Harriet was careful not to leak anything of what she knew about the future. It was so hard not to share all the details she had learned about world order for the next one hundred years but Harriet knew the only thing she could do for her friend was to steer her down a path to keep her out of trouble. She couldn’t tell her that the mess in the USA would go from bad to worse in the next four years. However, they would be in school during that time and by then, Maggie would have no desire to venture into such a hostile environment. Even now with the mass shootings and political upheaval, Canadians were staying home or traveling to Europe or the tropics for their vacations. Maggie was the most flag-waving Canadian Harriet knew. She could never tell her that in less than fifty years Canada would be split, with the three Maritime Provinces joining the USA after Quebec won its independence and separated.
It was close to midnight when Harriet said goodnight and it occurred to her she hadn’t heard from Joe. It wasn’t like him to go an entire evening without calling her.
Rather than phone him, she tried contacting him with telepathy. He didn’t respond and that worried her. Knowing that the AI didn’t work all that well, depending on location, it could be Joe was some place that was blocking his thought waves. At least she prayed that’s what it was. It was late and if something was wrong with him, she would have heard from someone by now.
Her worry made her realize what the last couple of months had done to her. Every small change frightened her. The list was long and getting longer. The commander coming after them headed the list. The constant threat of another attack by Luke, and now she had to add worrying about Joe when she lost track of him.
Much to her relief he called just before her bedtime.
“Sorry, I got caught up with some guys from high school that’ll be at Argyle this year. One of them wants to get on the basketball team with me. How’d it go with Maggie?”
She filled him in, relieved that he’d called her, even this late.
“Good, glad she believed you, that’s one less person to worry about.”
They chatted a while longer then said goodnight. Harriet went to sleep a little later than planned, hoping the missed sleep wouldn’t be obvious at her job interview at a nearby tavern in the morning.
The pub was not all that far from campus. The work paid only minimum wage, but it could generate a fair amount in tips if she could hustle and learn to sling a load of drinks and food and work on her feet all evening. This would require working Friday night and from noon Saturday until closing, eliminating any weekend plans for her and Joe. But they knew that they would need the money if they ever hoped to live on their own at some point.
That possibility was looking more and more out of reach as long as they were at school. They’d priced apartments and flats around campus and realized that they’d be hard pressed to come up with enough money to afford the upkeep. But at least the jobs would help them contribute to their books and spending money. Plus they’d both earned scholarships, and their parents could afford the balance of any tuition and would never complain, but neither one of them would sit back and not try to contribute what they could. With their new artificial intelligence, neither of them worried that their jobs would interfere with their studies.
Joe picked up Harriet in the morning as he liked to keep track of her too. They both worried about the ever-present danger from the commander. Now they could add Luke to the mix.
She had arranged this interview two months ago but missed the appointment because of their fateful hike. When they returned, she called to rebook and fortunately for her, there was another opening. Joe got her there on time and all went well. She impressed the bar owner with her intelligence and enthusiasm. The job required that the girls wear tight shirts and shorts, but Harriet could handle herself and was unconcerned about the stereotyping. It was all for a good cause. Also having been on the other side of the bar, she knew that most people paid little attention to the serving staff. A few of the stag guys might hassle them, but the bouncers soon took care of any troublemakers.
Her dad had offered her a job doing something in their law office, but Harriet figured they’d done enough for her already. The excitement of working in the pub outweighed the boredom of clerical work in a stuffy law office for her, but Joe had no such misgivings and enjoyed his part-time job with his dad and future father-in-law.
The interview lasted a half hour, after which she met Joe at the coffee shop two doors down. He knew from the smile on her face that all had gone well. But he asked anyway. “How’d it go?”
“Good… the manager said he’d call me late this afternoon. I’m not worried about it.”
They spent the next hour at the coffee shop making plans. Joe wasn’t the least concerned about Harriet working at the pub. He’d taught her enough self- defense moves to take care of herself. Plus he respected the fact that she would shrivel up in an office environment, even if it was part time. More than anything, he trusted her.
It also proved to be a good steady job for the next three years. In all that time she never had an issue… that is, until the summer just before her fifth and final year at Argyle.
Chapter 7
The Detectives
2023
Harriet loved her part-time job at the pub. She could handle large numbers of patrons at the busiest times. At five-foot-eleven she stood out while weaving her way through the crowd, holding her tray high over people’s heads. Her height and dexterity proved to be an asset. She was efficient and personable, pulling in an impressive sum on Friday nights. That’s when the business crowd came in early and stayed late while celebrating the end of the work week.
The Saturday lunch crowd was a little less generous, but Saturday night would make up for it. It was couple’s party night and could last until two a.m. The live and mostly loud music led to a rowdy crowd.
It was the middle of August and on this Saturday shift, she was on the countdown to closing time. The band had just begun its last set of the evening and the patrons had Harriet hopping. Most had the munchies, so she carried food and drinks, weaving through the crowd. She served her table and filled her tray with empties.
Turning, she came face-to-face with Luke Holmes, who was blocking her path. Over the past three years, he had avoided them, which was fine with her. Seeing him tonight was a shock.
