It's weird, being in the same city as my mother's first love and wondering how many of the places that I visited yesterday were ones that Alex had been to before. Daddy was right, though, the whale watching tour had been more than worth it, since I saw some amazing sights and captured a few pictures of whales in the water. And I felt closer to Mum in that moment, which was a blessing in and of itself. Now, though, I have to go down to the lobby and ask the clerk if she can help me arrange to hire a taxi to take me out to Alex's house. I hope that she's home, but it's Saturday, so she shouldn't have any classes to teach. Even summer classes aren't held on Saturdays, I checked before I made today the day. Oh, I hope that she's there, and that we can have a good talk.
Tabitha finished writing in her diary before she took a deep breath and slid it into her purse. Taking a final look around the room, she made certain that she had everything she would need for the day in her purse before tucking her hotel key into her pocketbook and heading down to the lobby. The clerk was busy checking a few people out, and Tabitha got in line, waiting patiently for her turn to speak with the older man. After about thirty minutes, she had finally reached the head of the line, and she smiled at him as she set her phone on the desk.
"Are you checking out?" he asked, hands poised on top of his keyboard.
"No, I actually need to ask if you help me get a taxi to a friend's home?" Tabitha gave him a bright smile, which he returned, and she relaxed a little, waiting for him to respond.
"Can I get the address?"
She nodded and opened up her contact list, carefully reading off the information that she had. He wrote it down before picking up the desk phone and making a call. She listened carefully, knowing that being vigilant was something her mother had drilled into them all when they were younger. She didn't find anything out of the ordinary, which made her a little more comfortable, and the smile never wavered from her lips as she waited for the next step.
"I'll need a credit or debit card, to hold this taxi. The cost for the drive out there will be a flat fee of $75, though if you book the return now, it would be $125. Which would you prefer?"
"The return, but I'm not certain what time I'll be ready to come back to the hotel. If I tell you to have me picked up at six, would that be too late?"
The clerk shook his head as he spoke with the person on the other end of the line. After ending the call, he handed over a sticky note to Tabitha. There was a name and phone number there, and she gave the man a questioning look. "This is the name of your driver, and her phone number. Since you're so young, I thought it best to have a woman drive you out to that address. She'll be here in twenty minutes, so you have time to grab coffee and a pastry from the breakfast nook, if you're hungry."
"Thanks," she replied as she went over to the breakfast nook and made herself a cup of coffee, sipping at it as she took a seat at a table and watching the doorway for her ride to appear. She knew that if she were to eat anything before her meeting, she'd most likely throw it back up. It was hard to keep from tapping her fingers on the table as she waited, because she just wanted to get on her way and get the introductions over with. When that awkwardness was out of the way, everything would be all right, she was almost certain of it.
"Tabitha Strauss?"
She looked up in surprise at hearing her name, giving the woman a small nod as she rose to her feet. "Margaret Soles?" The woman nodded in return, and Tabitha let out a long breath of relief. "Thank you for taking me to my friend's place."
"It's my job, sweetie." Instantly put at ease by her demeanor, Tabitha followed at her side to the waiting taxi, and she made the snap decision to sit up front next to Margaret, since the vehicle looked more like a personal car than a traditional taxi. The ride took a little longer than anticipated, since she had plotted out a few routes that could be taken by a driver the previous evening, and then she realised that the woman was giving her a small tour of the area, pointing out places of interest to her along the way to the Blake home.
"Oh," she breathed out as they went over a bridge, and she stared out at the water, watching the boat traffic while Margaret drove. "It must be wonderful to live on the water."
"Usually. And then you have the storms."
Tabitha nodded as they continued on, and then, thirty minutes later, Margaret was pulling into the drive of the familiar two story brick house. "We're here."
"You are. Remember, you've set your pick up time for six. If you need me earlier, call the number Nate gave you, and I'll get here as quickly as possible."
"Wait, is this really a taxi? They don't usually work like that."
Margaret shrugged before smiling. "Nate's my husband, and he sets up rides for younger women like you, when they're alone in the city. We, we lost our daughter to the Boston Reaper years back, and we vowed to do as much for vulnerable young women as we could."
"Oh. Thank you. My mum worked with the FBI, so I know to take precautions, but it's still nice to be looked after. I, I'll see you at six, if not before."
Margaret nodded as she exited the vehicle, and Tabitha straightened her shoulders before heading up to the door. There was no doorbell, so she lifted her hand and knocked three times before waiting for the door to open. The minute it did so, Margaret pulled away, and Tabitha smiled a little wider at the care she had been shown. Prepared to face Alex, she squeaked a little when a man appeared in the doorway.
"May I help you?" he intoned, looking around to see if there was anyone else with her before he focused his attention on her once more. "Are you some sort of door to door seller?"
"No, I, I was actually looking to speak with Alex? You are James Blake, right? You look exactly like your picture on the faculty website."
Frowning, he moved away from the door and beckoned her inside. This reaction unsettled her a little, but it didn't make her afraid, since she knew she was in the right place. "If you've found me through the faculty website, you'd know that my wife is no longer at Harvard."
Tabitha shrugged as she followed him into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. Soon enough, a mug of coffee appeared in front of her, and she sipped at it gratefully, since it gave her hands something to do. "All it said by her picture is that she'd taken a leave of absence, and was expected back soon. I just assumed that to mean she wasn't teaching for the summer semester. Did I misunderstand?"
James sank down next to her at the table, holding on to his own mug tightly. "A little, yes. But first, I should ask who you are. You seem to know all about my ex-wife and me, and I don't even know who you are."
She blushed guiltily and nodded before speaking. "I'm Tabitha Strauss, Erin's daughter. I just graduated from high school, and Daddy gave me Mum's diaries to read. Alex, she showed up in them, a lot, and I was hoping to talk to her about my mother, to find out more about her. Is she on vacation then?"
He let out a mirthless laugh as he shrugged. "I have no idea, Tabitha. I would love to give you the answers that you're looking for, but I don't have them. Shortly after she left the BAU, Alex served me with divorce papers, and I haven't heard from her in eighteen months."
Tabitha's face fell, and she stared into the coffee, feeling like she had just wasted so much time and money on a wild goose chase. "Fuck."
"I know, I'm sorry. If you had called before coming here, I would have told you not to waste your time here."
Nodding, she took a long drink of the coffee, letting the brew warm her suddenly frozen body. "Do you have any stories about my mother? Or, I probably should ask if you have time to talk with a virtual stranger."
"I do have a few stories that I could tell you, and I have time today, yes. I saw that you were dropped off by someone. How long do you have?"
"Until six, or until I call her, whichever comes first."
"Good, we'll have time for a late lunch, then. Text your dad and let him know that you're safe here. I know that Alex and Erin would want me to make certain I told you that."
She grinned as she nodded, sending off a quick text to her family to let them know that while she wasn't talking to Alex, she was safe with the next best thing, her husband, and that she'd be in touch again around six or seven. "All right, that's sent. What can you tell me?" James laughed as he shook his head, and Tabitha felt more at ease with him in that moment. This was going to be a good day, no matter what happened.