Chris Kuzneski - The Prophecy

‘Excuse me? Why is that important?’

‘Why? Because it will help me decide the tone of this conversation.’

She stared at him. ‘I’m not liking this already.’

‘The second, I guess. Ashley moved next door about six months ago. We’re roughly the same age and had some common interests, so we were friendly. We didn’t hang out all the time or anything like that, but we kept an eye on each other’s apartment when one of us went out of town. You know, getting mail, watering plants, and so on.’

‘But you had her key.’

She nodded. ‘Her spare key — just in case she got locked out. Our building manager is never around, so we exchanged keys for an emergency. She had mine as well.’

Payne listened to her explanation, trying to gauge how he should break the news about her neighbour’s death. Normally, he’d come right out and say it, but in this situation, he wanted to learn as much information about Ashley as possible since there was always a chance Megan would clam up when she learned about her neighbour. ‘And did she—’

‘Hold up,’ Megan said, interrupting him. ‘Did you call me down here to find out dirt about Ashley? Because if you did, that’s really sleazy.’

‘No, Megan, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.’

‘Actually, no, I wasn’t.’

She looked at him, confused. ‘What are you talking about? I walked in on you.’

He shook his head. ‘On me. Not us.’

Instinctively, she clenched her pepper spray. ‘You better start explaining, or I’m leaving.’

Payne nodded, then filled her in on everything that had happened, starting with her neighbour’s trip to Pittsburgh and ending with the incident in the hallway upstairs. About the only thing he didn’t mention was the translation of the letter. That information was too important to share with someone he had just met.

Once Payne had finished, Megan sat quietly in the booth, considering everything she had been told. Normally, she was the sceptical type, requiring all kinds of evidence before she was willing to accept anything, but due to the level of detail in Payne’s story, she believed his account of things — at least for the time being.

‘I don’t know how to feel about this,’ she admitted. ‘I should be distraught over her death, but at the same time, I just found out

Payne nodded in empathy. ‘I doubt this will make you feel any better, but I’m a pretty good judge of character. Normally I can spot a liar or a phoney a mile away. Yet for some reason, I believed everything she told me. And so did my partner. The woman was very convincing.’

‘Speaking of convincing, how do I know you’re not lying to me as well?’

He shrugged. ‘I guess you don’t. But if you want, feel free to check up on me right now. It wouldn’t bother me at all. Tell me, does your phone have an Internet browser?’

‘Yes, why?’

He pulled out his wallet and showed her his driver’s licence. ‘Google my name, Jonathon Payne, and see what pops up. Same thing with David Jones, the idiot who tried to shoot you. You’ll get all the proof you’re looking for.’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Completely serious. The sooner you trust me, the better — and the sooner DJ can join us.’ Payne paused for a moment and grinned. ‘Actually, I take that back. I kind of like him sitting in the

She smiled. ‘He deserves more than that. I should have kicked him in the nuts.’

Payne laughed. ‘Wow, I have to admit you’re handling this a lot better than I thought you would. When I saw your bunny slippers and heard you scream, I pegged you for a crier. A loud, theatrical, over the top crier.’

She shook her head. ‘I cried myself out at an early age.’

‘Let me guess. Guy trouble?’

‘No,’ she said quietly, ‘family trouble. I lost my parents when I was young.’

His face flushed. ‘Me, too. Eighth grade.’

‘At the same time?’

He nodded. ‘Drunk driver. How about yours?’

‘My dad died when I was two. I can’t even remember him…’

‘And your mom?’

‘A mugger shot her when I was ten. They never caught the guy.’

He nodded in understanding. ‘I guess that explains it.’

She looked at him, confused. ‘Explains what?’

‘The volume of your scream. You saw the gun

‘Are you psychoanalysing me?’

He held his thumb and finger a few inches apart. ‘A little bit.’

‘Well, Jonathon, I’ll have you know my scream had nothing to do with my mom’s death. I’m simply a loud screamer. I always have been.’

He grinned. ‘Good to know.’

‘Stop flirting with me.’

He scrunched his face. ‘Come on! Why would I flirt with you?’

‘Why? Because I’m awesome.’

‘Who said I even like awesome?’

She sneered at him. ‘ Everyone likes awesome.’

‘Good,’ he said as he stood up, ‘then you’ll love me.’

34

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.

‘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

‘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.’