The Black Squirrel

Telepaths: The Park Slope Conspiracy - 32

2011-07-08T23:18:00.000-04:00

This week's chapter is also the last chapter. Elise wants Maggie to move in, but Maggie isn't sure. Unexpected news during a hostage situation might change her mind.*

*This chapter contains strong language, contentious parenting and finally, Lee gets to be useful.

32. Crossroads

Maggie

The light through the blinds made striped patterns against the ceiling. I stared at them as I swallowed and tried to wet my tongue where it had gone dry from panting. I was hot but I didn’t have the energy to push the blankets off my feet or roll away from Elise where she pressed against my side. Skin to skin I could feel too hot and enjoy the heat I was giving off at the same time. Elise was chilled under the spinning ceiling fan and buried her face in my neck, her arm around my waist.

Aren’t you glad you had Friday off? “Glad you got the day off?” I repeated when my tongue didn’t feel pasted to the roof of my mouth.

She murmured something unintelligible against my neck and laughed when she heard herself. Very. As glad as you are that classes are over.

“Almost over. Now they’re getting supervised field time.” I turned my face away from her hair where it made my cheek sweat. Three weeks of field training, what was I thinking?

Heaven help the people of New York. Elise reached behind her and found the blanket. She pulled it over her and covered me up to the waist. “Do you get a break before your next class? I feel like I only get you on the weekends.”

“It was your boss’s idea to give them intensive training. Maybe you could put in a good word, get us a week or two?” I asked, knowing what this was leading up to. It was becoming clear that she didn’t realize how well I could read her when we touched. She thought I didn’t know she’d skirted the same question in her mind for almost two weeks, blocking while she decided how to ask me to move in with her. It wouldn’t be so much of an issue if you had your own place, I reminded myself. Moving in with Carl had been easy and made me feel useful when I’d had nothing to do but clean up the Piken profile while the Feds made deals with him for information on what went on in the labs. I screwed my eyes shut at the thought. I’d heard, through Carl, how the interviews with the test subjects were going. There weren’t many from that lab that would see the outside of Park Slope in their lifetime.

Elise shifted and propped herself up on one elbow. “Do you think that’s how I should be using my new position?” I wouldn’t want the Senator to think I could be bribed. The hand that had been resting on my stomach began moving in a slow circle.

I suddenly felt less tired despite the eight straight days I’d spent going through hostage and jumper scenarios with reluctant federal agents. I slid my hand up her arm and let it rest on her neck where I imagined I could feel her pulse under my palm. I bet you have a few ideas for those bribes. “Shouldn’t you get some perks for being on the Board of Telepathic Law Enforcement Integration?”

“Agency Liaison,” she corrected and leaned in until our noses brushed. Convince me to ask.

I can convince you. I let the anticipation draw out, I liked the way it shivered from her hand into my stomach. In one swift move I flipped her onto her back. She leaked breathless anticipation into me and it mixed with the double jolt in my stomach so I felt lightheaded. I kissed her hard, hand tangled in her hair, feeling prickles of excitement where her nails dug into my back.

The buzz of the phone was just an annoying sound until Elise recognized it. Your phone, she thought as she scraped her teeth over my bottom lip and pulled away.

Damn. It took a supreme effort of will to roll to the other side of the bed and find my pants. I grabbed them by a leg and pulled them onto the bed to get to my cell phone. “Hell.” I couldn’t ignore Jerome Rawls. “Lochlan,” I said and moved my foot away from where it was touched Elise and doubled my frustration.

“We’ve got a training situation. Your group’s up first.” He didn’t sound sorry for calling on my day off, but he wasn’t interested in niceties. Since Andrew’s highly publicized arrest he’d had other things to worry about, like keeping his job.

I buried my face in the blanket and bit off a curse. “They don’t start until tomorrow. I don’t even have their pass grades handed out.” I don’t care what they say, I’m not taking a class of four out to some jumper. The guy would see us coming and take a flying leap, I told myself. I drew a lot of lines in the sand to feel like I was in control of something. I had a feeling Jerome spent a lot of time doing the same thing.

Jerome wasn’t going to be daunted by something like grades. “They all passed and there aren’t going to be a lot of good situations in a three week window.”

A bright band of light cut across my bra and shirt on the floor. Elise would pull all of your things together if you say you have to rush, I thought guiltily. “Are they even together? They were dismissed until tomorrow.” When they would have been half your responsibility.

He paused, thinking something. “They’re coming in now. It looks like a drawn out hostage situation.”

I sat up and looked over my shoulder to give Elise an apologetic look.

She shook her head and smiled. I’ll start the shower.

I watched her progress from the bed to the bathroom, the strips of light from the blinds made stripes across her back and shoulders. Much better than seeing Carl in his boxers in the morning. “Where am I going?” I asked and dug into the drawer of the nightstand for the notepad and pen Elise kept there.

“Poughkeepsie, where are you coming from?”

I rolled my eyes and heard the shower start behind me. He knew exactly where I was. “Kingston. I head South on route nine, right?” If we’ve got a roll-out tonight there won’t be anything tomorrow. I wonder if Elise still has that waffle mix?

“When you get to the end of the off ramp turn right onto Clarke and you’ll see the circus setting up about a mile down in the Wal-Mart parking lot.” He always called the press a circus and it surprised me that he’d be assigned to anything getting heavy media attention.

My eyebrows went up as I took down the directions. Wal-Mart on Clarke. “They’re holding hostages in a Wal-Mart? That would be impossible to defend.”

“Bank in the same parking lot,” he said in a flat tone.

“So I should meet you in the parking lot?” Nothing covert about that, at least I won’t have to get them to sneak around, I realized with some relief. A bunch of guys with desk jobs earning their field rating to go on ride-alongs was not ideal for stealth. I wasn’t supposed to be running anything like that; Jerome was in charge of those situations. He liked to remind me as often as possible that I’d just gotten my own field rating.

He made a sound into the phone that could have been a sigh. “I’m not going to be there. There’s already an agent on tactical.”

Ah, they wouldn’t let you out. Must have been a real pain to hand this over to me. “I should be there in half an hour, forty minutes tops.” I got up and paused to dig my toes into the thick carpet before I drifted to the bathroom door. I could make out Elise through the shower curtain and leaned on the doorframe to watch her rinse her hair.

“Get there as fast as you can or there won’t be anything for them to work with. The cops will have it all wrapped up,” he snapped.

Then your new people won’t get any credit. That would be a road block on your way back to Deputy Director. “I’ll keep that in mind. See you on Monday.” I closed the phone and set it on the counter next to the sink.

Hand me a towel? Elise stuck her hand past the shower curtain.

“You didn’t wait for me.” I passed her a thick towel and stood back so she could get out, all wet and pink.

She wrapped the towel under her arms and gave me a fleeting kiss. “Got it warmed up for you.” Do you think you’ll eat on the road or do you want me to hold dinner?

I shrugged and checked the temperature. Just right. “Not sure, Jerome says it’s a hostage thing, maybe you should eat without me.”

Get in and I’ll get your bag. Did you leave it in the living room? “Do you want something for the car?” she asked and stood at the sink to comb her hair.

“Trying to hustle me out? I thought you wanted to keep me the whole weekend.” I stepped into the shower and ducked my head under the hot water. The water pressure pounded into my shoulders and back. Fast shower. You’ve got better things to do next week than listen to Jerome bitch about you being late.

I need a haircut. Elise checked her hair for split ends. “I want you back tonight, so yes, I’m hustling you out. Does that mean you want a bottle of water and trail mix or not?”

My eyes were fields of red while I squeezed them shut to rinse out the shampoo I’d worked through my hair. She sounds like her brother. He tried to make me take half the fridge home after dinner. It had been interesting to see, after my nerves had passed, how alike she and Derek were. I had seen it in path siblings but somehow it surprised me when they thought the same way. “I’ll take the water; hopefully this won’t take too long. It’s in Poughkeepsie and Jerome says there’s already an agent on the scene.”

“I’ll hold dinner until nine then,” she said and went back into the bedroom to find her clothes. Where’d I put my blue sweater?

“It’s on the couch,” I called over the water, not sure she could hear me. I finished my shower and was toweling off when Elise reappeared with my bag.

“Clothes.” She looked me over while I rubbed the water out of my hair. You won’t get to wear them much this weekend. She winked, dropped the bag on the floor and sauntered out of the room.

If she’s offering incentives like that maybe you should move in. “You’ve only known her for six months,” I reminded myself. I blew out a long breath and bent down to find a pair of jeans and a shirt. My negotiator’s vest was at the bottom of the bag under my socks and underwear. When I was dressed I slung it over my shoulder. It was heavy with the built-in Kevlar and I didn’t want to wear it until I had to.

I retrieved my phone, my directions and my keys from where they were strewn around the bedroom. I went out into the living room to look for my purse. It was on the bar between the kitchen and the living room. I dug out my Federal ID and made sure I had some cash and my credit card tucked into the holder in case we did get to stop for dinner.

The door to the garage opened and Elise came in with a bottle of water. That was a fast shower for you. “All set?”

I moved around the bar and took the water. I stood in her space without touching her. “I could tell Jerome my car broke down.” I don’t have to work full time. Maybe I could be Carl’s nanny on the weekends.

She reached out and instead of touching my arm she straightened my ID where it was clipped to my belt. You’d have to tell him my car broke down too. And they stopped making cabs. “I’ll see you tonight. You have your key?”

I nodded, it was next to the one for Carl’s back door. “Tonight,” I agreed still standing there knowing I’d be distracted if I touched her. I leaned in and kissed her anyway and got into the car twice as frustrated with Jerome. It’s a good thing he isn’t going to be there, I told myself as I drove out of the development.

I turned on the radio while I waited at the light before the onramp. The tail end of a song was cut into by a voice.

“An update on the Dawson case, today the family has moved their petition to the Supreme Court after the New York Court of Appeals ruled earlier today that the federal surveillance of Dawson was warranted. Other families are taking-”

I switched over to the CD player. I heard enough about the court cases at work, at Carl’s, at Elise’s, anywhere I went. There were already seven cases making their way to the Supreme Court about the constitutionality of the Registration Act. Somehow the national sense of anger and astonishment over the paths in the Nevada labs had translated into the lawsuits against registration. They had to blame someone, and the fact that all but one of the victims had been an unregistered path who was being tracked by the feds made it easy to shift the blame to registration itself. From what I’d heard from Carl about Craig’s group and their charter, any path with more than six thought felonies would have been fair game to them, whether or not registration existed. I’ll bet you they want to keep their benefits if they get rid of registration and then they’ll be in the system as paths anyway. Any path who wants to go to a channel school is easy to track either way. “They should be asking why the government had the Unregistered List in the first place.” I merged onto the highway and pulled over to the left lane. Being late would antagonize Jerome.

You could strike up a conversation about the Dawson case. That would distract him. Jerome was even wearier of hearing about it than I was. He was seen as the start of the mess. If he hadn’t tipped the press about Andrew and Craig the arrest could have been an internal problem. If he hadn’t sent a team barreling into the labs while the news choppers were hovering over the desert offices the victims could have been handled quietly while the press was distracted by the arrests. If he hadn’t also been labeled by the press as the case breaker that freed all of the victims, he would have been pulling duty on a wiretap in Antarctica.

He’d been removed from the Piken case. After one session with Andrew he demoted to Senator Gates’ latest project. The sessions hadn’t been that interesting. I’d observed one on an invitation from Jerome’s replacement and it was like Carl said. Andrew talked, and talked and talked some more, until he was hoarse and had to drink pitchers of water to keep going. So far he’d requested two things. Reduced sentences for the cooperating doctors and techs from the lab, and for Carol Matthews to be put in any private facility but Park Slope. Because, as he said, she didn’t like it there.

It was easier to feel sorry for Andrew than Jerome most of the time. Like when Jerome was questioning my field skills in front of a class. It was hard enough to get the agents to pay attention. They were all so sure they knew more about negotiating than some shrink who got the job because she’d helped catch Andrew Piken. Which was half true, Gates also wanted me in his debt so he could use me for side projects. I slid back over to the right lane and followed the off ramp. There was a green light at the bottom. I turned down Clarke and started looking for the Wal-Mart.

I saw the flashing red and blue lights before I could make out the Wal-Mart sign. Cops and a dozen news crews. Local and national vans with antennas on huge poles sprouting from the tops like oversized periscopes. Telepathic cops were a popular evening lead.

I rolled up to the wooden barrier through a tunnel of reporters. When I rolled down my window to show my ID, bright lights and flashbulbs went off. Some of them couldn’t place me, but they’d recognize me later in the editing room. If they were starved enough for material I’d round out some segment on the hostage situation or get a mention alongside a blurb about Gates’ telepathic law enforcement initiative.

The harassed cop waved me through. God what a circus.

“Can you point me toward the agent in charge?” Sometime this year. My mom’s going to call if I’m on the news again.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder without looking. “Over by SWAT.”

I nodded and rolled up my window. Past the barricade I made out the SWAT van and Maddock leaning against the gray van beside it. I parked off to the side and caught glimpses of the bank that was the center of all this agitated attention. I hoped the idiots holding the place up weren’t paths. They’d be climbing the walls.

I cut the engine, pulled my vest on and checked my pockets. Keys, ID, phone. I went around the side of our van and saw Maddock again. He was leaning against the front door, smoking a cigarette with exaggerated calm. It was the pose he thought made him look the most like James Dean. He scowled at the bank. I say take SWAT in there and nail them. Get a couple of us in there so they know where to shoot first.

He pictured himself in a tactical helmet, ordering the SWAT guys around.

Five of us for three hostages does seem like overkill. How’re we supposed to work in this? Bailey asked, as he rounded the van and stood next to Maddock.

The side door opened and Carson poked his head out. I’m all for heading home. Let’s call Rawls and tell him Lochlan didn’t show.

“Good to know you all came ready to work,” I said when I was close enough. With this attitude, you’re lucky I passed you.

Carson and Bailey looked uncomfortable. Maddock kept his scowl and stared into me. This is a bullshit way to run things. He stepped into my space as I approached. He’d been doing it since the class started, standing over me, arguing about something in every lecture, waiting to see what I would do.

Lee was close to the surface from being with Elise. After weeks of pushing Maddock got his eternal moment strapped to the dentist’s chair, his chest cracked, held open with retractors so we could reach a gloved hand in to squeeze his beating heart.

When it cleared and it was the two of us staring at each other again, he was the one that stepped back and lowered his wide eyes.

I took a deep breath and looked at Carson and Bailey. “Any more problems with how we’re running this?” Did you have something to add?

They both shook their heads, mumbling something like, “no, ma’am.”

“That’s a lot more effective than detention, professor.” Carl pushed past Carson to climb out of the van. Way to put the fear in them. He gave me a brief hug, not quite lifting me off my feet. He was excited about something, which was strange because I knew he’d been at his mother-in-law's earlier. That was why I’d offered to make myself scarce for the weekend.

“You’re blowing my image.” Jerome didn’t say you were the agent. If he had, I would’ve driven faster.

I doubt that, he teased, thinking of Elise. He cleared his throat and faced the team with his arm over my shoulders. “Let’s get in gear.” No paths in there, so your guys are welcome to try and read them before we get started.

“Get up there and dig around. No projecting.” I’ll be up in ten minutes and I want a situation report and a plan of action from each of you.

They all nodded, Maddock looking green and sweaty, and hurried off to the front of the barricade.

Carl squeezed my shoulder and let go. “It seems like you have them in line.” This shouldn’t be much of a problem. One of the perps got shot subduing the security guard. They’re going to want out soon.

I turned to face him. You’re in a suspiciously good mood. “I thought you had the weekend off.”

“You too. How’d you end up with this one?” he asked with raised eyebrows. There was a smile edging his mouth but he was blocking me.

“No one, including Jerome, wants Jerome within a hundred feet of NBC, CNN or even Fox.” Now tell me what’s going on so I don’t have to make a grab for exposed skin and read you that way. I wiggled my fingers at him. I felt buoyed by his light mood.

He pulled back in mock horror and laughed. It was good to see his thinned out face smiling. “I got my on call time knocked down to one weekend a month. Starting next week I get Lizzie on weekends.” I was childproofing the house when I got the call to come in. He had his hands jammed into his pockets and bounced on the balls of his feet.

Joint custody had been hard on him, especially when he was on call. It meant watching the baby at Mrs. Singh's while Lynn was out. He hadn’t gotten more than five or six hours at a time with her since she was born. He was in such a good mood it felt like a weight had been lifted. I smiled hard enough to make my cheeks hurt. “You are going to be distracted tonight.” We’re going to have to get this over with so you can obsess over which mobile to put up over the crib.

I put up that goofy cognitive training one you got her. He checked his watch. “Should we go show these kids how it’s done? This might be my last chance to show anyone up for a while.”

I nodded and we started working through the crowd of cops and parked cars. “It’s not goofy, they work.” You can thank me later when she’s the president.

He held my arm so the SWAT guy running past didn’t knock me over. I’ll settle for healthy and happy. Though able to support me when I’m eighty wouldn’t be bad either. “What about you? Did Elise ask?”

I pulled away from him and kept walking. “Ask what?” I think there’s another big family dinner in the near future. That should be interesting.

Carl wasn’t about to be distracted. You said she wanted you to move in. I thought for sure she was going to ask this weekend. “Glad to know I’m not the only one with crazy in-laws,” he said with an almost fond thought of his former mother-in-law. She was as abrasive as ever, but she had convinced Lynn not to sue for full custody.

It took me a second to realize what he was getting at. He didn’t want me living in the house when he had the baby. With the way he set Lee off, I wasn’t sure I blamed him. “I think she’s going to ask tomorrow. She’s got the whole day planned.”

I saw Carson and Bailey up ahead, talking to a detective and pointing toward the building. I was surprised to feel Carl restraining me again. I didn’t turn around.

Maybe I don’t want to expose her to you and Elise until she’s older. “Later on I’m counting on free babysitting,” he said in my ear.

I could feel his worry about Lee and concern for me in equal measure. I expect payment in éclairs. “She’ll ask tomorrow. Too bad I can’t get you to help me move.”

He released my arm and patted my shoulder. I’d offer if you had anything that didn’t fit in one suitcase. “Is one of your agents about to hit that detective?” he asked abruptly.

