by Bob Cooper
***
Later that day, Aidan arrived at the restaurant earlier than the others. He sat at the bar and ordered a Margarita. He was upset from reading the notes that his close friend, Captain Tom Gardner from the Citizen Guard, sent him. He gulped the drink down and ordered another. Not wanting to dampen the gathering tonight, he would deal with it in the morning.
Annie had reserved the back room of the restaurant for dinner. When everyone arrived, they wasted no time settling down. Raina stood up.
“It’s so great to see all of you,” she said, choking back tears. “I’ve missed you terribly.” She looked around the table. “I wish Acey could be here.” Aidan gave a half-hearted grin. Annie noticed the pain on her father’s face.
Raina continued. “It wasn’t that long ago when we were together to celebrate my election to the Senate. It seems I underestimated how much that job would keep me away from the people I love. I want you to know that wherever I am, I’m thinking of you.”
Everyone clapped. Carina moved over to Raina.
“When are you leaving?”
“In three days.”
“You think I could come and visit you? I’ve never been to the Capitol.”
“Sure, if it’s okay with your parents.”
Carina smiled and hugged her.
At the end of dinner, Hillary gave Raina a painting of Raina reciting the oath when she officially became a Senator. Aidan’s com link buzzed. It was Acey.
“Hey. Where are you?” he asked.
“Sorry. I got delayed in Mexico City at our board meeting. I’ll be in tomorrow.”
“There are some people here that would like to say hello,” he said, handing the link to Raina.
“Acey. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Sorry I couldn’t make dinner. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Yes, but I’m only home for a couple of days.”
Acey talked to everyone at the dinner. When it was Dirk’s turn, he took the com link and moved away from the table.
“It’s good to hear from you. You should be here,” he said, using a tone Acey hadn’t heard in a long time.”
“I’m sorry but …”
“They miss you. I miss you.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“I love you, Acey.”
“I love you, too.”
***
Aidan was at the café waiting for Captain Tom, who was late as usual. Annie had set up several interviews of recent graduates from the Criminal Justice program at the Academy from where Annie graduated. Aidan promised to be back to help. Captain Tom finally arrived.
“Hey, good morning. Thanks for meeting with me.”
“No problem. How have you been?”
“Great. We have a major development unfolding. We need your help,” Captain Tom said.
“From what I read in the case file, this seems like another missing person situation,” Aidan said.
Captain Tom looked around before he spoke.
“It’s more than that. A young boy has been kidnapped.”
Aidan opened the file. “It says missing person …”
“Does the name Jonathan C. Nelson III ring a bell?”
Aidan closed his eyes trying to remember. “The spoiled brat that inherited billions after his parents were killed in a shuttle crash?”
“Yes. He’s not missing. We know who has him.”
“Why does the Guard want me involved?”
“For two reasons. They said they would kill him if there was any evidence of the Guard’s involvement and there can be no publicity on any media. So his guardians, an Aunt and Uncle, forbade us to get involved.”
“The fact that you talked with his guardians involves the Guard.”
“Not really. I’m the only one who knows. I had business dealings with the uncle, and he asked me if I knew someone who could intevene.”
“Intervene! What does that mean? Someone to handle the exchange of funds?”
“No. They’re still waiting for the ransom note, but the funds will be handled electronically. They want someone to covertly find out more about who these people are and the reason why Jonathan was kidnapped.”
“Isn’t it obvious that they want money?”
“The Uncle suspects another reason which he wouldn’t share with me.”
Aidan gulped his coffee down and wiped his mouth. “Geez, Tom. This sounds like it could be dangerous.”
“It is dangerous, Aidan. No way to sugarcoat it. But if anyone could help them, it would be you.”
Aidan squirmed in his seat. When he started the business, he promised Acey he wouldn’t handle anything dangerous. Captain Tom noticed that Aidan was having a hard time deciding.
“Look, talk to the Uncle. You’re under no obligation. If you’re not willing to do it, then I’ll look for somebody else.”
It did sound intriguing. “Where can I find the Uncle?”
***
Annie didn’t say anything, but the look she gave Aidan showed she was upset because he’d been gone so long.
“Sorry, I’m late. How did you make out with the interviews?”
“I interviewed all three candidates. They all were qualified, but one stood out,” she said, pushing the resume over to Aidan.
Aidan quietly read the summary. Gretchen Coswell, twenty-four, graduated magnum cum laude, Advanced degree in Criminal Justice Science with a minor in Forensic Technology, looking for a career in an unstructured environment where I can utilize my education and skills to …
“She sounds well-qualified. Have her come in tomorrow, and we can both interview her,” Aidan said.
“I’ll set it up for the morning. Mom’s coming in the afternoon.”
“Sounds good.”
Dirk walked into the office. “Excuse me. I’m done with the paperwork you asked me to do. Do you have anything else?”
