Calista
From:Annabelle Jenkins
To: Calista Summers
Subject: Hi
Hi Calista,
No worries. I completely understand. I’m kinda drained, too, actually. The case is wearing me out, but I feel like we’re getting closer. We spoke with the babysitter, and the mother’s lover today. We suspect he might be Haley’s biological father, yet, I don’t think he had anything to do with it. Tomorrow, we’re going to the station to see if we can get anything from an object of interest; a stuffed monkey. It might lead nowhere, or it might be a step in the right direction.
Crossing fingers,
Anna
The local policestation was a modern brick structure, not too intimidating despite its black windows. Leo and I followed Simone in, like lost little puppies. The others stayed back, because they wouldn’t have been of much help. Leo and I were the only psychometrists, the only ones who could tell an object’s story. And Simone also thought that three of us would be less invasive than six of us. She told us that police departments were usually not too accommodating when it came to RAMS. They were probably all a little like Detective Miller.
But who could blame them? We’re freaks, and we know it. The ‘normals’ just don’t get us.
Everyone was busy, either clicking at a computer keyboard, or tapping on a tablet. They all looked very official, and seemed both annoyed and intrigued by our presence. We were ushered into a room, then to a different room, and then, finally a small white office with a steel table, no pictures on the walls, no plants – this was my least favorite room. I felt like we were being interrogated.
Detective Miller asked us to wait at the white table, while she fetched the evidence. There were papers to be signed, and permissions to be obtained. So much drama over a small stuffed monkey.
A smile traced my lips when I thought about Ace. “I want that monkey!” he kept shouting randomly these past few days, making everyone laugh every time. The first time pissed me off. But each subsequent time became a little funnier. And now I was about to crack up in this little white room, just thinking about it. Leo spotted my stifled grin and he couldn’t help himself and broke into a smile when he whispered in my ear, “I want that monkey.”
We both cracked up. Simone who was sitting at the opposite corner was not impressed. “What’s so funny, kids?” she asked. “This is no laughing matter… Haley is still missing.”
We both went quiet. Simone has the habit of turning like that. She’s cool most of the time, but when you offend her, she doesn’t hesitate to show you who’s boss.
“Yes, of course,” Leo replied.
“Sorry,” I muttered. The both of us were on scholarships. We couldn’t afford to act up and annoy her too much.
We were on our best behavior when Detective Miller came back with the evidence, in a plastic bag. She wore rubber gloves, and she also gave us gloves. I froze at the sight. I wasn’t sure my powers would work if I couldn’t touch the object with my skin. I’d never tried to read an object wearing rubber gloves before. I looked over at Leo who was as freaked out as I was – he was thinking the same thing.
“The prints on this have been inconclusive,” Detective Miller explained as she carefully slipped the stuffed animal out of the evidence bag. As she cautiously placed it in front of Leo, I could read her. She thought this was one big joke – she was irked. I looked down at the monkey. It was adorable and looked brand new; a typical brown stuffed monkey with a light belly. Its small eyes and mouth were embroidered. And its ears were fluffy.
Leo hesitated a moment before he touched it. He took it in his hands and held it against his chest. I was watching him intently. Detective Miller was looking down, her hands pressed together, one eye still on us. I studied him and saw a visible tick in his jaw, and a wince stretching across his face. His thick brows knitted together as he went deeper. I was sure he was seeing something horrible. My heart sank as I was instantly overwhelmed by intense fear. I watched him for the longest time. I saw him struggling.
Following what seemed like an eternity, he finally opened his eyes.
“What did you see?” I asked, eager to know.
“I saw Haley,” he started. “And there was a woman, but I saw no one else,” he said. “I just can’t put my finger on who the woman was, save for the fact that Haley was afraid of her,” he explained.
My heart was heavy. Up to then, I’d held on to the hope that Haley was fine, tucked away somewhere safe, but now I had my doubts.
“I tried to get as deep as I could, but I couldn’t see more,” he went on. “A woman with delicate hands, young, Caucasian.”
Who was this mystery woman? The possibilities ran through my mind. A woman from the daycare? I’d seen all their photos in the case report. There were two Caucasian women -- one was sixty-six years old, and the other was an obese woman. Neither of them fit Leo’s description.
Mrs. Henderson? Mischa? Did Jenna have sisters or friends? We were assured that Mischa was the only babysitter. I turned to detective Miller, who had a dismissive ‘whatever’ expression on her face.
Leo handed me the monkey, and like him, I held it close to my heart and closed my eyes. Fear caught a hold of me instantly. I could feel Haley’s apprehension. It was like I was in her little body. I could sense Haley crying when the monkey fell to the floor. The woman had picked her up, and Haley had grabbed a lock of her hair and pulled at it. The woman had pried her little pudgy hand open.
She had to be the one who’d given her the monkey, since it was unfamiliar to anyone else. But yet, she hadn’t bothered to pick it up when it fell to the floor. I wasn’t quite sure if Haley was crying because she’d lost her monkey, or if it was because she was scared. It was probably the latter, because fear was written all over that monkey.
As soon as I let go of the stuffie, a weight lifted off me, but I was still shaking a little and a tear traveled down my cheek. I was heartbroken. There was definitely foul play involved.
