Guardian Angels – Ambivalent - 16

It was late when Mike and Paddy finally left the shelter. Mike had called it correctly when he said the place would be full again. The story of what happened to Micky had spread and morbid curiosity brought a lot of the kids to the shelter who normally would have spent the night on the streets since the weather was good.

"You look beat," Paddy said when he and Mike started walking.

"I feel it," Mike admitted. "Physically anyway. Mentally I keep playing what happened over and over, trying to figure out some way to catch Mr. Keefe."

"Want to grab something to eat and bounce ideas?"

"Sure. Same place as last time?"

"Works for me."

Several minutes later they were seated at a table, orders given and coffee in front of them.

"I came up with one thing," Mike said. "But we'd probably have to get that nice police detective to help us."

"Nice detective?" Paddy asked with a glimmer of a smile.

"Well he was. A lot of cops would have blown off what happened to Micky, just saying he tripped and fell, and left it at that."

"You don't have much faith in the police I take it."

Mike shrugged. "I had my fair share of run-ins with them when I was on the streets. A lot of them see the homeless, teens and adults, as a royal pain in the butt. Some of them care, but not all that many." He took a drink of coffee. "Anyway, what I was thinking was, maybe we could convince Detective Massey to let it out to the newspaper and TV stations that Micky's real name is… whatever. Something other than Michael O'Donnell, which of course it is."

"Even if he went along with that, it doesn't mean Mr. Keefe will come back to the shelter again. It isn't the only one in the city and there are undoubtedly other kids who look somewhat like the picture he has."

"True." Mike sighed in frustration. "If Mr. Keefe thinks he's accomplished what he was hired for he's going to disappear and we'll never find him, or find out who hired him. If we get it out there that he blew it, and the detective lets the other shelters know they have to be on the lookout for him, maybe he'll try again and we can catch him."

Paddy nodded slowly. "It would be better if we could draw him back to Crossroads House."

"How?"

"That, Mike, is the burning question. For the moment though, let's eat since our food is about to arrive. And before we go talk to the detective, if we do, let's get together with Vic in the morning and see what he's come up with about your family. After all, one of them is the most likely person to have hired Keefe."

"Which is not a pleasant thought."