I turned to see Maddock squaring off with the detective they’d been talking to. The detective had his hands on his hips, holding his jacket back to show a roll of stomach protruding over his belt. “My money’s on Maddock.”

previous

Telepaths: The Park Slope Conspiracy - 31

2011-07-02T10:16:00.001-04:00

Andrew decides it's time to take a leave of absence from the FBI. But will Director Craig let him go? And what about the investigation slowly closing the net around them?*

*This chapter contains strong language, a bad tattoo, a long goodbye and a touch of revenge.

31. Up The Creek

Andrew

I was allowed into the infirmary because the doctor filling in for White didn’t know any better.

He wouldn’t leave me alone in the ward. I didn’t have the clearance for that. He stood at the far end, over another patient, making notes on a clipboard and checking monitors.

I stood next to her bed and felt his thoughts like intrusive eyes. Was it the drugs? I asked though I knew the answer. I knew she was never getting out. I knew it at that first meeting when White was so eager to get her as a subject. If his theory worked he got to keep her as an example, if it didn’t he got to keep her to find out why. Even she must have known that long before she said anything.

The faint hum of the fluorescent lights was distracting. A layer of sound over the hiss of the respirator and the steady beep of the heart monitor. Almost like a building exercise, I told her. I made a face, feeling foolish. I didn’t need the doctor to tell me she couldn’t hear me. Her mind was a haze sparsely populated with indistinct shapes, meaningless scraps of memory. No dreams, no thoughts, just the leftovers.

The gown they put her in was so thin I could see the tattoo under her collarbone. A white mantis with one of the legs filled in black because she’d moved when they were doing it. I wanted to pull the fuzzy blue blanket higher to cover it. She wasn’t supposed to be on display. I didn’t move, I didn’t even twitch my hand. I held the impulse in, the way I had when I noticed the useless restraints on her wrists. Her mischief days were over.

Someone washed your hair, I thought into the silence. Her hair was light and fluffy, like it had dried and hadn’t been brushed yet. I pushed a strand away from her eyes. Her skin was warm under my hand. I hadn’t expected that. She didn’t look warm. She was so pale she was almost blue. That was the drugs. I put my whole hand over her forehead like I would be able to read her that way. If you hadn’t stabbed White they would have tried harder. They might have saved her in more than this strapped down shell. If only she hadn’t stabbed White.

The rattle of a cart on the tile floor startled me. I put my hand back in my pocket. It felt clammy and when I rubbed my fingers together they were slick.

I turned to look at the doctor. He was bent over a patient and loaded a large syringe of something yellow into the IV port. He’d told me to tell him when I was done. I looked back at Carol. I didn’t want to raise my voice but I didn’t want to cross the room and leave her exposed on the bed with her fluffy hair and her bad tattoo.

I cleared my throat. He didn’t look up. If there had been a nurse on the ward I could have waved her over. There wasn’t, but there was a curtain next to the bed. The sound of it rattling on its track was loud but it covered her up and it got the doctor’s attention.

What’s he doing? “All done, Agent?” he asked, relieved when I’d stepped away from the curtain instead of behind it. Where he wouldn’t be able to see what I was doing.

The thought he was barely thinking made my stomach roll and I nodded without speaking. He wheeled past me with his little cart and I heard the curtain push back before the ward door had closed behind me.

I wasn’t alone in the hall so I walked purposefully away from the door. I didn’t start out with a direction in mind. I kept my hands in my jacket pockets and nodded greetings to whoever made eye contact. Most of them didn’t. Most of them pretended I wasn’t there until I passed them and then they could stare at my retreating back and wonder how I gotten my clearance back. The rumor was that I gave her the knife she stabbed White with.

I took the fastest route to the elevator. All I wanted was to be out of the labs.

White’s office door was open, his secretary was fielding his calls, and she didn’t look up from the phone as I passed. I could see the package I’d left for him on the edge of her desk. He wouldn’t get it until he came back to work in a week.

I passed his office without stopping. It was so cold in the elevator that the sweat was icy on my forehead. I wiped at it with my hand. It was still slimy. I wiped my head on my jacket sleeve and I put my hand back in my pocket. When the elevator opened I shivered in the blast from the corridor between the doors. It seemed colder than ever today, it cut through my jacket and made my eyes feel chilled when I blinked. I didn’t pause over swiping my card and getting out of the white hall. I had had enough quiet in the infirmary.

Gail looked at me over her magazine. “You should have one of the muffins from the security meeting this morning. There are plenty left.” He’s looking paler and skinnier than ever.

“I’ll do that,” I promised, turning right when I reached the end of her hall, away from muffins and toward my office. I was still queasy from the three egg omelet and toast Reva made me eat before I left the house. You’re lucky she didn’t try to feed you the whole damn fridge

My office door was open and the crosswords I’d put in quarantine sat on the edge of my desk. Kepler had brought them the second time he questioned me. He set them on the edge of the desk when we were done talking. I sat down in the chair in front of my desk, where he’d sat and asked me in a hundred different ways if I’d known she was suicidal. He’d even asked the absurd, if I knew she was homicidal. When I told him that was already in her file he looked surprised and left as quickly as he could. I hadn’t been the only one who had forgotten why she’d been at the Slope in the first place. I reached out and smoothed the bent edge on the cover of the New York Times Crossword book. It must have bent again when they pulled it out of the bag. My finger left a smear over the glossy surface. I felt a chill down my spine and got up to wash my hands and stopped when I saw the clock. Less than five minutes until my meeting with Craig. I wiped my hand on my pants and went around my desk. My revised op report was in a folder and I had my sabbatical request in another folder. I pulled out a new legal pad and a pen and locked the office door behind me.

I saw Kepler on my way to Craig’s office. He gave me an encouraging nod as I passed.

I should’ve stopped him or said hello. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have gotten my clearance back until Brandt was back from assignment on Friday and had time to question me.

Craig’s secretary wasn’t at her desk. I went to the inner door and knocked.

“Come in already.”

Craig didn’t look up as I came in. He was pecking something out on his keyboard with one finger and an exaggerated look of concentration.

I sat down, settled my leave request on my lap and put the legal pad and the op report on top of that. My hand curled around my blue pen and it took me a moment to realize I was rubbing my slick fingertips together again. I gripped the pen tighter and waited.

I think the 31^st will do for that. Now I have to send it. He tapped a key decisively and moved his mouse over something before he looked at me. His eyes were as flat as his mind, giving away nothing. “What’ve you got for me?”

I stared. I hadn’t spoken to Craig since Carol had stabbed White and pumped herself full of Hex-47. The last thing I expected was for him to act as though it hadn’t happened. I put my report in his outstretched hand. “Everything went smoothly.”

“Quickly you mean.” He opened the folder and glanced at the first page. “You took him four hours after establishing surveillance.” What was that about? He tapped the paper with his finger, watching me.

My hand felt wet around me pen and I fought the urge to wipe it on my pants. “He took an early lunch and I saw a clear shot.” Does he think I’m being reckless?

Craig sat back with an expectant look. When I didn’t say anything else he nodded and drummed his fingers on his desk, once with each finger like a little drum roll. “We’re going after Murphy next. He’s firmly entrenched, so I’d take my time if I were you.” Rush in with this one and he’ll get himself torn in half by three Irish thugs. He pulled out a folder that had been wedged under his keyboard and slid it across the desk.

I caught it before it went off the edge. I put it in my lap under my notepad. “When do we need him in?” I knew there was a firm date; he was baiting me by telling me to take my time. Maybe I’ll get time to do some descent surveillance.

Craig shrugged; the gesture was too casual with his mind so carefully blank. “End of the month. The lab’s going to be backlogged anyway.”

I felt my heartbeat pick up but he didn’t continue. There was no cutting comment, nothing about why the lab was backed up, nothing about Carol. “That’s almost three weeks. I can be in Baltimore in two days to get set up,” I replied, choosing my words with care.

Not so fast. He shook his head. “Give it until Monday. I’d like to see your proposal in two days.”

“Yes, sir.” I felt the dig low. If you don’t think I’m ready to go back out you could just say it.

He nodded. “Good. Have it on my desk first thing Thursday.” He turned in his chair, eyes back on his computer, dismissing me.

I debated leaving but I found myself rubbing my slick fingers together again. I cleared my throat and forced my hand to lie flat on the arm of the chair.

He took his time turning away from the computer and when his eyes did focus on me it was with polite surprise that made it clear I was pushing my luck.

I shifted in my chair, unable to stifle the minor tic. I held up a folder. “I wanted to give you this.” I held it out over the desk and set it on the blotter when he didn’t take it.

“What is it?” he asked without looking at the folder. His eyes bored into mine. He already has his clearance, what else does he want?

I didn’t shift again, or move my hands, or break eye contact. “It’s my official sabbatical request.”

A what? “A sabbatical,” he said with his eyebrows raised.

He thought you were going to resign, I realized with some surprise. “I’d like to take it this spring. The full three months.”

Three? With everything on the schedule? A hint of relief came through the careful closure of his mind. “I’m afraid we can’t spare you for that long. Aren’t you taking a week in April anyway?”

Dislike and relief was all I could read from him, but if he was relieved that I wasn’t leaving why was he trying to talk me out of it? It would mess up his schedule. “I can rearrange the vacation time. I’d like to take the full allotment. I’m not going to be much good to you if I burn out,” I said, knowing what I was entitled to. I was giving notice three months in advance, legally he couldn’t say no.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at me over his linked hands. This isn’t a standard position. Does he expect a year off after ten years? “Take your full three weeks. That’s all I can give you.”

I squared my shoulders and said what I’d decided to say the night before when I’d spent hours staring at the ceiling trying to will myself to sleep. “That’s not going to be enough. This is my notice.” He’s going to make your life hell until you do go.

“I don’t think you understand the position we’re in here, Andy. When I say you can have three weeks I’m being generous.” Even White’s only taking three days after getting stabbed.

I took a deep breath. I had expected him to bring up Carol and White but I still felt winded by his sudden viciousness. You’ll regret it if you don’t say it. “I think I understand pretty well. Under the Telepathic Health Act of 1986 I’m entitled to a three month sabbatical after three years of employment. I’m going to take it, or I’m going to resign.” My voice didn’t shake at all and I felt stronger.

The flash of derisive humor in his mind was disturbing. “Over a woman? The one taking up space downstairs? You’re going to give up over that?” There’s no coming back from resignation.

“For a lot of reasons. I need some time off.” You bastard, I almost added aloud.

“Because your little girlfriend tried to kill herself?”

Motherfucking bastard- I half rose out of my chair, hands fisted.

“Sit your ass down.” Think whatever the hell you want so long as you listen, he thought, waving me down.

I realized that I’d almost come across the desk at him. I sat with my fingers digging into the upholstery.

He nodded, satisfied. “I could have you charged with aiding and abetting since you never told anyone she was going to do it. I didn’t. That’s about as much coddling as you’re going to get around here. In any other department your clearance would have been revoked pending a formal review and a suspension. But you were down there visiting this morning. Take that and your three weeks. They’re the last favors you’re going to get from me for a while.” Quit and you’re going to get another kind of favor.

The shock of what he was thinking slapped down my anger. There is no resigning. I’d always thought of it as one of those bullshit things they say in the bureau. But there he was, sitting across from me, watching me and considering having me shot. “If I get caught again because I’m too burned out to do my job?” The anger was still there though I was wary too. What had happened to Carol and White had been his fault. His fault for authorizing her pick-up in the first place.

His face relaxed like he’d been waiting for me to ask. “That’s not going to happen. It’s the reason I’ve been short-listing recruits for you to train. I think with another agent or two on pick-ups your load is going to be a lot lighter.” How much danger of burnout is there with a pickup every month or so?

He had gone from angry to calm so fast I felt dizzy. “Recruits? Who?” I moved to the edge of my seat and looked at the folder he’d tapped with his fingers. He must have already picked them.

He passed me the folder. “This is the list. I want you to pick the two you think would be the best fit here.” Two more paths. I think these two are going to have less lab access.

I flinched at the barb about the lab and kept my eyes on the folder. I skimmed the first page. Twelve candidates. “What if none of them suit? I’m not going to know until they’re in the field.” Does he think this is going to be easier? A pick-up schedule and two agents to train?

“I have no doubt you’ll get the right ones. I’m counting on one making it through the training, so I wouldn’t worry about that. Warner’s going to set up passes for them to come in the week after you get back from Baltimore.” Plenty of time to look through their files.

I nodded and closed the folder. “That should give me some time to prepare,” I agreed. Everything he said was a new twist. Didn’t I come in to talk about the last pick-up and taking leave?

Everyone likes to teach. He thought he was appealing to my pride instead of capitalizing on my surprise. “What kind of timeline do you think we’ll be looking at for these people?”

I sat back and frowned. “I’m not sure. I’ll need at least a week to get through the interviews providing I don’t have to do two rounds.” Three a days and then decide?

“That’s fine. I’m wondering about the field time. I want them able to…”

I didn’t make out the rest of what he said. There was a shift in the feeling of the office. It could have been building for any length of time but it spiked with a thought that brought it to my awareness.

Keep a lid on that. The first person who fires is going to hear from me.

“Something wrong, Andy?” Craig said.

I blinked at him and realized that I’d tilted my head to concentrate on reading the hall outside his office. There were at least six of them and they weren’t any of our people. I was blocked almost as soon as I focused on them. They were paths, professionals, and they were looking for me. I straightened in my seat and shook my head. “No, sir. Just tired.”

Craig accepted that. I looked tired, everyone said I did. Wonder if I should defer this pickup. “I want you to set up an interview schedule before you leave for Baltimore.”

“Yes, sir,” I said with surprising calm. Knowing that they were coming for me was strangely liberating. Not telling Craig that there were six armed men in the hall that were all paths was beyond liberating. I almost smiled. I’m not armed.

The men in the hall slowed their approach.

“You can have the interviews done by the end of the month.” Craig wasn’t asking, he was moving up the schedule he’d just agreed to.

“It shouldn’t be a problem.” I settled both hands on the armrests of my chair so they could be seen from the door.

It looked awkward. Craig was trying to shunt me from his office and I leaned back in the seat like I never intended to go. I wondered if he’d tell me to go or if we’d keep playing until they broke down the door. They were good, whoever they were, getting this far without anyone from security calling Craig’s office to warn him. Maybe he knew. Maybe he’d called me in so he could watch them arrest me.

“Brandt should be back by the time you start. I’m authorizing you to include him in the evaluations,” Craig said.

I could hear the outer door open. It occurred to me that Craig would never allow me be arrested in this office. Not with the lab below us and the weapons closet down the next hall.

My palms were wet against the armrests. “Have you contacted Brandt?” I asked to fill the thick silence from the outer room. They were arranging themselves around the door, weapons drawn. I forced myself not to retreat completely behind my block where I couldn’t read them.

“You’ll have to tell him when he gets in,” Craig said with every indication that he was above passing messages to agents.

I was too tense waiting for them to make their move to reply and there was a long beat of silence as Craig and I stared at each other across the desk.

When the door flew open it was almost a relief.

“Stuart Craig and Andrew Piken I have a warrant for your arrest,” Deputy Director Rawls said with his gun trained on Craig and his men fanned out over the room covering both of us.

I looked at Rawls who was tight with excitement and fear and blocked hard against me. Then I looked back at Craig, whose expression hovered on complete shock for one wonderful second before he regained control.

“Under whose authority?” he demanded and held out a hand for the warrant.

Rawls looked surprised by the reaction. He held out the warrant, weapon trained on Craig. “By the authority of the FBI.” Get them up and cuffed.

Craig frowned and shook out the warrant. He spoke without looking up, “If you'd bothered to check you'd know we’re FBI affiliated.”

I was prodded by one of the agents and stood, hands held out at my sides. They were brought roughly together with cold metal cuffs. Don’t make a fucking move.

“Get your hands off my agent.” Craig stood behind his desk and ignored the four weapons aimed at him. This is ridiculous.

Rawls smiled, his lips thin. He gestured to the agent behind Craig. Get him cuffed and let’s go. “You and your agent are being arrested for the Park Slope fire, the escape of Carol Matthews and the kidnapping of three other telepaths. I’m sure we’ll come up with more once we go through your records.”

“No charges for holding the telepaths?” I asked, surprised.

Craig’s cool expression faltered.

Holding them? “Holding them? Where?” Rawls demanded. His eyes met mine and I could feel him fighting not to flinch away.

I motioned to the hall with my head. “Downstairs. I could show you.” There are eight down there right now. That should be worth another few kidnapping charges.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. This is a surveillance outfit,” Craig ground out, staring hard at me. What do you think you’re doing?

His face was red and I met his eyes without wanting to look away. “Well sir, it looks like I’m getting that time off.”

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Telepaths: The Park Slope Conspiracy - 30

2011-06-18T11:07:00.002-04:00

Elise, Maggie and Carl are going in circles trying to tie all of their evidence together when one bright idea sets everything in motion. But now things are moving fast, too fast, and the FBI might not have all the information it needs to catch the kidnappers.*

*This chapter contains a shockingly small amount strong language, jogging and bacon.

30. One Bright Idea

Elise

“Is he still asleep?” I asked when I felt Maggie’s hand on my shoulder. If he doesn’t get up soon I’m going to finish the bacon.

“We can make more bacon. He was up watching TV in the living room when I got up to get a drink last night. That was around 3am,” she said, sliding her hand along the back of my neck as she came around the sofa. She moved my feet from the cushion and sat. Her legal pad went on one knee and her hand rested on my bare ankle.

“He’ll be ok.” She looked up from her notes, already tapping her pen on her thigh.

That was ok? Carl had slumped in the back of the car, not bothering to wipe his eyes, and stared out the window the whole ride back to his house. Neither of us said we were worried about leaving him alone, instead Maggie asked if we could crash in the guest room.

She tilted her head to one side, her expression sheepish. “Well, eventually. In a few years.”

“I hope so.” I looked down at my screen, scrolled through the last three pages of an employee file and sat back with a sigh. Another blank. Want to trade back?

Maggie smiled and wrote something down on the legal pad she had perched on her lap. “No way in hell. I did those for the last three days.” She patted the top of my foot and went back to tapping her pen.

I stretched my neck back over the edge of the couch. “Do you ever think we’re going about this the wrong way?” The popcorn ceiling made weird patterns and I saw the outline of an elephant in the white paint. Steadman’s employed by someone at that facility. That’s where the credit accounts lead. We’ve been looking at Craig’s files around the dates of the ‘pick-ups’ but it’s all pretty obscure, nothing pointing to any specific employee file. But what if Steadman isn't full time?

