Future Imperfect

by Simon Rose

“We could still try and save him,” said Alex, in desperation.

  “How?” Stephanie asked. “Yes, we still have the credit card but we have no idea where the mine is.”

  Alex had to concede that she was right. Despite everything, there was no way they could save Andrew. Alex felt terrible. He’d more or less reluctantly come to terms with the fact that his dad might really be dead then discovered that he was still alive. Losing him like this was like Andrew dying twice. And yet as Stephanie pointed out, there was nothing they could do.

  THEY BOTH STOOD up and began walking out of the alley. Before they reached the sidewalk, Alex’s phone began to vibrate. He pulled it from his pocket and the special icon was pulsing.

  “It’s Alexander.”

  Alex pressed the icon and there was a live video message.

  “Thank God you’re both okay,”

  “What do you want this time?” said Alex.

  “Don’t hang up,” said Alexander. “This is urgent. They’ve found me.”

  “Who?”

  “Veronica’s people. I don’t have much time.”

  There was the sound of raised voices in the background and loud pounding on the door behind him.

  “They’re here! I’ve sent you something, but I don’t know if it’ll get through. Good luck.”

  Alexander turned away from the screen. Alex and Stephanie heard the sound of the door being broken down followed by two gunshots. Blood was splattered across the screen before it abruptly went blank.

  Alex and Stephanie stood in stunned silence near the entrance to the alley.

  “Oh my God,” said Stephanie. “Is he dead?”

  “Looks that way,” Alex replied, swallowing hard. “He did say he was in danger of being discovered, remember? He said that he’d moved around a lot and covered his tracks for years. But then he mentioned that being in contact with us made it very risky since he’d had to be in the same place for too long.”

  “So we’re responsible for his death,” said Stephanie.

  “Don’t say that.”

  “But it’s true,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. “If he hadn’t started this whole thing he’d still be alive.”

  “Yeah, well, he started it for a reason and knew what he was getting into. If Alexander was ever going to be any help saving my dad, it’s all over now.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  A Matter of Trust

  AS THEY EMERGED from the alley, a police car drove along the street and stopped outside the coffee shop. Alex and Stephanie darted back into the alley as two officers got out of the car and entered the premises.

  “Are they looking for us?” said Stephanie, in alarm.

  “I don’t know!” Alex snapped.

  “Well, it was on the news just now about that break-in at Castlewood.”

  “I know that but they couldn’t possibly have found us that quickly. We only just got here.”

  “What if the guy who served us tells them something?”

  Alex thought for a moment.

  “Maybe they’re just checking everywhere in this area. We’re not that far from Castlewood, after all. Or they even might just be getting coffee.”

  Stephanie was unimpressed.

  “What are we going to do, Alex? It’s only a matter of time before we’re caught if every cop in the city is looking for us.”

  “Maybe not every cop,” said Alex.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “We could contact Marino.”

  “Who?”

  Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He then showed Stephanie Officer Marino’s business card.

  “Marino. She came to the hospital and visited us after the accident. She was at your house talking to your parents after you went missing too.”

  “I don’t know, Alex,” said Stephanie, shaking her head. “Veronica said she had connections in the police department. How do you know we can trust Marino?”

  “I don’t,” Alex admitted. “But do you have any other suggestions? Right now we seem to be out of options.”

  Stephanie sighed then nodded.

  “Okay, give her call.”

  Alex took out his phone and carefully entered Marino’s number on the keypad. When prompted, he added the number for Marino’s extension.

  “It’s ringing.”

  The phone was answered but immediately connected to Marino’s voice mail. Alex listened to the recorded message then hung up.

  “She’s not there?”

  “It says that she’s in the office, but not at her desk. I don’t want to risk leaving a message either with her or with someone at the front desk. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”

  “So what do we do?”

  “We have to go over there and see her in person.”

  Alex quickly studied the address on the card. He used his phone to conduct a quick search for the address of Marino’s office. The map showed that it was only a few blocks away.

  “Okay, it isn’t too far.”

  THEY CAUTIOUSLY PEERED out of the alley. The sidewalks were somewhat busier with pedestrians than when they’d first arrived at the coffee shop. There was more traffic on the street too, but the police car was gone. Alex and Stephanie both knew that they ran the risk of being recognized at some point on their journey, but each realized that they had little choice.

  “So what happens when we get there?” Stephanie asked, as they hurried along the sidewalk. “We just ask to see Marino? What about the person on the front desk? Maybe other cops there might have seen our pictures?”

  “I know it’s risky,” replied Alex. “I’m just hoping that Marino believes us.”

  “And that she’s not working for Veronica.”

  Alex nodded.

  “That too.”

  They reached an intersection and narrowly missed crossing the street before the traffic lights changed. Alex and Stephanie waited patiently on the sidewalk with several other people. Two police cars approached the intersection, although they didn’t appear to be in a hurry. One of the officers in the nearest car began studying the passersby, including those waiting to cross the street.

  “Hug me,” Stephanie whispered.

