Missing: The Body of Evidence (33 page)

Nancy’s fuddled mind couldn’t work out
the next move. Hands on the bedroom wall clock were twitching at five-to-the
hour and going nowhere; held by the lack of a battery charge. Time may have
appeared to stand still, but the stream of conscious thoughts swirling in her
mind poured out in ever-increasing pulses, until none of them was
distinguishable as sensible notions. Burying her face in her tear-moist pillow
and drawing her knees to her chest, she prayed for release from her tortured
mind.

‘Mom, please help,’ she kept repeating,
while engaged in institutional rocking and wishing she could turn back the
clock to the time when her mother was around. The memories were too faint to
grasp, disappearing as though they were popping soap bubbles. In frustration,
she launched the pillow across the room.

It was hard to work out how long she had
been holed up in her bedroom. In addition to seeing the reflections from the
streetlights pouring through an open curtained window, her rumbling stomach
told her that she needed to end her exile from Dad and the boys.

A tap on the door and it creaked ajar,
casting a sharp light from the hallway. Her eyes creased as her dad peeked
around the door.

‘Phone call. It’s that Kyle.’

‘Kyle?’

‘Yeah, I’ve spoken to him. He’s got news
from Bill’s interview with internal affairs.’

Scrambling from the bed, she turned on the
bedside lamp. Her dad passed her his cell phone. Holding the phone to her ear
with a hand over the mouthpiece, she threw Dad a stare, but he ignored the
signal and stood his ground.

‘What?’

‘You’re in the clear,’ Kyle said. ‘Logan
has spoken to Brogan at internal affairs. Bill’s statement clears you from
using the phone in McDonald’s. The other statements also confirm Dean
threatened you, so there’s a reasonable doubt that you took a bribe.’

‘Reasonable doubt? So they accept I was set
up?’

‘Yes, I mean… no. Oh for God’s sake, Nance.
It isn’t me that got you into this mess. Logan wants to arrange for you to meet
tomorrow with human resources to discuss a settlement. This whole episode could
be all over by tomorrow and
we
can move forward.’

We
?
Speak
for yourself.
‘So when you say ‘all over’, you mean I’ll be exonerated from
anything to do with the death of Kelly and Dean?’

‘No one can give that assurance, you of all
people should know better. But understand this, he also sends a warning for you
not to continue with any investigation that would prevent a settlement.
Incidentally, I spoke to Tracy earlier. I hope you didn’t mind me giving her
your dad’s number, but she’s been discharged from the hospital and wants to
thank you personally for the flowers you sent.’

Flowers?
‘No,
I don’t mind, but what’s this about a warning?’

‘Well, more like advice really. Promise me
you’ll stay where you are until tomorrow and I’ll pick you up at three in the
afternoon.’

‘Since when did he give advice? Knowing Logan,
I’ll take your first statement was intended as an order. But why leave it until
three?’

‘Because things are going down earlier,
that’s why. Just promise me you’ll stay at your dad’s apartment until then.’

There had been urgency in Kyle’s last
words, bordering on pleading. Dad was now only inches away from the cell and
gave a shake of the head. He leaned forward, putting his hand over the
mouthpiece and whispered instructions. Nancy listened and then answered Kyle.

‘Fine, I’ll stay here, but don’t take it as
a done deal that I’ll accept anything. I’ll need to discuss anything put to me
with my attorney. As for you picking me up, forget it. Dad and his buddies will
get me to headquarters.’

The pause lasted an age, when he finally
fired off a question.

‘Which route will you take?’

‘Why?’

‘Road works. Avoid Arroyo Seco Parkway. If
I were you, tell your dad I’d take Huntingdon and cut through Lincoln Heights.’

‘Fine, I’ll tell him.’

She closed the call and exchanged glances
with Dad. He stroked the stubble across his jaw. In the depth of his gaze, she
could see him working out the possibilities. She was way ahead of him on the
conclusion stakes, with visions of an ambush. Her heart performed a slam-dunk,
and chewing on her bottom lip, she planted her backside on the corner of the
bed.

‘You can’t hide in here all the time, join
us.’

‘I will in a minute. You go.’

‘Don’t dwell on what he said; we’ll take a
different route.’

Not dwelling was easier said than played
out as she went through Kyle’s every word. He had seemed to be sincere, but for
the pause and asking which route they would take. Then she recalled his talk of
Tracy and the flowers. She hadn’t bought any flowers for Tracy. There hadn’t
been the time. It was hard to work out if Tracy had used the flowers as an
excuse for her to call, or if it was meant as a sarcastic remark after her
attempt to befriend her when visiting the apartment, when she had spilled her
guts on the doubts surrounding the professor’s death.

With a shake of the head, she pushed herself
to her feet and made her way to the living room.

‘Where’s Uncle Dave and Jim?’

Nancy picked up a fishing magazine and
flicked the pages. Turmoil swirled around in her mind at the indignation of the
authorities taking the easy way forward by sweeping her under the carpet as if
she were an insignificant speck of dust.

