Chapter Five
"Call in sick," Harrison said to Cassie as soon as he had finished explaining the events of the last two days to her.
"You aren't seriously going to trust him are you?" she asked, ignoring Harrison's order.
"I don't see we have a choice," Harrison answered.
"I bet Tru 'd disagree with that," Cassie pointed out. "Why don't you call her and see?"
"I will as soon as you've called in sick," Harrison said, passing her the phone.
"You think that'll change things?" she asked as she dialled the number.
"You were attacked on the way back home for the diner. If you don't go…" his voice trailed off. Cassie nodded as she told the manager she was feeling ill and promised to let him know later on if she would be in the next day.
"Promise you won't leave the apartment," Harrison insisted when she had hung up the phone.
"I don't like the idea of being a prisoner in my own home."
"Neither do I but just until we find him."
"You and Tru?" Cassie asked with a pointed glance at the phone that Harrison had made no effort to pick up to dial his sister.
"Yeah, I'll go meet her at the morgue," he replied with a determined glare into the distance. "And if she even suggests that we try to save him…"
"Be careful," Cassie said as Harrison started to climb out of bed.
"Always am," he replied as turning back to her with a grin and planting a quick kiss on her lips. Snaking her arms around his neck she held him in place as he stood up.
"You call that a kiss?" she teased as she knelt on the edge of the bed and pulled him towards her to demonstrate her idea of what a kiss should be.
"Hmm, much better," Harrison agreed after they had come up for air.
"How long until Tru finishes her shift?"
"A while," Harrison replied.
"Well since I'm not going into work, how about we lie in for a while?" Cassie suggested with a smile before kissing him again.
"Tru is safe at work for now," Harrison agreed as he kissed her back and tumbled her backwards onto the bed with a grin. No, he thought, there wasn't really any hurry to get over to the morgue, he could as easily go to her apartment between her shifts.
"Tru?" Harrison shouted as he banged on his sister's apartment door. "You in?"
"Coming," he heard her call from inside just before the door opened.
Tru looked at him in surprise as he enveloped her in a tight hug. "Not that this doesn't make a nice change to being ignored, but what's going on?" she asked.
"Long story," Harrison answered releasing her and walking over to the sofa. Tru raised an eyebrow as Harrison confessed to her the events of the last two days. The more he spoke, the more guilty he felt. He watched Tru's expression alter from curiosity to surprise, to anger, to shock and finally into an expression he couldn't read at all.
"I died?" Tru asked after he had finally finished.
"Yeah, but not today," Harrison assured her.
"And you have a truce with Jack?" Tru asked with a roll of her eyes.
"It's not like you haven't worked with him before," Harrison pointed out. "He wants to save you so he can carry on reliving days."
"So it's fine to alter fate when it suits him," Tru muttered although she didn't look entirely surprised by the revelation.
"I said I'd meet him at lunch," Harrison said with a shrug. "You stick with us and between the three of us we should manage to keep you alive. Don't worry about the truce. It's only to keep you safe."
"That's not what worries me the most," Tru said as she stood up and went to make some coffee. "What worries me is the fact that he knew you rewound instead of me."
"You think he had something to do with it?" Harrison asked with a frown.
"I don't know," Tru sighed. "Last time he didn't know you had rewound, I'm sure about it. But, from what you said, this time…"
"…this time he did."
"We'll sort that out later," Tru said as she began clattering around the kitchen. "One problem at a time. Cassie's safe?"
"She called in sick and isn't leaving the apartment," Harrison confirmed with a nod as he followed his sister into the kitchen to begin his ritual rifle through the fridge. He spotted one of his favourite desserts hidden towards the back and reached for it, but wasn't quite quick enough and Tru, laughing, playfully slapped his hand away.
"So we're good now?" she asked.
"Yeah," Harrison assured her as he gave her a one armed hug and sneaked the dessert out with his free hand whilst his sister was distracted.
Jack was already waiting for them when they reached the diner and greeted them like old friends. Neither Tru nor Harrison was impressed with his unusual brand of humour on this particular day.
"All safe and sound are we?" Jack asked. "Everyone alive and well like they should be? Apart from Harrison here of course, who still isn't dead yet."
"Oh good, you noticed that," Harrison replied while looking over the menu.
"So what's the plan of action regarding Matt?" Tru asked. "Any ideas where he is?"
"Been a little busy to find him," Jack replied with a shrug. "Had to get to the bookies and place a bet on a long shot that's running later."
"What's that?" Harrison asked, distracted away from the menu.
"Harry," Tru warned with a frown.
"Aw Tru, you can't keep the reins on him forever," Jack said. "Sooner or later you've got to let him make his own mistakes."
"Hey," Harrison exclaimed with a glare.
"Can we get back to the point?" Tru insisted.
"I don't know where he is," Jack replied, at last acting like he was being serious. "But I know where he will be."
"And?" Tru asked impatiently.
"Right outside of here at the end of Cassie's shift," Jack pointed out. "That's where he attacked her on day one."
"But Cassie isn't working today," Harrison pointed out.
"So I noticed," Jack replied. "It might have been a good idea to run that one past me before you decided to get all protective over the little woman."
"You do realise that Matt has probably noticed already that she's not come into work," Tru commented. "Which means he's probably been and gone on his way."
"And we have no leads at all," Jack agreed. "That's hardly my fault though. I never said she should alter her routine. My entire plan hinged on everything being done exactly the same as on the first day."
"So what now?" Tru asked.
"We figure out where he's likely to be and find him," Jack said with a smile.
"Oh God," Harrison said as he realised where Matt was going to go, as soon as he realised Cassie was not at work. "Cassie!"
He jumped out of his seat and ran from the diner. She would have started her shift an hour ago if she hadn't called in sick and if Matt had been waiting at the start of her shift then he would have gone straight to her apartment. He hoped he was not already too late.
Tru looked at Jack who merely smiled.
"Cassie isn't meant to die today," she hissed at him.
"No, you're right about that," Jack nodded. "She was meant to die some time ago if I recall correctly. A tragic drowning while I was on holiday wasn't it? Fate did try to rectify it with that cursed vase. Looks like it might be third time lucky though."
"You knew Harrison would make her stay home," Tru accused. "You knew this would happen. You knew he'd come here and meet you to save me and leave Cassie open to attack at home."
"Your brother can be rather predictable at times," Jack gloated. "And particularly easy to manipulate when it comes to women."
Tru glared one last time at Jack before she ran outside and hurried after Harrison.
Harrison was in the apartment with Cassie in his arms when Tru arrived. The scene was horribly similar to another one she recalled not that long ago.
The only difference this time was that Cassie was still alive. She was badly beaten and unconscious but thankfully still breathing.
Tru checked her pulse as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.
"She'll be okay," Tru repeated over and over as her brother sat in silence on the floor.
She prayed that she was right.
