John Miller - Upside Down

Marta saw the child searching the crowd. When the girl's eyes met hers, they filled with sudden shock, then abject fear. Marta hadn't imagined that Faith Ann would know her-had ever seen her before. Marta looked up to signal the two detectives to move in, but they were no longer standing there. Cursing under her breath, she watched the girl take off, weaving her way through oncomers and going straight through the doors the wrong way, Phone in hand, Marta headed for the exit, hoping she would attract less attention by going out that way. It would cost her time, but the security guards, alerted by Faith Ann's run past them, might stop Marta for a lot longer.

Marta dialed Arturo's cell phone as she made for the exit.

“Cover the front entrance. She just ran outside.” Marta walked fast, but she couldn't risk being captured on video rushing out.

Marta exited the aquarium knowing that the audiotape was in the backpack the girl wore on her back.

Arturo came rushing up the side of the building. Tinnerino and Doyle came outside. They didn't know how to react to meeting Marta in a public place, so they smiled like idiots caught playing with themselves.

Marta told them all, “The girl is dressed up like a boy. She has very short blond hair and a khaki-and-green-colored zoo cap. Dark red sweatshirt, black backpack, and dark jeans.”

“She didn't come this…” Arturo said. “I see her. She's headed around the corner of Canal.”

Marta caught a flash of red as the girl vanished around the power-station wall.

The cops sprinted after Marta and Arturo, who reached the corner of the shaded VIP parking lot just in time to see Faith Ann dart into an opening in the side of the building where the ramp to the Canal Place concrete parking structure was visible.

“She's inside the parking garage,” she told the cops. “You two watch the deck exit in case she tries to come out that way. Turo, you take the far street corner and watch the side exits in case she goes that way. We have to keep her boxed in. I'm going in after her.”

Tinnerino tried to interrupt her, but she pressed on. “Just do what I say,” she snarled. “She gets away, you two are screwed. She walked right past both of you once already. On second thought, call your boss. You build a blue wall around this whole block and cover every exit.”

Knowing that the woman would come after her, Faith ran around the far wall of the power station, past a kiosk, and through a tree-studded parking area. Ignoring the door into Canal Place because there was a security guard there smoking a cigarette, she hopped over a low wall behind a bike rack. She ran straight up the vehicle ramp, which coiled up into the parking garage. She stayed to the left side, where a narrow raised walkway allowed her to avoid the descending vehicles.

Faith Ann had no idea how the woman got her cell phone number, but she reckoned the cops could find out anything they liked. How had the woman known to come to the aquarium? All Faith Ann could figure was that somehow they could listen in on it and they had heard her tell Rush where she was. She didn't think Mr. Massey had told the cops, because she had told Rush they killed her mother and were after her.

She knew they would search for her and watch the outside of the building. The Canal Place complex housed a hotel, shops, offices, a million places to hide. On the first parking level, located on the building's fifth floor, a winded Faith Ann had no more idea of where to go than would a rabbit being chased by hounds. Standing beside two cars, she looked down on the intersection below and fought back her fear.

Concentrate.

Okay, Faith Ann, stop being scared. You have to think. How can you stop them from catching you? You know why they are coming. You know what they want. How do you keep those butt cakes from getting it?

Faith Ann fought to figure something out.

Concentrate.

Just as Winter arrived outside the aquarium, Adams was pulling up and parking on the access street next to the power station near a police-issue Crown Victoria. He got out and joined Winter about the same time a limping Nicky arrived, carrying his cane.

“Keep your eyes out for her,” Winter told Nicky. After showing their badges, Winter and Adams were shown around the metal detector by a security guard.

“Just a quick run-through,” Adams told the guard.

“Who y'all looking for?”

“We'll handle it from here,” Adams replied gruffly.

“Thanks,” Winter told the guard. “We're just going to make a quick sweep through the building.”

“Happy to help,” the guard said. “You guys aren't having any luck finding whoever you've been searching for.”

“I'm sorry?” Winter said. “You said, been searching for?”

“Well, yeah. First the NOPD detectives-Tinnerino and Dale or something-and now you federals. USMS and FBI spells escaped federal prisoner doesn't it? The NOPD detectives said they were looking for somebody. One of them walked through the place upstairs and down while the other watched the exit. Then they just hauled ass. I'm surprised they didn't run smack into you guys.”

“When?” Winter asked.

“They came in about ten minutes ago. They just went by the doors there two minutes ago. I saw them all heading toward Canal Street.”

“All?”

“The two detectives that came in and a couple more people were with them outside.”

“Short woman? Tall thin guy?”

“She was inside for a few minutes. Dressed in leather-you couldn't miss her. Some other guy outside in a long black coat.”

“Did you hear them say where they were going?” Adams asked.

“No. They grouped up out there and went off the plaza toward Canal Street. I walked them around the metal detectors because they had gold detective shields. They said it was official business. I figure they're after whoever it is you're after. Sort of less than forthcoming and not open for questions, if you catch my drift. I did hear the shorter one call his partner Tin Man. Like in The Wizard of Oz. ”

“We're looking for a twelve-year-old girl.”

“There's been about a thousand through here this morning.”

“This one has short blond hair, maybe five-five and ninety pounds,” Winter said.

The security guard's eyes grew serious. “Well, there was a boy that went out through these doors in a hurry. Wore a hooded red sweatshirt and a baseball cap and had a backpack. It could've been a girl, I guess. And that was just before the cops took off. The kid ran out so fast, I didn't have time to respond. I figured-”

“Thanks,” Winter managed to say before he and Adams left the same way they'd come in, this time through the metal detector, which sounded two distinct ear splitting alarms.

He figured that Tinnerino and Doyle were looking for Faith Ann, and they had flushed her and were in pursuit somewhere close by.

As he ran outside, Winter's mind whirred. The detectives had gotten there before Winter even knew about Faith Ann being there. Either someone spotted her and called the detective bureau or they were just checking places the girl frequented on the off chance she'd be there. The detective bureau's number had been on television since the night before and was published in the newspaper that morning. But because of the timing, and the fact that the picture they were using was two years old and she was now disguised, it was more likely something else. To have responded so fast, they had to have learned she was there about the same time Rush had. The pair in the Lincoln had left Bennett's club in a hurry, then had parked nearby and joined the detectives, so they must have known about it too. Once again, the couple was connected to Tinnerino and Doyle.