all, despite how many years they were abandoned, they continue to discuss this, think about it and create new theories. But hell… What could happen here after this city lost its inhabitants?”
“What would you write about it?”
“I would have thought that all kidnappings were organized by a mentally unstable man who simply loves… to watch how the kidnapped people behave under similar conditions. But there is no one here.”
They stopped.
Renan lit up the area around him and stopped the torchlight on one of the open houses. “Or maybe I’m wrong.” He went there.
Jonathan followed him. “What did you see, Renan?”
They entered a cramped house where there was a bed, a small curbstone and a rectangular mirror reflecting the light of the Crescent moon. Renan went to the bed and took the blue scarf that lay on it. Jonathan looked at it.
Renan said, “All the room is in the dust, but it’s… Someone left it here recently.”
“Yes… It’s Daniel’s. It belongs to my son.”
“Well-well…” Renan handed the scarf to Jonathan. “So we go in the right direction.”
“And that means they were here. Then where are they all now?”
“Let’s check other rooms, maybe we’ll find other identification marks.” Renan went out and headed along the empty Calico Street again.
Jonathan followed him, tightly squeezing the blue scarf in his hand. Going behind Renan, he heard someone’s steps on the side… He shone into one of the open houses - he was there… Colin stood in one of the windows, he raised his hand and disappeared in the dark. Jonathan, without saying a word, continued to follow his companion…
***
Closer to 4:30am, Agent Devon Warren stopped his car in front of the fenced perimeter. Showing his badge, he went ahead looking around - in the perimeter zone there was a parking lot for buses, one of them was forensic for the FBI, one of them Dr. Sean Terrell approached him.
Devon said, “Dr. Terrell, what happened here?”
“Here is the next victim of kidnapping. Her name is Delanie Reed. This parking lot is without surveillance cameras and there is only one guard. As it turned out, two buses of their park were stolen, but one of them was returned together with the dead body.”
“Their buses were stolen and how could they not notice it?”
“The guard said, he fell asleep that was atypical m we checked his coffee - there was a sleeping pill in it.”
“It’s clear… Our kidnapper planned everything, recognized the buses and stole the bus and killed Reed, returned one, but damn it… Is this too much?”
“The buses were stolen around ten in the evening. Delanie Reed was killed several hours earlier. But that’s not all, Agent Warren. You should look at this.”
They approached the bus, Devon looked inside - some stuff were scattered on the floor and on the seats; wearing gloves, he got in and took one of them. He was holding a children’s backpack, he opened it and took a notebook that was in it. “Daniel Fallon. One of the kidnapped… he’s the son of that Doctor.” He took ID and looked at it - Max Bordon. “I remember his name. And all these things belong to these people, I suppose?”
Dr. Terrell watched him. “It’s all over, yes. And one more thing…” He handed Devon a packet of evidence.
Devon looked at the thing that was there. “Residential psychiatric facility?”
“She was its patient.”
“Like Colin LeCompt. We have a connection”. Devon left the bus. “Dr. Terrell, check the database of the fingerprints of everyone who was there, I want to know if there was anybody from the kidnapped related to this clinic, okay?”
“Of course, Agent Warren.”
“Thank you.” Devon went to his car, creating new lines of thought in his head…
After a while, he stopped the car in front of the office building. He entered and went up to the eleventh floor. “Office of Doctor Tavare.” He knocked on and went in.
Dr. Tavare, a psychologist who from time to time advised Devon about questions of the personalities of federal criminals. Shaking his hand, he invited him to sit down.
They sat opposite each other in wide chairs.
Tavare said, “I examined the details of your investigation again, Agent Warren. I think I have new information.”
“What can you tell me about this kidnapper?”
“He is very careful. It is possible that he could have seen a psychiatrist before, and he may also be aware of certain points of psychology.”
“Can he be one of the patients in the clinic?”
“Yes. However, he is a special type.”
“What that means?”
“He is an observer.”
“Explain?”
“He is watching you. All this time. He has a unique mindset that allows him to so carefully prepare for the next move. He knows the course of your thinking and those who are interested in finding it. An observer means a leader. You need to surpass it to find it.”
“Given that his victims also have a connection with a psychiatric clinic, could he keep in touch with them?”
“Yes. As if reading people’s thoughts, he knew what they would do, where they would be and how to get them to fall into their trap.”
“Is he a sociopath?”
“This is possible, but not for sure.”
“And what should we do to find out his identity?”
“You do not need to hunt for his identity, Devon. All you need is to attack his mind, then you will find his mark and you will be able to reach him before he does it.”
“Should I become an observer?”
Tavare nodded. “Mind is not a vicious circle, Agent. You can find a way out by moving in the right direction.”
Coming out of Dr. Tavare’s office, Devon dialed Jonathan’s number and told him about the findings his son had broadcast while he left the office building.
***
At this time, Jonathan and Renan rode along the Calico route, through the light Crescent moonlight. Renan took a few notes in his mobile phone and occasionally watched the movement in the window; he restored several memories from the past - the atmosphere for that was like it, the same thick shadows of the forest, the empty road that seemed endless… The summer house of h
is parents. When he was eleven years old, he once again came there and it seemed to him that finally freedom was around - there were no other people around him, no neighbors, only cars passing by sometimes. One summer day, leaving him alone, his parents went shopping to the nearest town, but even after a few hours they did not return. It was close to night; Renan was still waiting for them, going out of the house every ten minutes. It was August, and the day was shorter… The sun went beyond the horizon early and under the light from the windows of their two-story house, he went out to check the road again - everything also it was lonely. But somewhere there was a light… Someone’s silhouette was approaching from a few meters away from him. “Why does not he have transport? What is he doing here so late?” Feeling cold chills, little Renan returned to the house and locked all the locks; he walked away from the door, but still watching it. He inspired himself that it was just some traveler, who might already have passed by, but this knock on the door… Once again… And again… Male voice said, “I know you’re home.” The knocking continued… His sense of self-preservation led him out of his stupor, considering it logical that Renan went into the kitchen and grabbed a sharp knife from the closet. “I know you’re home…” This rough voice was heard from the outside, but he was no longer afraid of him… Renan went to the door again and stared at it, firmly holding the knife. “I know you’re home…” The door handle turned a few times, he froze… Still hearing his breath, he went to the door. There were no sounds… He heard familiar voices outside, after the door lock clicked, his parents entered. Natalie and Ted Stewart saw their son holding a knife with panic in his eyes while he looked at this shadow behind them that ordered him to stay silent, putting his finger to his lips. Renan took a step back to the questions of his parents, but all this was no longer important. Even after many years he did not know who it was and whether it was real. Could it be just a child’s imagination? Somehow he did not find a way to find answers to all the questions that had been circulating in his head since that day and sometimes it seemed to him that he could still hear his voice whispering behind the door, “I know you’re home…”
Jonathan brought him out of his memories, telling him, “What do you think about this, Renan?”
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