Live and Let Psi Read online

  “I understood the reason before. That doesn’t mean I agree with it. Maybe you’re right. My skull is too much like yours.”

  “I propose we put our thick craniums together and come up with a better plan. But first, I have to talk to the Whisperers about what we saw tonight.”

  “Can I come?”

  Andy shook his head. “I promised your mom I wouldn’t keep you out late, and I don’t want to be on her bad side. I’ll drop you off on my way to see Mrs. Simmons.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Norma LaReau

  I thought everything would become clear the next day. Oh, how wrong I was.

  “The woman whose murder you witnessed was Norma LaReau, matron of the LaReau family fortune, mother of the deceased kidnapper, Norman LaReau.”

  “You mean Elmo?” Kathryn said to Mrs. Simmons as we sat in the small room behind her office in the Greensburg Public Library. “The stalker who Rinnie stopped from kidnapping a little girl in Sinclair Park? Mr. Smelly?”

  “The same,” Mrs. Simmons said.

  Kathryn placed her palms on the tabletop, leaned toward Mrs. Simmons, and whispered, “So Norman LaReau, wearer of Elmo headgear, nabber of unsuspecting children, and practitioner of extremely poor hygiene, had a mother who made him that way?”

  “No, dear,” Mrs. Simmons said. “His father made him that way. Norman LaReau was an only child, despised by his father, pampered by his mother, and kept out of society. His father was a socialite, the richest man in Greensburg, well-respected and powerful. One day he caught young Norman luring a powerful business associate’s daughter into a cage. He had planned to kidnap the little girl as a gift to his mother.”

  “Mrs. LaReau was a kidnapper, too?” Kathryn asked. “Wow, the psycho doesn’t fall far from the gurney.”

  “Mrs. LaReau ran the largest child slavery business in the Western hemisphere. Her husband hated her for it, but loved the revenue, so he did his best to keep the operation hidden. His reputation would be ruined if she were discovered. The man worshipped money. When he learned that his wife had been training his young son to take over her business, he sent Norman away to protect his own reputation, despite Mrs. LaReau’s threats. Years later, Norman returned and murdered his father. Mrs. LaReau happily covered it up.”

  “I saw Norman’s memories during my run-in with him in the park,” I said. “They were horrible. He had kidnapped a little girl. He kept her in a cage, but not as a present. He was terrified that his mother would find out. He nearly killed the girl to shut her up. It was like he enjoyed being afraid.”

  “He did. That was how his mother controlled him. She used fear like a lollipop. Mrs. LaReau was a sadistic bully, and Norman was her longtime victim. But he adored her because he was terrified of her. Fear was a treat for him. Norman was a phobopheliac.”

  “Phobopheliac,” Kathryn muttered. “Someone who loves to be terrified. A living oxymoron.”

  “There is much about the human mind that we do not understand,” Mrs. Simmons said. “It may have been Norman’s way of coping with the abuse he suffered at his mother’s hand as a child. More likely, terror reminded him of her. Being afraid brought him a twisted sense of security. As Norman grew up, he became increasingly manipulative and self-centered, totally losing his ability to feel empathy.”

  “He didn’t feel any remorse at all when I fought him with the Memory Lash,” I said.

  “The Memory Lash is the Psi Fighter’s most powerful psionic weapon,” Mrs. Simmons said. “It is the only weapon that can change a person’s heart. Unfortunately, not all hearts are open to change. Mrs. LaReau eventually repented of her child slavery business. We do not know why. Sometimes even the most evil people have a change of heart. But it was too late for Norman. He was hooked, and deep into child slavery. He was no pedophile, but he loved to see fear in a child’s eyes. Sending them into slavery was the ultimate fear, and he was completely addicted to it.”

  “If the LaReaus were criminals,” Kathryn said, “why didn’t the police shut them down?”

  Mrs. Simmons frowned. “The Whisperers know everything about their operation. But we can prove nothing. Mr. LaReau was very thorough in covering up any connection between the child slavery business and his family. To the outside world, the LaReaus are well-respected philanthropists. They have donated millions to the city.”

