Chapter 7

The Mountain Pass Café

Nick realized there was a problem here. He scanned the diner, the faces and the attitudes of the people in it. He did a headcount, just to be sure. Rachel with Derek. Alex sitting next to Bert. Merlin, asleep in the booth. All present and correct .. on the surface. Nick had been out of the loop for at least ten minutes. Apart from Merlin, he wasn’t sure that anyone here was who they appeared to be. Nick knew he was okay, but, if his friends had been assailed in a similar way, they wouldn’t trust him. He could be a fake as well.

It’s like having two watches, he thought grimly. One watch, you always know the time. Two watches .. you’re never quite sure.

Okay. What to do? The choices were to say something – that was the immediate and obvious option and it would put everyone on their guard .. if they believed him, of course; to not say anything – that would keep it contained because Nick knew he was Nick Boyle but everyone else, apart from Merlin, was suspect, but that only worked if he was both free to act unimpeded and able to act; or to wake up Merlin and ask for her help.

He hadn’t lied to Bert. Merlin was not a morning person. Yes, she woke early to go running every day but the first twenty minutes of dressing, going downstairs and running .. Nick usually kept quiet. He waited for her to say the first word because that was the signal that it was safe. It wasn’t morning now. It was just after eight forty in the evening. But she was asleep and she was healing herself. She would not appreciate being woken just yet.

That meant it was down to him. The situation was presently contained. No one else had seen the neon sign and come to the diner for shelter and refuge. He could look out for himself and he could make sure he stayed free. Nick decided, rightly or wrongly, to keep quiet .. at least until he had more definite information.

“Are you all right?” Derek inquired, frowning as he came closer. “I thought I heard you calling.”

“Slight altercation with a door lock,” Nick replied with a shrug.

Derek nodded. “A similar thing happened to Rachel. I rescued her first as her need was greater.”

“What happened?” Nick asked tautly.

“The freezer door shut behind her. It has left her a little shaken.”

“I can imagine.” Nick glanced past Derek’s shoulder at the Luna Foundation’s doctor. Rachel sat at a table, Derek’s coat wrapped around her body. “She okay?”

“Cold, but she’ll be fine.”

Nick eased away. “I’ll go finish what I started.”

“Nick, would you check out the freezer? Don’t go in but .. see if it is unstable, if it has a tendency to close without assistance. In my experience, commercial freezers don’t do that.”

“Sure.”

Nick turned and went back to the passage. Two instances of doors being closed and at, more or less, the same time. That was more than coincidence .. although it could be. It depended on whether Derek was telling the truth, and if that had been Derek. He went left this time, thru the door and into another passage. From this, a second passage led off to the right. He went along it, opening more doors and shining a flashlight into the interior. Food store – shelves floor to ceiling with large cans on them. Admin office – fairly neat, the stacks of paper tidy. The trash bins. Retracing his steps, he went into the kitchen. There was a large store off the kitchen, and it was in this that the freezer was located. It was big, a walk-in cold store, like a meat locker. Nick heaved on the handle and walked the door open. Then he stood back and watched it. If the floor of the room was sloping, or the freezer was positioned unevenly, gravity might make the door close. But it didn’t. It didn’t move at all. He closed the door again and checked the fire exit from the kitchen. One thing he’d noticed during his entire exploration was that there were no broken windows. Anywhere.

Twice they’d felt a cold draft on their necks or arms. It had to come from somewhere.

His suspicions now well aroused, Nick went to rejoin the others.

*****

While Nick was engaged in his tasks, Alex finished her story to a thrilled Bert who promptly looked past her to the rest of the diner.

“Hey, Rachel! Where’s my ice cream?”

Derek frowned sharply. “Not now, Buck!”

“The service in this diner really sucks,” Bert muttered.

Alex put some distance between her and him. “That’s what I mean! That is an excellent example of inappropriate behavior.”

“What did I do?” Bert gasped.

“Two things. One, I didn’t hear you say thank you at the end of my perfor – story. And, two, it’s obvious Rachel is upset about something and you just ignore it. You just go on making your demands. You don’t seem to have any sympathy for other people’s problems, Buck. You are one of the most selfish people I have ever had the misfortune to meet.”

