It had been a few days.
Mayte and I hadn’t talked again.
But I had done some digging on my own.
And I’d discovered a place where he’d gotten some of the names and faces from.
The initial step had been to run a reccy and do a test drive, check out the place, and get a general feel of it.
It reminded me of somewhere a long time ago.
This was history, with a new form and new look. But underneath, it carried the same old garbage and filth from years ago.
Some people never change. Others transform into saints. And the rest get lost in the darkness of the world.
This was darkness amplified. And I knew, once I stepped in, I wouldn’t walk out the same. So the logical question was, would it be worth it?
There was only one way to know for sure.
I shook my head, and sighed. What the hell was I getting myself into?
“Roy! There’s someone here to see you!”
“Tell them I’m dead.”
“Are you?” A female voice.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
Mayte.
“So this is what you do? Sleep at work?” she asked, walking into the office.
“What’re you doing here? How’d you find me?”
“I think it would be a shame if I didn’t know where the guy I hired worked, don’t you think?” she smiled, sitting down at the edge of the desk.
I raised an eyebrow, “You been stalking me?”
“Maybe. Made any progress?”
“Maybe,” I looked around, “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Not so hospitable today, huh?” She stood up.
“No. Pick me up at 6:00.”
“Dinner at my place?” She asked, hopeful.
“No,” I shook my head, “I’ll need to shower first.”
“You can shower at my place. I’ve also got some clothes you could wear.”
“You got a spare bedroom?”
“I do.”
“You can cook at my place. I’ll help,” I said.
“You mean my place, right?”
“No. I’m not going to your house.”
She looked offended, “And why is that?”
“Because I’m having some doubts about you.”
“What doubts?”
I looked at the clock, and eased back into my chair, closing my eyes. “I’ll see you at 06:00 Mayte. Good night.”
“Roy! Unbelievable!”
I didn’t respond. I heard the door open after a moment. Then she was gone.
“Hey sleepyhead!”
“Hey.” I opened the door and climbed in. “Let’s go.”
“So, how was your nap?”
“Unsatisfying. I got interrupted by some nosy lady,” I replied, looking out the window.
“Oh! Was she cute?”
I turned to her, “Your job’s going to take a while. If I’ve got a shot at this, I’ll have to bring him back to life.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’ll have to fill in his shoes. I’m going to be him. I need to start thinking like him, doing what he’d do. Hopefully that will draw someone out - someone that knew what he was up to,” I said, thoughtfully.
“I think they already know that he’s dead.”
“Not everyone.”
“Are you saying that someone thinks he’s still alive?” she was confused.
“Perhaps. Or maybe they’ll think he’s still alive when they see me.”
“I don’t understand,” she shook her head.
I shrugged, “You don’t need to.”
“Are you going to invite me for dinner?” Mayte asked, as she pulled into the driveway.
“What’s your angle Mayte?” I stared at her.
“I guess not. I’ll see you then,” she said.
“Why the sudden interest in me?”
“It’s sudden for you. But not for me. I’d been looking for you for quite some time,” she replied, then smacked her forehead, “Sh!t! I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Looking for me, huh?”
“It’s just that… you weren’t easy to find,” she said, hesitantly.
“Well I wasn’t hiding.”
“I know.”
“Alright. Let’s have dinner,” I said, stepping out of the car.
“I’m not hungry anymore.”
“No?”
“Roy, a lot of people are going to be taking interest in you soon. Please don’t be harsh to them.” She rolled up the window and drove off.
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Perhaps it was time to brush up on my people skills.