Deadly Visions Part 28

"You were asleep on the couch, and when I woke up this morning, you were gone."

"I wanted to go over to Carla's to give her a little wake-up present, Cal-Bailey style."

"Jeez, Dad, I don't really need to hear that."

"Breakfast in bed. Get your mind out of the gutter, will you?"

"You're a fine one to talk. Anyway, Nikki was surprisingly calm about everything this morning. Any idea why?"

"She's a smart kid. After the shock wore off, maybe she just figured things out."

"Maybe."

"Plus, I think your friend really helped her work through it."

"What friend?"

"The pretty one, with the long brown hair. Suzanne."

"Suzanne talked to Nikki?"

"I thought you knew. She came over late yesterday afternoon. She showed Nikki a lot of different ways that people can make it seem like spirits are visiting. She's a smart woman. She even had this gadget that she put in the telephone handset-"

"I've seen it. I just didn't know she came over. Funny that Nikki didn't tell me."

"Well, they spent most of the afternoon together. I wasn't around for a lot of it, but I think she did a good job convincing Nikki that those things weren't necessarily spirits. She's a terrific woman, Joe. You could do a lot worse for yourself."

"Yeah, I know."He shook his head."I can tell Nikki this same stuff until I'm blue in the face and she doesn't listen. One afternoon with Suzanne and she's now a die-hard skeptic."

"What do you expect? She's eleven. When you're that age, everybody knows more than your parents. Just wait till she's fifteen."

"I can hardly wait."

Cal motioned toward the boxes. "What's this stuff?"

"Evidence. Probably not much use for me."

Cal opened one of the boxes and pulled out a pair of polarized gla.s.ses. "Sungla.s.ses?"

Joe looked inside and pulled out another pair."No, actually they're stereoscopic gla.s.ses. They must have taken some 3-D pictures."

"Oh, yeah. I showed a 3-D double feature of House of Wax House of Waxand Creature from the Black Lagoon Creature from the Black Lagoonat the theater last year. Gave everybody headaches. Next time I do that, I'm selling aspirin at the concession stand. I'll make a fortune."

Joe put on the gla.s.ses and picked up a stack of photographs."Wow. Next best thing to being there."

Cal put on the other pair. "The creature never looked this thisgood."He flipped through the photographs. "What am I looking at?"

"I think that's the second Spotlight Killings crime scene. These guys were pretty thorough."

Cal flipped through a few more pictures, then stopped and stared at one."I'll be d.a.m.ned. Joe, I think you should look at this."

Haven't you grandstanded enough this week, Bailey?"Howe grinned as he entered the conference room. Joe, Cal, Carla, and a pretty Latino woman huddled around a TV/VCR combo unit in the conference room.

Carla glanced up from the monitor."He's got something here, Howe. Let him grandstand all he wants."

Joe gestured to his father. "Actually, my dad deserves the credit for this one. We got the materials from the Defense Department research project, and there were several high-res 3-D photographs included. He spotted Councilman Talman on a pay phone outside Monica Gaines's room, appearing to be very emotional about something."Joe handed the photograph and a pair of 3-D gla.s.ses to Howe.

Howe put on the specs and studied the picture. "So? What does this prove?"

"By itself, nothing,"Joe said."But the team was very thorough. They also got video. Although they wereconcentrating on Monica's room, we can see the pay phone in the hallway. I had the A/V guys zoom in on Talman and output it to a new tape. Of course, there's no sound, so that's why I brought in Maria to look at it for us."

Maria stared at the screen as she typed onto the laptop computer, occasionally pausing the tape. She was a hearing-impaired woman in her mid-twenties and possessed a remarkable ability to read lips from seemingly every angle. She didn't just read lips, she maintained; the movement of cheeks, jawline, chin, body language, and even eyebrows factored into her "reads,"adjusted for the each speaker's cultural background. The department had often tried to hire her full-time, but she refused to give up her teaching post at a local school for the deaf.

Maria printed out a page from the small portable printer. Joe picked it up. "Councilman Talman was talking to someone about what happened to Monica. There's something strange here.... Maria is going to tell us what's going on."

Maria scanned the video back to the beginning of the call. "Okay, I have it."She spoke with only the slightest trace of a speech impediment. "Are you ready?"

"I know the zoomed-in picture is kind of fuzzy,"Joe said. "I'm surprised you were able to get it at all."

Maria smiled. "You should see some of the stuff Narcotics guys have me look at. This is a breeze, Detective. Let's start at the beginning."She pushed the play b.u.t.ton."Okay, he punches the number and whoever he's calling answers on the first or second ring. He talks a little about Monica's condition. It doesn'tlook good, she's not expected to live. Here's where he starts to get angry. He wants to know if he was a p.a.w.n."

"A p.a.w.n in what?"Carla asked.

On the screen, Talman pressed his mouth closer to the receiver as if he were lowering his voice.

"He wants to know if this thisis the reason why they wanted Monica Gaines to come here, so that they could hurt her."

Howe glanced at Joe. "What?"

Maria nodded."He's getting even more angry here. He thinks they used him to help bring Monica Gaines to town. Then, after she arrived, they tried to kill her."

"Who is they? they?"Joeasked.

"Whoever he's talking to. It may be only one person. Now he seems to be getting some a.s.surances that this person had nothing to do with Monica's accident. He doesn't look like he believes it though."

"a.s.surances from who?"Joe asked. "Does he say a name anywhere in this call?"

Maria shook her head. "No. I watched this three times just to be sure."She pointed to the screen. "Okay, he ends the call by discussing money. Talman feels he's owed some money."