She rose and went to Rachel, putting an arm around her shoulders, sitting close and quietly talking to her.

Bert Burko sat alone, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish. He couldn’t believe Alex had just said that to him. Him? Selfish? It was so unfair!

Everyone walked over Bert. He was almost at the bottom of the food chain. The only person to whom he could give orders was the Production Assistant. Everyone above him ordered him around. Didn’t they know that? Didn’t they understand that was the way the world worked? Couldn’t they see that he had been ordered to do this? That he had no choice in the matter? Get the facts, Buck, get the figures, then we’ll see if we can make your idea work. What had he found out in four days? That investigating the paranormal wasn’t like Buffy. It was boring. How could he go back to LA and tell his bosses that it was boring? A drama show needed drama, not scenes of people sitting around a table talking or working a computer. Okay, yeah, they did that in Buffy too, but at least Buffy had some action.

And yet .. Bert felt, deep inside, that he was being deliberately kept isolated. They weren’t showing him everything. He was Scully to their Mulder, season one, always arriving just a few seconds too late to actually see anything. It was incredibly frustrating but how could he make them understand that? He’d tried talking to them, and he’d been told he was demanding and selfish. And he really wanted to see. He wanted to believe. The truth was out there.

“I’m going to the restroom,” he announced, not expecting an answer. He wasn’t disappointed.

*****

“This is our chance! He’ll be alone!”

“What are you two doing?”

“Having fun.”

“Yeah. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?”

“No, this isn’t fun. Shutting someone in a freezer is .. incredibly stupid. You could’ve killed her. If that one hadn’t come rescue her … ”

“Look, she isn’t here alone, is she? When she didn’t come back, someone would have gone look for her. She just got a little cold.”

“She’s upset! Dying didn’t blind you, I know, but I do have suspicions that it took away your smarts. No more with the freezer, okay? I mean it, guys. Have fun, sure, but let’s keep it above the belt. Don’t make me get really mad with you.”

“Okay, Lassie.”

“Promise me.”

“Okay. Now can we go follow him into the restroom?”

“If he’s gonna pee again – ”

“I don’t think he is. I think he’s depressed.”

“Then we can cheer him up.”

“Oh yeah .. that’ll be fun.”

*****

Bert met Nick on his way back to the diner. “Where you going?” Nick asked darkly.

“Restroom,” Bert replied. “Problem with that? Do I need your permission?”

“Just curious,” Nick replied.

Bert twitched his shoulders. It was tough to maintain a streetwise act one on one with Nick Boyle. The guy had this quiet way of looking at you. It made the smart words wither in your mind, let alone in your mouth. And, inside where it counted, Bert was scared of Nick. He was so quiet as to be almost invisible yet, while he wouldn’t have made an actor, the guy certainly had some kind of presence. Menacing. There was a hint of coiled spring readiness about him.

Abruptly, some words surfaced in Bert’s mind. Nick’s seen action, let’s just leave it at that. Bert both wanted and didn’t want to know what kind. It occurred to him that the menacing presence might have been developed during Nick’s prior career.

He was still watching Bert, waiting for him to make a move.

“I’ll .. go then,” Bert said, backing away.

“Okay,” Nick nodded.

Is he gonna watch me all the way inside ..? I’m only going in there to be on my own for a while. So I can think without them being there. So they can talk about me behind my back. Why should they be any different to anyone else?

Bert pushed open the door to the restroom and escaped inside. He leaned against it, his eyes closing, and he released a silent sigh of relief. This was what he meant about the house on Angel Island being big. People could be there all day and not once see another person. Bad weather isolated them but they had a way to escape each other. Here .. no chance. One room, and they were all in it. It was okay for them, they were used to being together. Bert? He knew he was the outsider and he very definitely felt like he was the outsider. He missed Merlin. He wished she’d wake up. Come to that, why was she asleep? It wasn’t exactly late. Back home, the parties would only now be starting .. not that Bert was invited to that many. But she was hurt. Maybe that was why. He still wished she’d wake up. He could happily talk with her the rest of the night and leave the others alone. She seemed to have a knack of getting him to open up, to .. drop the act and be himself, and do it in a way that he didn’t feel foolish or threatened. She got him to talk as the Bert Burko he saw every night in the bathroom mirror. The Bert shorn of defenses. And, despite seeing him like that, she still wanted to talk with him.

