Dallas 2.0:Sessions:20160604

It's 5:00am Sunday morning. Ricardo Hernandez is wakened by the sound of his phone. A frantic woman begins speaking in rapid-fire Spanish. "Theo, my husband, he's been arrested! They say he was in a big fight at some hotel! He is hurt, he's at the hospital, Baylor Hospital!" Ricardo is the recently-promoted foreman of a construction crew, and Theo Perez is one of his best workers. Unlike some of his other employees, Theo is a devoted family man and not a partier. Ricardo speaks calmingly to Señora Perez and assures her that he will do what he can to help Theo.

A little past 5:00am, before Nathan has quite fallen asleep, his phone rings. Clyde asks, "Are you a clairvoyant or something?" At speeds upward of 85mph, Clyde's driving on LBJ Freeway chasing a Ford sedan. "Two idiots just robbed my house! They covered up their license plates. I'm gaining on them... but I think I'll need your help! When I catch these idiots, I'm gonna kill them!"

"Hang on," says Nathan, and clicks over to another line, dials 911, and reports a drag race in progress on LBJ in Mesquite. Returning to Clyde, Nathan says, "If you can't catch those guys in two or three minutes, the cops will show up. Once the police stop them, tell them those guys robbed you."

Clyde gets right behind his quarry, then guns his Chevy and gives one corner of Ford's bumper a hard tap. As he expects, the Ford spins out and strikes the barricades in the median; its airbags deploy. As sirens sound in the distance, Clyde pulls over to the shoulder and parks. He sees the guy in the passenger seat jump out and yank the cloth coverings off of the Ford's license plates.

Both Dallas and Mesquite squad cars arrive on the scene. A Dallas cop walks up to Clyde's car and orders him to get out. Clyde hangs up his cellphone (cutting off Nathan's connection) and lays it on the console, then gets out. Clyde is handcuffed and placed in the back seat of the squad car. "Why'd you arrest me? They robbed me!"

Nathan phones Detective Mike Dallas. "Clyde got robbed and then chased after the robbers. When he comes in, can I prepay his bail? It's not that he doesn't have money. I just want someone to believe his story." He admits, "Yes, Clyde called me instead of the police." Dallas: "Is this related to the attacks at the hotel? Two of the attackers have died."

At Baylor Hospital's front desk, Ricardo describes Theo and is directed toward the Emergency Room. Someone there suggests he talk to Detective Dallas, who is talking on his cellphone. Ricardo waits politely until Dallas acknowledges him, then asks him about Theo Perez. Dallas says, "He attacked people with a knife at a horror convention. Right now he's in a bit of pain." Ricardo: "But we got work to do! He's my best counter man!"

A little past 6:00am an unmarked car pulls up and two plainclothes detectives step out. One of them, Detective Santana, leans in and tells Clyde, "Detective Dallas wants to talk to you. We've sent some Garland police to your house." Clyde gets into the other car.

Ricardo is allowed to see Theo. Theo looks bruised, bloodied, and glassy-eyed. Ricardo: "Theo, what did you do?" Theo's memory is very hazy. "Friday night, went out with the boys... some Anglo bought us beer... Manuel was with me... Anglo hired us for a job on the weekend... We were in a hallway, there was gunfire... Manuel, he got shot... They said I stabbed somebody; I didn't stab anybody! You know I don't fight when I drink!" He thinks the Anglo's name was Darren.

Ricardo phones Theo's wife and tells her Theo is alive. She cries, "He would never raise a hand against anybody!" "They're going to arrest him on charges, so you need to get a bail bondsman."

Detective Dallas shows Ricardo eleven mugshots. "Do you recognize any of these men?" Ricardo points to Theo and another of his men, Manuel ("Manuel, he's a slacker"), then three other construction workers he knows who aren't part of his crew, and one other man who looks vaguely familiar. Dallas hands him a business card. "Call that guy if you want to get them cleared." The card reads: Nathan Rahl, Rahl Investigation & Security. Ricardo reckons it's too early to call Mr. Rahl, so he drives to a diner on Highway 26 to eat breakfast.

Clyde has been waiting alone in an interrogation room for some time when finally Detective Mike Dallas enters. "You're one lucky SOB. They're claiming ignorance, but the cops found those license plate covers, and somebody's pulling the traffic cam footage in and out of your neighborhood. Is this connected to those attempted homicides at the hotel?" "I caught them ransacking my house, so I followed them." "They had a hunting rifle in the trunk. Your car's been impounded; soonest you can get it out is Monday morning. You owe me a favor."

Around 8:00am Nathan gets a call from Ricardo Hernandez. "Theo doesn't know what happened. He never carries a knife. The detective gave me your number to get Theo cleared." "Go to my office in two or three hours and we'll discuss it."

Kef has a repeat of her earlier vision but with significant differences. The timeframe is definitely Monday night, and the viewpoint is Orley's. She borrows a cellphone and texts Orley Are you awake? but there's no answer. She leaves a message on Rahl Security's office phone.

Clyde's possessions are returned to him and he is allowed to leave. He calls a cab.

Nathan's alarm goes off. He rises, showers, shaves, and goes to the office; Sara is already there. He tells her, "I've got another client -- Ricardo Hernandez."

Soon afterward, Ricardo arrives. Nathan greets him and shows him into his office. Ricardo explains, "Theo is not violent. He's a good guy. I don't want his wife and kids to suffer." Nathan agrees to do what he can for Theo, and Ricardo pays $500 as a retainer. Ricardo hands Nathan his business card: Ricardo Hernandez, Foreman, Mason Construction. "I last saw Theo on Friday. We're working in a new neighborhood up in Frisco. It looked to me like Theo was drugged. He mentioned an Anglo that was buying rounds. Maybe that Anglo drugged his beer."

Nathan's phone rings. Kef gives the address of an unfinished house in Frisco and says that Vicki Zann and Roberto Hansel will be found there dead Monday night, hanging from the rafters.

As it happens, the address is in the neighborhood where Ricardo has been working. Nathan and Ricardo drive to Frisco. Ricardo points out the house, which looks nearly finished on the outside but still requires inside work (including counters). Ricardo has a master key and unlocks the front door. Almost immediately, he can tell that someone has been prowling around in here, and he points out to Nathan scratches on the back door where someone has picked the lock. Orley arrives, and Nathan sends him to Home Depot to buy a couple of heavy doorstops. Ricardo: "You think doorstops will stop people from killing? They'll just go next door." Nathan: "One problem at a time. Until I can either find Vicki, or find the people who have her, the best I can do is frustration. And frustration leads to mistakes." Ricardo: "You set the doorstops, and I gotta fix broken windows." Nathan: "Windows -- broken. People -- hanging from the ceiling. You choose." Ricardo: "Hey, I don't get involved in killing people. That's not me." Nathan: "It's a good thing I'm here, because I get involved." Ricardo: "Why not just call Murder Hotline and get some more information?" Nathan (chuckling): "Maybe she'll call."

