by Elle Limpkin
“Yes.”
“Then why aren’t you, you know, going?”
Johan put significant effort into avoiding eye contact. “Because I’m not sure which of these roads will take us there.”
“That’s what GPS is for.”
“No, the GPS would make us lose our way, especially in these parts of the country.”
“This doesn’t sound right.”
“Trust me. The last time I used the GPS, I was nineteen, and it almost cost me my life.”
“No way!”
“It’s true,” he said, smiling at the memory. “My family came here for the holidays, and on the way, we ran into another family going to the ski resort—there's a ski resort about 100 miles south. Now, they had a daughter about my age who was very...” he paused, looking for the right word.
“Beautiful?” Eda completed, hoping he’d say no.
“…interesting. Long story short, I decided to visit her.”
“You went by yourself?”
“A crew would’ve been an obstacle. I drove and drove, following the GPS precisely. I got so lost I couldn’t even find the main road or anything. After hours of searching, I ran out of gas. See that huge pile on the back seat?”
She’d seen it since she first got into the car. “Yes.”
“Those are supplies we need in case we get stuck on the road. That day I had none of that. I was freezing, and my only supplies were a skinny jacket, a snow shovel, and a half-empty bottle of water.”
A shiver passed through her entire body as she was trying to imagine being in this situation. “What happened?”
“After hours of waiting, a car passed on the road. Big car, with wheels double the size of mine. The driver, an old dude with so much facial hair that I couldn’t distinguish any of his features, gave me a ride. I was half an hour away from the cabin, and I had no idea. On the way there, he gave me a stern speech about how driving in snow isn’t the same as driving in summer.”
This time, Johan looked her right in the eye. “Trust me. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. I know the area well.”
Eda would’ve protested, but she expected to enjoy telling him I told you so when they’d get lost. At this point, she had no doubt it was inevitable.
“I can imagine that discussion. I bet that whole experience got that girl out of your system,” Eda commented.
“No way! I went there the next day. You have to understand, she had very nice--” He stopped, fixating a specific spot farther away.
“What is it?”
As much as she squinted, all she saw was a huge object covered by snow.
“I think it’s a car,” Johan answered.
As they neared, the object distinguished itself better, proving Johan right. It was parked diagonally, with the right wheels fallen into a ditch.
“Do you think someone is in there?”
“We’ll see in a moment.”
They parked next to the vehicle, struggling to see through the snowed windows. Johan got out, Eda being content to remain in the cozy seat.
“It’s someone here,” he announced, using his sleeve to wipe the snow from the window, then knocked a few times. “Hey!”
“Are they dead?” she gasped, trying to see past him.
Instead of answering, Johan hit the window harder with his fists. This approach seemed to work because he took a step back, and the door opened.
“What the hell, man?”
“You scared me,” a tired male voice announced. “I was listening to music on my headphones.” Soon, his entire silhouette was visible, a skinny man with glasses and dark hair. He scratched his chin, staring at Johan. “How did you get here?”
“I drove. What happened?”
The man stepped out, holding on to the roof for support. “I couldn’t see the road well. I think there’s ice here somewhere cause my car fell into the ditch. I tried to get it out, but I made it worse.”
Johan proceeded to inspect the damage to the car. “Maybe if I--”
“Don’t bother. Used all the gas to keep myself warm.”
“You must’ve been here a long time,” he commented.
“I don’t suppose I can get a ride...” he said, full of hope.
“Hop on.”
The man grabbed a backpack and a thermos from his car, locked it, and proceeded to the back seat.
“Hello,” he said as soon as he laid eyes on Eda.
“Hi.”
“I’m Ed,” he said, stretching a hand.
She planned to shake it but retracted her hand violently as soon as its freezing coldness reached her skin. “Sorry. I’m Eda.”
“How about that!” Ed exclaimed. “We almost have the same name!”
“Ain’t that cute?” Johan said grumpily.
“The cranky one is Johan,” she completed.
Despite Johan’s obvious displeasure and constant frowning, Eda engaged in a lively conversation with Ed, who became an increasingly better company as his body reached normal temperature. They soon discovered they had much more in common than a name.
“You’re a coder? Seriously?” Ed asked, his blue eyes reaching the size of onions. “Me too!”
“Cool! What do you do?”
“Most recently only web design, I’m afraid. I used to do some heavier stuff but got into trouble.” A wink accompanied that last remark.
She did not know what trouble meant specifically, but there weren’t that many options, the most obvious being hacking. The times when she hacked email accounts or broke through firewalls were merely a hazy memory. She was all legit now and refused to admit how much she missed the thrill, the anticipation, the fear of getting caught, and the joy of success.
“What were you doing in the area?” she asked quickly to diverge the conversation.
“I was returning from my holiday. The highway was heavily congested. I thought I found a shortcut but ended up in some maze.”
“Really? A shortcut in this snow?”
