"That's a good question Laura. Why don't we put all the cards on the table and see if we can't figure all of this out."
"Okay, maybe you'll see something the rest of us are missing."
"Can you list people who dislike you enough to harm you?"
"Number one on that list would be Lady Myotismon. Other than that I really can't think of any one."
"What about your competitors?"
"Sure they might have a grudge against me and it would explain the virus. But they wouldn't know my secret like Lady Myotismon."
"Are you sure the stalker isn't bluffing?"
"Positive. They called me at my office on day and she was able to tell me my whole life story, including how my parents died and what crest I posed."
"Is that when you started to think it was Lady Myotismon?"
"Yeah, it definitely shocked me. I thought she was gone, forever. And then after Matt was attacked, it strengthened my belief."
"What caused you to think differently?"
"It wasn't till yesterday that I totally believed it wasn't her. But when I first started to feel different is when I saw her after I went dress shopping. When I saw her, it felt like I knew her personally."
"Wouldn't be personally though? She murdered your family and destroyed your life."
"Yeah, but it was something more. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in forever, like I was bonded to her in some way."
"That is strange. But you said it wasn't till yesterday you believed totally it wasn't Lady Myotismon. Why? What changed your mind?"
"The eye color was wrong. Lady Myotismon had intense green eyes. This stalker had blue. Bright crystal blue eyes."
"You sound confident enough, so I won't ask you if you saw wrong. Now do you remember any other digimon with blue eyes that could be out to harm you?"
"Cubbiemon has bluish eyes like me, but she wouldn't harm me. One of the Grey Emperors had blue eyes, but they were much darker. But he wouldn't know how mom and dad died. The funny thing is, I can't recall anyone having this shade of blue eyes except Matt, my brother, and TK."
"And neither of my sons would do this."
"Right."
"I see your problem now. Half the evidence points to Lady Myotismon, but the other half says it isn't her."
"Yup. Confusing isn't it?"
"Oh yeah."
"Well let's just see if we can't get a clearer picture with these two numbers. Maybe there's a name or two that goes to these numbers."
"Why don't you go over to my house. Izzy can help you with that. He's found the origin of number's before. He tried with my home number to find out my last name and traced Matt's call to Circle drive."
"Isn't that where you were attacked?"
"It is. Plus that is where I heard the voice tell me that I was closer than I thought."
"Interesting. Circle Drive could be the key to all of this, especially if these numbers trace there."
"But what is on Circle Drive that is so important? There are not any houses there, just the community center, the pool, and some other businesses."
"That's true, but Moss street does have house on it. And those two are connected."
"You're right. Let me give you the directions to my house and let's see what Izzy turns up."
"Okay, you write down the directions while I call Izzy and let him and Genni know that I am coming over."
************************************************************************
Miss Takaishi was amazed. Never had she seen such a computer whiz. "Well Izzy?"
"The number that matches on the bill, its another pay phone too. But it's a different number then the number from Matt's car. Let's see if it supports the Moss / Circle Drive theory at all. It is on, give me a second here." Izzy typed on a map of the city. Using his street finder, he entered the phone number. "Lexington Ave. And that is as far from Circle as you can get. In fact, it is near Jenson's."
"Wait, then the theory still could hold true. This number is the one that was listed on the phone bill more than once. Laura said she received a couple of calls at the Jenson's right?"
"Of course, the stalker is following her, which means while she was at Jenson's, the stalker would have to be in the area, say a street over, like Lexington Ave. She could still keep an eye on Lucky, but be far enough away so Laura could never see her."
"Exactly. Which means, the stalker could be watching Laura now."
"Is she alone?"
"Yes." Nancy said with dread.
"I'm calling Tai, he'll say with her."
"Tai? It's Izzy. I need you to drop everything and get to the hospital now."
"Why? What happened to Laura?"
"Nothing…yet. Miss Takaishi and I discovered something alarming. A majority of the activities that have been happening in the area of Moss and Circle Drive. And the phone calls that Laura have received at work traced back to Lexington Ave. One street over from Jenson's. All of these events point to that Laura is being not only stalked, but followed. And that attack on her was meant to draw her away from the safety of her friends and home. I bet anything that attack was meant to kill her."
