Amandas head shot up. Then youll find Paul. It was a statement, not a question, one that was rife with faith that Forensic Instincts would succeed.
Were going to determine if hes alive, Casey amended. And if he is, my team will find him.
Thank you, Amanda said gratefully.
She was an attractive woman, Casey noted. But she looked much older than her mid-thirties. She also looked dazed and battered, as if shed been struck with a sledgehammer. The hell she was going through was unimaginable. Casey didnt have children of her own, but that didnt mean she was immune to Amandas pain. Having your newborn sons life on the line, being helpless to keep him alive-Casey couldnt fathom anything more excruciating for a new mother.
I have to ask you a few questions, she told Amanda gently. I know your heart and mind are with your son. But the more help you can give us, the faster and more effectively we can do our job.
Amanda nodded. Ask me anything you want.
Tell me about you and Paul. Where and when you met. How the relationship progressed. Where things stood between you when he vanished. Anything the police said when they wrapped up the investigation into his possible death. How much you knew about his work, his friends, his business acquaintances. Any enemies he might have had. Any personal details that could explain his disappearing off the grid. Any reason you can think of that hed be in Washington, D.C. Where he lived in the Hamptons and anything you can remember about his place-mementos, photos, anything that might reveal something more about him.
Wow. Amanda blew out her breath, blinking at the deluge of questions Casey had just fired at her. I assume Marc filled you in on what I told him and showed him?
He did. And some of what you tell me will be redundant. I realize that. But I want to hear it from you.
Okay. Paul and I met at a political fundraiser. There was chemistry from the start. We got involved pretty quickly, and we were together for five months. He was a real-estate developer. I never met any of his colleagues. I met a few of his friends, mostly neighbors near the house he rented and a couple of his poker buddies. Paul and I were pretty wrapped up in each other. Most of the time we spent together was alone.
So things were good right up until he vanished?
A nod. We hadnt talked in a few days, which was unusual. I assumed it was because he was busy. We were supposed to have dinner that night. He never showed. I called his cell phone all night. Then I went to his house.
Which was where?
In Hampton Bays. Its a small cottage, close to Tiana Bay. He rented it year-round. It was about twenty minutes from Westhampton Beach, where I live. He was working on some big real-estate development project in Southampton. We didnt get into the details. But enemies? I cant imagine anyone hating Paul. He was easygoing and charismatic. And I also cant imagine why hed disappear. Things were so good between us. And I never even got a chance to tell him about Justin. Amandas voice quavered. When I think that way, Im sure he must be dead. Nothing else makes sense. But, on the other hand, where is his body? Why didnt the Coast Guard ever turn up anything? It makes no sense.
The police dismissed the case, Casey continued. Did they leave any doors open?
They said they had nothing to go on. No suspects, no motives and no body. Amanda took a quick gulp of her coffee. As for D.C., your guess is as good as mine. Paul never mentioned any friends or relatives there. Could he have gotten a project there? Of course. But I have no way of knowing.
Okay, lets get to Pauls cottage. Do you know if its been rented out?
I dont know, Amanda replied, looking puzzled. But what difference does that make? All his things are gone. I donated everything to charity except items that had sentimental value to me.
Ill need to see those items. Also, Ill need the name of Pauls landlord. Casey gave the simpler explanation first. As for the house, Id like to get permission to go inside. I dont know whether or not youre a believer, but Claire Hedgleigh, one of my team members, is a brilliant intuitive. She might pick up on something just from being in Pauls surroundings-especially if no ones lived there for the past eight months. And shell definitely have a shot at sensing something from the personal items youre talking about.
Youre talking about a psychic.
Caseys lips curved. Claire hates that term, but yes. A psychic. She was crucial to solving our last big case, and before she joined Forensic Instincts, she was tremendously successful working with law enforcement.
If she can help tell us if Pauls alive and where he is, Im all for it.
Good. Then you wont balk at my next request. Last night when you spoke to Marc at the office, you met Hero. Hes another unconventional member of our team-a human scent evidence dog. Between sniffing out Pauls place and sniffing the scent pads well make from Pauls personal things, hell be able to zero in on Pauls presence within miles-if and when we get to that point. So, can you give me the information on Pauls landlord? Ill make a few phone calls and check the status of the cottage. Also, would you make a mental note of whatever mementos you have? Well drive out to the Hamptons together either later today or tomorrow, depending on when you can make arrangements to leave your son.
Amanda shut her eyes for an instant. Thank you for understanding, she said simply. My friend Melissa has offered to stay with him whenever I need to leave. And its not as if the hospital staff isnt in constant contact with me. I just feel better when Im close by. Its not logical. Its just being Justins mother.
