A Wink
Previously: Jeannie, Mark, and Paco attend a funeral.
Need to catch up on The Spring? Please visit the chapter index here!
11:27 AM - Thursday, November 6, 2014
US Park Police Office, Ft Winfield Scott, The Presidio
Paco led the way up the outside staircase with Mark and Jeannie right behind. The three of them burst into the conference room to find Raj with Steph and Owen, each at their own laptop around the table.
“Glad you’re all here — “ Mark began in a rush. “We need a few things.” Everyone paused their work and looked up.
“First, Steph — I need you to find some costume store on Lower Haight,” Jeannie started, “I don’t know a name and there may be more than one, but apparently Jen Tyson rented and returned her mermaid costume to a store over there, so we need you to track it down.”
Steph raised her eyebrows. “Okay, there can’t be that many costume shops any more. I’m looking for the blue sequin top?” She pushed her chair back and stood, reaching for her bag. “I’ll get an Uber —”
“No, here, take Martha.” Jeannie reached into her bag to find the keys to the old Mercedes. “You’ll be faster this way. Do you have a picture of the top?”
“Sure…”
“I’ll send it to you —” Raj chimed in, already typing into his laptop.
“Okay.” Steph looked like she had questions, but nodded, taking Jeannie’s car keys and moving out the door. Hearing the door shut, Jeannie looked to Owen.
“Ownie — I have a special errand for you.” Jeannie grabbed a piece of scrap paper from the pile on the side console, and began to write, then sat down next to him at the table.
Mark was looking over the evidence board and its images, while Paco chatted with Raj about what happened at the funeral.
“Keep an eye on Pr3pSF, I think,” Paco said, moving to examine the screen in front of Raj. “There was some drama at the funeral, so it will be interesting to see what it generates.”
“Oh yeah,” Raj said. “Somebody already posted a picture of Seb passed out in the back of the police car.”
“Wow, things move fast.” Paco shook his head slowly. “Anything about Dash?”
“Just him sitting in the police car. No idea who posted it though. He looked blitzed.”
“He was.” Paco said simply, not wanting to share the details of how Dash Reilly caused him to fall and hit his head. “You should have Jeannie tell you about it sometime.”
Owen listened to Jeannie’s instructions slowly, the seriousness of the request landing on him in full. “What makes you think I can just go in there and find this out?” He asked her in a low voice. Jeannie looked at his oval face dotted with freckles and tilted her head at him.
“I’m sure you’ve been an altar boy before — just, look like an altar boy and flash a badge. They’ll let you do whatever you want.” Owen seemed reluctant. “Look, I know this isn’t your forté, but you’re going to have to learn how to bluff a little — “
“Okay, I get it.” Owen agreed, pulling his jacket off of the back of his chair. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Good.” Jeannie nodded softly, adding: “Ownie — only tell me about this, okay, no one else?” He gave her a puzzled glance but nodded in return, adjusting his jacket collar as he moved to the door. “Jean — we should get over to the Thomas’ house.” Mark said quietly, “Are you coming Pac?”
“Give me a sec —” Jeannie said. “I need to bring something with us.”
The Thomas home on Infantry Terrace was already a hive of people in black. The narrow streets that arced up the hill were full of cars parked bumper to bumper. After circling, Paco pulled the Park Police SUV up to the front of the house and pulled into the only available space at the fire hydrant. People were gathered in clusters on the steep concrete stairs that led up to the front door, while more were grouped on the porch that only a few days before had been decorated with jolly Halloween pumpkins.
The trio received a number of sideways glances as they moved into the house, the front door standing open into the hallway. Carole Thomas stood in the entry chatting with people solemnly, but glanced their way as they moved into the hall. Carole brightened a little, and the same relief she showed at the church appeared on her face. Jeannie realized she probably knew she didn’t have to bear up as much with the three of them.
“Hello — I’m so glad you came. Please, have some lunch and enjoy yourselves.” She gave a strained smile as she grasped Mark’s hand with her right, Paco’s with her left. “Officer Hagen.” She nodded to Jeannie.
“Is your husband here?” Mark asked quietly. “We’d like to give him our respects.”
“Spiro — Spiro needed a minute. He’s upstairs in his office. I—I think he’s a bit upset that we haven’t been able to bury her.” Carole’s voice broke and she swallowed visibly. “He was thinking once we can cremate Alexa that we will inter her with her mother in New York.”
“That — that sounds lovely.” Jeannie said softly. “I know I’d want to be with my mother too.”
