Dream Killing (9 page)

“I’m not too sure anymore.” Drew knew
that they now had to look at this through new eyes.

*****

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Adam
Howard, Jr. was now a person of interest in Drew and Max’s research. They both
got the alarm clock from the coffee shop he worked for, and they knew that T
had won a clock just like it. Drew did a general search in one of his databases
and found that Adam had previously lived in Emeryville, CA, Cedar Crest, TX,
Hoboken, NJ and Pinecrest, FL. He has no arrest record and no past due debts.

“He’s clean as a whistle.” Drew said the
words, wondering where the term came from.

“Okay, but what about his father?”

“According to the information I got
earlier, he has lived at the same residence in Silicon Valley for the past 15
years.” As if a light bulb went on, Drew immediately switched directions. “Wait
a minute. Silicon Valley is close to San Francisco. That’s where another group
of deaths has been occurring.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t live here, or in
Dallas, Manhattan or Miami.”

Drew went to the map they had placed on
the wall earlier and looked at it for a good long time. Max, as if knowing what
he was thinking, also walked over to the map.

“Pinecrest is close to Miami,” Max
shouted, startling Drew.

“And Hoboken is near Manhattan,” Drew
didn’t sound nearly as excited as Max.

“Cedar Crest is just minutes from
Dallas. Oh, my God, Drew. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I think so. Adam, Jr. and Adam, Sr.
could be working together. With his father’s technology and skills, our Adam
could be planting chips in people all over the country! But how?”

Drew explained to Max that they would
have to gather contact information for the families of all the people who died.
It was the only way to find out if any of the people who passed away also won
bean alarm clocks. They would also have to do an employment search on Adam to
find out if he worked in coffee shops in the other states affected.

“This could take days, you up for it
Max?”

“Hell, yeah! This is the most
interesting stuff I have ever encountered. Why haven’t the authorities figured
this out yet, though?”

“Because it’s a big leap, and this is
what I have trained for.”

“Can’t we just go to the police with
what we have found?”

“No, no, no. They will either think we
are crazy, or they will scare Adam into hiding before they have what they need
to arrest him. Hell, we don’t even know if what we are thinking is right.”

***

Max looked at the clock on the wall and
realized how late it was. They decided to make some sandwiches and keep
researching, drew on his computer and Max on his laptop. As scary and confusing
as the situation was, they both were enjoying working together. They made a
great team. When they found information they were looking for, Max plugged it
into a spreadsheet she made on Drew’s laptop. Periodically they took breaks
from the research to laugh about something silly they came across while
researching, making the time seem to fly.

After another five hours or so, they
decided to call it a night. Before bed, Max thought about the game and the clock
and they decided it was best if they went and got hers from her house. If she
lost a life every day, she should be playing and not just letting those lives
slip away. While at her place she grabbed a few more things and also packed up
her laptop.

They were back at Drew’s place within
the hour and, knowing they wouldn’t be able to sleep just yet, they decided to
bring their laptops back to the bedroom. Sitting back against the headboard,
both with their computers on their laps, Drew looked over at Max. He found the
glasses she was wearing cute.

“I’ve never seen you in glasses.”

“Yeah, I don’t usually wear them, but
all of the computer work was wreaking havoc on my contacts, so I figured I
would give my eyes a rest.”

“I like them,” Drew said, and set his laptop
on the nightstand. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. He then
reached over and took her computer, placing it on the floor on his side of the
bed. When he turned back toward her, the both leaned in for a kiss like none
they had ever shared before.

After about an hour they both lay back,
spent from their recent activities. Drew turned his head toward Max and found
her looking at him. They both smiled. Deciding that maybe they should sleep,
Drew closed both laptops and they set their alarm clocks. They moved closer to
each other and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

***

Drew opened his eyes and quickly looked
around to figure out where he had landed in the game. Knowing, now, that the
mission for Max and himself was one of neither winning the game nor losing it,
but staying in it as long as it took to figure out what was actually going on
in real life, Drew had to act fast. He realized he was already at the back door
of the library. Wasting no time, Drew went through the motion of finding the
dreaded cologne and then working his way to the playhouse. He flashed his light
three times and then made his way over.

