The black t-bird pulled to a stop in front of the building. Alex stepped out of the car and entered the building right behind Duncan and Richie.
When he entered the first floor Alex noticed that it was a martial arts dojo. He saw several large mats all over the floor. His eyes swept across the various weapons that adorned the walls. In the back was an office and a freight elevator to which Alex followed Duncan and Richie.
"Was that a dojo down there?" Alex asked Duncan while they rode the freight elevator to the next floor.
"Yeah I own it," Duncan said.
"Cool," Alex said impressed. "I used to watch some kung fu flicks with my friend Maria when I was younger. And after we saw one we'd usually try to fight each other. And yet every time Maria would beat the heck out of me."
Duncan and Richie stared at Alex silently.
"Forget I said that," Alex said after a moment.
"Okay," Duncan and Richie said in unison.
"You know you never said you owned a dojo," Alex said quickly changing the subject.
"Well, you never asked," Duncan said raising the gate and stepping out of the elevator.
While Alex looked around Duncan's loft, Duncan signaled Richie to follow him to the closet.
"Richie keep an eye on him while I go talk to Joe," Duncan whispered as he headed to his closet.
"No problem," Richie whispered back.
"I hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch," Duncan said as he opened his closet and removed a pillow and blanket.
"Not at all," Alex said.
"Here you go Alex," Duncan said handing Alex the blanket and a pillow. "Richie's going to help you get settled in, I have to meet with someone right now."
"Alright," Alex said
Duncan head back to the elevator.
"Duncan," Alex called after him.
Duncan turned back to Alex.
"Thanks," Alex said. "For everything."
"No problem," Duncan said nodding. "And call me Mac."
Joe's Bar
Joe was pouring a beer for a customer when he noticed Duncan walk into the bar. He knew that Duncan would be coming in soon or later. Joe also knew that Duncan would be asking questions about a certain boy turned immortal. This had been the thing that Joe had been wanting to avoid ever since Duncan had called him earlier yesterday about where Richie had gone.
"Alright folks time to call it a night," Joe called out to the remaining patrons.
Duncan found himself a seat at one of the tables while the customers left. As soon as the last one was out the door Joe finally spoke to Duncan.
"Hey Mac," Joe asked throwing a cleaning cloth over his shoulder. "What can I do for you?"
"What can you tell me about Alex Whitman?" Duncan asked.
"Oh that," Joe said. "Did Richie find the kid?"
"He's at my place right now," Duncan said. "I need to know the how he died."
"Kid died in a car accident," Joe said as he took the cloth from his shoulder and began cleaning empty beer glasses. "And from what I hear it was apparently a suicide."
"What did his watcher say?" Duncan asked.
"Well about his watcher...," Joe began concentrating on a particular glass.
"You did assign Alex a watcher didn't you?" Duncan asked.
"Yeah I did," Joe said hesitantly. "But..
"But what?" Duncan asked his brow furrowing.
"Listen Mac," Joe said putting the beer glass down. "I couldn't pull a professional watcher out of the field to keep an eye on a preimmortal."
"So what did you do," Duncan asked.
"His name is William," Joe said stepping around the bar to join Duncan. "He completed training two weeks before he started watching Alex."
"So you put a rookie on Alex?" Duncan asked as Joe approached him.
"It was all I could do Mac," Joe said sitting in the stool next to Duncan. "And let me tell you something Mac. This kid was involved in some weird shit."
"What do you mean?" Duncan asked.
"November twelfth two thousand," Joe said. "Nine o' eight am. Alex Whitman is having breakfast at the crashdown cafe. Ten thirty eight AM, Alex Whitman is having breakfast at the crashdown cafe."
"So he ate breakfast twice," Duncan said. "What's wrong with that?"
"No Mac," Joe said. "William reported that an hour and a half had passed without him or anyone else knowing it."
"What?" Duncan asked.
"Here's another one," Joe said. "About a week later, Alex Whitman walks into the UFO Museum. Inside are six of his friends, Liz Parker, Max Evans, Michael Guerin, Maria Deluca, Isabel Evans, and Tess Harding. When Alex arrives so do three people that look exactly like Michael, Isabel, and Tess."
"Listen to this," Joe said reading. "Alex and his friends gathered in Frazier woods with shovels and start digging holes all over the place. Alex and Kyle appeared to have stumbled upon some kind of underground cave. The two enter the cave and they don't come out. When William got to where they were he found the entrance covered in, oh you're not going to believe this."
"What?" Duncan asked.
"Blue Crystals," Joe said.
"Excuse me," Duncan said.
"You heard me," Joe said. "Several hours later Liz Parker, Tess Harding, Max & Isabel Evans arrive. Liz is speaking into a cell phone, as it turns out she is talking to Kyle. He and Alex were trapped underneath them in the cave."
"So what happened?" Duncan asked.
"Well nothing really," Joe said. "William reported seeing the two Evans kids placing their hands over the crystals for some reason. Anyway one of them left, and a few hours later Alex and Kyle came up from out of the cave. After everyone had left William checked out the cave and found nothing in it."
Duncan was silent as Joe got up from his stool and moved behind the bar to retrieve a shot glass and a bottle of bourbon.
"Now this is the thing that has kept me up since last night," Joe said as he poured a shot. "For two months, from November twenty seventh to January twenty seventh, Alex Whitman had relocated to Las Cruces University. And for those two months he practically never left the room he was staying. The only times he ever did leave his room was to visit the computer center on campus."
"Did you happen to find out what he was working on?" Duncan asked.
"Wlliam tried to access what Alex was working on," Joe said. "But he wasn't able to come up with anything. You should ask Alex what he was working on."
"What do you think Joe?" Duncan asked.
"I don't know Mac," Joe said. "These kids today, there into all types of strange things."
"What about the accident?" Duncan asked.
"I'm still trying to figure that out," Joe said. "April twenty-third, William had been keeping surveillance on Alex's house in his car from across the street. When suddenly Alex came running out of his house, jumped in his car, and took off like a bat out of hell."
"So that's how it happened," Duncan said. "Did William see the accident?"
"Actually no," Joe said. "When Alex drove off he was speeding, William tried to keep up with him but he got pulled over by some Sheriff named Hanson. By the time he was finally able to get the away and get back on the road he had lost all trace of Alex. It wasn't until he came upon the accident scene did he realize what had happened."
"So Alex really did die in a car accident," Duncan said. With his head lowered, Duncan sighed. He hated to have to break the news to Alex that he really had died in a car accident. Duncan returned his gaze to Joe, and noticed the look on his face.
"Joe?" Duncan asked.
"The crash down cafe is north of Alex's place," Joe said. "When Alex left his house, he headed due south. Not too mention there's a forty-five minute gap from when he left his house to when the accident took place."
"So what happened?" Duncan asked.
"I guess the only person that really does know," Joe said. "Is Alex."
Duncan nodded, admitting the answers to all his questions couldn't be found out by the watchers. But were locked in Alex's head.
"What's on your mind Joe?" Duncan asked. "I can always tell when something's bothering you."
"I've never even met this kid Mac," Joe said. "But from what William told me, Alex seems to be a good kid. Someone that didn't deserve this."
"None of us deserved this," Duncan said as he left the bar.
TBC...