Days' End (16 page)

At the appointment the next day, the twenty-second week of her pregnancy, the doctor was pleased to hear about the baby’s kicking, but after the conversation turned to the potential names he cut them short and brought them back to the business at hand. The pregnancy was now roughly half over. The baby was approximately eight inches long and weighed one pound. The baby was most likely able to hear at this point, as his ears where almost developed, and probably had regular sleep cycles.

“Will he be able to hear if I sing to him?” Jacqueline asked.

“Of course. He’s inside you so he can hear everything you say and quite a bit of what goes on around you. He probably already recognizes your voice.” The doctor turned to Nysa. “You can sing to him, too, if you’d like. I normally encourage the father to participate, but due to the unusual circumstances surrounding this pregnancy, I’d say you’re the closest thing to it.”

Nysa looked questioningly at Jacqueline. “I think that’s a great idea, if you’d like.” Jacqueline smiled. “After we get out of here I hope you stay close with me and the baby. I’ve been doing some thinking and was hoping you’d be his godmother.”

“I’d love to!” Nysa leaned over and hugged her friend.

“I hate to interrupt the party, ladies, but to summarize, I think we have a very healthy baby and mother. Keep eating a balanced diet and exercising, Jacqueline. Everything is coming along perfectly. See you next time.” The doctor turned and left the room, leaving the two women chatting while Jacqueline got dressed.

October 5, Colorado Springs, CO

If he never went to another airport in his life, Alastair would be okay with that. The problem was that he and his father still did not have any better lead to follow. Alastair had tried Mr. Stevens repeatedly over the last month but had been stonewalled every time. Mr. Stevens simply would not give him any useful information. Alastair could barely control his fury at the man but knew that he could not afford to piss him off. Mr. Stevens was their only resource to find Nysa, so Alastair continued to ask politely and be turned down just as politely.

“Maybe we should pay the man a visit,” his father muttered after Alastair hung up the phone.

“I don’t think he would be real happy to have me wandering into his office and interrupting his day. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m trying to stay off his shit list if possible.”

“I just think if we can sit down and speak with him, man to man, we might be able to make him see the urgency.”

Alastair thought it over. It couldn’t hurt much, and the airport approach sure wasn’t getting them anywhere. “I guess it’s back to L.A.”

He and his father grabbed their luggage and drove to the airport. The first available flight back to Los Angeles wasn’t leaving for another three hours, so they found the food court and sat down for a bite before the next leg of their journey.

October 8, Los Angeles, CA

When they had arrived back in Los Angeles on Friday, they had located the offices of Mr. Stevens, J.D., but everyone had already left for the weekend. While Alastair was still anxious to find Nysa, he also realized that a weekend of rest and relaxation was not just beneficial but necessary at this point. They had been working non-stop to find Nysa for over a month, and they desperately needed some down time, so Alastair and his father spent the weekend relaxing and watching the baseball playoffs.

Alastair also took the opportunity to catch up on his bills. In the event the world didn’t end in the near future, he and Nysa would still need somewhere to live that had both electricity and phone service. In private, Alastair took time to read a few more letters from the box Nysa had left him. His heart ached for her as he read her sweet words, and he wished he had been thoughtful enough to do something similar for her. He decided he’d have to make it up to her when he found her.

Come Monday morning, they were back to business. They both awoke early and cooked and ate breakfast in silence. After hurriedly doing the dishes, Alastair and his father hopped into the car and headed to the office of one Gary Stevens, Attorney at Law.

“Fucking Topoqwest!” Alastair shouted and threw the directions on the floorboard. “I don’t know why I still use them, their directions are always fucking wrong!” He took out his cell phone and called the office. “Hello, I was wondering if I could get directions to your office, please. I’m currently at the corner of Overland and Pico. Uh-huh. Right. Okay, thanks.” Alastair hung up the phone and headed east on Pico toward Century City. They fought their way through traffic they finally arrived at the office building. After parking the car in the underground garage, Alastair and his father took the elevator up to the lobby. They had to check in with the security desk there, and then took a different elevator up to the law office. They entered together and Alastair approached the reception desk.