“Hey, sweet-cheeks, how’s it going?” He leered at her with his version of a smile.
“I’m busy, Luke, and you’re in my way.” She tried going around him, but he blocked her.
“Do I have to call the bouncer?” she threatened.
“No problem. Just wanted to say hi to an old friend.” His voice was as annoying as ever, as he stepped aside.
She pushed on by and dumped the empty glasses and plates the ultra-busy busboy should have picked up then went to the bar and put in her table’s order. Meanwhile, she grabbed a bowl of peanuts and dropped it off at a table that had emptied theirs. She loaded her order and took it over to the customers who were waiting.
To Harriet’s relief, Luke and his two friends left just before the pub’s one o’clock closing. She left half an hour later and headed out the back door into the alley to get her car. Just as she reached for the door, Luke came up behind her and put his hand against the car blocking her.
“How about you and I go to an after-hours bar for a get re-acquainted drink?”
The thought of it made her shiver.
“How about you get out of my way? I’m tired, and I need to get home.” Her heart was beating double time, and the blood had rushed to her head and was tap dancing inside her eardrums.
“Still a stuck-up bitch, I see. Hey, I won’t push it—it’s your loss, darlin’.” He turned and headed out of the alley. “You haven’t seen the last of me,” he called over his shoulder.
Harriet got into the car and locking the door sat there until her heart stopped pounding. Joe had taught her enough moves to bring down someone twice his size, but she was content not to
get that close to Luke to try them out. Besides that there were still too many people around for him to play any kind of physical games with her. This was pure intimidation on his part and she knew it. It left her wondering what the scumbag was up to.
She drove home and said nothing to Joe. Why worry him, she rationalized.
Harriet put Luke out of her mind and got on with her life.
She called Maggie’s cell phone two days later to catch up but got no answer so she called Maggie’s mom. There weren’t that many free hours in the weekend for Harriet to call and chat. However, if she left it for too many days, Maggie would make her life miserable.
Her mom answered. “No, Maggie’s not here, in fact, she didn’t come home last night. I was about to call you and see if she was with you. It’s not like her not to call.” Harriet could hear the worry in her voice.
“Okay, Mrs. McEwan, if I hear from Maggie, I’ll let you know. I’ve been working and haven’t had a minute to call. Has she been dating anyone?” Harriet asked as an afterthought. Maybe she’d found someone new and perhaps had stayed overnight with him. But that’s not something she’d ask Mrs. McEwan.
Goddammit I just get over dealing with Luke, now Mugs disappears. What the fuck is going on? She had a gut feeling this was more than coincidence. Life had been too quiet for them for too long. Harriet had the strangest feeling the other shoe was about to drop.
“Oh dear, she went out with Luke Holmes from school on Friday night. I don’t care for that boy very much and she knows it. He doesn’t look me in the eyes when he’s talking. Last night she said she was going out for a while, so I assumed she was meeting you or one of her other girlfriends. I’ve called or talked to just about everyone I can think of. You weren’t home earlier and I was about to try your number again. Do you think I should call the police? Oh, my. Now I don’t know what to do.” The agitation in her voice was clear.
She went out with Luke Holmes! The news hit her like a thunderbolt. Now she knew her gut was right, after Luke invaded her space, on Saturday night, and then walked away. Of all the people in the world, why would Mugs go out with Luke? What’s he up to?
Another worry gnawed at her. Now she had to tell Joe about her weekend encounter with Luke, and he wouldn’t like that she’d kept it from him.
Putting off calling him at work, she waited until he got home an hour later. “I’m worried about her. I should have known that bastard was up to something.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it on Saturday when you got home? I was still up.” Joe looked at her puzzled and a little hurt. For the moment the gravity of the situation with Maggie hadn’t sunk in.
“I know, I’m sorry. I would have told you but we’ve got bigger bloody worries. Maggie is missing!”
Joe thought of Harriet’s best friend as a wild-child and figured this was another of her unpredictable sprees. “So, what do you think we should do?”
Joe, waited, he could see her growing agitation and knew her well enough to let her do the talking for now.
“She went out with him Sunday… the day after he shows up at my work and leads me to believe he’s up to something. Now she’s missing. I’d say he’s behind this one hundred percent.” She could feel panic setting in.
“I think you’re right,” Joe agreed. “It’s too much of a coincidence.” Harriet’s agitation got through to him. He could see the worry on her face.
“I want to know what you think we should do. I don’t trust Luke and I don’t know how far he will go. I can’t understand why Mugs would go out with that slob.” Her stomach was in knots. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt.
“Let’s make some phone calls. You check with some of her friends and find out if she’s been going out with him long or if this was the first time. I’ll go over to his house and see if he’s home,” Joe said.
“Hang on there, buddy boy. I’m not letting you go over there by yourself. Let me grab my phone book and I can make some calls in the car on the way over.”
She had most of her friends on speed dial, but others she looked up. Joe knew it was a waste of time to argue with her.
