Rick Mofina - If Angels Fall

“I, too, have thought about the matter. It is truethat I could not bear another tragedy, if this abductor were to take Ngen. Wemust help police catch him. But first we need assurances.”

Psoong called the number on the professor’s card andshe arrived with two new officers-Sydowski, a big man with gold in his mouthand his associate, a dark-haired young woman, Turgeon. Min made tea. Theprofessor assured them the police were only interested in the kidnapping of thelittle girl who lived two doors away.

“The little girl’s dog did not run away a month ago,”Ngen began.

“What happened?” Sydowski asked as Turgeon made notes.

The professor translated.

“A man took the dog in the night.”

How did Ngen know?

“I saw him from my bedroom windows,” the professor repeated.

Sydowski asked to see Ngen’s upstairs bedroom. Theysaw the small telescope on Ngen’s nightstand at the window. They remained calm.The bedroom’s large corner windows overlooked the Nunn’s backyard. Sydowskicould see two IDENT people kneeling in the dog’s kennel.

“Tell the officers everything,” the professor said.

Ngen loved to look at the stars and moon. They werehis hope when they were adrift at sea, and now his communion with his deadmother and father. The night the man came there was a three-quarter moon. Itwas about two A.M. because he had set his alarm to see the best view. All wastranquil in the neighborhood. Ngen could hear the Nunns’ air conditionerhumming. He was studying the moon when he saw a man walking down the backalley. He focused his telescope on him. He looked like the man in the policepicture. He unwrapped some meat and fed it to the dog, then walked away withthe dog to his truck, which was parked down the alley, and drove away.

Sydowski and Turgeon absorbed Ngen’s account.

“Did he get a license plate?”

The professor translated and the boy said something atlength, reaching for the star journal he kept, flipping through the pages.

He kept a journal? Sydowski couldn’t believe it.

At school they taught you to take license numbers ifyou ever saw anything bad. But he didn’t get the entire plate.

“The first three characters, B75,” the professortranslated.

“Was it a California plate?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of truck was it?”

Ngen didn’t know trucks.

“If we showed him pictures?” Turgeon asked, whiletaking notes.

The professor explained. Ngen nodded. “Yes, that wouldhelp.”

Sydowski wanted to know what kind of meat the man gavethe dog, and did Ngen see a store’s logo on any wrapping or packaging?

The professor translated. Ngen thought for a moment.It was hamburger in a white tray with transparent wrap.

“What sorts of things does Ngen write in his starjournal?”

The professor asked Ngen.

“Dates and times of everything he saw in the night.”

“Did Ngen make such notes the night he saw the mantake the dog?”

Yes, he did because it was so unusual.

“May we borrow the journal?” Turgeon asked.

The professor made the request. Ngen looked to Psoong,who nodded.

One more time, because this was so important, Sydowskiwanted to know what happened when the man approached the Nunns’ yard.

Ngen said the man threw some hamburger into the dog’skennel and the dog ate it without making a sound. Then the man opened the gateand the dog ate more from his hand. Then the man picked up the dog, took himunder his arm, and walked to his truck and drove off.

“Did the man throw the wrapper away?”

Ngen thought. Yes, he tossed it aside.

“Where?”

Somewhere in the alley near the yard.

“Again, what did it look like?”

The woman explained, then said something to Min, wholeft the room. She returned with three packs of frozen meat. Ngen touched apackage of sausages, packed on a white foam meat tray with clear plasticwrapping and a producer’s label with a bar code on one corner, with the date,weight, cost, and a product code.

Turgeon made notes. Sydowski reached for his radio andsummoned the head of the IDENT unit to Ngen’s room. The man arrived, his eyesdarting to the boy, the meat, Sydowski, then Turgeon.

“This is what we’re looking for, Carl,” Sydowski said.

Captain Carl Gray turned the package over in hishands.

“Sausages?”

“A meat tray and wrapper just like this one,” Turgeonsaid.

“The guy lured the dog away with wrapped hamburger,”Sydowski said. “If we could find the wrapping, label, and product code-“

“Right.” Gray came up to speed. “Then we could narrowwhere and when he bought it.” Gray reached for his radio. “I’ll call my teamfor a briefing. But it’ll be a needle in a haystack, Walt.”

“I know. It’s been nearly a month.”

Gray left, and while they thanked Ngen and his family,something ate at Sydowski, something he needed to know, so he told theprofessor to ask.

“Why didn’t you come forward yesterday?” the womansaid.

Ngen looked at Psoong, at Min, and the professor, whoimmediately knew the answer. They were scared.

Sydowski nodded.

Then Ngen looked directly at Sydowski and in a littleboy’s voice that was awash with emotion, spoke spontaneously, rapidly, forcingthe professor to struggle to keep up with him.

“They were scared that police would send them back,but he loved this country, it was his home and did not want to make troublebecause he knew that people who make trouble are punished. The day after thedog was taken, Ngen saw the little girl and how sad she was. He saw the signsin the neighborhood with the dog’s picture and heard her calling him everynight. He wanted to tell her that he saw a man steal her dog, but was afraid.”

Ngen began crying. Min comforted him.

“His heart ached for the little girl who loved her dogso much. Ngen knew what it was like to love someone and lose them. Now the girlis gone and he is terrified. It is all his fault. Had he spoken earlier, maybeshe would be safe. And now that he has spoken, maybe the kidnapper will comefor him? Please do not punish his family. He is sorry. Please forgive him!Please!”

The professor dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

Sydowski and Turgeon exchanged glances.

By Monday afternoon, Reed was atop Russian Hill, approaching a Victorian mansionoverlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. A gabled roof topped its three stories,twin turrets, and colossal windows. The open front porch was edged with ornatespindled railing, and the clipped lawn was rimmed by a wrought-iron,spear-tipped fence.

Would he find answers here? Anything that would bringhim closer to Keller? So far, the house was the only lead he and Wilson came upwith after digging all Sunday and this morning. No matter what they tried,quietly using their sources in a number of agencies, scouring the Internet,they could not nail a good address for Keller. He was invisible.

Even Professor Martin provided little help.Coincidentally, she popped by the Star that morning to thank Reed overcoffee in the cafeteria for the feature on her group. Reed made time for herbecause he wanted to know more about Keller, but he was careful not to tell herabout his suspicions. And if Martin had any, she kept them to herself.

“Tom, I just wanted to thank you. After your articleran, we received pledges of support and calls from bereaved parents searchingfor help. I thought your reporting and writing was sensitive.”

“Don’t thank me. Say, what did Keller think?” Reed wascasual.

“I don’t know. He’s so private. Why do you ask?”

Reed shrugged. “No reason. I mean, he really didn’tlike me.”

She was wearing a summer dress and sandals. Almost nomakeup. She was attractive, Reed thought. “I’m glad you left him out of yourstory. He has a lot of pain to deal with right now.”