"For helping bring Monica Gaines to town?"Cal asked.

Maria nodded.

"Those tapes are doc.u.mented with date, time, and location,"Howe said. "I'll get someone hopping on the telephone company to print out a list of all incoming and outgoing calls to this pay phone."

Joe nodded. "And I think I need to have a conversation with our honorable councilman."

A ten-second call to Edward Talman's office told Joe that the councilman was attending an afternoon rehearsal of the Atlanta Youth Orchestra in Chastain Park. As he descended the concrete stairs toward the music sh.e.l.l Joe thought how Nikki would have loved hearing the orchestra play free of the venue's notoriously rude and talkative audiences.

Talman stood up from his table at the front of the amphitheater. "Welcome, Mr. Bailey. Aren't they glorious?"He gestured toward the teenagers performing on the stage in front of him. "Would you like some chicken? We have plenty."

"No, thanks,"Joe said."Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Of course. My office called and told me you'd be coming here. Thanks for keeping me in the loop."Talman turned and excused himself from the others in his party. Joe didn't recognize any of them, but he a.s.sumed they were the local movers and shakers who helped fund the Youth Orchestra.

Talman joined Joe on the next level, about fifty feet from the stage."What's the story?"he said.

"Who paid you to bring Monica Gaines to town?"Joe asked.

Talman went pale. "Uh, paid? Why-why would anyone pay ...?"

"You tell me. Don't make me haul your a.s.s into the station while all those nice people are watching."

"s.h.i.t. Don't do that. Not here, not now."

"That'll depend how cooperative you are. Who wanted Monica Gaines here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"We have you on videotape talking about it."Joe flashed his handcuffs. "Are you sure you won't help me?"

Talman flushed with anger. "Snap those things on me, and I'll sue you three ways from Tuesday."

"I've always wondered what the h.e.l.l that means, three ways from Tuesday'? Is it just me, or does that make absolutely no sense?"Joe lowered his voice. "If she dies, that could make you an accessory to murder. If I were you, I'd be scrambling to get in front of this."

"Christ almighty, it isn't like that,"Talman said.

"Tell me what it is islike."

"Maybe we can talk later in my office."

"Now. Your friends are enjoying the music. They won't miss you."

"I had nothing to do with what happened to her, you have to believe me. I honestly thought she could help you."

"You still haven't answered my question. I'm afraid you'll have to come with me."

"Wait,"Talman said, glancing back at his party."Can we be civilized about this?"

"That depends."

"Okay s.h.i.t."Talman tightly crossed his arms in front of him."A couple weeks ago, I got a call. I have no idea who it was. He said that he was distressed by the murders here. He suggested that we enlist Monica Gaines's help in the investigation. I was told that she had offered her services to your department."

"An offer that had already been refused,"Joe said.

"Yes, but the caller suggested I use my influence to allow her to join the police force's investigation."

"How much were you paid?"Joe asked.

"It wasn't quid pro quo exactly. The caller said some nice things about my leadership abilities and suggested that a series of large contributions would soon be made to the exploratory committee to elect me as mayor."

"Which will be rolled over into campaign funds as soon as you announce your candidacy,"Joe said."That explains why you were willing to put your reputation on the line for a psychic."

"It wasn't much of a risk. We did some polling, and most voters were in support of trying anything, even a psychic, to stop these murders."

"How much were you paid?"

"Eighty thousand dollars. I'm still waiting for the last twenty thousand."

"You have no idea who this was?"

"No. The contributions came from organizations I'd never heard of. I'll give you photocopies of the checks, bank account numbers, anything you want."

"Good. I'll need all of that. Do you have any idea why they wanted her here so much?"

Talman shook his head."To be honest, I thought it might have been her idea. You know, for the publicity. It would probably be worth more than a hundred thousand to her when you factor in TV exposure and a possible book deal."

"So you both would profit from it."

Talman shook his head."I did nothing wrong. I believe in Monica Gaines, and I honestly thought she might be able to help your department."

"Sure,"Joe said. "But somehow I doubt you wouldhave rammed her down our throats if you weren't being well paid for it."

Talman glared at him. "I had nothing to do with what happened to her. When she had her accident, I was horrified at the thought that I might have been indirectly responsible-"

"You thought that your mysterious benefactor may have caused it."

"Have you found him?"Talman asked. "Is he trying to implicate me?"

"Let's not worry about that. If you thought this person might be to blame, why didn't you come forward? You might have helped us."

"I had no idea who it was. I couldn't have possibly helped you any more than I can now."Talman took a deep breath and let it out. "It could have destroyed me, you know. It still can."

"I'll need the check photocopies and all supporting doc.u.mentation by the end of day,"Joe said. "We'll decide where to go from there."

Dylan sat in his car, parked on a grimy downtown side street. European technopop blared from the stereo. Most technicians preferred to handle explosives in total silence, but his instructors had trained him to work in the most intense, chaotic conditions imaginable. It would feel strange to construct a bomb in a deathly quiet room somewhere.

He pressed his key-chain remote and watched the firing module's activation indicator light up. Perfect.

He'd phoned his superiors and given them his recommendation. No one liked the idea of taking a life,especially on foreign soil. Too many possible repercussions, especially in this era of U.S. homeland security. Ultimately, they'd left it to him to decide. In the old days, that would have const.i.tuted an implicit order to kill the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Now, however, things were murkier, and maybe it really meant that it was up to him.

Whatever. All that mattered is that a man would soon be dead.