Page 4 of Already Lost

Then she saw Zach’s nameon the caller ID, and she knew it was only about to get worse.

“Hello?” Laura said intothe phone, holding it to her ear as she got up from the sofa and left Laceywith her cartoons.

“Laura, it’s Zach,” hesaid, as if he didn’t realize that she had caller ID. “I just had the mostinteresting vision.”

“Oh?” Laura asked,feeling her heart sink into her feet. She was going to be sick. She turned andleaned against the kitchen sink, thinking at least she would be able to splashwater on her face if she needed it.

“You were walking downthe street, and then you turned to go into this house,” Zach said. “A very nicehouse, actually. Really big. You know, one of those ones in the east suburbs, Ithink.”

Laura’s mouth went dry.Chris’s house. He had to be describing Chris’s house. “I was?” she asked,feeling like a puppet in a show, reciting the lines Zach expected of herwithout much feeling.

“Yes, and you were with ahandsome man,” Zach continued. “Very handsome, sort of a next door type butwith that look that wealthy people have, you know? Well-groomed, well-dressed,and so on. And there were two little girls running into the house ahead ofyou.”

Chris and Amy and Lacey.“I see,” Laura said.

“Well?” Zach prompted.“Does it remind you of anyone?”

“You know I have adaughter,” Laura said. She turned to glance at Lacey, but the little girl was focusedon the TV, not paying attention to her Mommy’s phone call at all. “We haveplaydates sometimes at a friend’s house.”

“He looked like more thana friend,” Zach said, sounding every bit the jolly grandad trying to ask hisgrandchild whether they had their first boy- or girlfriend.

“Yes, we’re seeing eachother,” Laura admitted, because it was pointless not to. “Did anything happenin this vision, or was that it?” She felt a pit in her stomach at what he mighthave been about to say, but she had to know. Surely, if he was calling her tosay he’d seen his own death, he wouldn’t sound so cheerful. It made her feeleven sicker all the same. If he had seen it too, there would be no denying it –no way to justify seeing Chris again, knowing…

“That was all,” Zachsaid. “Strange, isn’t it? I think I’m supposed to meet this chap of yours.”

“What?” Laura said,glancing over to Lacey to make sure her sharply raised voice hadn’t disturbedher. “No, I don’t think you should do that.”

“Why not?”

“He doesn’t know,” Laurasaid, keeping her words carefully chosen just in case Lacey was listening afterall. “I wouldn’t be able to explain to him who you are.”

“Well, that’s alright,”Zach said. “We can come up with a cover story. Maybe I’m a distant uncle ofyours.”

“I don’t want to lie tohim,” Laura said.

“A work colleague, then,”Zach insisted. “That wouldn’t be a lie – not really. We’re both gifted with thesame set of skills. Or perhaps you could imply you know me from AA withoutactually saying it.”

Laura shook her head eventhough he couldn’t see her, pinching the bridge of her nose. This wasn’thappening. She was trying so hard to keep them apart, and now… “Look, you can’tmeet him because no one’s allowed to know we’re together,” she lied, scramblingto find anything that might make him stop trying. “If you walk up to us in thestreet I’d have to pretend I don’t know Chris or that I’m just babysitting orsomething. It would be awkward and horrible. And he’d probably get upset andinsist that we never go out in public again, so please don’t ruin things forme.”

Laura felt a little badabout trashing Chris’s reputation like this. It was all made up, of course.She’d visited Chris at work, so she was pretty sure anyone on his team wouldknow about them, and they weren’t shy about going out together. But it was theonly thing she could think of, other than the truth.

And there was no way shewas telling the truth. If Zach knew that Chris was destined to kill him, therewas no telling what he might do. The old man might even be stupid enough toseek Chris out on purpose.

“Hmm, well,” Zach said.“I hope you don’t think I’m intruding, but I do think a young woman likeyourself should find a man who is proud to be with them.”

Laura bit back aresponse. If there was one thing she’d figured out about Zach so far, it wasthat he wanted to help people. It was why he had dedicated his life to being ateacher. He had a natural kind of grandfatherly instinct. It was sweet, even ifshe didn’t want the advice. Even if, in this case, the advice was meaninglessbecause it didn’t reflect her situation at all.

“I have to go,” she saidhastily. Her phone had started to buzz again, a call coming through on adifferent line, an excellent excuse to stop talking with Zach. The excuse sheneeded. She even wished she’d thought of it earlier. “I’ll talk to you later.”

She had no real desire totalk to him again later, as it happened – she was hoping that he would wait forher call for so long that he would forget to call back himself. That way, shewouldn’t have to keep making up lies to appease him. Until she figured all thisout and could call him herself, she wanted to avoid any risks.

She accepted the othercall and put the phone back to her ear – knowing, this time, who to expect. Itwas Division Chief Rondelle, her direct superior in the FBI – and the fact thathe was calling her on the weekend was only an indication of one possible thing.

“Chief,” she said, by wayof greeting.

“Agent Frost,” he said,which meant he was definitely in work mode. He occasionally would call herLaura, but only really when their conversations took on a more personal tone –or when he needed to beg her to stop causing trouble. “We’ve got a new case I’dlike you to take. Please come in for briefing as quickly as you can.”

“Wait,” Laura said. Shepaused, trying to think. “Where is it? Do we need to go now?”

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