An attractive brunette with a laptop bag slung from her shoulder approaches Kef's booth. Kef senses that the woman is confident and tightly self-controlled, but also nervous as well as curious about Kef. She asks, "You do readings? I'm engaged in something that's a little bit dangerous and chancy in my professional 'stuff' and I just wonder how it's going to turn out." Kef stares calmly into the woman's eyes. Several seconds pass and the woman begins to fidget, then she shrugs and asks, "Can you help me?" Kef motions for her to have a seat. "Lay your hands in front of me." The woman settles down, like someone who's used to waiting. "What do you want to know?" "Will my business endevor be successful?" After a brief pause Kef says simply, "No." The woman takes a deep breath; "I was afraid of that." "You're going about it the wrong way. You're not being honest with yourself." "Yeah... you're probably right, I... my partner is sort of... I just don't... yeah, you're right... I don't think I should trust him. Think he's gotten us in over our heads." "You've never trusted him." "Umm... mostly," she says, unconvincingly. "You're trying to cheat him." "I... well... he... The deal we've been running could be quite catastrophic. He's dealing with... he's a little bit out of his league, and I wasn't feeling good about this to begin with, and... now I'm afraid we're going to get attention in the dealings that's going to be really bad." "You're not being honest with yourself." "Probably. But why should I start now," she half-shrugs, then "So you think I can recover if I'm honest with myself and just go into it whole force?" "I don't think you're capable of it." "Well, I'm pretty good." "Then why aren't you honest with yourself?" "Well, something always seems to go wrong..." The woman's tone takes on an edge of hostility: "Are you a fortuneteller or a psychiatrist?" "You're the one who came to me."

The woman stands up. "I, uh, I saw you the other night, in the pub. [Kef is positive the woman was not there.] Then I asked around about you, and found out that you're ... a lot of times in places you're not expected. You seem to know a lot. They say you're one of the best fortunetellers they've ever seen. That you seem to read people like a book. (pause) Tell me, what did you read off the man you elbowed in that pub the other night?" "What do you think?" "I don't know. That curiosity is part of the reason I'm here." "Are you staying or going?" "You told me to be honest with myself, so I'm staying for now." "Then why did you stand up?" "To give you the impression I might leave if you don't stop, you know, talking like a psychiatrist instead of a fortuneteller. (dripping sarcasm) Or are they about the same thing?" Kef, levelly: "I'm not impressed. Go away now." The woman sneers, "You got a deal."

The woman slowly walks four or five steps away, then turns around. "Do I owe you anything for the 'information'?" "You came to me." "Well, I can't say I took anything from you. What's your standard fee?" "There is no standard fee." The woman pulls a $20 from her wallet, returns, and lays it in front of Kef, who doesn't even glance at it. "You lied to me." "Lied about what?" "The pub." The woman says, "All right, I wasn't there. He told me that you had elbowed him. He was willing to let it lie, but I wanted to find out more about the person who... messed that up. And then he got followed home. It just seemed too coincidental." "You're not only dishonest, you're a liar." "Hm. Do you work for Highland Tropics? Or, let me put it another way, have you done a reading for anybody that works for Highland Tropics? Things are going on with that... My companion and I are doing business with Highland Tropics, and... I thought it was concluded, but... things got weird in the last couple of days, and... I'm not sure they're going to continue to honor their deal. And... I figured if you were a true fortuneteller, you could tell me what was going on, or you might actually somehow be working for them." She glances around the Faire; "This isn't really corporate area here, but...." Kef: "You are a fool."

The woman admits, "I'm scared." "Yes, fear is rolling off of you. You think yourself brave, but you're afraid for your life. You're so desperate, you'd even come to a fortuneteller." "Yyyes, yes. You've got a point." She reaches into her bag, then lays down a business card beside the $20. On it, printed in bright red, is Salmon-Run, followed by a URL and an email address. Then she says, "I play hunches, and my hunch was that somehow the woman that broke up what was about to happen... might could help me. I get those hunches from time to time, and I follow them, usually. Usually in my business. But this is about me personally. I just feel that something bad is going to happen... I'm not used to physical danger, with what I do. And there are some crazy people involved, I think. So I'm being honest with myself, and that probably means I'm going to need to rabbit. So if you need to get in touch with me, I check email quite frequently. Like I say, that's what I do; I'm quite good at it. I'm just following my gut feeling here... Kef. I don't mean to be informal with you, but that's all the name I've found out for you. So..."

Kef: "What's on the laptop?" Woman: "It's my business office. It's where I have everything. All my information, all my clients, everything. I never let it out of my sight." "What's in there that someone would want to kill you over?" "Generally... I don't know. Some information that I've come across in the last couple of weeks that a lot of people are... concerned about. And... I didn't think they'd kill me about it until just yesterday. Things have gotten... enough to scare me." "Are you being followed?" "Oh, I'm sure I wasn't followed here. I was very careful."

Kef, quietly: "You have less than 48 hours to live." The woman blanches, stares wide-eyed at Kef, then turns and runs away.

Orley returns with the doorstops. Nathan pushes one under the back door, explaining to Orley that it had been picked. Nathan: "You're going to find the bodies of Vicki Zann and Roberto Hansel." Orley: "Oh, you mean I'm gonna find them dead." Nathan: "Hanging. Monday night. Your job -- and you're gonna accept it -- is to make sure that it doesn't happen." Orley: "You mean I'll be staking out this house for the next 48 hours." Nathan: "That is one option. I want you to get one of the guys who tried to kill us out of jail. We're about to go see how much information the police will give us, meaning you, since you used to be one of them... not that it's going to make a difference. But it can't hurt."

Nathan: "Ricardo, I'm going to take you back to your car. If I need you later, can I give you a call?" Ricardo: "Yes, as long as I'm not working." "Are you doing countertops today?" "Naw. Tomorrow."

Orley: "Boss, I don't think they're going to let us talk to any of the suspects. Dallas will do unconventional things as long as he doesn't feel he's giving away the case." Nathan: "Well, let's go back to the office. I'll call Dallas en route and see how much longer he's going to be on duty. I'll talk to him, see what he'll tell me, because I have stuff to tell him. I'll have you come back up here later and stake it out. There's something that we're missing, and I can't wrap my head around it." Orley: "Maybe one of Ricardo's men that was involved at the hotel told the leader about this location, and they're going to use it to kill people and dump bodies." Nathan: "That is one possibility." Orley: "Do we know how I find them?" Nathan: "They're hanging from the ceiling. Why are you here? Probably because I told you to be here."

Nathan asks Ricardo to lock up the house. As they're walking toward Nathan's car, Nathan tells Orley, "Someone broke into Clyde Wheeler's house last night, and he chased them and caught them. And then he went to jail." Orley: "That's a man who doesn't have much concern for his own self." Nathan: "No, he doesn't. From what I understand, he did that pivot move on them, and then he sat there and waited for the police to come. So they arrested him and the two guys, and the two guys said they didn't know why he was chasing them, which any other type of man would have known they were going to say." Orley: "He's not the kind of man who thinks things through, sir." Nathan: "No, he isn't. But I called Dallas and told him what had happened, and I think he let him go." Orley: "So he's probably at his home. Do you want me to check up on him?" Nathan: "No. He's an angry man. Let's let him be angry."

