The Enlightened (Mind Dimensions #3)(54)

I find a few detectives at their desks in the Organized Crime section and Read them. They don’t have much for me. Kyle came in this morning, but left shortly thereafter. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going.

I look around Kyle’s desk for any clues about where he could be, but don’t find anything. I wonder whether he kept his desk clear of any evidence because he planned for this eventuality—a Reader or Guide snooping around in the Quiet. I doubt it. He was always neat, a trait he shares with Lucy. This thought reinvigorates my anger. The scope of his betrayal is mind-numbing.

I refocus on figuring out where he is. Even if he thought someone might snoop in the Quiet, would he take the extra step of protecting his computer? Those things don’t work in the Quiet, plus most people think their computers are safe, especially detectives who have government-issued security. Luckily for me, whatever security they have is unlikely to be Bert-proof. This is the contingency plan, which has now become my primary plan, though it has tricky elements of its own.

I look around. For my backup plan to work, I need to do what my aunt likes to do.

I need to Guide a whole bunch of people.

I consider this. If she can do it, so can I, as my Reach is probably greater than hers. That aside, what exactly would I get everyone to do? One thing I can try is Guiding the whole precinct to fall asleep and stay that way for half an hour. That would give Bert enough time to do his thing. But this idea has a few flaws. Like what happens if a 911 call comes in? I don’t want people getting hurt because of me. Well, no one except Kyle, that is.

Another option is to make them all forget they saw us. But a whole bunch of police officers and staff simultaneously getting amnesia is less than ideal, especially if someone is in the middle of responding to a life-or-death emergency when they see us. Whatever I do, it has to be subtle.

What if I make it so they don’t see us at all? Yes, that could work.

I begin Guiding the nearby officers.

My idea is simple.

I start by painting my and Bert’s exact descriptions in the targets’ minds. Then I highlight the critical moment, which is when they see us. At that point, the directive is to let their attention wander onto something else—something more important than us—instead of registering our presence in their conscious minds.

We’ll be the equivalent of that little stain on people’s glasses that they never see.

Guiding every person this way is tedious and gives me a new appreciation for what Hillary did for us. It takes me what feels like hours to set everything up, though the number of people I have to deal with is a fraction of what Hillary dealt with at the airport. Even worse for her, she couldn’t occasionally entertain herself by Reading random bystanders, the way I’m doing. Funny tidbits—such as the bald lieutenant’s fetish for his coworker’s mustache—definitely break up the monotony.

Finished with the interior of the building, I make my way back to the car. As I do, I Guide the handful of officers who are hanging around outside the building. Once I reach the car, I phase out.

“–plan?” Thomas says, finishing his question.

“The plan is simple,” I say. “Bert and I walk in, go to Kyle’s computer, and Bert will poke around in it.”

“Are you going to brainwash me to do that?” Bert asks caustically. “Cause that’s what it will take for me to waltz into a police department and hack into a detective’s computer.”

“I will if I have to,” I say. “But I already made it so no one will say boo to us. Don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t trust you with my freedom from jail, no,” Bert says. “But I do trust that you’d brainwash me to get your way. So I’d rather go on my own than get mind-controlled again.”

“Good thinking,” I say. “Because who knows what else I might’ve made you do while inside your head.”

“Okay then. Let’s go,” Thomas says.

“I was actually hoping you’d stay in the car,” I say. “In case something goes wrong, it’ll be good to have an ally on the outside.”

“You’re not leaving me behind so you can kill Kyle by yourself, are you?” Thomas asks.

“If I were, why would I bring Bert?”

Thomas looks thoughtful for a moment. I wonder whether he phased into the Quiet to walk around the police department and verify what I told him. He doesn’t know where Kyle’s desk is, but he knows what the f*cker looks like, so it’s plausible.

When his face looks alert again, he says, “I’ll wait in the car.”

Bert and I head for the precinct.

After observing the officers outside, it’s clear my Guiding is in effect. One officer sits down to tie his shoes at just the right moment, his gaze completely missing us. The other one stares intently at a nearby girl in a short skirt. Another looks into the distance, lost in thought. No one will remember seeing us because they pretty much didn’t. Not consciously, anyway.

When we enter the building, things get even spookier. The woman at the front desk looks at her phone at the exact moment her eyes should’ve been turning toward us. Instead of greeting us, she starts dialing.

“Dude,” Bert whispers, “they’re ignoring us.”

“Don’t talk,” I whisper back. “They’re blind to us, but if they hear us, they might have amnesia about it later since their brain won’t be able to reconcile my Guiding with reality.”