Chapter 3
Jeffrey’s Cousin
Green. Eck. His previous alias blown, the former Carl Haire examined the registration paper for his new green sedan. Marco Underhill, he attempted to commit his new name to memory. He sulkily got in the vehicle, struck by the stale smell of old leather and raspberry. He had grown fond of his old black sedan. It was infuriating that it had been towed by police. How did they even know about him in the first place? Nose turned up at his new office, he pulled out his phone to check on the latest.
At John Coleman’s house, his roommate Jeffrey Kenneth plugged an address into his phone and climbed into John’s car. His mission was to venture off on his own for the first time since awakening to visit his distant, both by blood and miles, cousin.
Ping. His phone sounded as he was about to back out of the driveway. It was a text from Vera: ‘Drew is willing to go with you. Please don’t go alone.’
Jeffrey sat debating whether or not to text and invite Drew to tag along. On the one hand, he wanted some alone time to think about where his new life was going, while on the other, he liked Drew and wouldn’t mind getting to know him better. Besides, he still wasn’t sure if someone was trying to kill him or not.
Marco started his engine.
“So,” Drew Gilleo began as he squeezed into the passenger seat, “who is it we are surprising?” Drew was a tall, skinny redhead with a passion for computers; not Jeffrey’s first choice for a bodyguard, if that was in fact what Vera had had in mind.
“My first cousin, five times removed.”
Drew laughed, “That’s a mouthful.”
“Yeah, it really does feel easier just to say fifth cousin. Apparently his great-great-great-grandmother was my cousin Valerie. I had met her a couple of times, but we weren’t really close with that side of the family.”
Their ride was full of pleasant conversation; meaning nothing that steered back to Vera. Jeffrey got to drive, it wasn’t much different than in his time. “I want to get my pilot’s license again.”
“I didn’t know you were a pilot,” Drew commented.
“Yeah, my family had a private plane that I would take out.”
“You were rich?”
Jeffrey’s cancer diagnosis, choice to freeze himself, and then horrific awakening, had humbled him. Perhaps at one time he had been spoiled, but that person had faded away into a thankful, sometimes timid new personality.
“So, is your cousin rich, too?” Drew asked.
“I don’t think so. That wasn’t the side of my family with money. He’s supposed to be a restaurant manager; this will be a surprise for both of us.”
They pulled into the parking lot of a strip mall. Sandwiched between a pet groomer and a nail salon, Savannah’s Place boasted an olive green awning overhanging black metal tables and chairs aligned in front of a glass wall.
Jeffrey parked and stepped out into the warm sun. He was suddenly homesick. He wanted nothing more than to get back into the car and return to John’s house. Why was he interested in meeting someone who might not even believe who he was? But Drew had already opened the glass door and was waiting for Jeffrey to follow him inside.
They were apparently too early for the lunch rush. Only one other couple sat in a dimly lit booth chatting over half empty plates of burgers. A chalkboard sign on the host stand read: Please seat yourself. Jeffrey chose a table by the heavily tinted window and looked nervously around the dark space for a sign of anyone.
Voices echoed from behind a swinging door and then out came a woman of about twenty dressed in all black. “Good afternoon, I’m Ella, and welcome to Savannah’s. Please take a moment to decide,” she placed two leather bound menus on the table in front of them. “What would you like to drink?”
“Water,” they both said before Jeffery asked, “Is there a Liam here?”
“He’ll be here in about an hour.”
As she left, Jeffery gave a half-hearted smile to Drew, “I guess we wait.”
After their drinks arrived, Drew excused himself, “I’ve had to pee for half an hour.” Jeffery leaned back, resting his head on the cushioned vinyl backrest. The nervous energy seemed to float away into calm. Vera was right, having Drew made everything feel easier; he was a great new friend to have. Perhaps, Jeffrey thought, he might want to learn about computers next. How advanced had they actually gotten? “Hello.” Jeffrey sprang forward. Sitting across from him was a familiar stout man. “Hello?”
“I’m Andrew Dominic. I believe we met at that party with that unfortunate drug overdose.” All of Jeffrey’s fear flooded back and he gripped the table, unsure of whether to flee or fight. He flung his head around looking for Drew. Dominic was the man Vera was suspicious of; the reason she thought so many strange things were happening to him. “I just need a moment of your time. I want to apologize for my former partner, Spencer, pulling you from cryo and leaving you to die like that. I promise, I had no knowledge of that.”
“Ok…” he looked around again for a sign of anyone, but even the other couple had finished their meal and left, leaving the two of them alone in the dark restaurant.
“My niece had convinced him that there was a treasure map hidden inside the body of one of those cryos. Ridiculous,” he chuckled.
“If you say so,” Jeffrey wasn’t sure why he was speaking, perhaps just nervous, but he regretted it at the flash of glee that crossed Dominic’s face.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve tracked you here. Mind you, it wasn’t easy,” he chuckled again, “but I wanted to offer an olive branch. I am opening a new wing of my medical center in order to run tests, a lab of my own, and I want you to come in -officially,” he stressed, “for a few tests to figure out how you woke up. I have all of Spencer’s notes and you are welcome to bring someone with you if you don’t feel confident in my motivations.”
Jeffrey inhaled deeply, “I would need to think about it.”
Dominic smiled widely, “Excellent. I’ll take that as a yes. To begin with, I have a small kit here. Do you mind if I take a blood sample? It will be just a tiny prick, you won’t even feel it.” He pulled a black box from his coat pocket and opened it exposing a colorful array of instruments and translucent plastic vials. “Just a finger will do.”
Everything in Jeffrey’s body was telling him no, but they were in a public place, surely Dominic wouldn’t try anything here. After one last look around the empty restaurant, Jeffrey held out his hand. What would Drew or Vera say? he wondered, but it was too late, the miniscule jab was over and blood droplets filled the container.
“I’ll let you get back to your meal. Enjoy, and I’ll see you at my office soon. Don’t forget!” Dominic patted Jeffrey’s shoulder and was gone.
They went their entire meal without Jeffrey mentioning his visitor and upcoming appointment. Everything was still turning over in his mind, and he didn’t want to be scolded for engaging with a possible psychopath.
Ella arrived back at the table, “Liam is here. Did you want me to send him over?”
“Yes, please.” Jeffrey had been rehearsing what he was going to say the previous night, but as the moment grew nearer, he was lost for words. A man with a beard and potbelly sauntered over, “Hey, I’m the manager,” he shook their hands. “Something I can help you with?” He was an intimidating sight standing over them with his arms crossed, obviously expecting a complaint and at the ready to deflect.
“Hi, I’m Jeffrey Kenneth,” he found his voice suddenly shaking, “I just wanted to introduce myself, I’m your cousin, five times removed, or something like that.”
Liam’s face softened only slightly, “Oh, yeah? How’s that?”
“Well, it’s hard to explain. Your great-great-great-grandmother, Valerie, was my cousin.”
“Never heard of her. If you’re looking for money, I don’t have any.”
“No, no, no,” Jeffrey urged, taken aback, “it’s not like that. I just don’t know anyone and was looking to reconnect with my old life.”
“Ok, well it’s nice to meet you. We can keep in touch, but I’ve got to get back to work.” He shook their hands again and left. Jeffery was shocked that Liam had zero questions about how he could be related to someone who had been dead for so long.
“I don’t think he believed you,” Drew said as they got back into John’s car.
“I wonder why. It was like he dismissed me as a hoax or something.”
“Yeah.”
On the highway, Jeffrey thought it was time to bring up Dominic. After hearing what happened, without hesitation, Drew texted Vera. “She says she’s going to let that Detective Rodriguez guy know.”
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