Nine-Tenths (26 page)

“Oh my God,” Leonard moaned, no longer feeling the need to be vigilant. Without warning, the odor of sweat and old mops overpowered Leonard. He staggered, putting his head in one hand. “Natalia never told me she was in the Youth Brigade.”

Linda let out a yelp of amusement. “Natalia? Natalia’s not in the Youth Brigade.”

“But you said—”

“I was talking about Garrett.”

“Garrett?”

“Garrett came and pulled Natalia out of math class.”

“You were there?”

Linda sighed in teenage annoyance. “Yes, I was there. That’s how come I know.”

“Why would he pull her—?” Leonard began, but the answer to his question emerged swiftly from within.
He’s not waiting until Friday.

Leonard gazed at Linda keenly, but the girl refused to meet his eyes. Instead, she examined her fingernails attentively, her face flushed, growing redder with each second.

“You know where he took her, don’t you, Linda?”

The girl shook her head several times fast, but she bit her lip nervously.

Leonard touched her shoulder and tilted his entire body to one side, trying to catch her eyes — this young lady, pressured into sex before she was ready, corralled into The New Direction’s breeding program.

Violated by my own son,
Leonard concluded in horror, remembering the conversation he heard in the backyard Monday night.
I already nailed your friend.
Was that why Linda avoided Natalia?

“You know because you’ve been there…with Garrett.”

Linda curled her lips inside until the skin around them blanched. She blinked back tears. All of a sudden she shook Leonard’s hand away violently and scowled at him in disgust. “You want your turn now, I suppose?”

“No, Linda, I wouldn’t…I’m so sorry my son did this to you.”

Her voice trembled. “He is not a nice boy, you know. Of all the boys to…” Linda closed her eyes, as if refusing to open them might make the whole sordid business go away. The pained expression on the girl’s face prompted Leonard to remember the urgency of the present.

“Where did Garrett take Natalia? Someone’s house?”

Linda looked away.

“She’s paired with an Asian boy, correct?”

Linda’s eyes flew open. “Yeah. Dishi. How did you know?”

“Did Dishi leave with Garrett, too?”

“I don’t know. He’s not in our math class.”

Leonard took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Listen, Linda, do you know where they would go?”

She glared at him in disbelief. “Do you realize what they’ll do to me if I tell?”

Leonard grabbed her by both arms and she grimaced in fear. Her discomfort did not move him. He shook her slightly. “Where did he take her?” he demanded.

“The Camry Motel. Room 101 or 103.” She wrenched herself from his grasp, turned, and ran down the hall in tears.

The Camry Motel.

Leonard pulled Alina’s hand-drawn map out of his pocket. The Camry Motel was one of the landmarks she’d included to help Leonard find his way. It was only three blocks from the school and Leonard had parked halfway between the motel and DEPS 007934. He turned abruptly and made his way toward the front door.

“May I help you?” a stern woman’s voice hollered before Leonard reached the exit. Something about her tone reminded Leonard of the break enforcer at the DID. He gritted his teeth and turned slowly.

Play it cool.
“I’m sorry,” he said, feigning a smile. “I was looking for my daughter.”

The woman glowered. Gesturing at Linda who had just disappeared around the corner, the school official said, “I see you found her.”

Why not? It’s a good cover,
Leonard thought. “Yeah. I’ll be getting out of your hair now.” The urge to bolt and run to the Camry Motel nearly crippled his wavering self-control.

The woman strode briskly toward Leonard with a haughty, authoritative gait. “This is why we don’t allow parents to visit during school hours, Mr. uh…”

He did not know Linda’s last name. Furthermore, he realized he might have to use his ID. Hoping that the woman had not gotten a good look at Linda or that she really didn’t know the students by sight, he answered truthfully. “Tramer.”

“Mr. Tramer.” She folded her arms. “Kindly do not visit in the future. You may pick up your daughter at the curb.” Her saccharine smile sickened Leonard.

“Absolutely, ma’am,” he said, matching her fake smile with a beauty of his own. “Do you have something to hide?” It slipped out of his mouth before he could contain it.
Like sterilants in the water and segregated education?

