Soulmates
30
The Hunt
Rose and Angus and Kate and Thursday
“AND YOU THINK, based on a curious message you can’t show us, that this girl has been kidnapped and some psycho guy has her to do nasty experiments on. Why the fuck us instead of the cops?” Kate demanded.
“Did you bring something funny instead of weed?” Thursday demanded of Rose. “Angus can’t handle hard stuff anymore. It’s the PTSD.”
“I know, honey. I was around before you were even thinking of dancing,” Rose said. “By the way, I understand why he comes to look at your cute sex garden when you dance. It’s inspiring.”
“Hope you had fun last night,” Thursday shot back.
“Oh, we did. We certainly did.”
“Quit farting at each other, my droogies,” Angus said. “This is serious. Rose and I both know this guy. He’s a crackpot disguised as a psychologist. He’s been stalking kids he thinks have a special ability.”
“The guy we sent on his way at Safeway?” Kate asked. “You mean he got one of those two kids?”
“No. He got their girlfriend. She’s a client of mine,” Rose said.
“What’s she buy from you?” Thursday asked.
“I’m a counselor for teen girls. You should have come to see me when I could have helped. Girls don’t have to endure that kind of abuse.”
“Angus! Did you…?”
“Didn’t say a word. She’s just very perceptive.” Angus scowled at Rose. «Turn it off!»
«This isn’t getting us anywhere,» Rose responded.
“Here’s what I want us to do,” Angus said. “You two visit the girl’s mother. Find out when and where she disappeared and why it wasn’t reported to the police. Rose and I will head to the bastard’s home. We’ve got an address.”
“You can take care of him if he’s home,” Rose said. “He won’t be, but I know you’ll have a good look around. I have a college friend who has an office near his. I’ll see if she’s spotted anything and find out if I can get into his office. It’s not likely. His office will be locked up tighter than the house. But maybe she’s seen something.”
“Okay. We’d better change into different working clothes,” Kate said, looking at Thursday’s cheekies and crop top.
“I wore a coat over it,” Thursday complained. She and Kate headed out to visit Mrs. Lombard.
“You be careful, Rose.” Angus said.
“You, too, old man. Keep that sword unlocked.”
Jaime and Keira and Lanie Lombard
«This is the place,» Jaime said, checking the street view Emerson sent to his phone. They still had Keira’s mother’s car, though they’d need to get it back soon. They hadn’t yet decided how they would arrange being together the rest of the weekend.
«Yeah,» Keira responded as she managed to park behind a snowbank. «We might as well go knock on the door. If Trayce answers and screams, we just turn around and leave.»
«Otherwise, we ask whoever’s there where she went.»
The two walked up to the door. Keira took the lead and rang the bell. There was no immediate response and Keira knocked. After a few moments, there was a noise and the door scraped open.
“Who are you and what do you want?” the woman demanded. “You’re too young to be police.”
She looked unkempt, a little desperate, and as if she hadn’t slept recently. Jaime and Keira could see a bottle of vodka and a baggie of what they assumed was weed on the living room coffee table. Neither looked as if they’d been opened yet.
“Is it okay, Lanie?” a woman asked from the kitchen.
“Couple of kids,” Mrs. Lombard answered.
“Mrs. Lombard, we’re friends of Trayce and haven’t heard from her all week. We were wondering if she was okay,” Keira asked.
“Okay? I wish I knew. ‘Leaving and never hear from me again.’ That’s what she said. The police won’t listen to me. They pointed at the note and said she was eighteen and they couldn’t do anything. I can’t believe she just walked off with just a note on a scrap of paper left in the car. Didn’t take anything!”
“She was going to meet us at the mall Friday. It was the first time we were going to meet face-to-face and she never showed up. Are you saying she left a note in the car and just ran away?” Keira asked.
“I know I’ve not been much of a mother. Not since her father was killed. But I’ve been making progress. I thought she was with me. That she understood. There’s nothing left now.”
The woman who had called from the kitchen came rushing to Mrs. Lombard and immediately wrapped her in a hug.
“We’ll make it, Lanie. We got through last night. We can get through today,” she said.
“Are you related to Trayce?” Keira said, she could see the answer, but wanted to establish the relationship aloud so she didn’t sound like she was making assumptions.
“I’m Lanie’s AA sponsor, Susan,” the woman responded. “Why don’t you come in and tell us what you know about Trayce’s disappearance?”
