Rick Mofina - If Angels Fall

“What’s up, officer?”

“How do you mean?”

“Your face registered something a moment ago when mywife mentioned SFPD shooting the kidnapper.”

Pender contemplated whether to tell Reed whatever itwas he knew.

“You’re a police reporter, right?”

“That’s right.”

Pender scratched his goatee. The police radio blurtedcoded dispatches. “You reported on the big abduction cases of Danny Becker andGabrielle Nunn across the Bay, right?”

“That’s what got my ass fired, officer. Please.”

Pender tapped his pen on his notebook, thinking.“Okay, I’m going to show you something. Get in.”

Reed slipped into the passenger side, watchingPender’s big hands dwarf the computer’s tiny keyboard as he typed in commands.“SFPD and the FBI put out a new alert on the case. It’s hot. I got it justbefore I got this complaint. Here you go. Says the task force now has a numberone suspect in the Nunn-Becker cases and they’re hunting him. Ever heard of aguy named Keller? Edward Keller?”

Reed was stunned. “Edward Keller — yes, I, Christ — ”

“Nobody knows I showed you this.” Pender pivoted theterminal to Reed, who devoured the short bulletin.

Edward Keller of no fixed address was wanted on awarrant for the kidnappings of Daniel Raphael Becker and Gabrielle Nunn.

“I was fucking right all along!”

“You know this guy?”

“I met him recently and thought he was weird, so I didsome digging into his past.” Reed shook his head in disbelief.

“Mr. Reed, do you think there’s any link to your son’srunning away and Mr. Keller?”

Reed’s heart stopped. No. There couldn’t be. “No, Ithink it is a coincidence. Zach ran off because he heard us arguing about ourproblems. We had reconciled and we were on the brink of getting back together.Zach wanted that with all of his heart. But it fell apart this morning.”

“I see. You said you started digging into Mr. Keller’spast. Is there anything about him that you know that may be useful to the taskforce across the Bay? Anything we should pass on?”

“No. He’s a lunatic, a Bible thumper. I met him on astory about university research on parents of dead children. He lost three along time ago and babbled about resurrecting them with God’s help. He was nuts.I tried to find him again, but I couldn’t.”

“Why did you want to find him again?”

“I had a gut feeling. But I wanted to find out what Icould about him on my own before going to the task force, having been stungbadly the last time I followed a hunch.”

“Did you go to the task force?”

Reed shook his head. “And I was fired because my paperthought, given my track record, I was dangerous with my theories. It’scomplicated. Look, officer, I’m going to find my son. I have some ideas wherehe might have gone. Any other day, I’d be calling my paper, tipping them withthat alert.” Reed nodded to the computer terminal. “But fuck them. I was right.They were wrong and I don’t work for them anymore. I’ve got more importantthings on my mind.”

Reed moved to leave.

“Hold on there.” Pender was friendly.

Reed waited. Pender stared at him. A streetwise copwith impeccable instincts, he was not going to let Reed leave him.

“Where’s the first place you’re going to look?”

Reed sighed. “Next to us getting back together, Zachwanted to buy a model of a ship.”

“A hobby store then?”

“Thought I’d start with the nearest one.”

“Buckle up.”

“What?”

“There’s one on University. I’ll take you.”

“Officer, I can take myself.”

Pender started the engine and slipped the transmissioninto drive. “I think we should go together, Tom.”

Pender double-parked his cruiser on University at asliver of a store front called Dempsey’s Hobby amp; Crafts. His head camewithin inches of the transom when he and Reed entered. The bald, potbellied,old man who ran the place was on the telephone.

“Yeah, Saturday’s good. Sure — ” he noticed Penderand Reed. “I told you, it’s fine with me … Yes … listen, Burt, I gotta go …Yes, it’s good. Burt, I gotta go now. I’ll call ya later.”

He hung up and spread his hands over the glasscountertop in a bartender’s what’ll-it-be? fashion. He peered over his bifocalswith the unpracticed seriousness of a shopkeeper unaccustomed to adultvisitors, nodding to Pender because the shop was on his beat.

“Hello, Jim. How are things in local law enforcement?”

“George,” Pender said, “I need your help.”

George Dempsey’s eyes shot to Reed, then to Pender.

“This about that gang shooting in Oakland?”

“’Fraid not.” Pender leaned on the counter and intoDempsey’s personal space. “This is Mr. Tom Reed. He’s looking for his son,Zachary.” Pender studied Dempsey’s face. “He may have come in here within thelast ninety minutes. Nine years old and how tall, Tom?”

Reed held a hand to his chest.

Pender continued. “That tall, blond hair, newsneakers, school backpack, and interested in model ships.”

Dempsey tugged thoughtfully at his fluffy sideburns.“Ships? Sure, was a kid like that in here a while ago.”

“How long!” Reed stepped to the counter. Pender raisedhis big hand to warmly caution him.

“How long, George?” Pender repeated, softer.

Dempsey twisted his sideburns before guessing. “Hour?”

“An hour?”

“Yes, then he left with that other cop.”

“What?” Reed said. “They found him!”

“What other cop, George?” Pender took out hisnotebook, glancing at his watch. “Think.”

“He was plainclothes, uh, special state investigator,white guy, six foot.”

“He definitely said special state investigator? Yousure?”

“Absolutely.” Dempsey scratched his chin. “Flashed hisbadge, name was Lamer? Lampson? No — Lamont, Randall Lamont.”

“He left with the boy?”

Dempsey nodded.

“Which way?”

“Well, I didn’t see. Say, what’s this about?”

“Tell me exactly how it happened.”

“Not much to tell. Kid walks in, goes to the shelfthere all doe-eyed over the Kitty Hawk , the this Lamont comes in a fewminutes later asking — yeah just like you — asking if I’d seen a kid. Then hegoes to him, they have a little chat, then leave together.”

“What was the boy’s demeanor?”

Dempsey blinked and looked at the ceiling. “Scared,like he just got some bad news.”

Reed felt the first stirrings in his gut. His worryabout Zach’s running off was about to be swallowed by a greater terror.

Pender scanned the shop. “George, you ever do anythingabout your shoplifting problem, like I told you?”

“I did. I got security video installed couple monthsago. It works just fine and — I see what you’re askin’.”

“Let’s run that tape, George.”

Dempsey hoisted a small black-and-white video monitorto the counter, angling it so Pender and Reed could see.

“I was plagued by little thieves until I got this.”Dempsey grunted, squatting to operate the video controls from a low shelfbehind the counter. A montage of ball-capped boys coming, going, and buyingthings, swam in super-fast motion on the monitor. “Glue, paints, scale modelracing cars, electric motors. One kid stuffed the Titanic under hisshirt. It all adds up. There he is!”

Dempsey slowed the tape, Reed watched Zach enter thestore and sit on the floor before a shelf of models. Dempsey advanced the tapeto the entrance of a man in a suit, wearing dark glasses, showingidentification.

“You know this guy?” Reed said to Pender.

He shook his head without removing his gaze from themonitor. “You?”