CHAPTER 39
"Joe are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Richie asked, knowing it was the right thing to ask but still hoping the older man would decline his offer.
"I'll be fine here." Joe assured him. "And I think it's important you catch up to Claudia in New York. She hasn't trained nearly long enough and if some immortal runs across her, it would be better if they found you by her side."
Richie nodded, but he still felt bad about leaving Joe. In the week since he'd returned from his encounter with Methos, Joe had been clearly upset and worried. The two had been such close friends, and Richie was having a hard time trying to understand why Methos wouldn't even hear Joe out.
The good news was that it appeared Methos hadn't taken any heads in the past week. The bad news was that the Watcher's had all but lost track of him once he reentered the United States. They thought he might be in Chicago a few days before, but he'd given them the slip.
"You'll keep me posted if you hear anything?" Richie asked.
Joe nodded. "And I'll do the same." He said as he watched his young friend pick up his helmet and start out the door.
"Hey Rich!" Joe called out and Richie paused. "Remember what I said. If you see him, stay out of his way. Even if you don't have a chance to tell him about Beth, it's more important to protect yourself and Claudia."
Richie nodded and rode back to the house to collect his bags and catch the late afternoon flight east. It was a flight he didn't make.
"What do you mean he didn't meet Claudia?" Duncan asked, his voice loud enough to alert Amanda in the other room of the barge that he was on the phone. "He's supposed to be watching out for her. Did they have a falling out?"
"Not that I know of Mac. He left here yesterday around one and was supposed to take the 3:30 flight. He didn't make that one or any of the others since and there's no sign of him or his luggage at the house. Claudia's so upset she is ready to cancel her performance tonight." Joe told him.
Duncan rubbed the back of his neck as he paced the room. "Do you have any idea what's happened to him Joe? If he didn't go to meet Claudia, where do you think he went?"
"Beats me Mac. The only thing I could think of would be that he got a lead on Beth, but I can't believe he wouldn't tell us about it."
Duncan agreed with Joe. Richie might follow a lead, but he would at least tell them so they could get with him on it.
"And his watcher doesn't know anything?" Duncan asked.
"The last he saw of Richie was when he got to the house yesterday afternoon. Seems he anticipated the trip east and decided he could wait to pick him up again when he got to New York."
"Damn" Duncan replied under his breath. "Are you sure you can't think of anything?"
Joe sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, not wanting to think the only other alternative he could.
"Joe? Are you still there?" Duncan asked.
"He seemed really concerned about us dropping our search for Methos." Joe replied flatly. "I thought I'd gotten through to him, but now I'm not so sure."
"Oh no . you don't think ." Duncan shook his head as he asked.
"I don't know what else to think. He packed his bags and went somewhere, and if it wasn't to meet Claudia or to follow a lead on Beth, which he'd tell us about, then I don't know where else he could have gone." Joe concluded.
"But he doesn't even know where to look." Duncan tried to deny what appeared to be true.
"He knows where he was two days ago." Joe replied. "Or at least where we think he was."
Duncan took down the information and thanked Joe, telling him he would be on the next flight to the states.
"Duncan you can't just leave." Amanda protested as he threw his things into a duffel bag and explained what was going on. "I thought we were going to Marseille to follow up on that lead." She reminded him.
"You'll have to go alone." Duncan replied. "I've got to get to Richie before he does something stupid."
Amanda knew he was right, and it wasn't like she couldn't follow this lead on her own. "Just get back here as soon as you can." She told him as he left, throwing her arms around his neck. "Duncan, try not to get into it with the old man if you can help it. You know how I feel about you, and I'm pretty fond of him as well."
Duncan nodded, hoping it wouldn't come to that.
"Joe are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Richie asked, knowing it was the right thing to ask but still hoping the older man would decline his offer.
"I'll be fine here." Joe assured him. "And I think it's important you catch up to Claudia in New York. She hasn't trained nearly long enough and if some immortal runs across her, it would be better if they found you by her side."
Richie nodded, but he still felt bad about leaving Joe. In the week since he'd returned from his encounter with Methos, Joe had been clearly upset and worried. The two had been such close friends, and Richie was having a hard time trying to understand why Methos wouldn't even hear Joe out.
The good news was that it appeared Methos hadn't taken any heads in the past week. The bad news was that the Watcher's had all but lost track of him once he reentered the United States. They thought he might be in Chicago a few days before, but he'd given them the slip.
"You'll keep me posted if you hear anything?" Richie asked.
Joe nodded. "And I'll do the same." He said as he watched his young friend pick up his helmet and start out the door.
"Hey Rich!" Joe called out and Richie paused. "Remember what I said. If you see him, stay out of his way. Even if you don't have a chance to tell him about Beth, it's more important to protect yourself and Claudia."
Richie nodded and rode back to the house to collect his bags and catch the late afternoon flight east. It was a flight he didn't make.
"What do you mean he didn't meet Claudia?" Duncan asked, his voice loud enough to alert Amanda in the other room of the barge that he was on the phone. "He's supposed to be watching out for her. Did they have a falling out?"
"Not that I know of Mac. He left here yesterday around one and was supposed to take the 3:30 flight. He didn't make that one or any of the others since and there's no sign of him or his luggage at the house. Claudia's so upset she is ready to cancel her performance tonight." Joe told him.
Duncan rubbed the back of his neck as he paced the room. "Do you have any idea what's happened to him Joe? If he didn't go to meet Claudia, where do you think he went?"
"Beats me Mac. The only thing I could think of would be that he got a lead on Beth, but I can't believe he wouldn't tell us about it."
Duncan agreed with Joe. Richie might follow a lead, but he would at least tell them so they could get with him on it.
"And his watcher doesn't know anything?" Duncan asked.
"The last he saw of Richie was when he got to the house yesterday afternoon. Seems he anticipated the trip east and decided he could wait to pick him up again when he got to New York."
"Damn" Duncan replied under his breath. "Are you sure you can't think of anything?"
Joe sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, not wanting to think the only other alternative he could.
"Joe? Are you still there?" Duncan asked.
"He seemed really concerned about us dropping our search for Methos." Joe replied flatly. "I thought I'd gotten through to him, but now I'm not so sure."
"Oh no . you don't think ." Duncan shook his head as he asked.
"I don't know what else to think. He packed his bags and went somewhere, and if it wasn't to meet Claudia or to follow a lead on Beth, which he'd tell us about, then I don't know where else he could have gone." Joe concluded.
"But he doesn't even know where to look." Duncan tried to deny what appeared to be true.
"He knows where he was two days ago." Joe replied. "Or at least where we think he was."
Duncan took down the information and thanked Joe, telling him he would be on the next flight to the states.
"Duncan you can't just leave." Amanda protested as he threw his things into a duffel bag and explained what was going on. "I thought we were going to Marseille to follow up on that lead." She reminded him.
"You'll have to go alone." Duncan replied. "I've got to get to Richie before he does something stupid."
Amanda knew he was right, and it wasn't like she couldn't follow this lead on her own. "Just get back here as soon as you can." She told him as he left, throwing her arms around his neck. "Duncan, try not to get into it with the old man if you can help it. You know how I feel about you, and I'm pretty fond of him as well."
Duncan nodded, hoping it wouldn't come to that.