Mara Lantern: Broken Realms Part 36

"He wouldn't tangle with a progenitor, if he could help it. He used the girl to lower your defenses and catch you unaware," Sam had argued.

The jangling of the bell above the front door startled her. Ping walked in, smiled and stood in front of the counter. "Good morning," he said. "Did you have any luck identifying our young lady?"

"She said her name was Missy. There's a Melissa Harrington on the list who traveled with her mother, so I'm thinking that's our girl. They live in northeast Portland just off Glisan. It should only take fifteen or twenty minutes to get there from here."

She grabbed her jacket off a stool and swung it over her shoulders, then retrieved her phone and the pa.s.senger list from the counter, shoving them into her pockets as the three of them walked to the front door. Ping opened it for her. She turned and called over her shoulder, "Bruce, I'm out of here. Remember to keep an eye on things up front."

"Got it. I'll call if anything comes up," he yelled from the back of the shop.

"Where does he think you are going?" Ping asked.

Mara shrugged. "I told him I had some errands to run. It's not a big deal. All the work is caught up, and he's used to filling in when me and Mr. Mason aren't around."

Ping's Camry sat at the curb in front of the shop. They crossed the sidewalk and got in. He waited for her to buckle up and said, "Okay, we know where she lives. What is your plan?"

"Plan? We go to her house and make her give back the Chronicle. You have a better idea?"

"Why don't we take it one step at a time? Let's drive by the house and see if we can figure out if she's the right girl."

"Fine by me. She's the only Melissa on the flight. I'm guessing a little girl who can pick pockets from more than a hundred feet away probably came off that flight. Don't you?"

"Let's a.s.sume it is her. What do we do?"

"We'll ask her nicely to return the Chronicle. If she doesn't, we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it." Mara stared out the window, wondering what they could do to an uncooperative five-year-old that wouldn't land them in prison.

Sitting in the unmarked Caprice half a block from the Harrington residence, Bohannon had trouble figuring out why he and Suter were there. He stared at the walkway in front of the bungalow not knowing what to expect.

"I thought the plan for today was to bring in Mara Lantern for questioning now that we have several witnesses tying her to the disappearances. Why are we here in front of the Harringtons' place?" Bohannon asked.

Suter was sweating and twitching more than usual this morning. His head flicked back and forth, and he rubbed his neck nonstop. "I've got a hunch. Let's just sit tight for a few more minutes."

"A hunch about what?"

"Look." Suter pointed. He narrowed his eyes, licked his lips.

Ping's silver Camry pulled up to the curb across the street from the Harrington home.

"What are they doing here?" Bohannon asked.

"Call for backup. Let's get a couple uniforms to take her in," Suter said.

"How did you know they were coming here?"

"I told you, a hunch. Get that unit here, or I'll go out there and do it myself." Suter growled under his breath while he continued to stare.

Bohannon kept on eye on him as he turned on the radio and picked up the mike.

After five minutes of staring at the earth-toned, cream-colored bungalow with brick steps leading up to the front porch, Mara glanced at Ping. "We just going to sit here? Wouldn't it make more sense to knock on the front door and see if it's her?"

"If we wait long enough someone might come out. We can then determine if this is the Missy you saw last night." Ping stared at the Harringtons' bright red front door. He hadn't seen any movement through the large windows that flanked it.

"Look, you were the one who was so worried about the wrong person getting the Chronicle. Now that it has happened, why are you hesitating?"

"We don't know what we are dealing with. The pretender could be in there, and I'm concerned you aren't ready for a direct confrontation."

"How is sitting here going to change that? That pretender didn't take the Chronicle as a keepsake. He's up to something. I know you think he can't activate it, but if there is a remote chance he can use it to bring over more freaks from other realms, we have to stop him."

"Perhaps you are correct." Ping locked eyes with Mara. "Please, just remember that things may not be as they appear. We are dealing with a pretender. He can alter perception at will."

"I'll do my best. Now can we go?"

Suter's eyes bulged as he watched Mara and Ping step out of the car onto the sidewalk. They crossed the street and walked up the shrub-lined brick path that cut through the Harringtons' well-manicured front lawn and led up to the front porch.

"Where is that backup?" he yelled loud enough to shake the rearview mirror. Veins strained against the skin on his forehead, sweat poured down his neck.

"They are right there. Sheesh, calm down." Bohannon pointed to the cruiser pulling up to the curb behind Ping's vehicle. It squawked its siren in one short burst. "What are you so worked up about? We could have simply detained them ourselves until the uniforms got here, you know."

Mara and Ping, standing on the front steps leading to the porch, turned when they heard the noise behind them. Two police officers-one a man, the other a woman-jogged across the gra.s.s toward them. They did not have their weapons drawn, but they both ran with one hand resting over their holsters.

The female officer stopped five feet from the steps. "Are you Mara Lantern?"

"Yes, I'm Mara." She stepped back down onto the path from the stairs.

Patrick Harrington opened the door behind them, looked wide-eyed at the scene. They all turned toward him. "What is going on?" Harrington asked.

"Daddy? What's happening?" A tiny arm wrapped around his leg from behind, and a little blonde girl poked her head out between the leg and the door frame. Her eyes widened when she saw Mara.

Mara waved up to the porch. "Hi, Missy. Do you remember me?"

The male police officer placed a hand on Mara's arm. "I'm sorry, Ms. Lantern. You need to come with us."

She kept her back to him. "Missy, do you remember that thing you took from me?"

Ping raised an eyebrow to catch Mara's attention and nodded, pointing over her shoulder. She turned to see Suter, red faced and sweating, speed-walking up the brick path, his black suit jacket flapping open under his arms as they swung at his sides. Bohannon followed, looking exasperated and not even trying to keep up with the FBI man.

