Special Talents (6 page)

"The Department of Homeland Security has a lot of influence," said Scarborough. "We were thinking that maybe Mr. Rowe would be interested in helping us in exchange for his criminal record being expunged. He wouldn't have to worry about the police looking for him anymore. And he wouldn't have to resort to burglary to support himself."

"Assuming that's his motivation," said Jeremy, looking over the file. "Maybe he just likes the thrill of getting away with it. Or maybe he's just found it easy than working a 'regular' job. It's also possible he enjoys thumbing his nose at the police. There could be any number of explanations for why he does what he does."

"Which is why you're here," said Scarborough. "He's currently being held in a Maryland police station on yet another burglary charge. I need you to go talk to him. See what you can find out. And if he does have a special talent, see if you can convince him to join us."

"The problem is going to be figuring out what his special talent is, assuming he has one," said Jeremy. "Unless he uses it while I'm with him I won't even be able to know if he has one. The evidence in this case. Is it being held in the police property room?"

"Yes. It's standard procedure."

"Okay. I suggest you put a 24-hour camera on it. Place it somewhere where it will be inconspicuous. That way when – and if – he tries to remove the evidence, you'll have it on film. It might even show us what special talent he has."

"Good idea," replied Scarborough. "Now, we need a cover story to get you in to see him. We can't say you're a detective or something like that. That would be impersonating a police officer. I'm just not sure what story we can use to get you in to see him."

"It says here that when he was arrested he didn't put up a fight. That he came peacefully."

"That's right. He had stolen some jewelry and it was found on him. When he was arrested he just casually walked into the station and didn't give the arresting officers any trouble. He kept claiming it was all a misunderstanding and that it would be cleared up very quickly."

"Okay," said Jeremy. "The arresting officer found it odd that he would surrender so easily. So the district attorney asked me to have a talk with the guy to make sure he wasn't crazy. I'll go in and have a chat with him and see what I can find out. Once I leave all we have to do is wait and see if he goes for the evidence."

"Well, that's kind of weak but it just might work. And while you have him in the interrogation room I'll see about setting up some surveillance in his cell. That might give us some more information on him and whatever special talent he has."

"This seems like an awful lot of trouble for some petty criminal that might turn out to be nothing at all," said Janet.

"That may be," said Scarborough. "But you're going to find that this kind of job isn't really like it is in the movies. There's a lot of footwork and paperwork that usually ends up being a dead end. Besides, my gut tells me this guy is hiding something. More than just being a two-bit burglar."

"What do you want me to do?" Kamalene asked.

"For the moment, nothing," said Scarborough. "This is Jeremy's arena. All the rest of us can do is sit back and wait."

"Let me know when you have everything ready," said Jeremy. "I'll go see Rowe as soon as you're set up."

"It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. I call you when we're ready."

"Okay. I hope this goes smoothly. But we should be prepared for just about anything."

"I usually am," said Scarborough. "I'd better go make the arrangements. Every minute we wait makes it more likely that Mr. Rowe – and the evidence against him – could simply vanish into thin air."

"They tell me you're a shrink," said Rowe sitting in the interrogation room at the police station. "Does that mean they think I'm crazy?"

Rowe was an unimpressive man. He was dressed casually in a sport shirt and a pair of blue jeans. His brown hair was in need of cutting and he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. He sat in the chair kind of half sliding out of it instead of upright as most people would. Jeremy's first impression was of a man who didn't seem to have a care in the world. Despite the fact that he was being charged with at least 3 felonies.

"That's not really a word we use," replied Jeremy. "I'm Doctor Sloan. The arresting officer just found it odd that you surrendered so easily. Especially considering the fact that you had the evidence on you at the time. He also said you made some comment about never getting to trial since this was simply a misunderstanding and that you'd be able to clear it up by morning."

"That's it," said Rowe. "It's just a misunderstanding. I'll be able to prove it once my friend shows up. But he's out of town at the moment and won't be back until morning. Once he comes in he'll clear my name and all the charges will be dropped. You'll see."

"Well, the district attorney wanted me to have a little chat with you and make sure you didn't have any mental or emotional problems. Something that might mitigate the charges against you."

"In other words, am I crazy as a loon and not responsible for my actions?"

"I suppose you could look at it that way. Your drivers' license says you're from Idaho. That's kind of a long way from home isn't it?"

"Yeah, maybe. I like to travel. You meet a lot of interesting people when you travel."

"So you're not a resident of D.C.?"

"I'm a resident of the world. I don't really like to set roots down in one particular place. I can get bored easily."

"What about money? Most people have to work for a living. You can't live very long travelling without money."

"Well, I sort of have a small trust fund my dad set up for me. It affords me enough to live on. And to do the travelling. So I don't really need a job. I suppose someday I may have to settle down and get a job. But until then I figure I'll just enjoy life as it comes."

Jeremy could tell from Rowe's aura that he was lying. He seemed to talk freely but Jeremy wasn't buying the happy-go-lucky attitude of the man. His words were guarded and appeared to be rehearsed. As if he'd told the same story a dozen times. Which probably wasn't that far from the truth.

"So your father is deceased. Is your mother still alive?"

"How'd you know my father was dead?"

"The trust fund you mentioned. Those are usually used only after a will has been probated. If your father were still alive you'd just get the money you need from him."

