Chasing Shadows (27 page)

My eyebrows shoot up. "If you can do it without
notifying the family, go right ahead."

"The family would consent."

I shake my head. "I've seen what they go
through when it comes back 'no match'."

Melody sighs. "I shouldn't get my hopes up. You
never remember anything."

I nod. "The details need to really match up you
know, if we're going to anything that involves notifying kin. My
DNA's on file. The cops could always just run it."

"The police have a lot to do."

I snort.

Melody gives me the eye. "I heard about you're
little trip downtown."

I groan. "Not my fault."

"One of my police friends says you said someone
recognized you from before."

My eyes bug out. I hate consequences. "Mistake.
You know me. I look like everybody."

"Is that what the Jeffries thing is
over?"

Hell, I can't lie to Melody. "Look, if I find
out anything concrete I'll come to you. I don't even have a name on
the missing person. Not one that I believe, because I think she
used an alias and just yesterday someone who knew her said that I,
definitely
, am not her. I was thinking about just dropping
it."

"You shouldn't leave me out of these things. I
can look things up in the system a lot faster that you can Google
them."

I nod. "Okay. If you want check out Kevin
Jeffries, or Burk, or Geoffreys with a G. I could use a name of the
missing person he was engaged to, if she even went missing. I don't
know. And it's South Florida, or I believe the girl was from South
Florida, same time frame, February '08 and there's some connection
to Madeline Cross."

Melody gasps. "No, Meegan. You're not tied up
in
that
mess."

I gawk at her. "How is it everyone knows
something I don't?"

She shakes her head. "I just know what I read
in the papers. I don't picture you as a prostitute
honey."

I smile. "Leave no stone unturned?"

Melody scowls sweetly. "Would you really want
to know?"

"Ha! Finally, you're seeing it my way! I try to
tell you, it could always be worse."

She looks irked. "What if there's a loving,
sweet, wonderful family out there missing you?"

"Well then they'll be
really
messed up
about it when I don't recognize them, won't they? Hell, we don't
know how much brain damage I sustained. My whole personality could
be different than it was before."

"Oh, honey, but the holidays are coming and you
know every year I hope we can get you matched up with your family
in time for Christmas." You see why I love her? She lives in a
Lifetime movie. I smile sweetly. "So... How's the job?"

"Leave without pay."

"What?" She shrieks.

"I didn't do it." I say in a
monotone.

"Of course not!" Melody sounds affronted at the
suggestion. She is
always
on my side. Its part of her
fantasy land that I'm a good person. "I've half a mind to call them
up about it."

"Go ahead." I say. "As soon as they get around
to reviewing the tapes, they'll have to let me come back to
work."

Melody nods. "I bet I can light a fire under
their asses."

"I bet you can."

"First thing tomorrow."

"Thanks." I stand up and stretch. "These chairs
kill me."

"Oh I know. We're pretty well done I guess.
Anything you want to tell me? Problems? Concerns?"

"Thank you, Melody."

"Of course, honey. See you next
time."

"Yes Ma'am."

***

I leave the building with some rare optimism.
Maybe I could've called Melody sooner about all this. You should
never underestimate the power of a licensed civil servant. I bet
she gets to the bottom of everything. Heck, if it weren't for my
persistent shadow people harassing me, I might actually be able to
let the whole business go. On queue there's a pinch to my lower
back. I roll my eyes. The phone rings. It's Schuyler. I know
because I finally assigned him a ring tone.

"Hi."

"Hey Meegan." He says. "I'm fully medicated
now. What're you doing?"

"Oh, I'm headed to Luis Finch's place. Gonna
try and break in. Wanna come?"

Schuyler laughs. "Sure."

"You feel better?"

"God yes. Thanks for asking."

"Of course. Where are you?"

"My apartment. You want to come get dinner
before we try some breaking and entering?"

"Ha! Sure. You cooking?"

"Lupa made meat loaf."

"Is she still there?" I'd like to avoid Lupa.
I'm a little afraid that she's going to magically know that I
messed around with Qasim and sic her nephew on me.

"Nope."

"Cool."

"Cool?" Schuyler sounds hurt. "I thought you
liked Lupa."

"Oh I do. It's just that she told me she'd have
her nephew slit my throat if I wasn't good to you."

Schuyler laughs loud and hard. "You planning on
being mean to me?"

"Well no, but I could turn psycho; it
happens."

"Just come over. We'll eat, and then we'll go
to Luis's. I've never been to a dead man's house before. You think
we can get in?"

I laugh. "I have no idea, but if the shades
want me to be there they'll open the door."

There's a long pause. "You know, you're getting
kind of creepy."

"I know." I say brightly. "I'm cool with it.
I'll be there in a half an hour if the bus comes on
time."

"You should get a car."

I hold the phone away from my face to stare at
it for a sec. "What the hell would I do with a car? I'd miss all
the urine smells and commuters. Besides I don't have a job, and
besides that, I don't know how to drive."

"You don't know how to drive?" Schuyler sounds
scandalized.

I see the bus coming. "Why would I drive? I
live in the city with the best public transit in America. Also I'm
not even three years old 'til February of next year. I think you
need at least sixteen years of life that
you remember
to get
a permit."

"Chicken."

"What?"

"I'm teaching you to drive."

"No. That's a bad idea." The bus has stopped. I
board it.

"It's a great idea. An Escalade is perfect to
learn in. If you hit something you won't get hurt."

"
When
I hit something, I'm likely to be
charged with vehicular manslaughter."

"Lawyer, I told you."

"Jobless, I told
you
."

Schuyler laughs. It's a good, carefree sound. I
like it. "See you in a few minutes."