Aidan was surprised to see him, but lately, he’d been coming to the office where they gave him menial tasks to do. It was sad to see a man of his stature doing trivial tasks.
“That’s all I have today,” Annie said.
He looked at Aidan.
“I have nothing, but I do need to talk to you. I’ll stop over later tonight.”
Dirk nodded and shuffled towards the doorway. He looked like a lost soul with no purpose.
“It’s getting late, Annie. Why don’t you go home? I’ll close up,” Aidan said.
“I’ll be with Aunt Raina and Carina tonight. See you later at Dirk’s house,” Annie said.
“Okay, I’ll see you over there.”
Aidan went back to his office and pulled out the paper that Captain Tom had given him. He called the Aunt and Uncle of the missing boy. No answer. He noticed the address wasn’t too far from Dirk’s house, so he decided to drop by.
The mansion was on a private road in the foothills. The entrance gate was closed. He got out of his cruiser and pushed the button to announce himself. No response. He pushed it two more times. No answer. He was about to leave when he noticed thick smoke coming from up the driveway.
“Shit!” He hopped in his cruiser and rammed through the gate. When he got closer, he saw flames engulfing the entire left side of the house. Kicking in the front door, Aidan ran in.
“Hello! Hello!”
No answer. Smoke and flames came roaring through the kitchen. No sign of anybody. He ran upstairs, and on the landing, he saw two bodies laying there covered in blood. A clean hole in each of their heads told Aidan it was an execution with a small laser disruptor. The flames shot up through the second floor, and Aidan knew he had to leave immediately.
Running out the door to his cruiser, he hopped in and sped away. He screamed into his com link calling the emergency services number.
“Hurry, there is a fire. There are people in the house!”
He gave them the address.
“Sir, can I have your name, please?” the emergency operator asked.
Aidan thought for a second. “Just a c
oncerned citizen.”
3
Aidan raced over to Dirk’s house and sat in his vehicle composing himself. He called Captain Tom and told him what happened.
“Who the hell did this?” Captain Tom asked. “This is going to be all over the news.”
“What are you going to do about the kid?” Aidan asked.
“I don’t know, but now I have to get the Guard involved,” Captain Tom said.
“Okay, let me know if you need me for anything.”
“Will do. Thanks, Aidan.”
Dirk watched through the window. When Aidan noticed him, he got out of his cruiser and went into the house.
“Is everything all right?” Dirk asked.
“I guess so. How about a beer?”
They walked into the kitchen. Norma was still at work, so they were alone. He popped open a beer and sat at the table.
“Dirk, Acey will be home tomorrow. Can you pick her up? I’m interviewing a prospective employee for the business. If everything goes okay, I’ll offer her the job on the spot.”
“I can pick Acey up. How long will she be in town?”
Aidan sighed. “Probably not long. She mentioned something about a claim dispute she needs to resolve. God only knows where that will take her.”
Dirk heard the frustration in his voice. Her success as a CEO left her little time for family. “You don’t mind if I take her to lunch after I pick her up?”
“No. Go ahead. I’ll be busy settling my new employee.”
Raina came in with Annie. They looked tired.
“What did you guys do this afternoon?” Aidan asked.
“We hiked into Deadman’s Canyon. Why haven’t you taken me there, Dad?” Annie asked.
“I did. A long time ago. You were around eight. We’ll have to go again with your Mom.”
“I miss the desert. Not much wildlife in D.C. except for the politicians,” Raina said, laughing.
“I ordered a pizza. Norma is picking it up on her way home,” Dirk told them.
“Okay, but I have a conference call in an hour,” Raina said.
“And I have a date I need to get ready for,” Annie added.
Norma came home, and they had just finished devouring the pizza when Aidan’s com link buzzed. It was Hillary.
“Aidan, we were watching the news and saw the footage of the Nelson mansion burning. Carina is distraught. She went to school with Jonathan Nelson.”
“I don’t have the monitor on. Let me …”
“Aidan, Carina keeps asking to see you. She says you’re involved.”
Aidan lowered the com link as everyone stared at him. His startled expression caught their attention.”
“Is everything okay?” Norma asked.
He didn’t answer but nodded his head. Picking up the com link, he said, “I’ll be right there.”
***
Carina was curled up on the couch crying when Aidan arrived. Billy opened the door, and Aidan walked in.
“What is going on?” Hillary asked in a concerned tone.
“Can I speak with Carina alone?” Aidan asked.
Hillary looked at Billy. “Yeah, sure,” he said. They left the room.
Aidan sat next to Carina. She lifted her head and wiped her tears.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“How do you know Jonathan?” Aidan asked.
“I went to school with him,” she said, drying her eyes. “He was my best friend in grade school. Then his parents died, and his Aunt and Uncle put him in private school.”
Aidan remembered the situation. He inherited billions and everyone was out to get a piece of it. He was hidden away for his safety, or so the story goes.