Susan and Lanie backed up to allow Jaime and Keira to enter the living room and sit down. They looked at the unopened bottle and baggie.
“Those are our enemy,” Lanie said. “They try to tell us Trayce is the enemy and they are our friends. We know. We won’t fall.”
“Not today,” Susan said. “One day at a time. Not today.”
Jaime was alarmed by the thoughts of bloody destruction Mrs. Lombard held in the back of her mind. They were filled with alternating images of a happy family and all of them lying dead and bloody. Her mind was a horror story, held together for the moment by her sponsor.
“You’ve told the police she disappeared?” Keira asked.
“They called me when they found her car in the mall parking lot,” Mrs. Lombard said. “Told me to come and get it or they’d tow it away. Snow was coming. When I got there, I found the note in the car. I showed it to the police, but they said there was nothing they could do. We call every day and they say they haven’t heard anything about her. Where could she go with nothing more than her purse? She didn’t have that much money. She hasn’t touched her bank account.”
Jaime could see she was barely holding it together. She had images playing in her mind of drinking the entire bottle of vodka at once. If that didn’t work, she’d run her car into a bridge abutment.
«We can’t leave her like this,» Jaime said to Keira. «Even with her sponsor helping her.»
“Don’t be too hasty, Mrs. Lombard. We believe something happened to Trayce. She disappeared on her way to meet us at the mall. We’re going to find her. Don’t lose hope. We’ll find her. May we see the note?”
Mrs. Lombard fished in her pocket and brought out a wrinkled piece of typing paper. It had been torn, but most of the message was still visible.
“I can’t take it anymore. You and the voices in my head are driving me crazy. I don’t know where I’ll go or what I’ll do, but I’m leaving and you’ll never hear from me again. Don’t even try to find me.”
«Fuck!» Jaime shouted in their heads. «She can’t have meant that. She was on her way to meet us!»
«It’s typed. It’s not even addressed or signed. She didn’t do this,» Keira responded, grasping Jaime’s hand. The world around them opened and Mrs. Lombard’s thoughts clarified.
He doesn’t speak. They are the voices she heard in her head. Like the voices I heard. But they’re kind and aren’t threatening her. They are angry at some man who… kidnapped her! We have to find her, she thought.
«She hears,» Jaime said, clamping down on his thoughts.
“Mrs. Lombard, Trayce is in danger. We’re going to find her. Hang on until we do, okay?” Keira handed the note back to her and Mrs. Lombard shoved it back into her pocket.
“Tell me what I can do,” Mrs. Lombard said. Her eyes were clearer than they’d been when the teens arrived. Susan was sitting up straight, observing, but mentally silent.
“We’re going to her therapist’s office and see if she contacted him. We’re suspicious of him anyway,” Keira said.
“She said she was seeing a woman counselor,” Lanie said.
“She went to Dr. Edmonds after she’d seen Dr. Schwartz. Yes, you are right. We are two of the voices she heard. But we’re real people, not characters she was writing about. We’ve already seen Dr. Edmonds. But Dr. Schwartz is a little shady. He tried to treat Trayce with hypnotism and triggers. Trayce was coming to meet us and we were all very excited. Then she was suddenly not there. We couldn’t find her anywhere.”
“And you are just now looking?” Lanie asked.
“We thought she just decided she didn’t want us to be real and left. But, we kind of got a message from her early this morning and she was asking for help. The problem is we don’t know where she is yet. But I promise you, we’ll find her!” Keira said.
Yes. Find her. Bring her home safely to me.
Jaime and Keira and Emerson
“Emerson, what do you have on the quack? Anything?” Keira asked when she got their friend on the phone.
“Well, he’s got a lot of reviews online. Most say things like ‘So nice!’ and ‘Who’d believe hypnotism works? Lost ten pounds!’”
“That’s not encouraging. Sounds like a nice guy.”
“That’s not all of them. Here’s one that says, ‘Don’t fall for his ventriloquism act. He’s not talking in your head. I recorded it.’ Another says, ‘I don’t think I was hypnotized, but I think I got good advice.’ And here’s one that says, ‘This fraud knows absolutely nothing about women. Go to a female counselor!’ There’s enough to raise red flags if I was looking for a counselor. Which I might be after this.”
“Don’t despair, Em. We’ll work out a way to show you everything is real.”
“That’s the problem. Maybe it’s the same problem Trayce was facing. You can convince me that it is all real, but the rest of the whole world says it’s not. That’s what I have to reconcile. Don’t worry, though. I won’t break down until we get your girlfriend back.”
