“Call for backup. Let’s get a couple uniforms to take her in,” Suter said.
“How did you know they were coming here?”
“I told you, a hunch. Get that unit here, or I’ll go out there and do it myself.” Suter growled under his breath while he continued to stare.
Bohannon kept on eye on him as he turned on the radio and picked up the mike.
*
After five minutes of staring at the earth-toned, cream-colored bungalow with brick steps leading up to the front porch, Mara glanced at Ping. “We just going to sit here? Wouldn’t it make more sense to knock on the front door and see if it’s her?”
“If we wait long enough someone might come out. We can then determine if this is the Missy you saw last night.” Ping stared at the Harringtons’ bright red front door. He hadn’t seen any movement through the large windows that flanked it.
“Look, you were the one who was so worried about the wrong person getting the Chronicle. Now that it has happened, why are you hesitating?”
“We don’t know what we are dealing with. The pretender could be in there, and I’m concerned you aren’t ready for a direct confrontation.”
“How is sitting here going to change that? That pretender didn’t take the Chronicle as a keepsake. He’s up to something. I know you think he can’t activate it, but if there is a remote chance he can use it to bring over more freaks from other realms, we have to stop him.”
“Perhaps you are correct.” Ping locked eyes with Mara. “Please, just remember that things may not be as they appear. We are dealing with a pretender. He can alter perception at will.”
“I’ll do my best. Now can we go?”
*
Suter’s eyes bulged as he watched Mara and Ping step out of the car onto the sidewalk. They crossed the street and walked up the shrub-lined brick path that cut through the Harringtons’ well-manicured front lawn and led up to the front porch.
“Where is that backup?” he yelled loud enough to shake the rearview mirror. Veins strained against the skin on his forehead, sweat poured down his neck.
“They are right there. Sheesh, calm down.” Bohannon pointed to the cruiser pulling up to the curb behind Ping’s vehicle. It squawked its siren in one short burst. “What are you so worked up about? We could have simply detained them ourselves until the uniforms got here, you know.”
*
Mara and Ping, standing on the front steps leading to the porch, turned when they heard the noise behind them. Two police officers—one a man, the other a woman—jogged across the grass toward them. They did not have their weapons drawn, but they both ran with one hand resting over their holsters.
The female officer stopped five feet from the steps. “Are you Mara Lantern?”
“Yes, I’m Mara.” She stepped back down onto the path from the stairs.
Patrick Harrington opened the door behind them, looked wide-eyed at the scene. They all turned toward him. “What is going on?” Harrington asked.
“Daddy? What’s happening?” A tiny arm wrapped around his leg from behind, and a little blonde girl poked her head out between the leg and the door frame. Her eyes widened when she saw Mara.
Mara waved up to the porch. “Hi, Missy. Do you remember me?”
The male police officer placed a hand on Mara’s arm. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lantern. You need to come with us.”
She kept her back to him. “Missy, do you remember that thing you took from me?”
Ping raised an eyebrow to catch Mara’s attention and nodded, pointing over her shoulder. She turned to see Suter, red faced and sweating, speed-walking up the brick path, his black suit jacket flapping open under his arms as they swung at his sides. Bohannon followed, looking exasperated and not even trying to keep up with the FBI man.
Suter pushed his way past the two uniformed police officers. “Mr. Harrington, you and your daughter do not have to answer that. Why don’t you take your daughter inside where she will be safe. We’ll take care of these people.”
Patrick Harrington nodded, stepped back and closed the door.
“What is the meaning of this, Special Agent Suter?” Ping asked. “I have every intention of filing a complaint for harassment. You’ll be hearing from my attorney.”
“Have him call me.” Suter stuck his dripping face into Ping’s, leaning over him. “You’d best be on your way, Mr. Ping. We have business with Ms. Lantern. Officers, please take her into custody.”
“What? I am being arrested?” Mara asked.
