'Seven years before Daniel Linwood disappeared, a girl named Michelle Oliveira vanished from Meriden, Connecticut. For almost four years there was no trace of her. No suspects, no arrests, nada. Then, just like Danny Linwood, she shows up at her parents' doorstep without the vaguest idea what happened. No scrapes, no bruises, and police can't figure out what the hell happened or where she'd been.'
Wallace slowly put down the pages. I had his full attention.
'I thought that whole 'brothers' thing was strange, but it seemed clear to me that after Daniel was kidnapped, he retained some information from his time gone. I wanted to find out if this was a common occurrence for kidnapping victims. Upon running a search, I found this Oliveira girl, who disappeared in the exact same way. Michelle was very close to her music teacher, this Delilah Lancaster, so
I figured she might be able to shed some light and maybe help me understand Danny's case better. During the interview today, it turns out that in between Michelle Oliveira's disappearance and return, the girl learned an entire new violin sonata. Somehow she'd had access to both instruments and music books. So not only was she kidnapped, but she was kidnapped by somebody who knew her well enough to know she was a violin prodigy.'
Wallace looked at me, looked at the recorder. 'She played violin, this Michelle Oliveira?'
'A prodigy,' I said. 'She's at Juilliard now.'
'There's no chance she started studying this sonata before she disappeared, and simply finished it later?'
I shook my head. 'I asked Delilah that. She said they were using a workbook in which that specific sonata was not a part of the lesson. When they resumed lessons after
Michelle returned, suddenly this ten-year-old has turned into Yo-Yo Ma.'
'How did Lancaster explain it?'
'She couldn't,' I said. 'And neither could Michelle.
Delilah asked her where she learned it, but Michelle didn't know.'
'And Lancaster believed her?'
'Without a doubt. Like Danny Linwood, it's an imprint on her brain, the moves in her muscle memory. Unconscious. I did leave several messages for the Oliveiras but haven't heard back yet, and frankly I'm not expecting to.
But something strange is happening to these kids while they're gone. Obviously somebody took them, and they're retaining a piece of memory from their time away. It's not much, but it definitively links Michelle Oliveira and
Daniel Linwood. I don't know how or why, but their disappearances are connected.'
'This is stunning stuff, Parker. And where did you get all this information on Oliveira?' Wallace asked.
'I… Most of it from newspapers. Lancaster was interviewed by the Journal-Record. '
'You just happened to come upon this?'
'I dig deep,' I said, thinking of Amanda, not wanting to get her into any trouble.
Just then there was a knock at Wallace's door. We both turned. Our jaws simultaneously dropped when we saw the striking figure in the doorway.
'Gray,' Wallace said. I recognized the man immediately, but for the life of me couldn't imagine why he was here.
The man entered, striding up to Wallace with casual confidence.
Wallace said, 'Henry, you've met…'
'Senator Talbot,' I said. 'We met just the other day.'
Gray Talbot smiled at me. 'Hello, Henry,' he said. 'I hope I'm not interrupting anything.'
15
I stood out in the hall, trying to hear what Wallace and
Gray Talbot were discussing behind closed doors. Though
Wallace had told me to wait by my desk, I wasn't nearly patient enough. I felt better pacing a tread on the carpet outside of his office. I wondered what the hell Senator
Talbot was doing in the Gazette offices. Wallace seemed surprised, and I was pretty sure Gray had stopped by totally unannounced. Generally not the behavior of most politicians who throw a press conference to announce they've voided their bowels.
I felt slightly dirty, like a journalistic Peeping Tom, straining for quick glimpses. I could only make out corners of the office-Wallace had drawn the shades. I could see
Talbot pacing back and forth, his face angry. He was looking in one direction, which inferred that Wallace was sitting at his desk, most likely being defensive.
I got the distinct impression that Wallace was being read the riot act for something, I just wasn't sure what.
Finally after about twenty minutes, the door opened and
Gray Talbot exited. His navy suit was unruffled, his hair unmussed, his demeanor unshaken. Whatever he'd come for today, he'd gotten it.
As he walked by he slowed up, turned to me slightly, leaned in. I could smell his light aftershave, saw a small nick by his jawbone.
'Parker,' he said. 'You're better than this. I haven't forgotten what we spoke about. And I hope you haven't, either.'
Before I could ask what the hell he was talking about,
Talbot was in the elevator.
Without waiting another second, I burst into Wallace's office. The editor-in-chief was sitting down, hands steepled, chin resting on his thumbs. He looked up at me without moving, his eyes flickering.
'Sit down, Henry.' I sat.
'How did you get that information about Michelle
Oliveira?' he asked. I opened my mouth to speak. 'And if you lie to me you're fired.'
I sighed, knew I was cornered, knew there was nothing
I could do.
'I have a contact at the legal aid society. This person gave me information about the Oliveira case. The police report, and more.' I kept it gender nonspecific, just in case. 'The rest I did myself. Frankly I didn't really need it, it was just a shortcut-'
'Shortcuts are the death of our industry, Parker,'
Wallace said. 'Jayson Blair took shortcuts. Stephen Glass took shortcuts. I don't expect you to want or need those.
And I hope to God you yourself think you're better than them.'
'It wasn't like that,' I said. 'I knew there was more to this Linwood story than was being reported, and I needed something to tie them together. You know there's a connection. And without those papers I might not have found it. You can call it a shortcut, I call it a story worth investigating. My source is reliable, and the papers are authentic.'
'Ethics and honesty are not always independent of each other,' Wallace said.
I felt my body go slack. 'So what now?' I said. 'What did Talbot want?'
'You forget about this story now.'
I felt my body go numb. 'That's ridiculous. He can't spike a story because he doesn't like my sources.'
'Gray Talbot has threatened to prosecute you, and by proxy us, if any of what you've told me about Daniel
Linwood or Michelle Oliveira ever runs. He knows that you obtained those files and he knows you did it illegally, without the knowledge of the LAS. Like you said, it was one rogue employee. And like a good politician he's going to hold it over our heads until we bend to his will. I know you've worked hard on this, Henry, but let it go.'
I stood up. 'This is bullshit,' I said. 'Do you really think it's the right thing to let it go? Do you honestly