Bert straightened by pushing against the wood of the door and went to the washbasin. He ran the faucet for a while, rinsing his hands and wetting his face. Then he looked in the mirror and, water dripping unnoticed from his chin, he saw, reflected in the glass, his worst nightmare made flesh. Nick had followed him into the restroom.

He turned quickly, his heart climbing into his throat. “What ..? What is it?”

“You were a long time.”

“I-I wasn’t. I’ve only just gotten in here.”

“So … ” Nick eased forward, taking his time about it. Bert backed up until his butt was against the sink. He could retreat no farther. “You’re not scared of me.”

Oh God … Oh God, what do I say now?

As ever, Bert took refuge behind his defense.

“Hey, man … Nick! Buddy! C’mon, give me a break, okay?”

“Sure. Arm? Leg? Neck?” Nick asked, grinning evilly. “Or should I start slow? One finger at a time.”

Bert’s face drained of blood and, like anyone who hides behind a defense built from sand and air, he found himself defenseless.

“Th-That isn’t what I meant. You know it isn’t. Look, Nick, I do know I’m not wanted. You’ve made it very clear about that, about your reasons. And you’re right! I should’ve called first. I was .. I was scared that you’d say no, that you’d tell me to find some other group. I wanted to go to the best, that’s why I just turned up an’ bluffed my way in. I never got permission from your London office! I lied about that! When Derek said they’d agreed, I couldn’t believe it. I bet you couldn’t either.”

His eyes were wide and wild. Bert was terrified that Nick would beat on him to within an inch of his life. And maybe even an inch past his life.

“Just .. leave me be, an’, tomorrow, I will go back to LA. I swear to God I will.”

Nick considered. “That’s assuming we can leave tomorrow. It’s still snowing.”

“But this is America, right? They’ll get the snowplows out. The pass’ll be clear. It’s only one night, for God’s sake! Please, don’t hurt me!”

Nick halted his glacially slow advance. Two more strides and he’d be within choking distance. Bert’s heart was thumping like a jackhammer and he felt faint with sudden claustrophobia. He could already imagine the hands around his throat. How come he’d never noticed before how strong those hands looked?

“Can I go now?” Bert whispered, totally crushed. “I promise I won’t ask any more questions. I’ll keep quiet. I’ll drop the entire idea.”

“Just tell me this,” Nick began.

“Anything. You name it, it’s yours!”

“Why don’t you believe in ghosts?”

“What?” Bert blinked in surprise. “Is that it? Why don’t I believe in ghosts ..?”

“Simple enough question.”

“Yeah, it is. Look, I know it’s your line of work. And I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, okay? But everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. And .. well, I do believe in the idea of ghosts on TV but .. they aren’t real away from the cameras. They’re impossible. When we die .. that’s it. The end. That’s all, folks! I believe we have a soul .. or some kinda .. spiritual energy but that dies when we die. Nothing’s left behind to become a ghost. Sure, it works in books an’ in movies an’ on TV. I mean, especially now. The computer graphics guys can do fabulous things. An’ make up is really great these days. But not in real life. Real life .. is real.”

Nick thought about this. “So you’ve never seen a ghost?”

“No,” Bert confessed. “It’s really strange because .. there’s a little piece of me which does wanna believe. I’ve been hoping these past few days that, maybe, hanging with you guys, y’know, that I would see something. But I haven’t. An’ most of me isn’t surprised that I haven’t because most of me says ghosts are impossible.”

“They say this diner is haunted.”

“Who says?” Bert frowned. “We didn’t know we were gonna stop here tonight. How’d you get a chance to check?”

“It’s in our local area. We’re familiar with most of the sites an’ local legends.”

“Then why didn’t anyone say anything when we talked about stopping here? Why aren’t you investigating?”