“You are a person of interest in the disappearances of Sarah and Jeremy Gamble,” Bohannon said, nodding to the uniformed officers. “We need you to come in for questioning.”
“She chooses not to cooperate and invokes her right to remain silent. She will not go with you unless she is under arrest,” Ping said.
Mara nodded at them.
“This is a federal national security matter. We can bring you in by force, if needed,” Suter said.
Bohannon turned to Mara. “I would suggest you cooperate,” he said. “If you cooperate, we can probably get through this in a few hours. If you want to fight it, it could take weeks or more.”
“Let me talk to Ping for a minute.”
“No, you have to—” Suter snarled, spit foaming in the corner of his mouth.
“Just one minute. Step back,” Bohannon said to the uniforms. He held up a hand to forestall Suter’s protest.
Mara lowered her head to Ping and spoke in a whisper, “Why don’t I try to cooperate? It would be better if I don’t get locked up for several days, especially with the Chronicle still missing. Besides, if I get arrested again, my mother is going to get very agitated. Being arrested once is a fluke. Twice and she’ll probably ship me off to some New Age rehab for unenlightened delinquents.”
“Give it a try. Don’t let them bully you into anything. In the meantime, I’ll call the attorney.”
“Why are they taking me and not you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because you are the common thread in their investigation. It might just be a tactic to split us up. Who knows? Stay calm and say as little as possible while appearing cooperative.”
CHAPTER 54
THE UNIFORMED OFFICERS didn’t handcuff her when they tucked her into the caged backseat of their cruiser. Mara took that as a good sign. The news they were headed to an office park near the airport instead of jail also came as a relief. She assumed it was the place where Ping had been questioned. Since she still had her phone, she texted her destination to him. He confirmed and promised to get in touch after contacting the attorney.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled into a parking lot where Suter and Bohannon stood waiting. They dismissed the uniformed officers.
“What’s the point of hauling me here in a police car? All you had to do was call. I would have driven myself,” she said.
Bohannon held open a door to a beige office building.
“This way we didn’t have to worry about whether or not you would show,” Suter said. He waved an arm into the building, indicating Mara should go first. They passed four doors on the left of the hall when Suter stopped and said, “Here’s our room.”
The conference room featured a boardroom-style table surrounded by a dozen black leather chairs. The room had no other furniture or fixtures. The walls were blank and beige except for the one opposite the door, which featured a bank of windows running the length of the room. Cheap industrial venetian blinds covered them but allowed some light. Mara had the impression a government designer had decorated the place.
Suter pointed to the far side. Mara walked around the head of the table and took a seat. He and Bohannon sat across from her, nearest the door.
“Ms. Lantern, why don’t we start at the beginning and see if we can connect some dots? Would you be amenable to that?” Suter asked, while beads of sweat popped out on his face. He rubbed his neck, twisted his head as if trying to work out kinks. He placed both hands in his lap. Leaning his shoulde
rs and torso over the table, he stretched his neck, jutted his jaw and peeled back his lips, like a leashed animal bent on mauling someone.
Subtle intimidation is one thing, but this was threatening on a primal level. It didn’t simply make Mara feel uncomfortable; it made her feel like prey. She pressed back into her chair, putting some distance between them, just in case.
“Whatever I can do to help,” she said.
“Excellent. Now let’s start with Flight 559, just about a month ago now,” Suter said, looking up at her through his own brow as he leaned over the table. Sweat dripped off his chin. “You told us that you don’t remember anything from the flight because you were napping, and you don’t recall how you injured your head. Is that correct?”
“That’s correct.” Mara glanced at Bohannon. He looked as put off by Suter as she did.
“You said you did not see any blue lights, correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“You said you did not see a red-headed boy on the flight carrying a glowing object toward the back of the plane, correct?”
“That’s correct.”
“And you don’t recall an explosion in the back of the plane?”
“That’s correct.”
