Linda. We don’t believe they’re a sign of the Apocalypse or an instrument of the devil. Look, the Explorers have had a presence in the Pikes Peak area for more than 75 years. We didn’t start in the Reagan years … we don’t have anything to do with … I’m sorry, now I’m apologizing for being in Colorado Springs and it’s a great city.”
“I hit a nerve,” she said.
Newell slumped back in his chair. “Yes, you did. And to answer your question in a more sane tone, yes, we have a separate disembodied entrance. We set up terminals and a special area for the dead to enjoy the party.”
“A special area? The dead and the living don’t mix?”
“No,” he gave a lopsided grin. “We tried that at first and the dead … the disembodied … they freaked. They don’t like crowds you know. What am I saying, you have a partner. So, we had to have a separate area.”
“OK, specifically, about this party in Denver on the 11th. Anything unusual about it?”
“No, not really. I think we had a great turnout. Yes, we had to hustle a few kids out of there who were trying to score drugs, but that was it. Please tell me, what’s this about?”
“We’re trying to track down a disembodied kid, Brian Thompson. He might have attended the rave and no one’s heard from him since.”
“You’re trying to track down one disembodied kid? I didn’t know the police would do that.”
“It is unusual, but his mother wants us to find him. And there’s another person who might have attended the same rave. Neither of them have been on the AfterNet since. Do you have a way of knowing who might have attended the rave? I mean among the dead.”
“No, I’m sorry. We provided the terminals and a local network, that’s all. We don’t try to capture any personal information. Maggie convinced us that it would be seen as intrusive.”
“I’m sorry, who’s Maggie?”
“She actually arranges the events.”
“Oh, I thought you did?”
He laughed. “Well, I don’t mean to sound pompous, but I am a regional director here. I’m responsible for the events that occur in my region, but the raves are a very small part of our overall mission. Maggie’s an outside consultant and she’s responsible for the square states: Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. She was a young Explorer herself. She does all the planning and set up. I just sign the checks.”
“What’s Maggie’s full name? Can we speak to her?”
“Sure, let me call her cell phone. And it’s Margaret Duggan, two ‘Gs.’”
“If I could get that number as well?”
He wrote it out and handed it to her. She sat back while Newell dialed. “think hes telling truth,” she asked Munroe silently.
“I guess. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Maggie is a case of plausible deniability.”
“uur so cynical.”
“Maggie, this is Tracy,” said Newell, obviously leaving a message for Maggie. “Can you call me …”
“Actually, if you could ask her to call me,” Yamaguchi said, sliding him her business card.
Newell left the message and hung up. He patted the top of his desk with both hands. “Now, is there anything else I can do for you?”
He waited while her partner was prompting Yamaguchi. “Yes, Mr. Newell. I have to ask this. Are you … are you kidnapping the disembodied?” She felt really stupid asking the question.
He laughed — a quick, loud laugh. “NO!” he said. “That’s ridiculous. Why would we do that?”
“Religious organizations have had a hard time dealing with the discovery of the afterlife,” she said. “It could be your way … I’m sorry, I know this is a crazy question. I just had to ask it.”
“Like I said earlier, the Explorers is an old, established, respected organization. We work with inner city kids. We dig wells in Ethiopia. Hell, I dug wells in Ethiopia. I … wait a minute.”
He swiveled in his chair and faced his laptop and pressed the spacebar to wake it up. When the screen reappeared, he turned it to face her. “There,” he said, with a flourish.
She looked at the screen. It was an email Newell had been writing.
Dear Uncle Ted,
Glad to hear you’re adjusting and again, no need to thank me for
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t understand.”
“Look at who it’s addressed to.”
She looked. The recipient was
[email protected]. “Oh,” she said. “Your uncle. He died recently?”
“Yes, five, no six months ago. Like me … actually, the
Kostenlos Online Lesen 