It only took her two calls to find out why her friend had dated Luke. “Maggie’s gone out with him three or four times over the past couple of months. For some unknown reason, she feels sorry for him. She figures he’s had a rough deal in life with his mom dying and his dad a drunk. I think he’s playing the pity card. Everyone knows that Maggie and I have been friends forever, including Luke. He’s got something up his sleeve, I’d bet money on it, which worries me. Do you think us confronting him might tip him off that we suspect something? And why after three years, would he show up, without warning, at my work the day before she disappears?”
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions just yet. It’s only been one day since we last heard from Maggie. You know that she’s taken off for longer in the past—”
“Yes, but she always tells her mom,” Harriet cut in.
Joe nodded. “True, but I don’t want to tip him off that we suspect him of anything. This could be a huge coincidence. We can’t go around pointing fingers just because we hate the guy.”
The two of them tossed theories and ideas back and forth while they waited down the street in the Jeep for Luke to show up at his house. Only his dad’s truck sat parked in the driveway.
Harriet and Joe were convinced that Luke had a hand in Maggie’s disappearance and could do something terrible while they sat there waiting but they didn’t know what else they could do. None of their mutual friends knew where she’d gone.
Their wait ended twenty minutes later when Luke pulled into the driveway. After he went into the house, the two sleuths waited to see if he stayed in.
“At least Maggie’s not with him,” Joe observed. But it didn’t answer the question of her whereabouts either. So not knowing what else they could do they waited.
Joe didn’t have to get into the office until nine the following day, and Harriet didn’t have a class until one, so they were okay until at least midnight.
They had to suppress the urge to ring the doorbell and confront him but they knew him well enough to recognize that would get them nowhere. As difficult as it was for Joe not to grab him and beat it out of him, they sat patiently knowing the best option was to track him. If they were wrong, and tipped Luke off, they’d be in a whole pile of shit.
They had good instincts because ten minutes later, Luke came out of the house with two cloth shopping bags, stuffed full. He put them in the trunk, got into the car and backed out of the driveway. He drove away, with them following, into the countryside.
About a half an hour out of town, he turned down a gravel road—it was still dusk, so they had no trouble following him. They turned their headlights off and followed his taillights. They were about five minutes in when they watched him turn off the road onto a driveway. The two amateur sleuths parked their car in a laneway about fifty feet down the road and walked to where they’d watched Luke turn in.
Chapter 8
Their Worst Nightmare
“I hope this isn’t one of those long and winding driveways. I’m not much interested in meeting any black bears thank you very much.” It was now dusk and Harriet wouldn’t be comfortable in the woods at night with nothing but the small penlight she’d found in the glove compartment.
“It’ll be okay, Slick.” Joe didn’t enjoy being in the middle of nowhere either, facing who-knows-what. But the two of them crept down the road until they saw Luke’s car parked in front of a lake-front cabin. The moon was above the horizon and lit up the water and cast shadows on land. A loon answered the plaintive call of its mate from further down the lake. Just then Harriet let out a small squeal.
“Oh my God, sorry, that porcupine startled me.” The slow creature waddled down the side of the driveway ahead of them on its way home or wherever porcupines go in the evening.
Joe let out a nervous laugh, “Those things can move. One of them chased my dad f
or a quarter of a mile one time when he was a scout.”
Harriet sneered, “Thanks, I’m glad you shared that.” She couldn’t see the humor.
Joe cleared his throat, refocusing. “What’s that bastard up to?”
“How should I know? What do porcupines do at night?” Harriet, a bundle of nerves, misread the question.
“Not the porcupine, Luke.” He would have laughed under different circumstances.
This only added to her growing stress.
They could see lights on in the cabin and someone was moving around. “Should we move in closer do you think?” Harriet asked.
“Ya, if we want to find out what he’s up to.”
They stayed low as they crept to the large roadside window where they had a clear view. Harriet motioned Joe to move off to one side. She had the dark hair and did the peeking. Joe laughed, “I’ll wear a ball cap next time.”
This was a typical, old style cottage. Inside was a bunch of mismatched, dated furniture scattered around the large room. The kitchen was on the right side and by the looks of it there were two bedrooms on the opposite side. There were no doors just old drapery panels covering the openings. Luke came out of one of the two bedrooms, headed into the kitchen area and opened the fridge. He grabbed a beer and headed back into the bedroom.
“He’s in the bedroom over on that side of the house, he just came out and grabbed a beer from the fridge and went back in,” Harriet whispered, pointing to the other side of the house.
“Okay, let’s go.” They made their way, weaving around the clutter in the yard—old bikes and lawn furniture and cast-off tires. Luckily it was bright because there was no way Joe wanted to turn on the penlight even with its tiny beam.
He looked in the first bedroom window and Harriet redirected him, “No, he’s in the next one. Keep your head down, your hair glows in this moonlight. He’s bound to see it.”
Harriet tried to look through the window, but Luke had the drapes drawn tight. “Damn, can’t see anything! Wait, there’s a small crack here.” She studied what she could through the tiny opening.
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