The house was empty. Deciding it was
best to wait there, Drew climbed behind the house, completely concealing
himself. He could hear gunfire in the distance, a sound that no longer
surprised him. It wasn’t long before he heard the pitter patter of little feet
and flashed his light again. The children piled into the cardboard house and
drew went to the window. He realized there were only four of them and they told
him that they had lost one of their members.

Just as the children finished telling
Drew what had happened, Max flashed her light and joined Drew at the side of
the house. That’s when they noticed the letter “A” scrawled across the roof of
the playhouse.

“That’s weird. I never noticed that
before.” Max sounded surprised.

“The other night, while being chased by
the robot and his clan, I heard someone shout “A”. Could that be the robot?”
Drew’s question was just a thought and didn’t realize he has asked it out loud.

“I don’t know, but if it is, we may want
to get out of here!” Max made perfect sense. They had to find a new place to
meet.

Drew remembered how carefree the
children were at the playground. They didn’t seem to be scared at all, as if it
were their turf and the players of the game knew it. He decided that they
should move there for now. As the group made their way to the park, they were
engaged in another fire-fight. This time, however, it was not with the robot or
his men, and all of them made it out okay.

When they reached the park they saw one
child, alone, swinging on the swing set. This meant that the group was whole
again. Max and Drew both let out a sigh of relief. They made their way over to
the lone child and took their places on the swings. Not really sure what would
happen next, they all waited. From their vantage point, they could see anyone
who walked up. The only thing behind them was a grassy area that stopped at a
low rock wall. Beyond the wall was the lake.

Drew and Max went to the wall and sat on
top, giving them a view of the city and the children. Max was in her element
when it came to keeping an eye on the kids. Drew was in his element when it
came to keeping an eye out for the bad guy. For a brief moment, it was almost
as if they were no longer in the game.

That moment ended all too quickly when a
gunshot rang out. Instantly, Drew took stock of the situation. The kids had
ducked down into the ruts under the swings and Max instantly threw herself off the
wall and headed towards the kids. Drew stood and swung his arm from side to
side, brandishing his handgun. It sounded like the shot came from above. Drew
scanned the city line, looking at the rooftops and windows.

More shots rang out, but this time Drew
was able to see where they were coming from. He pointed his gun up over the
swing set. Firing three times, Max looked up and saw a man fall from a tree.
She quickly herded the children and led them to the service shed just inside
the tree line off to the right. Drew scanned the trees for more players but was
unable to make any out. He ran towards the shed but didn’t make it. He was hit
in the leg and went down just outside the door.

Drew rolled onto his side and fired
three more rounds in the same direction as the last, but this time the player
was able to jump down and run in the opposite direction. Drew heard a gunshot,
but knew he didn’t fire his weapon. The runner lunged forward, landing on the
seat of a picnic table. Drew rolled back over and saw Max standing over him.
Without hesitation, Max reached for Drew’s hand and pulled him to his feet. She
led him inside the shed and shut the door.

***

Both alarms started buzzing at exactly
the same moment. Expecting to find Max’s side of the bed empty like the last
few times, Drew rolled over and was surprised. She was next to him and sleeping
right through the alarms. Gently he reached over and woke her up.

“Good morning sleepy head.”

“Morning.” Max could barely open her
eyes. “What time is it?”

“6:30.”

“Ugh,” She replied, and pulled the
covers over her head.

“Nope, time to get up. We have a ton to
do today.”

They both turned off their alarms and
got out of bed. Drew almost stepped on her laptop, forgetting he put it there
last night. Then he looked over the bed at Max and they both blushed. Then they
walked around the bed and hugged.
Today is going to be a great day,
Drew
thought to himself as he squeezed her tight.