“I’m sorry — your mother?” Carole asked.
“Yes, she died two years ago. She had cancer.” Carole seemed to sag at this, heaving a large sigh. She gave Jeannie a concerned look.
“I’m so sorry.” She whispered. “I — I’m sorry. This must be — difficult.”
Jeannie wasn’t sure what to say. She couldn’t being to describe what her brain and body had done this morning, certainly not to a grieving mother. “Thank you. It is difficult, but I’m here to help. We’re not going to give up.”
Carole inhaled sharply and nodded. “Whatever you need, we are happy to help you.”
“Do — do you think we may go back up to Alexa’s room? We’d like to make sure we haven’t missed anything.”
“Of course. But please, please do eat something. There’s a whole buffet set up in the dining room — drinks, anything you’d like.” Jeannie nodded. Funerals were for food in every culture.
“Thank you.” Mark was ravenous again. He nodded and led Paco and Jeannie off toward the dining room.
“Are we really eating?” Paco ventured quietly as they navigated the crowd of people. The living room was full with people on all of the sofas and chairs. Off to the left, the sunroom was equally full with more of the students gathered in small groups.
“Of course.” Mark said quietly as he maneuvered down the hall. The dining room was off the hallway to the right, just before the kitchen. “Eat up, and keep your eyes open, see who is with who.” The table was full of chafing dishes on one side, with small plates and rollups at the near end. Cheese and crackers, chips and dips, fruit and crudités were on the opposite side, with stacks of brownies and cookies on the sideboard at the other end. Lifting one of the lids on a chafing dish, Mark was gratified to find the makings of fajitas and steaming tortillas. The other dishes were full of salad, guacamole, black beans and rice. Bowls of salsa sat on the table.
“Wow — my kind of lunch.” Paco admitted, reaching for a plate. Jeannie followed, taking a look around the room, not seeing any of the investigation’s main players anywhere.
“I don’t see anyone,” Jeannie admitted, helping herself to a tortilla and chicken, with a generous dollop of guac. “At least not anyone we’re interested in —”
“True — “ Mark admitted, taking a bite. “But, let’s park over here in the corner — “ he moved to the far end of the room, “and see what we see.”
“Eat casual?” Jeannie asked slyly. Mark nodded, taking another bite. The three gave the impression of being in conversation while they ate, but watched the flow of people around the table. From the kitchen door, the Headmaster of Academy Prep emerged, followed by Cliff Rollins. Both perused the food table, moving to the crudité and dips. The Headmaster looked around the room briefly, and gave them a small wave and moved to approach them.
“Hello again —” he said, “I didn’t realize you’d be here, but I suppose I should have known.”
“Yes, but it seems some of your students didn’t make it.” Mark noted.
“Well, I think a few of them had meetings with Marjorie this afternoon. It’s for the best — she’ll be able to help them talk it out.”
“Marjorie Sands?” Jeannie asked. The Headmaster gave her a glance and nodded, taking a bite of carrot with hummus. “May I ask you, Headmaster — what is her background? Psychology? Academics? I always wonder how someone gets to be a guidance counselor.”
“Ah — Marjorie has been at the school about two years now. She came recommended from a former colleague in the northwest. She’d been at a private school outside of Seattle, and her husband had a job move down here, and it all kind of worked out.”
“What kind of job for her husband?”
“Something in Silicon Valley, I think. They both had been in tech before, but she left to move into education which she knew was her calling.”
“How interesting.”
The crowd was thick around the lunch table when Mark handed his empty plate off to a caterer.
“Shall we?” He said softly. Paco reached over to the console to snatch a napkin and a handful of precisely cut, sugar dusted brownies. Moving back toward the hallway, the three inched across the room, trying to note the faces in the room, but not seeing anyone of interest.
No one seemed to notice them creep upstairs quietly, all the way up to the third floor. Jeannie noticed that Spiro’s office door was shut, and felt instinctively not to knock. Paco led the way toward Alexa’s series of small rooms, Mark following. Taking in the little suite of spaces, Mark found himself enchanted by the bohemian girlishness in every corner. Paco moved into the fashion room, stepping aside to let Mark have a full view of the work table draped in cloth and floor-to-ceiling bulletin board covered with papers and images. Jeannie moved around the table to approach the bulletin board, immediately finding the photo she was looking for. Mark rummaged in the boxes on the table, seeing the butterflies, and a few boxes of sequins — none of which looked like anything from the evidence set.