I lifted my head to see Maggie sitting bolt upright. “You mean a contractor? He wouldn’t have a file in employee records. That would explain why we couldn’t find his picture, or anything that matched him.” She rubbed her forehead with her fingers. “I don’t know where they’d keep something like that. I know where to look here because Carl got all the files together.”

“Well, if they have to issue them IDs and pay them there’s a record somewhere, what about payroll?” I suggested. I’m sure we can find payroll.

What you want is clearance authorization records. That’s where they keep the pictures. I looked over my shoulder to see Carl standing in the doorway in his bathrobe. His hair was wet but he hadn’t shaved and his eyes were red. “Let me finish my coffee and I’ll bring them up.”

Maggie watched him with her arm on the back of the sofa, hand propping up her chin. She held her right shoulder at an awkward angle but she hadn't put the sling back on. “Did you eat? There’s some bacon left. I can make you eggs.”

Carl shook his head and tipped back his mug. I’ll wait for lunch. “I’m going to boot my machine up and get dressed.” He turned and disappeared down the hall, the belt of his robe trailing behind him on the carpet.

“Ok, huh?”

I turned to see Maggie getting up. She tugged her sweater down over the waist of her jeans. “I’ll be right back.” She gestured for me to stay on the sofa as though she had expected me to follow. I watched her pad down the hall after Carl in her orange socks.

I finished my glass of water and went back to the flagged correspondence. Wasn’t there something authorizing a contractor to pull in additional staff support? We hadn’t made notes on anything like that, so I had to go through the emails and memos one by one.

Is that your professional opinion?!

Carl had projected so loud that my eyes watered. I leaned forward and pressed my hands to my temples feeling the angry thought bouncing back and forth through my brain. I took deep breaths and focused on the screen in front of me, forcing myself to read the email I’d pulled up and blink the tears out of my eyes. I’d been echoed twice by Derek and once by Ian when we were kids and I knew it wasn’t as bad as that. Just a shock.

When my eyes had stopped watering I looked down the hall but neither of them were in sight.

I set my laptop on the coffee table and made my way into the kitchen. There was a bottle of Tylenol in the cabinet over the microwave. I took two with a glass of water and leaned on the counter, looking out into the yard. There were no birds this time of year. At least no birds willing to brave the icy birdbath next to the hydrangeas. I bet it’s full in the spring. I forced the thought over the remnant of Carl’s angry outburst. I drank more water and pictured mourning doves and sparrows in the birdbath. They had to fight for space with a cardinal and all of them were scattered by a crow.

“I got you, didn’t I?”

I looked over my shoulder at Carl with a mixture of concern and annoyance. It was a relief to see Carl’s face contrite instead of blank and hopeless. “It happens. Are you feeling better?” I asked. Did Lee-

“Come out and give me what I deserved? No, not this time.” Wouldn’t have blamed him, as loud as I projected.

The face he made was the same embarrassed and down look that Derek got when he over-projected. I set my glass in the sink. He saw me walk toward him but he looked surprised by the hug. My brothers used to over-project all the time. I know you didn’t mean it. “Just don’t do it anymore today or I won’t be able to concentrate on those thrilling employee files.”

His cheeks were red but he looked better. “Give me a few minutes to pull them together and we can start going through the clearance records.” He moved around me to boot up his laptop. It was sitting on the kitchen table from the day before. I promise to be quieter.

I’ll hold you to it. I took my glass back in the living room where Maggie had resumed her seat on the end of the sofa. I stood behind her and set my glass on the end table. Are you ok? I asked and laid my hand against the curve of her shoulder.

She shrugged and turned her head so I could see her profile. “I’m fine.”

What was that all about? I asked her because I was curious and I didn’t want to end up thinking it at Carl later. I got the feeling it might upset him.

She paused and touched her fingers to the back of my hand. They were warm and the touch gave her whatever she needed to formulate an answer. “He wasn’t going to go to Mrs. Singh's tonight to see the baby.”

Didn’t want to run into Lynn? “You were trying to convince him?” I guessed with a slight smile. She couldn’t have been very subtle about it.

“Something like that. It worked.” She squeezed my hand and let it go, head bent over her legal pad again.

I sat down, surprised when she pulled my feet into her lap and started rubbing the insoles. She had been making more physical gestures since the hospital.

“If you keep psychoanalyzing me you can try rubbing your own feet,” she said without looking up.

I glanced at her over the screen of my laptop, she was smiling and tapping her pen again. Bad habit. I must have picked it up from some shrink. “I’m quiet, I’m reading boring emails.” I wiggled my feet under her hand. Continue please.

“Got the access. Who wants to split the clearance files with me?” Not to interrupt a fetish in progress or anything-

“I’m on the emails,” I said quickly.

Maggie sighed and waved him over. “You know how much I enjoy records.”

Carl sat in the chair next to her end of the sofa and picked her laptop up from the coffee table. “I’ll get them loaded. You want A-N or M-Z?” There are about three hundred of them all together.

I only have 125 more emails to go through, I thought and tried not to look smug.

Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose and slapped the top of my foot. “The two of you are hilarious. I’ll take A-N.”

“Here you go,” he said and passed her the laptop. I’m going to make more coffee, start in on my pile, he added in a brisk tone. Too brisk. He stood up and went back into the kitchen with our eyes following him.

I looked at Maggie and she shrugged. “At least he’ll have something to do until tonight.”

That has to be better than sitting around, I agreed, going back to the emails.

We worked steadily toward noon, pausing to get coffee, take notes, or yawn through the tedium. When we did get a break it was Carl who found it.

I got it!

I hunched in my chair, eyes watering again. Maggie winced too. Her eyes were wet when she looked over at me. She had the most ridiculous smile on her face.

So did I. We ran for the kitchen. Carl was standing over his laptop, waving us both over and pointing at the screen. “It’s him. It’s definitely him.” Look, he’s used three different names with the same department. All with pictures. Elise, did that email from Craig mention a Donald Weston? Carl asked before we’d even made it around the table.

Then I saw it myself. In the clearance file, clear as day, was Steadman staring out of the screen. He looks so unassuming.

Maggie’s laughed was harsh and she scowled. The expression didn’t suit her face. “Trust me, that one isn’t harmless.” Her shoulders tensed and she gripped the back of a kitchen chair with white knuckles.

“That’s a bad man,” Carl agreed. The emails, Elise?

I tore my eyes away from the screen and nodded. “Yeah, let me get them, we can check.” I almost ran into the living room, pulled the plug from the laptop and dashed back to the kitchen. I have all of the mentions of contractors around Park Slope dates flagged. Five emails. “What was that name again?” I pulled out a chair and dropped into it, already pulling up files.

“Donald Weston, Andrew Piken, and Gary Selinski. So far those are the ones in the right timeframe that come up with his picture.” Tell me we bagged him. Carl bounced on the balls of his feet.

I hunched over my screen, skimming for the highlight’s I’d made. “Here it is. Authorizing Andrew Piken to use department resources for his survey. A week before Park Slope.” I sat back, a feeling in my chest like I’d run a mile. Money, intent, pictures.

“I’m calling the Deputy Director. We need to put this all in a preliminary report and box the rest of it up for him to look over later.” Can you write something up?

I nodded, already typing. “I’ll put it together. We should give them the profile and the unregistered shortlist too.” I’ll use the office report format.

“I’ll get the shortlist together.” I felt Maggie move past me to get to her computer. Carl went to the other side of the kitchen and dialed his phone.

Start with what we know about Steadman. What were those aliases?

Carl’s voice was deep and serious. “Marjory? This is Agent Childers, I need to speak to Deputy Director Rawls.”

I did a search for the other two names and got hits in Craig’s emails. I skimmed them and inserting them into the report. Correspondence showing a knowledge and permission of Selinski, Waylon and Piken’s actions.

Without looking I knew that Carl was grinning. “Trust me when I say he’ll want you to pull him out of the meeting. It’s a lead on the Steadman case.”

I found Carl’s report on the credit accounts and double checked the sources. Funding from the Nevada Geological Surveys Department.

“Yes I’ll hold.” He tapped his slippered foot against the tile.

Corresponding with airfares purchased under the same name for dates showing intent in the Park Slope case. Case? No, incident.

“Jerome, it’s Carl. We’ve got him. I can tell you where Steadman works and for who. I’m emailing you a report in the next ten minutes with some pictures.”

The suspect was observed abducting William Montgomery in the parking lot of his workplace.

“No, I’m not fucking with you. He’s working for Craig out at some Geological Surveys facility in Nevada.”

I found some of Carl’s best stills, half listening to his conversation as I typed. I can email some pictures, but we’ll have to send the video by courier. What else do we need?

“I can assure you that’s not what they do out there. Too many medical supplies going in to be a geo outfit.”

Better put the profile in. Is it Dr. M. R. Lochlan or Margaret R. Lochlan, MD?

Carl’s tone was edging into impatience. “Working on a contract. Look, I’m telling you it doesn’t matter how we got it because you are going to want to marry me after you have this bust under your belt.”

With this profile the group was able to narrow the list of targets to a short list of likely candidates.

“Because my guys can’t handle it and you know it. We interrogate them after they’re caught.”

Steadman was discovered in the clearance authorization records for the facility under three separate aliases.

“Call me when you get it then.”

And that all ties neatly together, the end.

“How long is that going to take you?” Carl asked as he closed the phone.

“Done. I need to read through it and then you can email it to Deputy Director Rawls. We’ll have to courier the rest, too much to send online,” I told him and moved aside so he could sit down and read the draft. I’m going to go help Maggie get the files together.

Maggie was rifling through her notes so fast the paper sounded like it was being crumpled.

“How much do you think we have to send? I think we can wait to write up the paper notes but some of these files have to go.” I flopped onto the sofa near her and thumbed through one of the file boxes. Thank god the courier fees come out of the Senator’s budget.

She nodded. “I don’t know what we need to send. We need the profile and the correspondence from Craig. The unregistered’s shortlist. The clearance files with Andrew’s picture.”

“Shouldn’t we be calling him Donald or Gary or something now?” I stacked the files from the UL on the table. I put the ones that had been abducted since the beginning of the investigation on top. We’re going to need to pack these in one of the boxes so the courier doesn’t lose anything.

“We’re not using one. We’re taking it over to Jerome’s office.” We’ll get there faster and I was looking through those emails you flagged. Craig’s got a meeting with a contractor tonight. Can you guess which one?

I emptied one of the boxes. “Ok, well we can put it all in here. We can either burn a disc with the records he needs to see or bring our laptops.” We should be good to go in fifteen minutes.

Carl’s phone rang and he jumped, knocking over a vase of dried flowers. He grabbed for the vase and opened his phone with the other hand. “Childers.” It’s Jerome. He got the report. “We’re about ready to go now.” Wants to know if we know where Steadman’s living. “Not yet, but we know he has a meeting in Craig’s office tonight.” There was a pause and I could hear the tinny sound of Jerome’s voice. “Forty minutes tops, traffic should be light.” He says haul ass. “Got it, see you in a few.” He hung up and grinned. “I think he likes our report. We’d better go.”

It took us ten minutes stumbling over each other and tangling laptop cords to get to the car. Carl’s foot was so heavy on the gas that we made the forty mile drive in thirty minutes flat. I felt like a relay runner, flying through the halls with my briefcase and an armful of files while Carl jogged ahead of us down the hall. He made a sharp left and we caught up in time to see him drop the big box on the desk of an older woman who was on the phone. “Agent Childers, Deputy Director Rawls is still-”

“I’m right here.” Jerome swung through the door as red faced and out of breath as we were. “Come on down the hall.”

Carl hefted his box again and we trailed behind him with the computers.

Down the hall Jerome held open a door and ushered us inside. He closed the door before he spoke. “I’m sure you recognize my group from Park Slope.”

We stood near the door and stared. It was a conference room that had been turned into something from the last weeks before an election, maps covering two walls and laptops and papers everywhere. Carl, what the-

He looked baffled but the box of files had already been lifted from his arms and one of the agents was leading him to a table.

A guy at Maggie’s elbow cleared his throat. “Dr. Lochlan? The Deputy Director asked me to go over the profile with you.”

She followed him to the table and gave me a bemused look over her shoulder.

“Miss Atwood. I’d like to go over a few things with you.” Deputy Director Rawls was suddenly in front of me. “And please, call me Jerome.”

“Elise,” I said, offering my hand. You and your people seem very anxious to take us on our word.

He smiled. It made his face look strained like it wasn’t his usual expression. “Snatching up two of the principle investigators in the Park Slope incident wasn’t a very quiet way to start digging into the Steadman case. Though I’m sure the Senator had his reasons.”

I can tell you what he’s authorized me to provide to another agency. “The Senator has a reason for everything. I have a feeling you’re alike that way,” I told him and solidified my block. “Are you afraid Steadman’s going to slip away if we don’t move now?” I asked, eyeing the bustle in the room.

He shrugged and thought too long about his answer. “We’d like to get him sooner rather than later. Carl was talking about a meeting tonight. If we can confirm everything now, all the better.”

They wanted him while they knew where he was and before anyone could leak that they’d found him. “I understand. We were on a deadline too.” I can walk you through what we found in Craig’s correspondence. We’ve only confirmed his knowledge of the Park Slope job, but there were other mentions of contractors that might be relevant. I stepped forward and put my laptop case on the end of the conference room table.

Jerome hovered next to me with a frown. He was either itching to ask me something else or he was digging.

I turned my machine on and waited for it to boot up, not giving anything away. “Let me bring up the emails from the dates surrounding the last abduction.”

His frown slipped. “The one you got the pictures from?” he asked, pulling out a chair to sit next to me.

That’s the one. There’s video too. “I have to go through them but you can see that his aliases pop up several times. It’s a good bet-”

“Director?” A young agent with cropped brown hair had his hand on Jerome’s shoulder.

“What?” He stood and took a step away from the table. The agent stared earnestly at him, thinking something. Jerome nodded, shooting a side glance at me before clearing his throat and turning to face the conference table. “Fawcett, Alvarez, Taber, Goldman, you’re with me. Childers, you come too. Briggs and Wilson will stay here and help sort through this evidence.”

Without a word or a pause the four he had named dashed out the door followed by Carl. Jerome turned to Maggie, who had crossed the room. There was a tense minute where they stared hard at each other. Finally Jerome shrugged. “I’m sorry, you and Ms. Atwood don’t have the clearance to come with us.”

She shook her head. “I’ve been shot at enough. I’m surprised you got your warrant so fast.”

How did you manage that? I asked, eyes on Jerome.

He shrugged in a gesture that was supposed to be modest. “This is a very high profile case. If you can help Briggs and Wilson sort through what you brought us it would be a lot of help.”

I saw Maggie nod and nodded along.

“I have to go. They’ll be halfway to the airstrip by now,” he said and jogged out of the room.

Maggie sank into the chair next to me and sighed.

“Did that really just happen?” I asked, feeling several steps behind. Jerome must’ve sent the report straight on to the judge to get a warrant so fast.

“I imagine he did. He was going to get hung out to dry after Steadman escaped,” she agreed.

She was absorbing it faster than I could. “Carl’s going to miss seeing the baby tonight,” I realized, remembering how he’d breezed past us and out the door.

“Avoidance. This is something to distract him, something he thinks he can control.” There was a skeptical edge to her tone.

I looked down the table where the two remaining agents had their heads together over the box of files we’d brought. “You don’t think they’ll get him?” They seem pretty motivated.

She smiled with too many teeth. “I think they’ll get him. One way or another. I just don’t think Carl should be in the field as distracted as he is. Which is what I tried to tell Jerome.”

“Ms. Atwood? Can you bring me up to speed on the correspondence you brought?” Agent Wilson asked.

I looked up to see that he was standing midway down the table though I hadn’t seen him approach. “Sure thing. I have it all right here.” Maggie got to her feet and I touched her hand briefly. Jerome isn’t going to let Carl get in the way of his bust. He won’t have a chance to get hurt.

She squeezed my fingers and joined the other agent at the far end of the table.

“Well, Agent Wilson, pull up a seat,” I said and gestured to the one beside me. I’ve got a few hundred emails left to sift through.

Doing our research at the FBI offices was a lot like working at Carl’s house, with more hands and less comfortable chairs. I picked through the emails at my station with one hand and raised my empty coffee cup to my mouth for the third time, only realizing that it was empty when I got it to my mouth. I put it back down and shifted in my seat, copying another email to the folder for the Piken alias. 52 to go.

“There’s a vending machine down the hall and a cafeteria across the atrium,” Wilson said without looking up from his screen.

I didn’t need an engraved invitation. I stood up, stretched, and grabbed my purse. “Can I get you anything?” I asked him. I twisted my knee so it popped and relieved some of the pressure. Which way down the hall?

He looked up. “Oh, sorry, if you go out in the hall and take a left, it’s past the ladies room, on the right. Atrium is further down. When the hall dead ends you take a right.”

“Thanks.” I looked down the table where Maggie was drawing something out on her legal pad, Briggs looking on. I smiled and decided to see if I could find her tea in the cafeteria.

Out in the hall I slipped into the ladies room to wash my hands and face with cold water. I leaned on the counter, watching at my reflection. I felt tired but alert and could admit to a little disappointment that we wouldn’t be there watching Steadman get manhandled into a police car. Maggie’s right, you’ve been shot at enough, I reminded myself.

When I pushed open the door to the hall I saw Maggie kicking the vending machine.

“It ate my dollar.” She stepped back from it and crossed her arms over her chest.

That’s one bad machine. I stood beside her, shoulder to shoulder, frowning at the battered looking coke machine. “I could get Agent Wilson to shoot it for you.”

She nudged me with her shoulder and dropped her arms. “Do you have a dollar?”

“I might.” I dug into my purse and found my wallet. I held up a dollar between us. What do I get for it?

She took my wrist in her right hand and smirked. “I think we could negotiate something.” She rubbed her thumb over the inside of my wrist, eyes on mine.

Come to dinner with me at my brother’s house. I had been meaning to ask her for a few days but the timing had never been right. It still wasn’t.

She dropped my hand like it had burned her. “You want me to have dinner with Derek?”