"She's alone now, isn't she." Tai caught on.
"Yes."
"I'm on my way."
Izzy hung up the phone. "He's on his way. Laura should be safe now."
"That's a relief. Now let's see if you and me can't strengthen our theory even more. Let's check this last number that appeared both on the bill and on Lucky's caller id."
"Okay, let me have it." The results came back a few minutes later. "That's strange."
"What is?"
"The number, it isn't a pay phone. It's a cell number. Unfortunately, untraceable at the time of the call."
"I sense a but coming."
"With the number, we can look it up on this nice handy dandy online phone book and see what name pops up. If we get one, we can check a normal phone book and check for the address."
"And with an address, you can confront the stalker."
"Exactly."
"But what's the odds of the address being the book, especially if you're a stalker."
"Slim to nothing. But it is a chance we have to take. It is our only lead right now."
"I agree. Go ahead and see what it pulls up."
Izzy typed the information in. A few seconds later, a name popped up.
"Jonathan Littoral. Now let's see if we can't find an address on this boy."
"Already on it Izzy. He's not listed."
"Great. Another dead end."
"Not yet. I still have a few tricks left up my sleeves. I'll run over to the office and cross reference his name in our computers and see if he has been in the news. If he has a criminal record or a good Samaritan award, we'll have it on record."
"Really? That's a bit unnerving."
"Anything that was every printed in the papers, we have saved. Whether on microfilm, compact disks or in files, we have it."
"Okay while you search that angle, I am going up to the hospital and run this name by Laura. This man could be Lady Myotismon human contact too."
"I'll drop you off on my way to the office."
"Alright, just let me email Genni and let him know of our progress. He had to go back to the Digital World to wait for Tentomon and the others. Okay, I'm done. Let's go."
************************************************************************
Izzy raced threw the hallways to Laura's room.
"Izzy, what's wrong?" asked Tai as Izzy skidding into the room.
"The other number, it gave us a name."
"No way. Well don't leave us in suspense here. What was the name?"
"Jonathan Littoral. Does that name mean anything to you at all Lucky?"
Laura sat in deep thought for awhile trying to recall if she ever crossed the name in her fifteen years of existence. "No. Maybe he was an associate of my parents or something, but I never meet or heard of him before."
"Then why would he be out to harm you then?"
"Oh great, another unexpected turn we didn't need." exclaimed Tai.
"Well maybe Miss Takaishi will turn up something. She's checking out the newspaper for information."
"That's a good idea too. But in the mean time, why don't we call the group and see if the name means anything to one of them?"
"I'll go and do that now. I better call Matt first and let him now what is up."
"Nah, let him sleep. But you can do one think for me Izzy."
"What's that?"
"When you talk to Ken, ask him to search this Jonathan online to see if that pulls anything up as well."
Izzy nodded and left the room. Then he reappeared. "What time are you getting out of here Laura?"
"5:30, or so it looks."
"I think we should meet tonight and discuss everything."
"Good idea. Let's make the time seven though, just so if something happens I won't be late."
"Okay, now I am really leaving to make those calls."
Lucky laughed and then glanced at Tai. "I think the pressure has finally gotten to him."
"Tell me about it. I understood every word he said. Something must be wrong with him."
"That or you're getting smarter."
"Maybe."
Both looked at one another. "Nah."
Tai laughed. 'It's great to see her laughing, despite the current situation.' "I'm glad to see you in high spirits."
"I'm really not. I am scared as anything. But laughing helps me forget my troubles, at least for a minute or two."
"I see."
"And this name that Izzy gave me worries me even more."
"Why?"
"Mainly because it is a name I don't recognize. Why would someone attack me that didn't know me? Or help someone who did? What do they have to gain from it."
"Unfortunately I don't know. The funny thing about all this though is that the father we look into this, the deeper we search, we find more questions than answers."
"I know. It is starting to get really frustrating."
"Not only that, but it shows how committed this impersonator is to ruining your life. First they have done a great deal of research on your life, your parents, and Jenson's. Secondly, they have to know something about computers. And the biggest one of all."
"They have to know about the Digital World and my part in it."
"Exactly. And the only problem is none of our suspects fit all of those factors."
"Except Lady Myotismon. But not even she meets it, not with her eye color being wrong and all."
