PHENOMENAL GIRL 5 (6 page)

“I wasn’t…I’m not…” I gave up.

He pulled a notebook out of his jacket pocket and flipped it open. “I also told you last night to circle a few times and come back to report what you saw. Instead, you went inside and engaged Syn.”

“Yeah, but…” I trailed off. He was right. That wasn’t a good move on my first day. “Wait, are you critiquing me on my performance last night?”

“I am supposed to be training you.”

“I know, but…”

“Yes?”

“Can I at least get dressed first?”

He looked me over again and flipped his notebook shut.

“We will discuss this more later. For now, get dressed, eat, and meet me in the library at eleven sharp.” He turned on his heel and left.

Fuming, I whirled around to my closet, got dressed quickly, and ran a brush through my tangled hair. On my way out, I nabbed a book off the shelf, clutching the slim volume to my side as I went down the stairs.

Just where in hell was the nook?

“Miss Lainey?”

I turned to find Mayhew walking up to me. Thank God.

“I’m lost,” I said by way of apology. “I’m sorry I missed breakfast. Robert said you had something waiting for me in the nook?”

He raised an eyebrow at my use of his boss’s given name.
“Yes, right this way, Miss.” He turned and led me down the hall, through a set of double doors, through the kitchen, and into a small eating area overlooking a garden.

A feast of gourmet coffee, croissants, fruit, an omelet, and crisp bacon awaited me. I hadn’t been hungry, but seeing all that food made my mouth water. I sat down and dug in.

“If there is something you would rather have for breakfast in the future, please let me know,” Mayhew said. “I just made what Mister Elliot likes.”

“This is fine. And I’m sorry I wasn’t up earlier. What time do you usually serve breakfast?”

“Mister Elliot likes to eat at seven, followed by his daily workout routine.”

“Seven? Seriously?” I blurted. I took a sip of coffee to cover my blunder. “I mean, I’m not usually up that early, we keep such late hours.”

“He doesn’t require much sleep,” Mayhew said. “But I believe his former associates have usually had breakfast between the hours of eight and nine.”

That was better, at least. “I’ll be up at eight, then.”

“Very good, Miss,” he said, whisking my plate away.

I sat and sipped my coffee, grateful for a moment alone to collect my thoughts. Remembering the book, I flipped through it until I found the page I wanted. I had read it so many times, the book could turn there on its own.

Lost in thought, I didn’t hear anyone walk into the room.

“You are reading?” Robert asked, surprise in his tone.

Irritated, I gritted my teeth. “Yes, I read. Don’t let the shock of my being literate kill you.”

“You should not take every comment I make as a personal insult directed at you.” He grunted as he sat down across from me and poured himself a cup of coffee. I remembered last night had taken its toll on him as well, and my anger cooled.

“I thought I was the only one who brought a book to meals.” He gave me that slight boyish smile.

“Oh.” I was embarrassed. He was right, I needed to relax or the only kind of impression I’d be making was that of the crazy variety. “I was kinda antisocial in my childhood and teenage years. Books were my friends.”

He nodded in understanding. “So…you would not be offended if
I
brought reading material to dinner?”

“Only if you promise to lighten up on the dress code. And do you have any other room in the house to eat in that isn’t an entire hall?”

He smiled. “A more casual atmosphere can be arranged.”

“Great.” I toasted him with my coffee mug and went back to reading.

“So, what is it that so engrosses you?” he asked, looking over at the slim hardback.

“Oh, it’s poetry.” I shrugged it off. “From the Romantic era.”

“Who is the poet?”

“William Graves.”

A look of complete surprise crossed his features. “Really? Why him?”

“He’s my favorite. At school we had to do reports on these assigned poets, and he’s the one I got. Something about his work really spoke to me. It all has this innate sense of loneliness that I connected with. After all, what teenager doesn’t feel alone in their problems—especially one with superpowers who lost her parents? Anyway, I just completely dug his work, and we had to read a poem to the class and explain what it meant. So I read this one.” I pointed to the page to which the book was open.

