Tracker – The Past Comes Back to Haunt Us – Part 2
The letter from Ewan was the crowning touch, the perfect excuse to go to London and find out what was going on.
She needed to resolve her feelings for Ewan once and for all. Now that he was showing the commitment she had demanded was she having a change of heart? Jess didn't think so but now that marriage was rapidly becoming a real possibility, she just wasn't sure anymore if she could make that commitment. Jess knew that her sojourn in America had changed her, she hoped for the better. The question now became how much Ewan had changed and would they be able to make a relationship work. Putting aside her personal issues, she mumbled to herself "It's not as if I can solve those tonight anyway, I might as well start on the list".
Jess turned on her computer and retrieved the list from her pocket. The Internet provided a wealth of information on the people but it was all hopelessly outdated material. All about their past endeavors. They would all have retired for the most part and she needed to know who and where they were now.
Signing off the Internet she picked up the phone to begin calling. The first two phone numbers were a bust. But the third number Jess hit paydirt of a sort. Yes, Andreas Sintella had been a resident but was no longer alive. Mr. Sintella's affairs were being handled by a man named Sam Hulston and if she needed to she could contact him at the number they gave her.
"Alright then! Jess Hewett detective at large. I see old people." High on her success Jess chortled to herself for a moment then took a deep breath and called the international number.
The knock at the door startled Jess away from her computer. "Who would be knocking at her flat this late? She wondered, checking her mental dating calendar. Cautiously she checked the peephole. "Whot is HE doing here?" she muttered, unsnapping the locks and opening the door to Nestov.
"Hey beautiful, what's shaking?" Nestov flashed his best 'I'm harmless' smile at her.
Hands on her hips, Jess snapped impatiently "What are you doing here?"
A shrug of slender shoulders accompanied Nestov's "You probably won't believe I was just passing by and decided to stop in?"
"Not hardly" Jess replied.
"I didn't think so," Nestov laughed. "Let me come in, we have a certain bundle from the basement to talk about." Taking advantage of her momentary shock Nestov pushed past Jess into the sitting area of the tiny apartment. "Nice place Jess."
"Yeah, well I like it." Jess replied automatically, she was still trying to sort out how Cole's weird friend knew about the package she had snuck out of the Watchfire's basement. Shutting the door and relocking the locks Jess gestured at the couch for Nestov to have a seat.
Nestov sat, relaxed now that he was inside. The hardest part of most cons was getting the mark to accept the hook, but in this case he had the right bait as well as another hook if the mark played hard to get. Blackmail was a handy hook to have as a backup and he knew Jess did NOT want to explain 'stealing' the bundle from the bar to Mel.
"How'd ja know about the basement?" Belligerence made Jess' accent stronger and she was almost strident in her demand.
"Simple. I saw you. I was hiding at the top of the stairs." Nestov replied.
"So that was you I heard?"
"Yep that was me and I know what you found, well kinda, part of it anyway." Nestov added sheepishly at Jess' disbelieving glare.
"Oh yeahr? Ok what is it exactly that you think you know?"
"You found artifacts, some pieces of alien technology or something." Nestov sat forward, earnest now in his attempt to get through to Jess.
The arrhythmic vibration shuddered through the Earth's mantle. Gentle and deep the atonal hum throbbed. Outside of London in the wilds of Cotswold Heath the ground began to vibrate softly. And deep beneath the ground an unearthly glow shimmered to life inside a metal sphere. Building in intensity and pulsing in time to the drum-like throb the sphere seemed almost…. Alive. Minutes, then hours went by, the light pulsed and grew brighter. The vibration suddenly stopped and where the ball of bright, hot light had shimmered stood a man. Head raised he seemed to test the air. 'Ahhhhh" the breath sighed out as the man stretched his limbs. "It would seem that my services are needed once more." The man smiled, without a bit of humor.
The letter from Ewan was the crowning touch, the perfect excuse to go to London and find out what was going on.
She needed to resolve her feelings for Ewan once and for all. Now that he was showing the commitment she had demanded was she having a change of heart? Jess didn't think so but now that marriage was rapidly becoming a real possibility, she just wasn't sure anymore if she could make that commitment. Jess knew that her sojourn in America had changed her, she hoped for the better. The question now became how much Ewan had changed and would they be able to make a relationship work. Putting aside her personal issues, she mumbled to herself "It's not as if I can solve those tonight anyway, I might as well start on the list".
Jess turned on her computer and retrieved the list from her pocket. The Internet provided a wealth of information on the people but it was all hopelessly outdated material. All about their past endeavors. They would all have retired for the most part and she needed to know who and where they were now.
Signing off the Internet she picked up the phone to begin calling. The first two phone numbers were a bust. But the third number Jess hit paydirt of a sort. Yes, Andreas Sintella had been a resident but was no longer alive. Mr. Sintella's affairs were being handled by a man named Sam Hulston and if she needed to she could contact him at the number they gave her.
"Alright then! Jess Hewett detective at large. I see old people." High on her success Jess chortled to herself for a moment then took a deep breath and called the international number.
The knock at the door startled Jess away from her computer. "Who would be knocking at her flat this late? She wondered, checking her mental dating calendar. Cautiously she checked the peephole. "Whot is HE doing here?" she muttered, unsnapping the locks and opening the door to Nestov.
"Hey beautiful, what's shaking?" Nestov flashed his best 'I'm harmless' smile at her.
Hands on her hips, Jess snapped impatiently "What are you doing here?"
A shrug of slender shoulders accompanied Nestov's "You probably won't believe I was just passing by and decided to stop in?"
"Not hardly" Jess replied.
"I didn't think so," Nestov laughed. "Let me come in, we have a certain bundle from the basement to talk about." Taking advantage of her momentary shock Nestov pushed past Jess into the sitting area of the tiny apartment. "Nice place Jess."
"Yeah, well I like it." Jess replied automatically, she was still trying to sort out how Cole's weird friend knew about the package she had snuck out of the Watchfire's basement. Shutting the door and relocking the locks Jess gestured at the couch for Nestov to have a seat.
Nestov sat, relaxed now that he was inside. The hardest part of most cons was getting the mark to accept the hook, but in this case he had the right bait as well as another hook if the mark played hard to get. Blackmail was a handy hook to have as a backup and he knew Jess did NOT want to explain 'stealing' the bundle from the bar to Mel.
"How'd ja know about the basement?" Belligerence made Jess' accent stronger and she was almost strident in her demand.
"Simple. I saw you. I was hiding at the top of the stairs." Nestov replied.
"So that was you I heard?"
"Yep that was me and I know what you found, well kinda, part of it anyway." Nestov added sheepishly at Jess' disbelieving glare.
"Oh yeahr? Ok what is it exactly that you think you know?"
"You found artifacts, some pieces of alien technology or something." Nestov sat forward, earnest now in his attempt to get through to Jess.
The arrhythmic vibration shuddered through the Earth's mantle. Gentle and deep the atonal hum throbbed. Outside of London in the wilds of Cotswold Heath the ground began to vibrate softly. And deep beneath the ground an unearthly glow shimmered to life inside a metal sphere. Building in intensity and pulsing in time to the drum-like throb the sphere seemed almost…. Alive. Minutes, then hours went by, the light pulsed and grew brighter. The vibration suddenly stopped and where the ball of bright, hot light had shimmered stood a man. Head raised he seemed to test the air. 'Ahhhhh" the breath sighed out as the man stretched his limbs. "It would seem that my services are needed once more." The man smiled, without a bit of humor.