Three young teenage boys (one Asian, one African-American, one Anglo) ride up on bicycles. "Are you cops or something?" Nathan: "Or something." Ricardo: "What are you doing here?" K1: "We live over there, about three or four blocks." Ricardo: "Good. Then go on." Nathan: "Have you seen anyone strange around here besides us in the last couple of days?" The kids recognize Ricardo since he works in this area; "You're the guy with the loud voice who tells everybody else what to do." K1: "If we tell you about people messing with your work, will you give us rewards?" Ricardo: "Only one way to find out." K1: "I don't want to tell and then you not pay a reward." Ricardo repeats, "Only one way to find out?" K1 whines, "I gotta tell you first?" The kids grumble, but then supply the license plate number of a car that was parked here yesterday. K1: "I don't think they even saw me. I wasn't supposed to be out. You won't tell my mother, will you?" Ricardo: "I don't know your mom." K1: "Good. Is that worth any money?" Nathan hands the kid a $5 bill. Ricardo: "Did you see the guys?" K1 describes two Anglo men in some detail.

Early in the afternoon, someone wakes Clyde by pounding on his broken doorframe. It's Reggie Bradley, a 40ish guy who avers that he's Clyde's next-door neighbor. (Clyde has never made much effort to get acquainted with his neighbors, but he has noticed that Reggie is always working in his yard or around the house.) Reggie didn't see who broke in, as he and his wife weren't home until late. He offers to help Clyde fix the door. Clyde: "Sure, if you're not busy." Reggie: "Hey, just being neighborly."

A car cruises by with two men rubbernecking at his house. As Clyde looks up sharply, the car speeds away, but not before Clyde is sure that the passenger was one of the men in the car he bumped off the highway last night. He jots down what he recalls of the license plate.

Clyde explains that he doesn't want to leave his house unguarded, and gives Reggie some money to buy a new door and haul it back. He borrows Reggie's phone to call Nathan. Nathan: "Clyde, where are you? Are you still at police headquarters?" Clyde: "No, they let me go, I'm at home. My house has been ransacked. I just saw one of the guys that broke into my house ride by with a different driver. Can I give you this info and you can start looking into it so I can break those guys' kneecaps?" Clyde gives Nathan the partial license information. Nathan: "I figured this was a Kirk thing, but I didn't tell the detective that, because I wanted him to let you go." Clyde: "Well, thanks for that. Maybe I should have driven away after I hit those guys. I get carried away." Nathan will arrange to get Clyde's car out of impound. Clyde: "I'm not going anywhere until I get my house locked up and get some cameras." After returning Reggie's phone, Clyde finds one of his aluminum bats and sits down on his front porch.

Nathan calls Detective Dallas, who says he sent Ricardo his way because "he wanted to clear his guys, and I don't do that -- I just get the facts." Nathan: "I have some information relevant to this case." Dallas: "What do you expect in return, Mr Detective?" Nathan: "Do you know the name of the guy that they were drinking with?" Dallas gives him the name Darren ("like in the witch show"), then teases "why should I give you [the last name]?" Nathan: "Are most of the guys you're holding construction workers?" Dallas: "Seven of the nine are. Two of the guys you took in the suite are not." Nathan then recalls that Earl Garrison had said he was gathering information for a Darren Young, and realizes that Dallas has no intention of telling him anything useful. Nathan states his belief that the incident at the hotel and the attacks on Clyde Wheeler are unrelated to each other. Kirk Wainwright is behind the attacks on Clyde. Dallas: "I've heard that name before. He's got a lot of money." Nathan: "Not as much as he did before he met Mr Wheeler. He got the beat-down twice" so these are 'grudge' attacks. Nathan mentions the passenger from last night having ridden by Clyde's house today, and Dallas admits "They made bail on the traffic counts" and there were no other charges they could make stick. "The video backs up your client's story -- he is your client, right?" Nathan: "He is now." Dallas: "[Clyde] did a lot of things that were stupid, that could get him locked up or killed." Nathan: "I told him that, but I think you made a bigger impression on him." Dallas: "I hope so, because he seems like an all right guy." Nathan: "I wouldn't go that far, either." Dallas chuckles, then says, "If it is Wainwright, he's pretty savvy. It's going to be hard to prove he had anything with this." Nathan: "I'm going to have to go visit Mr Wainwright." Dallas: "Be careful. He's got influence and connections, and a bad temper toward people who cause him problems. If anything happens, be sure you can prove self-defense." Nathan: "Don't worry. I understand my rights within the law."

Dallas: "Are you going to be able to help Hernandez?" Nathan: "Yeah, probably. I can't get into details because it's pretty speculative." Nathan gives Dallas the license plate number supplied by the kids in Frisco, saying it belongs to potential murderers, "and this relates directly to what you're dealing with now. ... Is it possible for Theo, if he is found to have been under the influence of drugs, to make bail?" Dallas: "I'll make the recommendation to the assistant DA." ("He's really good at countertops." "That's what Mr Hernandez said.") Nathan: "As long as it's by Monday morning." Dallas: "It's a long shot, Mr Rahl, but I'll try." They are searching for Darren Young, and surprisingly that is his real name, but if his scheme had worked there would have been no witnesses.

In the parking area near Nathan's office, Nathan says, "Thank you, Ricardo. I enjoyed your company." Ricardo: "Well, I hope we can get Theo out." "I'm pushing for that." "Good luck." Ricardo's motorcycle sputters and won't start. Someone siphoned the gas and replaced a part on his bike with a faulty one. Nathan gives him a ride to an auto parts store and a gas station. Ricardo: "This kind of stuff happens all the time." Once he gets his bike fixed, Ricardo goes home to Irving.

On his way to Garland, Nathan phones Joe Powell who immediately asks, "Do you have [the portfolio] yet?" Nathan: "No, Joe." Powell: "You've been on the case for a good twelve hours!" Nathan: "Who is Darren Young?" Powell: "I'm afraid the name doesn't mean anything to me." Nathan: "He tried to kill you last night, so I think you should know who Darren Young is." Powell: "I don't. Sorry." Nathan: "I mean you should find out who Darren Young is." Powell: "Oh. Isn't that what I hired you to do?" Prompted by Nathan, Powell verifies with his security chief, Wesley Weltz, that Darren Young is not employed by Softlight. Nathan: "And you said you don't know Vicki Zann. How about Roberto Hansel?" Powell: "That name sounds vaguely familiar." After another phone call: "Mr Weltz says that a few weeks ago we had an inquiry from Roberto Hansel, an agent of the Pinkertons. He was doing background checks on Randy Close and Lucy Buckner. Lucy Buckner used to be in our IT department for six months, and was fired for cause -- doing private work on company time." Nathan: "And Randy?" Powell: "He never worked for us." Powell has been dictating what he remembers from the portfolio to his admin, "and when I get that disseminated, there won't be any reason to kill me." Nathan: "I know who ordered the hit. I don't know why." Powell: "That's what I hired you to find out. And to retrieve the portfolio, remember." Nathan: "I have not forgotten."

