Beyond belief Read Online Free Page B

old, African-American, and lives on Avenue K in Techwood. Dr. Nelson had been studying what he believed to be the boy's telekinetic abilities, and the two staged a demonstration for several other parapsychologists in Dallas last month. Every scientist there was convinced that Jesse Randall is the genuine article.”
    Joe shook his head. “It was an easy crowd to convince. He probably wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in front of a group of professional magicians.”
    “Or you?” the chief asked.
    “Or me.”
    “Good. That's your angle. Find out how Nelson was killed, and figure out how the boy does his stuff. A lot of the heat will dissipate as soon as you do that.”
    “I thought the goal was to find out who did it.”
    “That's
my
job,” Howe said.
    “It's
both
of your jobs,” Gerald said. “You'll just be going at it from two different directions. Coordinate with each other, gentlemen. Remember the box in your grade school report card that said ‘works and plays well with others’? That was to get you ready for this.”
    Howe obviously wasn't happy as he and Joe walked downstairs.
    “Okay, Howe, what's the problem?”
    “The problem is that I'm gonna be busting my hump to break this case, when all you'll be doing is deflecting bad PR.”
    “I'll be doing a bit more than that.”
    Howe stopped on the landing and spoke in sharp, icy tones. “Our authority is one of the best weapons we have, Bailey. Last night you undercut mine in front of a witness and potential suspect.”
    “That's
what this is all about?”
    “That and the fact that I've already been poached way too many times.”
    Joe nodded. Now it made sense. Just as stealing credit was common in the corporate world, it was part of life on the force. He knew quite a few cops who had ascended through the ranks by poaching cases and one-upping their fellow officers whenever they got the chance.
    “So you're afraid the Spirit Basher will grab all the glory?”
    “That's where this is headed. The second you walked into that room, I was invisible.”
    “I'm not looking to take anything away from you.”
    “Whether you're looking to do it or not, it could still happen. I've been screwed more times than I can count. Just stay out of my way, Bailey. You handle the how, and I'll take care of the who and why. Got it?”
    “Now we know how you scored on the ‘works and plays well with others’ box, huh?”
    Howe glared at him and continued down the stairs.
    Jesse Randall sat in the corner of the school playground, pushing his Hot Wheels Grand Prix racing car through the dirt path he had just carved with hismiddle three fingers. Some of the guys called it a “grand pricks” racer, but he knew they were just jealous.
    It was recess time at Lackey Hills Elementary School, and Jesse was once again playing by himself. Even though he never did his tricks for the other kids, they had heard about him from their parents and teachers. The word got out that he was someone to be afraid of, and one by one his friends withdrew, closing him out of their fourth-grade cliques.
    Fine. He didn't need ‘em. One day soon he'd buy a nice house like he and Mama had always wanted. Then he'd have friends in his new neighborhood, and maybe Daddy would even want to come back to live with them. If his tricks could make that happen, it was worth having to play alone.
    Jesse looked up and saw three men and a woman walking toward him. They were on the other side of the playground's chain-link fence, and two of the men had large TV cameras. He'd seen cameras like that in Dallas.
    He hated Dallas.
    In Dallas there were lots of people asking questions, wiring horrible machines to his head and chest. Dr. Nelson said it was okay, but he wasn't nice the way he had been in Atlanta. He sometimes yelled, especially when the tricks weren't working well.
    “Make it happen, boy…. You want to make a fool of yourself?” he'd shout.
    Dr. Nelson later said he was sorry, calling it another