  “What?” said Alex.

  “Hug me.”

  “What for?”

  She didn’t wait for his answer. She simply embraced him and pulled Alex’s head to the side, facing away from the street.

  “What are you doing?” hissed Alex.

  “Those cops in the cars are scanning the crowd,” she said into his ear. “Keep still so they can’t see our faces. They’ll think we’re making out.”

  Alex was extremely embarrassed although none of the other people nearby paid any attention.

  “Okay, they’ve gone,” said Stephanie, stepping away from him.

  Everyone else had already begun crossing the street as soon as the traffic lights changed.

  “Right, yes, of course,” Alex stammered.

  Stephanie winked at him and smiled.

  “Let’s go.”

  THEY HARDLY SPOKE for the remainder of the journey as Alex focused on the map directions on his phone. They mingled with the other pedestrians and stayed close to the fronts of shops, restaurants, and other buildings. This made them less visible to passing cars on the street but fortunately they didn’t encounter any more police cars or officers on patrol.

  “Here we are,” said Alex, looking up from his phone. “This is it.”

  They’d arrived just down the street from the police building housing Marino’s office. The wide structure was single story with a parking lot on the right hand side. On the left side of the building, police cars and other vehicles were parked in an area enclosed by a wire fence, although the gate was open to allow officers to drive in and out.

  “Let’s hope she’s in,” said Stephanie.

  They began walking toward the main entrance, but when they reached the gate of the fenced area, a police officer emerged from the bui
lding’s front doors. He began walking in their direction, and as he drew closer, Alex and Stephanie recognized Marino’s partner, Officer Henderson. He smiled as he stopped to greet them on the sidewalk.

  “Alex, isn’t it?” he said.

  “Hi,” said Alex.

  “And Stephanie, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How are you both doing since the car accident? Are you fully recovered?”

  “More or less,” said Alex.

  “Me too,” Stephanie added.

  “And how’s your mom, Alex? I know it must be very hard for her, not knowing what’s happened to your dad. We’re doing all we can to find him.”

  “She’s fine,” said Alex. “Coping with it as best she can, I guess.”

  “So what are you two doing here?” Henderson asked, changing the subject.

  “We came to see Officer Marino,” Alex replied.

  “Okay,” said Henderson. “Anything I can help you with?”

  Alex hesitated, shuffling his feet slightly before Stephanie broke the silence.

  “It’s kind of a girl’s thing,” she said, smiling at Henderson. “We really need to speak to a female officer.”

  “Oh, I see,” said Henderson. “Well, I’m not sure if she’s in right now but you’re very welcome to come in and check.”

  A call alert sounded from his phone, and he pulled it out of this pocket.

  “Excuse me, it’s my wife. She rarely calls me at work, so it might be something important about the kids.”

  He quickly scanned the text and composed a reply before sending the message.

  “Okay, let’s get you two inside.”

  Alex and Stephanie began walking toward the building’s front entrance.

  “No, let’s go this way,” said Henderson, gesturing toward the fenced lot beside them. “There’s a back door that’s accessed from the parking lot.”

  Henderson led them into the lot and closed the gate before they all walked over to the rear entrance to the building. Once inside, he immediately ushered them into a small room. It contained a bare wooden table and four chairs. Against one wall there was a water cooler, along with a metal filing cabinet and a computer on small desk.

  “Have a seat,” said Henderson.

  Alex and Stephanie pulled the chairs out from the table and sat down.

  “So you can’t tell me what’s going on?”

  “We’d really rather wait for Officer Marino,” said Stephanie.

  “No problem, I understand. I’ll check and see how long she’ll be.”

  He walked over to the door then turned to face them.

  “You two stay in this room. It’s probably best if no one knows you’re here until Officer Marino arrives. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”

  He left the room and closed the door behind him.

  “Did he lock it?” Stephanie whispered.

  They both stood up and went over to the door. They quickly confirmed that they were locked in.

  “Why would he do that?” said Alex, frowning.

  “Maybe to stop anyone walking in by accident and finding us here?”

  “Okay, but how come he never asked about you being kidnapped?”

  “Maybe he’s not working on that case?”

  “Yeah, but surely he knows about that,” said Alex, “even if he wasn’t at your house with Marino. After all, he’s supposed to be working on my dad’s disappearance and you’re connected to that.”

  “You’re right, that is strange. How do we know that he’s not working for Veronica? She did say she had connections in the police department.”

  “But he’s Marino’s partner.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything,” Stephanie replied. “We don’t really know anything about her either. Didn’t Veronica say that her friends would make sure the police investigation into your dad went nowhere? Marino’s in charge of the investigation, isn’t she, or at least involved in it?”

  “You’re right,” said Alex. “We can’t trust these people. We have to get out of here.”

  They were both startled as Alex’s phone received another message. He pulled the phone from his pocket.

  “It’s Alexander.”

  “So he’s alive?” said Stephanie.

  “I don’t know. Hang on.”