"Yeah what is up with that one?"
"Again, I don't know."
"So what do we know?"
"One thing. That prophecy is becoming more and more of a reality that I care to admit."
************************************************************************
Matt returned to the hospital at 3:00. It took Tai and Lucky awhile to fill him in on the day's events.
"So mom is still at the office searching for information on this guy?"
"I guess so. I haven't heard back from her so I'm assuming she is still there. Izzy left about a half hour ago to help Ken search this Jonathan Littoral. Sora and Mimi are checking my records at home to see if this man was a client of mine that I had forgotten about."
"You're letting Mimi near a computer?" Matt and Tai exclaimed.
"Not hardly. Yolei is handling the files on the computer. Sora and Mimi are looking through the paper ones."
"What about Kari and my brother?"
"On Lexington Avenue with Davis trying to find out where the stalker was watching me."
"Cody? Joe?"
"Don't know."
"I think Joe was heading to the café to talk with Mia about tomorrow." piped in Tai.
"The dance. I totally forgot about it. That and my rehearsal tonight."
"What time? The meeting is tonight too."
"Eight."
"I can be there for a little bit."
"Good enough for me."
"Laura, you won't believe what I found. Oh, hello Tai, Matt."
"Hey mom. What did you uncover?"
"That Jonathan's record is spotless. Expect for one thing. He reported a month ago that his cell phone was stolen."
"So Jonathan may not even be involved." Tai said slowly.
"It's a possibility."
Laura pursed her lips together. "No, something isn't adding up here."
"That's an understatement Laura. Nothing about this whole episode makes sense."
"No, I meant about the report. Why report your cell phone missing, but not cancel the number? Why keep it in service for a stranger to use for free? Jonathan would still be getting the bill."
Nancy glanced down at her notes again. "I found his name when I looked in the classified ads records. The funny thing about his ad was that no phone number was given to contact him, nor was it given to us at the office."
"An address?" asked her son.
"No, not a single way to reach him."
"Then why place an ad if you don't want to recover the phone? And why not cancel the old number? Why pay a bill that you shouldn't have too?"
"More questions than answers again, huh Tai?"
"All I want is a clear and simple answer for once. Is that too much to ask?"
"With our lifestyle Tai, yes."
"Besides that I think simple is another one of those words that doesn't really exist, like normal."
"So what are missing here? I know we are on the right track with this name, but every lead we manage to find takes us to another dead end with more questions than answers." Matt said, clearly frustrated.
"May I offer an opinion?"
"Sure mom, we'll take anything at this point."
"Laura, these attacks started roughly 3 weeks ago correct?" Laura nodded. "Alright this is what I am thinking. Clearly this digimon has taken the time to plan all of this out. An attack on a business would require a lot of time to break into the system and create such a complex virus. So we know this was planned in advance."
"You're suggesting that the cell phone was never stolen are you?" said Tai.
"Exactly. See the stalker was smart. He or she or both called the papers to report a missing cell phone, but the phone was never taken. It was with its owner the entire time. That is why there was no number to contact Jonathan, no one would ever call."
Laura slowly nodded. "And that is why the number was never canceled. They still needed it to call me."
"Right and lets say we went to the police with the name. The police would never suspect Jonathan of stalking you because of the ad he took out."
"But wouldn't that incriminate him? Wouldn't the police have thought to read the ad or call the phone company?"
"No, we would just say he did take an ad out and once they knew that information, I think the police would just assume he canceled the number."
"It's a really good theory. Now let me ask you this one Miss Takaishi, do you think this Jonathan is real?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Like the thing with Lady Myotismon, there is a lot of conflicting information. The person who has called you sounds like Lady Myotismon, a female digimon. The human that's been calling you is a girl. Never has there been contact from a guy."
"So this Jonathan could be an aliases?"
"That's what I'm thinking Tai. It would fit the plan of leaving red herrings everywhere for us to find and decipher."
"Then we does this leave us?"
"Lost and confused still." Matt answered.
"Okay then, what do we do?"
"Lay everything out at the meeting tonight. Maybe with all of us there, we'll be able to piece together the puzzle."
"And if not?"
"We go back to plan A, wait for the stalker to call me out."
