Chapter four
Samantha stiffens. At first she has no idea what to say. She quickly says the first question that pops into her head. "How do you know about my dream? I didn't tell anybody. She stops to think about it. How can Martin die in a car accident? "He's already dead," she says flatly. She stares at Theresa. Her arms find their way around her body.
Theresa gives Samantha a sly smile and holds it. She seems too confident. She loves that Samantha is taking interest in her comment. "Were you there?"
Samantha furrows her eyebrows. She's confused. What kind of question is that? "Hmm?" she says. She's trying to stall.
Theresa smiles. To Samantha, the old woman seems to be enjoying this. "When he died, were you there?"
Samantha shakes her head. She is intrigued by the woman's questions. Theresa seems astute and witty. But at the same time Theresa seems crazy.
Theresa cocks her eyebrow. She is clearly thinking. "So how do you know he died?"
Samantha freezes. "Because…because….he did." Samantha begins to really scrutinize over Theresa's words. They begin to sink in. She's right. She doesn't know if Martin is dead. After all, the phone call is the only reason why she is listening to this old woman. "How do you know about my dream?"
Theresa's gummy smile greets Samantha. "He told me. In a dream."
Samantha hears a familiar voice call her name. She turns around to find the source and sees Elena weaving her way through the busy New Yorkers. She doesn't say anything. Instead, she turns around to face Theresa only to see an empty bench. She looks beyond the crowd of people that walk the streets, but the old woman has vanished.
"What's the matter?" Elena asks stepping up to her.
Samantha points to where Theresa was sitting. She thinks for a second before speaking. "I was talking to Theresa."
"Who?" Elena asks.
Samantha stares at Elena. "Theresa." When Elena shakes her head, she says, "The old woman? She said that she was with you."
Elena shakes her head. "I don't know a Theresa."
Samantha turns around and resumes her search for Theresa. She runs her hand through her hair. She is confused. She's not sure what to think. All she wants to do is cry but not just for Martin. She wants to cry for everything. But now she knows what she has to do. It's going to be hard, but she needs to find out for her and her son's sake. She looks back at Elena. "Can you tell Jack that I'll be back later?" She doesn't wait for an answer. She simply steps away.
--
The sun is still high in the sky. Its hot rays scorch everything it touches. There is a square plot of land that used to house a dilapidated warehouse. Now most of the building lies in ruins on the ground except for two burnt walls that had managed to survive the fire. They stand tall with most of the surface black. The roof is gone.
Samantha's eyes sweep the blackened remains. Tears spring to her eyes, but they do not fall. She knows Martin died here. She wants to run, but she came here for a reason. She clutches her heart. It takes a few moments for Samantha to collect herself.
Samantha begins to walk the perimeter of the burnt warehouse. Her eyes are scanning for something, but she's not sure what. As her eyes scan, she begins to think about Martin. She thinks that Martin is alive, but she isn't sure. Every part of her wants Martin to be alive. But if he is alive, then where is he? What's he doing? Why isn't he with her? So many question race through Samantha's head.
Her careless eyes deceive her as they begin to shed tears. But this time it isn't because of Martin. The bright sunlight insists on refracting off of something. It easily catches Samantha's eyes and curiosity. She steps closer towards the source.
In the tall weeds surrounding the burned warehouse sits a grey phone. It catches the sun's rays, refracting into Samantha's eyes. She stares at it at first, not sure what to do. She bends down and stares at it. She doesn't recognize it. She grabs it and analyzes it.
--
Samantha stares at the computer screen wide eyed. After finding the phone, she immediately raced to the FBI building. But what she finds might be more than she bargains for.
She learns the phone belongs to Javier Romano. He probably dropped the phone assuming the fire would consume it.
But what Samantha stares at is more interesting. A woman's picture is displayed on the screen. She has white hair that seems like it has been tousled. Her face is sunken in, perhaps from her many years of life. Wrinkles invade every feature on her face. Her green eyes hold excitement. Her smile is weak, but it reveals enough of her mouth to see her missing front teeth.
Theresa Romano is the last person that Javier called on his cell phone.