The Prophecy

34

Megan used her touchscreen phone to get background information on Payne and Jones — everything from a New York Times article about their discovery in Greece to their biographies on Wikipedia. By the time she was done, she felt comfortable with both of them, despite the fact that Jones had pulled a gun on her less than an hour before.

While she investigated them, they returned the favour in the back corner of the room. They figured her neighbour had already burned them; they weren’t about to let it happen again. Jones called one of the detectives at his agency and asked him to do a quick background report on Megan Moore. Using her name and current address, he was able to track down everything from her personal information (single, never married, no family) to her credit score (excellent).

Once she was satisfied with her digging, she signalled for them to join her. Payne led the way, followed by Jones, who raised his hands as he approached the booth.

‘I come in peace,’ he assured her.

‘Relax, I’m no longer mad at you. And considering the circumstances, I can understand why you were a little bit jumpy.’

‘Still,’ he said as he pulled up a chair, ‘I’m sorry if I scared you.’

‘Speaking of scared, do I scare you?’

‘What do you mean?’

She smiled. ‘I mean, there’s plenty of space next to me in the booth, yet you choose to pull up a chair. Or is that your way of telling me that I need a mint?’

Jones laughed. ‘No, nothing like that. I promise.’

‘What is it then?’

‘Safety,’ he said.

‘Oh, so you are scared of me!’

He shook his head and pointed. ‘Actually, I’m afraid of what might come through that door. If I sit next to you, a pillar obstructs my view. From here, I can see the room.’

She glanced at Payne, who was sitting across from her. ‘Is he serious?’

Payne nodded. ‘We’re always serious about safety. Especially in a place like this.’

She looked around the room. It was well lit and filled with several neighbours, none of whom appeared threatening. ‘Am I missing something? I feel perfectly safe in here.’

‘Good,’ Payne said, ‘then we’re doing our job.’

‘You’re doing your job? What do you mean by that?’

‘I mean, we’re soldiers. When we enter a room, we automatically look for ways to minimize threats. It’s part of our training.’

‘You minimize threats? What does that mean?’

Jones glanced at Payne, looking for permission to speak. He gave him a simple nod, and Jones launched into a monologue. As he did, he never took his eyes off of Megan, letting her know that he knew everything going on around him without even looking.

‘First of all,’ he told her, ‘turn round. There’s a fire door behind you that leads to an emergency staircase. From Jon’s seat, he can’t see it clearly because of the pillar over your left shoulder, and if I had joined you on your side of the booth, the door would’ve been at my back. Right away, we’re in a position of weakness.’

She took a quick peek at the door, then refocused on Jones.

‘Secondly, check out the windows behind me. We’re on the second floor of a building, which is a floor below my comfort zone. Pull a truck under the window, stand on its roof, and you have a clean shot in here. Thankfully, the windows are coated with a protective film, used to keep the sun out during the summer and the heat inside during the winter. Because of that, it would be tough for a gunman to see more than shadows inside the room, which is one of the reasons that Jon chose this booth. Away from the windows, away from the exits, yet partially shielded by the pillars to the front and back.’

She looked at Payne, who nodded in agreement.

‘Obviously, the biggest threat is the door behind Jon. It leads to the elevators and the main hallway, which means it gets the most traffic. At first, I questioned Jon’s choice of seats. I would’ve selected the seat you’re in, allowing me to keep an eye on the door. Then it dawned on me, when he originally sat down, he knew I would be positioned in the corner, keeping an eye on all traffic in the hallway. In addition, I could see clear of the pillars that would’ve obstructed his view from the bench. Therefore, he chose the seat that offered you the best protection from the main door. The two pillars would act as shields.’

She stared at Jones, amazed. ‘How long did it take you to figure that out?’

He shrugged. ‘About a second. Any longer and we were at risk.’

‘Are you serious?’

Payne answered for him. ‘Like I said earlier, we’re always serious about safety.’

Megan considered his statement. ‘Then what happened to Ashley?’

Jones leaned back in his chair, frustrated by the question. ‘For the record, she flat-out lied to us about everything — her name, her background, her motivation, everything! That put us at a serious disadvantage. We thought she was a schoolteacher with a word puzzle, not a career thief with a stolen artefact. If we had known differently, we would’ve been better prepared.’

She nodded in understanding. ‘In other words, tell you the truth at all times.’

‘Yes. That’s exactly what I mean. Always tell us the truth. Always.’

‘That’s a two-way street, you know.’

Payne studied her. ‘Meaning?’