"I don't like that plan."
"And I do Matt? We've both faced off against this stalker and lost. Hey."
"Uh oh. She has an idea."
"No, more like a realization. The prophecy. Could this attack have been my falling?"
"Maybe, but then where is Harmony?"
"Not here yet I guess."
"Or maybe she's already here, just not ready to appear until the final battle." Nancy countered.
"I bet that's it too. She's supposed to bring this new power. And I bet she can't do that until this stalker and I fight."
"Okay, I'll buy that for now, but what about Protection and Justice? Who are they?"
"Again I don't know. Maybe we should wait till tonight at the meeting to try to figure all of this out. That why we have more people to bounce ideas off of."
"I think we have too. We're at a dead end again. "
"Can we leave the word dead out of the equation?"
"Sorry Laura."
"It's okay Tai. I'm just really frustrated right now. I know we are close to discovering the truth, but at the same time, I have this feeling of dread."
"I can image that."
"What time is it?" Laura asked, changing the subject.
"4:00." replied Nancy, checking her watch.
"Okay Genni is coming at 5 to get me out of this place. I think I'm going to take a nap that way I'll be alert for tonight."
"I take it that's a hint for us to leave?" Tai asked laughing.
"Nah, you can stick around and talk, I just won't be listening."
"Well I have to get going anyway. TK is probably wondering what is taking me so long to get home. Tai, Matt do you need a lift home?"
"I'm staying mom, someone needs to be here in case of an another attack. I'll relieve Tai."
"I don't need anyone here."
"We know that Laura. But we don't want to take any chances." Tai explained gently.
"Okay, Okay. You win. Too tired to argue."
"Ok Lucky. You get some sleep and I'll see you later tonight at your place. Later Matt."
"See you Tai."
************************************************************************
Lucky ran outside without a coat or a jacket on. Her sandy brown hair blew in her face as the wind violent whipped it about. It was snowing as well. Despite the wind and snow, she didn't feel cold. Rather, her angry kept her warm. She continued running until she reached her destination, the school's soccer field. Down on the field she come see a figure.
I am ending this here and now.
Laura lifted the hem of her gown and clomped down the steps leading to the field. She stopped at the 10th step from the bottom. Her purplish - blue eyes narrowed as she glared at the figure. She couldn't make out the face because of the blinding snow.
You came.
Of course. You tried to ruin my life. I need to teach you a lesson.
The figure moved towards Lucky. To her credit, Laura held her position, but at the same time, gingerly fingered something around her neck.
What are you most scared of?
Not you, that is for sure.
The figure stop at the bottom of the steps. Only ten steps separated them now.
Really? I find that hard to believe.
You would. Now are we going to end this thing or not.
In due time, but first I have a little surprise for you.
Oh goodie. What is it time? Another virus? No that would be repetitive. So what is it. Laura really wished that the snow would stop so she could see the figure's face.
Suddenly the stalker appeared in front of her face. It was Lady Myotismon.
Surprise young Laura, I'm really back.
Liar, you're eyes are blue. The real Lady Myotismon's were green.
The figure walked around Laura, slowly, taunting her. Hissing in her eyes. Laughing at her. Lucky found herself wishing she didn't leave the others behind. Then the stalker grabbed her wrist.
Let go!
The figure dragged Laura down the remainder of the steps. The snow had begun to change to ice. She feel the icy flakes pelt her skin. It didn't help matters when Lady Myotismon threw her into the snow.
What do you want from me?
For you to suffer as I have.
I have. You namesake murdered my family. Laura shot back, still sitting in the snow.
Liar, you murdered them. You nothing more than a cold blooded killer. And you shall pay for your deeds. Wisps of Darkness.
Black strands race out towards Lucky. She couldn't move. They were going to hit her. She was going to fall!
"Lucky, wake up. Come on." shouted Matt.
Laura sat straight up in her bed. And stared at Matt.
"You ok? Looks like you had some nightmare."
Laura nodded. 'I'm okay. I'm still in the hospital. It was just a bad dream. Or was it? I do have the ability of psychic visions. Was this one? And if it was, was it predicting what I think it was? My fall. I know it. The attack on me wasn't Unity falling. It hasn't come yet. And that dream is warning me of that. Oh man, I'm really going to die!'