“Good morning, I’d like to see Mr. Stevens, please,” Alastair stated.

“I’m sorry, sir, he’s working away from this office today. Did you have an appointment scheduled?”

“No, but it’s urgent that I find him. Will he be in tomorrow?”

The receptionist looked down at the calendar on her desk. “I’m sorry but I show him working out of his Colorado office for the next two weeks. Would you like me to make an appointment for when he returns?”

“Did you say he has an office in Colorado?” Alastair could feel the frustration building. Carl placed his hand on Alastair’s shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. Alastair looked over at him. Seeing his father’s patient and gentle appearance, he knew they’d get better results if he allowed Carl to intervene.

“Miss, we just flew in from Colorado to try and meet with Mr. Stevens. Would you tell me where his office is located?” his father asked softly.

The receptionist looked back and forth between them. “Certainly sir, would you like me to write it down for you as well?”

“Yes, please,” Alastair’s father replied with a smile.

The young receptionist took out a blank piece of paper and began writing as Alastair paced in the lobby. “His offices are at the corner of Wilcox and Third in Castle Rock. Are you familiar with that area?” Alastair shook his head. “If you would like I can print out Topoqwest directions from the Denver airport for you.”

“No!” shouted Alastair, startling the woman. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had bad luck with Topoqwest recently. I’ll buy a Thomas Guide. Thank you.”

“I completely understand,” she replied and smiled as she handed him the paper. “I’ve gone on a couple of wild goose chases myself. Do you have a message you’d like to leave for Mr. Stevens? I can pass it on when he checks in.”

“No, thank you, Miss,” said his dad. “You’ve been very helpful. Thank you for your assistance.” They both turned and left the office.

“I should have set up a frequent flier account,” his father stated dryly as they stepped into the elevator.

That struck Alastair as hilarious. By the time they got back down to the garage, Alastair was wiping tears from his eyes. When he finally got himself under control, he looked at his dad. “Sorry, right joke, right time, I guess.”

“Happy to help. You looked a bit tense. I’m glad I could give you a good laugh.”

There were no flights available until the next day. They booked two tickets into Denver this time. Alastair settled down on the couch with the newspaper while his dad went to shower. The front page was still covered with stories and speculation surrounding the mysterious skin condition that continued to spread like an ugly web. Conspiracy theorists seemed to think it was a Chinese biological weapon of some sort. The CDC had not yet released any official report but would have to soon as international cases were beginning to pop up.

Other major headlines included the ongoing cleanup processes in both China and on the U.S. East Coast. The chemical spill that the Chinese government continued to deny was almost entirely cleaned up from what could be seen in satellite images. There were no official casualty numbers, but the unofficial estimates put out by the United States government were disturbingly high. Rebuilding and repairs on the East Coast continued to be a difficult process due to the damaged infrastructure. People and equipment from all over the country were being driven and flown in to assist in the efforts.

Alastair skimmed through the rest of the paper, found nothing interesting, and set it aside for his dad. He went to the kitchen and made a couple of sandwiches for their lunch, bringing them back to the coffee table along with some chips, salsa, and two sodas. When his father got out of the shower and had dressed, they sat eating lunch while Alastair summarized what he’d read in the paper.

“Not looking good, is it Dad?” Alastair asked.

“Well,” his dad said, chewing his lower lip, “at least we haven’t seen anything that hints at the seventh sign. Maybe this will stop for a while. Maybe humanity will get its act together and this will stop for a long while.”

“If that’s what it’s going to take I might as well start drinking again,” answered Alastair. “If the fate of humanity is up to us humans, we’re all doomed.” He leaned back on the couch and sipped his Mountain Dew. “But if we can at least buy some more time to find Nysa by holding hands and singing ‘Kumbayah,’ I’m all for it.”

His father leaned back next to him. “We’ll just do the best we can. That’s all the Good Lord asks of us.”

