Corrector (22 page)

It was almost four o’clock when Jake returned to the hotel. He made a pass around the parking lot and spotted Ellen’s car parked in a slot close to one of the side doors.  It’s location was consistent with the room Ellen had given him in the hospital, so he was certain that’s where he’d find them.  He parked a few slots away, and headed inside.

Rather than go to his room, he headed straight toward room 235 where they would be.  He knocked on the door and waited.  Moments later it swung open and a surprised Karin stood there.  She looked wonderful.

“Jake?” Karin asked clearly surprised to see him.  “What are you doing here?  How did you know where we’d be?”

Jake wasn’t ready for the impact of seeing her again.  Not only again, but well and whole and unharmed.  His throat tightened up and his eyes watered involuntarily and it took a moment before he could answer.  He wanted to embrace her, but wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate given their status.

“Ellen told me,” he managed to croak out.

“Ellen called you?” she asked, clearly surprised.  “Why would she do that?”

“Why would I do what?” Ellen asked as she walked over curious what was going on.

“Jake says you called him and told him where we were.”

“I did no such thing,” she objected.  “What is this?  Why are you here?”

Jake was still having trouble recovering, and was shaking his head minutely.  He reached out and touched Karin lightly on the arm.  “Can we go inside.  I don’t want to explain in the hall.”

Karin’s eyes narrowed a bit, and Ellen watched him curiously, but they both stepped aside and allowed him to enter, shutting the door behind them.

“So?” Karin asked pointedly once they were inside.  She seemed aware that Jake was reacting strangely, but that might be because she thought he was here in an attempt to reconcile their situation.

Jake had considered the situation and had concluded he would be unlikely to get Karin separated from Ellen in order to talk with her alone.  Attempts to do so could potentially derail what he needed to do.  Since what he would be proposing would impact Ellen as well, he would have to allow her to hear, and despite her confusion and doubts, explain the situation.  He would try and figure out how to deal with the fallout later. 

“There’s going to be an event tomorrow,” he started uncertainly.  He didn’t want to simply blurt it all out.

“What kind of event?” Ellen asked.

Karin seemed to have realized what Jake was alluding to.  “Something bad is going to happen?” she asked.  “This is one of your future warnings.”

Jake nodded.  “Tomorrow in San Francisco.  A gunman is going to shoot up Ghirardelli square.”

“Hey!  That’s where we were going in the morning,” Ellen said.

Jake nodded.  “I know.  That’s why I’m here.”

“Okay Jake,” Karin said.  “Tell us what this is all about.”

Jake pointed at the bed where the two women sat.  He plopped down in the only chair.  Then he explained what would happen.

“We’re going to be shot?” Karin asked when he finished.

Jake nodded.  His throat was tight again.  “Both of you, he confirmed.”

“How bad?” Karin asked, guessing his answer.

“Very,” Jake replied, not wanting to go into details. 

“So you back-tracked?” she asked, using his term for what he did.

Jake nodded again.  “I can’t let it happen.”

“This is ridiculous,” Ellen interrupted.  “There’s no way he can know what’s going to happen tomorrow.  What’s this really about?”

Karin looked at her friend.  “Yes, actually he can.  I never told you about what caused trouble between Jake and myself, but it relates to what he can do.”

“I’ve already lived through the aftermath of what happens in the morning,” Jake told Ellen.  “I visited you in the hospital where you were recovering.  You told me where you two had stayed the night before the attack. That’s how I knew where to find you.”

“We didn’t even know until about two hours ago,” Karin said.  “We decided to come up here as we were driving.”

“I still don’t understand,” Ellen objected.

“Jake can send back his memories of what happens back to himself at an earlier time,” Karin explained.  “I know that sounds impossible, but he’s shown me what he can do.  It’s real.  If he says there’s going to be an attack tomorrow, then count on it.  Something’s going to happen.”

“You can’t go into the city in the morning,” Jake said.  “You cannot be anywhere near Ghirardelli.”

‘Okay,” Karin agreed, “but what about the other people?”

“I have to stop him,” Jake replied.

Karin looked at him sternly.  “Jake, you can’t be thinking of going after him yourself.  Not again.  That’s what we argued about.”

“I was thinking about it,” he confessed.  “This is personal.  The bastard shot you!  But I’ve spent a couple of days looking at the situation.  It’s too difficult.  There are too many people around, and I can’t see a safe way to take him down.  I also don’t think the odds of getting away clean are very good.”

“I thought you said the killer got away and the police don’t know who he is,” Ellen said.

“That’s correct.  That’s why I can’t go after him somewhere else.  I think he lives nearby and that’s why he was able to disappear.  He certainly knows the area far better than I do.”

“Jake, you’ve got to call the police,” Karin insisted.

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve decided.  I don’t like it.  They haven’t responded well in the past.  Ellen’s reaction is typical to my warnings.  That’s why whatever happens, you two can’t go there tomorrow.”

“Look, we’ll go to Sea World tomorrow, and then into the city the next day.  We’ll adjust our schedule.  How’s that?” Karin asked.

“Okay,” Jake said relieved. 

“So when are you going to call them?” Karin asked.

“Tonight.  I hoped we could all go out to dinner.  I’ll call them from a pay phone in the city.  I don’t want them to be able to trace back the call.”

“Why would you care?” Ellen asked.

Jake explained the reasons.

“I’m still not comfortable with all this,” Ellen admitted. 

“You explain it to her,” Jake said.  “How about that dinner?  Are you interested?”

Ellen looked to Karin for guidance.  Karin nodded slowly, watching Jake thoughtfully.

“Where?” Ellen asked.

“In the city.  It would be best to make the call from there.  I’ll look in the phone book for someplace.”

“I know of a great restaurant, but it’s pricey,” Ellen said. 