"Okay, maybe you'll see something the rest of us are missing."
"Can you list people who dislike you enough to harm you?"
"Number one on that list would be Lady Myotismon. Other than that I really can't think of any one."
"What about your competitors?"
"Sure they might have a grudge against me and it would explain the virus. But they wouldn't know my secret like Lady Myotismon."
"Are you sure the stalker isn't bluffing?"
"Positive. They called me at my office on day and she was able to tell me my whole life story, including how my parents died and what crest I posed."
"Is that when you started to think it was Lady Myotismon?"
"Yeah, it definitely shocked me. I thought she was gone, forever. And then after Matt was attacked, it strengthened my belief."
"What caused you to think differently?"
"It wasn't till yesterday that I totally believed it wasn't her. But when I first started to feel different is when I saw her after I went dress shopping. When I saw her, it felt like I knew her personally."
"Wouldn't be personally though? She murdered your family and destroyed your life."
"Yeah, but it was something more. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in forever, like I was bonded to her in some way."
"That is strange. But you said it wasn't till yesterday you believed totally it wasn't Lady Myotismon. Why? What changed your mind?"
"The eye color was wrong. Lady Myotismon had intense green eyes. This stalker had blue. Bright crystal blue eyes."
"You sound confident enough, so I won't ask you if you saw wrong. Now do you remember any other digimon with blue eyes that could be out to harm you?"
"Cubbiemon has bluish eyes like me, but she wouldn't harm me. One of the Grey Emperors had blue eyes, but they were much darker. But he wouldn't know how mom and dad died. The funny thing is, I can't recall anyone having this shade of blue eyes except Matt, my brother, and TK."
"And neither of my sons would do this."
"Right."
"I see your problem now. Half the evidence points to Lady Myotismon, but the other half says it isn't her."
"Yup. Confusing isn't it?"
"Oh yeah."
"Well let's just see if we can't get a clearer picture with these two numbers. Maybe there's a name or two that goes to these numbers."
"Why don't you go over to my house. Izzy can help you with that. He's found the origin of number's before. He tried with my home number to find out my last name and traced Matt's call to Circle drive."
"Isn't that where you were attacked?"
"It is. Plus that is where I heard the voice tell me that I was closer than I thought."
"Interesting. Circle Drive could be the key to all of this, especially if these numbers trace there."
"But what is on Circle Drive that is so important? There are not any houses there, just the community center, the pool, and some other businesses."
"That's true, but Moss street does have house on it. And those two are connected."
"You're right. Let me give you the directions to my house and let's see what Izzy turns up."
"Okay, you write down the directions while I call Izzy and let him and Genni know that I am coming over."
************************************************************************
Miss Takaishi was amazed. Never had she seen such a computer whiz. "Well Izzy?"
"The number that matches on the bill, its another pay phone too. But it's a different number then the number from Matt's car. Let's see if it supports the Moss / Circle Drive theory at all. It is on, give me a second here." Izzy typed on a map of the city. Using his street finder, he entered the phone number. "Lexington Ave. And that is as far from Circle as you can get. In fact, it is near Jenson's."
"Wait, then the theory still could hold true. This number is the one that was listed on the phone bill more than once. Laura said she received a couple of calls at the Jenson's right?"
"Of course, the stalker is following her, which means while she was at Jenson's, the stalker would have to be in the area, say a street over, like Lexington Ave. She could still keep an eye on Lucky, but be far enough away so Laura could never see her."
"Exactly. Which means, the stalker could be watching Laura now."
"Is she alone?"
"Yes." Nancy said with dread.
"I'm calling Tai, he'll say with her."
"Tai? It's Izzy. I need you to drop everything and get to the hospital now."
"Why? What happened to Laura?"
"Nothing…yet. Miss Takaishi and I discovered something alarming. A majority of the activities that have been happening in the area of Moss and Circle Drive. And the phone calls that Laura have received at work traced back to Lexington Ave. One street over from Jenson's. All of these events point to that Laura is being not only stalked, but followed. And that attack on her was meant to draw her away from the safety of her friends and home. I bet anything that attack was meant to kill her."
"She's alone now, isn't she." Tai caught on.
"Yes."