They flew back to Colorado on the twelfth, once again arriving too late to go to Mr. Stevens’ office.

October 10, Castle Rock, CO

Alastair and his father were waiting for Mr. Stevens when he arrived at his offices. They approached as he walked to his door.

“Mr. Stevens?” Alastair asked.

“Good morning, Mr. Mann. I recognize your voice,” responded the lawyer. “I can’t help but say this is an unexpected visit. Please come inside. We can talk in my office. Would you like something to drink, some coffee perhaps?”

“Yes, thank you,” Alastair said.

“Yes, please,” his father answered as they entered the building. The reception area was small but comfortable. The receptionist’s desk was rather large, clean, and very polished. There was a waiting area off to their left containing a table surrounded by four chairs. Another six were lined up against the wall. The artwork that decorated the walls contained paintings of various mountains and wildlife in the nearby Rockies.

“Tracy,” Mr. Stevens said, turning toward his secretary, “could you please bring some coffee into my office? Three cups and some cream and sugar as well. Thank you.” The lawyer led them into a large and comfortable office. It was obvious from the décor that Mr. Stevens ran an extremely successful practice. From the mahogany desk and bookcases to the matching leather chairs and couch, the office was classy without being over the top. The bookcases were overflowing with law books, the message light on Mr. Stephen’s phone blinked, and a stack of message pads was piled neatly next to the telephone. Other than those pieces of paper, the desk was immaculate. As they sat Mr. Stevens asked, “I’m sorry, but may I ask who you are, sir?” He indicated Alastair’s father.

“Carl. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Alastair’s father,” he replied while shaking the attorney’s hand. Just then the door opened and Tracy entered the office carrying a tray. On it sat a pot of coffee, three cups, a jar of sugar, and creamer. She set them gently on the corner of her boss’s desk and quietly left the room, pausing to close the door behind her.

“How may I help you gentlemen today?”

“We’re still looking for Nysa, Mr. Stevens. We tracked her to the Colorado Springs airport but have been unable to find where she went from there. I’m inclined to guess she’s not far from here, but I need your help.”

“I’m sorry you wasted your time, but as I told you on the phone, I am not allowed to divulge her whereabouts. I’m not quite sure how you tracked her to the airport, but I’m willing to speculate it was at the very least in the gray areas of the law.”

Alastair and his father exchanged a quick glance.

The lawyer continued. “When the project is done, I’m sure you will hear from her as soon as she’s free to call you. Is there anything else? I have a busy schedule today and I’d like to get started.”

“Mr. Stevens, are you a religious man?” Carl asked.

“I don’t see the relevance of your question, sir.”

“I’m just wondering, because if you are, you might be interested in why our search cannot wait until the project is completed.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I haven’t been to church since I was a child. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

Alastair looked to his father who merely shrugged and set his coffee cup down on the table.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Stevens. May God have mercy on your soul,” Carl said softly.

Carl and Alastair stood to leave but paused at the quizzical look on the lawyer’s face.

“Why did you say that?” asked Mr. Stevens. “While I’m not religious, you’ve piqued my curiosity as to why you think my immortal soul would be in jeopardy because I won’t disclose the location of my client’s labs.”

“I thought you had a busy day ahead of you,” Carl retorted. “We wouldn’t want to keep your other clients waiting.”

The lawyer gave them his undivided attention. “I’ll worry about my schedule, thank you. Please, sit back down and say your piece so I can go about my business with no future interruptions.”

Carl started relating the current events and their biblical significance while the lawyer sat quietly behind his desk listening intently. Carl rehashed the discussions he and Alastair had engaged in regarding the first few signs and whether or not they were just coincidental. His monologue became more passionate as he moved on to the fourth and concluded with the fifth sign.

“Very well spoken, sir,” the attorney stated when Carl had finished. “I’m not going to tell you I believe the world is coming to an end, but you make a very compelling argument. Assuming for the moment that what you say is true, what makes you think my client’s project has anything to do with it?”