The Titan Code

11. The River Dries Up

ANY weirdness I was feeling cleared up immediately. The moment I got home I rang Alex and told him the news.

"That's... that's excellent!" he murmurs in restrained excitement, like he wants to be enthusiastic but is holding it back.

"I know! I'm looking on Maps right now and it is along the river, but this particular Greenfields Farm wasn't listed anyway," I explain as I talk hands-free. "I'll check to see if Hetfield has a Council meeting due and a Mayor Smith. That would really help to narrow things down."

"Definitely," he agrees earnestly, "even if the kidnapping and development is away from there it gives us a starting point."

"If there's a meeting about development, surely there's been a planning meeting or applications for it?" I say thoughtfully.

There's a pause.

"Yeah, there will be, and as it's a public meeting the plans will be accessible," he says in an awestruck voice.

"Aren't you an architect?" I say lightly. "This is your area, surely?"

"I am and yes it is, or at least it should be," he says slowly, "I think I've been so focused on fast-tracking this whole thing I've not thought about it logically."

I can't stop the little snort from escaping my mouth.

"Here I was thinking you're the sensible one and I'm the quick-tempered, yell-at-a-God one!"

There's a silence where I think he's going to shut me down but the clouds part as he gives a solid, hearty laugh.

A proper laugh, one where you let go of everything and the giggles consume you, nothing like I would think he'd do. It makes me laugh more and for a full minute we're roaring at each other down the phone line.

The laughter slows down into an intermittent chuckle and my face aches from smiling.

"The tables have turned," Alex says with delight. "I'm glad you found that because they weren't even there tonight. I'm thinking they've given up the clandestine meetings and bought burner phones."

"That's annoying," I grumble.

"Definitely. But if they're not there tonight you and I can scout the area, see if they've left anything."

"I doubt they'll have left anything to connect them," I say dubiously, "especially if this is their favourite meeting spot for dodgy deals."

"True, they may come back," Alex agrees, "but they may have dropped something- an engraved lighter, a receipt, a shopping list- that might give us a fraction more of hope."

I don't want to put a downer on his new-found optimism but it's majorly unlikely there'll be anything, but until Hermes gets back we're stuck going to the same place.

"If nothing else we'll be able to discuss things face to face," I say.

"Yes, yes we will," he responds and I know I'm not paranoid- he's smiling. I can hear the smile in his voice- it sounds tight- and I'm thoroughly confused.

I say goodbye and throw myself onto the bed feeling utterly bewildered.

What the hell is going on?

*

What day is it? Wednesday. Is that all? It feels like a lifetime since this thing started but in reality it's been what, four days?

That puts it in perspective.

I have no expectations or feelings regarding Alex and he has none about me. We spend fifteen minutes a night in the same place and even then we're not together. We arrive, split up and give reviews at the end of it. We're a weirdly-connected Uber service, that's it.