Solomon's Private File #40
These stories about Stephen and Solomon take place starting in
1950's. Stephen wrote about his life in letters to a penpal, and then
in a secure blog, in case he lost his memory again, in the master
computer in his school for gifted students, which he started attending
in 2016 in a new incarnation, until his death. Now his son Solomon is
attending the same school, and is writing in his own secure blog for
his future incarnations.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
Solomon is 15 in this story, in the Spring of 2041.
Solomon's Private File #40 "Bad Applicant"
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I'm 15. Galya is 14. We thought about going all the way. We decided
to continue that thinking for at least another year. I met with the
girl who was to be in the museum tour with me, and her parents. The
mother is on the staff as a curator of modern art, and the father is a
practicing corporate attorney. I told them what we would be doing. They
were very interested. He said, "What does your mother think about it?"
I said in the air, "Mom?" She said in the air, "Great idea." They
looked really odd, and their daughter, Beth, and I grinned at each
other. Her mother said, "She watches you?" I said, "Not exactly. We
call it monitoring. For safety. In case we get sick or something, and
want to do something bad. It's never happened, but we don't want to
take any chances." The father said, "Chaperone. I'm NOT complaining!"
Beth said to me, "It doesn't bother you?" I said, "Not at all. In fact
I like it. It's a family kind of feeling. It's not spying. She just has
a light contact with my mind, that gets her attention if something bad
is about to happen. No, it's not mind reading. We can talk to each
other that way if we want to." He said, "You weren't reading my mind
just now?" I said, "Everybody asks that! No. Disgusting. I knew you
were thinking that question because, well, how many times have I been
around people who were doing just that?" He said, "I understand. Must
be frustrating for you." I nodded my head so vigorously, I had to grab
my neck, making Beth laugh. She started to apologize. I said, "Don't.
Save that for when you DON'T laugh when you're supposed to." She
laughed, and her parents chuckled.
I said to her, "Want to see what Brian looks like? I have his
permission. Er, after some persuasion. Minus the alterations he wanted
to make. Begged for, actually." They laughed. I projected the picture.
She obviously approved. I said, "I would like to show him your picture,
too, before you meet him in person before the first tour. Better
preparation, less surprises." They nodded. I projected one from the
shoulders up, and said, "This alright?" They agreed it was. I said, "I
just showed it to him. I see the question all over your face, Beth."
She blushed. Her parents were amused. I said, "He didn't rip his
eyeballs out. Far from it, actually. Anything more, he'll have to tell
you himself, if he can do it without squeaking." They laughed. Beth
said, "Are you always this funny?" I said, "I hope not. You do not want
to make people laugh when their mouths are full of food!" They laughed.
I said, "Good change of subject. Desperation can cause that." She
I said, "NOBODY needs to read minds to know what you're asking." The
parents nodded, while she was turning really red. I said, "Sometimes
with psionic people, we just know who we are going to marry, at first
sight. That kind of spark is obvious to the rest of us, too, even when
it happens to us as young as 10 years old. I was eleven when it
happened. We are going to be married when the time is right, and we are
already pledged to each other. So, I'm taken, and er, mostly harmless
to others. I see another question. I have to ask your parents'
permission to answer that one." They looked at each other, and nodded
to me. I said, "We will go all the way only when SHE says so, and I
won't ask before that. We believe that's the woman's right, because she
has the most risk for consequences. And she is VERY sensible." I could
see that her parents really approved. And Beth was a little annoyed,
for which they felt some amusement.
I asked the father about his work. After that I said to Beth, "I
tried. Has he ever been able to make it interesting for you?" They
laughed, and she shook her head. I looked to her mother, and she said,
"I know! Modern art is what you can make neither head nor tails of." We
grinned. I said, "We all know that's just the public's perception of
your jobs. It will be up to us to educate them out of it, for the arts.
Not the legal, though. Might not be possible." They laughed.
At my office at the FBI, I read the file the applicant handed to me.
Something wasn't right. He and a son lived in Washington State. He
looked too young to have a child that age, which was 13. The man was in
the area, staying in a hotel. I checked the room. The boy was there,
looking lonely, not in school. I tried to match his face with known
missing children. Succeeded. I matched his DNA with his parents of
record. He took the boy with him across state lines, making the
kidnapping a federal crime, and FBI jurisdiction. I read his mind, and
had difficulty controlling my anger, and stopping my tears. I composed
a report, and ported it to my desk drawer. I called for a sec to come
into my office, and gave her the report and cover sheet which told her
what to do. She alerted the right division, and they would be sending
agents to arrest the man. I would take care of the boy.