The woman narrowed her eyes to half-moon slits. She regarded Leonard with contempt. “Leave. Now. Mr. Tramer,” she spat. “Before I have to call the authorities.”

Dying to flash his badge at that moment, he paused, but only for a second. Natalia was at the Camry Motel. It might already be too late.

“My pleasure,” he said, and he walked quickly to the exit. As he ran down the steps, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Leonard doubled his speed and raced toward the Camry Motel.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Old and in desperate need of paint, the two-story motel consisted of three buildings forming a u-shape. A Department of Housing and Relocation banner plastered on a billboard near the sidewalk announced that rooms were assigned to persons in transit from one housing development to another. Leonard stepped onto the property and looked around. The office was at the end of building three, kitty-corner from rooms 101 and 103.

Leonard raced across the parking lot and peered into the window of room 101. The curtain was open and an elderly couple sat propped up in bed, reading. He rushed to the next door. 103. The curtains were closed and the television blared inside.

Leonard pounded on the door frantically. “Open the door,” he shouted. “Natalia, are you in there?”

No response.

He hammered with both fists and screamed, “God damn it, let me in.”

“Dad?” a voice inside the room called hesitantly.

Leonard kicked furiously and the door cracked and burst open.

Natalia sat at the end of the bed next to a medium-built boy approximately her age. They appeared to have been watching television, but both of them gazed apprehensively at the man who barged into the room. The boy stood.

Without appraising the situation, Leonard charged and smacked the boy in the face, sending him stumbling back. The teenager fell hard and hit his shoulder on the bedside table.

“Dad, stop!” Natalia shrieked.

The boy, presumably Dishi, attempted to stand. Before he could fully right himself, Leonard kneed him in the stomach. Dishi groaned and buckled in pain.

Natalia jumped to her feet and pulled on her father’s shirt. “Please, no, Dad. Stop.”

Dishi made another feeble effort to stand, but he slumped on the floor in defeat. Leonard intended to go for another round, but Natalia’s sobbing roused him from his rage.

“He didn’t do anything,” she cried.

Looking his daughter up and down, Leonard discovered that she was fully dressed and her hair neatly combed. Scanning the room, Leonard saw a professionally made bed, the pillows tucked symmetrically against the headboard. Near the television two open Coke cans sat on a desk. On the floor lay a boy with almond-shaped eyes. He was dressed in a school uniform, battered and bleeding from the mouth. The shoulder of his shirt was torn. Leonard sat on the bed slowly, still in shock.

Natalia helped the boy to his feet and settled him in a pale green chair in a corner by the protruding wall heater. At that precise moment, the ancient device’s fan rattled to life.

Leonard and Dishi stared at one another, the cold expression in the boy’s eyes caused Leonard to flinch and turn away in disgrace.

“Not every teenage boy is an animal, Mr. Tramer,” Dishi said. The young man’s words, brimming with accusation, magnified the older man’s shame.

Leonard glanced up.

Dishi, clearly in pain, attempted to sit up straight and maintain a level of dignity and self-confidence. “I have a family, too. I don’t want to create an anonymous baby with your daughter any more than she does. I think the Youth Brigade is sick, and I loathe The New Direction.”

Not knowing what else to say, Leonard mumbled, “I’m sorry, young man—”

“Dishi.”

“I’m sorry, Dishi. I should have looked before I reacted.”

Dishi shrugged. “It happened. What now?”

“I came to take Natalia.”

Dishi raised his eyebrows. “Home?”

“No.” Leonard let down his guard. “Away.”

“Really? You’ll have a good head start. Garrett cleared us both for the day.”

“You’re not expected back at school?” Leonard asked, turning toward Natalia.

“Nope,” she said, smiling.

“Why did Garrett come today? He said Friday.”

“He thought I would bail on Friday. And he didn’t want to ruin my birthday tomorrow, so today was as good a day as any.”

“How kind of him.”

“He did us a favor, actually. We’ve got a whole afternoon.”

“You’re free,” Dishi whispered.

They both looked at the boy. Leonard’s heart sank. He hated to leave him behind, but he knew they only had a few resources and no extra ID.

Guessing Leonard’s thoughts, Dishi said, “As I told you, I have a family. I won’t be running away any time soon.”

“Of course.”

