Crisis of Identity

‘How did you go…?’ Dawes asked.

‘Were you sitting on it…? Did it even ring at your end...?’

Dawes chuckled down the phone. ‘Just keen to hear your comments.’

‘What can I say…? She’s a psychic. I don’t rate psychics…’

‘Did you read the article?’

‘I did.’

‘And…?’

‘And, what?’ There was no way I was sharing my true thoughts with him. ‘I told you…She’s a psychic. Most of them are frauds…aren’t they?’

‘Come on, Kade…’ he said like he was trying to convince me to try something for the first time. ‘Surely you noticed the similarities…’

I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to answer.

‘You’re an intelligent bloke…’ the cop said. ‘I don’t need to spell it out to you. You would’ve made the obvious connections.’

Mitch returned and handed me a beer. I activated loudspeaker as he slid into his chair. ‘All I noticed were a number of coincidences…That’s what psychics do…they give vague descriptions and allow you to fill in the blanks, so it fits to your circumstances.’

‘Vague descriptions…?’ The cop’s tone was firm but questioning. ‘I suppose the green blazer was vague….’ he said. ‘I suppose the detail about the gold logo on the pocket was vague… and she couldn’t have been vaguer about the school description, could she…?’ he said oozing sarcasm. ‘A religious private school… in WA,’ he emphasized.

‘I don’t know what to tell you…’

‘I Googled St Xavier’s College, Kade. The older part of the school building has a spire at the front, like a church…Just like she claimed to see.’

‘Aha.’ He was not getting me to say I agree with him. He never will.

‘You’re being difficult now…’ he said with obvious thinning patience. ’

’Am I….? Am I being difficult… or am I prepared to look at this objectively, rather than with your closed mind?’

‘I have a closed mind, do I?’

‘You’re looking for anything to support your theory of who I am, without considering any opposing views.’

‘Is that right…?’

’Well…you just said you Googled St Xavier’s… how do you know this psychic didn’t do that? You’ve seen the school website…it’s filled with students in full dress. There’s photos of the café’s outdoor sail covered dining area. All this information is readily available online.’ Mitch lifted his beer to me as if to approve of my comments.

’But was it readily available back in 2004…?’ his tone was condescending.

‘Of course it was. Those facilities were there when I was a student.’

‘OK… then tell me this…why did she pick St Xavier’s College…? She could have picked any one of the other colleges in WA. For that matter…why did she choose WA…?’

‘She didn’t actually name St Xavier’s…you’ve drawn that connection. But you’d have to ask her those questions, Detective…’ My patience for this bloke had all but evaporated. ’Wouldn’t that be part of your job… to actually find the answers to these questions before you go off half-cocked and accuse innocent people?’

What irked me the most was, if he thinks I am Jayden then that implies my parents had something to do with this kid’s disappearance. And that to me is about as offensive as anyone can be. ‘I can’t believe you, as a detective who should work on hard facts, not witchcraft, is placing so much reliance on the comments of a Psychic…’

’Those comments you referred to, turn out to be fairly accurate…’

‘Because you want them to be…’ I blurted. ‘That’s what they do.’

‘You don’t think you’re Jayden… I have a strong suspicion you may be… At this point we’ll agree to disagree.’

’A strong suspicion based on an aged computer generated image of a three year old boy.’

‘Not just the photo. What about his father, Graham…? You can’t deny that you look like Jayden’s father. Hell, even Mitch identified the comparison.’ I shot Mitch a hard stare. He cowered like a dog about to be chastised. ‘There is one way we can settle this,’ he said like he was discussing a wager between friends. He paused waiting for my response. I left him hanging. ‘Give me a DNA sample…’

Mitch firmly shook his head at me. I held up a hand. ‘Not happening,’ I said.

‘Why not? It’s quick and easy. Just a saliva swab and you’re on your way.’

‘You’re not getting my DNA, OK.’

‘I say you’re Jayden…you say you’re not. Let the DNA sample decide.’

‘I don’t need a DNA sample to tell me who I am.’

‘Come on it won’t — ’

‘I-Said-No!’ It was time to escalate this. ‘I’ve just about had a gut full of you and your implications…’

‘Implications…?’

‘Implications… If you think I’m Jayden fuckin’ Evans, then that implies my parents were somehow involved in his abduction.’

‘I’m not implying that at all Kade…’ Dawes said. ’I’m actually suggesting they were involved – somehow.’

‘Whoa…’ Mitch said. ‘Dude… That’s harsh.’

‘Is that Mitch…? Hi Mitch I didn’t know you were there.’

I clenched my jaw as I pushed myself from away the table, leaving my phone. I leaned my hands on the balcony, staring out into the darkness while I tried to calm my racing blood pressure. My jaw ached. My temples throbbed as my knuckles whitened.

‘Mate, you’re colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss…’ Mitch said. ‘I have known Mr & Mrs Miller for more than fifteen years, well before Mr Miller passed away and you would never meet better people. They’re not even my parents and I’m offended by your comments. I can’t begin to imagine how pissed off Kado would be…’

‘I understand what you — ’

I’d heard enough. I grabbed the phone and ended the call, dropping it onto the table. ‘Fuck you!’ I screamed at the phone as it bounced on the table. I found myself pacing the balcony like a lifer pacing his cell.

‘You OK, bro…?’

Before I could answer Mitch, the phone started ringing and vibrating on the glass table. I checked the number. ‘It’s that piece of shit again…’ I said as I shut down my phone. ‘I need a drink, bro…Let’s hit the bars.’

‘I thought you’d never ask.’