I stepped forward. “He’s sorry, he asked me days ago if you’d come. He wants to make it up to you, so does Claire.” I meant to do this better.

She leaned against the wall next to the vending machines, her hands tucked into her pockets. “And if it happens again?” she asked, not meeting me eyes.

“Then he’ll have to change his pants before dessert,” I said with a straight face. I leaned on the wall next to her. You’re his hero. He wants to have you over. I didn’t mention that it was the first step to getting the rest of the family to accept her. Maybe even mom, if we ever spoke to each other again.

She sighed like she had when she was talking about Carl, a tired resigned sound. “This is very important to you, isn’t it?”

“He’s my brother.” Claire makes the best lasagna on earth, I boasted.

She let out a brief snort of laughter. “A bribe, I see. Think the way to my heart’s through my stomach?”

Heart, hmm?

Her eyes widened. “Well, I-”

The conference room door burst open and hit the wall hard. “It’s on the news, they got him,” Wilson half-shouted, waving us toward him.

We ran back to the conference room. The TV that they had been using to review the surveillance footage had been wheeled near the head of the table and had a news report blaring from the crackling speakers.

“Christ Briggs, turn it down,” Wilson said and pulled up a chair. “The news chopper’s been following the convoy since they entered Vegas city limits.” He sat backwards on the chair, arms and chin propped on the backrest.

“Did you hear anything from Jerome?” Maggie asked, pulling up two more chairs and dropping into one.

There was a wall of reporters out in front of what looked like a courthouse. A woman in a beige trench coat spoke into a mike and gestured over her shoulder. “…convoy should be arriving any minute carrying the sole suspect in the recent Park Slope Disaster.”

“Alvarez called and told me to watch the news stations. CBS picked it up first,” Briggs said, standing next to the table, arms crossed tight against his chest.

Oh, they must have- “Wait, they told you to watch for it? They tipped the press?” I asked, staring at the two agents.

“Don’t you think they wanted to get caught on camera doing something right?” Maggie asked, earning a sharp look from Wilson that she ignored.

What if he escaped custody again? Got away somehow? I wondered, confused. The coverage felt premature. A ‘green move’, as Gates would say.

“Not going to happen. Look the cars are pulling up,” Briggs pointed out, uncrossing his arms long enough to point to the screen.

There were three black government bland sedans and one black van flanked by police cars with their sirens blasting. The reporter was cut out of the shot by a close-up on the van but her modulated tone could be heard over the footage. “Bill, I’ve just been informed that two men are in custody. The second man is the director of Nevada’s Geological Survey Department, Stuart Craig.”

The camera held on the back door of the van parked as close to the curb as possible, police with barricades manning a straight corridor to the tinted glass doors that led inside. There was seventy feet of open space between the van and the door.

Everyone was expecting the doors to open, even the reporter had fallen silent, breathing into the mike for a moment before someone cut the sound. One moment nothing and the next there was Steadman, blinking into the camera lights from the edge of the van, heads above the agents and cops on the ground, wearing the same khakis he’d had on when he shot at us in the parking garage.

I reached out and found Maggie’s hand, holding it tight as he hopped down from the bumper, disappearing in the hail of flashbulbs and bodies until they switched to another camera. It had a good side view, Steadman surrounded by agents in their tactical vests and looking calm, as collected as a man walking down the aisle at the grocery store. And then Craig, who I’d seen in pictures and in Harding’s memory, pausing on the edge of the van, dazed enough that they had to push him to get him moving. He stumbled out of the van, caught by an agent and propelled forward with a firm hand on his shoulder. Steadman disappeared into the building first. Craig stayed on camera a moment longer, sweating under the flashing lights, his face flushed and his hair wet at the temples. Then he was gone too and the station cut back to the reporter.

“It’s all over.” Somehow I had expected more.

“At least until the press conference. Your buddy Childers will be there. It’s supposed to start in fifteen minutes,” Briggs said.

Maggie squeezed my hand; it had gone slack in hers. “I guess it just started then.”

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Telepaths: The Park Slope Conspiracy - 29

2011-06-04T10:12:00.003-04:00

In this week's Telepaths the team must decide on their priorities. Do they go after the Senator's opponent or do they just aim to take down the kidnapping operation? They will have to decide fast before an unexpected twist cuts their time short.*

*This chapter contains strong language, potato salad and an ultimatum.

29. Go Your Own Way

Carl

“The real question,” I began, taking a bite of potato salad, is do we just want Steadman? I swallowed and took a sip of beer. “Steadman we’ve got. I could hand Jerome what we had three weeks ago and he’d have run after him like his ass was on fire.”

Elise smiled but Maggie frowned and rolled her beer bottle between her hands. “What would it take to shut the whole thing down?” After all that work you want to settle?

“The Senator says we need something linking the money to Breaker,” Elise volunteered. Her anger with Gates flared in her mind every time he was mentioned.

Not even that much. Again, it’s a matter of what we’re worried about. Breaker or Craig’s facility, I told them through a mouthful of steak. I swallowed and gestured with my fork. “Let’s say we get Steadman, have Breaker tied to him with the money. In a public trial there’s no guarantee anyone will get enough out of them to bring down the whole thing. Can you imagine trying to find out what they’re doing with these ‘pick-ups’ of Steadman’s if he didn’t want to tell you?”

Maggie nodded in understanding. “You’ve got that right. It would take psychotropics to crack him. That will never happen in open trial.” I wouldn’t mind being there if they could.

“Are you saying we should leave Breaker out of it?” Elise asked. Her plate was untouched and her eyes were red around the edges. Gates might fire me but I’m not sure I care.

“What we need is Craig,” I said and ignored the comforting hand Maggie put on her shoulder. “If we can prove that he’s been authorizing Steadman then they’ll have carte blanche to dig into every corner of that building he’s got in the desert.” Then all we-

“You think they’re keeping people there?” Maggie asked with a deep frown. That would be insane.

I shrugged and dug out another forkful of potato salad. “Probably not, but there will be records. Every department has files and I’d bet you that’s where they are. That site receives too many supply shipments for a geological survey group.” Little bits of onion made the potato salad crunch between my teeth. If you’re up for getting fired I’d say Craig is our best shot.

Elise smiled and her eyes narrowed. “I think I’ve learned enough about spin to keep my job if I want it.” How can we get Craig? She asked and pushed a cube of potato around her plate, leaving a white trail of mayo through the steak juice.

“We need some kind of documentation, something that proves knowledge of Steadman’s missions, that Craig authorized him.”

“Paying him isn’t enough?” That should prove intent, Maggie offered.

I shook my head. “He could say Steadman was on his own. It’ll take tracing the account to whatever name Steadman’s using at the agency and then interaction he had with Craig, an email, a memo. It would all tie together.” I’m going to get some water. Do you two want anything?

“Water,” Maggie said without looking up from the roll she was smearing with butter. If you’re saying I have to slog through the rest of those employee records I’m going to mutiny.

Elise had gotten some food off the plate and looked at me with a mouthful of steak. More OJ would be great.

In the time it took me to pour the drinks and walk back into the dining room their chairs had moved closer together and their heads were almost touching.

“And Gates might be using you to get free work out of us. Either way you’re screwing his plan.” Do you care about getting Breaker?

It was cute how Maggie thought like Elise could read her.

“I’m tired of him using me period. Half the office thinks I’ll be fired any minute because of the whole path thing.” He plays it up whenever we have a meeting.

“So quit.” I put the juice down in front of her and a glass of water down by Maggie.

She rolled her eyes. “To do what? Work on another campaign?”

Maggie put her hand over Elise’s. “You won’t be the only one looking for a job.” I’m going to be back to dog walking if I don’t pick up another contract next month.

“Which is why you shouldn’t be doing this. Your contract’s over, you should be looking for something else.”

I sat down and drank most of my water. I wonder if Lynn needs more juice? I thought to myself.

“I think I can manage for a few months on the rates he was paying. It’s not like I pay rent.”

“But-”

“Isn’t it great I have connections?” I said. They both turned to look at me. “Jerome’s already asked me if you’re going to take more contracts.” And Elise, there’s always the path liaison office, city or state, take your pick.

“In two more weeks I’ll talk to Jerome,” she said to Elise who nodded, happy to accept the compromise.

Two weeks, Elise agreed, then focused on me. “We need department communications from Craig and we need to nail Steadman’s alias.”

“Which means tagging all of Craig’s communications for significant dates,” I agreed.

“And slogging through the rest of the employee files, agents and researchers,” Maggie sighed. Why did I ever think government contracts were exciting?

I smiled and finished my steak. Quit whining. Profiling is a bunch of sitting around and reading too.

“If we do the search right we can narrow his correspondence down to something manageable. Carl and I can set that up while you keep at the employee files,” Elise suggested.

You have to be kidding- “Sure,” Maggie said, her protest dying when Elise smiled.

You’ve got it bad, I told Maggie privately.

She glanced at me, shrugged and let go of Elise’s hand. Sometimes. “I guess this means we’re starting now."

My phone rang and made me jump. My shoulders tensed before I’d even opened it. “Are you done with your plate? There’s more iced tea if you want it,” I said in a brisk tone, sounding callous even to myself. I looked away from Maggie.

“Carl, it’s time. Get the car,” Lynn panted into the phone.

Time? What time? “Oh, shit. It’s time. I’ll get the car.” I jumped to my feet, stuffed the phone in one pocket and fished my keys out of the other one. For a second all I could do was stare at Maggie and Elise. “I have to get the car.”

Maggie plucked the keys out of my hand. “You and Elise get Lynn. I’ll bring the car around.” You’ll run it into a damn tree.

We’re on it. Elise took my arm. “She’s down here, right?”

I nodded and was in motion again, leading Elise down the hall. “If you grab the overnight bag I’ll help her to the car.”

Lynn was already sitting on the edge of the bed. “Grab a towel so I don’t get anything on the car seat,” she said as soon as she saw me. Her eyes narrowed when Elise followed behind. She shook off the hand I put on her arm and heaved herself onto her feet. Let’s go.

I followed right behind her. “Bag’s next to the door. Towels in the bathroom,” I told Elise. I stopped when Lynn stopped and braced a hand against the wall. It took a second for the contraction to hit me. My eyes narrowed as it felt like someone had taken a vice to everything in my abdomen. Is this the first one?

How would I know it was time if it was? She straightened up before I could take her arm and continued down the hall. “I have to call mom.” Her voice was high and it was hard to tell if it was from pain or fear.

Elise dashed past us to open the front door.

“Let’s get you in the car and I’ll call Dr. Greves and then your folks, ok?” I patted my pocket and realized my housekeys were in the car with Maggie. I have to get the spare keys, I’ll be right back.

My heart was hammering in my chest as I ran into the kitchen, fumbled with the drawer, found the keys in the back under a roll of tape and ran back. Lynn was in the car, Elise shutting her door. Maggie was behind the car and held the trunk open.

As I closed the door Elise tossed the bag in the trunk. Maggie closed it with a slam and they passed each other, their hands touching before Elise slid into the driver’s seat and Maggie into the front passenger’s seat.

I guess Maggie's not driving. I checked the lock on the door and bolted to the car, sliding in next to Lynn.

“Right off of Henderson near Birch,” Lynn told Elise who started the car rolling as soon as I shut my door. Did you call mom yet?

I pulled my phone out and scrolled through my address book with a thumb that felt too big and clumsy. I got to Dr. Greves's number and dialed. "Doctor first," I said listening to it ring. It was a Wednesday and only five o'clock. I hoped I wouldn’t have to go through the answering service.

Lynn reached out to tap Maggie's shoulder and drew her hand back. Maggie, can I borrow your phone?

“Of course,” she said and dug through her purse. She held a small phone above Lynn’s hand and dropped it onto her palm. There's no way I want to feel what you’re going through right now, she joked weakly.

Me either, Lynn agreed. “Thanks.” Mom had better be home.

“Dr. Greves's office.”

I felt a car full of worry, Lynn’s, Maggie’s, Elise’s, and my own stuck in my throat. My voice came out a squeak. I coughed and tried again. “This is Carl Childers. My wife is in labor.”

The secretary's cheery voice didn’t sound right when she tried to be serious. “The doctor is at the hospital. I’ll let her know you’re coming.”

Some of Lynn’s worry had shifted into anger and I felt that leaching into me. I couldn’t blame her since she was on the phone with her mother, but I felt even more on edge. “Great. We’re maybe fifteen minutes away. Should we take her straight to the fourth floor?”

“Take her to the ER, Mr. Childers. Dr. Greves will meet you there,” she corrected me brightly.

“Oh, ok, right. We’ll do that, thanks.” I snapped the phone shut and pushed it into my pocket. “Straight to the ER, Elise,” I said over her shoulder.

“Got it.” Is that the same entrance?

“It’s around,” I paused, caught in another contraction, seeing Maggie’s head and shoulders dip as she felt it too. “It’s around the block on Birch,” I managed once it had passed.

“Mom was shopping, she’s in Winter Park.” She said she’ll be ten minutes tops, Lynn told me with a wave of relief.

I took her hand and squeezed it. “Good. She might beat us there,” I said, doing my best not to be petty. If Lynn needed her mom I was all for it. She pulled her hand from mine. Her fingers were pale where she settled them on her protruding stomach.

“So, have you thought of any names?” Maggie asked. We both stared at her and even Elise turned her head. Maggie shrugged. “Focusing on how much it hurts isn’t going to help.”

“Elizabeth Jane, Lillian Madison, and Amelia Louise,” Lynn said. We’re going to wait the full ten days before we pick one, she added with a frown at me.

“Are you sure you don’t want to slip a Margaret in there?” Maggie asked, ignoring Lynn's harsh tone. It’s a popular name now.

I laughed because I felt I should. I didn’t realize it until my attention was on Maggie that the tension and worry coming off of her had more to do with blocking than babies. She was desperately shoving most of what she was thinking behind the leafy tangle of her block so Lee couldn’t pop out and play. “I don’t know if could handle two Maggie’s,” I said without thinking.

She flinched and Lynn sailed in, rescuing me like she had so many times before. “You should hear what he wanted to name a boy. It was either Logan, Bruce, or Carl Jr.”

Maggie laughed in the same forced way I had. You would.

“What’s wrong with Bruce?” Elise drummed her fingers against the steering wheel as she waited for the light to change. Almost there.

“I’m not having a son named after Batman’s secret identity, one of the X-men, or a hamburger chain,” Lynn answered, more annoyed than amused over the old argument.

“Can I help that there’s a burger chain called Carl’s Jr.?” I asked. It’s not even on this coast. No one would know.

The car stopped with a lurch. “We’re here,” Elise announced.

I threw open my door and rushed around the side of the car. Lynn was already halfway out. “Can someone get the suitcase?” I asked, taking Lynn’s arm. Almost there baby.

She leaned into me and let me lead her through the waiting room. Dr. Greves was standing at the front desk and I had never been so relieved to see someone, even if she was talking to my mother-in-law. Dr. Greves! I thought, projecting in my worry.

Her head snapped up and she turned, both hands on the handles of a gray wheelchair. She met us halfway to the desk. “Lynn. I’ve got your ride. Let’s get you upstairs.” She looked at me, “Do you know how far apart the contractions are?

I blinked at her. I was supposed to be counting?

“About ten minutes,” Maggie told her when I didn’t answer. Nice to see you again Mrs. Singh. She nodded to my mother-in-law, shifting the overnight bag on her shoulder.

“Yeah, ten,” I agreed, taking the handles of the wheelchair once Dr. Greves moved aside. I pushed it after the doctor, Mrs. Beast, and Maggie who were leading the way to the elevator.

Today’s the day, I told Lynn and tried not to be overwhelmed.

Don’t pass out, she shot back, bending in another contraction as the elevator door closed. Everyone but the doctor bent too, following Lynn’s example and trying to breathe through it.

Guess that answers that question. They must all be paths, Dr. Greves thought, watching us with a detached curiosity as she took Lynn’s pulse again. “Looking good. We’re going to get you in a room and on a fetal monitor.”

I had been on ops where things happened slower. It seemed like seconds passed between the car and the room we were shunted into. Mrs. Singh and I helped Lynn onto the bed and a nurse appeared, putting the leads to the fetal monitor against her stomach like we had had to do the first week at home. The machine made a steady series of rapid beeps.

“Looks good. Let’s get you in a gown and we can check you out.” I’ve got the OR ready so we should be able to go in a few minutes.

Before I had moved forward to help a nurse was in front of me with a clipboard. “We need to get your insurance information and a signature on the consent form,” she said and pushed the paperwork into my hands.

Lynn was blocked from view by Maggie, the doctor, and Mrs. Singh. “We’re going to need to look at any bleeding and then we’ll be ready to go,” Dr. Greves said.

I forced myself to look at the forms. Insurance? Right the card. I dug my insurance card out of my wallet. As many times as I’d used it this year I didn’t remember the numbers. I found a chair near the door and sat with the clipboard and my wallet perched on my knee. I jotted down our social security numbers, our registration numbers, work addresses, phone numbers, blood types and soda preferences.

“The bleeding?” Lynn was prompting the nurse.

“Spotting and the baby’s heart rate is good,” the nurse replied.

I signed the consent forms for the c-section in a fast scrawl, wanting to be next to the bed. I flipped through the rest and initialed and signed a few more times without taking anything in. When I stood up Dr. Greves was back with a gurney and another nurse. The first nurse came over and plucked the clipboard out of my hand. She took my arm to make sure she had my attention. “Ok, Mr. Childers. If you come with me I’ll get you a gown for the OR.”

“Sure, right,” I said and nodded like my head was on a spring. Over her shoulder I saw them maneuver Lynn, scooting her across the bed onto the gurney.

“I want mom to go in with me,” Lynn said.

She didn’t blink when we all turned to her. She tilted her chin out, a stubborn expression that I recognized.

The nurse had her hand on my arm. I could feel her surprise, Maggie’s from the foot of the bed, even my mother-in-law's from where she stood next to her daughter, holding Lynn’s hand.

Mrs. Singh was the first one to get over her surprise. “I’m not going in. It’s your husband’s place.” The way she said husband told me that she was sure this was my fault.

“I want you to come, mom,” Lynn said and gripped her mother’s hand hard when the older woman tried to move back. Please.

The doctor radiated impatience but everyone ignored her.

Lynn's mother shook her head. No.

“Mom, come with me.” I need you in there. The determined face transformed into an innocent wheedling expression.