Nathan shows up at Clyde's house about the time Reggie arrives with the new door. Nathan gives Clyde a burner phone to use (Clyde's phone is in his impounded car). While Clyde orders food (pizza and Chinese), Nathan chats with Reggie (who is a computer programmer) and gives him his card "in case you see anything strange around here." As Reggie goes to work on the door, Clyde asks Nathan: "Did you find anything new yet?" Nathan: "No. I'm going to talk to Kirk." Clyde: "Bring him back here tied up, and we'll take care of him." Nathan: "I was given specific instructions to stay within the law." Clyde: "Okay. I wasn't." Nathan: "Me bringing him here would probably be 'aiding and abetting.'" Clyde: "Fair enough." Nathan: "I might accidentally throw him out a window." Clyde: "Don't be having any fun if I can't be there."

Theo's wife calls Ricardo. She has contacted a bondsman, but Theo's bail has not yet been set. The place he had gone to on Friday is called Last Peso Bar.

Kef calls Nathan and tells him about the woman. "I think she's an associate of Randy Close. She's carrying a laptop. Someone wants it enough to kill her. I told her she'll be dead in 48 hours and she freaked out." She describes the woman in great detail and recites the info on the woman's business card. Nathan: "I'll keep her close, then. Is she trustworthy?" Kef: "No." Nathan: "I'll keep her very close."

Nathan finds that the website is a hacker gateway. He enters a message: "Do you want to live? -- Nathan." The reply comes quickly: "Yes." Nathan: "She contacted me. You should contact me." Reply: "Only under the right conditions. I don't know you." Nathan: "'Alive' is the condition, right?" Reply: "I wasn't told how I would die. You could be the killer, for all I know." Nathan: "Meet me in my office in an hour."

Nathan arrives at Kirk Wainwright's impressive mansion in a wealthy area of Dallas. A butler shows him in to Kirk's study. Kirk offers him a drink. Nathan: "I need you to stop this feud with Clyde Wheeler. Trying to get your money back, or trying to get revenge, it'll hurt you in the long run." Kirk: "I haven't done anything to him. And he threatened me, also." Nathan: "I just need you not to go after him. If you're somewhere and he initiates it, then by all means... I can't stop a client from being stupid. ... However, the other night there were two thugs in an alley waiting to jump him." Kirk: "That happens sometimes when you flash around a lot of money." Nathan: "The thing is, they were waiting there before he had the money." Kirk: "You have my word, I won't come after him until he comes after me again. But I won't stop playing poker or go out of my way to avoid him." Nathan: "We all know the rules in Texas: Don't start none, won't be none."

Nathan changes the subject. Kirk denies knowing Darren Young. Kirk has done business before with Highland Tropics but not currently. Randy Close used to work for Kirk (security, jack of all trades, fixer) but left several years ago "looking for the big score." Nathan: "Since you've been such a gentleman, I'll give you some free advice. If you are involved with any of the names I mentioned, I would separate myself from them, as there's a high possibility of long jail sentences. That's the worst thing to do to a rich man -- take away his freedom." Kirk: "We will probably meet again. Tell Mr Wheeler it's been interesting doing business with him." Nathan: "I'll keep that to myself."

A car cruises past Clyde's house, and that same guy flips him the bird. ["Yes, he got the order. He didn't like it."] Clyde hurls a baseball and dents the passenger door, and a second that shatters the rear passenger window. The car speeds away. Clyde retrieves the first baseball (the other landed inside the car), then gets a broom and dustpan and sweeps up the broken glass off the pavement.

No one is waiting to see Nathan when he gets back to his office around 7pm, but he finds three new phone numbers in his phone's contact list for Randy Close, "Salmon-Run," and "Anonymous." He calls Salmon-Run. A female voice answers, "I wondered if you paid attention to your phone." "I did. I got a call from her." "Who is 'her'?" "You know who 'her' is." "Yeah, but do you? Give me the name." "I only know her first name." "That's all I know." "I'm pretty sure it's 'Kef'." "Yep, that's her. She told me I'd be dead in 48 hours." "She told me, too, that you'd be dead in 48 hours. So, one of my jobs is protecting people. I am offering you my services. Usually I charge, but I couldn't live with myself if my fee was what led to you being dead. Besides, I'll get my money eventually, anyway. So, I'm offering to protect you." "Really. That's very kind of you." "That's what I do." The woman takes a deep breath and says, "Only if she recommends you to me. I won't trust you unless she trusts you." "She called me. That's about as much trust as you're gonna get from her." "She's... scary." "I don't know if she's scary or not. She's only spoken to me a few times."

Kef, walking toward her campsite at the close of the Faire day, sees Salmon-Run sitting in a car in the gradually-emptying parking lot, talking on a phone. The car, a late-model Impala with Texas plates, has a distinctive antenna mounted on it, and is positioned such that the woman can watch the front gate. (As a performer, Kef of course exited through a side gate.) Kef conceals herself in the shadows while she tries to figure out what the woman is doing.

Nathan continues, "She called me and told me that you were gonna die in 48 hours. I contacted you to tell you that I will protect you. That's it. There's nothing else, no ulterior motive." "So how much are you going to charge? Are you doing this to soothe your conscience?" "My conscience doesn't need to be soothed. This is just... me. If you're slated to die, and I can prevent it..." "So her pronouncements aren't cast in stone? They can be changed?" "Yes." "... How accurate are they, usually?" "I'm not sure. The predictions that I've been privy to have given me the edge to stop them from happening. I guess you could say accuracy is not the point. The point is being in the right place at the right time." "So she reads possible futures, not the real future. Or is that the real future, until... oh, now I'm babbling. I'm scared. Trying to figure out what to do. Who to trust. She seemed so certain about it." The woman's voice reflects her increasing agitation.

Nathan: "I don't know you. And I'm a public figure. I have a website." (The woman starts tapping on her Notepad.) "Okay, you have a security firm, and you get some pretty good ratings. Okay, I get your drift." "You notice in all the reviews, even the bad ones, none of them say 'he killed me' or 'he's hired to kill people.' That's just not what I do. If you want me to help you, that's fine. I'm sure that you are a smart lady and you have an exit strategy, and if you don't think you need my help, that's fine, too."

The woman opens her car door and steps out, scanning the front gate, her gaze hesitating slightly when it crosses Kef's position, but sweeping on past. Kef joins a couple of other performers heading for the camping area.