“Yet, we have witnesses who saw you go to the back of that plane with a boy meeting the description of that young man we met in your shop. How do you explain that?”
“I told you. I don’t recall getting up and going to the back of the plane. As far as Sam goes, there are plenty of other boys with red hair. I would say it’s a coincidence.” She tried to keep her voice level, emotionless.
“Why did you break into the hangar?” Suter leaned back in his seat. His face had reddened.
“We did not break in. We asked the guard if we could look at the plane, and he let us in.”
“You know that’s not true!” he screamed. His face deepened to purple.
Mara leaned back more.
Bohannon sat up and laid his hands on the table.
“Where else did you go in that hangar?”
“We looked at the airplane wreckage, and we left.” Mara glanced at Bohannon, for reassurance.
“That’s a lie, and you know it!” Suter wiped his face and pounded the table with his soaked fist.
Mara cringed.
He slowly closed his eyes, visibly slowed his breathing. He settled back into his chair and didn’t say anything for a few minutes.
Mara was afraid to fill any silences. She waited.
“Tell me about Sarah Gamble,” Suter continued.
“Who?” Mara asked.
“Sarah and Jeremy Gamble. They sat next to you on the flight. What contact have you had with them since the flight?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize their names. I met them on the flight.”
“We have witnesses who saw you at Sarah Gamble’s house several days ago. What were you doing there?”
“Jeremy had trouble with his portable gaming device. I had fixed it when we were on the plane, and Sarah had called me when the problem recurred. I stopped by to look at it.”
“You made a house call to fix a toy?”
“It’s not unusual for me to drop by a customer’s home. Besides, we shared a traumatic experience, and I thought it would be cathartic to talk to Mrs. Gamble. She was a nice lady.”
“So you worked on the toy and left?”
“That’s correct.”
“Was anyone with you?”
“Mr. Ping drove me there. We happened to be out on another errand, and he agreed to stop by.”
“And were Sarah and Jeremy Gamble still at the house when you left?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know Bert Reilly?”
“I don’t.”
“Another passenger. We were told he went by the shop where you work and hasn’t been seen since.” Suter gritted his teeth. The slow breathing exercise appeared to be wearing off already. “The Gambles are missing. So are several other passengers, including Matt Sandoval, the pilot. Kathy Harrington is missing. We picked you up at her house this morning. What is your explanation for all of these disappearances?”
“I have none,” Mara said.
“You have none! We have a laundry list of witnesses associating you with these disappearances. What did you do with these people, Ms. Lantern?”
“I had nothing to do with the disappearances of those people. Your witnesses must be mistaken,” Mara said, looking to Bohannon. “If the two of you are accusing me of something, maybe it would be better for me to have an attorney here.”
Suter jumped out of his seat, on the verge of vaulting over the table. Bohannon blocked him with an arm. “I think it’s time we took a break,” the detective said.
Suter turned and stomped out of the room. Bohannon turned to Mara, raised an eyebrow and shook his head, and followed the FBI agent into the hall. “We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
CHAPTER 55
SUTER PACED BETWEEN the walls of the beige featureless hallway. He loosened his tie and damp collar, craned his neck while closing his eyes to little slits. Bohannon stood in front of a soft-drink vending machine and watched him for a few minutes before approaching. He wasn’t sure if the FBI agent was sick again or on the verge of some kind of a breakdown.
He handed a bottle of water to Suter. “Here, drink this. You look like you need it.”
Suter’s head snapped toward Bohannon. “We’re not getting anywhere with her. I think we should put her on ice for a day or two. See if that makes her more cooperative.”