‘Gone to set up an observation camp,’ Dad
said.

‘Where?’

‘Over at Astral Chemicals.’

Nancy dropped the magazine on the coffee
table, overwhelmed by a feeling that she was becoming a pacified observer in
events on which her future depended. Like magma seeking a way out through the
mantle, her frustration erupted.

‘Oh, no. This is stupid. Call them, and
have them come back here.’

‘I’ll do no such thing.’

‘I thought you were going to talk to your
FBI contact?’

Her dad’s voice raised and she squared up
to him, hands on her hips. His expression contorted like a gargoyle with evil
intent.

‘I have talked. Meet with him at lunch time
tomorrow and he’s bringing someone along from Homeland Security for an off the
record meeting.’

‘Thanks a bundle for keeping me informed.
Why Homeland Security?’

‘If you hadn’t hidden away all day, you’d
know, ungrateful bitch.’

The remark cut like a knife. ‘Don’t you
dare call me by that name!’

‘What d’ya expect after all I’m doing? Your
mom would turn in her grave.’

A red mist descended that defied reason and
she snapped, wagging her finger in his face.

‘For me? You mean Mom. Sure, I’m grateful,
but not once have you said you’re doing it for me, your daughter, remember?’

‘Daughter, yeah, right. I don’t see anyone
else stepping up to the mark.’

‘Whoa, you two. Calm down,’ said Ben.

‘No, Uncle Ben, let’s have it out now.’ She
turned to Dad. ‘It’s all about you, isn’t it? This is not about me. It’s all
about you being in control. When have you ever treated me like a daughter?’

His face reddened and he held out the palm
of his hand.

‘Stuff you, we’re short of beers,’ Dad said
and grabbing his keys charged out of the room.

Nancy called out ‘That’s it, run away.’

The outside door slammed and she turned to
Ben, still trembling.

‘Sorry, it just came out.’

‘Don’t be sorry. Surprised you’ve not
boiled over before. I guess it’s the trench syndrome. It’s what happens when
you’re backed into a corner with no way out. The mind just snaps.’

‘It’s just that he never confides in me
like normal dads. Look at this Bill and Logan business. I mean, what’s so
secret he can’t tell me where their paths have crossed.’

‘Oh, that. Don’t worry, it goes back to
just before you were born and Bill, Lanky and your dad had a big fall out.’

‘What, they were friends?’

‘Sort of. They were in the army together.
At one time, they were in a Special Forces team, but after an argument, your
dad was transferred.’

‘Special Forces? He never said. So Lanky,
I’m guessing, was Logan on account of his height.’

‘Yeah, right in one.’

‘Do you think Logan and Bill are the type
to be involved in anything illegal?’

‘Well, you’re going back over thirty-six
years since I had anything to do with them. All I can say is in that time I’ve
pulled a few dodgy stunts, but I’d never own up to it. So who knows? Anything
is possible.’

‘So when I joined the police force, Bill
would have known who I was, and the same goes with Logan when I joined robbery
and homicide?’

‘Guess so. But hey, don’t tell your dad I
told you, or I’m toast.’

‘I won’t. But I just can’t see why no one
would own up to them all knowing each other.’

‘Like I said, not my business.’

Nancy still couldn’t help wondering if
whatever the feud was, it could have led to Bill and Logan hanging her out to
dry as some sort of payback, but then they changed their mind when Dad
confronted Bill. It puzzled Nancy, why SWAT hadn’t turned up at the apartment
to arrest Dad, after either of his encounters with Bill. Dad had to have
something on Bill and Logan from their past, something so serious that they
would back off. But just where Kyle fit into all this, other than as a stooge,
was beyond comprehension.

Nancy made her way back to her bedroom to
change clothes. Passing Dad’s bedroom door, she stopped. Curiosity, and knowing
he kept a box under his bed with his old photos and private papers, drove her
through his door.

Out of the bedroom window, she saw her dad
drive out of the parking lot. Nancy stooped and slid the box out from under the
bed. Sorting through photos, she delved deep.

Pulling out a pile of black and white
photos, she thumbed through them. One caught her attention. It was a picture of
Mom and Dad flanked by another couple and a person knelt in front of them
cradling a huge fish. On the reverse of the photo were the names. ‘Bill, Mavis,
Me with lump, Jed and Lanky with fish, 1976.’ Nancy flipped back to the
picture. Her mom was clearly pregnant, which identified Nancy as the lump and
brought a smile to her lips. It was proof, if any were needed, that they had
all been friends at one time before her birth.

Nancy placed the photos back and noticed a
sealed letter addressed to her in her dad’s handwriting. It was a curiosity too
far, and she reluctantly ignored it, when she noticed a hospital record in her
dad’s name. There were several letters from the hospital clipped together.
Nancy speed-read them, her heart pounding and feeling nervous that her dad may
return and catch her in the act. She closed the lid and slid the box back under
the bed. Her mind was awash at the revelation in the hospital letters and she
scrambled out of the room and into her bedroom. Launching onto the bed in a
dive, she buried her head in the pillow to muffle her anguish.