“We should get her to the OR. Sooner is better. If someone’s coming-” the doctor started to say.

“Her husband.” He’s the father, he will go, her mother stated, not quite able to get her hand out of her daughter's grip.

Lynn threw her mother’s hand away from her. No! He’s not my husband. We’re getting the divorce, she thought so loud that every path in the room flinched, even her mother. “You come or I’ll do this by myself.”

Lynn wouldn’t look at me. She glared at her mother. I couldn’t get the breath to say anything, my brain felt jammed.

My mother-in-law hesitated.

The nurse’s grip shifted on my arm. Do they think the baby will stay stable all night while they argue?

“Go,” I said, the only one that seemed to pick up on the nurse’s urgency. Tt was amazing I could do that when I couldn’t breathe. “I’ll be right out here.” My voice sounded hollow.

Mrs. Beast gave me a disgusted look but she nodded. “I’m going.”

The nurse made an audible sound of relief. “If you go to the waiting room you can see them bring the baby in. I’ll come and get you,” she said in an undertone before she became brisk again. “All right, ma’am we’re going to get you changed and then you’ll be able to join your daughter,” she explained as she dropped my arm and took Mrs. Singh's.

Lynn didn’t look at me or Maggie as the doctor and the second nurse wheeled her out. Her mother frowned at me over her shoulder. Already you’re bringing more bad luck, a baby born with no father.

The door shut behind them.

“Damn,” Maggie whispered.

“We should go to the waiting room,” I said in a calm, distant tone.

“Right, we should go,” she agreed and followed me out to the seats we had passed on the way in.

There was a huge window and through it a bright room with neat rows of carts, some of them with babies in them. I watched them to have something to focus on other than the way Maggie was trying not to stare at me.

Later, I couldn’t be sure how much later, Elise came in from parking the car. Maggie popped out of her seat and intercepted her.

I should have been grateful for that, but it was too much like background noise.

I watched nurses going back and forth between the babies. Most of them were quiet, with fleeting amorphous feelings of contentment or curiosity. One baby was red-faced, uncomfortable and mad and bawling with every breath. The tag on the end of his cart read, Kayson, Emmerson Neil. I watched him with a sort of grim fascination, wondering how long it would take for a nurse to get to him.

Eventually the wide blue back of a nurse blocked him from my view, interrupting my focus on the baby. For one long second my eyes shot all over the room for something else to concentrate on. Then the door on the far end of the room opened. My mother-in-law was rolling a cart in. The first thing I saw was jet black hair and then a tiny pink hand.

“Mr. Childers?”

I looked over with a scowl, ready to tell whoever it was to fuck off. It was the nurse from earlier and she was standing in the doorway next to the window. “Come see your little girl.”

I followed her down a short hall where I had to put on a gown and covers over my shoes and then we were in the room with the babies. Mrs. Singh hovered and I did my best to ignore her, resting my hands on the edge of the cart. Dark blue eyes tracked the movement briefly from a tiny scrunched face.

“You can hold her,” the nurse said. They aren’t that fragile.

I reached out, the baby’s head and neck fit in one hand and she seemed to weigh nothing. Her eyes focused again, one hand grabbing for my thumb.

“Seven pounds, two ounces,” Lynn's mother said in a subdued tone. Eighteen inches.

I swallowed hard and kissed the baby’s forehead. My girl. I looked up to see my mother-in-law watching me. “How’s Lynn?”

She blinked and her eyes shifted to the baby. “She’s fine; they say they’ll release her tomorrow.” I think she has your eyes.

I nodded and looked down into my girl’s face. “Is she back in her room?” I should see if she wants anything from home.

Mrs. Singh cleared her throat. “She’s coming home with us, Carl.”

I stared at her. She had never called me by my first name before.

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Telepaths: The Park Slope Conspiracy - 28

2011-05-28T10:50:00.001-04:00

After a very brief hiatus (which I feel is adequately explained by the above image) Telepaths are back. This week the Senator finally has the evidence that could destroy his opponent. But new developments in the campaign have changed his priorities and it will be up to Elise to make sure Andrew and his superiors are arrested.*

*This chapter contains strong language, questionable morals and lasagna.

28. Network Failure

Elise

Maggie was asleep when I got up.

She was still asleep when I got out of the shower. Flat on her back in the middle of my bed with her right arm across her stomach and her left up over her head. She didn't move much in her sleep. Because of her shoulder. I stopped at the edge of the bed, brushing out my hair and watching her sleep. The blankets and sheets had bunched around her waist. I put the brush on the nightstand and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. I managed to do it without touching her or her skin. I knew if I touched her she'd sit straight up like she had last night and curse when she jerked her shoulder. I hope she sees the keys. Maybe I'll leave a note on the mirror in the bathroom. She'll see that.

"See what?" she asked, her eyes closed.

I didn't mean to wake you up. "Keys. I was going to leave you my spare set so you can lock up later."

"What time is it?" She blinked up at the ceiling before she turned her head to look at me. She pulled her right hand out from under the blanket and stretched both hands out above her.

I sat on the edge of the bed and watched the face she made when the stretch hurt. "Quarter to eight." Sleep as long as you want. I don't think there will be any new assignments today. I wished I could crawl back into bed. Three hours of sleep wasn't enough to face the old man, even with good news.

She lowered her arms and patted the bed beside her. "When do you have to go?"

I shifted closer. "A few minutes." I don't think he's going to keep me all day, if you want to stay. We could have dinner.

She touched the inside of my wrist and ran her fingertips along my skin and lingered at the crook of my arm. Her eyes cleared. "Call me after your meeting. If he wants to keep you later we can do dinner out."

My skin tingled where she touched me. "I'll call," I said as she reversed direction and ran her nails over the same path. You do that when I have to go?

She smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fishing for a goodbye kiss."

I bent down when she tugged on my wrist. Just one?

"Just one," she agreed and lifted her head.

Her lips slid over mine and between them, taking my bottom lip between hers and sucking it. I leaned down into her and pressed her into the pillows. Her nails dug into my back. She kissed me with feverish intensity until we had to break apart for air.

She pushed against my chest, hand over my heart. "Go to work."

I looked down at my watch. 9:03. Damn. I have to go. The thrill of panic at the idea of being late didn't eclipse my desire to stay right where I was.

She ran her hand up and down my arm, soothing this time. "I'll see you tonight." She pulled her hand away and brushed her hair from her eyes. "Go make us look good so I can use your boss as a reference."

"I write all of his reference letters. He signs them." I slid off the bed before I convinced myself I could call in my report. Think about what you want for dinner. There are a couple of good places near here.

She watched me from the bed. "I'll think about it," she said when I paused at the door.

I took one more glance. Her pale skin stood out, stark against the dark blankets. Tonight, I promised myself as I walked into the living room to get my shoes and coat.

In the car I put the radio up and tapped my thumbs on the steering wheel to the music. I was in such a good mood when I got to the office that I even went through the front door and looked through the blinds in the glass boxes to see if Gates was in yet.

He was at his desk, the phone between his shoulder and ear while he pecked at his keyboard with one finger. He saw me and waved me in.

He hung up as I stepped inside. "Go ahead and shut the door," he said with a hint of a smile.

I pushed the metal doorframe until the lock clicked, careful not to get my hands on the glass. I set my briefcase down next to one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down. "No problems with the courier?" I asked when a minute passed in silence. The folders I'd sent ahead were on his blotter next to the keyboard.

"No, no problems." He leaned back in his chair. He looked less worn down than he had a few days ago.

Good news can do that. "We were there six hours and it was over. Agent Childers and Dr. Lochlan will have their summaries for you tomorrow." I'll remind Maggie when I call her.

He watched me for a moment and then pushed the newspaper on his desk toward me. "You didn't keep up on the news while you were out on assignment, did you?"

Breaker's Illegal Tax Breaks, I read and scanned the first few lines. Breaker was being indicted for tax fraud. When did that happen? "This has to be great for our numbers." I put the paper back on the desk and made a mental note to get myself a copy of the Times when we were done.

"It has been. For all of our numbers. You see, I'm telling you this because I know how hard newspapers are to come by in Chicago." He paused to let the sarcasm sink in. "Waylan has picked up a lot of bad press about mudslinging since he uncovered this little accounting error of Breaker's. His numbers are down through the floor." The senator leaned back in his chair but his face was hard, set and serious.

So much for Steadman being priority. I felt stung that I was being reprimanded for keeping my eyes on the project I was assigned to and guilty for not keeping up with the papers at the same time. "That's good news."

He was silent for another long beat and I stayed quiet, not about to break the silence when I had no gauge of where I stood. "These are good pictures," he said.

"Good resolution. Agent Childers did a great job." I could afford to spread the praise around. Between his taxes and our evidence, Breaker was dust. Like he never existed.

"He did," Gates agreed. "We'll have to keep these on file, just in case." He pulled the newspaper toward him. "Though I can't see us needing them."

I was relieved that his eyes were on the newspaper and not me. I couldn't control my expression. I closed my mouth and swallowed. "Excuse me, sir?"

He looked up, mouth set in a stern line. "I believe you heard me. Tell Lochlan and Childers that their contracts are up as of tomorrow."

I was shocked and I couldn't hide it. I knew better, but the words came anyway. "We could bury Breaker with this." All of this time, the money, for nothing? I got shot at for Christ's sake.

He shook his head and sighed. "He's already buried. A grand jury is being convened before the election. Waylan is in the doghouse for making it happen. Do you think that I would take any chance of this camp getting tarred with the same brush? You know better."

"You're going to sit on it?" He's kidnapping people and we're going to sit on it? This was worse than using the pictures for blackmail. Even then I saw it leading to an arrest.

His expression softened and I felt the insincerity level rise. "At least until the election."

Does he think I don't know when he's lying by now? "After the election." I tapped my fingers against the arm of the chair, thinking fast. I could see Maggie and Carl's faces when I told them that we were shelving the pictures. Maggie's face when I told her that he might sit on them forever. Mudslinging. No mudslinging. "What if the information came from another source?"

He frowned. "We're dropping this, Elise."

I shifted in my seat. "We don't have to." Don't say anything stupid and melodramatic. Self interest would work better. "You always say any advantage is worth taking. What if Waylan's numbers rebound? What if Breaker can blame this all on his accountant? We could take the file we have on Steadman and Craig to the feds-"

He held his hand up to stop me and leaned on his desk with his elbows, head forward, intimidating. "I don't need you to tell me what I always say. We have nothing to take to another agency. This," he gestured to the folder, "is great for scaring the hell out of Breaker, but it's not going to get us anywhere if we take it to the FBI. This proves Steadman works for Craig. We'd need to tie the funding to Breaker to get anywhere." His tone had become conciliatory. He was telling me the way things were.

And he was telling me how I could do it. He gave me an opening. "What if I keep looking? Agent Childers was close with the financial records. He'd established that the money came from the Nevada Geological Surveys Department."

His eyes shifted toward the desk and then back up. "Childers and Lochlan aren't on staff as of tomorrow."

That wasn't a no. Maybe he wants to see if I can do it myself. "I have their notes. I can look into it." I didn't doubt I'd have willing help.

He pursed his lips and folded his hands on top of the desk. "There are other things I'm going to need you on."

You have me scheduled to work on this for another month. "If this comes from an outside source it's going to reinforce that you fight fair, that Waylan is a bully, and Breaker is ridiculous." I wanted to cross my fingers; they twitched against the arms of the chair. Haven't I stroked your ego enough? Let me do this.

He regarded me for a long time and I refused to look away. "Two weeks. After that I'll expect you here in this office full time. Are we clear?"

"Clear. I'll inform Childers and Lochlan about their contracts today." Working on this might help to distract Carl from Lynn but Maggie's going to need a new contract to keep her in cash.

"Good. Keep me updated." He said and turned back to his computer.

"I will.” I picked up my briefcase and went to the door.

"Elise?"

I turned at the door to see him watching me with an air of expectation. "Yes, sir?" Did I forget something? I told him when they're sending in the summaries.

"You're welcome," he said and raised his eyebrows.

I cleared my throat and willed my face not to turn red. "Yes, thank you, sir."

He nodded in a self-satisfied way and waved me out the door.

I got into the hall and walked to my desk. I put my briefcase in my chair and stared at my monitor. What did you just agree to do? The office was felt too small. I grabbed my purse. Mark was on the phone so I didn't have to field any comments on my way to the back door.

I leaned against the side of the building with a view of the bank across the parking lot.

I had my blackberry out as soon as the door swung shut behind me. My thumb scrolled through the programmed numbers, and stopped on Derek. I hesitated over the call button. I put the phone back in my pocket. I wasn't ready to talk to Derek. I wasn't ready to listen to him try to justify baiting Maggie at dinner. I wasn't ready to hear what mom had said when I didn't show up on Sunday. Without even calling. I was angry at myself for wanting to call him anyway. To say what? I'm going to forgive you for now so you can listen to me bitch about my boss?

I pulled the phone out, thumbed through the numbers and stopped on Maggie's. I blinked hard, furious that I was tearing up and refusing to cry when I knew I'd have to walk back through the office with red eyes. You're not calling her about Gates either. My throat felt tight and I knew if I called her I'd break down. The thought made me angrier. I clenched my jaw and pulled up my email instead. I opened a new message and pecked out:

Good guess. Contracts end tomorrow. We should meet to discuss the outcome. Are you available tonight or tomorrow?

-Elise

I shot it off to Carl and Maggie and sighed. Good. Nothing inflammatory about Gates in it. I shook my head. He's letting you use his resources to work on this and is paying you for it, I reminded myself, but being reasonable didn't make me feel any better.

The phone vibrated in my hand and I put it to my ear. Christ Carl is fast. He bitches about too many emails and he checks his every ten minutes. "Atwood."

"So you are alive," Derek said.

Shit. "What's up?" I thumped the wall with my fist and scraped the back of my hand.

He sighed into the phone and made the speaker crackle. "I tried calling you all weekend, that's what's up. You didn't come Sunday and you didn't return anyone's calls."

"I was out on assignment," I shot back. I should have at least emailed him. Aren't you supposed to be the responsible one?

There was a pause. "How did that go?"

I'd been ready to fight and the calm question threw me. "Gates wants to drop the investigation. I convinced him to let me keep on it for two more weeks but to get anything done I have to convince Carl and Maggie to work for free because their contract is up tomorrow."

I blinked, surprised that I'd decided to tell him.

"He won't extend the contract?"

I shook my head. Don't I wish? "Not a chance. I don't think he'd mind getting more work out of them though." I frowned. It was possible I'd been maneuvered into asking them. The Senator had to know that I didn't know as much about the case or have access to the databases that either of them had. My hand curled into a fist but I didn't hit the wall again.

"That sounds like something the old man would do. Is it worth it?"

I put my head back against the wall, looking up at the cloudless blue sky. "Yeah." How does he do that? It was why I'd wanted to call Derek in the first place. He could always put the Senator's maneuvering into perspective.

"About last week. I want to-"

"Did you do it on purpose?"

There was genuine worry in his voice. "No, you know I wouldn't do that to you."

My hand stung. There were two long scrapes along the side and one had welled up red. "You didn't mean it, she didn't mean it. It doesn't matter, ok?"

"I really wanted to apologize to Maggie. Think there's anything I can say that won't get me eviscerated?"

I laughed without meaning to. "You asshole. You're not funny."

He laughed too. "You have to help me figure something out. Claire was going kill me after last week."

"She likes Italian food. If you can convince Claire to make lasagna you might have a deal." At least he wants to give her a chance.

"You’re sure this is a deal for Maggie?"

Smartass. "I think you could start making it up to me too.”

"Deal."

I wonder what else he'll agree to now that he thinks he isn't in trouble? "Throw in some of that cobbler and I might forgive you for leaving me at that gas station in Texas."

He huffed into the phone. "Right after I forgive you for telling Marcy Clark that I wet the bed."

I coughed to keep a straight face. Almost forgot about that. "Maybe we're even there."

"Yeah, maybe. I’m still waiting for mom to ground you for that one."

My smile faded and I flexed my sore hand. "Hey, Derek?" What's mom been saying?

"What, Elise?"

I glanced around and asked in a small voice, "How's mom been?"

Derek sighed into the line and I regretted asking.

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Telepaths: The Park Slope Conspiracy - 27

2011-05-14T10:09:00.002-04:00

Andrew's carefully ordered life is coming apart at the seams, but with his schedule he's too tired to notice. Will an escape attempt from the labs set him back on course?*

*This chapter contains strong language, condoms, crossword puzzles and an escape.

27. The Escape

Andrew

Her body had relaxed, her mind was tense.

I pulled myself up on my elbows to look at her face. Her eyes were serious. "Are you ok?" I shifted to brush away the hair stuck to her forehead. It was the sort of thing I was supposed to ask. We both got there. It can't be that.

He's seeing someone else, she thought like a slap. "I have a couple of seats to Paris next week. Just two days."

I felt the shock in my face before I could hide it.

He said he had next weekend off. Let's see him squirm out of this. She had already decided my look confirmed her suspicion. "What do you think?"

"I- well I'm on call," I said.

She shifted under me and turned her face away. I knew it.

I reached down and held the edge of the condom so it didn't pull off when I rolled onto my back. I slipped the condom off and dropped it over the edge of the bed, into the trash. "You knew I was on call. Didn't you?" I asked after several silent minutes. After those two captains in New Zealand, she's the jealous one? I wondered with a twinge of anger. I thought we'd been having a good night. I'd even come home early.

"It's fine," she said and moved her leg away from mine where they touched. He's not even going to admit to it.

My jaw tightened in frustration. I wanted to roll back over and shake it out of her. Shout, 'I'm not cheating!' in her stunned face. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and thought of an empty room. White walls. No windows. "It's not fine. I'm sorry I can't go with you." Breathe in and then out. One window with parted curtains letting in bright light. "I can't even ask about full leave right now. We're too busy." I could feed her reasonable reasons until she calmed down and came out with what was bothering her. Until then I was going to breathe. None of the panicky thoughts of the whole weekend together, the pressure and the expectations. I was so worn down I barely had the energy for tonight.

She sighed, nervous and determined. "I don't always feel like you want to be here." I wonder who she is. Some agent with sunglasses and a gun?