“What can you tell me about him? Was he a normal boy when you knew him?”
She looked around to see where her parents were before answering. “He was anything but normal.”
“What do you mean?”
She looked around again. “He was like me.”
Aidan knew what she meant. Carina was a Star Child. Around seven percent of all humans had these alien genes. The effects varied but in Carina’s case, they could do remote viewing and sometimes see into the near future. Her parents did everything they could to raise her as an average child. But Hillary knew that was impossible.
“He could see things like you?” Aidan asked.
“Yes. I saw flames surrounding you. I dismissed them since I get all kinds of images floating in and out occasionally, but when I saw the news, I freaked out.”
Again, she looked around. “Were you at the mansion?”
Aidan thought about how to answer her. He decided to tell her the truth. “I was. Something bad happened to Jonathan. I need your help to figure it out.”
She sighed and nodded okay.
“We have to tell your parents.”
She sat, a worried look on her face, but nodded her head in agreement.
Aidan told Hillary and Billy what was happening. Hillary was upset knowing that Carina’s involvement would open them up to public scrutiny and the hate mail and threats would start again.
“I can’t let you get involved,” Hillary said, hugging her daughter.
“It’s your decision to make, but maybe she can help determine where he is,” Aidan said.
“We have to discuss this tonight. I’ll call you first thing tomorrow,” Billy said.
“All right. I’ll respect whatever you decide.”
***
Aidan sat at his desk drinking coffee when Joey popped in. “It’s your wife on the private line,” he said.
“Thanks.” He put the com link on audio. “Hi, Acey. Where are you?”
“I’m leaving Mexico City now. Should be home in a couple of hours.”
“Okay. Dirk said he would pick you up. He wants to take you to lunch.”
“There was a pause. “Okay, I guess. Is something wrong?”
“I don’t think so. He misses you as we all do.”
“I know. I’ll be home shortly.”
Joey came to the office with a young woman with short blond hair dressed in a business suit.
Aidan motioned for them to come in. “Hey, I’ve got to say goodbye. See you when you get home. Love you.”
“This is Gretchen Coswell. And this is Aidan Carter,” Joey said, leaving after the introductions.
“Come in. Have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”
“No, thanks.” She sat, adjusting her short skirt and putting her leather folio on the table.
“My daughter, Annie, who you talked to yesterday will be joining us. Your resume says you live in Seattle?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Annie came in and took the seat next to Aidan.
“Okay, shall we get started?”
Please do,” Gretchen responded.
She had a confident look which Aidan took as a sign of enthusiasm. He smiled at her.
“Can you please tell me why you’re interested in joining our company?”
Gretchen coughed nervously and opened her folio and took out several media articles. She spread them out on the table.
“This is why.”
The media articles told how Aidan believed Dirk was framed for the murder of his best friend at the Academy and how he, Acey, and Raina found proof of his innocence. After all the publicity, Aidan was let go from the Citizen Guard. Aidan would never forget those unpleasant circumstances.
“I studied the case closely in school. You were a folk hero to my friends and me. When I saw your opening, I didn’t hesitate to send you my resume.”
“A folk hero, ha?” Annie said, chuckling.
Aidan laughed. “Thanks, but I did what I believed to be the right thing.”
Annie explained the type of work they performed. “Some of it is not very glamorous.”
“It goes with the territory. But in a private company, survival depends on reputation. So no matter how trivial or boring, I will do my best,” Gretchen said.
Aidan was impressed. They interviewed her for two more hours before taking a short break. Annie and Aidan agreed that she would be a good fit for the job.
“We decided to offer you the job. The details of the offer are in this envelope,” Aidan said, pushing it to her. “You can think about it tonight and call me tomorrow.”
“Thank you so much. There is no need to think about it. I accept the offer. I can start tomorrow morning if that’s all right.”
“That would be great.”
“One favor I’d like to ask of you,” Gretchen said to Aidan.
“What’s that?”
“Could you show me around the city and help me find an apartment?”
“No problem. No problem at all.”
***
Dirk took Acey for lunch at her favorite Mexican café in the city.
“I’ve missed you. We all missed you,” Dirk said to his granddaughter.
“I know. This job takes so much out of me. Don’t get me wrong. I love it, but I miss all of you. How’s Norma?”
“She’s fine. Still working. She can retire, but she’s like you. Loves the work. Raina’s here until the day after next. She’s staying with us. How long are you in town for?”
“I’m here for a while. I’m meeting with the accountants, and then I have several meetings with the off-world mining regulators, and then after that, I thought Aidan, Annie and I could do some camping.”
“That would be nice.”
There was an uneasy silence until their meals arrived. Dirk began eating away. Acey played with the food with her fork.
“How did your doctor’s appointment go?”
“What doctor’s appointment?” Dirk asked, with a mouthful of food.
“You know. The one you promised me you would go to before I left town.”