“Thank you. You’re really a great friend,” Keira said.
“So, here’s the doctor’s office address and a map from where you are. I don’t know what you might find on a holiday like today, though. Surely, he won’t be there.”
“We can’t wait,” Keira said.
“Okay. I sent a link to the Google map to Jaime’s phone. Good luck.”
Jaime and Keira and Alice McCormick
«This is the building,» Jaime said.
«Underground parking. Let’s take a look»
Keira pulled into the garage of the fairly new office building.
«Must be doing pretty well to afford a place here. Look. Designated parking spot.»
«It would be easier if he was here,» Keira said.
«I have an uneasy feeling,» Jaime said. «Keep an open ear. He might not be the only one involved.»
«That’s spooky.»
They looked around the garage trying to spot anything that might not look right. There were only half a dozen cars in the garage.
«Emerson said suite 201,» Keira said. «Let’s go up.»
The elevator did not respond.
«Holiday,» Jaime said. He tried the door to the stairway and it opened. It looked like it hadn’t been closed tightly. They went up the stairs to the second floor. «The stairway doors aren’t very well defended.» He started to open the door.
«Wait! Someone’s at the elevator,» Keira said. They paused, peeking out the door as a woman got on the elevator and the doors closed. Keira gasped.
«Who was she?»
«My Aunt Rose. Please God, don’t let her be involved in this mess. She was here to see someone, so there must be an occupied office here.»
«Maybe she was just investigating, too,» Jaime said, comforting Keira. «We practically demanded that she help us.»
«Let’s go with that.»
The two listened carefully as they worked their way along the hall. A low mental hum came from an office marked ‘Parent/Child Resource Center.’ They couldn’t make out specifics, but the woman—they could tell it was a woman—sounded upset. They moved on to the end office.
«Do you think he works alone?» Keira asked.
«I’m not sure anyone would work with him. I’m sure some of the anger from that other office was directed at him, not at your aunt. She might have asked your aunt here to report something.»
«I’ve got an idea.» Keira dialed Emerson’s number and their friend picked up immediately.
“Emerson, can you send me a picture of Trayce? A recent one from her socials that doesn’t include cat ears or a nose?”
“Sure thing, hon.”
“Do you know who has the office next door to Schwartz? It’s called Parent/Child Resource Center,” Keira said.
“Give me a minute. There’s a building directory. Um… 205. Alice McCormick, Parent/Child Resource.”
“You’re so good! I don’t suppose you can hack into traffic cameras and find out where Schwartz has gone, could you?”
“Keira, I’m not a hacker. I’m on a lot of social media and I can get good search results by using different search engines. But I don’t know how to hack into security cameras or traffic cameras. Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Oh, you’re not. Really. It was just a thought and how would we know if we don’t ask. Please don’t get upset with us.”
“I don’t know why I’m not upset. But I’m not. You’re not mind-controlling me, are you? I really like you guys and I said it before: I’ll do whatever I can to help find your girlfriend. Just be careful out there.”
“We are absolutely not trying to control you! We’re just so thankful you are willing to help.”
“Well, give the boy a kiss for me,” Emerson laughed.
“I might wait and let you do it yourself,” Keira responded.
“Well, if you give him one, then he’ll have to give me one and I’ll have to give it back to you. Isn’t that the way it works?”
“Emerson! Wow! Um… I’ll check in again later.”
“Be safe.”
Jaime and Keira moved back to the other office.
«So, Alice McCormick? Let’s see if she has information,» Jaime said after Keira gave him a quick kiss and then darted back in for one slightly more serious. If it was going to go around in a circle, she wanted it to be a good one.
They tried the door and when it opened, Keira took the lead and saw an empty reception area, complete with a toy chest and comfortable chairs.
“Hello? Ms. McCormick? Is anyone here?”
The inner door opened almost immediately.
“Hello. How may I help you. You don’t look like a parent and child,” the woman said. She appeared to be in her early forties—about the same as their parents. She had dirty blonde hair and was just a few pounds overweight, but not obese.
“Ms. McCormick, we’re Keira and Jaime. We’re looking for someone and we’re canvassing the area to see if she’s been seen. Do you recognize this girl?”
Keira held up the photo Emerson had sent her. Ms. McCormick took the phone and backed into her office, beckoning them in. She sat behind her desk and motioned them to chairs as she continued to look at the picture.
“What is your interest in this woman?” she asked.