  “And now they’re all dead,” I said, shuddering at the memory of the dash cam video. “I don’t understand why Nicolaitan killed Mrs. LaReau. She was just a little old lady.”

  “That is what you must discover,” Mrs. Simmons said with a smile. “Nicolaitan does not murder random victims. He killed your parents because they saved Mason from him. He must have some history with Mrs. LaReau. Go to the murder site. See what you can find.”

  I looked around the room and threw my hands in the air. “Me? Why me? I’m no detective.”

  “You are a hunter. You have been trained to read signs that even the police overlook. And you are extremely sensitive, even for a Psi Fighter. The Whisperers have no knowledge of a link between Nicolaitan and Mrs. LaReau. She was well-protected in her home, so if he killed her just to send a message, why not choose an easier target?”

  “Maybe he wanted her money,” Kathryn said. Then she gave a little yelp. “Or maybe he wants to prove that no one is safe.”

  “I’ll ask Andy to take me to the park tonight,” I said. “We’ll see what we can learn.”

  Mrs. Simmons shook her head. “This is a solo assignment. Andor Manchild is currently working on a very promising invention, and I would prefer that he is not distracted.”

  “I would love to go alone, Mrs. Simmons, really I would. But I’d rather not walk, and Andy has made it very clear that I am not to even think about driving the Andymobile. He’s recently become big on me and my thick skull following orders.”

  “The Andymobile.” Mrs. Simmons chuckled. “I knew he’d call it that. I should have named it before I turned it over to him. After all, I financed it.”

  “You paid for the Andymobile?” I gasped. “Librarians make more money than I thought.”

  She just smiled. “You don’t happen to have a date with Mason after school to discuss finding his mother, do you?”

  “No, I don’t.” I felt my face going hot. Why did everybody think we should be dating?

  “I propose you arrange one, then.”

  “Mrs. Simmons, I really don’t think that’s a good idea. For one thing, we hit a dead end at Livermore. For another, he’s mad at me because he thinks I keep secrets from him.”

  “You do, dear.”

  I shook my head. “I know, but that’s not what I meant. I’m just not comfortable around him, okay? I would really rather go after Nicolaitan all by myself than try to find Mason’s mom.”

  “I understand.”

  “You do? Then, you’re the first. Thank you.”

  “You would prefer to risk your own life and the lives of those who love you, because it’s easier than working out your feelings for Mason.”

  “Exac— No, that’s not it at all!”

  Mrs. Simmons did a very convincing I-know-what-I’m-talking-about eyebrow raise.

  “If I got a look like that, I’d do what I was told,” Kathryn said.

  “Okay, let’s say for just a second that you’re right.”

  “Let’s,” Mrs. Simmons said.

  “Any…advice?” I gave her a shy glance.

  “Be yourself.”

  “That’s what I keep telling her,” Kathryn said, waving her finger at me. “See? See? Told ya!”

  “But that’s the problem,” I said. “I can’t always be myself. Myself is a Psi Fighter.”

  “No, dear,” Mrs. Simmons said. “That’s not the problem.”

  I gave her a blank stare. “What is it, then?”

  “You feel confident when masked, and awkward when not. That is the problem.”

  “I don’t think that’s true.”

  “Totally true,” Kat
hryn said.

  Mrs. Simmons did the look again. “I suspect you don’t mind being around Mason when you are wearing your Psi Fighter uniform.”

  “No.” I shrugged. “When I’m masked, I’m on a mission. I like missions.”

  “And how do you feel about him when you’re unmasked?”

  “Awkward. Mason’s not a mission. I don’t know how to be a Psi Fighter and a girlfriend. Mrs. Simmons, I’d really love to have a normal life, but I’ve been training to be a Psi Fighter since I was six. To tell the truth, I can’t imagine a life without my mask. It makes me who I am.”

  “It does not,” Mrs. Simmons said with a smile.

  “No?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “Who am I, dear?”

  “You are Mrs. Kathryn Simmons, Whisperer Extraordinaire. You are the leader of the Whisperers and the main source of information for the Psi Fighters.”

  “Awesome first name, by the way,” Kathryn murmured.