I asked the man, "Why do you want to join the FBI? He said, "I like
this kind of work. I think I would be good at it." I said, "What kind
of work do you think the FBI does?" He said, "You investigate crimes."
I said, "True. We also investigate government employees for security
clearances. That means our agents have to be of very good character."
He said, "Good. I like that." I said, "So do we, which is why we
investigate them, too." He started looking uncomfortable. I said, "I'm
letting you know that we check out our applicants after they are hired
as probationary agents in training." He said, while starting to get up,
"I just remembered I have another appointment. Can I come back another
time?" I said, "You won't be coming back to this office." He said, "Oh,
I'm approved?" I said, "Please go with these agents." He got up in a
hurry, and turned around. One of the agents was dangling handcuffs. I
said to the man, while they were being applied, "I advise you to make a
full confession. We have all the information needed to put you away,
and a DNA match with his real parents. Thank you for coming to the very
place and people who have the most interest in seeing you placed behind
bars. We appreciate that. Now get out of here before I throw up!" I had
yelled that last line, which the whole office heard. The agents looked
at me with concern, and dragged him out fast.
Galya was just finishing with her interview. She came into my office.
We cried together. Then we went to the sec. I said, "Please have a
Child Services officer and a local police officer meet me at the hotel,
in the lobby, as soon as convenient. And one of the arresting special
agents with recording equipment. We have some work to do. I probably
won't be back in this office today." She said, "Will do. I can reach
you by phone?" I said, "Yes. Always, actually." She said, "I er, have
never seen you with a phone." I said, "There are a lot of ways you
haven't seen me." Galya poked me, and I said, "Er, ouch?" The sec tried
not to laugh.
I ported into an empty car in the hotel parking lot, and got out of
it. The reason for that, is the proliferation of video surveillance
cameras. It can very difficult to find unobserved places in public, and
even in private, to port to and from. I walked into the lobby, and said
to the clerk, showing my Bureau ID, "I need to speak with your
manager." He went into an office, and she came out. She invited me back
to her office. I said, "One of your guests has been arrested. There is
no danger involved in the case, and no pending criminal activity. We
are here for his possessions, and the child. We will interview him
first, when Child Services arrives. Soon, I hope. I'll be waiting in
the lobby for them." She said, "Will you tell me which room?" I said,
"When I ask you to let us in, yes. Less premature er, excitement that
way." She smiled. She said, "You won't talk about the case?" I said,
"You know I won't. In this situation, respect for the child's privacy
and welfare is paramount." She said, "No complaints. I have children,
myself." I prompted her to talk about them.
After a while, I said, "The people I'm waiting for should be
arriving." We went out, and they were coming in the main entrance. I
introduced the manager and myself. They smiled at my name. They
introduced themselves. I said, as we were going up in the elevator,
"It's important not to look angry or mean to the boy." I said to the
special agent, "Or look like a long toothed hungry tiger." He had to
smile. I said, "Better." I said to Child Services, "I'm a psychologist.
I'll take the lead. Our first order of business is to find out what his
original home situation was, before we notify them. We don't want him
to go from the fire, back into the frying pan, which could be the
said, "He hasn't run, or told. Has to be a reason. We need to know
that. Very carefully." They nodded.
I said to the manager, "What kind of ice cream have you got?" She
said, "Most flavors, and the best kinds." I said, "Good. I might call
down down for some. Well, I like it, too." She smiled, and nodded. We
positioned ourselves outside of the range of the door peephole. The
manager knocked, and said, "I'm the hotel manager. May I come in
please?" We heard a small voice say, "But I'm not supposed to let
anybody in." She said, "But I need to check how your room was cleaned.
It's my job. You wouldn't want me to get in trouble because of that,
would you?" There was a pause, while I was whispering to the manager,
"Well done!" She was obviously pleased with the compliment. The boy
said, "Alright." She opened the door. I said to her, "Thanks. We'll
take it from here." She nodded and stood aside, looking concerned. I
said, "Somebody could be waiting for our call for ice cream." She took
the hint and walked away. The agent gave a sign of respect.
