Hybrid (7 page)
“It's hers; the energy is the same,” she muttered.
“I thought as much,” Erik replied.
Erik stood and led the shaken woman to his back office. He sat on the couch next to her and placed his arm on her shoulder. She turned to him, laid her head on his shoulder, and cried. Erik put his arms around her and held her in silence as she wept for several minutes. Shanda lifted her head off his shoulder and sat upright on his couch. She stared, embarrassed, at the large wet spot on the shoulder of his shirt.
“I'm sorry, it was just so overwhelming,” she explained.
“Don't apologize; I was bowled over myself to the point I was trembling earlier today,” Erik explained as he changed his shirt.
Suddenly, Shanda bolted upright. “You did it! You used your telepathy!”
“There was no other way.” Erik pulled a clean T-shirt over his torso.
“I thought you swore off your abilities for good?”
“I swore them off for personal gain or the material gain of others,” he explained. “Most practitioners use telepathy and the occult to get something for themselves. Then they want more and more. They delve deeper into things that are best left alone. That is what I swore I would never do.” He sighed. “To pursue that course eventually leads to an abrupt, unhappy end. I've never needed to use it on cases before; this happened to be the first time.”
He sat down on the couch beside her. “Besides, it's not just telepathy; it's more. I can read things, but not as well as you. I can also sense when bad events are going to happen. I feel alive when I'm in the wild, not just in an ordinary sense, but almost like I'm a living part of the forest. I know what animals are within at least a half mile of me, what people are feeling most of the time, and I can sense changes in air pressure and almost smell different kinds of weather.” He paused. “It's all very unusual, but I've learned not to ignore my instinct when it makes itself known,” Erik added in a serious tone.
“You have so many unusual gifts; you shouldn't be ashamed of them. I thought, perhaps, you didn't believe in utilizing them anymore, or maybe using them made you uncomfortable,” she whispered. “But there's more you're not telling me,” she added forcefully.
“Yes,” Erik acknowledged. “Promise you won't think I'm crazy.”
“This is me, Erik.” Shanda pointed to her purple hair and wild attire.
“Okay,” he replied, letting out a deep breath. “There are times, when I really focus, I can double, almost triple, my physical strength. It's like my body has some kind of built-in overdrive or something. I feel like I've been plugged into an adrenaline high. I've tested it before, at the gym when nobody was around.” He paused, reluctant to continue.
“And?” Shanda urged him on.
“I was able to bench-press over 750 pounds, and I weigh just over 185 pounds—nearly four times my own body weight. A few days ago during a martial arts workout, after an argument with my ex's husband, I got angry and pulverized six cement blocks with my bare hands. The head instructor said he only knew of a few men who could break four of them, and nobody who could break six. I think I could have done more, a lot more.”
“Erik, that's fantastic. Don't be ashamed of whatever abilities you have; they're gifts, not a curse.” She paused. “I always thought you no longer believed in this kind of thing, that maybe you were turned off by them,” she added, hinting at the still unknown reason for his termination of their relationship. Shanda secretly felt hurt that Erik had not confided in her earlier.
“I still believe. How can I not when I'm reminded of it every day practically?” he replied. “It's just that if I told anybody besides you they'd think I'm nuts. Sometimes, I just want to fit in and pretend that I'm just like everybody else,” Erik added with a sour note.
Shanda needed to hear him say that for some reason. It was good to know that she wasn't rejected for who she was.
Erik looked directly at her, his eyes burning with intensity. “Do you ever wonder why?” he asked in a whisper. “Have you ever been curious as to how we got these abilities in the first place, or what our lives would have been like without them?” He had a deep longing in his voice.
“Yeah, I guess, sometimes I think about it. But I've never wanted to lose the power, I accept that it's a part of who and what I am. I think it's more of a blessing than a curse,” Shanda replied. “What do you think, Erik? Are you blessed with these abilities, or are you cursed with them?”
“If they'll help me find Lisa Reynolds, I'll consider them a blessing. Otherwise, they haven't exactly helped me throughout my life,” he retorted with a half smile.