“She’s our girlfriend. She’s been missing since last Friday. Just dropped off the map,” Keira explained.
“Your girlfriend. You plural.”
“How did…?”
“If she was just a friend who was a girl, you’d have said ‘a girlfriend.’ If she was your girlfriend, you’d have said ‘my girlfriend.’ Or, it could have been ‘his girlfriend.’ But you used a specific article: ‘our.’ The two of you share a girlfriend?”
“Um… It’s complicated.”
“Just go ahead and tell her,” Jaime signed as he spoke in Keira’s head.
“We… Yes. She is both our girlfriend. We were supposed to meet at the mall last Friday, but just before she arrived, she disappeared.”
“Is your friend deaf?”
“No. He just doesn’t talk. He signs.”
“You aren’t signing to him.”
“He hears fine.”
“I see. What do you hope to do when you find your girlfriend?”
“We think she’s in danger. We have to help her.”
Ms. McCormick sighed and sat back in her chair, handing the phone back to Keira.
Exactly what Rose said. She didn’t mention the boyfriend and girlfriend. Hmm. I suppose that means I’m free to tell them what she and I discussed. The more people looking for the girl, the better.
Jaime and Keira heard her thoughts clearly.
“How strange that you would show up right after an old friend of mine asked to meet me here to discuss the same thing. She agrees that the girl might be in danger.”
“You think something is wrong, too!” Keira said.
“Possibly. Schwartz—I assume that is who you really want information about—saw her a few weeks ago. When she left his office, she seemed strange—like she was in a trance. Didn’t speak when I said hello. Of course, I inquired about her, but Schwartz wouldn’t give out any information on his client. He’s not supposed to. There was nothing more I could do.”
Ms. McCormick didn’t really need to say what came next. It was fresh in her mind from having told Rose. Of course, she assumed she needed to say it aloud anyway.
“He’s been acting strange lately. For over a week before Christmas he didn’t seem to have any appointments. Every time he was in the office he was accompanied by two… bodyguards, I think. Man and woman who acted like minions. Don’t go thinking they are incompetent, though. I overheard him in the garage telling them to prepare a room. Then, last Friday morning, they picked him up and left. He hasn’t been seen here since.”
“A room where he could stow Trayce!” Keira said. “Do you know where?”
“Schwartz has a second home in Astoria. It’s a small historic inn. It’s managed by a couple who lives there year-round. I’d bet it was the same people who were with him here. He has his own suite and goes there often. The whole thing is a warren spread across two buildings and connected underground.”
“How do you know so much about it?” Keira asked.
“I was invited to be a guest there a few years ago. That was long before I became suspicious of how ethical his counseling might or might not be.”
“What raised your suspicions?”
Jaime was constantly signing and communicating with Keira mentally, while she asked all the questions. She took his suggestions along with her own and kept the questions coming. Jaime, in the meantime, stayed tuned into Ms. McCormick’s head, reading more deeply into what she was saying.
“Schwartz revealed himself as quite the conspiracy theorist. Not about things like who shot Jack Kennedy or did we really land on the moon. He is more of the CIA spying on people using some kind of rays to extract their thoughts.”
“Geez!”
“Unfortunately, he believes he is a target of such surveillance because of his research while doing his PhD at the University. You know, don’t you, that psychologists are not medical doctors. That’s psychiatrists. Schwartz is a neurological psychologist who studies the brain and how it functions. He ran several bizarre experiments during his time at UO before settling on a topic for his dissertation. I was one of his subjects. He wrote a dissertation on inner monologue and inner dialogue. He may be paranoid, but he is quite brilliant.
“That’s where I met Rose Edmonds and we hit it off well and have stayed friends. She’s always said I should keep an eye on Kenton. I guess this is why.”
Jaime began signing rapidly and Keira waited until he was finished before she began to interpret.
«Are you sure?» Keira asked Jaime.
«Yes. This woman knows more about him than anyone we have access to. Except maybe Angus and your aunt. See if she knows.»
Keira composed her question.
“Are you aware that he is continuing to do research because he believes there are people who can talk in their heads and he wants to control them?”
Ms. McCormick paused while the two teens looked at her. They could see enlightenment dawn on her.
And you are two of them, aren’t you? And your girlfriend is another? You must be very careful. It could be as dangerous for you as for your girlfriend.
She didn’t speak, just nodding. She wrote down the address for the inn in Astoria. Jaime and Keira left.
Please feel free to send comments to the author at devon@devonlayne.com.
