AfterNet 01 - Good Cop Dead Cop

someone.”
    “Don’t worry, the raves aren’t illegal.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “I meet all the fire codes. I have all the permits and the building is zoned properly.”
    “But what about … most people think …”
    “No one would want to have a rave in a building with the proper permits. So most of the organizers of these events pretend they’re doing something illegal.”
    “Oh, well that’s a relief.”
    “Now let me get that information for you.” Yamata put down the phone and Munroe and Yamaguchi could hear some fumbling. She covered the phone and spoke to Munroe. “Thank God. Yamata’s a big shot in the community. He and my mom used to tangle a lot. I think …”
    Yamata came back on the phone. “Here it is. The name I have is Margaret and the number I have is in Colorado Springs.” He gave them the number, which did have a Springs area code.
    “How did they pay?”
    “With a check.”
    “Is that unusual?”
    “Yes, most groups like to pretend that everything is under the table, even though I write them out a receipt.”
    “Did you write a receipt for this group?”
    “Yes, made out to a group called The Explorers. There’s an address.” He gave them an address, also in the Springs. “The check’s signed by someone else. Tracy Newell.”
    “Man or woman?” she asked.
    “No idea. Are you sure there’s no problem? For a Springs group, they seemed relatively normal, if you know what I mean.”
    “No problem. Uh, did you meet the person who paid?” she asked.
    “No, the payment was dropped off at my office. I did talk to a woman on the phone a few times. I think she was Margaret.”
    “Does anyone at your office remember what the person looked like?”
    “Hold on.” He put the phone on hold and came back a minute later. “Sorry, the receptionist was out and when she came back, the check was on the counter. We sent the receipt by mail.”
    “OK, thanks Mr. Yamata. I think that’s all.”
    “Very good. Nice to talk to you again, Miss Yamaguchi. By the way, I got an email from your mother last week. No, two weeks ago.”
    “You did?”
    “Yes. I know we didn’t always get along, but I did … respect her. Anyway, she wanted to rejoin the association. She wanted to know who’s the membership director. Is she coming back to Denver?”
    “I hope … no, I don’t think so.”
    After this, Yamaguchi and Yamata said their goodbyes and hung up.
    “Now what’s that all about?” she asked.
    “What, about your mother, you mean? Sounds like she’s coming back.”
    “Oh, please, don’t even joke about it,” she said. “Well, what do you think about this church group?”
    “You can’t really say they tried to cover their tracks.”
    “Unless this phone number is bogus.”
    “Give them a call and find out.”
    She shrugged and dialed the first number. All she got was a default voice mail message stating the phone number and that she should leave a message, which she did.
    Then she called the second number. “The Explorers. How may I help you?” a man’s voice answered.
    “Hi, is Margaret there?”
    “Um, do you have a last name?”
    “No, I don’t.”
    “I don’t know of anyone named Margaret who works here. Can someone else help you?”
    “Uh, Tracy Newell?”
    “Let me put you through,” the man said. But after a few seconds, she heard a voice mail message, a man identifying himself as Tracy Newell and that he would be out of the office and please leave a message. She asked Newell to call her back, saying she was a Denver cop and asking about the rave.
    “OK, I guess that’s all we can do for now,” she said. “Why don’t we head out now for the church and I can stop by the drugstore? I’m really draining.” Munroe agreed and they were getting ready to go when she got a call over the radio. She answered and Munroe tried to listen in but the static made the dispatcher’s speech unintelligible.
    “We got to go, Alex, missing kid.”
    She was already moving and Munroe scrambled to keep up with her. “Amber Alert?” he asked.
    “Not exactly. More of a baby down a well scenario.”
    “Oh, shit,” he said to himself. She was running down the back stairs two steps at a time now. Munroe always wondered how she did it without falling and breaking her neck. And it was impossible to keep the field of her terminal.
    They made it to their car and she flew out of the parking garage. At least she had the presence of mind to confirm he was in the car before she