He slid the tome around to read the title. “ ‘Theft of a Moment.’ ”

“I told everyone it was about this man’s desire to take a chance, failing to do so, and how he hoped the next time he’d be able to act but was afraid he would let it pass again. My teacher said no, that’s not what the poem’s about; it’s
about the failure to overthrow the corruption of the politicians and the Industrial Age’s birth. We got in this huge fight because I wouldn’t back down, and I got an F.”

“I cannot imagine you not backing down,” he said with mild sarcasm.

“Known me one day and already you know me too well.”

He paused a moment. “Well, if it helps to hear, you were right and your teacher was wrong. I happen to be sure of it.” He got up from the table. “We must go. Pendergast will be waiting.”

Surely he wasn’t suggesting what I thought. I scrambled after him.

“Did you study Graves?” I asked, keeping in step with him.

“After a fashion, yes.”

“Did you know him or something?”

“Or something.”

I stopped. “
Were
you him?”

He turned back to look at me. “Lainey, there are a lot of lives I have lived whose memories are but a dim spark, almost like a half-forgotten story or a dream I once had. That is not a truly
shared
life.”

Okay, if that didn’t sound like the meanderings of a poet, I didn’t know what did. “So you were him.”

He paused at the door to the library. “Let us save ourselves a lot of trouble, shall we? From time to time, I might mention something historical, of the past. Let us assume I know what I am talking about. Whether or not I was that person or had that experience, or just read about it in a book, is irrelevant. So, when I say that you understood your poem and your teacher did not, it is true, and how I came about the information is not important. Alright?”

I nodded, feeling even more confused. “Okay.”

“If it helps, think of my former lives as relatives. After all, they all had different names and faces—and as I say, not all
the same memories. Now, back to the matter at hand.” He opened the door and walked in.

I followed after him. No wonder everyone said he was crazy. I’d be crazy too if I were him.

Detective Pendergast was in his fifties, slightly overweight, with gray hair that almost looked silver. He was flipping through a notebook when we walked in.

“Good morning, Detective Pendergast,” Robert said, giving his hand an enthusiastic shake.

Pendergast responded in kind. “Good to see you again, Mister Elliot.”

“Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, something to eat perhaps?”

“Coffee would be great, thanks.”

“I will ring Mayhew.” Robert busied himself at the desk.

I walked up to Pendergast. “Hi. Lainey Livingston.”

He took my hand in his firm grip. “Nice to meet you. I take it you are his new partner?”

“I just started yesterday.”

“Pretty eventful first day.”

“You have no idea.”

“Then you are Phenomenal Girl Five?”

“Yes, sir.”

He flipped through the notebook again. “Why didn’t you tell the detective on the scene your real name?”

“He asked for that information in front of someone who had attacked me.”

“Duly noted, Miss Livingston.” He scratched something down in the notebook.

“Is there anything I or my partner can do to help out your case, Pendergast?” Robert asked, coming to stand very close behind me. I twitched at the proximity.

“Syn was more than happy to brag about what he did to the girl, and to your partner for that matter. The D.A. won’t have any problems prosecuting this case.” Pendergast accepted the coffee cup Mayhew brought him. “Thank you.

Everyone knows Deburt has a grudge against capes.” He winced, as if remembering to whom he was speaking. “Sorry, those of the powered persuasion.”

“He has had problems working with me since the Grivinci case,” Robert said.

“We do appreciate all the help you have given us, make no mistake about that,” Pendergast said. “Your expertise has been invaluable, and we don’t want one bad apple like Deburt to ruin our relationship.”

“It will not, but I appreciate you saying so.”

“Syn said something else during his confession that I thought you needed to be aware of.” Pendergast cleared his throat and glanced down at the notebook. “He said the EHJ needed to be more concerned about what went on in their own backyards than in space.” He flipped the notebook shut. “Are the charter members of the Elite Hands of Justice off-planet?”

My blood ran cold. “How would he know that? That’s not the type of thing released to the public.”

“Someone must have told him they were away.” Robert tapped a finger on his lips in thought.

“I think this Syn was egged on by someone else,” Pendergast said. “Someone who was aware of the EHJ’s activities.”

“But who would know that information?” I asked.