‘You didn’t invite me down here to break the news about my neighbour. You could’ve done that upstairs in the hallway. You brought me down here for another reason — one that involves my welfare. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so paranoid about safety, and you certainly wouldn’t have positioned me in the safest seat in the room. There has to be a reason for that.’

Payne shrugged. ‘Maybe we’re just chivalrous.’

‘Or maybe you’re full of shit.’

‘Damn,’ Jones said, ‘I like this gal. She’s smart and sassy. I’m glad I didn’t shoot her.’

‘Me, too,’ Payne joked. ‘Shootings are always messy. And there’s so much paperwork.’

Megan stared at him, unwilling to look away until she had conveyed how truly serious she was. She knew something dangerous was going on and wasn’t about to back down until they told her everything. ‘I’m waiting.’

‘For what?’

‘The reason you think I’m in danger.’

‘You’re pretty persistent, you know that?’

‘You have no idea.’

He paused for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of telling her. Eventually he decided she was right. Trust was a two-way street. ‘Fine! In the spirit of honesty and full disclosure, I’ll tell you what has us worried. I hope you can handle it, because you aren’t going to like it.’

‘Don’t worry, I can handle it.’

Payne nodded. ‘The odds are pretty good the shootings in Pittsburgh were done by the same people who broke into your neighbour’s apartment. They must’ve seen our article plastered on her refrigerator and figured out she had come to talk to us.’

‘And?’

‘And guess what else was in her apartment? A stack of mail belonging to you. How long do you think it will be before they pay you a visit? In fact, I’m kind of surprised they didn’t tear up your place when they were done with hers. That’s what most people would’ve done.’

Some of the colour drained from her face, but other than that, she took the news in her stride. ‘If you had to guess, why didn’t they?’

‘They probably didn’t want to spook you.’

‘They didn’t want to spook me? Why in the world would they care about that?’

‘Why? Because if they’d trashed your apartment, there’s a decent chance you would’ve stayed somewhere else for a while. Or invited someone over to protect you. Or purchased a gun for safety. By doing nothing, they would lull you into a false sense of security, which will ultimately make it easier to get to you.’

Fear flashed in her eyes. ‘To get to me? Why do they want me?’

‘Simple. By getting to you, they improve their odds of finding the letter.’

Megan shook her head in denial. ‘That makes no sense at all! I don’t know anything about a stupid letter. Or anything about her! At least nothing that was true.’

Jones chimed in. ‘But they don’t know that. They’ll assume you two were tight.’

‘Great! This is just great! Gunmen are after me for information that I don’t have. I’m sure they’ll really believe that, if they find me.’

Payne studied her, looking for signs of shock or panic. Surprisingly, she was holding up pretty well. ‘Megan, let me ask you something. Where have you been for the past few days?’

‘I’ve been in New Orleans.’

‘On vacation?’

‘Not really.’

‘What does that mean?’

She explained. ‘Every year during the holidays, I take a week off to do charity work. I don’t have any family to visit at Christmas, so I spend my vacation helping others. This year it was Habitat for Humanity, rebuilding homes that were lost in Hurricane Katrina.’

Payne smiled at her compassion. He had spent a lot of time in New Orleans, before and after the hurricane, and knew how much damage had been done. The city’s continuing struggle had convinced him to spearhead a campaign that encouraged manufacturing companies, like his own, to donate equipment and building supplies to help with the reconstruction process. In fact, Megan had probably used materials that Payne had provided to Habitat for Humanity.

Not that he would ever tell her. Bragging wasn’t his style.

‘So,’ Jones said, ‘you don’t have any family. What about friends?’

‘Of course I have friends, but I’m not going to stay with any of them, if that’s what you’re hinting at. Why would I want to put them in harm’s way?’

‘That’s okay,’ Payne said. ‘You can stay with us.’

She shook her head. ‘No way! I don’t even know you guys.’

Payne signalled for her to calm down. ‘Don’t worry, Megan. I didn’t mean in the same room as us. I just meant in the same hotel. It’s been a long day, and it’s probably not a good idea for you to sleep upstairs.’

‘Yeah,’ she admitted, ‘you’re probably right.’

‘Therefore, if you’re willing to put up with us for a little while longer, DJ would like to get you a room for the night.’

‘Excuse me?’ Jones blurted. ‘Why me?’

‘Why? Because you almost shot her. It’s the least you can do.’

Jones growled softly. ‘Fine! I’ll pay for one night, but no room service or movies.’

Megan shook her head. ‘One movie, and I can order dessert.’

‘Deal!’ he blurted. ‘But no porn. That shit is expensive.’