FIVE

Tru looked around the room she was standing in. According to the directory at the entrance to the building, Phoebe Halliwell's' office was on this floor. But she had no idea where the office was. Most of the "offices" were little cubicles where the reporters and other staff of the newspaper did their work.

"Excuse me," Tru said to a young man passing nearby, "can you tell me where I can find Phoebe Halliwell?"

"Her office is right back there," said the man, pointing to an open door near the back of the room.

Before Tru could thank the man he rushed off bent on completing whatever task it was he was doing. Tru turned and walked toward the office door. She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to say. It was always like this. She couldn't just tell the people the truth. No one would believe her. Even after all this time she was still having a little trouble believing it herself. But she'd come up with something. She usually did.

A young woman sat at a desk outside the office. The woman was going over some papers as Tru walked up. The woman wasn't Phoebe. It was probably her secretary or assistant. Tru stood at the edge of the desk peering into the office trying to see if Phoebe was in.

"Can I help you?" asked the young woman at the desk.

"Yes," said Tru. "I'd like to speak to Phoebe Halliwell. It's kind of important."

"Do you have an appointment?" asked the woman.

"No, I don't," said Tru. "But like I said, this is kind of important." She looked at her watch. It read nearly three o'clock. "It will only take a minute."

Just then Phoebe stepped to the door of her office.

"Jan," she said to the woman behind the desk, "can you call maintenance for me. My computer is acting screwy again."

"Sure, Phoebe," said the woman.

"Phoebe Halliwell?" questioned Tru.

"Yes," said Phoebe, looking at Tru. Tru recognized the look. It was the same one Phoebe had given her "yesterday" in the restaurant.

"Can I speak to you for a minute?" asked Tru. "I know I don't have an appointment but it's kind of important."

"Well," said Phoebe, "I'm afraid I'm awfully busy at the moment. If you'll make an appointment with Jan I'll be glad to speak to you when I have the time."

Phoebe turned to go back into her office. Tru thought desperately of some way to get in to see Phoebe.

"It's about Leo," said Tru suddenly.

Phoebe stopped and came back out of her office.

"Leo?" she questioned. "What about Leo?"

"Please," said Tru, "it will only take a minute or so."

"Okay," said Phoebe. "Come on in."

Phoebe closed the door behind Tru. There was something about this young woman that Phoebe couldn't quite put her finger on. She seemed somehow familiar. She considered for a moment that this young woman might be a demon but dismissed that idea. Most demons wouldn't attack in such a public place.

"What is this about Leo?" asked Phoebe.

"I think he might be in danger," said Tru. "I know this sounds kind of crazy and I can't explain, but I think he's going to be hurt this afternoon."

"You can't explain?" Phoebe asked. "How is he going to be hurt?"

"Well," said Tru uneasily, "are you planning to go to a restaurant this afternoon?"

"Actually we are," said Phoebe. "What does that have to do with it?"

"All I can tell you is that if you go to that restaurant," said Tru, "he's going to be hurt. Seriously hurt. Please, I'm not some crazy nut case or anything like that. I just know he's going to get hurt if he goes to that restaurant."

"Are you psychic?" asked Phoebe. "Do you have visions of the future or something?"

"Not exactly," said Tru. "My name is Tru Davies and I work in the city morgue in New York City. I've been out here attending a medical examiners conference. I'm not exactly psychic or anything. I just sometimes know things. I know it sounds crazy but I just want to make sure that Leo is okay."

"Not as crazy as you might think," said Phoebe. "I suppose most people don't take you seriously about something like this."

"Not usually," said Tru. "I usually have to try to prevent them from going somewhere without them knowing what I'm doing. I wasn't sure what to do this time. It's getting late and I had trouble finding you. Otherwise I would have been here earlier."

"Well," said Phoebe, "I have seen my share of strange things before. And you seem genuinely concerned about Leo. I believe you when you say he could be in danger. Is there anything you can tell me about what kind of danger he's in?"

"Just that it's a terrible mistake," said Tru. "A robbery that will go horribly wrong. He'll be shot. I think if you just stay out of that restaurant he should be find."

"Okay," said Phoebe. "I'm not sure if your 'feeling' is real or not but I guess it can't hurt to be safe. I used to live in New York City about five or six years ago. Could we have met there? You seem familiar but I can't quite place why."

"I doubt it," said Tru. "I would have been about fifteen at the time. Unless you spent some time at my high school I doubt if we have met."

"It's just that you seem so familiar," said Phoebe. "Do you have any other... Abilities? Other than these premonitions?"

"No, not really," said Tru. "I haven't had it very long. My mom died when I was eight and it was only recently that I discovered this 'talent'."

"My mom died when I was young, too," said Phoebe. "I never really got to know her, though. I was only about one at the time. At least you had some time with your mom."

"Yeah," said Tru. "She was murdered and I watched it happen. It was pretty traumatic. They never did catch the guy."

"My mom was murdered, too," said Phoebe. "The, uh, guy got away but a few years ago he, uh, was killed. So at least I got some kind of closure. I can imagine what it's like for you."

"This is certainly easier than I thought it was going to be," said Tru. "Like I said, most people think I'm crazy."

"I don't," said Phoebe. "I... believe in psychic abilities. And I appreciate the warning. I'll call Leo and change our meeting place. That should change things enough so that the mistake doesn't happen."

"Thanks," said Tru. "I'm going back to New York tomorrow. My flight leaves at ten a.m. I'm glad I was able to do some good while I was here."

"Don't give it a second thought," said Phoebe. "I'm sure Leo will appreciate it, too."

"How will you explain it to him?" asked Tru.

"Oh, I'll come up with something," said Phoebe. "He's pretty open-minded, too."

"I guess I should be going," said Tru. "I've loved my visit here in San Francisco. It's a lot different from New York."

"Yes, it is," said Phoebe. "I hope you have a good flight back."

"Thanks," said Tru.

Tru got up and left the office. Phoebe picked up the phone and called Piper. She asked Piper to contact Leo and have him come see her. That way he could orb into the building and walk to her office. It would be hard to explain how he got into the office without walking in. There was something about Tru Davies and Phoebe figured Leo was the best one to find out what.