Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

B2: Chapter 17 - Career Path - II

  It was a bright and sunny afternoon as they pulled into the neighborhood from the reports. As they got out, Maddie pocketed the stone, "just in case." Jeremy still felt like they should just leave it alone, but he couldn't deny that it might be useful in the short run.

  "She didn't happen to tell you where in Vancouver, did she?" Maddie asked, glancing around as they got out. He'd parked the car a block away from the pharmacy in his reports. It was a longshot, but all his other leads hadn't panned out, so here they were.

  Jeremy shrugged. "Nothin's allowed to be easy, right? Probably some shitty rule of magic."

  "How many rules you gonna make up before you just give up and ask someone?"

  "Fuck that. I don't want to know." He shook his head. "I'm here to find Jackie, and that's it. I don't care about fuckin' magic or monsters or any of this crap."

  "You're lyin'."

  He wandered over to an alleyway next to a bowling alley, where he felt like he looked reasonably inconspicuous, and pulled out a cigarette. Jeremy didn't smoke, but it made for a good excuse and a good opener with suspects, so he usually kept a pack handy.

  Maddie took up the wall opposite. "You want to know what happened to that town. I smell it on ya."

  "I know what happened. They fucked up and killed each other over this shit. Easy enough."

  "Nah, that's too simple for you. You gotta know the whole story."

  "I only gotta know enough to finish my report and get the next case."

  Maddie grinned. "See, already one step back. Trust me, the sooner you admit you're not just in this for Jackie anymore, the better off you'll be."

  An hour passed. Jeremy and Maddie rotated around the building once, just in case, and ended up on the other side of the pharmacy. He still had a good line of sight on the door. A long stakeout was nothing new to him, but his sister wasn't used to staying still for so long.

  "I forgot how much I hate this," she muttered.

  "You wanted to come."

  "Yeah, your job is boring as fuck. How do you put up with this?"

  "You learn to entertain yourself."

  "How?"

  Jeremy nodded toward the pharmacy. "Makin' up stories."

  "Huh?"

  "Every guy that comes through, I make up a story about him. Stuff like what he's interested in, what he does for a livin', his hopes and dreams. His fears. Who he is."

  "What he's like in bed?"

  He rolled his eyes—though if he was being honest, it'd crossed his mind a few times. "Sometimes I go ask 'em later when the case is done. Buy 'em a drink, see how close I was. It's good practice."

  "For what, profiling?"

  "Don't make this political. No P.D. would ever survive a day without some profilin'. It's impossible."

  She sighed. "Yeah, I know. But it's my job to make sure you don't go too far." She glanced at the pharmacy, while Jeremy looked away so they didn't seem too suspicious. "Mmkay then. That guy. He's... well, he's mid-forties. Blue collar guy. Probably a family man. Watches the game every night, doesn't get paid enough, not a heavy internet user—"

  "—and votes Republican, yeah, we got it." Jeremy shook his head. "You gotta get off demographics and onto real details. Stop playin' politician for a sec."

  "Okay, your turn." She turned away, shoving her hands in her pockets, giving Jeremy a good look at the guy. He was walking toward them, though on the opposite side of the street, so Jeremy could easily watch him without being noticed.

  His jaw dropped.

  "He's a software engineer from Redmond, never married, and he's not supposed to be here."

  "Fuck me, how'd you get that?"

  "That's Eric fucking Hurwitz. Rachel DuValle's father."