Linear Shift, Part 1

Chapter 9

It was the third succession of heavy knocks that finally woke Peter from the dead. He had been dreaming about rare coins, Stella's ruby red lips and shots of tequila.

A loud knock-knock-knock was heard throughout the house.

"Brett!" Peter yelled. "Can you go see who that is?"

Not hearing an acknowledgment, he wondered if his son had heard him. He pushed the sheets off himself and swung his legs to the floor as he sat up. He stretched, then leaned over, resting his face in the palms of his hands, reliving the night before. He felt like crap, and once again, he mentally swore off drinking heavily ever again. It was an all-too-familiar agreement that he'd made with himself over the last few years. And each time, the self-imposed deal was broken for one reason or another.

Peter sat on the side of his bed for several more minutes before Brett came into his room.

"Dad? There's some guy here to see you. He says you know him? General Applesomething."

"Thanks, kiddo. Tell him I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Do you really know him? He's got a couple people with him, and Dad, they look kind of familiar."

"Familiar how?"

"I don't know. Almost like I've seen 'em before, but I can't remember where."

"Okay, well, I'll tell you and your sister all about it later. Can you make some coffee and offer them some? I'll be down in a minute."

Brett nodded and closed the door as he left. Peter glanced at the clock: 11:35. He was surprised by how late it was, but not as surprised as he was about the general's visit. He thought he had a full week to decide whether to accept the mission or not.

Not wanting to fall back asleep, he forced himself to get up. He grabbed the pile of clothes from the night before and went into the bathroom to clean himself up.

As he washed and brushed his teeth quickly, his mind replayed the events from the night before. Most of the night was pretty clear. He remembered talking with Joe. He remembered avoiding Stella's advances far too many times. He remembered making some kind of scene and breaking a glass. Why did I do that?, he wondered. He remembered talking to Benny, but couldn't remember everything they talked about. He sort of recalled talking about old pennies for some reason, but he couldn't be sure.

Peter rinsed the toothpaste from his mouth and spat. He looked at himself in the mirror and felt like he was missing something important from last night. He again tried to retrace his steps from the night before. There was something about Stella... but he couldn't pull the memory into view. He remembered her hugging him and thanking him for something. What was it?

He turned from the mirror and grabbed his clothes. He pulled on his jeans and slid his arms into the button-up shirt, all the while thinking about Stella and the hug. He turned back to the mirror to run his fingers through his hair, and that's when it hit him. Everything began to rush into his mind at the same time. The couple that was at the bar. The image of their faces in his mind was so much clearer now, and he strangely felt a familiarity with them—like he had seen them before. But where?

Back in his bedroom, he slid his feet into his loafers and walked toward his bedroom door. As he reached for the handle, he paused a moment, still thinking about the couple. Could they have been the two walking into the ice cream shop the day before? As he recalled the memory of them walking in, he was positive that they were the same couple from the bar. He wasn't completely positive, but he also felt like he may have seen them other places throughout the week. He was being followed. He was sure of it now. He pulled open the door and walked down the stairs, determined to get some answers from Applegate.