"I'm on my way."
Izzy hung up the phone. "He's on his way. Laura should be safe now."
"That's a relief. Now let's see if you and me can't strengthen our theory even more. Let's check this last number that appeared both on the bill and on Lucky's caller id."
"Okay, let me have it." The results came back a few minutes later. "That's strange."
"What is?"
"The number, it isn't a pay phone. It's a cell number. Unfortunately, untraceable at the time of the call."
"I sense a but coming."
"With the number, we can look it up on this nice handy dandy online phone book and see what name pops up. If we get one, we can check a normal phone book and check for the address."
"And with an address, you can confront the stalker."
"Exactly."
"But what's the odds of the address being the book, especially if you're a stalker."
"Slim to nothing. But it is a chance we have to take. It is our only lead right now."
"I agree. Go ahead and see what it pulls up."
Izzy typed the information in. A few seconds later, a name popped up.
"Jonathan Littoral. Now let's see if we can't find an address on this boy."
"Already on it Izzy. He's not listed."
"Great. Another dead end."
"Not yet. I still have a few tricks left up my sleeves. I'll run over to the office and cross reference his name in our computers and see if he has been in the news. If he has a criminal record or a good Samaritan award, we'll have it on record."
"Really? That's a bit unnerving."
"Anything that was every printed in the papers, we have saved. Whether on microfilm, compact disks or in files, we have it."
"Okay while you search that angle, I am going up to the hospital and run this name by Laura. This man could be Lady Myotismon human contact too."
"I'll drop you off on my way to the office."
"Alright, just let me email Genni and let him know of our progress. He had to go back to the Digital World to wait for Tentomon and the others. Okay, I'm done. Let's go."
************************************************************************
Izzy raced threw the hallways to Laura's room.
"Izzy, what's wrong?" asked Tai as Izzy skidding into the room.
"The other number, it gave us a name."
"No way. Well don't leave us in suspense here. What was the name?"
"Jonathan Littoral. Does that name mean anything to you at all Lucky?"
Laura sat in deep thought for awhile trying to recall if she ever crossed the name in her fifteen years of existence. "No. Maybe he was an associate of my parents or something, but I never meet or heard of him before."
"Then why would he be out to harm you then?"
"Oh great, another unexpected turn we didn't need." exclaimed Tai.
"Well maybe Miss Takaishi will turn up something. She's checking out the newspaper for information."
"That's a good idea too. But in the mean time, why don't we call the group and see if the name means anything to one of them?"
"I'll go and do that now. I better call Matt first and let him now what is up."
"Nah, let him sleep. But you can do one think for me Izzy."
"What's that?"
"When you talk to Ken, ask him to search this Jonathan online to see if that pulls anything up as well."
Izzy nodded and left the room. Then he reappeared. "What time are you getting out of here Laura?"
"5:30, or so it looks."
"I think we should meet tonight and discuss everything."
"Good idea. Let's make the time seven though, just so if something happens I won't be late."
"Okay, now I am really leaving to make those calls."
Lucky laughed and then glanced at Tai. "I think the pressure has finally gotten to him."
"Tell me about it. I understood every word he said. Something must be wrong with him."
"That or you're getting smarter."
"Maybe."
Both looked at one another. "Nah."
Tai laughed. 'It's great to see her laughing, despite the current situation.' "I'm glad to see you in high spirits."
"I'm really not. I am scared as anything. But laughing helps me forget my troubles, at least for a minute or two."
"I see."
"And this name that Izzy gave me worries me even more."
"Why?"
"Mainly because it is a name I don't recognize. Why would someone attack me that didn't know me? Or help someone who did? What do they have to gain from it."
"Unfortunately I don't know. The funny thing about all this though is that the father we look into this, the deeper we search, we find more questions than answers."
"I know. It is starting to get really frustrating."
"Not only that, but it shows how committed this impersonator is to ruining your life. First they have done a great deal of research on your life, your parents, and Jenson's. Secondly, they have to know something about computers. And the biggest one of all."
"They have to know about the Digital World and my part in it."
"Exactly. And the only problem is none of our suspects fit all of those factors."
"Except Lady Myotismon. But not even she meets it, not with her eye color being wrong and all."
