Chapter 28: Closing the Credibility Gap

The mind is an amazing thing. Sometimes you could make an intuitive leap from the smallest piece of data and instantly solve a complex problem. Other times you write d-o-g on a piece of paper and wonder if you spelled it right.

I hadn't had any luck meeting with Amy all weekend. Sunday morning it occurred to me why. She was with her sister. Rebecca was visiting for the weekend and Amy would not leave. Even though they could not interact she would not 'leave' while Rebecca was there.

Because of this, the rest of the weekend was normal routine. The high point was going to a movie with Shannon. It was our first 'date.' Kind of weird to look at it that way considering all the stuff we had already done. Okay, it wasn't really a date because we were both too young and no one really knew we were going out, and Allison was with us, but still, it was nice. The theater was at the local mall and we had about an hour to just roam around and goof off before Mom picked us up. We spent the extra time in the food court and just browsing around. Nothing special, we were just three friends out having a good time. We just hung around like three good friends. We all held hands as we walked, taking turns in the middle. It was fun, but all too soon it was time to go.

As we headed for the door Allison said, "If you're going to kiss her you better do it now, before Mom shows up." And then she just walked out the door and left us behind.

Shannon and I looked at each other, and then we both just cracked up. I took her hand and kissed it and told her I'd had a good time. She rolled her eyes and kissed me on the cheek and said she had too. Then we went out and waited with Allison.

She just looked at us, smiled, and said, "That was quick." Shannon and I laughed again. Then the car was there and it was time to go.

I crawled into bed relaxed and ready to get some sleep. I didn't even think about Amy or her sister, or the madman out there somewhere. I 'woke up' on the island in one of the chairs I had placed there before. Amy was in the other chair wearing her white bathing suit with pink trim. If you didn't know better you would think we had never left.

"Sorry I didn't come before," Amy said.

"Don't give it a thought, sweetie. It took me a while but I figured out what was going on. If I had thought of it sooner I would never even have tried. I'm sure your time with your sister is very precious to you. Was it fun?"

"Oh yes! She brought "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe," and we read the whole thing!"

"What do you do while she reads?"

"Oh, I just sit in a little chair under a tree and listen. I just love her voice. I love that she comes and reads to me. I hate that she is so worried about me all the time and I wish I could wake up and be with her, but..."

"I understand, and I'm sure that is what she wants more than anything too. Someday it will happen."

"I hope so. I really want to see her again." She paused for a second. "Who's Paul?"

That startled me. "Paul is a young man that she works with. Why do you ask?"

"Because he called and they talked and then she told me he said hello. I think they were talking about you know what."

"Hmm, probably so, and I need to talk to you about that too. Well not really about that, but about your sister and me working together. You know it's going to be hard to convince her that I am not the bad man don't you?"

"Why would she think that?"

"Well, because I know things that no one else but the bad man would know, and she is going to be scared that I know about you. And Mr. Rodriguez, her boss? Well, I called her on his phone because I figured she would be trying to find me if I called her on the office phone. So she's not going to trust me. She will still work with me, still listen to what I have to say, do things that I ask her to, but she will only be playing along thinking that I am the bad guy and it's the best way to catch me. Do you understand all that?"

"Yeah, I guess, sort of. Why can't you just tell her that I told you?"

"Well, I did tell her that you sent me to see her, and about the Narnia books. She must have believed at least some of it, because she brought one for you, but she still won't be sure, and she can't take the chance that she is wrong. So she will be worried about you; about me knowing who you are, or if I know where you are, and I don't want her to be worried like that. So I was hoping that maybe you could tell me some things that I may be able to tell her that will help her believe that I really am talking to you. Or maybe you could come to meet with both of us."

"I can't do that. I've tried to go before and I just can't."

"But you met me in her office," I pointed out.

"Oh, I can go, but everything freezes, and she doesn't know I'm there. It's always like that. I thought it might be different with you there, but it wasn't, and it hurts unless you are there." She looked sad.

I reached out and put my hand on hers, "That's okay. We'll just think of something else. Can you think of something that might help? Something maybe from when she was a little girl? From before you got sick that only you would know; something that happened or someplace you went, maybe something about her?"

Her hands went to her mouth and she blushed and giggled for a second.

"You thought of something already didn't you?"

"Yeah." She smiled shyly and blushed.

"What?" I asked in a playful tone. "Is it something about Rebecca?"

"Uh-huh! I know who the first boy she kissed was," She whispered.

I let me eyes get big, "Were you spying on your big sister?"

She giggled and smiled and shook her head.

"Amy! Shame on you! You are a bad, bad girl!

She giggled some more. "Yep!"

I grinned back at her and whispered, "Who was it?"

