Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1)

by J. M. Cataffo

  The man became flustered. “How dare you suggest such a thing?”

  “I’m not suggesting anything. I just need to make sure I have my facts straight.” Lani held the mic out for him to speak.

  He snapped his fingers a couple times and looked toward one of his employees. A young girl approached carrying a clipboard stuffed with paper. Pulling a pair of reading glasses from his pocket, the man examined the list. “It would seem I was mistaken,” he said. “This unit was vacant, but the occupant left only yesterday.”

  “And you didn’t find it odd the apartment had been vacated only a day before the explosion?”

  “According to this, the owner left of her own accord. She’d been a tenant here for a long time, and we released her from her lease…” He took off his glasses. “I’m sorry, but what does this have to do with the explosion?”

  “I’m just trying to get an accurate picture of the situation here, Mr. Londheim. We want to make sure our viewers don’t jump to their own conclusions.” Lani gave him a reassuring smile.

  “Quite right.” He nodded. “I don’t know if it was strange for her to leave the day before, but I promise, it is not uncommon for a tenant to leave abruptly.”

  Lani stepped back and whispered to Jake. “At least now we know her mother wasn’t taken.”

  “Yeah, but the apartment manager is definitely trying to cover up that anything happened here.” Jake pointed to the section of carpet that had been removed.

  Lani gave him a grave look, then turned back toward the man. “I think we have everything we need. Thank you, Mr. Londheim.”

  “Let’s get somewhere where we can do a bit of digging,” Lani said as soon as they’d left the room. “We need to check the registry to find out where Mr. Top Hat lives.”

  “That’s easy! I can use TESSA to hack in to the hotel’s system.” He pulled out his phone and frowned. “I’m going to need a computer, though. This phone won’t be able to interface—man, I need a better phone!”

  They made their way down to the lobby and into the business center. The computers weren’t free, but Jake quickly circumvented its attempts to block access. Within minutes, he’d made a connection to the TESSA server. It took only a couple searches to find what they needed.

  “Here are all the occupants of the building.”

  Lani stared at the names. “That’s not very helpful.”

  “Give it a moment.” Jake smiled. Sure enough, pictures popped up next to names. “It’s searching every social network, news source, database, anything that can link these names to more information about them.”

  Lani’s eyes grew wide. “This could be dangerous!”

  “Only if we’re not careful,” Jake said. “Mostly, it’s all information already available online, TESSA just has a knack for finding it.”

  Jake was becoming more impressed with Daniel’s work each time he used the code. It was amazing to think that dorky kid he’d fallen for had turned out to be such a brilliant and good-looking young man. He felt guilty for what he’d done, but Daniel seemed to have come out of it better than he had. If only things hadn’t gone differently.

  “There!” Lani pointed.

  Sure enough, a picture of a man in a top hat appeared on the screen. Jake clicked the entry and information poured into a window.

  “James Van der Haak, prominent investor. Owns gobs of land all over the country. Looks like he makes his money off strip malls and entertainment complexes. He was born in Salem, Oregon, and he is fifty-nine years old. He owns three vacation homes, one of them in the Caribbean. He has three grown children and his wife is deceased.”

  “All that information is available online?”

  “That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s tons more here, but none of it really relevant. Other than the fact he’s a rich guy and owns a lot of land, I don’t see how he fits into all this.” Jake dropped his hands onto his lap.

  “Me neither,” Lani agreed. “Although, that’s interesting.” A new piece of information popped onto the screen.

  “It’s a contract between James Van der Haak and a company called Genome Synergistics.” He tried to access the company, but could find nothing. “That’s odd.”

  “What is?” Lani asked.

  “There’s no information about the company online other than a generic webpage.” He brought it up. “But this tells you nothing. No contact information, nothing. It doesn’t even say where the company is.”

  “I thought you said TESSA could find anything,” Lani reminded him.

  “Anything attached to the servers in my dad’s network,” he corrected. “This company could have its own dedicated servers independent from any commercial links. It would be strange, but not unheard of. Generally, it would be companies needing tighter security.”

  Lani stood. “I guess we’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.”

  Jake glanced up, confused.

  “Find out what apartment this guy’s in. We’re going to go talk to him.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  YASIF SAT WITH SALLY AND IDRIC in an inconspicuous area of the lunchroom, eyeing passing students.

  “How many of them do you suppose are shape-shifters?” Yasif asked.

  “There’s been no indication there’s more than one,” Sally pointed out.

  “What about the bird thing?”

  “It’s a shape-shifter.”

  “Right,” Yasif replied.

  “Are we just gonna sit here?” Idric whined.

  Sally shrugged. “What else do you suggest?”

  “I don’t know, I just thought we’d be doing something a bit more…” Idric searched for the right word. “…productive.”

  “We know so little right now. We can’t just barge into the headmistress’ office and demand answers,” Sally reasoned.

  “Yeah, I’m not going in there without a plan,” Yasif said.

  Idric grunted. “I just want to do something.”

  “First you’re all, ‘I’m not supposed to use my powers’ and now you want to do something?”