“Here — “ Jeannie said quietly, reaching for a photo. Pulling it from its pin, a longer sheet emerged with more images that had been hidden behind.
“Well, well, well.” Paco said as Jeannie handed the page to him. She continued to peruse the board for more.
“I wonder why these are hidden.” Jeannie pulled another photo out from the board, revealing an image of Alexa Thomas on what looked like one of the trails in the Presidio. Charlie Dagonet was kissing her cheek as she smiled for the selfie.
“Just as I wonder why we couldn’t find any messages between them on their phones.” Mark replied archly, looking over the photos for himself.
“If he was her boyfriend, why wouldn’t anyone know?” Jeannie asked. It didn’t make sense.
“Because Lexi didn’t tell anyone.”
The three of them froze. It had come from a small, soft voice somewhere in the room, but no one was there. Jeannie heard a paper rustle and moved aside some of the fabric hanging off the work table. Bending down she found Eva Thomas coloring wildly on a set of blank fashion mannequins on the floor. Eva wore the same deep navy blue dress she’d worn at the church; her feet were still ensconced in her white tights, but somewhere she’d shed her patent mary janes. Jeannie glanced at Paco and Mark, and then took a deep breath, crouching down to her knees.
“Hi Eva.” She began softly. Eva barely gave her a glance as she went back to her doodling. “Do you remember me? My name is Jeannie.”
“I know. And you have a gun. A real gun.” Eva looked at her with large brown eyes. Her chubby cheeks were slightly rosy, with a few flecks of colorful marker. Jeannie noticed some dark crumbs at the corner of her mouth that could only have been from the brownies downstairs.
“I do.” Jeannie moved to sit criss-cross on the carpet, wondering what it would do to her suit pants. “Because I’m a police officer.” Eva nodded, her focus wholly on her drawings. It felt like a tent underneath the table, safe and a little dark, with a beam of sunlight hitting the deep pink fabric, casting a rosy hue inside.
“I know.”
“Eva — can you tell me what else you know? It would really help me and my friends.” Eva nodded again, not wavering from her drawings. Jeannie reached back for one of the photos, which Mark placed in her hand, trying to peer down enough to see the little girl. “Can you tell me who this is?” Jeannie placed the photo on the floor next to the pages. Eva glanced up at her warily.
“That’s Charlie.” She whispered very softly.
“Yes.” Jeannie felt her heart pound. “Do you know Charlie?” Eva nodded, rolling her little lip. A little pink tongue darted out to take in a brownie crumb.
“Can — can you tell me the last time you saw Charlie?”
“On Halloween.”
“Halloween? Did he come over for dinner, or —”
“No. It was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before school. Lexi was going to help me. We had a big Halloween party at school and she promised to help me get dressed.” Eva whispered again.
“Get dressed? What was your costume?” Jeannie asked softly, trying to make her voice light and excited.
“I was Merida. From Brave.”
“Oh wow. Did you have a bow and arrow?” Eva nodded.
“And a lot of big red hair. Alexa helped me with my hair.”
“So did Charlie come by for breakfast before school?” Jeannie whispered conspiratorially. Eva huffed a little and rolled her lips again. Suddenly she pushed herself back on her little knees and looked at Jeannie in full.
“I was the only one who saw him.” She said somewhat proudly. “Way before school. It was still dark.”
“Still dark? That must have been very early Eva.”
“I know. I wasn’t supposed to be up, but I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. I woke up and I was waiting by my door for Alexa to come down.”
“And she did?”
“With Charlie. He’s her friend.” Eva gave Jeannie a sort of pleading look. “They were tiptoeing.”
“You like Charlie?” Eva’s big brown eyes got wide.
“Yes.” The little girl whispered, softer than before.
“So Charlie was with Alexa in the morning before school, on Halloween? Did they say anything?”
“No — Alexa came down first, and saw me because I was looking out my door for her. She went like this —” Eva held her index finger to her mouth to make the universal symbol for quiet. “And then she went downstairs. And Charlie went behind her. But he saw me and did that thing with his eye? Like he can close one eye?”
“A wink? Did he make a wink?”
“Yeah — I can’t do it.”
“Well, you’ll learn. It takes some practice.” Eva’s mouth went into a flat line as she looked at Jeannie. “What happened then? Did you see Charlie again?” Eva shook her head.
“No — Lexi came upstairs a little while later and helped me with my big red hair, and then I went to school.”