Of course, she wo
uld only succeed if she found a way to take care of Richard, too.
Maria blew her nose and Cam gave the woman’s shoulder a squeeze. “So, what do you say Maria? Do you think you can handle my friend’s questions?”
Maria gave a shaky smile. “I will try.”
Cam smiled. “All right then, I’ll stay right here the whole time.” She turned toward Marco, his face softer than before. Whether it was for Maria’s sake or because of Cam’s revelations, she didn’t know, but at least it should encourage Maria more than his ‘down to business’ face from earlier. “Start again.”
Marco nabbed a spare chair from the dining room table, flipped it around, and sat down with the back facing out. While he wanted to continue in English for Cam’s benefit, talking in your native tongue was always easier, so he asked Maria in Spanish, “Do you know if any of Fernando’s family ever worked in the AMT compounds?”
Maria wiped her tears away with a tissue and said, “I think his father, but I’m not sure since Nando’s dad died long before I’d met him.”
“How about Fernando’s mother? Is she still alive?”
Maria’s eyes widened as she nodded. “Is she in danger?”
“She might be. Once we’re done here, reach out to her and maybe visit a relative somewhere far away for a few weeks, just until we can catch the arsonist.” Maria gripped Cam’s hand, but she squeezed back and gave her arm a pat. Marco pushed on, “Is there anything else you might’ve seen or heard that could help?”
Maria’s brows came together. “It might be nothing, but…” She reached behind her and took her cell phone off the table. She smiled at Cam and removed her hand to fiddle with the screen before offering it to Marco. “My neighbor took this photo and sent it to me, in case I could use it with the police.”
He took the phone. The picture showed a few people standing in front of the photographer, with the restaurant on fire in the distance. One of the men in the crowd had blond hair, but he couldn’t make out his neck, so he zoomed in and was able to see a grainy scar. Was this the man he was looking for?
Cam put out a hand and he handed her the phone, but as soon as she glanced at the screen, her eyes widened. She recognized someone in that picture. Then she looked up, gave a slight shake with her head, and looked to Maria and back. He got the message—they’d talk about this after they were done here.
Marco took out a card and gave it to Maria. “Could you send that picture to me?” When she nodded, he added, “And feel free to contact me with any other useful information, especially if your mother-in-law can confirm that your father-in-law used to work with the AMT. And if so, which one.”
Marco stood up and Cam took Maria’s hands in hers again and said, “If you ever need to talk to someone about Fernando, call the number he gave you, leave a message, and I’ll get back to you. Okay?”
“Okay, but can I ask you one thing right now?”
Cam smiled. “Of course.”
Maria looked from Cam to Marco and back again before she said, “My sister told me you work with a group fighting to bring down the AMT. Was she right?”
Cam glanced at him, but he shrugged and said, “We know people that do. Why do you ask?”
Maria removed her hands from Cam’s and placed them over her belly. “This baby will be my first-born, but I don’t ever want to give up my child.” Maria’s eyes started to water. “He or she will be all I have left of Nando. What can I do?”
While Marco’s family hadn’t known their first-born son would one day have elemental powers, most of the other children he’d trained alongside had told stories of how their families had kept them out of the AMT. “You’ll have to go somewhere where no one knows you, preferably to a remote location with others in hiding. If you’re truly determined to keep your baby, contact me and I’ll see what I can do. But be very sure about it, because if you decide to keep your child, your life will become difficult and stressful. Until things change, you might forever be on the run.”
Maria nodded. “I understand. Thank you for giving me hope.”
“No, thank you for talking with us. I know it wasn’t easy, but that picture might just help us catch the person or persons doing this.” He moved to the door. “Take care, Maria.”
He looked to Cam, but she shook her head. “Wait for me outside, I’ll be there in a moment.”
Gio stood in front of the glass separating him from Dr. William Evans—the man who’d healed a rat with his touch—and waited for an answer.
He’d finally convinced Dr. Chan to let him interview Evans alone, free of camera surveillance, but so far he’d learned nothing from Evans himself.
The man had worked for the AMT Research Division for the last two years, and from all accounts, he had been a dedicated employee, passionate about fixing “the first-born problem.” Rumors said his fiancée had been killed by a rogue first-born’s elemental magic a few years ago.
When asked if Evans could be a spy who’d hide his abilities to get information, Dr. Chan had rolled her eyes and assured Gio that wasn’t possible; other employees had echoed her answer. Between Evans’s record of accomplishment and his shock from the event with the rat, Gio reckoned that the event had been unplanned.
First E-1655 being able to control elemental earth at a whim, and now Evans healing a mostly dead rat with his hands. Feiru magic was definitely changing, and Gio wanted to know how, especially since the feeling he had heard of such changes before kept nibbling at the back of his mind.
Evans sat with his head bent forward and Gio wondered why he remained silent. Between E-1655 being drugged out of her mind, and Evans not answering his questions, Gio had little to report to his father. News of the rat-healing trick would buy him some time, but not enough to research the pediatrics facilities in mainland China.