The Aegis of Noah Hart

20-Promise

"How are we doing, Fisher?"

"No good. Parkinson is a little more than a kid, but she's smart. I got her to admit to seeing his face, but then she shut the door on me after that."

"Hmmm, nice!"

"What do you mean, nice? Where are you?"

"Checking the other lead. Talk to you later."

Roddy Patirew ends the call and pockets his cellphone as he waits on the porch of a house with maroon colored siding and white shutters on the windows. When the front door opens, he can see through a storm door a short, dark haired woman. Her eyes watching him with uncertainty, she pats her hands on her pink floral dress and pops open the door to speak to him.

"Agent Patirew?"

"Hi Mrs. Schar, yes, it's me. I hate to bother you again in person, but may I come in?"

"I hate to be rude Mr. Patirew, but I already told you over the phone, Aegis showed up in our kitchen and dropped the gold. He didn't even talk to us. If you want to know who he is, I won't be able to help you."

"Of course, Ma'am, no trouble. I-"

"Oh, hold on just a moment."

With a huff, Evie Schar turns and heads back into her house just as Roddy hears a phone start to ring. In actuality Evie has told on herself in two ways. In the call she just mentioned, Evie mentioned that Aegis did in fact speak and said for her husband to get help which presumably the gold was for. A group of investigators had since made contact with the gold bar, checked for prints, and found them to all be inconclusive, which typically happened with some prints but not all on items of currency. Aegis had intentionally wiped the gold bar. Not only that, once Brennan checked himself into rehab in Memphis, Roddy had made contact with the recovery center only to discover that Aegis had been sighted there earlier. He seemed to have a pension for bringing addicts into recovery, almost like a personal mission to stamp out the problem.

But the big sign Evie was hiding something was her statement about the kitchen. Previously she claimed that Aegis appeared in the family living room. Though she wasn't aware, Roddy had actually arrived earlier that morning dressed as a utilities inspector from the Water Department and scoped out the property. The living room and kitchen were disconnected and on opposite sides of a hallway. Saying that Aegis was in one room and not the other wasn't a careless mistake or coincidence, but a deliberate effort to deny facts. Roddy should feel disappointed now, having heard twice from this woman that his best lead wasn't going to give up Aegis's identity, but then he had hope, hope in the form of a six-year-old Ava.

His eyes light up as the little girl appears in the door frame holding a stuffed bear with a bowtie. Waving at her in his best, gentle fatherly way, he beckons her closer.

"Hey Mr., are you a policeman?"

"Yes dear, I'm here to talk with your Mommy about Aegis. I heard he came to visit you?"

Ava violently shakes her head.

"No?"

Again, she shakes her head not understanding the gesture properly.

"Oh, that's too bad. I heard that Aegis is hero. I'd love to meet him at my house."

"Mr. Policeman, you can't see Mr. Flames. He's not here."

"You mean he left?"

Ava nods with a big grin.

"He left, Mr. We don't have to be afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Nope," smiles even bigger now. "My daddy did a bad thing. He hit Mr. Flames's mommy with his truck, but he apologized, and Mr. Flames said he forgive him. He's real nice."