The woman says, "I... I don't know what to do, Mr Rahl." "Come have dinner." "... Do you know where she might be? I'm looking for her. They just closed down the Faire for the night." "What Faire?" "Scarborough." "Oh, is that where she is? I have no idea where she is." "I found out that she works it almost every year." "That's news to me. I saw her a couple of nights ago; that was my first time meeting her. She seems to be nice, and the the information she gives me helps. I have so many things going on, I don't have time to question her or try to run her down. She's not hurting me, and she's actually helping me. I'm thinking that one day she'll need my help, and then I will help her, too."

"I gotta think on it some more." "You're going to come and eat dinner with me, correct?" "What time? Where?" Nathan thinks for a few moments. "How about Olive Garden at Central and Greenville?" "I'll try to make it about 9:00." "Nine is fine. Be careful! Oh, before you leave -- did you put these other two numbers on my phone?" "It's what I do." "Why did you put Randy's number on there?" "He's one of my connect points to all this mess. It's his fault. Well, technically it's my fault for listening to him, but I don't have to be rational." "You see, I'm looking for him." "Well, feel free to call him." "I think I will. And 'Anonymous'? Was that you, in case I decided not to call 'Salmon-Run'?" "Oh, I would recommend that you beef up your security on your computer systems." <click> (Nathan mutters to himself, "I could be the one to kill you, I think.")

Ricardo's boss phones him. "Were you able to get Theo out?" "I've done what I could. I got a detective working toward it. His wife said they couldn't do the bond yet. As far as Manuel goes, I think he's going to be out of commission for awhile." "I got a replacement for Manuel, maybe even an improvement." "Eh, just about anyone would be an improvement." "You were part of the crew that checked out all those houses up in Wylie, weren't you?" "Yeah, I wrote 'em up... roofing, skylights. Why, something going on around there?" "I dunno. Something weird just happened up that direction. It must have just been a glitch of some sort. Never mind, probably not important.... but there are four or five houses on one of those blocks where the wind ripped off the roofs and the people have moved out. One of them called claiming they saw a light on in the foyer, blamed me for leaving it on, went and turned it off." "I didn't leave any lights on. It's not my fault they have ghosts. Maybe call a priest up." "Okay, not our business, I don't even know why I brought it up. It just felt pretty weird." Ricardo feels that premonitory tingle in the back of his neck, and he's not sure why. He gets up and locks his doors. His boss says, "See you tomorrow morning. I'll try to get someone for Theo. Any idea whether I need to get someone long-term?" "Eh, try to get someone for the week. I think me and Albert can handle counters tomorrow. Maybe having Manuel not there is an improvement." "So you'll cover for Theo tomorrow. It puts a heavier load on you, but I appreciate it." "Eh, we'll make it."

After his boss hangs up, Ricardo stands for a moment, thinking about what the lady said when things started getting weirder for him, and all these things happening, 'until you get it right.' Ricardo muses, "There's something I need to be doing. Maybe that will get rid of it. I'm not sure what, but it's got to do with this." Somehow it relates to Theo, and Theo had been with him on Monday when he had appraised the houses in Wylie. And at another place Theo knew about, somebody said there was going to be a murder. Ricardo feels there's some connection there. "This is going to be trouble, if I listen to this." He feels the urge to talk to Theo again.

Orley calls Nathan and reports that Theo has been booked and the police won't let Orley talk to him. Nathan: "My phone's been hacked." Orley: "It happens." "I'm glad you feel so comfortable with that. I don't." "It's not my phone." "If they hacked my phone, they hacked your phone. Think of it like that. ... I talked to Wainwright; he'll stop harassing Wheeler until Wheeler confronts him." "That's not gonna happen." "No, Clyde's probably gonna confront him, and he's gonna pull out a can of whoop-ass on Clyde. But that'll be Clyde's problem, there." "Have you told Clyde this yet?" "Nah." "You want me to tell Clyde?" "Yeah, let Clyde know that Wainwright will call off his people." "Clyde's not gonna like that. They took all of Clyde's stuff and tore up his house." "Yeah, I know. But Clyde took a lot of his money." "I don't think Clyde -- or I -- would see it that way." "I wouldn't see it that way, and I'm not saying Clyde did anything wrong. They were gambling, and when you gamble, you lose."

Nathan continues, "I found another lead -- I think Kirk is peripherally involved. I found a mysterious lady that's gonna be killed in 48 hours. She's the one who hacked my phone. I'm trying to get her to come physically closer to me so you and I can protect her." "This gets confusing, boss. How many interconnected cases we got -- three or four?" "Just three. But we have priorities. We have three people who might be killed. Clyde's not on the list to die, and I'm not sure I can talk him down, because I'd be pissed off if somebody did to me what happened to him."

Nathan adds, "I found somebody that's connected to the portfolio. The guy that Benjamin talked to, Randy Close." Orley: "Yeah, the guy with the scar." "I have his phone number. I'm gonna give Randy a call in a little while." "Good. After I talk to Clyde, I'm going to get supper and call it a night." "That's a plan. It's not your plan, though."

Kef sits near the campfire, listening to other folks chat. Most agree that "a lot of weird things happened today." "Moreso than usual." "It's silly season." "It's not even full moon."

Right around 8pm a car pulls up in front of Clyde's house. Clyde starts to reach for a baseball, but relaxes when he sees it's Orley. Orley: "I guess those can't be considered dangerous weapons." Clyde: "I dunno -- ask the guy with his back window blown out. Same idiot from last night drove by here and gave me the bird, so I gave him something back." "Aw, that's probably because his boss pulled him off and he was pissed at you." "Why would he pull him off?" "Boss man went and talked to Wainwright, and Wainwright said he wouldn't harass you anymore. Unless you did something to him, of course." "Do you think he was lying or telling the truth?" "Boss seemed to think he was telling the truth." "All right, guess I better save it up and give him a big one when I get the chance." "I can't sanction you doing anything that would break the law. Don't get caught at it." "That's good advice. I'll take it as best I can. But I don't think it's over yet, and I don't think he does, either." "The boss thinks he's somehow involved in one of our other cases. I don't know what the boss might need from you, but it might give you an outlet to stick your nose into other people's business." As Clyde starts to speak, Orley goes on, "Now, the boss hasn't said he'd hire you. Technically, you're a client, you're paying him." Orley shrugs. Clyde: "This is all kind of backwards." "I know you're not a detective, but you throw a mean ashtray." Clyde chuckles. Orley: "You're a high-stakes gambler, and you pretty much don't care if you live or die, is that right?" "Sure. Whatever. What kind of ridiculous question is this? Who would say yes?" "You might," Orley says with a half-smile; "Hey, I kinda like ya. You're an okay guy who's had some bad luck."

Orley: "All I gotta say is, you make a run at Wainwright, you better make it a good one. If they catch you, they'll put you away for a long time." Clyde: "Well, I'm not trying to kill the guy or anything. I just want him to understand I'm not to be messed with. The competition I won against him was fair and square. What he's doing to me is dirty and underhanded, and if that's how he wants to play..." "People who play that way have a lot to hide, if you want to start digging that up on him."

