The Little Demons Inside by Micah Thomas

Author:Micah Thomas [Thomas, Micah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-10-14T04:00:00+00:00

***

Sanders read Dan's note and admired the immaculate handwriting, 'I'm going to the market. See you back at the hotel. I made dinner reservations. Don't be late.' Got it. Sanders knew Dan would be fine on his own for a few hours, taking in antique shops and tourist stuff.

While not interested in local commerce, Sanders had his own moments of wonderment. The city was so absolutely green, wet, and fresh. Another world entirely from Arizona's hot, brown, and grey. Even breathing felt easier here, he thought as he started out on his walk from the hotel.

The sun was just coming up and the streets were lined with homeless. Disorganized sleeping bags, the smell of damp rot clashed with the clean breeze from the lake. So many homeless. Sanders had noticed the makeshift camps along the highway overpasses, littering the green hillsides during their taxi ride into the city. How long had Henry lived in one of these camps?

Sanders got a cup of coffee at the over-priced café, and waited for his contact to show up. Cops know cops. Even states away. In this case, Sanders had met David at a conference in Phoenix on the merits of the tent city incarceration program. They'd exchanged business cards, had little conversation, but two things stuck out in his memory: one was that he was from Seattle and the other, that he loved mysteries. They'd talked about the Phoenix lights incident for thirty minutes, before Sanders indicated he really knew nothing about it. Sanders called to set up this meeting before even booking the flight.

"So you want to know about Black Star?" David asked with a smirk.

"Ever had any problems? Emergency calls?"

"Not a peep. They file their taxes on time and appear completely legit, on paper. With Microsoft and so many other big tech firms, Black Star blends in. Why are you interested?"

"I'd like a tour of the campus. Can something be arranged? An inspection? Something regulatory?" Sanders said, holding some cards back. David was a friend, but loose lips sink ships.

"I don't know about that. They are deep in bed with local government. They have cash like you wouldn't believe."

"Alright. What about the other things I asked you about?"

"How about you enjoy your damned coffee for a minute. It's better than anything you get down there, right? Dunkin' Donuts or Dutch Brothers have nothing on us!" David beamed with local pride.

"I suppose."

"That's right. Ok. This was almost fun even if you didn't give me much to go on. You want to the good news or the bad news?"

"Bad," Sanders decided.

"I ran the description of the kid you're looking for and found more than a hundred matching profiles. Hope you don't mind paper cuts. I must have killed a few trees printing these out for you."

Sanders accepted the binder of homeless youth profiles.

"I rather take this as good news. What else?" Sanders asked.

"Ah, 'have we had any unusual fires?'" David said miming Sanders' way of speaking.

"Well, have you?"

"In this blessed rain-soaked city, any fire is a bit unusual.

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