I propped myself up on one elbow to look at her face. She had her head turned to the wall. "Why do you think that?" Where did all of this come from? If she'd been worried about it before I would have known. I'd opened myself up more after the fiasco in the parking garage. I knew she was worried her little brother was drinking again and she hadn't talked to him in weeks.

She sighed again, impatient. "You're preoccupied all the time. Like you're somewhere else in your head." With someone else.

"I've been slammed at work. I'm tired, that's all," I said, defensive when I should have been reassuring. I'm supposed to give anything my full attention while Craig's throwing pick-ups at me and I'm up to my ass in reports?

There was hurt and triumph when she looked at me. "Is that all?" She shifted and sat against the headboard with the sheets pulled up under her arms. I knew it. It's some slut from the office.

I sank back against the mattress. "I think all those time changes are getting to you." Say it if you're going to say it. Say it out loud so you can hear how ridiculous it is.

"I think you're full of shit. Don't try and con me and tell me it's just work." I'm not stupid.

I sat up, looking for my shorts. "I've got six other girls on the side, that must be it." I flipped the blankets back off my legs and found my pants but not my shorts. Where are they?

"There is someone else, I know it."

Screw the shorts. I jammed my legs into my pants and stood to pull them up the rest of the way. "What if there was? Would it even matter? After Captain Reynolds? After that steward with the accent in Paris? A relationship doesn't get much more open." I couldn't remember where my shirt had gone either. I looked over and around her for it.

How does he know about that? Mary must've told him. "You think I did it, so you're going to do it now? Is that it?" she asked, prepared to deny it. Prepared to lie to my face.

The anger sat low in my stomach and I stepped around the bed to face her. She'd moved to the edge, draped in the sheet like a toga. I leaned down to look at her stubborn face. "I know you did it and I didn't care. I knew about all of them." I straightened up to look for my shirt. It was too cold to leave without it. I turned my head and saw it draped over the edge of the dresser. I don't need this shit.

Her voice came from behind a wall of cotton as I fumbled to get the shirt on. "Who is she?"

I stood at the door and looked back at her. There was a frown carved into her face as she steeled herself for the answer.

"She's a figment of your fucking imagination." I stalked out of the room, grateful that she didn't try to chase me down, grateful that I could leave her guilt and anger and confusion back in the bedroom while I slid on my shoes and ducked out through the back door.

She's going to want her keys back. I sighed and my breath swirled in front of my eyes in a cloud of steam. I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked faster, feeling exposed in the dawn light. When did she get so damn possessive? She was supposed to be happy with her pilots and we'd get together when we were both home. What was wrong with that?

My arms were cold when I got inside. I rubbed them and looked at the clock over the TV. It was almost time to leave. Quick shower and then you can head into the office. There's the report from the op in Chicago and the proposal for Wednesday to do.

I felt my anger drain away as I made plans for work. I had to rewrite my initial statement about Chicago. I'd proofed it last night and the tone was all wrong. It read like I had picked him up on his lunch break because I was in a hurry, not because it was the best time. That wouldn't go over well with Craig. He seems to forget that I'm the only one that can do this. He doesn't have any other guys lined up to do the pickups. I didn't have much time to enjoy warming up in the shower before I was getting dressed again, combing my hair and brushing my teeth. I've got those Sudoku books for Gail in my desk with the crosswords I picked up for Carol. I have to remember to take them with me when I head down.

Reva's car was in the driveway when I got into mine. I was going to have to call later and smooth things over. Maybe flowers. What kind does she like? I tried to remember as I pulled into the street. I got on the highway instead of taking the back way and was at the gate in forty-five minutes.

I zipped up my jacket against the chill before I got out of the car and almost forgot to roll up the window. I went in the side door with my card key and bypassed the cubicles.

There was no one in the halls and the only other office with a light on was Kepler's. I unlocked my door, flicked on the light and stuck my briefcase in the chair next to the bookshelf. I grabbed my coffee mug and went down the hall. I tapped on Kepler's door.

He looked up from his desk, eyebrows up before he nodded. "Morning. Meeting time didn't get moved up, did it?" It looks like he's going on coffee and no sleep again.

The sleep comment was fair, I'd come straight off assignment to see Reva. "We're on for 2pm. It shouldn't take long."

"As long as they don't throw any more high profile cases in." He nodded at the mug. "Is there coffee?" I hope Warren didn't make it. That stuff's mud.

"No idea. Probably not. I make it lighter than Warren though, if you're interested."

He's in a good mood. "I might stretch my legs later and get a cup," he said, watching my face.

I shrugged. "If I don't go through the pot before then." Halfway down the hall I still felt the prickle of his eyes on the back of my neck. What's wrong with being in a good mood?

The kitchen was dark and didn't smell like burned grounds. Warren wasn't in yet. I dumped four tablespoons into the filter and closed the trap. The pot started automatically and I leaned against the counter watching it. Three hours of sleep was catching up to me. I put my elbows on the counter and looked around the room, breathing in the coffee smell to stay awake.

I reached for the phone on the wall and dialed.

"Security, Finnigan." Day shift already, Finnigan had just come on, he had the crisp official tone that he'd lose halfway through his shift.

"Sean, it's Agent Piken. I have some books I want to take downstairs. Can you put in a clearance with Gail for me? White's already signed off, should be in last night's log." If I drop the books off now, I'll have time to visit this afternoon. If I waited, the quarantine process would take too long and the books wouldn't be cleared by the time my meeting was over.

"Let me check." There was a clatter from the ancient keyboard they had in the video room. "Yeah, I'll send a note up to Gail. What do you have?"

"Two New York Times crossword puzzle anthologies and a Super Crossword Book. Tell Gail that I've got her Sudoku books too. Both of the ones she was looking for." I willed the coffee to drip faster. My eyes felt raw. Maybe I can stretch out on White's sofa.

Finnigan hammered the keys again. "Ok, it's noted."

"Thanks. I'll head down there in a few minutes," I said and checked my watch. Quarter to nine. I didn't have to have that revised report to Craig until after my meeting. There’s enough time to drop off the books and have a nap.

"No problem. Anything else I can do for you?" He was rushing me off the phone so he could get back to playing minesweeper.

"That's it. Thanks." I rubbed my eyes, relieved to see the coffee was done. I poured a cup and dumped two packets of sugar into it. I let it warm up my hands as I walked back down the hall. I took my first sip rifling through the bottom drawer of my desk for the books. I pulled them out of the plastic bag and set them on my blotter. I put the two smaller Sudoku books to one side and then shook the crosswords to make sure there were no loose pages or receipts stuck in them. Something like that would push back quarantine by a day. Nothing loose. I piled them back together and tried to smooth down a bent corner with my thumb.

I picked up the pile of books and was about to step out the door when I realized I was holding my coffee. Gail would love that. I gulped down half the cup, the hot liquid making my eyes water, and set the mug on the bookshelf. I grabbed my jacket, checked for my keys and tried again. I closed the door behind me, locked it and continued down the hall.

Gail's head was already up when I rounded the corner. Finnigan told her I was coming this time. It was an unfair thought, he'd only forgotten once. But I was the one who got threatened with a body cavity search.

He's looking thin. She looked me up and down with her hand on the gun under the desk.

My smile slipped. "I've got your books," I said and set them on the bare corner of her desk. I went to the eye scan without being asked and the first light blinked orange. I put my card in and the second turned green. There, you paranoid old woman. Now you can put the gun down and talk.

She had a security wand and waved it over all of the books. "Where did you find these? Everywhere here is sold out." Cookies, crossword puzzles; is he setting up camp down there?

"I can't reveal my sources," I said when she handed me the crossword books. My eyes were watering and I wiped them with my fingers. I wonder if they have a sofa anywhere else down there. The one in our break room is awful and White might be camped out on his in by now.

"You're sweet. Make sure you get some of those bagels I brought when you come back up. I bet you've had nothing but coffee this morning," she said before she turned to her books. This'll last me all week.

"I'll do that." I pushed the button to release the door and it slid open. I shivered across the long hall and in the elevator. I tucked the books under my arm and stuffed my hands in my pockets. I exchanged nods and 'good mornings' with a few techs in the halls.

When I turned the corner I stifled a sigh. The quarantine window was empty again. I know he doesn't like standing in the damn cage, but it is his job. I leaned on the small counter and rang the buzzer set into the wall. Past the counter was a thick metal grate that had been painted white and had a padlock on it. It looked more like a gun cage than a place for incoming books, clothes and sundries. I moved close to the chipped surface of the grate. I couldn't see around the corner to the door that led into the sterilization lab.

I bet he's in the cafeteria getting a donut. I wiped a smudge off the black surface of one of the books with my sleeve. I had reached for the buzzer again when I heard the lab door open.

"Coming." No deliveries this morning. Who needs something checked now? "Oh, Agent Piken." Richardson buttoned his lab coat and skirted a pile of plastic crates to get to the grate. Figures.

"I have some books. They should all fit in one bag." I held up the books for him to see. Let's do this so I can find somewhere to lie down.

"They might," he said and pushed a bag through the slot at the bottom of the grate.

I sealed the books into the cheery orange biohazard bag and pushed it through the hatch under the counter. "You think these will clear sometime this morning?" Outside goods for the subjects came on Wednesday, which meant a Monday request should clear by noon unless there was a backup from the last delivery or a special order. That would be my luck this morning. I wiped my eyes which had started watering again.

"Should clear before one. Anything else?" I swear White is letting them have more outside stuff to justify keeping the steri-lab manned 24/7.

"That's it. Thanks," I said, not unhappy to get away from him. He was one of the ones like Forrest that thought the subjects should get minimal privileges. Wonder how he would like it, no time outside, no phone, no internet. He'd crack in a week.

"Andrew?"

I had turned the corner and I saw a shock of red hair at the far end of the hall. "Morning, Ray," I said and walked over. I wonder if he's using his office right now.

He met me halfway, his eyebrows up. "Got something in quarantine?" What'd you bring her this time? he asked with interest.

"Crosswords. She used to get the Times at the Slope." I felt caught even though he had cleared the books. He looks tired, I realized. His lab coat was even more rumpled than usual and he was pale under his bright hair.

"Oh, right." We were up all night with the new one and then Forrest called out on some family thing so I have to manage all of his experiments too.

I nodded. All I wanted was a spot on his sofa and a darkened office with a shut door. "Yeah, I had a-"

"If you want to see her, she's getting prepped for A treatment. I can leave her in there for maybe half an hour, do Sherman first." There's no one to cover for me until noon, so I'm taking the treatment schedule too.

I had to shake my head at the change in subject. "Sure. I mean you don't have to," I said. I felt more awake at the prospect of seeing Carol this morning. Too bad the books won't be through.

White smothered a yawn with the back of his hand. "It's no problem. Come on," he said and started down the hall. Next time I'm going to make up a dead great aunt. He's getting five days. I could use that kind of time off.

"Who couldn't?" I trailed after him, down past the labs with the monkeys and the dogs. They barked as we passed.

He pushed open a door and we stepped into a locker room. It had the same blue lockers and red benches as the one near the elevator and a quarter of the floor space. "You're going to have to change. There are scrubs on the shelf over there." He gestured off to the left. "And booties to put over your shoes. I'll go tell Campbell we're doing Sherman first." He went through the double doors at the other end of the room, shoulders hunched against his tiredness.

Blue ones. I wonder if green is only for the dogs? I kept my keys and stowed the rest of my clothes in an open locker. I was putting the thin booties over my shoes when he came back in.

"Come on. I have to get to Sherman in a few minutes or the whole schedule is off," he said with more weariness than impatience. He watched me struggle with the shoe covers. You look like you dropped a few more pounds. Having any headaches? he asked, trying to diagnose me with some side effect from the gas.

I shook my head. "Nope. Just worn out. We've had a lot of pickups this month."

"I hear that." He nodded and held the door open for me. There was a small scrub station and more doors with large black numbers painted on them. She's in 3. Campbell will come for her when we're done with Sherman. Half an hour, maybe less.

I watched the door swing shut behind him as he hurried off to see the other subject. I turned to door three. The metal was warm under my hand as pushed the door open.

I felt Carol jump when she heard the door and the deep breath she took to calm herself down before she saw it was me. "What are you doing here?" she asked, face drawn up in confusion and her arms crossed over her chest. This isn't a good time for cookies.

I let the door close behind me and my smile felt awkward. Her gown tied around in the front and she felt vulnerable out of her jumpsuit. "I came down to drop off some books. White grabbed me out of quarantine and brought me over." I made sure I kept my eyes on her face and stayed near the door. The room was like a doctor's office, down to the bench covered in paper that crinkled when she moved. The smell of alcohol and floor cleaner made my nose burn. "I can come back later." You look like you didn't sleep.

She looked down at her feet. They didn't touch the floor. "No, it's fine. How long before they come back?" she asked, eye on the door on the other side of the room. It didn't have any numbers on it. I hate needles. She rubbed her arms against a chill.

"Me too. You should see what it takes to get me to a doctor." I'd give you my jacket if it wasn't in the locker room. I moved further into the room, opening the cupboards to see if I could find a blanket.

"Are you snooping, or are you looking for something?" I could feel her eyes on my back and shut the cupboard. They keep gauze and long q-tips in there. I checked.

"Just looking," I said, still tired and slow. I leaned on the counter behind me, grateful to have somewhere to put my hands. "I brought your books. I could only find two of the New York Times collections. The woman at the bookstore suggested another one."

Her smile was strained. You didn't have to. "Did you catch Dirty Jobs last night?" Her eyes darted toward the door and then back to me.

"No. I got hung up," I hedged. "Are the meds keeping you up again? You look tired."

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Don't you know you aren't supposed to tell a girl she looks tired? Didn't you have any sisters, Slick?" Under her light tone she was drawn tight. Do you think I want to talk about my treatments right now?

"Sorry, I was- never mind." I stifled a yawn and rubbed my eyes. Why do I bring these things up?

"It doesn't look like you got much sleep either." I thought you went home at a decent hour last night.

She met my eyes and I couldn't look away. "Well, I had to meet... someone." I didn't want to talk about my argument with Reva any more than she wanted to talk about needles.

She nodded. "Ah, the girlfriend." There's a special on sharks next week. You'd like it.

I didn't like the way she said 'the girlfriend' like she might say the car, or the toaster. "We had a fight," I said without meaning to. She's about to get pumped full of drugs and you want to whine about your morning?

Her shoulders relaxed and she patted the table next to her. "What happened?" Did she find out you like Enya?

I moved over to the table and leaned on the edge next to her. Her feet swung back and forth and I could feel the movement through the pads on the bench. "It's stupid."

She put her hands on the edge of the bench too and her right hand almost touched my left. "People don't have smart fights."

"I've been distracted so she thinks I'm cheating." I was surprised how easy it was to sum up in one sentence. It's not like I'm running around after girls all day.

"She said that?" Doesn't she know you can read her?

"She doesn't know. She implied I was cheating and I brought up all the pilots she'd been sleeping with at work," I admitted, ashamed of myself. All of those guys I bring in for digging and I was doing it to my girlfriend.

She cleared her throat to keep from laughing. "I guess it's an open relationship. I wouldn't have guessed." You're a wild man. With a big mouth. There were better ways to bring that up.

"I have a wild girl at least. I flew off the handle when she wouldn't come out and say it. She could've just asked if I was cheating.'"

"Maybe if she was a path, or knew about you. Even then asking means having it denied or confirmed. No one wants something like that confirmed." I guess this explains why you're in so early, she concluded and gave my hand a light squeeze.

I turned my hand to hold hers. "You're probably right. You should be a therapist. Did you ever think about doing that when you get out?"

She pulled her hand away and slid off the table. Her slippers squeaked against the tile. When she turned to face me she looked small and tired. When I get out? "Andrew, what makes you think I'm getting out of here?"

If she had been angry I would have been able to argue better. Her bone weary acceptance got to me. "It's the aim of the program," I said without conviction. How are you so sure?

She tilted her head to one side. You've been at this a long time. You can't be surprised. She took my hand and held it between hers. "I killed people. They're not ever letting me out."

I stood up straight and looked down at her eyes. They were red around the bright blue irises. "You're going to be better. You did that when you were sick." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I didn't have it in me to confirm what she suspected. She wasn't getting out.

"I'm not stupid. If I was ever declared sane I'd get put in prison instead." They're not going to take a chance on letting me out, not matter how well this works. She blinked and tears slid down her cheeks.

When I hugged her, her head didn't quite reach my shoulder. Her arms were trapped between us and I could feel hot tears soak into my shirt. She let me hold her head in place with one hand and rub her back with the other. She pulled away after a few minutes and wouldn't meet my eyes. I can't believe I did that. "You should go. They're going to come for me soon."

My hands found the edge of the bench again. "I could come back this afternoon. I was going to, with the books," I said to fill the silence.

I could feel the smooth surface of her block, like a thick sheet of glass under what she was saying. "Sure. Come back this afternoon." It's not like I'm going anywhere. She backed across the room to stand next to the counter.

I wanted to hug her again. I tightened my grip on the bench. "My meeting is at two. I can be down by four," I promised and pushed off the table toward the door. I needed to get out of the room, away from this.

She nodded again. "I'll see you later."

"Right, later." My tone was too bright. Her eyes were understanding.

I got dressed and walked back up to my office, wide awake. I sat at my desk with the door open and watched people walk back and forth down the hall. I couldn't seem to concentrate on my report. I looked out the window. I stared at the blank word document. I got up and looked at my bookshelf and retrieved my coffee mug. I looked at the calendar on the wall. It had photos of World War 1 planes. Last week was my three year anniversary, I realized with some surprise. I tapped the day with my finger. The 3^rd of March. Three years. Three years with a handful of vacation days taken and two sick days. I had forty vacation days with the department and twelve personal days. And a sabbatical.

I peered down at the calendar. Ticking off the years on my fingers. It was definitely three. Three years was a sabbatical. All government agencies were required to offer them to telepaths every three years. "Six months off," I said to myself, sitting down behind my desk. I looked at my screen again. Craig's not going to want to give it to you. It'll slow down the program. Maybe not if I packed more pickups in before. Then I could go and they'd have plenty to do. He has to let you. It's the law.

I sat up straighter; a weight had lifted from my shoulders. I took a quick glance at my notes and started typing. I finessed the report into something Craig would want to hear.

It was almost noon when I finished proofing the report. I stretched my neck and wondered if White would want me to bring him a sandwich from Gerrard's for lunch.