Orley asks if Clyde wants to get supper. Clyde: "I got a lot of leftovers, if you like pizza or Chinese. I'm kind of against leaving this place in case they come back and tear it up again, though there's not much else they could ruin other than my door, again." "It'd be a quick way to find out if Wainwright was lying or not." "You think of a lot of things I don't know that I'd ever think of." "I used to be a cop. I've seen a lot." "All right, I'll come along."

Ricardo goes down to the county jail, where he learns that the charge against Theo has been reduced from attempted murder to simple assault. Bond has been set at $5000, so he withdraws $500 cash from an ATM. Theo thanks Ricardo for bailing him out. Theo has lost that glassy-eyed look and seems to be himself again. They get into the truck and as Ricardo starts it up he says, "Theo, we're gonna go down to Wylie and check out the house at <address>. And you owe me big, Theo!" "I know," Theo says very softly. Ricardo: "You better not be showing up late." Theo: "Can we convince the police that somebody made me do it? They caught me, so I had to have been there, but I don't remember any of it!" "Yeah, I been droppin' a lotta money on you." Ricardo phones Señora Perez, who is very grateful and offers to reimburse him the $500, but Ricardo says generously, "Don't worry about it."

Kef spots a Faire worker approaching the campsite with the woman in tow. The woman stops several paces away, looking at Kef, and says, "I'm sorry. Thank you. May I ask a favor of you? I know I may ask; would you consider the favor if I ask? Please?" Kef stares at her silently. "Would you go with me to supper and meet somebody? You already know them, and I'd feel better if you were there." Another half-minute passes, and the woman ventures, "I... I'm Lucy." The other people around the campfire have gone quiet, watching. "Mr Rahl invited me to meet with him at the Olive Garden in Dallas in about an hour from now."

Kef finally speaks: "Why is he involved?" "He... hit the website I gave you. (pause) And I hacked his phone." "Why?" "I wanted to see who he'd been talking to, see what he's been doing. He hadn't had any contact with Randy; he had a couple of calls with Joe Powell -- he's CEO at Softlight. He did some interesting web searches. But, all in all, a fairly dull history on his smartphone." "He's smarter than you give him credit for." "He may be. Is he sincere about wanting to keep me alive? He talked money, but he asked for none." "Why are you asking me this?" "You seem to know people. He admitted to seeing you a couple of times. I don't know what you need to read somebody. But I figure if you're with me, you can read him and see if he's playing me. Maybe somebody's bought him off, and he's setting me up. Maybe... How well do you know him?" "You don't know me at all." "I know your rep. I've talked to a lot of people about you today." "What makes you think I'm a friend of yours?" "Uh... I don't, necessarily. But I don't think you'd... let me die... would you? (pause) I wasn't kidding that I trust my gut, my intuition. Usually I apply it on the computer side, running the Net..."

Kef breaks in: "You're a selfish, dishonest, ignorant, friendless woman." "Uhh... two out of four? I agree with. I have some friends." "And you're lying to yourself." "Yes, I will admit to that. And I will admit that I use my abilities to get things out of the Net that I probably shouldn't. But I can't stop lying to myself if I'm dead." "Sure you can. No more lies. Somebody gets the contents of that notepad you're guarding so zealously. Maybe the world's better for it."

Lucy sighs in frustration, then blurts out, "I think they're after me for what they think I kept that I said I didn't, and I didn't really keep it, but they don't know that, and they won't know that until they do something drastic. It won't do me any good if they find out they were wrong after I'm dead. But these type of people probably don't care about that. Y-you seem to care, to a certain point. (stammering) I'm not, I'm not... I will admit I'm not... not an honest person. I'm a thief, actually. A cyber-thief. But I can, I can turn over a new leaf. I can be better... if I'm alive. I... I just need another chance."

Kef: "What makes you think I owe you a chance?" Lucy: "You don't. That's why I'm asking politely and not demanding. I heard a lot of good things about you today when I was... finding you. Randy told me what you did Friday night." "He told you I came out of nowhere and assaulted him for no reason." "That was his viewpoint, but I know Randy, so I had an idea of what really happened. He was going after someone and you stopped him, I'll bet. Am I wrong?" "You weren't there. You lied and said you were." "Uh... he told me about you and I thought you might be more responsive..." "From the first word you spoke to me, you've lied." "I admit, I am a liar." "And now you're saying, 'I was testing you.' Can I tell you're lying? Yes." "I'm not lying now. I really need you --"

"You somehow think I'm going to protect you from Nathan Rahl, who only wants to help you." "You once saw that somebody was going to kill me..." "I saw that you would be dead in thirty-six hours. (pause) Alone. In a hotel room. Probably slain by someone you trust." "Will you help me?" "Why? You're a despicable person." "Give me a second chance. Give me a chance to be better." "A second chance to... double-cross poor Nathan Rahl?" "I won't sell any of the secrets on his computer system. And he's got a lot of stuff that could be sensitive. I didn't open every folder. He had a pretty good security system..." "You simply don't get it, do you." "N-no, but I'm willing, if I could stay alive..." "You're barely even human. Maybe humanity's better off without someone like you." "M-maybe if I'm better, I can make things better."

Kef: "As long as you think your life's in danger, you're willing to grovel and kiss anyone's feet." Lucy: "You think I'll back out as soon as --" "I know you will! You'll take another identity and get back to your shenanigans. I don't owe you anything." "No, you don't, I know that." "You're blaming me for the fact you're going to die in thirty-five hours and twenty-six minutes." "Blaming you? But you didn't... you let me know, and I'm hoping that means you're willing to give me a second chance, to keep me alive. I can't get better if I'm dead. If I'm dead, will that improve it better than my staying alive and doing good things, better things? But you don't think I'll do better things. And there's no way I can convince you I will unless you let me do it, and if I don't do it... I don't know... This will happen again, probably, if I go back to what I'm doing. I finally tripped over a landmine. Most people don't come after me with guns and bullets."

Kef: "You've been doing this a long time, and now your life's in danger, and now you want to repent." Lucy: "Yes, that's the summation of it. So will you, please? Like you said, you don't owe me a thing. It's not because you owe me. Please?"

Kef gets up, goes over and crouches beside another man sitting by the fire, and murmurs to him, "I'm going with this woman. She claims her name is Lucy. Her license plate is <this>, she's driving an Impala." The man repeats everything back perfectly while staring at Lucy and memorizing her features. Kef: "So... it's been nice knowing you." He replies, "Be yourself and be careful, and I think you'll be all right."

Kef enters her tent, changes out of her gypsy garb, and emerges dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. She follows Lucy to her car and they head for Dallas.