  It was a text message rather than a video. Alex pressed the icon but this time there was no message from Alexander. There were only some GPS map coordinates.

  “What is it?” Stephanie asked. “Is he okay?”

  “No idea. It’s some kind of directions.”

  He showed Stephanie what was displayed on his phone.

  “That’s the mine.”

  “How do you know?”

  “It must be,” said Stephanie. “Look, it’s out in the woods, just like Veronica talked about.”

  They heard footsteps approaching in the hallway outside. Alex shoved his phone back in his pocket just as Henderson opened the door.

  “Okay, I’ve checked with Officer Marino and she’s working out of a different office today. I’m going to take you over there. Come on, I’ve got a car parked out at the back. Don’t worry, no one knows you’re here.”

  Alex and Stephanie stood up from the table and followed Henderson out into the hallway. They kept a discreet distance behind him as they made their way to the exit door leading into the parking lot.

  “If he’s really working for Veronica,” Stephanie whispered, “once we get into that police car, we’re trapped.”

  “Well, we can’t go anywhere,” said Alex. “He locked the gate to the parking lot.”

  They stepped outside and Henderson was standing beside the open rear door of the police car.

  “Here we are,” he said.

  “Thanks,” said Alex.

  He climbed into the back of the car. Stephanie slid in beside him and Henderson closed the door. Alex and Stephanie quickly checked the locks, which were firmly secured on both sides. Henderson settled into the driver’s seat and glanced at them in the rearview mirror.

  “All settled in back there?” he asked.

  “Yeah, we’re good,” Stephanie replied.

  Henderson keyed in some directions to the GPS system, drove up to the gate and put the car into park. He then got out to open the gate.

  Alex and Stephanie both leaned forward to get a better view of the computer screen on the dashboard.

  “That’s the same as the directions Alexander sent us,” said Alex.

  “Are you sure?”

  Alex pulled out his phone. They immediately confirmed that the map coordinates were identical to those displayed on the police car’s computer.

  “What are we going to do?” Alex asked.

  “As soon as we’re on the road, and especially before we get out of the city, we’ll need a diversion,” said Stephanie.

  “Like what?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Henderson got back into the car.

  “Okay,” he said. “Officer Marino’s working at an office outside town, but hopefully it won’t take us too long to get there. There shouldn’t be too many other cars around at this time of day.”

  “Okay,” said Stephanie.

  “That’s fine,” Alex added.

  The car moved slowly forward through the gate before merging into traffic. Henderson didn’t say anything to them as they drove along the city streets, but occasionally checked on his passengers in the mirror. When they passed the coffee shop where they’d been earlier, Stephanie glanced over at Alex and gave him a brief nod.

  “Oh, my God,” she said. “I’m going to throw up.”

  “What?” asked Henderson.

  “I’m going to throw up. I’m so sorry. It’s not usually like this.”

  “You have to stop the car,” said Alex, following her lead.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Henderson asked, in alarm.

  “She gets really travel sick sometimes. It’s not usually as bad as this, only when she’s on t
he highway. It brings on her asthma too. Sometimes she can hardly breathe. We have to stop.”

  “It’s not good,” said, Stephanie, coughing and covering her mouth with her hand. “I’m going to throw up.”

  “Okay, okay,” said Henderson, impatiently. “Hang on, I’m stopping.”

  He quickly checked his side mirrors then braked sharply. He parked at the side of the street just beyond the coffee shop, unlocking the doors as he did so. He got out of the car and went to open the back door for Stephanie.

  “Here, let me help you,” said Henderson, holding out his hand.

  “Thanks,” Stephanie replied.

  She pretended to be having difficulty breathing as she took Henderson’s hand and began climbing out of her seat.

  “Get the keys if you get a chance,” she whispered to Alex.

  “What?”

  “The car keys, then he can’t follow us once we run.”

  HENDERSON HELPED STEPHANIE to sit down on one of the chairs at the table outside the coffee shop.

  “Are you okay now?” he asked.

  “I still don’t feel good,” replied Stephanie.

  One of the employees from the coffee shop came outside to see what was happening.

  “What’s wrong?” the girl asked. “Is she sick? Can I get you some water or something?”

  “Yes, please,” Henderson replied. “Water would be good.”

  “Alex, where are my keys?” said Stephanie.

  She pretended to cough and almost vomit.

  “Your keys?”

  “Yes,” said Stephanie. “The keys, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah. Maybe they’re on the back seat?”

  Stephanie took a few deep breaths.

  “That’s it, just breathe,” said Henderson. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

  Henderson was distracted as some of the coffee shop customers and a handful of passersby asked him what was wrong with Stephanie. Alex went over to the car where the rear door remained open. Henderson’s keys were still in the ignition. Alex pretended to be searching on the back seat. He could see that Henderson was still occupied with Stephanie and that people were blocking his view of the car. Alex quickly opened the driver’s door and removed the keys from the ignition. He stuffed them into his pocket and rejoined Stephanie at the table. She was taking a sip from a glass of water.