*****

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

After
they showered, Drew and Max had a hard time deciding whether or not to go to
The Bean. It would be awkward going in there knowing that they were
investigating Adam, but at the same time, if they stopped going in there he
might wonder why. Deciding that it was a good idea to go in, they got
themselves ready to go and walked over to the coffee shop.

Adam was looking even more exhausted
than last time, but Drew didn’t say anything about that. He ordered their
usual, but this time he ordered “to go”. They grabbed their coffees and paid,
told Adam to have a great day and headed towards the lake.

Taking their usual spot on the bench
that faces the water, they sat in silence. It was nice to just sit and not have
to talk; each was sure the other was thinking about last night. Drew finished
his coffee and tossed the cup. Usually when he did that he missed, but today he
made it in the garbage can. Just to be a showoff, Max stood up and turned her
back to the trash can. Without looking, she tossed the cup over her shoulder
and landed it.

“Showoff.”

“Yeah, well, just ‘cause I’m short,
doesn’t mean I can’t make a basket. I rock at basketball!”

“When this is all over I’ll challenge
you to a game of hoops. Until then, we have work to do.” Drew took Max’s hand
and they walked back to his place. On the way back they stopped at the little
market on the corner and picked up a few things.

After they put away the groceries they
grabbed their laptops and went straight to the spare room. It wasn’t long
before they were back to the task of finding information on all the people who
had died. Time passed pretty quickly and about two hours later Drew stopped. He
sat, staring at the floor.

“Drew? You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

“I have an idea. Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, what do you need?”

“I need you to grab one of the suitcases
out of the hall closet. Get the biggest one. Throw a few days of clothes in
there for both of us.”

“Where are we going?”

“Ever been to Silicon Valley?”

Max immediately knew what he was
thinking. “Nice! But if his dad is involved, won’t us going there mean he could
tip Adam off?”

“Not if he doesn’t know why we are
there. I have a plan. I’ll explain it to you on the way to the airport.”

While Max packed their suitcase, Drew
contacted the office and made the necessary preparations. He then grabbed a
smaller duffel bag and packed both alarm clocks, some toiletries, and a number
of other items. When Max was done she brought the suitcase out and set it by
the front door.

“Pack up the laptops and I will make
sure everything is closed and locked up. We have to be at O’Hare in an hour.”

Knowing that didn’t leave much time, Max
grabbed everything for the laptops and also packed up the note pads with all of
their information.

“Ready?” Drew was at the door, suitcase
in hand when she came walking down the hallway.

“I think so. I hope I didn’t forget
anything.”

“Anything we need we can buy when we get
there. One of the perks of my job is a nice fat expense account. Let’s go.”

Drew hailed a cab and they climbed
inside. Drew said to the driver, “Waukegan Regional Airport, the faster the
better.”

“I thought we were going to O’hare.” Max
was obviously confused.

“I’ll explain when we get there.”

Drew led Max to a private jet that was
waiting for them. He could tell by the look on her face that she was not only
confused but also a bit excited.

“Drew!”

“While you were packing up the laptops
my guy called and let me know that the only immediate flight he could get us
was on a private plane.”

“This is amazing!”

“Yeah, and totally private. We will be
able to talk freely and not make people wonder or worry.”

They went up the steps and entered the
plane. While it wasn’t the most luxurious plane Drew had ever been on, it
wasn’t bad for last minute. When they got their bags stowed away, they sat down
across from each other. Drew took out his phone and started typing. When he was
done he explained to Max that he just sent his dad an email letting him know
that he wouldn’t be contacting him for a little while. He told her that was
what he did any time he went on a mission.

“Once we land in San Francisco, we will
be met by a car and taken into Silicon Valley. There we will have time to
settle into our room and enjoy the evening. We will have a meeting with Mr.
Howard tomorrow afternoon.”