“Not a concern,” Jake said.  “Maybe we can leave in an hour or so?”

The next day Jake went with the two women to Sea World.  The dinner had gone smoothly enough and afterwards he’d made the call, receiving the kind of reception he’d expected.  He refused to identify himself or how he knew, but provided specifics about when and where the event would occur.  Then he hung up.  Then they had returned to the hotel.  As much as he wished Karin would spend the night with him, all he received was a small peck on the cheek before she retired with Ellen.  He’d spent a restless night.

Now it was simply wait and see.  He was distracted all morning while they waited.  They were having lunch in the park when he pulled out his iPad mini from the small daypack he wore.  While they ate he scanned the news.  It was several hours after the event was to have taken place.

“Well?” asked Ellen after he’d spent a few minutes searching the news feeds.

“I can’t find anything,” he replied.  In a way that was good.  The attack had been prevented, so his call had worked.  However, he would have been much happier had he found a news report documenting an attack had been attempted and had been foiled by the police who now had a suspect in custody.  Since there was nothing related to the matter, he guessed the shooter had somehow detected the police and had aborted the mission.  That meant he was still out there somewhere.

“I told you this was all nonsense,” Ellen said annoyed.  We could have been in the city today.  The weather is supposed to be worse tomorrow.  Thanks Jake.”

Karin looked over at Jake.  “Did it work?” she asked softly. She had reason to know that Jake wasn’t making this up.

“I guess, but I wish they had caught the guy rather than chase him away.”

The rest of the afternoon was strained, with Ellen decidedly cool toward Jake.  Karin was caught in the middle, but at the end of the day she stayed with Ellen once again and not Jake.  They planned to go into the city the next day, something Jake couldn’t talk them out of.  Since they were going, he insisted on going along.  Ellen tried to object, but Karin told her she wouldn’t go unless Jake could come along.  At least he’d made that much progress with her. 

The following morning they were in San Francisco having driven into town in Ellen’s car.  The back seat had been crowded and Jake had a crick in his back, but his truck had only the two seats so there had been no choice.  The skies were indeed gray this morning, with a stiff breeze coming off the ocean, making it cold.  Jake didn’t mind at all.  It was twenty-four hours since the attack was to have taken place, but the killer was still out there.  Jake figured the colder weather would keep the girls inside more, which he felt was a good thing.

It was just past noon and they were considering lunch when a sharp series of reports rattled off to their right not too far away.

“Gunshots!” Jake exclaimed and pushed the women toward the nearest cover.

Karin’s eyes went wide and Ellen looked at Jake curiously. 

“You were off a day,” she said.

Jake shook his head.  “No, I wasn’t.  Those weren’t from here.  Those came from down closer to the water.  The S.O.B. chose a new target.  He spotted the police yesterday and aborted.  Now he’s back. Damnit!”

They worked their way through the building away from the direction Jake could tell the shots were coming from.  They exited out onto the street after waiting to ensure no more shooting was taking place.  Panicky crowds filled the street, with people hurrying away from the area.  Jake saw Patrolman Samuels directing people away from Ghirardelli.  Fortunately, the direction he wanted everyone to go was the way they needed to head to get to where they had parked.  Jake passed by the patrolman and they exchanged glances, Samuels seeing Jake, but not having any reason to recognize him.  He and Jake had never met before this time around.

Getting out of town was as difficult as Jake had predicted.  It was two hours before they were on the Golden Gate Bridge and headed north.  Reports of the shooting were on the news.  The carnage wasn’t as great as it had been the first time around, but more than two dozen people had been killed or wounded, some of them children.  These were people that would have been safe.  Jake’s call to the police that had prevented the attack in Ghirardelli had caused different people to lose their lives.  This couldn’t stand.  Jake felt personally responsible, as if he had pulled the trigger.  He had targeted these people by his actions.

“You’ve got to back-track and warn the police,” Karin told Jake once they were back at the hotel and sitting in his room.

“It won’t work,” Jake objected.  “You saw what happened.  He knew the police had been warned and simply delayed and tried somewhere else on another day.  The police won’t believe me if I call.  You see what happened the first time.  Nothing.  The killer didn’t show.  Another call warning of the same thing will get even less response than the first time.  They’ll think someone is playing with them.  If they do anything, the bastard will probably get away to try this again somewhere else.  It isn’t going to stop unless he’s captured or killed.  I don’t see a way to get the police to do that at this point.”

“Damn it Jake, you can’t try and do this yourself.”

“I might have to,” he replied.  “I’m not letting the bastard get away.  Not only did he kill you, but now he’s caused me to help him hurt people who would have been safe.”

“Killed?” Karin asked softly.  She had picked up on his words.  He hadn’t told her the specifics of the attack.

“Yeah,” he replied reluctantly.  “He shot you twice, once in the head.  You were brain dead and didn’t make it more than a few days.”

“Oh Jake,” she cried. 

She fell into his arms briefly.  For the first time in months he felt once again how warm and soft she was.  Then she pushed away.

“We’ve got to check the news.  Maybe there is something they will learn this time and you can give that to the police.  You can’t go after him alone.  It’s dangerous and I don’t like you killing people.  That’s got to stop.”

The three of them watched the news channels, but it soon became apparent that the police had no leads.  It was a replay of what Jake had seen before.  He didn’t know how the bastard did it, but he seemed to get away clean each time.  Once again, the weapon and backpack, the same one Jake was certain from the photos, was left at the scene.  At midnight the stories had become repetitious.  There was nothing new.  Karin spent the night with him.  After making love and just before they tried to sleep Karin insisted once again he needed to contact the police.  At least to try.  Jake mumbled something and held her close.  Then he back-tracked to the day he’d arrived in Vallejo, more than a day before Ellen and Karin had arrived at the hotel.