Complex

Ch. 35 - Search The Search

"I c a n ' t do anything with that phone number."  There was nothing but gibberish on the computer screen.  I couldn't understand how he made sense of it all.

            Robert crossed his arms, impatient, or maybe due to the lack of space in David's small office.  "What do you mean you can't do anything?  It's a phone number.  Isn't there some sort of online directory or something?"

            "Good one, Captain.  This Zell lady is one smart cookie.  The number doesn't exist anymore.  How can we find something that doesn't exist?  She must've been piggybacking on Mrs. R's phone line or something.  Everything she did went completely undetected."  David still typed on the computer.

             I sat down on a box filled with printing paper.  David's cluttered desk was against the north wall, and there was only space for a small table and a couple of chairs.  The place looked like it had only recently been occupied.  Robert was pacing.

            He frowned down at me.  "Why didn't you come straight here?  We could've traced the call.  We could've found her and Joey.  Why didn't you—?"

            "Robert, stop it," Mrs. R said sternly.  She turned to David.  "What about the area code of the number?  Can't that be of any help?"

            "It could've been, but, again, she somehow how erased the number from record.  By the looks of it, this call should've come from Wyoming but… I don't think she's there."

            "We don't know that," said Robert, off my case.  "Zell could probably be anywhere."

            "Where's Chloe?"

            They all looked at me like I'd suddenly grown a third eye. 

            Mrs. R frowned.  "She should be at home.  Why?"

            I shrugged.  "Wouldn't she care to know where Joey is?  Robert said it best earlier, that Chloe should be hounding everyone for information.  But where is she?  Chloe should be here, with us."

            "I'm going to call Sherri," said Mrs. R, leaving the small room.

            "Alright," said Robert, "just us men."

            I scoffed.  "Sexist much?"  David smirked.

            "Why didn't you come straight here with the phone number, Jake?  What did she say to you?"  He hadn't yelled this at me, which was nice.

            I still wasn't up for being hounded.  I figured a good way to keep Robert quiet was to make him subdued, bring him down.  "She knows we want Joey.  She openly admitted that she had experimented on Joey.  And—"  Wait, no, they couldn't know about my deal.

            "And what?"

            "And she…."  What else could I say?  "She said she had… answers," I sighed, "that she could get me answers."

            "Answers to what?"

            "Isn't it obvious, Captain?" said David.  "The kid is a freak of nature—no offense, by the way.  Why wouldn't he want to know where he came from?  Any kid like him would want to know.  But—not that I'm switching sides here—I think that woman is capable of finding out all sorts of things about, well, anything."

            "Quiet, David," ordered Robert.  He sighed.  "Jake, that woman is just trying to mess with your head.  She's just trying to psyche you out."