The Madrona Heroes Register: Underneath It All

Chapter 29 - The Seattle Police Department

“How much longer do we have to wait?” Cassie asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. 

Zach would have been more annoyed at the question if he didn’t know that Cassie was only voicing what everyone else was feeling. The day had been long, and aside from a patrol of the neighborhood eliciting one more missing cat poster, everyone was going a little stir crazy in the shelter.

Zach took a deep breath. “As I said, we’ll go in the hour before dinner because the odds are better that a parent will be there.

“But we’re bored.” Cassie whined.

Binny shook her head at her sister but then appealed to her brother. “She’s not exactly wrong. Can’t we help with what you’re doing at least?”

“What exactly are you doing?” Zoe poked her head into the conversation. When the new missing animal turned out to be another cat, Zoe had gotten even more agitated than she already was.

Zach lit up a little when the others seemed interested in what he was up to. “OK. So you remember yesterday how we had the computer show where all the animals were missing from, and it guessed as to where the person doing the kidnapping lives?”

The others nodded in rapt attention.

“The computer can do other kinds of predictions too.”

“Like what?” Penny asked.

“Every time you guys collect a new piece of information about where an animal has gone missing, the computer notes the way the perpetrator moves from one point to the next. The software then tries to figure out the similarities between every choice made.”

“Huh?” Gabe looked puzzled.

“The computer is trying to think like the person who is taking the animals.” Binny explained.

“Exactly!” Zach smiled broadly.

“Why would the computer want to think like that horrible kid?” Zoe asked, a look of disgust on her face.

“So it can tell us where he’ll strike next.” Zach replied with a serious look on his face.

“Oh. Can you show us?” Zoe’s tone changed dramatically.

“Sorta. First of all, this prediction is not quite as accurate as the first prediction it made. Secondly, this one is gonna take some time. I’ve never done this before, so I’m doing my best to make it work. And even once I get it working, the computer’s gonna take some time to think the problem through.”

Zoe looked deflated.

“Don’t worry, we’re not gonna need this anyway. We’re gonna end this tonight. I’m sure of it.” Zach said.

Zoe tried to smile, but was only capable of a grimace.

§

“We’re gonna miss walking Rembrandt.” Cassie suddenly remembered.

“Whisper!” Binny mouthed to her younger sister, her eyes filled with condescension.

The six kids had planted themselves behind some shrubs that lined a passthrough located just two houses down from the home the computer had identified. They had a good view of that house plus several others in the immediate vicinity.

Cassie continued in a quieter voice but still insistent. “I think I should go walk Rembrandt.”

The memories from the previous night came flooding back to Binny. She alternated between anger at Huitre for his nefarious involvement in her family’s life, and how sad she was to tell her mother the truth. Well, some of the truth anyway. The whole truth would not have been super helpful. Binny could just imagine how ‘productive’ the conversation would be if she told her mother she had the ability to read minds.