The entire image was photographed and plastered on television. Two of the men in the image were depicted with full and exacting facial details, but the third man’s face had no features, as if the child artist couldn’t see him clearly enough in her mind’s eye.
Within, hours of broadcasting the images, citizens called in with reports, and police had the identity of the two men, brothers with a long history of trouble with the law. A few hours later, they located a possible hiding place, and found two of the children. They were frightened, and tied up, scared, and dehydrated, but otherwise unharmed.
The two relieved families thanked authorities and praised the young artist who led police to their children. One of them even let slip her name, “Thank you, Sabrina.”
The media wanted to know about this child artist, but the police declined to comment, including declining to confirm if her first name was Sabrina or not. They had more important things to do, because while two of the kidnapped children had been returned, the third was still missing and the two brothers, although identified, were still in the wind.
Since they had no idea who the third man was, Police concentrated their efforts on finding the two known culprits, hoping the third child would be found with them. They did find the men; at a warehouse, they’d been known to use. But, they’d been killed, execution style, and there were no signs of the still missing child.
The media began to speculate, fueled by interviews and demands from the parents of the still missing child. They insisted on having the police bring in the child artist to see if she could recall the third man’s face. It was now the operating theory that it was the third man with the missing face in the child’s image, had probably killed the other two accomplices, and ran off with the money. It was hoped also, that he ran off with the third child.
Publicly, the police declined to acquiesce to the parent’s pressures, citing safety concerns for the child. But, somehow, probably through a series of bribes, the parents of the missing child managed to convince the police to interview the girl, privately, at a hotel with a police officer present. Unfortunately, after meeting with the parents, the young girl had a severe mental breakdown, and had to be hospitalized.
After that incident, the courts put a gag order on the parents and gave them a restraining order, which forbade them to contact the child or her parents again. The Seattle Police Department was fined for endangering a child, and the mystery girl was taken off the grid, and her records and her full legal name sealed from the public.
Six months later, after the story had died down, and the public forgot about the still missing three-year-old-boy, the boy’s father was found dead of an apparent suicide.
Six months after that on the fourth of July, the mother who’d now lost a child and a husband, gave a news conference where she begged, Sabrina, to come forth and help her find her child and the third man.
It was ironic, that when the young woman finally did come forward and admitted that she was the Child Psychic Artist it was 10 years later, and the woman who’d never stopped pleading for her help every year on the fourth of July, had only weeks before succumbed to Ovarian Cancer.
Sabrina’s admission which was held at a press conference in front of a Hollywood studio on July Fourth 2014, hit the wires and garnered international media attention. Requests for an interview and on-camera appearances flooded the studio, but Merge Right Productions refused to give the media access to their golden girl. They were making a movie about her story, and if people wanted to know more they could wait for the film. Sabrina, who still only went by her first name, appeared very shy and uncomfortable on camera and read from a statement.
And while the studio was reluctant to grant her interviews, they weren’t reluctant to promote that she was creating and selling her art. Her showing at art galleries around the West Coast, were sold out, her art selling for more and more each time. But, her handlers kept her off camera, and when they let her on camera, they did all the speaking for her.
And then after the initial media interest seemed to die down, the film studio had another press conference. Sabrina was now considering other kidnappings and crimes, and he put out a request for people to send letters with pictures of missing loved ones, to Sabrina, care of the studio. This announcement put Sabrina and the movie back in the forefront of media attention and per the unnamed source at the studio, letters and calls requesting Sabrina’s help flooded the studio.
It wasn’t long after this, apparently, that Sabrina, allegedly went AWOL. Art gallery appearances were canceled, and the studio stopped promoting the film. Our unnamed source close to the project said that the future of the film was now contingent on the return of the Sabrina. Our requests from Merge Right Studios for comment on this story were declined.
Some people the Gazette spoke to, suspected that the young psychic artist might have had another mental breakdown after reading some of the letters. It was possible that the studio was denying her admission to a mental hospital or similar, concerned that it might destroy the likeability of the woman featured in their film.
So, for now, all we can do is speculate. Sabrina, if you’re out there in Vancouver somewhere, come forth and let us tell your tale. And for any of you lucky enough to have purchased her art from the coffee shop wall, before you knew who made it, the Gazette would like to get a picture and interview you for a follow-up story.
Send inquiries to ScottCarmenPiedmontGazette
Chapter 4
After punching in the right set of codes, Harcourt pulled back as he saw text rather than a group of people on his screen. Instead of the room full of people eagerly awaiting to see him for the first time in almost a year, there was just a graphic with the words Waiting for Conference Room Leader written on it. Harcourt scratched under his ear, pondering the meaning. With important video conference calls, usually the conference room leader—often an administrative assistant—would be there a good thirty minutes prior to the start-time.
Before he could think of who to complain to about the lax business protocol, the graphic went away and the screen showed live video. He relaxed, and readied himself for the last business meeting before his official retirement, until he took the unexpected scene. He’d expected to see: one of his company’s large, familiar conference rooms, and a roomful of faces he recognized, like Peter’s and others from the executive team.
Instead, the conference room was small by corporate standards, and instead of a dozen or more people in the room, he only saw three. The three men sat staring back at him, poker-faced. Harcourt did not recognize these men; he was sure of that. He must have transposed a number or something, dialed into the wrong conference call by mistake. Harcourt reached for Molly’s instructions to check the conference room ID number when the man in the middle spoke.
“Harcourt Raymondson?” he asked.
“Yes.”
The man who’d addressed him was in his late sixties, wearing a well-tailored gray suit. He pushed a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses down his nose and stared at Harcourt.
Harcourt tensed up, but forced his voice to sound relaxed and unconcerned. “Where is everyone? Are we early?”
The man in the middle lifted an eyebrow then glanced at the other two men, then they all started staring at him again. Harcourt had the uncomfortable feeling that they were observing him like he was a rat in a cage.