"Yeah what is up with that one?"
"Again, I don't know."
"So what do we know?"
"One thing. That prophecy is becoming more and more of a reality that I care to admit."
************************************************************************
Matt returned to the hospital at 3:00. It took Tai and Lucky awhile to fill him in on the day's events.
"So mom is still at the office searching for information on this guy?"
"I guess so. I haven't heard back from her so I'm assuming she is still there. Izzy left about a half hour ago to help Ken search this Jonathan Littoral. Sora and Mimi are checking my records at home to see if this man was a client of mine that I had forgotten about."
"You're letting Mimi near a computer?" Matt and Tai exclaimed.
"Not hardly. Yolei is handling the files on the computer. Sora and Mimi are looking through the paper ones."
"What about Kari and my brother?"
"On Lexington Avenue with Davis trying to find out where the stalker was watching me."
"Cody? Joe?"
"Don't know."
"I think Joe was heading to the café to talk with Mia about tomorrow." piped in Tai.
"The dance. I totally forgot about it. That and my rehearsal tonight."
"What time? The meeting is tonight too."
"Eight."
"I can be there for a little bit."
"Good enough for me."
"Laura, you won't believe what I found. Oh, hello Tai, Matt."
"Hey mom. What did you uncover?"
"That Jonathan's record is spotless. Expect for one thing. He reported a month ago that his cell phone was stolen."
"So Jonathan may not even be involved." Tai said slowly.
"It's a possibility."
Laura pursed her lips together. "No, something isn't adding up here."
"That's an understatement Laura. Nothing about this whole episode makes sense."
"No, I meant about the report. Why report your cell phone missing, but not cancel the number? Why keep it in service for a stranger to use for free? Jonathan would still be getting the bill."
Nancy glanced down at her notes again. "I found his name when I looked in the classified ads records. The funny thing about his ad was that no phone number was given to contact him, nor was it given to us at the office."
"An address?" asked her son.
"No, not a single way to reach him."
"Then why place an ad if you don't want to recover the phone? And why not cancel the old number? Why pay a bill that you shouldn't have too?"
"More questions than answers again, huh Tai?"
"All I want is a clear and simple answer for once. Is that too much to ask?"
"With our lifestyle Tai, yes."
"Besides that I think simple is another one of those words that doesn't really exist, like normal."
"So what are missing here? I know we are on the right track with this name, but every lead we manage to find takes us to another dead end with more questions than answers." Matt said, clearly frustrated.
"May I offer an opinion?"
"Sure mom, we'll take anything at this point."
"Laura, these attacks started roughly 3 weeks ago correct?" Laura nodded. "Alright this is what I am thinking. Clearly this digimon has taken the time to plan all of this out. An attack on a business would require a lot of time to break into the system and create such a complex virus. So we know this was planned in advance."
"You're suggesting that the cell phone was never stolen are you?" said Tai.
"Exactly. See the stalker was smart. He or she or both called the papers to report a missing cell phone, but the phone was never taken. It was with its owner the entire time. That is why there was no number to contact Jonathan, no one would ever call."
Laura slowly nodded. "And that is why the number was never canceled. They still needed it to call me."
"Right and lets say we went to the police with the name. The police would never suspect Jonathan of stalking you because of the ad he took out."
"But wouldn't that incriminate him? Wouldn't the police have thought to read the ad or call the phone company?"
"No, we would just say he did take an ad out and once they knew that information, I think the police would just assume he canceled the number."
"It's a really good theory. Now let me ask you this one Miss Takaishi, do you think this Jonathan is real?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. Like the thing with Lady Myotismon, there is a lot of conflicting information. The person who has called you sounds like Lady Myotismon, a female digimon. The human that's been calling you is a girl. Never has there been contact from a guy."
"So this Jonathan could be an aliases?"
"That's what I'm thinking Tai. It would fit the plan of leaving red herrings everywhere for us to find and decipher."
"Then we does this leave us?"
"Lost and confused still." Matt answered.
"Okay then, what do we do?"
"Lay everything out at the meeting tonight. Maybe with all of us there, we'll be able to piece together the puzzle."
"And if not?"
"We go back to plan A, wait for the stalker to call me out."
"I don't like that plan."