The phone rang.

"Piken," I answered, seeing it was a downstairs number. Be funny if White called when I was thinking about lunch. Guy has a hollow leg or something.

"Piken, it's Kepler. Were you the last one with Matthews before her treatment this morning?"

I have clearance, I thought with a defensive frown. "Maybe. I saw her before they came for her. One of the techs might've come in to prep her after I left."

"But you were there? 9-9:30-ish?" he asked in a rush.

I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck. Kepler was never anything but calm and cool. "I was there. Look, did something happen? I didn't leave anything in the room." I patted my pockets for my keys. They were a solid weight against my side.

"Don't go anywhere. I'll be up there to talk to you in half an hour," he said even faster.

"What's going on? Was she too upset? Did she refuse her treatment or something?" They're not going to let me bring her things if she doesn't follow her regimen.

He huffed into the phone. "Refused treatment? Christ Andrew." He took a deep breath. "Did she say anything? Seem off at all?"

My chest was tight. "She said she knew she wasn't getting out."

"That's fucking perfect."

"What happened?" I gripped the phone so hard I thought it would crack.

He sighed into the line, making it crackle. "She's still unconscious. She stabbed White in the leg with one of those big syringes and tried to off herself. Doc's pretty shaken up."

What? "What are you talking about? I was just down there."

"Look, I have to get someone to corral these subjects that were brought over for treatments. I'll fill you in when I get done. Don't go anywhere." He hung up and the dial tone buzzed in my ear.

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Telepaths: The Park Slope Conspiracy - 26

2011-05-07T09:44:00.001-04:00

This kid knows what you're reading.

In this week's Telepaths we discover a new layer to Maggie's problems with the serial killer that shares her brain, gain insight into Carl and Lynn's marriage and see what a retired psychiatrist and a senator's staff member do to celebrate.*

*This chapter contains strong language, a cold shower, solitaire and sex.**

**I know what you're thinking. Sex again? We've covered this before, still this time it's between two ladies for variety.

26. Break Out The Champagne

Maggie

"You know-"

"That-"

"We're…supposed to-"

Elise put her hand over my mouth. "We're supposed to be watching the monitor," she managed. We have to stop. Her other hand was on my neck holding my head inches from hers.

I bit the base of her thumb. I could feel the shiver that hit her radiate into me everywhere we touched skin. Through her hand on my neck, my hand against her back and my lips against her palm. It hit me low in the stomach, just where she was feeling it.

She was determined to have willpower. Later, later, later, she told herself, told me, told us both where I swam in her head. When my eyes dropped to her neck she moved her hand from my mouth and tilted her chin in invitation.

When my lips touched her neck there was a second lurch in my stomach. I pulled her against me in response and sucked the skin of her neck between my teeth, hard, making her legs shake. I could feel her legs shaking like they were my legs and Lee's excitement pushed out so that I felt like there were two of me, that I was feeling him with Elise and myself with her at the same time. We both wanted to eat her alive.

Her hand had dropped to my hip and she pulled me closer, her fingers clawed into my belt loops. The sore shoulder I'd been angling back twisted forward.

I broke away and gritted my teeth against the sudden pain. Damn.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry, are you ok?" Elise asked in a rush, hand on the other shoulder. I didn't mean to, I wasn't-

"It's fine." I cleared my throat and straightened up. The pain had shocked me, Elise was worried and Lee had crawled back to wherever he lived. The abrupt shift made me queasy. "Weren't we supposed to be working or something?" I asked with a weak smile.

"Yeah," she said her voice shaky as she took a step back. "Work. Do you want monitors or employee records first?" You could lie down if you're still tired.

I glanced at the bed and shook my head. "I'll take the records. I'm going to have a shower first."

She raised her eyebrows and fingered the red spot on her neck.

"A cold one," I said and hoped I'd covered my embarrassment. With my equilibrium back I was ashamed at the way I'd let them carry me away.

She laughed and turned away to sit in front of the monitors. Maybe I'll have one after. Then we can play cards sitting on opposite sides of the table.

"Good plan," I agreed and grabbed fresh clothes out of my suitcase. I closed the door to the bathroom with a physical sense of relief.

What are you doing? I asked myself and looked into the mirror. I looked like myself. I always looked like myself. Tired, happy, mad, my face was still my face, my eyes were still my eyes. Lee was never there looking back at me. He wasn't in my eyes, he was buried deep in my head where I couldn't get at him. Tainting things I did, lashing out at people, sticking in his quirks so I tapped my pen on things while I was thinking and had to wonder every time something turned me on if he would be there adding to it.

I looked away from the mirror and undressed. I wasn't wearing the sling and I had been diligent in stretching the joint, but rotating my shoulder enough to get my shirt off made the pain flare again. She said she didn't care. I turned the shower on, twisted the knobs and tested the temperature with my hand. I had been in her head and she didn't care. She was nervous but that was about her family. Which proves that she doesn't get it. If she could see what Lee showed everyone else she'd run for miles to get away from the idea of us touching her.

"Us," I muttered. The temperature was short of scalding when I stepped into the shower. I let it pound into my shoulder to loosen the muscles. It could be worse. He could hate her the way he hated Robin. I put my head under the spray like I could wash away the thought. When I was first echoed he challenged Robin every day. Everything horrible he could come up with he showed her. He showed her until she was anxious about coming home, anxious every time she saw my face. It's good he likes Elise.

What about Elise? Elise was alienating her family to defend me. Was I interested because she was? Was I pursuing it because she wasn't afraid of me? Was I doing this because Lee approved? I dropped my head against the tiled wall. Out there the feeling from Lee had been so strong it was like touching two people at once. It was almost too much, both of them together. He wouldn’t always be there. Lee was unpredictable, that was the only predictable thing about him. I expected him to show up if I was angry, challenged or turned on. He didn't always do it. I didn't expect him to order drinks for me and he did. Do you really mind him there? I cringed. There were things I didn't think about too hard in my life with him. It wasn't like he'd never showed up in the years I'd been alone. I hadn't stopped masturbating because he lived in my head. I sighed and put my head back under the spray, my eyes closed as I wrung the shampoo out of my hair.

With my eyes closed I had a flash of Carl and Lynn. Even though he hadn't projected everything that he'd dumped on me was swimming near the surface. It wasn't the distraction I would've picked but I let myself focus on it. I'd had no idea that they were separated before the baby. I was sure Robin would have mentioned it. She always knew what was going on with the old crowd even out in Colorado. I was waiting for her to call to confirm me and Elise. Carl had told Lynn which meant she'd call Robin. I wonder if she'll try to talk you out of it. In all the times she'd called and told me about her prosaic family life and indicated I should take as long as I needed to start working again, we'd never talked about dating.

And Robin would have an unbiased opinion about that? Elise is never going to see what she saw. It could never affect her the same way. I jumped when the water turned cold. I had to stand, shivering in the far end of the tub, half soapy, waiting for it to warm up again.

The water warmed up and I ducked back under it long enough to rinse off.

It took me longer to get into my clothes that out of them and I was torn between cursing and wondering how much good it was going to do us to look at the Geological Survey Center's employee records. If Andrew was as deep cover as Carl had hinted, all his childhood records erased, then why would they have any paper trail for him? On the off chance that those credit accounts were linked to a real name and a picture that could tie him with Craig's office, we had to keep looking. It gives me something to do anyway. Something other than watching Elise trying not to watch me.

I opened the bathroom door in a puff of steam.

The room looked like a cave after the bright bathroom. With all the thick curtains drawn the light was dim and sepia toned. Even the colors in the vivid bedspread were washed out. Elise looked up from the small tower of cards in front of her. "Cold shower," she said, eyeing the steam. I was about to send a rescue team. You were in there for 45 minutes.

"Keeping a close watch?" I pointed at the cards. How did she get it that high?

She shrugged. "I didn’t feel like playing solitaire and I can see the screen." Unless you want to watch this.

I shook my head. "Oh no, you volunteered to watch. I'm going to go rifle through pointless employee records." I propped myself up at the head of the bed with a few pillows and put my laptop on the bed and a pad of paper on my lap. It was tedious, weeding out the women and the ones that were too old and too young to be Andrew. None of the files had been indexed so I had to look through every page until I found something that disqualified the employee. It took all of my attention and I read on and on through evaluations and hiring records, health screenings and assignments.

"Do you think Carl's going to be ok out there by himself?"

I looked up from the computer, my pen going still where I had been tapping it. Carl was out watching the target in a van with a book on tape and a bag of starlight mints. "What, in the van?" Look at how fast she shuffles. She could be a dealer with those hands.

She turned to look at me over her shoulder. In the dim room her eyes looked dark. "He was pretty tense after that call, whatever he showed you, and then getting pulled over." I was surprised that the censure was gone from her tone. She wasn't mad at him anymore. Did Lee really cut his eyes out? She turned around and ducked her head. Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up.

What did they talk about when I fell asleep? If they spent the whole ride down talking about Lee I'll kill Carl. I checked myself. If they'd done that Elise would have been thinking about Lee when we were- "Let's say that fight he had with Lynn felt like a threat when he dumped it on me. Carl is going to be fine. As long as Lynn doesn't call back," I added, hoping to change the subject. We'd hear that fight from New York.

She turned her head and I could see her profile backlit by the TV. "Would she do that while he's working?" Her tone judged that as unprofessional. Find anything good in the records?

"No and no. I don't think Andrew's even in here," I admitted, gesturing at the laptop. "And I've known Lynn a long time. I think Carl's in for a least a few solid days of the silent treatment." Which I'd take over her yelling any day.

"I guess it’s better than distracting him while we're on this assignment." I can imagine what Gates will say if another one of us gets hurt. Something about not being cost effective.

You take everything he says so personally. "I was shocked that they were separated. They've always been together, like they came as a set, Carl and Lynn." I didn’t acknowledge her anger at Gates; it always went back to what her mother had said to her when they fought.

"They're together now." He seems too attached to have wanted a divorce. Was it her idea? She asked as she flipped the cards out one by one into the freecell solitaire pattern.

I shook my head and took my pen out of my mouth. I wasn't sure how much Carl wanted this spread around but I wanted to talk about it. If he didn't want me to, he shouldn't have dropped it in my head. "His idea. He wanted kids and she didn't."

"Oh, so when she got pregnant?" Where is that damn ace of spades?

"Yeah. I never knew he wanted kids that much." I leaned my head back against the headboard and stretched my neck. I wonder if we should get something to eat soon.

"Was that their only problem?" she asked. Yes, put the nine over there and open up that cell. Now I can get the ace.

I closed my eyes and thought about it. "I don't know. Carl dumped it on me pretty fast. I think they think it is. All of their fights revolve around him leaving. She harps on it because she's insecure and he feels like he has to prove himself all the time. Anything he does is a measure of how much he wants to stay with her." They're going to self destruct in a year. "No pressure there," I said with a sigh. I had considered them my friends for so long that the idea of them apart didn't sit right.

"It could be the hormones. It can't help that they're both paths, she's worried so he gets to soak that up and feel like she's waiting for him to screw up." My cousin and her husband almost split when she was pregnant with their first. They didn't get that it had been the hormones until after Andre was born.

I found myself cheered by that idea. I wasn't sure I believed it, but it sounded better than Carl and Lynn getting divorced. "The hormones aren't helping, and neither is bed rest. I think I'd want to take my frustration out on anybody that could walk around." I hope her mother is getting a dose about now.

"I can't even imagine the whole bed rest thing." Elise shifted in her seat, uncomfortable, either talking about Carl or talking about his problems. Watch the monitors for me for a few minutes? I want to get a shower before this guy gets home.

I shifted my legs off the side of the bed and got up. "Sure. I can't promise I won't play your cards though."

She stood next to her chair and her eyes narrowed. Her tone was playful. Get your own cards. I-

We jumped when her phone went off.

"It’s Carl," she said with a glance at the caller ID. "Atwood," she answered in her crisp work voice. It's too early for anything to have happened.

I stepped up to her side, feeling out so I could hear what Carl said.

"I got him. I can't believe he did it in the parking lot."

She saw me standing next to her and nodded. You're hearing this? "What do you mean you got him? Steadman was already there?"

My eyes went wide and I moved closer to the phone, shifting to lean against the table.

"There and gone. I got the van heading back toward the highway before I stopped following." Carl panted into the phone like he'd run after the van with both cameras strapped to him. "I'm on my way back now. I've got video and stills. Couldn't get much sound with all this wind, but everything else is solid."

"That's great. How long until you get back?"

"Half-an-hour, maybe 45 minutes. I figure we can catch a flight in the morning. Get a few hours of sleep and then pack up."

"I'll get on the reservations right now." Everything was falling out so fast that she agreed to his suggestions without thinking.

"Great. I'll see you guys in a few."

"Right. Bye," Elise said and closed the phone. She put it down on the table and turned wide blue eyes to me. "He did it." We did it. It's over.

I felt dazed. We'd sat around for five hours and it was all over. No running, no ducking, not even a flicker on the monitors. "We got him." No more Andrew out there. I laughed in relief.

She smiled back. "No one even got shot this time."

"Shot at," I corrected automatically. I wonder if Jerome will let me have another crack at him. If this goes national they won't be able to use pyschotropics.

There was a shift in Elise's eyes and her hand came up to toy with my wet hair. "Nothing to do until tomorrow morning." I can't even send the Senator the images because he doesn't want them going over the web.

"Plane tickets," I said, edgy and waiting for Lee. Do it if you're going to do it, I urged him.

"Tickets," she agreed, fingers against my neck, cold from touching my hair. We could always go standby.

I felt myself melt into the connection. Where are you Lee?

Her fingers worked into the hair at the back of my head, nails against my scalp. A kiss while we're waiting. To-

"Celebrate," I said and let her bring us together. I felt a surge of relief and disappointment when our lips touched and it was only the two of us. I pushed the thought of Lee away and put my hands on her hips. I let the right rest there and used the left to urge her closer so we touched from thighs to lips. Her weight pushed the table into the back of my legs.

Just a few minutes then we can put the cameras away, she thought, one hand against my neck and careful of my arm, the other one working between us, under my shirt. Her hand was cool against my stomach and I felt it overlapping the sensation she was feeling, of my hot skin under her fingers.

I broke away from her mouth and slid down to her neck, raking the skin with my teeth. My breath hitched when hers hitched and hitched again when her hand slid down instead of up, fingers inside the waistband of my jeans. My nails tightened against her hip and her back and she shivered against me in response. Harder, you can scratch harder. I starting working her shirt out of her slacks so I could try my nails on her bare back but it was tucked in tight and I was distracted by the fingers edging under the elastic of my underwear. Tease.

I gave the shirt a yank with both hands and ignored the burn in my shoulder. I slid my hands under and up. I found her nipples, hard through the cups of her bra, and rolled and pinched them when she arched into me, until my chest was shivering at the vicarious contact.

Are you trying to distract me? She was distracted, leaning hard on my leg where I'd pushed it between hers. Her hands worked into my pants, not bothering with the button or the zipper, just sliding in.

I jerked against her, hands at her hips to keep my balance. My fingers slipped into the waist of her pants. She was pressed tight against my leg and I couldn’t quite get my hand between us. I worked my wrist back and forth until I found the right angle. She lifted onto her toes when I pushed into her.

"Oh god." I don't want to hurt your arm. She braced herself with one hand flat on the table to keep from falling without grabbing my shoulders.

I lost my rhythm when she clutched around my fingers. My body found it again, pushing my hips against her, moving my hand, lurching when my thumb rubbed her clit, clenching against her strong fingers.

We hovered on the edge forever, both desperate to get there, rocking against the creaking table, kissing when we weren't gasping for breath. Then it crashed over us, her and then me, almost in the same instant.

We leaned hard on the table, her head against my shoulder, my face against her neck. She twitched around my fingers and jerked when I slid them out.

I didn't hurt you at all, did I?

My shoulder burned. I shook my head. "No, not at all," I said and kissed her neck, feeling her aftershocks mingle with mine through my face and my lips against her skin. I might have a few bruises from the table though.

The rattle of the key card in the door gave us enough time to jump apart.

"One of you grab this thing," Carl said and held out one of the camera bags. He had another one slung over his other arm and several shopping bags dangled from his hand. "Come on-" He pushed the door shut with his foot and turned to look at us. Oh for Christ's sake. You couldn't wait until after dinner?

Elise blushed so red she almost glowed and ducked past both of us to get into the bathroom. I'm going to grab that shower. The door shut behind her. When I looked at Carl he shook his head and dumped the equipment into a chair.

"We were celebrating. Nice work," I said with a straight face. Everything went off without a hitch? No bullet holes? No stab wounds?

He didn't look up from rummaging in one of the shopping bags. "Unlike some people who I don't need to name, I know what I'm doing. I was across the parking lot filming him. Saw him drive in, pick the guy up, and get out." He held up a bottle of champagne and winked. Tell me you weren't celebrating the whole time I was gone.

He could have done a better job hiding his annoyance and we should've waited until we knew we'd be alone. "The whole time. So, that was what? Five hours of non-stop sex. You're lucky you didn't come back earlier when I had the handcuffs and-"

He stopped his careful untwisting of the wire around the cork long enough to flip me off. "Just for that, you get to take the rental car back tomorrow." Think Gates will let us expense this? he asked as the cork flew across the room.

I moved over to the chair and poked through the other bags. "Get any cups? Or are we swigging it out of the bottle?" Sorry we got carried away.

"Not now that I know where your mouth's been," he said, making it clear that he'd be teasing us all night. He opened the white bag and passed me a package of plastic wine glasses. Took me longer to find those at Walmart than it did to get the film on Steadman. I got three cups out of the shrink wrap and set them up on the table next to Elise's scattered cards. "Pour. I need a drink after slogging through those records."

"Lush." He poured each glass to overflowing. He smiled, in a great mood despite his teasing. Hey Atwood, get out here and have a drink. I'm taking you two to dinner if you think you can behave yourselves in the restaurant.

You're an asshole. What do you think it would take to get you back to seething animosity? I drank down half of my glass before I realized it was the good stuff.

Carl tipped back his glass in one shot and filled it again. I'm sure you'll manage. You could always play footsies with her under the table. "You're driving," he said and tossed me the keys.

I shook my head and took another sip of champagne. "We're taking a cab."

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Telepaths: The Park Slope Conspiracy - 25

2011-04-30T09:39:00.001-04:00

A diner, real cherry coke, meatloaf and bad weather. It must be a road trip.