"Okay."

***

Our bellies are full of the first homemade meat
loaf I've ever had. We're driving. Well, he's driving. I'm fiddling
with my seat belt.

"What the fuck?" Schuyler says under his
breath.

I look over and my ponytail thwacks my cheek.
"Huh?"

He seems irritated. "This is bullshit." But he
says it softly.

I wait for him to explain, but he doesn't so I
give the obligatory "What is bullshit?"

Schuyler pulls abruptly into a parking lot and
cuts the engine. "This." He gestures straight ahead with an edge to
his voice.

I look, it's a laundry mat... "I don't get it."
I tuck my blue streak back behind my ear.

He stares at me. "Have you not been paying
attention?" Oh shit. Was I supposed to be paying attention? My face
gives me away. Schuyler laughs. He's frustrated with me, I can
tell, but he seems to be coping well. "This is the
address."

"The address." I repeat.

He grins. "That I put into the GPS."

My brow furrows. "I though you were going to
put Luis Finch's address into the GPS."

He nods slowly. "I did."

"But this is..." I stop myself and grin
sheepishly. "Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay. So what do you want to
do?"

I unbuckle my seat belt and tuck one of my feet
underneath me. I like that he never gets freaked out about my feet
on the leather seats. "I want to smoke a cigarette." I say as if
that's important. I light up.

He smiles and shakes his head. "After
that?"

I stick out my lip thoughtfully. "We should get
out and walk around." I tuck my pack into my jacket
pocket.

"Walk around the laundry mat. You think there's
an apartment behind it?"

"Hell no. I think the address was a fake. We
should walk around to see if the shades will tell me anything."
Schuyler looks dubious. "Oh relax." I tell him. "This place came up
as Luis Finch's home right?"

Schuler nods. "In the forty dollar background
check."

I exhale. "So maybe he received mail here
sometime." Schuyler stares at me like I'm an idiot. "Or not!" I
say. "But look, there are some things, some paperwork for which
he'd have to use a physical address right? And a background check
company would at least verify that the lot was a real lot wouldn't
they? So... I don't know how to phrase this so that you'll believe
it, but he probably lived near by... I'm going back to the mail
thing." I stop talking now and I can see he's trying not to laugh
at me, which makes me laugh a little too. "I rest my case." I add
dramatically.

He grins in such a way that I remember, I'm his
entertainment. "Whatever you want."

"I'll remember you said that." I hop out of the
car, leaving my bag under the seat. I've got cigarettes, what else
would I need? Schuyler joins me and beeps the locks on the
Escalade.

Not having any better idea, I wrap my left arm
through his right and begin walking us around the building. The
laundry mat is a low, single story, brick building painted yellow.
There are three people inside, and a number of active machines. I
wonder if this place in 24 hour, or if they're going to close soon.
I take us down the alley to the right of the building. It's narrow.
The concrete is old and grass shoots up, long and dead through the
cracks. There's the usual garbage: old cigarette boxes, soda cans,
beer cans, paper cups. We continue the length of the building where
the path T's off on another alley. This one is lined with nine foot
privacy fence on the far side. I stop at the intersection. I look
both ways. Nothing's happening. I lean on Schuyler. He's taking
this very well.

"Nothing?" He asks.

I grin and take another drag. I look at the
privacy fence we're facing. There's a flicker. One of the creases
between the wood slats seems to be undulating. I let go of Schuyler
and approach the fence. I feel like Gandalf at the entrance to
Mithril Hall. I stare at the fence. I put out my smoke. I step
closer. My nose is almost touching it now. I reach my hand out and
feel along the boards pulling and pushing as I go. One of them
flaps under my touch. I pull on it harder and it creaks. I laugh. I
seems the whole panel is only attached in one place to the cross
beam on the top. I open it wider and look over my
shoulder.

"Coming?" and without waiting for an answer I
slip through the hole.

I stand up straight and try to remain calm. I
hear Schuyler scrambling in after me. We are standing in a well lit
back yard, about twenty feet from a well lit back porch. I breathe
evenly and look about. To our right is a little shed and beyond it
is a lower privacy fence that runs the length of the yard dividing
this property from the next one. I grab Schuyler's hand and, as I
do I see a full size shadow person scurry along the fence towards
the front of the property. I haven't seen a big human shaped one
very often and it almost makes me wet myself. I look up at
Schuyler. He seems a bit freaked, out but judging by his failure to
yell and run away I'm guessing he didn't see what I saw. I raise my
finger to my lips and quietly lead us over to the fence. I'd say we
go quietly, but the snow has hardened and every step we take goes
CRUNCH. We walk along the fence 'til we're about even with the
white sided house. If any one is in there looking out, they'll see
us and call the cops. Trying not to tremble, I take us right up to
the wall of the house and crouch down to shimmy beneath the
windows. Now the residents will only see footprints and call the
cops.

We've made it about half way towards the front
of the house, when I feel a pinch on my leg. I look back. Schuyler
didn't do it, so I stop where I am and look around. Schuyler's
breathing is loud to me, he must be excited. We're crouched against
the wall looking towards the shorter fence. Over the barrier I can
see there's a red brick structure on the other side. The air begins
to shimmer in front of my eyes. I reach out to touch it and it
feels like a vibration, but that could just be my pulse. Now, with
the space of a breath, the translucent shimmer condenses into a
smoky, pearly light. It glows brightly, and is roughly the size of
a volleyball, though not particularly round. I sneak a peak at
Schuyler to see if he sees this, but he's looking at me. So I turn
back to watch the light. It backs up from me, shimmering and
swirling until it passes right through the fence.