All in the Eyes of the Beholder

Chapter 6

The next day Garrett met with all the officers and went over the floor plans and their position assignments for both events. The honorees will be shuttled to both events in a limo van. Some of the officers will be in plainclothes to blend in. All the officers left to take up their posts. Sam, Jose and Garrett went to go get ready. They showered, changed and met downstairs at four on. The Chief nocked on the office door. Sam opened it and the Chief poked his head in. "The others are all in position at both facilities. Are you guys ready?" and at their nods he added, " Well then let's go. I have the limo waiting out front." The three men followed the Chief out to the limo. " My wife bought our tickets a month ago, said it was our civic duty to attend" he explained. The Chief opened the door and introduced Garrett to his wife since she already knew both Sam and Jose. "My, you gentlemen look sharp tonight. I'm so used to seeing you in your work suits. Sam how's Jill doing?" she asked, her eyes twinkling." She's doing fine, just the normal late pregnancy aches and pains. I promised her a full back massage when I get home. It was the only way she would let me go tonight even though this is work" he said smiling. "Smart girl" Garrett quipped." Oh, I like him Ron. So you're the young F.B.I. agent my husband told me about, I would have never guessed, you're so laid back" Mrs. Alice Cummings chided. Garrett grinned. "I guess it's my country upbringing Ma'am, I'm from North Dakota" he replied. He winked at the Chief's wife and she giggled.