Erik started pacing, thinking about the case again. “There always has to be a motive, a reason. If Lisa Reynolds was abducted and kept alive, something isn't making sense. Why haven't the Reynolds been contacted? If she's been murdered, where is the body? If it's in the woods, it could take weeks to recover,” Erik mused as he paced back and forth. “No!” He smacked his fist into his open palm. “We don't have all the pieces yet. It's not making any sense. There's a hole in this thing big enough to drive a tank through.” He turned toward Shanda, knelt beside her. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I'll be fine in a few moments. It's weird; I've touched objects before, but I've never felt such powerful feedback as I've gotten from those two objects. Strong emotion leaves residual energy that can be sensed, but usually its only one emotion. I felt fear from that necklace like I've never known. What I sensed from the other package was the same fear with a trace of something else. Something I still can't place, but I know that it's not good. If I had to describe it with one word, I would have to say malevolent or maybe even evil.”
Erik walked over to his phone. “I need to get a hold of somebody. If this is really Lisa Reynolds', I need to turn it over to the police once it's been properly identified.” Erik dialed a series of numbers and waited patiently.
“Hi, Steve, how are you? How was the movie?” Erik asked. “Look, I'm sorry to call you at home. I wouldn't do this normally, but you said you wanted to be informed if I found anything.” Erik paused as the officer responded.
“Yeah, it's physical evidence, bagged and tagged according to procedure. Listen, I'm meeting my client at noon tomorrow in my office for a positive I.D. on this. I'd like for one of you to be here to take this if the I.D. is positive.” Erik's face turned sour as he was listening to the voice on the other end. “Yeah, I'm starting to get that ‘otherwise’ feeling as well,” Erik commented dismally into the phone receiver.
“Steve,” Erik began in a serious tone. “I know it's asking a lot, but can you handle this one? It's probably going to get a little uncomfortable emotionally, and you seem to be one of the better officers in that kind of situation.”
Shanda could hear the voice on the other line but was unable to make out what was being said.
“Thanks, I'll see you at 11:30 sharp.” Erik looked relieved as he hung up the telephone.
Shanda was staring at some photographs on his table in an open album. Erik placed his hand gently on her shoulder and she rubbed her cheek against his forearm.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“Steve said he'd come by himself tomorrow after his shift. He's done this for me before, so he's familiar with the drill. This case isn't going to go away. The Reynolds family has money and influence. They could keep this ongoing for quite a long time if they wanted, at least until....”
Shanda had known Erik for many years. She knew he had seen things and done things that would cause most people to soil themselves. She knew that he didn't know the meaning of the word fear, but it was always difficult for him when he was dealing with a child. Children were innocent, completely undeserving of the terrible things often done to them in modern society. She knew that if this were an adult missing person there would be less intensity and less emotion. A question popped into her head.
“Erik, don't take this the wrong way, but why do you think they hired you for this investigation? If this family is as wealthy as you say, and has as much influence, why hire a small agency with one man? Why not hire a team of investigators with unlimited resources? Don't get me wrong; I mean, you're good, but you're only one man with limited assets and very limited resources.” Shanda regretted the question as soon as she said it. She could read the hurt and offense in his eyes. He turned away from her and walked toward the other sofa in his office and plopped down on it.
“I really don't know, Shanda, but I'll be sure and ask tomorrow,” he said with all the contempt he could muster.
She rose from the couch and walked over to where Erik sat. She put her hand over his and smiled. “You know that's not what I mean. You're probably the most dedicated professional I know. I'm simply saying there are a lot of big guns out there. What possessed them to hire a small independent operator? I mean, think about it. If Brianna were kidnapped, wouldn't Margaret and Richard hire dozens of investigators to look for her?”
“Yeah, I'm sure they would, but they wouldn't hire me.” Erik looked at her and knew she was confused. “My darling ex-wife and her husband are serving me papers to sign over paternal custody of Brianna to Richard so he can adopt her. They want to become a
real
family. Richard has already threatened me with high-powered attorneys and court costs I never could afford.” When he looked at her, there was a deep tortured agony in his eyes. “I'm going to lose my baby, Shanda. That bastard is going to see to it that I can never see her again. What kills me is that I brought this about. I caused this, my stupid need to be my own man.”