I dont blame you. Casey pushed back her chair and rose. You go to your son. Ill call you as soon as were good to go.
Ryan was leaning over his computer, deep in concentration, when Claire walked in.
Where is everybody? she asked.
Ever hear of knocking? Ryans gaze never left his monitor.
Why? Is this a private sanctuary?
Actually, yeah, it is.
Claire rolled her eyes. Then put a lock on the door. Or at least keep it shut. She walked over to Hero, whod jumped up from his nap the minute she walked in. He gazed at her hopefully, and with good reason. Claire was definitely the soft touch of the team, not only in her handling of the cases, but in her handling of Hero. Her sensitivity went right along with her pale blond hair, light gray eyes and willowy figure-not to mention the ethereal quality that emanated from her.
She didnt have many buttons that set her off. But Ryan McKay was one of them.
Now Claires lips curved as she scratched Heros ears. The bloodhounds gaze was locked on her.
In my pocket, she told him, reaching in and pulling out a piece of cheese. She offered it to him. He slurped it up and swallowed it in one bite.
Youre a doormat, Ryan noted. And youre going to put five pounds on him in less than a year.
Its low-fat cheese. No harm, no foul. Claire scanned the room, taking in the workout equipment, the vast array of computers, servers and network wires, and the centerpiece of the room: a long line of semicompleted robots-all surrounded by a pile of metal and plastic parts that were just waiting to be used.
I wouldnt worry about my touching anything in your precious basement, she retorted. Id trip and kill myself if I tried. Plus, I dont know what half this stuff is anyway. Especially your toy section. Robots were never my thing.
No, youre more of a tarot card girl.
Despite her vow to remain impervious to Ryans barbs, Claire grimaced. Youre so narrow-minded, its sickening. And FYI, I dont do tarot cards. Or Ouija boards.
Séances?
Nope.
Youre a boring psychic.
And youre a pain in the ass.
Ryan spun his chair around, leaned back and folded his arms behind his head. He looked disgustingly amused. Nice comeback. Cold, too. Im getting to you.
Claire shot him a look. Not a chance in hell.
Then whyd you drop by? No one uses the basement but me. The conference room is two flights up. He pointed at the ceiling.
I know where it is. Claire folded her arms across her chest. Dont flatter yourself. Im here because I got a call from Casey. She said were having a full team meeting. I went straight to the conference room. When no one was up there, I chose the obvious-you. You live in this cave. So, I came down to check and see if you knew anything.
Yup. A full team meeting it is. Casey called me, too. Ryan glanced at his watch. Shes on her way. Sos Patrick. And Marcs in the kitchen, brewing a pot of coffee and probably eating my trail mix.
Fine. Then Ill go up and wait. Claire hesitated. Did you find anything?
Ignoring Claires question, Ryan leaned forward and pressed the print button on his computer. A handful of pages glided out. He strolled over and picked them up, perusing them as he did. Youll know when everyone else does, he said at last.
Claire didnt answer. Trying to reason with a preschooler was pointless. She just left the room and shut the door behind her with a firm click.
Ryan glanced up at the closed door, his lips curving into a lazy smile.
All humor was off ten minutes later as the team gathered around the conference room table.
I met with Amanda Gleason, Casey began, hands folded in front of her. Marc was dead-on in his assessment. The woman is desperate. The situation is heartbreaking. Time is of the essence. And were going to save this baby at all costs. She turned to Ryan. What do you have for us?
Lets start with my facial recognition software. I did a comparison of the guy in Amandas photos with the enhanced image of the guy in the cell phone picture. Using elastic bunch graph matching techniques and a cutting-edge sparse representation algorithm, I was able to determine Ryan glanced around at the table of blank faces. Never mind the details. Im ninety percent sure its the same guy.
Nice odds, Marc commented.
Yup. Im willing to bet that Paul Everett is alive.
A fact that were not going to pass on to Amanda Gleason, Casey informed them. Not until weve ruled out the other ten percent.
Agreed. Ryan nodded. Moving on, I got in touch with a couple of Paul Everetts former business associates. Lots of praise. No red flags.
Agreed. Ryan nodded. Moving on, I got in touch with a couple of Paul Everetts former business associates. Lots of praise. No red flags.
So a dead end.
Nope. Now comes the interesting part. Marc got me some personal info from Amanda-Everetts birthday, where he banked, a few key dates like when they first met-that kind of stuff. I did a little bit of strategic guesswork and a lot of poking around. It took me some time, but I managed to hack into the guys banking records.