They arrived at the reception and found a table close to the podium. Dinner was served right away and it was delicious. Afterwards there was dancing to a live band. Shortly a man approached the podium and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen please take a seat." He waited until everyone was seated before he continued. " As you all know we are honoring several people in the field of photography and have been selected to showcase their artwork at the grand opening of the new Suffolk County Convention Center. Will the honorees please stand up and let's give them a round of applause." A dozen people stood up and clapping ensued. Once the house died down, the announcer cleared his throat. "We are also inducting two very special scholarships to this school. The first is a scholarship in the medical field of Ophthalmic Surgery. The second one is a memorial scholarship in the Visual Arts. To present these two scholarships is our very own Miss Roberta-Lyn Silverfox" he said and started clapping. The audience joined in as a tall lithe woman stepped up to the podium. The audience quieted down. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for being here tonight. As most of you know, I had suffered a tragic accident when I was a child and lost my sight, but thanks to the pioneering surgical staff here, I have regained my sight or I wouldn't be here tonight. It is truly amazing to go from seeing the world around me and taking it for granted, to sudden darkness, to seeing the world with fresh eyes again. So without further ado, will Professor Nyguen please come up to the podium and accept this check for one million dollars for the new Ophthalmic Surgical Research and Development Scholarship" she explained to the stunned crowd. Garrett couldn't stop staring at her as he sat there clapping with the rest of the audience. He couldn't see her as a target, she was too giving. The Professor stepped up to the podium and shook her hand as he accepted the check. Miss Silverfox stepped back as Professor Nyguen made his thank you speech. "I wish to thank my staff and the school for all their generous support. The amazing students that have graced this University, thank you. And I especially wish to thank Miss Silverfox for her generous support of our research department" he said and then stepped back down to his seat. Miss Silverfox stepped back up to the podium. She waited for for the audience to quiet down again. "Now for the second one. It is a special memorial scholarship in the name of the professor who opened my eyes to photography as an art and not just a memory maker. After my surgery to restore my sight, my grandmother gave me an old camera and I started to make albums of all the pictures I took. When I arrived here at this wonderful school as a student, this Professor took notice of me with my camera and spoke to me. I wound up taking his classes and became the person I am today" she looked up at the ceiling and continued, "I know you are still creating art up there for the angels to enjoy" she looked back at the audience. "In his name, I give this scholarship to the School of Visual Arts. I present the Professor Stevens Memorial Scholarship Endowment and to accept it is his wife and Chairwoman, Mrs. Emily Stevens" she announced. Loud applause broke out from the audience as Mrs. Stevens made her way slowly to the podium with the use of a walker. Garrett had wondered why the podium was not up on a said and now he knew why. Mrs. Stevens was not an old woman but he guessed she had suffered an accident at one time. The woman smiled with tears in her eyes as she accepted the check. "Thank you Bobbie. This means so much to us as you have been there through all the good times as well as the bad ones too. The tragic loss of his life in a senseless robbery has affected us all and this will keep his dream alive for future generations to come" Mrs. Stevens through the years brimming her eyes. She walked away from the podium with the assistance of Miss Silverfox. The band started up and people danced or chatted with each other for another hour. The band finished up and announced that it was time to head over to the Convention Center then said good night. People headed to the exits and the limos waiting there. The Chief and his group headed to their limo and headed to the Art Show with the rest of the people. As they entered, they were each offered a glass of a sparkling drink. The Chief raised his hand and said, "Sorry we're on duty." The waiter smiled. "No need to worry it is just sparkling cider as per the director's orders. He wants everyone to be able to partake and not feel left out like non-drinkers or those in recovery" the waiter replied. The Chief took a glass. Mrs. Cummings smiled,"Oh how thoughtful, don't you agree dear?" The Chief nodded in agreement Garrett took his drink and wandered around looking at the exhibits. He arrived at Miss Silverfox's display and stood there staring up at one particular photo. It was a Sioux Native in full dress regalia with his arms raised in supplication to the Great Sky Chief. Garrett was stunned. "Powerful isn't it?" a woman's voice said from next to him. "Yes very powerful indeed, you captured his essence perfectly, but my uncle was always an imposing figure" he said turning to meet the woman. His heart rate increased as he came face to face with Bobbie-Lyn Silverfox. She studied his face carefully. "Yes I do see the resemblance now. I had met him at a Pow-wow on the Shinnecock Reservation about a year after I got my sight back. We sat and talked for a while after his performance and before our clanswomen's shawl dance. Once I graduated, I traveled to as many gatherings as I could. A lot of my photos were published from these and all the money I earned went into a special welfare fund to help out the poorest tribes. The tribes with the casinos are pretty much self supporting but still need help to combat drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution, gang violence, domestic abuse and rape is a common occurrence that is seldom reported. "So what brings you out here Mr..." He put out his hand and she took it smiling. "Sergeant Garrett Iron Wolf Blackman, F.B.I." he said. "Pleased to meet you, F.B.I., you must be here about those murdered women" she stated. He nodded at her assessment. He still hadn't let go of her hand and was reluctant to. She didn't seem to mind. She led him around, telling him about the different photos in her collection. They were all stunning. She then led him over to a small table and chairs to sit down and talk. "Is that case why you're here tonight?" she asked him. Garrett's face grew grim. "Yes. The women who were murdered were all photographers like you and these other women" he said and waited for the implication of what he had just told her to settle in. Her face paled and her hand trembled. "You had a problem a few years back involving one Alain David Johnson, what can you tell me about him?" he asked her. Bobbie visibly relaxed." Him? Sweet guy and I felt bad that he didn't win. I told the judges that his work was equal if not better than mine. In the end I spit the prize with him. We have stayed in touch all this time" she answered him. "Do you know of his whereabouts at this time?" Garrett asked next. She nodded, "You can't suspect him" she said. At Garrett's firm look she added, He's in the Mid-East, a war correspondent." Garrett smiled and visibly relaxed. "Can you think of anyone who might be responsible, anyone who has acted strangely towards you or anyone you know? Followed you? Sent you unwanted gifts, notes, threatening calls?" he asked. She thought about it for a few minutes before replying, "Not that I know of. I have been out of the country for several months and just returned last week for this event." Garrett's eyes widened slightly. "Where were you?" he asked. She laughed. It was rich and silky, it sent heat shooting through him. "I was in Peru, taking shots for my next book. It is such a wonderful, beautiful place that I just had to go and see for myself" she responded. "Do you have a business card in case I think of anything that might be useful?" she asked. He nodded and pulled out one of his cards and wrote his cellphone number on the back and handed it to her. "You know, you're not like most Feds I have met before. You're very... umm... countrified" she said as she took his card. He let out a little laugh. "You're the second woman that said that to me tonight" he said and added at the slight narrowing of her eyes, " The first one was the police Chief's wife." "So is there anyone special waiting for you?" she asked him. Garrett shook his head no and smiled. Her smile was intoxicating. "How long are you going to be here for?" she then asked him. "Either until we catch him or he moves on. Why do you want to know?" he asked her. "Oh, well next weekend is the Shinnecock Pow-wow and I wanted to invite you to go with me" she said. Garrett had to swallow hard before he could answer her back. "Unless you really do have a wife or girlfriend back home" she added. Garrett finally found his voice, " No, I have no one like that waiting for me. I would be honored to go with you. Maybe we will run into some of my family there" he said and her face lit up. "I'll call you tomorrow. I have to go and talk to someone. Bye for now" she said, smiling as she stood up and walked away. He watched her as she went over to one of the other featured artists and gave him and his partner a hug. Jose sat in the seat that she had just vacated. "Wow, you two seemed to have really hit it off" he said and grinned at Garrett as he continued to stare after her. Garrett said, "Yeah and the competition guy is a no go. She stood up for him at the competition and even split the prize money with him afterwards. They have remained friends all these years and right now he is in the Mid-East as a war correspondent. What about the other one?" Jose shook his head no. "The ex-husband died in a big rig accident. His rig went off a cliff in Mexico and he died instantly. This happened almost a year ago."