Nancy reached under her bed and pulled
out a small wooden casket. It was fashioned like a miniature-treasure chest
with a curved lid and tarnished-brass clasps. Wiping away a layer of dust, she
unfastened the clasps and opened the lid, poking her finger around long
forgotten mementos. Amongst the coloured pebbles and dried flowers, she took
out a pink-hair band and drew it to her lips. Her mom had pulled it from her
own hair when sitting in her hospital bed and had given it to Nancy. It still
held some of her mom’s hair and Nancy grasped the band. Closing her eyes, she
tried desperately to recall times she spent with her mom, hoping her essence
had somehow remained entangled with the band.

The shrill tone of the house line ringing
snapped Nancy out of her melancholy mood and she rushed to the Living Room.

‘Tracy Gibbons for you,’ Ben said and held
out the handset.

‘Tracy, how are you?’

‘Fine, but you take some doing to get hold
of. No one in your department wanted to give me a contact number, but I managed
to con it out of Kyle.’

Nancy smiled that Tracy had pulled one over
on Kyle and what she said explained the flowers.

‘So are you back at your work?’

‘No, I’ve only just got home from the
hospital, but it doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on with you. How are
you holding up?’

‘Oh, you heard. I’m fine. But never mind
me. Tell me about the fire at the lab?’

‘Nothing to tell really, it all happened so
fast. Luckily, a fire blanket saved me from the worst of it, or I wouldn’t have
lived to tell the tale. Still, I won’t be back at work for some time. I hear
you were in a fire of your own?’

‘Yeah, it would seem we share a penchant
for strange events.’

‘Listen, there’s something I have to tell
you. A colleague of mine visited and told me they found trace evidence on your
hard drive of a computer virus. It can’t be traced back to who put it there,
but it’s nothing that is out there in hacking-land. And, get this. They found a
tracking device under your hood. They checked with the manufacturer and it’s
from a batch supplied to the government. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t say which
government procurement department.’

‘Not sure how that helps. It could be
police issue. Maybe internal affairs put it there?’

‘Well, that’s what I thought, but since
making the enquiries it must have alerted red flags. My colleague had a visit
from Homeland Security agents. Following that, they interviewed me this morning
about the professor’s death and I told them you had a copy of the original
file. One of the agents was from the FBI, so they’re making joint enquiries.
The agent said they’d arrange to see you, but I wasn’t to talk about it with
anyone down at police headquarters.’

Nancy felt for the chair next to the phone
and sat. What Tracy had said could explain why Homeland Security was involved
in tomorrow’s meeting. Sweat formed on her brow and the handset felt moist to
the touch. It flashed through her mind that Dad’s phone could be bugged.

‘Tracy, hold on.’ She turned to Uncle Ben. ‘Are
we sure this phone is not bugged?’

‘Doubt it, your dad’s swept the apartment
regularly since all this kicked off and we’ve checked the perimeter for
surveillance vehicles.’

‘Tracy, you won’t believe this. The medium
who gave a statement down at headquarters is connected to Astral. Not only that
but I’ve found their base.’ She relayed details of Astral’s location. ‘I’m only
telling you this in case anything happens to me.’

‘Do you think something will happen?’

‘It already has, but it’s a long story. If
I come through all this in one piece, we’ll have to meet up and I can tell you
all about it over a bottle of wine and a box of Belgian chocolates.’

‘Sounds good to me, honey, although I don’t
know about the chocolates? I’ve lost ten pounds while I’ve been in the
hospital.’

‘Good for you.’

Nancy glanced over at Ben and signalled him
with a sway of the head. He took the message and disappeared into the kitchen.
She cupped her hand over the handset and in a low tone said.

‘Tracy, I need you to do me a favour if
you’re going to be able to get about. I have a hunch about something. It’s…’

Tracy, laughing at the other end of the
line interrupted her.

‘Hunch? I know better than to say no to one
of your hunches. Go ahead, I
can
get about.’

Nancy relayed all the details of something
she wanted her to check out.

‘If you can get hold of your colleague
tonight, you could phone me back on the first hunch. I’ll leave a package for
you with instructions with the owner of my hairdresser’s for what else I need.’

The call ended with both agreeing to keep
in contact.

‘You can come out now.’

Ben walked back into the room holding a
coffee mug and a plate of sandwiches in the other.

‘Thought you could use some rations.’

‘Thanks, back in a minute, I just need the
bathroom.’

Nancy made her way to the bathroom and
stared at the cabinet mirror. Her hair was dishevelled and her face pale as a
death mask. She picked up Dad’s brush and comb from the side of the basin and
combed his hairs from the brush and setting them aside, she ran the brush
though her hair. Filling the basin with tepid water, she cupped her hands and
splashed the water on her face, bringing her back to having some colour in her
cheeks.

Staring at her image in the mirror, she
reflected on events and came to a decision. From here on in, she would work
alone, just as she had always done on the streets of LA, and investigate her
way or no way at all.