I walked in first, and said, "Hi. I'm Jack. You're not in any
trouble. I've brought some friends with me. May we sit down for a
little talk?" He said, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." I said,
"That's a very good policy almost all the time. But we are in law
enforcement, and are here on official business. Want to see badges?
They make them pretty just for showing to people. Oh, you didn't know
that?" The two men showed their badges. He said to me, "What about
yours?" I said, "I don't have a badge like that. Just this ID. I'm a
psychologist and a teacher. I help them with personal problems. And
this lady is with DC Family Services, who is going to make sure you are
treated well." He said, "He's in jail, isn't he." I said, "Arrested,
and in a holding cell, while some people are filling out a lot of
complicated forms, thinking some awfully unfriendly thoughts about
him." He smiled a little, and said, "I like how you talk." I smiled,
and said, "Thanks. That means a lot to me. Do you know why he brought
you here?" He said, "No, he just said it was about some business." I
said, "He applied for a job with the FBI. Yes, he was REALLY stupid!"
He said, "Wow! That's true. You would check him out. Really stupid!" I
said "Kinda convenient for us, though."
"Now we have to think about your future. Where do you think you
should go to live?" He said, "Does it have to be with my real parents?"
I said, "That's usually what happens, but it doesn't have to be so,
when there are good reasons. Got some?" He said, "Can I speak to you
alone?" I said, "Yes. But you know they are going to have to know,
sooner or later, so they can officially approve of what happens to you.
We really do care about you! But we also need to stop bad things from
happing to people. You can help us with that, with what you tell us.
Make you a hero, actually." He pointed to the bedroom. He and I went.
He said, "What Manny did to me. You know?" I said, "Actually, he hasn't
told us. We just know he's not supposed to have you. That's kidnapping.
But we have a good idea why, and that includes what he might have done
to you." He said, "My Dad did that to me, too, but it hurt more." I
said, "I'm sorry if I look angry. It's NOT at you." He said, "I know. I
used to be mad a lot. Now I just try not to think about it." He took a
tissue and wiped my tears. I said, "Thanks. I didn't know I was going
to cry."
I said, "It's going to be tough for you, but we have to know what
happened in detail with your father, to give us a legal reason to not
make you go back. Think you can do it?" He said, "I don't want to." I
said, "I really understand, but it's for your future. That's a whole
lot of years you can spend being happy, after you help us help you." He
said, "You're pretty smart." I said, "Thanks. I try. You're not so
dumb, yourself." We grinned at each other. He said, "I'll help." I
said, "That's good, but they need to hear it and record it. What you
say to me alone might not be counted as evidence." He said, "I'll try."
I said, "That's all we ever do, really, is try. A chance to do our
best. Hard to resist that challenge, which is a good thing." He said
"You make me think. I like that!" I said, "And I love that. Well, I'm a
teacher." We hugged, and went back into the living room.
I said to the agent, "Please set up to record." He started doing
that. I helped, and on the sly, gave him a digital recorder. He knew it
was a recording of me with the boy. When we were ready, I said to the
boy, "I have to be fair, and tell you that talking about some things
could make you remember them more than you want to. If you cry, that's
perfectly alright. I probably will, too. Sometimes it's good for us to
just let it out like that." He nodded and said, "I understand. Thank
you." Then he talked about his life at home in graphic detail.
Sometimes he cried. Then with his abductor, also telling us why he
didn't try to escape. We all had some tears. When he stopped, we asked
for some specific details. He knew where his father kept some illegal
pictures. And his abductor, too. Then he said to me, "Am I gay?" I
said, "I don't think you would be surprised I get asked that a lot by
kids. First I should say, what you do, doesn't make who you really are.
Do you understand?" He said, "I'm not sure." I said, "If somebody makes
you speak Italian, that doesn't actually make you an Italian, if you
weren't born on a pizza. Oops, I mean in Italy." He had to laugh. The
others looked at me strangely. He said, "I understand now. Thanks." I
said, "I almost said ice cream. Hmm, want some?" He said, "Yes!" I
said, "Somehow, I'm not surprised. Everybody who wants some, please
tell our friendly police officer what kind." He wrote it down, and then
called.