  “Well, it’s not like I have to hide it anymore.” Idric put his elbows on the table, resting his head on his hands.

  “Don’t you think Padilla will know we’re up to something?”

  “She’ll expect it,” Sally said. “But like I told you. She can’t do anything as long as we stay in public.”

  “What makes you think that?” Idric asked. “She didn’t have a problem before.”

  “Actually, she did. Remember, she only turned into the bear thing when she was outside the building where no one else was watching. That means she doesn’t want to make a scene. Why else send a shape-shifter if not to blend in?”

  “You have a point,” Yasif said. “What about everyone else. What if the other kids realize what we’re up to?” Yasif asked.

  “Yaz, no one else knows what’s really going on. Sure, there are rumors, but when are there not? Just be patient. We scope things out and see if we can learn something.” Sally pushed her hair behind her ear and pulled out her tablet.

  Yasif went to the vending machine and then returned with a soda and an idea. “What if we catch her or something?”

  Sally looked surprised. “Catch her? How?”

  Yasif looked Idric. “Any ideas?”

  “I told you. I can’t just make things happen. It only works when there’s a convergence.”

  “Can we create a convergence?” Sally asked.

  Idric eyed her. “You create them all the time. Anytime you interact with someone or something it causes a convergence. The nature and strength of that convergence depends on the interaction itself.”

  “So if we confront the headmistress, we create a convergence?” Yasif asked.

  “Yes, but the type of interaction affects the nature of the convergence and the magic that results.” Idric sipped his drink.

  Sally asked, “How long have you been studying this stuff?”

  Idric’s leg bounced up a
nd down nervously as he spoke. “All my life. We are trained early how to control our gifts. Children who are not trained can cause dangerous things to happen unintentionally.”

  Yasif shifted nervously. “How do you know?”

  “Know what?” Idric asked, perched on the edge of his chair.

  “That you’re an Aashr.”

  “You’re born an Aashr,” he explained. “Parents who are Aashrs have children who are Aashrs.”

  “Do they always marry other Aashrs?” Yasif asked.

  “No,” Idric admitted. “It only takes one parent to give the gift.”

  “So is there anything we can use to trap the shape-shifter?” Sally asked.

  “Like I said, I can’t create the magic. I can only use it.”

  Yasif looked up from his soda and pointed toward the office. “Look!”

  Sally’s insides churned as she caught sight of the two men in suits going inside. “Division 51,” she said slowly, mostly to herself.

  “Division who?” Idric asked.

  “Division 51. They’re the creeps who cornered us when we went to Athens to pick up Jake.” Yasif grimaced.

  Sally continued, “They’ve got some serious tech and claim to be investigating the disappearances. But I don’t get why they’re here. Since when is the government interested in the paranormal?”

  “Maybe they know something we don’t,” Idric suggested.

  “And they’re meeting with the headmistress,” Yasif pointed out. “You don’t think they might actually be involved in all this, do you?”

  “Why would they be investigating something if they were the ones who caused it in the first place?” Idric asked.

  Sally answered. “To cover up the fact they’re involved?”

  “Seems too easy,” Idric replied.

  “How so?” Yasif took a swig of his drink.

  “I just don’t understand why,” Idric explained. “It’s like a huge puzzle where the pieces just don’t fit.”

  Yasif shrugged.

  Idric continued. “The most logical explanation is they’re just as interested as we are. Just for different reasons, most likely.”

  “The kid has a point,” Sally said.

  Anger passed over Idric’s face. “I’m not a kid!”

  “Sorry.” Sally tousled his hair.

  Idric threw her an angry look.

  She grinned, teasingly.

  Idric went on. “Anyway, if they knew more than us, they wouldn’t have questioned you like they did. They’re interested in these things for different reasons.”

  Sally thought a moment. “They sure were adamant about finding out what we knew.”

  Yasif nodded.

  “None of this explains why they’re spending so much time with the headmistress,” Sally pointed out.

  Yasif set his drink down. “I say we find out.”

  Sally raised an eyebrow. “And how do you propose we do that? Idric just said he didn’t know how to trap her.”

  “Maybe we don’t need to just yet,” Yasif said. “There’s got to be a way to hear what’s going on in there.”

  “Is there a way to cast some kind of listening spell?” Yasif asked.

  “How the heck should I know?” Idric looked annoyed. “I learned how to control my powers, not to use them. I’ll start learning that when I turn sixteen.”

  “Have you considered that maybe this could be solved without magic?” Sally suggested.

  “How else would we do it? Waltz in there and hope they don’t notice?” Yasif asked. “We could be like, ‘Don’t mind us!’”

  Sally rolled her eyes and smiled.

  Yasif glanced up and then back at her. “What?”

  Idric looked just as confused.

  Sally crossed her arms and glanced up at the ceiling.

  Again, Yasif glanced up and back at her. “Is there something on the roof?”

  “Yaz.” Sally sighed, pointing at the intercom speaker directly above them.

  “Ohhhh…” He blushed.