"Oh, pretty clever. Yeah, both of my parents are dead."

"Did their passing make you sad?"

"Well of course it did. What kind of question is that?"

"Just routine. What about your childhood? Was it a happy one? Any traumatic experiences that you can remember?"

"Naw, it was okay. Dad was always working and mom had her charities and groups and stuff. So I was home by myself a lot. But they never mistreated me or anything like that. I guess it was pretty much like most other people's childhood. Nothing to write home about, as my granddad used to say."

"Okay. Any history of mental illness in your family?"

"Not that I know of. Had an aunt who was kind of strange. Was one of those cat ladies you always hear about. Would take in any stray she found. I tried to count them once when I was a kid. I got up to 47 and there were still more to be counted. That's about it though."

"You said you had a friend who could clear this up. But you won't give this friend's name. Why not just tell the police who he is so they can locate him and find out what he has to say?"

"Well, he's kind of a prominent guy. I need to talk to him first and fill him in on what's going on. Wouldn't want to just spring this on him. Once I've explained things he'll be glad to come down and clear this matter up."

"Fair enough. Well, I guess that will about do it. I overheard the desk sergeant say they'll be taking you in for arraignment in the morning once the public defender arrives."

"That's it? That's all you're going to ask me?"

"That's it. Like I said just a few routine questions to see if there's any indication of mental illness or emotional instability. Pretty boring stuff, really."

"So, what's the verdict, doc? Am I crazy?"

"If you have the presence of mind to ask that question you probably all ready know the answer to it. No, you're not crazy. Maybe not as concerned about the situation as you should be but you're definitely sane and rational."

"That's what I figured. So I guess I go back to my cell and wait for my attorney to show up."

"That's about the size of it. I'll stop in again in the morning and see how you're doing."

"Oh, that won't be necessary. I probably won't be here. I mean once my friend shows up and explains everything."

"I see. Well, Simon, take care of yourself. And I certainly hope your friend can clear this up for you."

"Oh, he will. Just wait and see. I'll be out of here bright and early."

Jeremy left the interrogation room and exited the police station. Scarborough and Janet were waiting for him outside.

"Well? How'd it go?" Scarborough asked.

"Pretty simple, really. Only almost everything he told me was a lie. And I got the distinct impression that it was all rehearsed. He's probably told it so many times he could recite it in his sleep. He did seem to be honest about one thing, however. He said he'd be out first thing in the morning."

"Which means he's probably going to wait until the middle of the night to do whatever it is he's capable of doing. Come on. I talked to the precinct captain. He's an old friend of my dad. He said we could hang out in the evidence room for a while. Maybe catch Rowe red handed, so to speak."

"Oh fun a stake out," said Jeremy. "That sounds like a real interesting evening."

"Mostly it's boring," said Scarborough. "But you just never know what you'll learn on one."

Together the three headed for the property room to wait for Mr. Rowe to show up. Assuming he did show up.

It was nearly 3:00 a.m. and Rowe still hadn't showed. The property room was relatively small but well lit. The jewelry Rowe had stolen sat in a plastic bag on a small metal shelf near the back of the room, alongside numerous other bags that were evidence in other cases. It was out of sight of the property clerk so if someone could get past him, which Jeremy thought was unlikely, they could easily pick it up without being noticed.

Scarborough had been right. The stakeout had proven to be extremely boring. The three couldn't even talk to each other for fear that Rowe might overhear them. All Jeremy could do was sit in the secluded location Scarborough had picked out for him and wait. He found himself beginning to doze several times and had to force himself to stay awake.

He couldn't see either Scarborough or Janet. Each was secluded in a different location in the room, unobserved by anyone who might be near the bag of evidence. They could all see the location clearly but anyone in there would be hard pressed to see them. But in all the hours they had been there no one had even gone near the evidence.

In fact, few people even came into the property room at that time of night. The sergeant in charge of the room sat at his desk behind a cage working on paperwork. He knew they were there, of course, but he all but ignored them. Jeremy was beginning to think it was all a giant waste of time.

He involuntarily looked to his right. He thought he had heard something. But he couldn't quite be sure. He looked around but saw nothing. He realized it was more of a feeling than a sound that had attracted his attention. Probably his imagination working overtime with nothing else to do.

He used his electromagnetic vision to scan the room. It was probably a waste of time. It only worked on living organisms. And even though he couldn't see either of them, he could still see part of the auras of both Scarborough and Janet. Both were sitting quietly in their secluded location waiting for Rowe.

Suddenly movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. As he gazed at the wall he thought he must be seeing things. In the wall itself was what appeared to be the outline of a person. But that was clearly impossible. Even though a person's aura left a residual effect that he could pick up, anyone who had been against that wall would have left hours ago. The residual effect would have dissipated rapidly leaving nothing to see.

As Jeremy continued to study the wall, Simon Rowe suddenly stepped through the wall and stood in the middle of the room. He glanced around furtively as if gauging to see if he had been observed. Finally satisfied that he was alone, he turned to one of the metal shelves and began to hurriedly check the tags on each plastic bag on those shelves.

Jeremy could scarcely believe what he had seen. Rowe's aura had shown him using an ability when he had stepped through the wall but had quickly changed back to normal once he was inside the room. But the implication was unmistakable. Rowe apparently had the ability to pass through solid objects leaving no trace that he had ever been there.