“Her attorney will have her out this afternoon. What do we charge her with? Kidnapping, murder, terrorism, what? All we have are a few witnesses who saw her with some of the passengers from the flight. We have no real evidence she did anything to the plane or any of the passengers.” Bohannon leaned against a wall while Suter continued to pace. “Your best bet—”
George Pirelli, the NTSB chief investigator, turned the corner at the end of the hallway, raised a meaty arm with a rolled-up sleeve to get their attention and lumbered toward the investigators. His wrinkled striped button-down hung loosely over his belt, on the verge of becoming untucked, but, despite his disheveled appearance, he looked relaxed. “Just the gentlemen I was looking for. I’ve got some news for you.” He smiled to Suter. “We’re wrapping it up. Have your final reports to me tomorrow afternoon.”
A vein bulged on the side of Suter’s neck, raced up to his hairline behind his ear. “But we’re still following up on the passenger interviews and the disappearances.” He snarled, looked ready to take a bite of Pirelli. Bohannon lifted his backside off the wall, just in case.
Pirelli seemed oblivious to Suter’s demeanor. “We’ve got enough information from the passenger interviews, and we have concluded the passenger disappearances are not related to Flight 559. Let the Portland P.D. deal with the disappearances. Shut it down, gentlemen.” Pirelli turned sideways to fit his waist past the two men and walked to the exit at the end of the hall. He stopped and looked back at Suter. “Man, you look awful. You should take some time off before reporting back to your office.” He continued out of the building.
Suter stood in the center of the hall, trembling, glaring at Bohannon. “We can’t let her get away with this. Let’s get back to the interrogation.”
“What’s the point? We’re done. You heard Pirelli. Let’s send her on her way and go work on our reports,” Bohannon said, smiling. “The sooner I get out of here, the better.”
“No!” Suter shouted. He caught himself, took a deep breath, twitched a little and lowered his voice. “Look, if she had anything to do with the disappearances, we have an obligation to find out what we can. Pirelli can’t tell the FBI not to investigate a kidnapping case. I can assert jurisdiction, if necessary. Let’s ask a few more questions and let her attorney spend a few hours bailing her out.”
“First of all, we don’t know there was a kidnapping. Second, I’m only assigned here for the NTSB investigation
. If you want to work the disappearances, you need to coordinate with the local FBI office and the Portland police. That’s a little above my pay grade,” Bohannon said. “We can’t arrest people without the authority to investigate. If Pirelli is shutting down the investigation, we have no case.”
“Just a few questions. That’s all. If nothing else, it will help us hand off a more complete case file to the local cops looking into the disappearances.”
“I don’t know.”
Suter shook his head.
Bohannon didn’t want to get into a fight this close to being free of this investigation. “Just a few questions and only if you keep your cool. Pirelli is right. You look like hell.”
*
Mara switched the phone from her left ear to her right. “I don’t know if they intend to arrest me. If they were going to, wouldn’t they read me my rights before they started questioning me?”
“I would think so, but I’m not an expert in these matters. I’ve got a call into the attorney, but he’s in court, and it may be a while before we hear back,” Ping said, his voice sounding slightly tinny as he spoke via his phone’s hands-free function. “In the meantime, Sam and I are on our way over there, just in case.”
“Just in case of what?” Mara asked.
“In case they decide to move you. I want to make sure I know where you are. Also, if they decide to release you, I’ll be there, and we can continue working on getting the Chronicle back.”
“At the rate this is going, you could be waiting all day.”
“Don’t worry about that. Now tell me, what specifically are they asking about?”
“Well, they definitely suspect we had something to do with the disappearances of—” The doorknob to the conference room rattled. “I gotta go. They’re coming back.”
“Call me if they try to take you anywhere.”
Mara hit the End icon on her phone and slid it back into her jeans pocket.
*
Bohannon reached across the table and placed a bottle of water in front of Mara. She nodded a thank-you to him. He smiled and sat down. Suter took his seat, leaned across the table and once again led with his sweaty face while holding his hands under the table. Although Suter maintained his intensity, Bohannon looked more relaxed. Mara wondered why. She pressed back in her chair, tried to appear neutral.
Broken Realms (The Chronicles of Mara Lantern, Book 1) Page 28
