and cream complexion, not a wrinkle to speak of, not even on his forehead or his suit.
Orvison and Kunati both exuded a good nature, but Orvison kept a check on his smile, whereas the black Kunati, of African heritage, she assumed, had a smile as wide and as pleasant as the actor Sydney Poitier, but there seemed something reserved in the eyes. Where Orvison was solid and stout and short of build, Kunati proved tall, lithe, and he made movements as if he were liquid. She guessed him a former member of a basketball team somewhere, as he possessed an athletic grace. Most likely a Charleston team, perhaps a one-time hometown hero who’d been recruited from a faraway place, say Nigeria or Sierra Leone, or so her mind quickly sped through first impressions.
“Dr. Hiyakawa is our best psychic sensory investigator,” Raule told the men from Charleston.
“So we’ve been given to understand,” replied Orvison. “Question is, what has she got for us? Anything, anything at all?”
“They only handed me the case yesterday, gentlemen,” she replied for herself. “As for being the FBI’s best psychic detective…well, there’re only a handful of us and most are in training.”
“Your Chief tells us you’ve done a lot of the training.”
“Agent Gene Kiley did most of the training. I just followed his lead.”
“Then why don’t we have this guy Kiley working on the case?” asked Kunati as a direct challenge to his having to work with a woman and a psychic at that, she sensed.
“Afraid he’s ahhh…no longer with us, gentlemen,” replied Raule, being tactful.
“Haul ‘im back maybe?” asked Kunati, and now Rae caught a sound bite of sarcasm embedded in his speech. “We need all the help you can give us.”
“Gene’s dead,” Rae explained, “and not even Gene can come back from that.”
“Jeeze…sorry, real sorry,” replied Orvison. Kunati looked away.
“He didn’t make it our last time out in the field,” she added.
“Maybe he wasn’t so good after all then,” said Kunati, drawing a glare from Rae.
“He was the best at what he did—training. He was there to back me all the way, and he did, to the end.” She felt her face flush with anger. “Now, as I was saying, gentlemen, I’ve just gotten my feet wet with respect to what’s going on in your town.”
“Regardless, Rae,” began Raule, “you and the portable crawl—”
“Going to Charleston, I know,” she finished for him.
“—are going to Charleston,” he finished for himself and frowned at her. “And stop telling me what I’m going to say before I say it.” A laugh trailed his reprimand.
“I am a psychic, you know.”
He looked for a moment perplexed, then said, “Be at the airstrip at two.”
“Today? That’s impossible.” “This is possible,” countered her boss.
“Raule… ahhh Chief, you know I have a daughter, that I can’t just jump on a plane whenever you decide it’s best, and that the prospect of trekking off on another field experiment with Eddy’s toy ahhh? I mean Copernicus’s device doesn’t exactly do it for me.”
“It’s the best I can do. An FBI jet will be waiting for you at 1AM.”
“We’ll roll out the red carpet for you in Charleston,” commented Orvison while Kunati remained ominously silent. “Promise,” added Orvison.
Rae tried to imagine what the red carpet entailed in a city the size of Charleston, West Virginia. Was it even a carpet? Was it faded red denim?”
“I don’t want the key to the city, gentlemen, but if I’m given a free hand and your trust, that’d be enough.”
“Sounds a good deal,” replied Orvison.
“However, it may take some time to situate my daughter. Nia’s going through a rough time right now at school—a new school she’s just trying on, and it’s rough for a kid her age.”
“Dr. Hiyakawa will be on the plane with you,
Orvison and Kunati both exuded a good nature, but Orvison kept a check on his smile, whereas the black Kunati, of African heritage, she assumed, had a smile as wide and as pleasant as the actor Sydney Poitier, but there seemed something reserved in the eyes. Where Orvison was solid and stout and short of build, Kunati proved tall, lithe, and he made movements as if he were liquid. She guessed him a former member of a basketball team somewhere, as he possessed an athletic grace. Most likely a Charleston team, perhaps a one-time hometown hero who’d been recruited from a faraway place, say Nigeria or Sierra Leone, or so her mind quickly sped through first impressions.
“Dr. Hiyakawa is our best psychic sensory investigator,” Raule told the men from Charleston.
“So we’ve been given to understand,” replied Orvison. “Question is, what has she got for us? Anything, anything at all?”
“They only handed me the case yesterday, gentlemen,” she replied for herself. “As for being the FBI’s best psychic detective…well, there’re only a handful of us and most are in training.”
“Your Chief tells us you’ve done a lot of the training.”
“Agent Gene Kiley did most of the training. I just followed his lead.”
“Then why don’t we have this guy Kiley working on the case?” asked Kunati as a direct challenge to his having to work with a woman and a psychic at that, she sensed.
“Afraid he’s ahhh…no longer with us, gentlemen,” replied Raule, being tactful.
“Haul ‘im back maybe?” asked Kunati, and now Rae caught a sound bite of sarcasm embedded in his speech. “We need all the help you can give us.”
“Gene’s dead,” Rae explained, “and not even Gene can come back from that.”
“Jeeze…sorry, real sorry,” replied Orvison. Kunati looked away.
“He didn’t make it our last time out in the field,” she added.
“Maybe he wasn’t so good after all then,” said Kunati, drawing a glare from Rae.
“He was the best at what he did—training. He was there to back me all the way, and he did, to the end.” She felt her face flush with anger. “Now, as I was saying, gentlemen, I’ve just gotten my feet wet with respect to what’s going on in your town.”
“Regardless, Rae,” began Raule, “you and the portable crawl—”
“Going to Charleston, I know,” she finished for him.
“—are going to Charleston,” he finished for himself and frowned at her. “And stop telling me what I’m going to say before I say it.” A laugh trailed his reprimand.
“I am a psychic, you know.”
He looked for a moment perplexed, then said, “Be at the airstrip at two.”
“Today? That’s impossible.” “This is possible,” countered her boss.
“Raule… ahhh Chief, you know I have a daughter, that I can’t just jump on a plane whenever you decide it’s best, and that the prospect of trekking off on another field experiment with Eddy’s toy ahhh? I mean Copernicus’s device doesn’t exactly do it for me.”
“It’s the best I can do. An FBI jet will be waiting for you at 1AM.”
“We’ll roll out the red carpet for you in Charleston,” commented Orvison while Kunati remained ominously silent. “Promise,” added Orvison.
Rae tried to imagine what the red carpet entailed in a city the size of Charleston, West Virginia. Was it even a carpet? Was it faded red denim?”
“I don’t want the key to the city, gentlemen, but if I’m given a free hand and your trust, that’d be enough.”
“Sounds a good deal,” replied Orvison.
“However, it may take some time to situate my daughter. Nia’s going through a rough time right now at school—a new school she’s just trying on, and it’s rough for a kid her age.”
“Dr. Hiyakawa will be on the plane with you,
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