She put her hands to my ears like we were telling secrets on a playground and whispered, "Robby Johnson!"

I jumped out of my chair, "Robby Johnson!" I shouted. This caused her to burst out laughing.

"Uh-huh! They were up in the tree house but I saw them from my bedroom!"

"Well, I never!" I feigned shock, putting my hand to my cheek and staring at her in disbelief.

She giggled some more. Suddenly I stood up straight and looked at her very sternly.

"Amy Lynn Hampton, you little sneak! You know what happens to sneaks don't you?" I crouched down and started coming towards her. "We feeds 'em to the fishes! That's what!" I lunged for her and missed as she shrieked and went running off across the beach laughing hysterically.

"Come back here!" I yelled then went lumbering after her like a troll. She just squealed more and tried to get away! I caught her in just a few steps and grabbed her with my huge misshapen hands. That got my attention. I froze for a second and she got away. I zapped up a mirror and looked at myself. I was a troll; long matted hair, beady eyes, protruding forehead, and big tusk-like teeth jutting up from the corners of my mouth on both sides. I was hunchbacked and hairy right down to my oversized feet. I was dressed in a Tarzan-like animal hide held up by a strap over one shoulder. I stood up as straight as a troll can and admired myself for a second. Amy stood a little to one side and just waited.

I gave her a wink and said, "Handsome devil, don't you think?"

She just giggled and pointed at me.

I let out a loud roar of outrage, "What's so funny!" And the chase was on again. As before I caught her quickly and swung her up over my shoulder. I laughed triumphantly and headed for the water, bouncing her lightly with each step. When I was in about waist deep I picked her up over my head, then swung her down in a long arc and started to toss her out into the water. At the last second I pulled her back and yelled, "ONE!" I swung her forward again, "TWO!" Then finally, "THREE!" and I flung her out into the waves. She was holding her nose as she flew through the air. I guess troll strength came along with troll ugly because she must have flown a good twenty feet before splashing into the water.

She came up a second later and screamed, "Do it again!!"

"Again!" I shouted. "Why you little..." and I started stalking towards her. She came right at me and as soon as I got close enough she grabbed me around the neck and pulled herself up. I swung her up and around only this time I held on and started tickling her!

She squirmed and squealed, "No! Don't tickle!"

I kept it up for a few seconds and then swung her into another circle, "Ready or not... one... two... three!" Up and out she went. In seconds she was back again. We kept it up for a while longer then I knew it was time to move on. I picked her up and cradled her in my over-sized arms and carried her back to the beach. As I stepped back onto the sand she suddenly got heavy as I returned to my normal self.

I set her down on her feet. "Did you have fun?"

"Oh yes! It was the best. Do you have to go again?"

"Yeah, I think so. I have a lot to do. Is there anything else that you can think of that might help your sister to believe me?"

"Yes! When I was 7, we were all playing hide and seek. I hid in the basement and fell asleep. Everyone thought I was lost or hurt or something. They looked and looked and then when I woke up and just walked outside they all were really happy. My daddy picked me up and hugged me and cried. I didn't know I had been asleep that long. I didn't understand what the big deal was."

"I'm sure they were all very worried about you. I know I would have been. Is there anything else?"

She blushed and held her hands to my ear again and whispered some more.

I listened carefully then pulled back. That little detail should be convincing if all else failed. Time to change the subject, "Amy, what's the last thing you remember?"

She thought for a minute. "We were coming out of church, I had on my white dress and I saw this puppy in the street and I was afraid he would get hurt so I ran out to get him. After that I was, you know. Jimmy, do you know how long I've been sick?"

"No, sweetie, I don't."

"That's okay. Can we play some more later?"

"Maybe not tonight but I would love to play with you some more. Now it's time for us to go. Are you ready?" I took her hand and we walked towards the door.

She stopped me just before we got there. "Is he nice?"

"Is who nice?" I asked.

"Paul, silly?"

"Oh Paul! I guess so? I don't really know him. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, just wondering."

I let her go through the door first and then followed. I wasn't really paying attention and I stepped directly into Rebecca's bedroom. Not where I expected to find myself but then I hadn't really been thinking of anywhere specific just that I needed to get on with it. I looked down at my swimsuit and decided I had better change. The image blurred and shifted and suddenly I was Paul again. I materialized a chair next to the bed and sat down.

I leaned in close and whispered, "Miss Hampton."

Her eyes fluttered and opened, "Paul? What are you..."

Suddenly she shot up in bed and reached under her pillow. Then she grabbed it and threw it aside. There on the sheet was a note that read 'CHILL! IT'S JUST A DREAM!" She stopped and stared at the note and then looked at me. I sat quietly throughout the whole process.

