Part 59 (1/2)
Logan wanted to punch out the cop's lights. He'd thought this guy could give him a clue about where to find Rinna. But Cooper was only on a fis.h.i.+ng expedition.
”I don't have time for this,” he muttered, starting to turn away.
”Wait a minute,” Cooper said quickly. ”Let's exchange information.”
Logan stared at him, stony faced.
The detective continued, talking fast. ”I've had patrols going past the store every couple of hours. They didn't see anything, so I went there last night. I didn't see a d.a.m.n tiling.”
”Then stop wasting my time!” Logan growled.
”I said I didn't see anything. That was part of what was so strange. I thought I heard men coming out of the store. When I tried to pursue them, somebody threw a spear at me. Then somebody else came up behind me and started a fight. I couldn't see the spear carrier. And I couldn't see the one who attacked me, but I smelled his sweaty body. It was like somebody made him invisible. Him and his friends.”
Logan stared at him, hardly daring to hope. He'd seen enough cop shows to know that they could say anything they wanted to you and it didn't have to be true. But why would Cooper have come up with such a bizarre story?
”You're saying you think there were a bunch of guys there last night. But they were invisible?” he asked, keeping his voice low and even.
”If I told that story to someone else, they'd haul me off to the loony bin,” the cop remarked. ”But you're taking it in like I was telling you about a cool play during Monday night football.”
”Yeah,” Logan admitted, looking from Cooper to his brother, then back again. ”I have an idea about what's going on at the Easy Shopper. But you probably won't believe me.”
”Try me.”
”If you're willing to keep an open mind.”
The detective nodded.
”You watch science fiction shows on television? Star Trek? Stuff like that?”
”Some.”
”You remember they landed on a different planet every week, with inhabitants who were different from us?”
”Where are you going with this?”
Logan swallowed. ”One more thing. Have you heard of string theory? It's a concept developed by physicists that says there are universes parallel to this one.”
The detective c.o.c.ked his head to one side, studying him. ”You've got me on that one.”
Logan knew he could be making a big mistake. But he figured he didn't have anything to lose.
Looking the detective squarely in the eye, he said, ”What's happening at that d.a.m.n store proves the theory. There's a door to another universe in the back. The guys you couldn't see came through it. They come from a universe where a lot of the people have psychic powers. I'm guessing one of them made them invisible.”
Cooper heaved a sigh. ”I thought you were going to come clean with me.”
”I am.”
”I don't think so. What are you covering up?”
”Nothing!” Logan made an effort not to grab the guy by the collar and shake him. One fight in an hour was enough. ”I'm not going to stand around talking about it. Not when Rinna is missing.”