A lecture about how driving in winter was different from driving in summer was taking shape. Eda searched for an escape. No other subjects came to mind, so she sank deeper into the chair, half-attentive to the list of items that were mandatory on such occasion.
“I think I still would’ve fallen into the ditch even if I had those things with me,” Ed commented.
“True, but you wouldn’t have frozen half to death. You can be trapped for days and still make it.”
Ed led himself fall on the back seat. “I guess I was lucky you came.”
Traffic increased as time passed, the vehicles coming from the opposite direction offering a comfort Eda hadn’t realized she needed. Perhaps she feared getting stuck in the snow but refused to admit it. It was an irrational fear—Johan had said they had supplies to last for days. It wasn’t being stuck she dreaded but the thought of being in that obvious tenseness between her two companions.
She took the coffee bottle, realizing it was empty. Even though Johan had said the resort was two hours away, they’d already been on the road for three, and she had no idea how much longer it would take. The white outside became a burden instead of a source of joy, and soon her eyes became sluggish.
Everything went dark until the cold air penetrated the car from behind. “What’s happening?” she asked, blinking rapidly.
Ed was all dressed again, armed with his backpack, an additional blanket, and a water bottle.
“Where are you going?”
“The highway is fifteen minutes walk that way.”
Eda inspected the direction Johan showed. There might have been a narrow road there, but it was hidden.
“This doesn’t seem safe.”
“I have a good chance of hitching a ride from the highway. It will be much harder to do that from the resort, and I have to be in New York this evening.”
Eda prepared to protest again when she realized they didn’t need her permission. “Be safe!” she shouted as Ed moved away steadily.
�
�He’ll be fine,” Johan said.
“You can’t know that,” she protested. “What if he gets lost in the woods?”
Johan turned to her in time to share his deep frown. “He just needs to follow the path. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
“But what if he’s not?”
“Why are you so upset I let him go? Are you so keen for his company?
Eda’s mouth stayed open for a few moments before responding. “I’m not anything for his company!”
“You gave him your phone number!”
“It was my Reddit ID, not my phone number!” she protested.
“In nerd world, it’s the same thing.”
A New Lead
“I apologize, but we’re fully booked. We’d be happy to reserve a room for you.” The receptionist fixated them when they stepped to the door without bothering to turn her chair around more than halfway.
Her intense stare didn’t stop them from advancing.
“We have to talk to one of your guests,” Johan said as soon as he reached the counter.
The elevator doors opened, releasing a group of noisy guests, all wearing so many clothes that their features were barely visible. Red was the prevalent color both for women and men.
A woman from the group stayed behind when Johan entered her field of view, running a hand through her purple hair.
“Never mind,” he said to the receptionist.
Jane put on a cold mask then neared them stiffly. “I wasn’t avoiding you. I didn’t have time to reply to your emails...or texts...or answer your calls.”
He adopted a smile as fake as hers. “I didn’t think you were. My problem is time-sensitive.”
After the courteous how-do-you-dos, they headed to the busy waiting area. Even though they’d spent considerable time driving to the resort, it seemed that most people preferred to stay indoors and chat. They could’ve accomplished this simple task with no fuss in a bar at home.
Since there were no empty seats, the trio moved to an area away from any curious ear. Not that anyone showed any interest in them; they were too engaged in laughing, speaking, and drinking from reindeer-shaped mugs.
“I don’t have much time,” Jane said as soon as they stopped.
Eda kept a decent distance that didn’t stop her from listening.
“I only have one question.” Johan waited until she gave him his undivided attention.
“What question? You want to marry this little cutie, and want my blessing?”
“What?” Johan must have had his question all prepared, but hers threw him off guard. “If I wanted to get married again, I certainly wouldn’t need your blessing.”
“You never did care about my opinion, did you?” Jane muttered, crossing her arms.
Johan turned towards the window, pressing that tight spot on his right temple. “I’m not here to argue. The fact that you’ve never approved of me and Clara isn’t relevant anymore.”
Jane loosened slightly, enough for Johan to have the courage to continue.
“I know that when we were going out, Clara was also seeing someone else.”
“That’s not true!” Jane protested. “It was you who didn’t care much about your relationship. I doubt you saw her as anything other than a pretty skirt.”
“There’s no point in lying, Jane. She doesn’t need your protection anymore because she’s dead. If she weren’t, I would’ve talked to her instead.”
“I’m not lying. She wasn’t seeing anyone else.”
No hesitation or trace of deception appeared on Jane’s face. If she didn’t know the truth, Eda would’ve believed her without any doubts.
“Maybe we should redefine the word seeing because she was definitely hooking up with someone other than me around the time JP was conceived.”
The implication threw Jane off-track. She shook her head, purple curls dancing in the air before falling back on her forehead. “You’re lying.”
Johan pointed a finger at her nose. “I would never lie when it comes to my son.”
