FOUR

Tru stepped outside the restaurant and looked around. Going here had been a total waste of time. None of the workers seemed to know who Leo and Phoebe were. Either they weren't regulars or the workers hadn't taken the time to actually find out who they were.

Tru was at a loss. There was no indication who the two were. There was also no indication who the assailant was. Since her peculiar ability had surfaced she had gotten into the habit of paying more attention to her surroundings most of the time. She never knew when her day would rewind and she'd have to rely on some minor detail.

But the shooting had happened so quickly. There wasn't much she could remember about the assailant. He was in his mid- to late-twenties and dressed all in black. He had no facial hair and no identifying marks. Just some no-
name druggie who lost control trying to make some easy money. Tru decided to take the bus back downtown. It would give her a chance to think things through.

Riding the bus she thought about the event. It was starting to get late. It was all ready two, which meant there was only about two and a half hours before the man was shot. She thought about one of her college professors. He often said to figure out a problem, you had to decide on three things.

What do you know? What do you think you know? And what don't you know? Well, what she knew was very little. She knew that at about four thirty a man would apparently try to rob that cafeteria. During the attempt he would shoot and kill this Leo. Then he would disappear into the crowd outside.

As for the couple, she knew they were there together. They were discussing someone named Piper who had given birth to a son named Wyatt. And they thought she was too stressed out from the birth. They had also thought there was some kind of risk if she left Wyatt alone.

What did she think she knew? Well, she thought that Phoebe was Piper's sister and Leo was Piper's husband. But that was speculative. She also thought the assailant had been a drug user, but that, too, was conjecture. There could be any of a number of explanations for who he was.

What didn't she know? Practically everything. She didn't know who Leo, Phoebe, or Piper was. She didn't know who the assailant was or what he was doing in that restaurant. And she didn't know where he had gone once he had left the restaurant.

Two and a half hours to find out everything she needed to know and prevent Leo's death. She had no idea how she was going to do that. If she were in New York, she'd have Davis to help her. And she usually had some information to go on. A name or occupation or location. Here, she had virtually nothing even though she had been witness to the entire incident.

The restaurant had been her only clue. When no one at the restaurant knew either Leo or Phoebe, she had lost that lead. It was a good bet that the answers weren't just going to jump out at her. Absentmindedly she looked around her. Everyone was going about his or her own business oblivious to what was going on. No one was aware of the urgent mission she was on.

Suddenly she sat staring at one of the many ads that the city buses sported. Lining the sides of the bus just below the ceiling many companies advertised their products or services for the bus patrons to see. She couldn't believe what she was staring at. One of the local newspapers had an ad almost directly across from her. And staring at her from that ad was the face, and name, of Phoebe. She was apparently a columnist who gave advise to the readers. Tru suddenly had all the information she needed to save Leo.