“What do we say to him?”

“Well, he will think that we are writing
a story about him and his work. Hopefully by talking to him about his life, he
will give us information about Adam.”

“Drew, you are one smart cookie.”

“Don’t give me all the credit; you’re
the one who linked Adam to the game. Now hopefully we will find out what the
game has to do with the deaths.”

Just then the captain came out of the
cockpit and informed them that they would be taking off in a minute. He let
them know what the expected weather would be on arrival and what time they should
be landing. He then introduced them to Sonia who would be their flight
attendant.

They settled into their seats and
fastened their seatbelts. It was then that Max informed Drew that she had never
flown. He assured her that everything would be fine, and as soon as they were
in the air he noticed the look on her face as she looked out the window. She
was genuinely excited and that gave Drew a sense of relief.

***

After a really nice flight, Drew and Max
were taken by limo to the Four Seasons Hotel where they were checked in. They
were given the Executive Suite, and after seeing Max’s reaction when they
stepped into the room, he thought that the room may have impressed her more
than the private jet.

They settled in and Drew explained to
Max exactly what would be done tomorrow for the interview. He let her know what
they would be asking him and how they could possibly lead him into a discussion
about his son. They would also try to get as much information about the
nano-technology that he developed and what it could actually do.

“I really hope it works. What if he asks
to see our credentials?”

“The agency has created some for us. It
will be delivered by messenger tomorrow morning. For now, we are free to do
whatever we want.”

They decided that since Max has never
been to California, they would go to San Francisco and have dinner and enjoy
the ocean view. Surprisingly, the weather was beautiful, but neither was
prepared for a night on the town. They went down to the boutique on the main
floor of the hotel and both purchased some clothing more appropriate for a
night on the town and returned to the suite to get ready.

Drew was ready to go sooner than Max,
naturally, so he prepared a list of questions to ask Mr. Howard while he
waited. He was looking down at the pad of paper trying to think of anything
else he wanted to ask the man when he felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked up
and was stunned. There stood Max, wearing a simple but still beautiful
strapless dress. Her hair was loosely pulled up and long tendrils of red hair
hung down in the sexiest curls. Even with minimal makeup on, she had the face
of an angel.

“You look…beautiful.” Drew was almost
speechless.

“Thank you, you look great yourself!”
Drew was wearing the best fitting khaki pants and a dress shirt that was the
blue of his eyes. The tie he was wearing made that blue pop even more. He was
the most handsome man she had ever seen.

“Shall we go?” Drew said and offered her
his arm.

“Let’s.” Taking Drew’s arm, she grabbed
her tiny purse and shawl and they left the room.

Back down at the front of the hotel,
they were greeted by the same limo and driver. Once inside, they opened a
bottle of champagne and toasted to a perfect evening.

The restaurant sat right on the coast,
and they opted to be seated outside where they had the most perfect view of the
sunset either had witnessed. They ate fabulous food and had a perfect
conversation. Again, it was as if they had always been together and everything
seemed to fit just right.

When their meal was over, Drew asked the
waitress for another bottle of champagne and the check. After paying the bill,
Drew and Max made their way to the beach. They sat on a blanket that had
already been placed on the sand, and Drew helped Max with her sweater.

“I had them put a blanket out for us
while you were in the ladies room. I hope this is okay.”

“Drew, it’s absolutely perfect.”

The stars danced in the sky as the moon
softly lit the waves on the water. They sipped champagne and the world around
them slipped away. Soon, though, it grew cool enough outside that they decided
it was time to head back to the hotel. They made their way back to the limo and
climbed inside.

“Drew, this has been the most perfect
night of my life. Thank you so much.”

“It was a pleasure. I really enjoyed
spending the evening with you.”

Together they walked to the elevator
that brought them right into their room. They both slipped into something more
comfortable and enjoyed the rest of the night in the privacy of their suite,
both forgetting about the real reason they were there.

*****