As night falls, Ricardo and Theo reach one of the most heavily damaged neighborhoods in Wylie, where straight-line winds had torn roofs off of many houses. Toward the rear of the particular house in question is a small, lit Coleman lantern. There's a small pickup truck sitting in the driveway behind the house. Roberto knocks repeatedly on the front door, and eventually a man wearing jeans, a work shirt, and a light jacket comes around the corner of the house and says, "Yeah? Whaddaya want?" "Do you live here?" "No... we're squatting, we needed a place and nobody was here." "Well, the people who own this house, they see those lights, and they're blaming people like me. I work on these houses." "Oh, you're one of the repair crew. When's this house slated to be repaired?" "Soon. How many with you?" "Just me and my lady." "All right, get your truck and follow me, you can stay at my place." The man seems reluctant until Roberto adds, "Or you can stay here and get arrested." A few minutes later the man, driving the small truck and with a woman in the passenger seat, pulls up behind Ricardo's truck. Theo: "You're gonna trust them, boss?" Ricardo: "If they mess with me, I can handle myself."

Ricardo drops Theo off at the Perez home, then proceeds to a cheap motel. (He realized that taking them to his house was a bad idea.) He tells the couple, "You're gonna stay here tonight." He pays for their room and gives them some money for gas and food.

Orley and Clyde arrive at the restaurant. "Olive Garden, huh? Never heard of this one," Clyde ribs Orley, who retorts, "I know it's a little high-class for you. You baseball players don't get to see much of the world from a bus." "Yeah... don't remind me." (Way to go, Orley, hitting Clyde right in that sore spot.) Clyde: "What's the deal, is your boss going to be here or something?" Orley tsks, "You're a very suspicious man."

A few minutes later Nathan enters Olive Garden, and sitting at a table near the host stand are Orley and Clyde. Orley smiles as Nathan walks up and greets them. Orley: "I'm treating him to supper. Funny you should be here, boss." Nathan: "I said I was gonna be here!" Orley: "I thought you could use some backup, and it'd be less suspicious with two people at this table instead of one." "Okay," Nathan shrugs, and follows the hostess to a different table.

Soon afterward, Lucy, followed by Kef, approaches the host stand; "I'm supposed to meet somebody here." Noticing Orley's reaction, Clyde turns around to see a sharp-dressed brunette carrying a laptop bag, followed by a younger woman with bright red hair whom Clyde remembers as the elbow-thrower at Poor David's the other night.

Nathan rises as the two women are led to his table. "You can call me Lucy... well, because that's my name," the brunette says with a nervous smile as she takes a seat next to Nathan (so she can see anyone who approaches the table). The waitress takes their drink orders.

Nathan gets right to the point: "Are you going to tell me why they want to kill you?" Lucy (with a glance at Kef): "Because they think I kept a copy of something that they don't want anyone else to have." "Do you have a copy of the portfolio?" "No. I do not." "Oh, come on --" "They don't believe me, though." "I don't, either." "I really don't! That's the sad thing!" "Why didn't you keep a copy? You would usually keep a copy, wouldn't you? So why not this time?" "I didn't keep a copy because... I didn't want this very thing to happen. But after the police reports yesterday from the hotel, I got scared, and I started tracking down Kef..." "Why track her down? She wasn't at the hotel." "No, but she was at the pub." "I was at the pub, too." "I told Kef... I have a feeling about such things. She felt like the best way for me to get out of this situation. I didn't know at the time it was to stay alive."

Nathan: "Do you know where the portfolio is?" Lucy: "Randy sold it to Mr Bara." Nathan: "So Mr Bara has it? Okay. I'll talk to him tomorrow." "I need to tell you some more stuff, too. When we sold him the portfolio several days ago, he also bought information about Softlight's servers and backups, and also bought software from me to hack into their systems and wipe out everything regarding the portfolio." "And it worked." "They also burned down the physical sites where the backups were stored." "That's what Joe said." "But they knew where they were because of me." Nathan: "So you're a loose end." Lucy: "I think -- yeah, maybe."

The waitress brings their drinks -- beer for Nathan, water with lemon for Lucy and Kef -- takes their food orders, and leaves.

Lucy: "They want to kill me because they think I kept it... I got a phone call from a woman who identified herself as 'Kerri'. She wanted to verify that all the stuff had been delivered and there were no residual copies. It was a very short conversation. I didn't want her to... well, I was on too long, and I had to get rid of that burner phone." Nathan: "Okay." "But what she told me --" "Since you were gonna die?" "-- She told me I was lying to myself because I thought they were going to let me live... Well, it's a long story. What... what can I do? I gotta navigate this so that I live. I've made promises to this lady here (indicating Kef) that I'll turn over a new leaf, and I want to prove it..."

Nathan: "I need to get the portfolio back. How can I get the portfolio back?" Lucy: "Mr Bara has it. So he's put it somewhere. It's an encrypted drive. He has the information to decrypt it and to make copies. So you need to know everything you can find out about Mr Bara, and I can help you there. I'm a very good hacker." "Okay, Lucy. Well, then, we're good. I was going to save you anyway." (Lucy looks at Kef for her reaction; Kef is eating a breadstick.)

Nathan: "Can they track you?" Lucy, after a moment: "No. I don't think they have anybody... well, I would have said 'they definitely can't' until she told me I'm dead in --" Kef: "Thirty-four hours, twenty-one minutes." Lucy: "So obviously they have some way to get me. I must have made a mistake, or am going to make a mistake. I'm not sure exactly. They know my sites, and they contacted me as Salmon-Run. Well, actually, a lot of this came through Randy. He's knee-deep in this, also. So the way I may be found is actually through Randy. I don't trust him. Kef called that completely right. I don't trust Randy at all."

Nathan takes out his smartphone, puts it on speaker, and dials Randy Close's number.

Ricardo returns with the key to the motel room. In his mind, things just aren't adding up. Ricardo: "So, you were squatting?" Man: "Yes." Ricardo senses that this is only part of the truth. "Why were you squatting there?" Man: "It was warm and safe and... and just looked like the perfect place." "Yeah, but what was the real reason?" Woman: "That was the real reason." Ricardo notices they are edging apart from each other, and orders, "Back together." Woman: "Hey, mister, just let us go. We're leaving your place alone. We don't want to cause you any trouble." "You're causing trouble by trying to live in someone else's house." Man: "At least you didn't turn us over to the cops. That's what we were afraid of." "I had to bail my damn worker out of jail. Just tell me the truth." The man reiterates: "We were squatting there because it was a safe place to be. Nobody pays attention to houses like that, with half the roof torn off..." "Oh, no one pays attention, so that's why I'm getting called by my boss from a customer getting mad at me." Man: "Okay, so we let the light shine into an exterior room. There are rooms that don't have any light at all..." "I could have called the police, I could have told them exactly where you were, you could be in a car right now going to jail. So do you mind telling me what exactly you were doing?" Woman: "That's what we were doing." "Eh, you look real nice to be squattin'." Woman: "W-we came upon hard times." "Yeah, but you've showered within the last day." Man: "The water isn't even on in that house... We have memberships in some places where we can do that for the rest of the month. But since this is the 1st, I guess those showers we took yesterday will be the last for awhile."