"I'm sorry. It can take a little while to get used to. It was hard for me at first too. I'm sorry about the scene. I wasn't paying attention and just sort of ended up here by accident. Would you like to be somewhere else?"

"What do you mean? Never mind. How do I know this is really a dream?"

"Well it must be or things like this..." I suddenly shifted the scene to the beach I had just left from playing with Amy. You could see the footprints in the sand where we had walked and ran and played. "... wouldn't happen."

To say the least she was stunned. I was still 'Paul', but I was now in a bathing suit and tank top. Two glasses of lemonade sat on the table. She was still in the long t-shirt she had worn to bed. "We have iced tea if you're not a lemonade fan." I pulled a pitcher out from under the table. She looked to see where it had come from. No depression in the sand, no wet circle of condensation.

"This really is a dream, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am, it is. Would you like to change clothes? You can just change them but it takes a little practice so if you would rather, you can use the..." I pointed to a closet sized changing tent behind her.

"I don't need it?"

"Not really, but it takes a little practice and most people's normal mindset is that you have to take clothes off before you can put new ones on, and well, I don't know if you really know me quite well enough to be willing to risk it."

She blushed.

"I didn't know FBI agents blushed," I teased.

"I didn't either." She got up and walked to the tent.

Inside she found a variety of outfits from her own closet; and her gun, in its shoulder holster. Hey, I wasn't worried but I thought she might be a little more confident. She came back out in a black one-piece speedo and a beach robe carrying the holstered weapon.

"I was a little surprised to find this. Not that I'm not surprised by the whole thing, but why give me this?"

"Because I thought it might make you more comfortable and I'm not worried about you having it. This is a dream. It started as yours but now I am in control of it." I stood and walked over to the tent and pulled a large portable target stand out from behind it. I walked about twenty feet away and set the target down, then walked about ten feet to one side. "Shoot as many shots as you want into the target and then, whenever you are ready, shoot me."

"Shoot you?"

"Yes, ma'am. I need to convince you that this is real, or rather not real, that it's a dream. I need to gain your trust. You're a trained investigator and naturally suspicious, so anything that I say or do will be questionable. If you fire at the target and see that the gun and bullets are real that is one thing. If I told you to shoot the target once, or five times and then shoot me, you would think it was set up. If I told you to just shoot me, same thing. By making it random and within your control, well, you may still question it, but it's a start. So, whenever you're ready."

She pulled the automatic from the holster, popped out the clip, checked it, loaded one into the chamber and aimed the gun directly at me. She held for a couple of seconds then lowered the weapon, popped out the magazine, cleared the round in the chamber, loaded it back into the magazine then set both on the table.

"I don't shoot innocent people. So far you haven't done anything to convince me you deserve shooting... yet. I need answers. Let's start with where the hell are we?"

"Nowhere in particular, it's an island I dreamed up to meet someone."

"Who?"

"Your sister, Amy."

"Not possible. I don't know how you know about my sister but you need to do more homework. Amy has been in a coma for over twelve years."

I felt my mouth drop open, "That long? That poor girl," I said, genuinely saddened, "She's missed so much of her life." I shook my head. "I know this is hard to believe, but I really have met your sister here, twice. The last time was just before I showed up in your room."

I pointed around the beach, "See these footprints? Those are from us just walking and talking." I pointed to another set, "Those, are from me chasing her around the beach. That set over there was from me leaving after the first visit." The first two sets had obviously been created by different sized feet. The last was just a single set of prints that went to an empty stretch of beach and disappeared.

She looked around for a second. "What about those?" She pointed to the larger prints scattered around and leading to the water.

I smiled. "We were playing. I turned into a troll and chased her around and then took her out and tossed her in the water for a while."

"You turned into a troll?" Hey, she's a grown up and this is all new, give her a break.

"Yeah, kind of like this." Suddenly I was a troll again. I took a couple of steps so she could see the prints for herself, "Do you believe me now or do I need to throw you in the water too?"

"I still don't believe any of this, and before you try to throw me in the water, try to remember that I'm a trained agent and can kill you about ten different ways with my bare hands."

I stood up as straight as a troll can. "Well there is that," I said thoughtfully, then I slouched back down and started towards her, "but you've never fought a troll before either."

I shuffled towards her and she suddenly got very serious, "Don't do it! I'm warning you."

I got a little closer and a foot shot out towards my stomach. I let it hit. She backed up a little further and the next shot came at my head. I ducked and she ran for the table. I followed and was only a few feet away when she grabbed up the gun, jammed the clip into it, and chambered a round.

"Back off!"

I stopped of a second, looked her in the eye and said, "No." Then I grabbed for her.