“Neither have I,” he said, with a crack of laughter. “But we can count on the fact that this time, at least, it was worthwhile.”
“Maybe so,” she said. Then she hesitated.
He waited. “What’s up, Detective?”
“God help me, but I was just wondering if you’d seen anything else,” she said.
He stopped, and then he laughed. “What’s this?” he asked. “Aren’t you the one who can’t stand charlatans?”
“You’re absolutely right. I can’t,” she said. “And, if I ever find out that you’re making up all this shit, you can bet I’ll fuck with you every bit as much as you’ve been fucking with me. But, in the meantime, as long as any of the visions you have are helpful,” she said, “I still have a seven-year-old boy missing and a dead six-year-old girl in the morgue.”
“I’m sorry about the little girl,” he said softly. “She was so young, so beautiful. So perfect.”
“Maybe that’s what got her killed,” she said. “A lot of parents don’t realize how much a pedophile can lock on to a look and can’t think of anything else until they get what they want.”
“Then a lot of these parents dress up their children like models and take them for dancing classes, thinking how cute they are.”
“There’s no justifying taste,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter what these parents did. No child deserves what these pedophiles have done to them.”
“Agreed. So, no locations or anything identifiable in the videos?”
“No,” she said, “at least nothing yet.”
“I don’t envy you going through all that.” That would ruin his faith in humanity if he had to do that. Not that he had any left.
“No,” she said. “So, if you find anything or something else comes up, please let me know.”
“Like I said, I won’t be answering the phone.”
“So then what? You’re off to fleece a bunch of people to get more money to build your rehab projects?”
Simon was stunned; her words were very close to the truth. Close enough that he stopped and stared out at the city lights, playing on the ocean waters. “What’s this? Trying to be psychic on your own?”
“Not at all, but you have no visible means of support, and yet your building projects aren’t cheap.”
“Gambling is like that,” he said. “I had a really good run here the other day.”
“Believe it or not, I found out about that,” she said, “and you’re right, especially considering it wasn’t even your game.” And, with that, she hung up.
He swore, as he stared down at the phone. “Are you following me, Detective Morgan?”
Of course she was. Not only was she following him, she was keeping track of every step he made. Which meant, in theory, that she should know exactly where he was right now. He pocketed his phone and, feeling that same disquiet, turned and headed back to his room. He’d spend some time on the paperwork that had piled up, while he waited for dinner and the night’s activities.
This was his chance to lose himself in something that he knew very well, something that he was comfortable in. He wondered who else would be here. He knew a large group of guys came and went on these short weekend gambling cruises. He could only hope that he knew somebody who would make the trip a little bit easier. As he walked toward his room, he thought he saw someone he recognized. He called out.
His buddy turned, raised a hand. “See you tonight,” he said. “First drinks on me.”
Simon laughed, his spirits picking up. This is what he needed—friends in a world that he was used to.
*
“The old bastard,”he said aloud about Nico, as he stared at the photo of the little girl, but it was definitely doctored.That’s a manipulated image.
Don’t dare take her outside.
Don’t you have any photos of where she was originally?
That’s hardly a proof of life.