Ricardo: "All right. You two have fun BS'ing. I'm going to talk to my boss, get more security in the neighborhood." Man: "Okay, I understand. Thank you, thank you." Ricardo gets into his truck and starts it up; glancing in his rearview mirror, he sees the couple gesturing as though they are arguing with each other. Ricardo calls the police to report "some very suspicious people" at the motel, explaining he had caught them trespassing.

On his way home, Ricardo notices the small truck following him, some distance back. He pulls off to the shoulder as though he's having car trouble; before reaching him, the small truck turns onto a side road. It definitely has two people in it. Ricardo gets his work knife and tries to locate the small truck; a few minutes later, he sees it following him again. He turns opposite to the way that would lead to his house; the small truck continues to follow, keeping a block's distance though they must have lost sight of him several times, and Ricardo concludes that while he'd been paying for the motel room, they'd planted a tracker on his truck. He goes home and readies his shotgun.

After six rings, the phone is answered with a gruff "Yes?" "Randy. This is Nathan Rahl." "Yeah, okay." "Have you seen Lucy?" "Not all day." "So, you didn't kill her, right?" "No! I didn't! No!" "This call is being recorded for quality assurance. I'm just kidding, I couldn't help it. Sorry, Randy. But she's dead. So if you haven't seen her all day, you probably didn't kill her. It's gonna be in the paper tomorrow." Randy makes several inarticulate sounds of disbelief/denial; "No, it can't be!" "I'm calling to give you a heads-up, because whoever killed her is probably going to kill you, right?" "Uh, y-yeah!" "Okay, well, so you've been warned, right? I mean, I talked to her earlier and she said whatever this was is all your fault. And then I found her dead, later. I got your number off her phone."

Something in Lucy's bag starts buzzing. Lucy carefully raises her hand away from the bag. Nathan continues: "I'm just trying to do you a solid, you know. You remember me, don't you? Remember when you got the elbow to the ribs?" "Yes, I do." "Do you remember the guy who told you it was time to leave?" "Yeah, I thought it was a cop." "Well, he works for me." "Okay." "So, do you need protection or anything? That's what I do." "No, I'm fine." "You sure?" "You sure she's dead?" "I saw her." "She's dead!" "After I shot her, she was dead." Silence.

Nathan: "Now that I've kept you on this phone long enough, I know where you are. So I'll be seeing you soon, okay?" Randy disconnects.

Lucy's phone had stopped buzzing, but a few seconds later it starts buzzing again. Nathan: "He called you, didn't he? If I had looked for you, I'd have found you just that quickly, wouldn't I, because of him, right? He's a moron, isn't he?" Lucy: "He's a devious and backstabbing SOB. He's actually fairly smart at what he does. But he'd give me up in a second to keep himself alive." "Oh, well. That was fun." Lucy, looking at Kef: "I'm going to try to stop lying to myself."

Nathan: "Well. So. You're going to help me get the portfolio, and I'm going to keep you alive. Deal?" Lucy (voice just above a whisper): "It's a deal." "And you're gonna un-hack me. Okay?" "Well, I will -- yes, I will un-hack you. I-I've told Kef I don't do that anymore. I guess I could sell myself to provide security for people, though. That'll keep bread on the table." "Normally, I would offer somebody like you a job. But... I really don't trust you. So I won't offer you a job, but I need your help on this one right here. Just because I don't trust you doesn't mean you need to be killed. That's just harsh."

Ricardo, sitting on his lighted porch with his shotgun in his lap, sees the small truck approaching. He aims and fires; glass shatters, and he growls, "Don't f*ck with Ricardo Hernandez!" The truck speeds away and does not return. Ricardo examines his truck, finds a tracking device, and smashes it.

Clyde's enjoying his dinner and not sitting home alone for a change. Making conversation, he asks Orley about the younger woman, who he recognized from the pub. Orley: "I've seen her a couple of times, around Dallas. She's fairly well-known." "She's the tough one that knocked out the big guy at the bar." "Technically she didn't knock him out. She just knocked him off-course. Strategic hit at the right place and the right time." "That's pretty darn effective." "Yeah."

Lucy: "When do I start? When do you start looking for this?" Nathan: "Oh, in about an hour. Right now I'm trying to figure out if they're going to attack you here in this public place, or if they're going to wait. I'm thinking they have a bug on your car." Lucy, confidently: "I don't think so. I went over that thing thoroughly." "Okay, if you say so." "I mean thoroughly. If they have one, it's going to be one of those delayed ones, the only type I could've missed, but I'd say I would have gotten it." Kef: "Sure don't see many of those antennas around town." Lucy: "Yeah, it is a little distinctive. It allows me to have a full-range connection from wherever I'm at. Oh... maybe that's how they got me, and Randy didn't give me up. It's those little mistakes that'll kill me." Nathan: "I guess we're taking my car."

Nathan: "So we're about to take a ride around Dallas." Lucy: "To keep moving? There are a lot of hot spots..." Nathan: "I'm not going to keep moving. I'm going home. You're coming with me. Kef, are you along for the ride?" Kef, finishing her lasagna: "No."

A few moments later, Kef gets up from the table ("leaving those two lovebirds alone") and heads for where she had seen Orley earlier. Orley: "Ah! Clyde, Kef. Kef, Clyde." Clyde: "Nice to meet you, Kef." Kef inclines her head in acknowledgement, then bends and murmurs into Orley's ear. "I saw Vicki Zann in a van, on the way to the house." Orley: "Isn't that ahead of schedule? They've already changed it that much?" "I only know what I know." "Transporting them. Something happened to change the time schedule." "Orley, you're saying it out loud." "I know. Sorry. A little sloppy."

Orley pulls out his phone and texts Nathan: "Situation changing, need access to house, timetable moved up." Kef shrugs and starts to turn away, and Orley quickly says, "Hey, if it's a fluid situation and things are changing, why don't you stick with me? And if it changes again, you can let me know. Constant feedback would probably help me." Kef doesn't reply, but stands there waiting. Orley stands up. Clyde: "I don't have a ride..." Orley: "Aw, you wanna swing one of your bats, finally, don't ya?" Clyde: "I did bring my own." Orley: "You might get to hit some baseballs tonight." Clyde: "Yeah, I could use to relieve a bit of stress."

Orley sends another text: "Foreman guy and key?" Nathan stands up, lays some cash on the table, and says, "All right, let's go."

Ricardo's phone rings. "Hello?" Nathan: "Ricardo?" "Yes?" "You sound like Clyde." "Yeah, I had two bastards follow me home. I shot their damn truck." "Ah, yeah, you really sound like Clyde. I need access to the house again." "Right now?" "If you don't mind. You seem to need to blow off some steam." "Those two idiots know where my house is now. I don't trust them." "Did you shoot them?" "Yeah." "Do you think they'll come back to be shot again?" "Well, one way to find out, right?" "No, that's not it. Will you meet me up there?" "All right." "Hurry."

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