INK: Abstraction Read Free

into his pocket. I’m
not sure if he really needs to lie down or if this is to distract
Miranda.
    “Do you need
anything?” I ask, standing close by in case he falls over.
    “No thanks, Eli.”
His hand rests heavy on my shoulder. “I’m just feeling
very tired and would like to lie down.”
    Miranda is taking in
the entire scene with a morbid fascination. When she sees me looking
at her she raises her eyebrows as though she’s trying to entice
me. All I can think is Hell no. She turns and sits back down
at my desk.
    “Wise.”
Carl nods. “I’m going to meditate in the back bedroom.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer.
    The room is cleared out
with the exception of McNab and me. “Okay, what’s the
deal between you two? Did you have a thing?” I ask McNab point
blank.
    “Eli, suffice to
say she’s bad news. The worst kind of news. We need to get her
out of here A-S-A-P, the sooner the better.” McNab shakes his
head. “I had my suspicions about Harry, but now that I see what
he's involved in, I know he’s part of something much larger
than what we thought. Miranda is just the tip of the iceberg.”
He motions for me to follow him to the kitchen. Once there he lowers
his tone. “Harry’s obviously in deep with the
organization, and Miranda cannot be trusted.”
    “Why?”
    “I can’t go
into it now, but just trust me. I care about Shay and I want her back
here with you safe and sound. Miranda may not be working toward the
same end goal.” He looks over my shoulder and turns to get a
glass out of the cabinet.
    “Oh McNab, I’m
hurt.” I'm startled that Miranda is standing behind me, she's
a sneaky bitch. “I thought you would always remain a gentleman
and never kiss and tell.” Her meaning is layered thicker than
an onion.
    McNab shakes his head.
“No, Miranda, I’m not a willing participant in
your fantasies.” He steps outside onto the back patio. I assume
he’d like to be left alone.
    “So do you have
any ideas on how to help Shay?” I ask.
    “I have some
ideas. I want her to find peace and I want to get the sicko that’s
committing these murders.” She pauses a moment and her demeanor
softens. “I’m really here to support Harry and make sure
he has everything he needs during the investigation.”
    She's incredibly
transparent. There's no doubt she's here to watch Harry. “Who
do you work for?”
    “I’m not at
liberty to discuss that. But you can ask Harry.” She slings her
purse over her shoulder. “I’m going to follow up on some
leads and then go back to my hotel. I’ll be back in the
morning. Give me a call if the mystic man decides to go astral. I’d
like to be here for that.”
    “Will you call if
you hear something?”
    She puts her purse back
on the counter, looking down, defeated. “Listen Eli, there’s
some tension between McNab and I, but I can assure you it’s
simply a matter of difference of professional opinion.” She
closes the distance between us and takes my hand. “I know you
are too smart to buy into all of McNab’s parlor tricks and
trained monkey act. We’re going to find her, and trust me when
I say, we don’t need McNab. He’s only going to complicate
things.”
    “How so?”
    “For instance,
wouldn’t it be much better if we were mobilized actually out
looking for her rather than meditating ? The only thing we
should be planning is how to narrow down the search grid on the map.”
She steps in closer to me with a sympathetic gaze when I don’t
answer. “We don’t even have a list of suspects. How are
we supposed to have an inkling of an address or even a zip code where
we could start looking for her? McNab is a TV personality, not a
detective, not a P.I., just a pretty face with lots of charisma.”
She forces a sarcastic laugh. “Little wonder Shay’s
fallen for him. A small town girl like her didn’t have a chance
with his flash.”
    “Shay hasn’t
fallen for McNab,” I protest. How would she know anyway?
    “Well, I