I said to the boy, "That reminds me. Want to know one of the extra
reasons for recording what you said?" He said, "Sure!" I said, "Our FBI
Special Agent man, well, he's very good at his job, but maybe not so
good with filling out reports. People would actually like to read them
without straining their eyes." He laughed very well. My target had
mixed emotions, which showed. The ice cream arrived. Fast service. We
ate it, talking about ordinary things. One of the subjects was Solomon.
The police officer caught me rolling my eyes at that, and said to me,
"You don't like it?" I said, "Not in the way you might mean. There are
fans in my office. When he gets in the news, it er, disrupts the
office. I have to be responsible. Makes things difficult then." The boy
said, "But you like him. I know you do! You're funny like him." I said,
"But I'm in charge of our Department. The boss shouldn't encourage
that." He said, "I knew it! You DO like him." I looked at him
critically, and said, "Have you ever thought of being an FBI Special
Agent?" He said in awe, "You you really think I could?" I said, "I
can't know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised at all, if it
happened." The agent nodded. The boy was really happy.
I said, "Now we all have to get to work on things. You need to go
with the lady and the police officer now, to set up where you will be
living until they find you a permanent place. There will also be people
like me, to help you with your feelings, too." He said, "Not you?" I
said, "They do that work all the time. My work of this kind is more
like finding and stopping bad things. I think you might like me to keep
doing that for all the kids who might be in the kind of situation you
were in." He said very seriously, "Yes you should keep doing that. It's
really important!" I said, "Ha! You're not my boss. Yet." He grinned
and laughed. We hugged, and they left.
The agent said to me with respect, "Well done!" I said, "Thanks.
Difficult. I wanted to cry for him." He said, "Same here. But born on a
pizza!" We laughed. I said, "I thought it was helpful to get him to
laugh." He said, "How did you know about the reports?" I said, "Oh!
It's actually true?" We looked at each other, and laughed again. I
said, "Just a ploy to get him to laugh again. I didn't actually know. I
apologize for being er, right." He grinned and said, "Accepted." He
said, "I didn't know before, but I think I do now. I'll keep your
secret." I muttered, with emphasis, "Stupid humor!" He laughed. I said,
"I'm going to thank the manager for her help, on the way out. Have
fun." We shook hands, and I went down to the lobby.
The manager saw me, and we met. I said, "Everything went as planned."
She said, "Is the boy going to be alright?" I said, "That's being taken
care of. No, he's not a criminal. You can have the room when the
Special Agent authorizes it. You've been a great help. Thank you." We
shook hands. I went to the rest room to port, and discovered a camera.
I want back out, and she looked inquiringly at me. I said, "Private
talk." We went into her office. I said, "Does this hotel put cameras in
the restrooms?" She said, "We absolutely do NOT! It's against the law,
and we wouldn't even if we could. Anybody who would want to watch that,
we wouldn't want here!" I said, "Well said. But there is a camera in
the Men's room off the lobby. Might be another one in the Woman's room.
You've been very helpful to us, and I don't really want to cause
trouble for your hotel, but if we just remove it, the perpetrator will
just keep doing it, if not here, then someplace else." She said, "I
understand what you're not saying. Bad publicity and loss of revenue,
vs, doing the right thing. I know what I want to do, and I can, with
your help. We can't coverup what an FBI man reports." I said, "Then I
don't have to suggest that." We grinned at each other.
I called the local police from her desk. A man and woman detective
team came in after 15 minutes. I took them into the men's room and
pointed out the camera. He said, "That's hard to spot. Sharp eyes!" I
said, "Er, thanks. Not that much fun looking at some things in here."
They laughed. We went into the lady's room, after checking it for
occupants. I spotted it right away, but looked with them to find it. I
said, "You can take it from here? I should get back to work." They
said, "Sure. Thanks." We shook hands, and I left, to walk around for a
while before I could find an unobserved spot to port from.
I walked out of my office, to the waiting hugs of my people. The
secs', too. They wanted to know all about it. I said, "You know we
"I'll say this. If a person wants to kidnap across state lines, a child
to keep as a sex slave, what would be the very LAST place he should go
to apply for a job?" They said a lot of wows. I said, "It's amazing how
much people need to believe they won't get caught, where even a little
acceptance of that possibility could actually help make that true.
Anyway, I hope we don't get any more perps falling into our laps." I
looked down, and said, "That could hurt!" They laughed.
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Grant
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