Jane moved to the window, seemingly paying attention to the headless snowman being built outside. “Why does it even matter? She’s dead. What if she had a little something on the side? Do you want to get rid of JP? Is that it? You want to be relieved of the responsibility of raising Clara’s son? She thought you were better than that; that’s why she told you that you were the father.”
Johan’s clenched his fists so hard the knuckles turned reddish. “All I need is a name. Give me a name, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“No.” Her answer was calm but firm.
“Why the hell not?” Johan exploded.
“Because she still has my loyalty even though she’s dead. We were best friends forever—well, forever hasn’t ended yet.”
Johan seized her arm and forced her to stare into his eyes. “I’m so sick of hearing that BFF nonsense. If you think--”
Eda touched Johan’s arm gently, enough for him to look at her. And what a look! She’d thought that their argument in the car about Ed was the angriest he could get. At the time, he’d been upset for whatever reason and made sure she knew it. But his look now went much beyond simple anger—it was fury mixed with mistrust and a dose of hatred.
“Why don’t you wait in the car?” Eda asked.
His eyes doubled in size while he was trying to understand her question. “No... but...”
“You’re not helping,” Eda stressed.
Johan nodded almost imperceptibly before giving Jane one more ice-cold stare. “I’ll wait for you in the car,” he said before storming out the door.
Eda was still tracking his decisive movements through the crowd when a sarcastic voice enunciated behind her, “Fascinating! How did you do that? Clara could never make him do what she wanted.”
After swallowing her pride, Eda turned to Jane. “She made him marry her. I’d say this is a significant achievement.”
“He married her because she was pregnant. She knew it; he knew it. Everybody knew it.”
“Is that why she had a baby? To force him to marry her?”
“I’m not going to answer that.”
“This isn’t a trial,” Eda said. It sure seemed like one, with Jane so skillfully defending Clara’s honor. “More importantly, it isn’t Clara’s trial. JP is sick.”
Jane throbbed. “You’re lying.”
“He needs a bone marrow transplant,” Eda continued. “That’s how Johan found out he wasn’t his son. We need to find his biological father, and you’re our only lead.”
The moment one seat became available nearby, Jane ran and threw herself on it, unzipping her jacket. “I made a promise to Clara. I can’t throw that away. I’m not even sure you’re telling the truth.”
“Do you want to take that chance? Despite what Clara might have done or what you think about Johan, she chose him as the father of her child because she relied on his love and protection. Because despite everything, she loved her son very much. Would she let him die if she were here? Wouldn’t she do everything in her power to save his life, even if that meant jeopardizing her relationship with Johan?”
Jane’s eyes glistened; she tried to avoid Eda’s gaze. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Johan is not great at commitment. They’d been going out for years, and he still wasn’t willing to take the next step. But he does have a great sense of duty. She’d tried for a few months to get pregnant without success. We suspected he can’t have kids.”
“So what? She had sex with some random guy to get pregnant?”
“Not a random guy. She wanted to make sure he looked like Johan so that the baby wouldn’t raise suspicions. She started browsing profiles online, eventually found the guy. It was a one-night stand, nothing more. They’ve never seen each other again.”
Eda wished she had a place to sit, hating the thought of going back to Johan with another dead end. “She must’ve told you more about him.”
“She did,” Jane answered, “but unless you plan to see eve
ry man in New York naked, it won’t help you.”
“She never mentioned his name?”
“No... just that he wasn’t looking for a relationship, which was perfect under the circumstances. She felt he was...experienced. She changed her profile to appear some rich woman and said she felt he expected something from her after they had sex, a gift or something.”
“Sounds like a catch.”
“He wasn’t supposed to be a catch,” Jane stated.
“Brilliant,” Eda mouthed with disappointment. “What site did she use?”
“I know that part... date something... no, relationships. Allyourrelationships.com.”
When she returned to Johan, kicking the snow with her feet like a little child, he was standing outside of the car with his jacket unzipped. From afar, he seemed more a statue than a living person. Whether his reddish face was due to anger or cold, Eda could only guess but hoped it was the latter.
“Did she give you a name?” he asked as soon as she reached hearing distance.
“A lead.”
His frown deepened. “What lead?”
Eda stopped when a few inches separated them. “She met him online. I know it’s not much, but--”
“It is, actually,” he said calmly. “Clara had a laptop at the time with lots of red hearts glued on top. She used it for about a year after our marriage too. It has important old photos on it, so we kept it. I still have it in the basement somewhere.”
Eda was eating every word that came out of his mouth in expectation. “That’s great! Even if she deleted her browsing history, traces are still there.”
“It’s also password protected. I was hoping you might put your excellent hacking skills to use.”
Eda took a step back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
An unexpected smile brightened his face. “Really? Is Ed the only person you’re willing to share that part of your life with?”
“I didn’t think you understood our--”
“Techno-babble? You’re partly true. I did get the hacking stuff, though.”
Jane’s group was heading behind the cabin, vanishing his smile.
“There’s more to the story, isn’t it?” Eda asked, following his gaze.