The boy gazed at Leonard, regarding him warily. Eventually he made a peculiar comment. “You never know where you will find the counter-revs and what they are up to.”

Leonard opened his mouth, but found he had no suitable response to Dishi’s cryptic message.
Are the boy and his family members of the underground?

Suddenly, Dishi’s demeanor lightened. “You guys better get a move on.”

“What’s going to happen to you?” Natalia asked anxiously. “For allowing me to go? The Brigade isn’t going to let you get away with this.”

Chuckling, he pointed to his torn sleeve and the blood on his face. “I think your dad gave me a good alibi. I look like I put up a fight.”

Leonard felt like saying sorry for the third time, but he held his tongue. There were only so many apologies a man could offer before he had to accept that he was either forgiven or not. Noticing the soft smile on the young man’s face, Leonard concluded that he had, indeed, been forgiven.

He stood to leave, offering Dishi his hand. The boy shook it firmly, but he winced slightly. Leonard glanced away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cans of soda.

“Natalia,” he said. “Would you please bring your Coke?”

She eyed him in disbelief. “Okay,” she replied, drawing out the vowels.

A few minutes later, they reached the car. Leonard put a finger over his lips as they settled into their seats. Natalia cast him a quizzical look, but she remained silent. Feeling the right side of the driver’s seat, Leonard nodded appreciatively.
Max knows his stuff.
He grabbed Natalia’s soda and carefully poured it down the side of his seat.

“Dad! What are you doing?”

Leonard scowled and put three fingers over her mouth. Tilting his head to one side, he heard a satisfying sizzle. He smiled.

“That oughtta do it,” he said as he removed his fingers from his daughter’s lips.

She examined the mess and shook her head in disbelief. “You’re gaga.”

“Yes, Nat, I am.” Grinning, he pulled out onto the road and headed for the Neil Nelson Medical Center.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Where the hell have you been?” Alina snapped when Leonard and Natalia rushed into her office.

Natalia started to speak but Leonard nudged her sharply.

“We’ll explain when we’re
on the road.
” He whispered the last three words and nodded at his wife and daughter each in turn.

“Close the door,” Alina said, gesturing with a flick of her hand.

Natalia complied, glancing first into the hallway.

Alina cleared her throat. “Sit,” she said. Leonard plopped down on a guest chair, while Natalia bounced on a swiveling stool. “Here’s what I found—”

Leonard leaned forward. “Shouldn’t you turn on a radio?” he whispered.

“We’re safe here.”

“What makes you so sure? We’re not safe anywhere. You told me that.”

“This office used to belong to a big shot. I inherited it when I…” Her voice trailed away.

“But—”

“A few key individuals have sat in that chair and spoken to me in detail about member profiles and security issues.”

“So?”

“Those same individuals refuse to talk in the hallway.”

“That doesn’t mean—”

“They even refuse to talk to me when I am in an empty exam room. ‘Let’s go back to your office,’ one guy whispered when we were otherwise clearly alone.”

“Alone with the WLN.”

She nodded, one eyebrow raised. “So I’m assuming the difference between the exam room and my office is—”

“No WLN.”

“Precisely.” She patted her desk. “This is the only place I feel a sense of privacy.”

Leonard sat back. “Okay then. What’s the plan?”

“So here’s what we’ve got. And it’s excellent news.” She smiled. “When I went down to examine the area, the machine was already set to go. Someone moved it to a secure room. No metal objects lying around. The computer equipment is in an adjacent room, already set up. All we have to do is turn it on.”

“It can’t be that easy,” Leonard said, a doubtful expression on his face.

“A log indicates that the machine was used last week.”

“Do you think someone else had our idea?”

Alina shook her head. “Not likely. This wasn’t a rush job. I’m thinking some government hotshot needed an MRI. Who knows? Maybe even Stehlen himself.”

Leonard frowned. The double standard, although not at all surprising, angered him. Of course the Feds would want to keep the technology available for themselves. “Are you sure they haven’t disabled it in the meantime?”

“I turned it on for two minutes. No one came down. That’s another good sign…They probably left it set up because whomever it was might need a follow-up MRI.”

Natalia interjected, “Max said he has insider techs. They probably use it, too.”