In this week's Telepaths Carl gets out of the house to do a little surveillance work. But distance won't save him from trouble at home, and his anger will lead to trouble with Lee.*

*This chapter contains strong language, wild theories, pickles and well deserved violence.

25. A Course of Action

Carl

"What do you think he's doing?" Elise didn't look up from her glass as she tried to fish a cherry out with her straw. How did this get under the ice?

"Who, Steadman?" I lifted the bun from my burger and took off the pickles. When I don't say anything they leave them off, when I ask for no pickles I get pickles.

"It might have something to do with your charming personality," Maggie said as she sculpted her potatoes into a mound with a large depression in the center. I'd seen her do it much faster with her right hand. "Anyway, I thought we knew what Andrew was doing." Carl stop twitching and eat, you can have another smoke before we leave.

Elise got the cherry out and motioned to the waitress for another drink. "We know he's picking people up. What about after that?" How did we find the one place on this highway that has real cherry coke?

"Pure luck." I smeared ketchup on the bun and put it back on top of the cheese. I cut the burger in half and tried not to think about having a cigarette. We had to have some after our flight got cancelled. We didn't get any with the rental car.

Maggie spooned her corn into the depression in her mashed potatoes, mouth turned in a frown of concentration. "He's working for the government, what do you think, Carl? What do they want them alive for?" Driving a Dodge for three hours didn't kill you, she added with a smirk.

I took a bite of my burger and shrugged. I just question them. I have no idea what they'd want with a bunch of unregistereds. "The burger isn't bad. Did you stop playing with your food long enough to taste any of it?"

Ignoring me, Maggie folded the mashed potatoes over the corn and cut her meat loaf. "It could be something easy, like they're being arrested for thought felonies." Leave my food alone, I'm not the one who took twenty minutes to order.

"Could be. If they're being taken somewhere and detained with no outside contact it would be a major rights violation. They disappear. The community isn't going to like that, even if they are criminals," I agreed and dipped an onion ring in a pale orange sauce. It stopped snowing. We'll be able to see the road now.

"I don't think so. The way the Senator's been talking about it this is going to blow the lid off the election. Breaker won't be able to run for the home owner's association, let alone the Senate. There'll be enough people, even paths, who think it's ok to do anything to criminals," Elise said with a thoughtful frown. I could drive the next stretch, I don't mind the snow.

"Who knows? Maybe they're brainwashing them as sleeper agents," I told them in a conspiratorial whisper. Steadman didn't have anything about it in his head?

We both looked at Maggie who put a forkful of potatoes and corn with a tiny square of meatloaf on top in her mouth. She shook her head and held up a finger. You make it sound like I had the run of the place. I got in for a few seconds. She rolled her eyes at me and swallowed. "No idea. He thinks what he's doing is right, but who knows what he thinks right is? He could be taking them to Area 51 to breed with aliens for all we know."

"Breed with aliens?" Elise stared at her. Where did that come from?

Yeah, Maggie, where'd that come from?

She rolled her eyes again. "He thinks he's punishing them. Can you think of something worse than being on the receiving end of all those anal probes?"

Elise laughed, I howled. Even Maggie couldn't keep a straight face as she watched me almost fall out of the booth laughing. "You're a sick woman." I wiped my eyes with a napkin. Of course the way Robin tells it you weren't too adverse to-

She kicked me under the table. Don't be an ass. "I think whatever he's doing; we can say it's bad. Bad enough that I'll be happy to get him off the street."

"Maybe they'll send him to Area 51," Elise suggested, shaking with silent laughter. Or maybe he takes them to some lab where they slap wings on them and make bat people.

I shook my head. Alien sodomy wins, I declared through a mouthful of food. "How many brothers do you have anyway? I know where Maggie gets this stuff but you seem so normal."

They both went so tense so fast I blinked in surprise.

"Three," Elise said in a clipped tone. Her fork had been halfway to her mouth and she lowered it back to the plate. They were all at dinner Sunday, she thought with so much anger that I sat back in my seat.

Maggie put down her fork and sighed. "I thought it went pretty well. Lee gutted one brother and the rest of them only said I was crazy after I left." It was better than my grandparents did last Christmas.

"I can't believe my Mother said that," Elise said, angry and ashamed. Dad was echoed when I was ten and she never told him he belonged in the Slope.

You think she's related to my mother-in-law? I asked, not sure what else to say. I wouldn't have mentioned her family if I had known it was such a hornets' nest. I had thought they were tense about the cancelled flight and the lecture Gates had given them about following my directions because they couldn't be trusted not to get shot at.

Maggie gave me a tight smile. "That's not nice. Your mother-in-law has no good reason to think you're a demented freak who shouldn't have stolen her daughter. Elise's Mom has concrete proof." If Mrs. Beast knew more about you she might be justified. I'm sure you keep the backseat story to yourself.

"Let's talk about someone else's insane family, ok?" Elise said as she pushed the whole incident behind her block. I got flash of what had happened, an older woman with Elise's coloring saying, 'your friend's not stable.'

I cleared my throat. "I could tell you about my brother who was a stripper in college. Then you'd see a picture of him and it would ruin our working relationship." Or the time my Dad got in a fistfight with a donkey because it threw my cousin off when we were riding up the Grand Canyon.

"You're brother's a stripper?" she asked, game to change the subject. We had one cousin in jail and another one that's the town bicycle. I think Grandma would explode if one of us was a stripper.

Maggie looked relieved and then sly. "I can vouch for it. I got dragged to that damn strip club sophomore year. It was called 'The Cave' and all he was wearing was a cowboy hat." He's lucky we didn't have cameras; he'd never live it down.

"You seem to remember that very clearly," Elise said, her eyebrows raised.

Why do I say these things? Maggie groaned mentally. "You'd remember too if you had organic chemistry and zoology with him the same semester."

Our folks never found out, thank god. They were proud he was 'working' his way through school, I interjected, doing my best to save Maggie. "I bet it damn near burned your retinas out. I know mine are recovering from the idea."

Elise's attention turned to me, her face drawn in confusion. "Burned out because it was your brother? He must have been ok to pay for school." Did you all go to school together?

"Fine body, face like ground chuck. Sorry, Carl," Maggie added, not sorry at all. You're lucky you never had to see it.

Like you don't have any relatives from the shallow end of the gene pool? What about that cousin with the webbed toes? I shot back. "John and Maggie were on the med track. I went straight into the academy."

Elise was interested now, her frown smoothed out and she leaned forward. "Did you meet through your brother?" I thought you went to school together.

"Channel school. Carl, his wife Lynn and I were all in the same year, same homeroom," Maggie said and sipped her tea. "Those are some stories that could ruin a professional relationship." Right Carl?

I could feel my neck turn red. "Pay no attention to her. I was the one always getting her out of trouble. Which she forgot all about when she went back to California for med school and never called." If you hadn't moved in with Robin during your internship we would still be wondering where you were.

"I think I'm going to have to hear some of these stories," Elise said with a smile. Who's Robin?

"My ex. Someone he remembers nothing colorful about. Right, Carl?" Maggie smiled at me and showed too many teeth. Did I mention what I'll let Lee do to you if you decide to share?

"Robin and Lynn taught at the same channel school, that's how we all met up again." See, nothing colorful.

Maggie kicked me under the table again. "How about we get the check and then you can stand outside and smoke?" Find a better way to distract yourself in the car.

I stood up. "You know, I think I'll go warm up the car. I'll see you outside." I winked at Elise on my way out, putting my coat on and dodging a group of teenagers in matching sweatshirts. It was cold in front of the building but it wasn't windy anymore and I knew Maggie and Elise would have my head if I sat in the car to smoke. The other option was to loiter on the sidewalk. You haven't done that since high school. I shook my head and felt too much relief when I pulled out the battered pack of cigarettes.

My phone buzzed and then rang in my pocket. Only one number had that ring. I told her not to call unless- Surprise was followed by fear. I stuffed the pack back into one pocket and fumbled for the phone with the other. "Lynn, are you ok?" I turned away from the windows that faced the lot look and walked to the edge of the sidewalk. My chest felt tight.

The line was staticky but I could hear with my finger pressed into my free ear. "I'm fine. We're fine." I started to breathe again when she sighed. "I wanted to make sure you got in ok."

I rubbed my chest; my heart was beating too hard. "Our second flight got cancelled, so we're driving. Are you sure you're ok? You don't have your appointment with Dr. Greves until tomorrow, right?" If her mother makes her go into premature labor I'm going to kill her.

She hesitated. "No, it's not until tomorrow. We're fine. I wanted to talk to you," she said in that low tone she used for asking favors.

I leaned against one of the poles that held up the awning above the door and didn't shout like I wanted to. I wasn't sure if I was angrier that she'd scared me or that this was the reason. "You wanted to talk?" I didn't have to say anything else, she knew what I meant. This is a fucking switch; you haven't wanted to talk to me in over a week.

"I missed you. Mom started cleaning the house about five minutes after you left and if I see one more bowl of soup I'm going to lose it." Her laugh was forced.

I rubbed my face with my hand. "You miss me? This was your idea. You said, go, get out of the house for a while, we need some time." You want a 'break' and now you're going to bitch about it? About your god damned saint of a Mother who could come up on no notice to take care of you?

"That doesn't mean I don't miss you." She sighed into the phone again. "The baby misses you; she's restless with Mom here."

If she meant to soften me up with the baby it wasn't working. If anything I was angrier. The hand that wasn't holding the phone was a tight fist and my nails dug into my palm. "What made you think she'd be any calmer with her there? Your Mother's about as calm as a train wreck." Are you having second thoughts now that someone's there who won't put up with all your shit?

She made an impatient sound with her tongue. "You don't even need an excuse to lay into Mom anymore do you?"

My face hurt from clenching my jaw. "You brought her up. Though it sounds like I should be thanking her, maybe now you'll appreciate having someone around who does everything you want." Great, dig the hole deeper, I chastised myself. I was mad but I knew better than to stir her up.

"Because you haven't been trying to escape since this started? Let's make it all about me-"

Not again. The old argument made me feel calmer. I didn't want to fight with her. My hands relaxed and I rubbed my stinging palm against my sweater. "Baby, I'm sorry," I said. "I was just surprised. You wanted me out of the house and then you call me six hours later. What am I supposed to do with that?"

"I don't know. I… I wanted to catch you before you couldn't take calls," she said, her voice catching.

"You got me," I said and cleared my throat. "Did she attack the closet or did she do the floors first?" I asked, happy that I'd been able to deflect her. If only it was this easy at home.

She sniffed. "Floors. Pulled up the runners and polished all of the floors with some kind of wood cleaner."

"And asked why we bothered to get a house with wood floors and then covered them all up?" I hope she doesn't get anywhere near my office.

Lynn laughed. "Exactly. It's like you were in the room."

"Well I did have some warning, she was thinking about the floors while she was shunting me out the door." I bet she started in on you the next second. "Do you want me to call you when I get in tonight? It'll be late-"

"Call me, I'll be up." She sounded pleased and I could picture her curled around the phone, bending toward her stomach and the baby.

"I will, I might even be home late tomorrow," I told her and leaned more of my weight against the pole. No matter what we were fighting about that tone always made me melt. I wonder if there's a good jewelry store near here. They might have charm bracelets.

"Ok. I'm going to let you get back to work."

"I'll talk to you tonight." If I can find a white gold one maybe Maggie can help me find a good charm for when the baby's born.

"I love you," she said in the same soft tone.

"Love you too. Both of you," I said and closed the phone. This is going to be a long weekend. I wanted to go home and get Lynn away from her mother and be with my girls. I wanted to believe it would be perfect if I could leave and surprise her in a few hours. I couldn't hold onto the fantasy.

My hands shook as I put the phone away and lit a cigarette. Finally. My heart was still beating too fast from anger or worry, it was hard to tell. It all felt the same. I turned and saw Elise and Maggie through the window. They stood close together at the counter, Elise paying, Maggie sticking a handful of mints in the pocket of her coat. I turned back to face the parking lot. Out past the lights the sky had cleared, black and crisp with few stars and a thin slice of moon. I thought about a blank sky, pure black, no stars, no moon. I lightened it with the deep blues and green tints of dusk. Remember that sunset in Tahoe? We watched it until- I shook my head. I didn't want to think about being with Lynn. Bright blue. That should be the color of the sky. Com trails. Double streaks of white over the sky, people going places in long clouds. And clouds, real ones, not high and thin but low and thick. Blotting out the sun and the com trails, growing darker and flashing high with lightning. Lynn standing in the garage watching the lightning while the rain came down sideways. "Fuck," I said under my breath.

"Fuck!" I said louder when something touched my arm.

"Just me," Maggie said, face tight with concern. Did something happen? Everything ok at home?

I raised my hand. You want to know?

She frowned at my tone and took my hand without hesitation.

I didn't do it because I wanted to tell her everything. I did it because she had been sitting in the diner flirting with Elise. Because she had someone fussing over her busted shoulder. Because I wanted someone to feel as shitty as I did. I even had a second of smug, dark pleasure when it hit her and she flinched.

She flinched but didn't pull away and it was all there. Me, Lynn, the separation, the pregnancy and the fighting. The constant, grating, ridiculous fighting. What it was like in the middle of it.

And then I was watching myself, strapped down, not to the dentist's chair. Taped to a table, metal cool under my back, watching the hands with the scalpel. They started low, raised high and plunged down. The handle of the scalpel almost disappeared, a quivering three inches of metal sticking out of my eye socket.

I dropped Maggie's hand.

It happened in a few seconds. Our hands were touching and then we were standing feet apart, breathing hard and staring at each other.

"Let's get in the car," Elise said. There were a few people inside watching us through the window. Then you can tell me what the hell that was about.

We followed her to the car.

Maggie glanced at me and then away. I didn't know things were that bad. That was a real asshole thing to do though. "Do you mind if I take the back? I want to try and take a nap. I seem to have this sudden headache."

"Are you going to be able to lie down back there? You could put the passenger's seat back." Elise unlocked the doors and opened the back door for Maggie. Are you sure you're all right without the sling?

"We'll give her our coats for pillows. Or you can sit back there." I want to drive the rest of the way. I held my hand out for the keys.

Maggie gave her a nod and slid into the car. You'd better cool down before we get to the hotel.

Elise shut the door after her and frowned at me. "You're ok to drive?" You look like hell.

"I want something to concentrate on." Other than Lee cutting my eyes out. I looked around Elise, into the back seat where Maggie paused pulling off her coat to flip me off.

Elise dropped the keys into my palm. "Guess I'd want something else to think about too." Though I get the feeling you deserved it. She went around the car, slid out of her jacket and handed it into the back as soon as she got in. "You sure you'll be comfortable back there?" she asked Maggie as I started the engine.

"I'm fine," Maggie said and nudged the back of my seat with her knee. You owe a coat too. Let's have it before you get on the road.

Pushy damn woman, I grumbled and put the car in park. I worked out of my coat, hit my elbow hard on the window and cracked my head against the ceiling when I lifted up to pull out the part I was sitting on. "Here." I pushed it into the back seat and got my seatbelt on, irritated when Maggie snickered at me.

Elise didn't laugh. She buckled herself in and pulled out her blackberry. That's the seventh email he's sent today knowing we're on the road. Maybe he'll get nailed by a golf ball at the charity golf tournament and be too unconscious to email tonight.

She was annoyed with Gates. She hadn't said much about her meeting with him but when my request for a second on this surveillance op was declined I figured he'd given her the hard line about hiring any more staff. Or maybe she didn't think Maggie should have come even if she had promised to stay in the hotel while I got into the real work of trailing the target in the van. Not much you can do about it either way, I told myself. I was shaky, the afterimage of the scalpel handle quivering in my eye socket lapped over the guilt for dumping on Maggie and the simmering anger at Lynn. I kept my attention on the highway. There was enough traffic to demand focus. My fingers tapped on the steering wheel as I swung around a tractor trailer that was crawling along and shot out of the way when a red Tahoe came up hard behind us.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on or sit there and scowl all the way to Chicago?"

I glanced over at Elise. I should have felt her watching me before she got the words out.

Did it have something to do with that phone call you had? she asked when I didn't answer.

There was curiosity and some censure. She didn't approve of me taking it out on Maggie. I had a fight with the wife, I projected before I realized I was going to answer her. I waited a tense moment for Maggie's sarcastic rejoinder but there wasn't one. I felt out. She was asleep.

"It must have been some fight." Do you want one of these waters? There are a few left, she asked and bent in her seat to grab for one of the bottles of water that littered the floorboards.

"Yeah, thanks." I held out my hand for one of the bottles. She cracked the seal on the lid and passed it to me. I opened it the rest of the way with one hand. I'm not available for missions because Gates convinced me. She asked me to get out of the house.

"I told him you wouldn't leave because you were stir crazy," she replied with a strange spike of satisfaction.

"She didn't call to make up," I said, no room in my anger to worry about Gates. She knew I was on the road.

Elise's attention had snapped back to what I was saying. "What did she say?" she asked with apparent sympathy. There's ice in my water. She looked at the bottle after something cold hit her lip.

"It was snowing," I reminded her. "Lynn called to-" I paused and thought about it with a sinking feeling in my stomach. "She called to say she missed me." It sounded innocuous. I thought about her soft tone on the phone my face twisted back into a frown. After she forced me out of my own house because she couldn't stand having me around.

Elise frowned in surprise at my tone. "That would be confusing." Maybe she was trying to apologize?

"Maybe she was." I took a deep breath, my voice was too loud and I felt seconds away from projecting everything that had happened into her head so she'd get it. "You'd have to know Lynn to understand," I managed in an even tone.

"It's got to be hard, Carl. I-" Something caught her attention. How fast are you going? She shifted in her seat and tried to get a good look at the speedometer.

I glanced down at it and took my foot off the gas. "Ninety-five, shit."

Damn, almost a hundred, she thought at the same moment.

We glanced at each other. "I didn't know a Neon could break 70," Elise said, impressed.

I grinned back at her. "Me either, think we left any pieces behind?" I projected an image of the car flying down the road with metal pieces and panels trailing behind it like a cartoon.

She laughed and shrugged. "It's insured, right?"

"Yeah, we got-"

The cop was so close when he turned on his siren that we jumped.

"Fuck," we said in the same breath.

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