She tenderly embraced him, allowing him to pull her close. They held each other in silence for several minutes.
The telephone rang, breaking their moment. They both looked toward the machine. Shanda tried to get up to hand him the phone, but Erik was reluctant to give up his hold on her.
“Let it ring,” he whispered.
“I'd like to,” she said as she leaned over and kissed his forehead. “But that phone is killing the mood,” she added as she felt his arms unwrap.
Erik walked over to the telephone and picked up the receiver. “Knight Investigations, how can I help you?”
“Yes, Mrs. Reynolds.” Erik's faced took on a very pained expression and his shoulders suddenly slumped. Shanda walked toward him, concerned. Her ability already told her what was occurring. Erik was off the case.
“I understand, Mrs. Reynolds, no need to apologize. They are an excellent agency and have a lot of good men. But, I really need to see you tomorrow afternoon. I've found something that may or may not belong to Lisa. I need you to identify it for the police.” Erik nodded and grunted a few times in answer to some questions.
“Yes, it would be a good idea to bring representatives from there to this meeting. I can brief both you and them as to where I am in the investigation. There's no need to be sorry, I understand. I'll see you tomorrow at noon,” Erik said politely as he hung up the phone. He looked at Shanda.
“Well, you really are psychic. It appears that Mr. Reynolds had the same idea you did. They've hired Halls Investigations from New York; they're probably the best private detective agency in the country. Three men are flying in on the shuttle tomorrow morning, plus two mobile crime labs are already
en route
. They'll be here to take over the investigation. It seems I'm out of a job.”
Erik sat back on the chair in front of his desk and sighed heavily. He started shaking his head.
“I don't know,” he began. “Maybe this was for the best.” He laughed as he looked at Shanda. “Maybe I can come work for you.”
“No, you're a private investigator; that's what you do. It's what you are supposed to do. The Reynolds are just concerned for their daughter. Look, you found a lead that no one else did, or ever could have. You're going to provide them with solid physical evidence tomorrow. They'll know that you're good, the best. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Erik,” she answered.
“Thanks.”
“You need to get out of here for a while, Erik.” Shanda took his hand and led him toward the hallway.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“There's nothing like a good movie and some fattening popcorn to take your mind off your troubles,” she answered.
“That's fine by me, but let's go eat our dinner first; it's probably getting cold,” he answered as they headed back to the dining area of Madame's.
Chapter 3
Tuesday, Sept 20th, 9:00 a.m.
Erik had finished his workout at Dawkens’ Gym and was preparing to head back home when Neal Dawkens called him into his office. He gestured Erik toward a chair and sat himself behind his large desk. Erik noticed several awards, trophies, and photographs of the man with several well-known martial artists-turned-actors, movie stars, and politicians. Dawkens saw him staring at the photographs and other paraphernalia that decorated his office.
“I've been very fortunate,” Dawkens commented.
“Indeed,” Erik agreed.
Dawkens leaned over the desk and looked directly at him. “I know my sister took you off the case. I'm sorry. I feel somehow responsible, seeing that I sent her to you. Please understand, she was impressed with you. It's just that they feel the more people looking for my niece, the better.” Dawkens paused. “And, you are only one person,” he added, looking as though he wished that he could have taken the words he just spoke back when Erik flinched.
“I understand,” Erik answered. “I'm seeing her and her new-hires at noon. I've gathered some information that I'm hoping will be useful to them,” he responded in a neutral tone. Erik didn't blame Dawkens for anything, and he really understood the Reynolds’ reasoning for going with a bigger agency.
“Neal, I understand, really. Don't blame yourself. Your sister and her husband have nothing to apologize for. Actually, I really can't blame them. If my daughter were missing, I'd want lots of qualified people with lots of resources on her case along with the police,” he said as he stood, offering the older man his hand. “I need to get back and prepare for this meeting.”