  “I am a librarian. I am a Whisperer. I am a wife. I am all of those things, but none of them defines me. You are not your mask, Rinnie. You define your mask. You are the ordinary high school student, the confident Psi Fighter, and the awkward sixteen-year-old girl. You are Rinnie Noelle. There is no one else in the world like you. Embrace it.”

  “How can I embrace something that confusing?”

  “Be yourself.” Mrs. Simmons put her hand on mine. “If it helps, I will make Mason your next mission.”

  “I’m not sure it will, but I’ll give it a try.” I stared at the tabletop and didn’t say anything for a minute.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Kathryn said. “Mrs. Simmons, do you have any suggestions for what Mason and Rinnie should talk about while I’m eavesdropping? ’Cause I will be eavesdropping.”

  Mrs. Simmons smiled. “As a matter of fact, I do. His father has information we need if we are to stop Nicolaitan.”

  “Now, that’s a mission I can get into,” I said. “Where do we start?”

  Chapter Twenty

  All Roads Lead to Nicolaitan

  “This is awesome,” Kathryn said as we walked into the Shadow Passage. “We get to spy on Mason’s dad. We should sell tickets.”

  “I think the plan is for me to spy,” I said. “Mr. Draudimon won’t give away any secrets if Mason shows up with both of us.”

  “Will he talk in front of you?”

  “Probably not,” I said. “But I’m not sure Mason will, either.”

  “Boy problems,” Kathryn said, shaking her head. “And they say girls are moody.”

  “I know, right?”

  “Can’t live with them, can’t make them eat pizza.”

  I had apologized to Mason for not telling him everything I had told Bobby and Kathryn, and said I wanted to make it up to him with pizza. He gave me the cold, clammy, too-much-homework line. I suppose I had it coming, but rather than sulking, I took Mrs. Simmons’s advice. Be myself.

  Psi Fighter. Student. Girl. I decided that embracing the girl part would be a good place to start, hence my hanging out with Kathryn.

  The Shadow Passage was a pizza parlor-slash-high-tech workout center, remodeled by none other than Tammy Angel’s father. The loud talking and the blinks and boinks of the exercise video games were an awful distraction, which meant we could talk about anything we wanted without being overheard. As we took our seats in a booth near the back, I noticed the mysterious door marked SSA in bright gold letters.

  Kathryn noticed it, too. “The Star Ship Angel. Tammy’s secret center of operation. Epicenter of slimy deeds and hinky doings.”

  “Epicenter? Isn’t that an earthquake thing?”

  “I’m not even sure it’s a real word. It just sounded cool. So, Mason’s giving you the cold shoulder? Is he reverting back to jerk status? Do you want me to sic my minions on him? Pickles is itching for an assignment.”

  “No, I’m fine. I’m not ready for a relationship, anyway. You know what? Let’s not even talk about boys tonight.”

  “Deal. Strap yourself in for a Masonless evening of pepperoni and girl talk,” Kathryn said.

  “Things okay with you and Bobby?” I asked.

  “He’ll be okay. I thought we weren’t talking about boys.”

  “We’re not,” I said. “It’s just that he told me they’re showing Star Wars for the assembly next week. And they’re having a best costume contest.”

  “I know! I wanna be the old Princess Leia.”

  “Do you mean the old old one, as in the one from thirty years ago, or the new old one, as in the one who is now thirty years older?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good plan. I wanna be the new C-3PO.”

  “Same as the old one.” Kathryn puffed out her cheeks. “Cyborgs don’t age.”

  I sighed and slid my hand across the bench seat. “This is the same booth Mason and I sat in the first time we met here.”

  “I remember.” Kathryn did a pouty lip. “Top secret mission.”

  “I hated the idea of even meeting up with him. He was always so nasty to me.”

  “Total jerk.”

  “I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was almost human.”

  “Almost.”

  “In fact, he was actually nice.” I forced a smile and looked away.

  After an awkward silence, Kathryn finally said, “So much for no boy talk.”

  “No,” I said. “We have to be strong. Let’s talk shopping.”

