Tabitha made certain that she walked slowly back to her cabin, so that she could think about what her next move might be. It seemed as if she was being stymied at every turn, and now that she might be at the end of the line. After all, she had trailed Alex from Boston to Kansas City and now to Lutsen, and while she knew that the woman was there, somewhere, she had no idea where to look next. Sighing deeply, she trudged into the cabin and over to the sofa, collapsing on it before grabbing her diary and updating it with a entry about how tantalizingly close she was to Alex and yet seemed even further away than ever.
Glancing outside, she saw that it was still gorgeous out. Grabbing her tablet and her beach towel, Tabitha headed back down to the beach, setting up by her boulder, so that she had something to recline against as she settled in. A grateful grin graced her face when she noticed that the Wi-Fi signal was strong enough to reach where she sat, and she began to work through the games that she played daily, in order to calm her racing thoughts. She knew that she would have to have a calm heart and head when she started to dig deeper and try to find Alex, otherwise she might overlook a small detail that would be very important.
After completing her logic puzzle, Tabitha tended to her farm before scrolling through her Instagram feed. There were so many pictures of her friends having fun on their holidays, and she smiled as she liked the posts before she held her phone up and took a picture of her current view and posted it to her page. Then she was set aside her phone and picked up her tablet once more and opened the Google app, searching for Lexie Miller in conjunction with Lutsen. Nothing came up, and she frowned deeply, almost certain that the desk clerk had said that name when Tabitha had pointed to Alex in the picture. Letting out a frustrated little sigh, she cleared out that search and typed Alex Blake and Lutsen. Again, there was nothing that came up, and she tightened her hands around the tablet as she sought to breathe through her upset, since she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the woman was there. She had been identified. And she was still just a cipher in Tabitha's life.
Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the boulder as she stared out at the water, focusing on a seagull wheeling out over the waves. Smiling, she captured a few pictures of it on her phone before letting out a deep sigh. There had to be some other way that she could find out the information she wanted, which was just beyond her reach, she just couldn't think of it. "Mum would tell you that you're missing the obvious right in front of your eyes, Tabby," she whispered as she looked down at the tablet once more.
Her phone jangled with a comment notification, and she looked at the screen to see that Dave had written on her latest Instagram post, and she smiled as she opened the app to see what he'd said. It was only as she was responding that she realised that she could call him to ask for help. He had access to the resources that she needed, and could use his clout to ensure that she got the answers she wanted. Exiting out of Instagram, she tapped on her recent call list and then pressed his name before bringing the phone to her ear.
"Tabby-cat! How are you doing?"
She let out a pleased sigh at the sound of his voice and thought of what she wanted to say. "I'm okay. I saw that you liked my post of Lake Superior."
"It's beautiful, kiddo. How long are you staying there?"
"Six more days, and I am going to be busy every waking moment, until I find her."
"Her?"
"Yes! Alex Blake is here, in Lutsen, and no one is telling me where she is! I'm an outsider, so they don't want to let me in on any of their little secrets, and all I want to do is talk to her! And I know, Damon's already told me that while I might not be a stalker, people can still think of me that way, since they don't know my intentions for sure. I just wish that I didn't feel so frustrated here."
Dave chuckled a little, which turned into a full on laugh when he heard her huffy breath as she stood up and grabbed her tablet and towel and stalked back inside the cabin, dropping down onto the sofa as she waited for him to talk. "It can be frustrating when you have your answers so close you can taste them, but still can't swallow. I think that I might have someone you can talk to and get your answers. I'll text you her number after telling her that you're going to call, so that she's ready for you."
"Who?"
"Kitten. I think that you met her at your mother's funeral? She wore the little black pillbox hat."
"Oh! Yeah, I remember her. Do you think that she can find what I can't?"
"Kiddo, she was recruited into the FBI because of her hacking skills. If she can't find you something, it doesn't exist."
Tabitha let out a low whistle at that, knowing that it took a special set of skills to be that good with computers and information. "All right, thanks, Dave."
"You're welcome, Tabitha. And keep making all the memories that you can, they're that much dearer when you keep losing the people you love."
Pursing her lips, she nodded before answering. "I will. Love you, Dave."
"Love you, too, kiddo."
The call disconnected, and she hugged the phone to her chest as she waited for the text from Dave. It took about five minutes for it to come through, and then she was staring at the information, wanting to have her answers right away, but still hesitating. Finally, she shook her head and tapped on the message, before touching the phone number and holding the device to her ear.
"You have reached the office of supreme genius. How may I help you?"
"Is this Kitten?"
A soft trill of laughter slipped over the line, and Tabitha frowned a little. "Trust Rossi not to give you my real name. It's Penelope Garcia, and I worked with your mother. I miss her. Cruz is nice and all, but he's not her. Now, what do you need me to look up for you?"
"I'm in Minnesota, looking for Alex Blake. Daddy gave me Mum's diaries as a graduation gift, and I read them, only to find that the answers I really wanted would come from asking Alex. I've been to Boston, Kansas City, and now Lutsen, but she's been just out of sight each time. Only, I know that she's here. Someone identified her from a picture that I have of her and Mum, but she refused to tell me where I might find her. So I called Dave, and he told me that you might be able to help me find her current address."
"That should be relatively easy, yeah." Tabitha heard the other woman's fingers clacking away at her keyboard, and she wondered at how fast she was, a part of her wishing that she could be there to see her in action. "That's weird."
"What is?"
"There's no record of Alex being anywhere other than in Boston. Do you have any other leads?"
"The front desk clerk called her Lexie Miller. I know that that's her maiden name, since I spent time with Damon, learning stories about her and Mum."
"Isn't Scott adorable?"
Tabitha chuckled as she shrugged. "If you like men, I suppose. Do you want me to put a bug in his ear to call you?"
"Yes and no. If you find Alex and get her to talk to you, yes. Otherwise, I'll consider it ships passing in the night. Now, do you have a pen and paper handy, or do you want me to text this information to you?"
"You found it already?"
"All I need is the right key and any lock opens to me. Trust the process, Tabitha."
"I guess I should! And it would probably be easier if you text it to me. My hands are shaking a little too much for me to trust that I'll get the information down correctly."
"Of course. You'll receive it shortly. Now, tell me, are you being safe?"
"As safe as I can be. This place has such small town vibes, so I don't think I'll have to worry about anything happening to me, but I have the pepper spray my dad gave me before I left home, and I am keeping careful watch on my surroundings."
"Would you mind if I put a trace on your phone's GPS, just in case something does go wrong out there? You're a long way from civilization, and the sooner I could get someone to your position, the better."
Tabitha thought for a moment before giving Penelope an answer. "I wouldn't mind that, no. As long as you promise to remove said trace once I make it home?"
"Deal! Stay safe out there, Tabby, and know that you have someone guarding your six at all times."
"Will do, Penelope. Thank you!" They hung up, and seconds later, Tabitha had Alex's address and phone number in her texts. Hurriedly, she created a new contact card for the woman, using the picture of her and Mum for her avatar. And though it was still early in the day, she knew that she couldn't go out to her house that afternoon, that she needed time to prepare and be in the right mindset for seeing her and asking questions. She only hoped that that clarity would come with the morning.