"And I do Matt? We've both faced off against this stalker and lost. Hey."
"Uh oh. She has an idea."
"No, more like a realization. The prophecy. Could this attack have been my falling?"
"Maybe, but then where is Harmony?"
"Not here yet I guess."
"Or maybe she's already here, just not ready to appear until the final battle." Nancy countered.
"I bet that's it too. She's supposed to bring this new power. And I bet she can't do that until this stalker and I fight."
"Okay, I'll buy that for now, but what about Protection and Justice? Who are they?"
"Again I don't know. Maybe we should wait till tonight at the meeting to try to figure all of this out. That why we have more people to bounce ideas off of."
"I think we have too. We're at a dead end again. "
"Can we leave the word dead out of the equation?"
"Sorry Laura."
"It's okay Tai. I'm just really frustrated right now. I know we are close to discovering the truth, but at the same time, I have this feeling of dread."
"I can image that."
"What time is it?" Laura asked, changing the subject.
"4:00." replied Nancy, checking her watch.
"Okay Genni is coming at 5 to get me out of this place. I think I'm going to take a nap that way I'll be alert for tonight."
"I take it that's a hint for us to leave?" Tai asked laughing.
"Nah, you can stick around and talk, I just won't be listening."
"Well I have to get going anyway. TK is probably wondering what is taking me so long to get home. Tai, Matt do you need a lift home?"
"I'm staying mom, someone needs to be here in case of an another attack. I'll relieve Tai."
"I don't need anyone here."
"We know that Laura. But we don't want to take any chances." Tai explained gently.
"Okay, Okay. You win. Too tired to argue."
"Ok Lucky. You get some sleep and I'll see you later tonight at your place. Later Matt."
"See you Tai."
************************************************************************
Lucky ran outside without a coat or a jacket on. Her sandy brown hair blew in her face as the wind violent whipped it about. It was snowing as well. Despite the wind and snow, she didn't feel cold. Rather, her angry kept her warm. She continued running until she reached her destination, the school's soccer field. Down on the field she come see a figure.
I am ending this here and now.
Laura lifted the hem of her gown and clomped down the steps leading to the field. She stopped at the 10th step from the bottom. Her purplish - blue eyes narrowed as she glared at the figure. She couldn't make out the face because of the blinding snow.
You came.
Of course. You tried to ruin my life. I need to teach you a lesson.
The figure moved towards Lucky. To her credit, Laura held her position, but at the same time, gingerly fingered something around her neck.
What are you most scared of?
Not you, that is for sure.
The figure stop at the bottom of the steps. Only ten steps separated them now.
Really? I find that hard to believe.
You would. Now are we going to end this thing or not.
In due time, but first I have a little surprise for you.
Oh goodie. What is it time? Another virus? No that would be repetitive. So what is it. Laura really wished that the snow would stop so she could see the figure's face.
Suddenly the stalker appeared in front of her face. It was Lady Myotismon.
Surprise young Laura, I'm really back.
Liar, you're eyes are blue. The real Lady Myotismon's were green.
The figure walked around Laura, slowly, taunting her. Hissing in her eyes. Laughing at her. Lucky found herself wishing she didn't leave the others behind. Then the stalker grabbed her wrist.
Let go!
The figure dragged Laura down the remainder of the steps. The snow had begun to change to ice. She feel the icy flakes pelt her skin. It didn't help matters when Lady Myotismon threw her into the snow.
What do you want from me?
For you to suffer as I have.
I have. You namesake murdered my family. Laura shot back, still sitting in the snow.
Liar, you murdered them. You nothing more than a cold blooded killer. And you shall pay for your deeds. Wisps of Darkness.
Black strands race out towards Lucky. She couldn't move. They were going to hit her. She was going to fall!
"Lucky, wake up. Come on." shouted Matt.
Laura sat straight up in her bed. And stared at Matt.
"You ok? Looks like you had some nightmare."
Laura nodded. 'I'm okay. I'm still in the hospital. It was just a bad dream. Or was it? I do have the ability of psychic visions. Was this one? And if it was, was it predicting what I think it was? My fall. I know it. The attack on me wasn't Unity falling. It hasn't come yet. And that dream is warning me of that. Oh man, I'm really going to die!'