  “Brilliant idea, Rin. What should I wear when we eavesdrop on Mason’s dad?”

  “Focus, Kathryn. Girl talk.”

  “This is girl talk. Aka gossip. You think his dad knows something he’s not saying? Something we can use to prove that his mom is alive?”

  “No,” I said, leaning into Kathryn. “No, I think he knows something we can use to prove that he’s a butthead.”

  “Everybody knows Mason’s dad is a butthead. What’s to prove?”

  “Maybe he has a girlfriend.”

  Kathryn’s face lit up. “That’s it! He has a sugar baby sleazebag. And it’s probably Tammy Angel’s mom.”

  “And that’s why Tammy is so slimy and has warts and smells like feet.”

  We burst into uncontrollable laughter and hugged each other across the booth.

  “Now, that’s girl talk,” Kathryn said.

  “I needed that. Being catty is so cleansing.”

  “I know, right? Meow. I— Hey, who’s the creeper?”

  I glanced in the direction Kathryn was looking. An intimidating man was walking through the Shadow Passage arcade. He seemed familiar. “You mean that tall, scary-looking dude going toward the SSA?”

  Kathryn nodded.

  “I recognize him,” I said. “I’ve seen him at the police station. I think he’s the front desk sergeant.”

  “I don’t think he’s here to catch up on paperwork,” Kathryn said. “The Whisperers think the loot from the robberies is being fenced behind the door of the Star Ship Angel. Do you think he’s coming with a warrant?”

  I shook my head. “Not likely. He’d be in uniform, and he wouldn’t be alone.”

  The man pulled out a key, unlocked the door marked SSA. There was something so familiar about him. Not just his face—but the way he held his head cocked arrogantly to one side, the way he moved when he disappeared through the door.

  “Only one person hands out keys to that room,” Kathryn said.

  “Tammy Angel.”

  “Right.”

  “Kathryn, I know that guy from somewhere.”

  “Yeah, the police station. You already said that.”

  “Yeah, but somewhere else, too.”

  “Call Mason,” Kathryn said. “We’ll send him in to spy. After all, Tammy still wants him.”

  “Ha. Ha.”

  “Seriously, all he’d have to do is let her rub up against him a little. He’ll have her eating out of his hand. She’ll tell him everything.”

  �
�Forget it,” I snarled. “Tammy isn’t our mission.”

  Kathryn leaned back in the booth and made a tent with her fingers. A huge smile stretched across her face.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What?”

  “When can we eavesdrop on Mason’s dad?”

  “That’s not what you were smiling about.”

  “No. But when can we eavesdrop on Mason’s dad?”

  “Kathryn?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I don’t like Tammy.”

  “I know.” Kathryn’s smile grew even bigger. “But you do like Mason.”

  “Shut up.”

  “You should call him.”

  “No.”

  “Offer him pizza again.”

  “Not tonight. Got a special project at the Academy.”

  “Drake?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  “You’d rather be working on something special with Mason, wouldn’t you?”

  I smiled. “Shut up.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Drake’s Enlightenment

  “I would like you to be Drake’s instructor for the evening,” the Kilodan said as I entered the training room. He stood beside a stack of concrete slabs. “Andor and I wish to evaluate his skills to report back to his father. To do that, we prefer to observe rather than instruct.”

  “Love to,” I said, pointing at the slabs. “Can I hit him with those? Purely for evaluational purposes.”

  “We’d also prefer you don’t kill him,” Andy said. “That would look bad on our report.”

  “Always tying my hands. I suppose you don’t want me to wear my armor, either.”

  “No need,” Andy said. “It’s not you getting hurt that I’m worried about.”

  “Will Drake wear his?”

  Andy cocked his head and gave me a what-do-you-think? look.

  “Good. Then I can hit him harder. By the way, where is the charmer?”

  “He will be here momentarily,” the Kilodan said. “Please, do not damage him.”

  “Perish the thought.” I smiled and smashed my hand through the concrete slabs. “I’m as gentle as a kitten.”

  A few minutes later, Drake sailed into the room like he was a movie star. “Let’s get this test out of the way so you can tell my dad how awesome I am.”