“Secret facility?”
“In Nevada. They might be holding him at Site 4 or Area 6, but he definitely went to Area 51. He’s been there several times.”
Pinocchio’s eyes slid from side to side. Their unchanging precision was reassuring. I cleared my throat.
“Area 51. Where the government develops stealth aircraft.”
Her eyes grew bright, like bits of mica catching the sun.
“Stealth technology is the least of their projects.”
I jotted another note. Aliens.
I wondered if Wendy and Kurt were outside laughing.
“Uh-huh. And did you explain this to the police?”
Adele Schumacher sat a bit taller.
“They dismissed me just as you have. The difference between them and you is you work for hire. You are my last best hope, Mr. Cole. I need you.”
She fished a white envelope from her purse. The envelope was thick and held closed by pink rubber bands. She peeled off the bands and showed me the contents. The envelope was fat with hundred-dollar bills.
She said, “How much would you like?”
I wet my lips.
“You shouldn’t carry so much cash, Ms. Schumacher. You could lose it.”
“Electronic transactions are not secure. Cash is secure. How much?”
She pushed the envelope toward me.
“I don’t want your money. Please put it away.”
She didn’t.
“I don’t expect you to find him for free, Mr. Cole. How much?”
“Have Wendy and Kurt tried to find him?”
“They did what they could before we went to the police. Joshua has not been admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles County, nor has he been arrested.”
The envelope was heavy with cash, but she didn’t seem to be tiring.
“Have you asked his friends? His friends might know.”
She glanced at the manila envelope.
“I have. They don’t. But I’ve included a list of Joshua’s three dearest friends, so please follow up. Ryan has known Josh the longest, and even Ryan can’t reach him. I assume you’ll want to see Josh’s home? He rents a bungalow in Los Feliz.”
“Maybe.”
The big-time detective laid out his game plan: Maybe.
“Ryan is there now, waiting to help however he can.”
I wrote Ryan on the pad and drew a box around it.
“Have these people all tried to reach your son?”
“Yes, and he hasn’t responded. I’ve also left messages. I can’t know if the calls have been blocked or his phone was taken, but Josh would have responded. If he hasn’t, he can’t. Quod erat demonstrandum.”
“Q.E.D.?”
“Yes. It means the proof is—”
“I know what it means, Ms. Schumacher.”
She lowered the cash. Adele Schumacher seemed like a nice person. She was a delusional conspiracy theorist at worst or a gullible eccentric at best, but her fear was genuine. I chose my words carefully.
“Does Josh have a girlfriend or boyfriend?”
Her eyes grew vague and she didn’t respond. I hadn’t accepted her money. She was afraid I wouldn’t. I tried to sound reassuring.
“He’s twenty-six, Ms. Schumacher. He’s single and self-employed, which means he’s mobile. I go to the Sierras each year. There’s no cell service, my phone doesn’t work, and nobody can reach me. Josh probably left with a friend and didn’t think to tell you. It happens.”
“Josh hates the outdoors.”
“It was only an example.”
Her eyes focused, and she placed her palm on my desk.
“Josh and I meet for lunch every two weeks. If Josh can’t make it, he lets me know, and we meet the following day. Always. Joshua never misses our lunch.”
“But this week he did. Things like this happen.”
Ms. Schumacher leaned forward, and her mica eyes grew sharp.
“Mr. Cole, my son makes very little money. When he moved out to live on his own, we began meeting for lunch. At those lunches I give him cash. It’s what he lives on. So when I tell you Josh has never, not once, missed our lunch without calling, he hasn’t. But this past week, he did. He did not call, nor reschedule, and he has not responded. Therefore, he cannot.”
“Q.E.D.?”
“Q.E.D.”
We stared at each other.
“Is his father in the picture?”
“His father—my ex-husband—refuses to support him. They barely speak.”
She leaned so far forward she gripped my desk for support.
“Josh was working on an exposé. He had an inside source, he said, and proof, but he wouldn’t say more. Josh has done shows about classified programs before. I’m certain the two are connected.”