The Prophecy

33

Megan was the type of woman who attracted attention without even trying. A natural beauty who dressed conservatively and wore little make-up, yet always stood out in a crowd. Dark brown hair, light blue eyes, and a slender frame with the perfect amount of curves. When she entered a room, all heads turned towards her, as if she was royalty.

Not surprisingly, most men were intimidated by her presence. They ogled her from afar, practically drooling, but when given the chance, they lacked the self-confidence to approach. Even when she smiled at them or met their gaze, they tended to freeze, or stutter, or look away.

Like boys with a schoolyard crush.

But Jonathon Payne was different. She sensed that from the moment she had met him. As did nearly every person he had ever encountered. In the entertainment field, it was called the ‘it’ factor — an innate quality that couldn’t be taught or learned but ultimately determined who became a star. Either you had ‘it’, or you didn’t. And Payne definitely did, which was one of the reasons he had been handpicked by the Pentagon to run the MANIACs. His mixture of looks, intelligence, size, and charisma made him a natural-born leader.

Not to mention a hit with the ladies.

When Payne turned on the charm, he could sell steak to a vegetarian. Or, in this case, convince Megan to have a chat with him a few minutes after Jones had pulled a gun on her.

Of course, she wasn’t stupid about it. She didn’t invite Payne inside her apartment. Instead, she suggested a recreational lounge on the second floor. It had a pool table and video games, and most importantly, several neighbours who could protect her better than Brad.

Payne went downstairs first and grabbed a booth while Megan changed into jeans and a sweater. To help keep her calm, Jones stayed on the far side of the lounge where he kept his eye on the door. By the end of her chat with Payne, Jones knew she would understand why he had pulled a gun on her, but until then, he was willing to give her the space she needed to stay comfortable.

Ten minutes later, Payne spotted Megan in the doorway. Before she entered, she glanced round the lounge, making sure there were plenty of witnesses. Three college-aged guys played pool while their girlfriends sat to the side, gabbing about holiday shopping. Four senior citizens played poker for pennies at a card table in the corner. A few other people were scattered about the room, reading the Sunday paper and surfing the Internet.

Taking a deep breath, she walked across the room towards Payne’s booth, holding items in both hands.

He stood as she approached. ‘Thank you for coming, Megan.’

‘Just so you know,’ she warned him, ‘I’ve got my pepper spray in one hand and my cell phone in the other. One false move, and I’ll use both.’

Payne pretended to shield his eyes. ‘If I get a vote, start with the phone.’

She smiled and took a seat. ‘So, what’s this all about?’

Payne was surprised the chatty girl from before was now all business. But considering the events of upstairs, he could understand why. ‘How well do you know Ashley?’

‘Excuse me? Why is that important?’

‘Why? Because it will help me decide the tone of this conversation.’

She stared at him. ‘I’m not liking this already.’

‘I need to know if you were like sisters, or just neighbours.’

‘The second, I guess. Ashley moved next door about six months ago. We’re roughly the same age and had some common interests, so we were friendly. We didn’t hang out all the time or anything like that, but we kept an eye on each other’s apartment when one of us went out of town. You know, getting mail, watering plants, and so on.’

‘But you had her key.’

She nodded. ‘Her spare key — just in case she got locked out. Our building manager is never around, so we exchanged keys for an emergency. She had mine as well.’

Payne listened to her explanation, trying to gauge how he should break the news about her neighbour’s death. Normally, he’d come right out and say it, but in this situation, he wanted to learn as much information about Ashley as possible since there was always a chance Megan would clam up when she learned about her neighbour. ‘And did she—’

‘Hold up,’ Megan said, interrupting him. ‘Did you call me down here to find out dirt about Ashley? Because if you did, that’s really sleazy.’

‘No, Megan, that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.’

‘And if you’re about to ask for my number, that would be even sleazier. I mean, you were just with her upstairs.’

‘Actually, no, I wasn’t.’

She looked at him, confused. ‘What are you talking about? I walked in on you.’

He shook his head. ‘On me. Not us.’

Instinctively, she clenched her pepper spray. ‘You better start explaining, or I’m leaving.’

Payne nodded, then filled her in on everything that had happened, starting with her neighbour’s trip to Pittsburgh and ending with the incident in the hallway upstairs. About the only thing he didn’t mention was the translation of the letter. That information was too important to share with someone he had just met.

Once Payne had finished, Megan sat quietly in the booth, considering everything she had been told. Normally, she was the sceptical type, requiring all kinds of evidence before she was willing to accept anything, but due to the level of detail in Payne’s story, she believed his account of things — at least for the time being.

‘I don’t know how to feel about this,’ she admitted. ‘I should be distraught over her death, but at the same time, I just found out that she’s been conning me for the last six months. I knew nothing about her background, or prison, or anything. Everything she told me was a lie.’

Payne nodded in empathy. ‘I doubt this will make you feel any better, but I’m a pretty good judge of character. Normally I can spot a liar or a phoney a mile away. Yet for some reason, I believed everything she told me. And so did my partner. The woman was very convincing.’

‘Speaking of convincing, how do I know you’re not lying to me as well?’

He shrugged. ‘I guess you don’t. But if you want, feel free to check up on me right now. It wouldn’t bother me at all. Tell me, does your phone have an Internet browser?’

‘Yes, why?’

He pulled out his wallet and showed her his driver’s licence. ‘Google my name, Jonathon Payne, and see what pops up. Same thing with David Jones, the idiot who tried to shoot you. You’ll get all the proof you’re looking for.’

‘Are you serious?’

‘Completely serious. The sooner you trust me, the better — and the sooner DJ can join us.’ Payne paused for a moment and grinned. ‘Actually, I take that back. I kind of like him sitting in the corner. He deserves a timeout after pulling a gun on you.’

She smiled. ‘He deserves more than that. I should have kicked him in the nuts.’

Payne laughed. ‘Wow, I have to admit you’re handling this a lot better than I thought you would. When I saw your bunny slippers and heard you scream, I pegged you for a crier. A loud, theatrical, over the top crier.’

She shook her head. ‘I cried myself out at an early age.’

‘Let me guess. Guy trouble?’

‘No,’ she said quietly, ‘family trouble. I lost my parents when I was young.’

His face flushed. ‘Me, too. Eighth grade.’

‘At the same time?’

He nodded. ‘Drunk driver. How about yours?’

‘My dad died when I was two. I can’t even remember him…’

‘And your mom?’

‘A mugger shot her when I was ten. They never caught the guy.’

He nodded in understanding. ‘I guess that explains it.’

She looked at him, confused. ‘Explains what?’

‘The volume of your scream. You saw the gun and had a flashback to your mom’s death. The more emotion involved, the louder the scream.’

‘Are you psychoanalysing me?’

He held his thumb and finger a few inches apart. ‘A little bit.’

‘Well, Jonathon, I’ll have you know my scream had nothing to do with my mom’s death. I’m simply a loud screamer. I always have been.’

He grinned. ‘Good to know.’

‘Stop flirting with me.’

He scrunched his face. ‘Come on! Why would I flirt with you?’

‘Why? Because I’m awesome.’

‘Who said I even like awesome?’

She sneered at him. ‘Everyone likes awesome.’

‘Good,’ he said as he stood up, ‘then you’ll love me.’