Page 36 of Stone Blind

“And finding me?”

“I wanted to show off to impress you,” she confessed, finding herself blushing at the admission.

“I’m impressed,” he said softly. “So, can we go back to the assessment completed by The Bad Apple and what he determined?”

“Oh, that man doesn’t know what to make of me.”

“He’s not alone,” Mustang said.

Helen shrugged nonchalantly. “Hey, you guys are programmed to hunt, but I think like a woman...wait a minute,” she said, popping to her feet. “Those warehouses...had playgrounds in them next to catwalk runways...”

“Disturbing visual,” he commented under his breath.

“Yeah, the actual visual was even worse. The rooms were set up for wankers to watch the kids play while they sat in chairs diddling themselves, but there was also a classroom, and the pantry was stocked with nutritious, balanced meals for the kids.”

Mustang was enjoying watching Helen’s mind work. He did not know where she was going with any of it, but he was appreciating the ride. Patiently, he sat, awaiting her deduction. “What are you thinking, Helen?”

“I’m thinking men are wasteful,” she said. “Sorry, but men will use up a rag dog, fuck the stuffing out of it, and set it on fire to cover their late evening dates with an inanimate object.”

“Harsh, but okay,” he said, “meaning what exactly?”

“Jay, there was a classroom set up, along with boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, colorful bedding, and child friendly graphics on the wall.”

“Designer focused pedophiles?”

“No, a man would not take the time or effort to make a home for the children like that,” she said. “A man would scoop up, use up, and then discard as many as possible versus training and mentoring. Those children worked on one side of the building but lived and learned on the other.”

Mustang’s mouth dropped open as Helen raced to the other room to find her phone. He watched her as she made the call to Azrael, who picked up after the third ring.

The husky voice answered, “State your need.”

“I think the Chrysalis are women,” Helen blurted into the line.

Azrael’s tone held no amusement, “How did you conclude that?”

“A man throws away his broken toys and gets new ones. A man wouldn’t concern himself with making sure the kids had exercise equipment in the form of a playground, a classroom, or nutritious food,” Helen stated. “A woman would, especially if she were grooming the kids to recruit other kids.”

“Okay, then what would be your next steps in locating these women leaders?” Azrael asked, intrigued by the deduction of the woman Apple had assessed as a sociopath.

“Madams have doctors and nurses on call to treat their toys when the tricks get too rough and pull-out Barbie’s hair. That Rochelle chick said she was in CNA school and worked on the broken toys. If she does it, then maybe other students do as well. We start by tracking that heifer’s movements over the past month. Also, not sure if this is the right train of thought, but maybe three to five women with new wealth in maybe the last ten years with assets that don’t match the bank statements. I don’t know how to find that kind of stuff.”

“Let me look into it. Are you close by?”

“Hell no- you gave me two weeks and I am far from the maddening crowds,” Helen said.

“Keep your phone close.”

“I’m taking my two weeks,” Helen said. “Hey, is this paid vacation time, and do I get medical?”

Azrael disconnected the call. Helen put the phone on the table. She had a twinkle in her eyes when she looked at Mustang. It was the same twinkle that had him sitting in his living room in his underwear, wondering how in the hell he’d come to this moment. She offered him a smile, which also made him smile.

“I’m growing on her, but Lord please forgive me, that is one unattractive woman. She looks like she’s laughing and crying concurrently while taking a sneeze that turned into a fart.”

Mustang burst into laughter. He really enjoyed being in her company. She was a breath of fresh air compared to the women who tried to be a part of his life.

“Helen, are we going to discuss you using company resources for personal gain?”

“Nope. Are you going to report yourself for benefitting from my ill usage of technician technology?”

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