“Other than their legions of publicists?” Robert said darkly. “That is the trouble of keeping too public of a profile; almost everyone knows where you are at all times. I am surprised villains have not taken advantage before this. Although we did not know they were going off-planet until yesterday…” He trailed off, lost in thought, oblivious to Pendergast’s and my presence. “It is a matter that needs to be addressed.”

“Well, you may be receiving a summons to court,” Pendergast remarked.

“Of course. What ever you need, do let us know,” Robert said. “We will be keeping an eye on things on our side.”

“Like I said, we appreciate everything you do. I’ll see myself out. Thank you for the coffee. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Livingston.” He nodded to me and left the room.

I turned to Robert. “There’s no way a villain knew the EHJ went off-planet just by reading the newspaper.”

“Syn could have used surveillance. Though, with the wards and Mindy’s many inventions, any bugs should have been picked up. There is one possibility…”

“What?”

“Someone close tipped Syn off.”

I stared at him. “You think someone in the EHJ switched sides?”

“I did not say that. It does not have to be one of the members. It could have been a member of the house keeping staff, or one of the public relations assistants, even the barista in the building’s coffee shop. But we cannot eliminate any possibilities yet.” He moved past me to the bookcase. “I shall see if I can get in touch with Ben, and apprise him of the situation.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Yes. A woman from the Poverty Society will be coming at one to discuss plans for the charity ball I give every year. I do not have time to deal with her, so can you take care of it?”

“The
whole
ball?”

“Yes. I generally like to have my partners take care of social events for me.”

“How sexist of you.”

“My partners have sometimes been men.”

I smiled at that. “Alright. Help some chick throw some party. It’ll be easy.”

He laughed. “See me after she leaves. I may have an easier time of it than you will.” He pulled the proper books and the door swung open. “I will be downstairs.” He disappeared into his lair, leaving me to wonder just what I had in store.

Exactly at noon, a black-haired tornado burst into the library. Startled, I looked up from the psychological profiling book I was leafing through.

“Robert, darling, I was just…” She trailed off. “And just who are
you
?” She gave me a look as if I was something she had scraped off the bottom of her designer shoes.

She was pretty in a spoiled-rich-girl way. Model skinny, with perfect skin and glossy black hair. What I hated most were her eyes. I’ve always thought it wasn’t fair I was born with blonde hair but not blue eyes. Hers were the bluest I’d ever seen.

Remembering I shouldn’t be rude to a guest of Robert’s, especially one who called him “darling,” I squared my shoulders and took a step forward.

“Lainey,” I said, reaching out to shake her hand. She recoiled as if I had licked it first. Feeling awkward, I lowered it. “I’m his new…assistant.” It’s not as if I could say
crime fighting partner
, now could I? Who knew how much she was aware of?

“Oh.” She looked relieved that her precious Robert wasn’t lowering his standards to socialize with me. “Then be a dear, take my coat and bring me a cappuccino. I swear, that butler of his is worthless.” She threw her coat at me, revealing a skin-tight black dress with a scoop neck so low that, coupled with the push-up bra, it was amazing the objects on display
didn’t reveal that last critical inch. She took a compact out of her tiny little designer bag and checked her reflection. Yes, she was still hot. Nothing had changed since she walked in. “Do tell Robert that Victoria Dupree is waiting for him.”

“Robert was…called away on other business,” I said. “He sent me instead.”

She paused, a tube of lipstick just inches away from her mouth. “You’re not serious?”

I shrugged. “I’m afraid so.”

“But we’re supposed to be planning the benefit together!” Victoria glowered at me. Did she think I was hiding him somewhere, so he wouldn’t get to see her spectacular cleavage, which she’d probably spent all day glittering and pushing up just right? She might be a sublimely gorgeous stick figure, but at least I had her beat in the chest area.

“He said I was to take over for him. He’s too busy with his work.”

“But I have an appointment. And I’m an old friend of his. He can make a little time to see me. All I really need to do is ask him one teeny question about the party and the rest I can handle. Now, go tell him I just need to borrow one minute of his time and then I’ll get out of his hair. I know how time-consuming his work can be.”