  A moment later, they were headed for the server room. Yasif explained on the way. “It should actually be pretty easy to rewire Mrs. Padilla’s intercom to hear what’s going on in there.”

  “You say it like it was your idea!” Sally chided.

  Yasif pulled the door, and the three went inside. Immediately, he went to the box where the intercom was connected. He pulled open the panel to reveal a mess of wires.

  “It looks like a bowl of black spaghetti,” Idric commented.

  “You sure you know what you’re doing?” Sally asked. “They’re not going to stay in there forever.”

  “I know,” Yasif said impatiently. He pulled a few wires loose, referring to the diagram on the back of the panel to find the ones connected to the headmistress’ office. Once he’d figured out what wires he needed, he instructed Sally to grab a spare speaker off the shelf. He connected it. “Okay, as soon as I turn this on, we have to be very quiet. I can’t do this without a two way connection.”

  They nodded agreement and flipped the switch on the speaker. “…we understand your concerns, gentlemen.” Mrs. Padilla’s voice was calm and collected. “We are taking every precaution to protect our students.”

  “You realize this could threaten the safety of everyone at the school. I strongly recommend evacuating the building until we are certain we have a handle on what is happening here.” Sally knew that voice. It was Agent Dawkins.

  “That is something I cannot do, gentlemen. I understand the risks, but we have nowhere else for these children to go, and many of their parents are unavailable. Mostly overseas.”

  There was silence for a moment or two before Dawkins spoke again. “Here is a list of recommendations. I highly encourage you to follow these. Any students with information should be directed to us. It would not be prudent for you to question them yourself.”

  Another moment of silence passed. “These recommendations could carry much more urgency if I were forced to declare a threat to Homeland Security and lock down the school.” His voice was more direct this time.

  “I assure you gentlemen, that will not be necessary,” Mrs. Padilla acknowledged.

  “We will be keeping an eye on things,” he said.

  Idric sneezed.

  “What was that?” Agent Thompson’s voice came through the speaker clearly. He must have been the closest.

  Yasif flipped the switch. “Idiot!”

  “I’m sorry! I couldn’t exactly help it!”

  Yasif scrambled to undo the wires. “We’ve got to go, now!”

  They rushed out of the room, their shoes screeching on the polished tile.

  “Hold it right there!” Agent Thomson called after them.

  They raced toward the exit doors. Idric, being the smallest, took the lead, Sally directly behind. Yasif struggled to keep up. He’d always hated sprints

  It was no use. The two agents were gaining. He just wasn’t a good runner. Idric and Sally had already made it to the back door and were almost out of the building when Yasif felt a sharp prick in his back. It felt as if something had bit him. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, his muscles twitching uncontrollably.

  “Get away from him!” Sally’s voice seemed so far away.

  Yasif’s cheek was mashed against the cold tile. He tried to move his head to get a better view until Agent Thompkins’ boot appeared in front of him. He knew he was in for it when the man kneeled in front of him and smiled.

  “We could have done this the easy way.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  JAKE WATCHED WITH AMUSEMENT as Lani pulled a bobby pin from her hair as they approached the door to the man’s apartment. She glanced up and down the hall to make sure no one was watching, and then bent the pin, ready to pick the lock.

  “I don’t think that’s going to work.” He chuckled, pointing at the keycard slot.

  “Damn it!” Lani cried. “Technology. What happened to the good ‘ol days?”

  “Do yo
u have a credit card?” Jake pulled his phone from his pocket.

  Lani fished in her bag and pulled out a worn plastic card. Jake took it and retrieved a wired connector from his pocket. “I like to be prepared.” He connected the attachment to his phone and clipped the ends of the wires to the side of the card. A few minutes of fiddling, then he slid the card into the lock.

  “I used to do this at the hotel in Athens,” he said.

  Lani responded with, “Why?”

  “Just ‘cause I could. I was a bored kid who was pissed off at his father.”

  “Good thing you’re one of the good guys now, eh?”

  He laughed as he fiddled with the contraption. It took only a few seconds for the indicator to turn green.

  “How did you do that?” Lani asked.

  “All buildings have a standard access code for emergencies. Having done so much work with these things, I know the codes for most of Atlanta.” He smiled and pushed open the door. “My father’s company installs the networks these things run on.”

  Lani glanced around. “Everything looks so ordinary. What would the shape-shifters want with this guy?”

  “I thought that’s what we were here to find out,” Jake replied.

  Lani disappeared into a bedroom, leaving Jake to scope out the living room.

  He’d never seen a cleaner home. This guy’s apartment was spotless, not a single thing out of place. It looked like a showroom rather than a person’s apartment. There were no papers lying around, no bills, nothing that could help them figure out what this guy was about.

  Jake moved into what looked like an office where he found a large mahogany desk. Inside the drawer, everything was neatly organized, but he found nothing of consequence. Finally, he came across a file drawer. He flipped through the folders until he found one labeled Genome Synergistics.

  “Lani!” Jake called out. “I think I found something.”

  He showed her the paper. It was a memo about paid time off, but what interested him was the address at the top. “This seems a bit odd. Why would he keep something like this and nothing else?”