Suter pushed his way past the two uniformed police officers. "Mr. Harrington, you and your daughter do not have to answer that. Why don't you take your daughter inside where she will be safe. We'll take care of these people."

Patrick Harrington nodded, stepped back and closed the door.

"What is the meaning of this, Special Agent Suter?" Ping asked. "I have every intention of filing a complaint for hara.s.sment. You'll be hearing from my attorney."

"Have him call me." Suter stuck his dripping face into Ping's, leaning over him. "You'd best be on your way, Mr. Ping. We have business with Ms. Lantern. Officers, please take her into custody."

"What? I am being arrested?" Mara asked.

"You are a person of interest in the disappearances of Sarah and Jeremy Gamble," Bohannon said, nodding to the uniformed officers. "We need you to come in for questioning."

"She chooses not to cooperate and invokes her right to remain silent. She will not go with you unless she is under arrest," Ping said.

Mara nodded at them.

"This is a federal national security matter. We can bring you in by force, if needed," Suter said.

Bohannon turned to Mara. "I would suggest you cooperate," he said. "If you cooperate, we can probably get through this in a few hours. If you want to fight it, it could take weeks or more."

"Let me talk to Ping for a minute."

"No, you have to-" Suter snarled, spit foaming in the corner of his mouth.

"Just one minute. Step back," Bohannon said to the uniforms. He held up a hand to forestall Suter's protest.

Mara lowered her head to Ping and spoke in a whisper, "Why don't I try to cooperate? It would be better if I don't get locked up for several days, especially with the Chronicle still missing. Besides, if I get arrested again, my mother is going to get very agitated. Being arrested once is a fluke. Twice and she'll probably s.h.i.+p me off to some New Age rehab for unenlightened delinquents."

"Give it a try. Don't let them bully you into anything. In the meantime, I'll call the attorney."

"Why are they taking me and not you?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you are the common thread in their investigation. It might just be a tactic to split us up. Who knows? Stay calm and say as little as possible while appearing cooperative."

CHAPTER 54.

THE UNIFORMED OFFICERS didn't handcuff her when they tucked her into the caged backseat of their cruiser. Mara took that as a good sign. The news they were headed to an office park near the airport instead of jail also came as a relief. She a.s.sumed it was the place where Ping had been questioned. Since she still had her phone, she texted her destination to him. He confirmed and promised to get in touch after contacting the attorney.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled into a parking lot where Suter and Bohannon stood waiting. They dismissed the uniformed officers.

"What's the point of hauling me here in a police car? All you had to do was call. I would have driven myself," she said.

Bohannon held open a door to a beige office building.

"This way we didn't have to worry about whether or not you would show," Suter said. He waved an arm into the building, indicating Mara should go first. They pa.s.sed four doors on the left of the hall when Suter stopped and said, "Here's our room."

The conference room featured a boardroom-style table surrounded by a dozen black leather chairs. The room had no other furniture or fixtures. The walls were blank and beige except for the one opposite the door, which featured a bank of windows running the length of the room. Cheap industrial venetian blinds covered them but allowed some light. Mara had the impression a government designer had decorated the place.

Suter pointed to the far side. Mara walked around the head of the table and took a seat. He and Bohannon sat across from her, nearest the door.

"Ms. Lantern, why don't we start at the beginning and see if we can connect some dots? Would you be amenable to that?" Suter asked, while beads of sweat popped out on his face. He rubbed his neck, twisted his head as if trying to work out kinks. He placed both hands in his lap. Leaning his shoulders and torso over the table, he stretched his neck, jutted his jaw and peeled back his lips, like a leashed animal bent on mauling someone.

Subtle intimidation is one thing, but this was threatening on a primal level. It didn't simply make Mara feel uncomfortable; it made her feel like prey. She pressed back into her chair, putting some distance between them, just in case.

"Whatever I can do to help," she said.

"Excellent. Now let's start with Flight 559, just about a month ago now," Suter said, looking up at her through his own brow as he leaned over the table. Sweat dripped off his chin. "You told us that you don't remember anything from the flight because you were napping, and you don't recall how you injured your head. Is that correct?"

"That's correct." Mara glanced at Bohannon. He looked as put off by Suter as she did.

"You said you did not see any blue lights, correct?"

"That's correct."

"You said you did not see a red-headed boy on the flight carrying a glowing object toward the back of the plane, correct?"

"That's correct."

"And you don't recall an explosion in the back of the plane?"

"That's correct."

"Yet, we have witnesses who saw you go to the back of that plane with a boy meeting the description of that young man we met in your shop. How do you explain that?"

"I told you. I don't recall getting up and going to the back of the plane. As far as Sam goes, there are plenty of other boys with red hair. I would say it's a coincidence." She tried to keep her voice level, emotionless.

"Why did you break into the hangar?" Suter leaned back in his seat. His face had reddened.

"We did not break in. We asked the guard if we could look at the plane, and he let us in."

"You know that's not true!" he screamed. His face deepened to purple.

Mara leaned back more.

Bohannon sat up and laid his hands on the table.

"Where else did you go in that hangar?"

"We looked at the airplane wreckage, and we left." Mara glanced at Bohannon, for rea.s.surance.

"That's a lie, and you know it!" Suter wiped his face and pounded the table with his soaked fist.

Mara cringed.

He slowly closed his eyes, visibly slowed his breathing. He settled back into his chair and didn't say anything for a few minutes.

Mara was afraid to fill any silences. She waited.

"Tell me about Sarah Gamble," Suter continued.