The exact nature of Fallon’s talent, however, had proved elusive, probably because no one had yet come up with a polite, scientifically neutral term for what most people referred to as a full-blown conspiracy theorist.
The thing that set Fallon apart from the general run of committed conspiracy nuts was the fact that the mysterious patterns he identified and which he wove into his elaborate theories were not a product of his feverish fantasies. They were real. Most of the time.
“Almost finished,” she assured him. “I’ll be on my way to Portland in an hour or so. Before I leave I have to drop by the post office to ask Mrs. Waggoner to hold my mail, and then I have to notify my landlady that I’ll be out of town for two or three days. That’s it.”
“You have to make an announcement about this trip to the whole damn town?” Fallon growled.
“Trust me, if I don’t inform my landlady about the trip and leave word at the post office, there will be rumors within twenty-four hours. The next thing I know, the police chief will be knocking on my door wanting to see if I’m alive. This is a very small town.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know how it is with small towns. Same story here in Scargill Cove. Do what you have to do and then get moving.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re booked into an airport hotel in Portland tonight. The ID you and Malone will be using will be delivered to you there by a Society courier. Your flight to Honolulu leaves tomorrow morning. Malone will meet you at the gate in the Interisland Terminal at Honolulu International. That’s where the two of you will catch the connecting flight to Maui.”
“How will I recognize Mr. Malone?”
“Well, let’s see. He’s a level-eight aura talent. With your sensitivity you’ll be able to pick him out in a crowd. Can’t be that many level eights running around Honolulu International.”
Luther Malone was the one factor in the venture that bothered her. She had not had an opportunity to research his family tree but she was not worried about his level-eight ranking. It certainly indicated above-average strength but nothing out of the ordinary, at least not within the Society. What concerned her was the fact that Malone had once been a cop, specifically a homicide detective. What’s more, his record for closing cases was extraordinarily good. Cops could be tricky. But she had dealt with a number of them over the years. She could handle one more.
“All right, I’ll watch for an eight aura,” she said. “Anything else?”
“His picture is on the driver’s license the courier will give you this evening,” Fallon said. “But let’s see, I think he said he’d be wearing khakis and a dark brown shirt. No flowers. I told him you’ll have on a pair of gloves. Don’t sweat it. I doubt that the two of you will miss each other at the airport.”
She looked down at the gloves in the suitcase and sighed. Like everyone else she met these days, Luther Malone would think she was weird. She was getting very tired of being weird.
“Right,” she said.
“I should probably warn you that Malone isn’t thrilled about working with a partner. He’ll want to know as much about you as possible. Probably try to interrogate you a little. He’s an ex-cop. He won’t be able to help himself.”
It would be okay, she thought. If she could deceive Martin Crocker and conceal her secret from Fallon Jones, she wouldn’t have any trouble dealing with an above-average aura talent. Malone wasn’t interested in Crocker’s death, anyway. He had no reason to be suspicious of her, merely cop-curious about his new partner.
“I’m sure we’ll get along just fine,” she said, going for smooth competence. She could do smooth competence very well. She’d had a lot of practice during her twelve years with Martin.
“This is your first time in the field as a J&J agent,” Fallon continued. “You’re going to have to do a little acting on this job but I don’t want you to take any risks. That’s what Malone will be there for.”
“To take the risks?”
“No, to make sure you don’t. This is a routine surveillance and identification operation, not a takedown. Once you’ve confirmed Eubanks’s psychic profile, your job is done. Malone will get you off Maui and you’ll be on the plane back to Oregon ASAP. Understood?”
“Yes, Mr. Jones.”
“Look, between you and me, Malone can be a pain in the ass but he’s good at what he does. If he starts giving orders, which he probably will, just shut up and do what he says. Any questions?”
“No, sir.”
“I love it when my agents call me sir. Almost forgot, there is one more thing that might help you identify Malone on sight.”
“Yes?”
“He’ll be on a cane.”
That stopped her cold. “You’ve assigned me a bodyguard who has to use a cane to get around?”
“He had a little accident a while back. Unfortunately, the doctors told him that the leg would never really be right. He’ll be on that cane for the rest of his life.”
“I see. Does Mr. Malone perhaps carry a gun?”
“Not since he left his job in the police department. He told me once that he’s not comfortable with guns. Between you and me, he was a lousy shot, anyway.”
Great. She was getting a bodyguard who couldn’t shoot straight and who relied on a cane.
“I have the impression that this mission isn’t exactly a high priority with J&J,” she said.
“No, it’s not.” Fallon exhaled heavily. “Don’t get me wrong. If Eubanks killed that young woman, I want him off the street. But essentially, this is a routine case. J&J handles dozens like it every year. Clients come to me and I hand them off to one or more of the agents on my list. It’s their job to bring in evidence that will stand up in court.”
“But you’ve got higher priorities?”
“Yes, Grace, I do.” Fallon sounded grim and oddly weary.
She wanted to ask what those other priorities were but she knew Fallon well enough to realize she probably wouldn’t get an answer if she asked the question. He could be maddeningly secretive.
“I understand, sir,” she said instead. “Are you sure that Mr. Malone is the right man for this mission, though? It sounds like he should be thinking about retirement.”
“Thing is, he’s right there on Oahu. Convenient. And he needs the money.”
“On top of everything else he’s broke?”