“What makes you think we’re not?”

“I haven’t seen anyone do any investigations.”

Nick smiled. “You think we’d do that in front of you?”

Bert’s mouth dropped. “Man, that is so unfair!”

“Life’s a bitch,” Nick shrugged.

Bert nodded. “Fits the pattern. Keep me out on the edge. Keep me in the dark. I don’t count so why bother with me.”

Nick shrugged again. “Why not do your own investigation?”

“Yeah, right. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“You could ask me what I know .. then you’re on your own.”

Bert frowned suspiciously. “Is this for real? Or is it just some kinda joke? Y’know, let’s spin Buck a yarn an’ watch him waste ten hours of his life. We could have a real good laugh doing that.”

“I’m being straight with you, man,” Nick replied. “What happened to Rachel – you think that was normal?”

“What happened to her?” Bert asked, feeling a wave of guilt that he had to ask.

“She got shut in the freezer. It wasn’t an accident.”

“Holy shit! You’re kidding me!”

Nick slowly shook his head.

“Okay … What do you know?” Bert asked, accepting the challenge.

*****

“Y’know, he is very good at doing that,” Lassie remarked as she leaned against the first cubicle. “He’s really got the steely glint in the eye.”

“Oh, an’ I’m not very good, is that it? Do you have any idea how difficult that other guy’s accent is to do?”

“No.”

“An’ do it good enough to fool a co-worker? I think I deserve a little praise as well.”

“Don’t sulk. You’re good too. Happy now?”

“No! It isn’t the same when you have to ask. An’ I’m not sulking.”

“You look like you are.”

“You’re right though – he is good .. for a smart ass. It’s his background. He always wanted to make it big in the movies an’ he only got as far as being a bit actor in local theater. Probably explains a lot about why he can be so totally obnoxious when he wants. It’s his acting temperament coming out. Thinks he’s a big star an’ we have to roll out the red carpet for him so he can go collect his Oscar.”

“You don’t mean that. When it gets tough around here, he keeps us going. You know very well that he does.”

“Yeah. If it was just us two, we would’ve killed each other before now.”

“Except that we are already dead so killing each other isn’t exactly possible.”

“Yeah … Okay, well, we wouldn’t be talking to each other.”

“No. I don’t think we would,” Lassie sighed.

*****

“Three kids. Early twenties. Two hitching a ride with the third. Heading down the coast to Hollywood. Stopped in here late one evening for coffee,” Nick related in a matter-of-fact tone. “Place was about to shut up for the night. They were tired but they had to leave. If they’d had any sense, they would’ve slept in the car in the parking lot but they didn’t. Just over the pass, there’s a sheer drop. Their car went off the road … Next thing they knew, they were back here .. an’ they’ve been here ever since.”

“That’s a sad story,” Bert commented.

“Not a story. Those are facts.”

“That’s what I meant. It’s .. a sad history. An’, I guess, in the circumstances, it could give rise to a local legend.”

Nick’s eyes went cold. Bert noticed and frantically backtracked.

“How long ago did this happen?”

“Eighty one.”

“Over twenty years ago ..?”

“Long time to get stuck in a dive like this,” Nick commented, a trace of bitterness in his voice. “Seeing the same faces every day, hearing the same dull conversations, watching nothing but sport on TV.”

“Smelling the coffee but never being able to drink it,” Bert murmured. “Wow .. that is sad.”

“Yeah. That too.”

“So .. how do I investigate?”

“You’ve spent time with us. You should know. Maybe you’ll actually get to see them. Maybe you’ll be the one who actually gets to free them.”

Bert grinned quickly. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

“Why?” Nick inquired.

“Because you guys’ll keep that honor for yourselves. But I may get to see something. If I do, this whole research trip will have been worthwhile. Gee, thanks, Nick!”

“Don’t mention it. And don’t tell the others I told you anything.”

“Right! Our little secret,” Bert winked. “Gotcha.”

Nick opened the door and left. Bert counted to twenty then followed him. In the diner, Nick was checking on Merlin.

“How she doing?” Bert asked softly.

“Okay,” Nick replied, straightening and turning. He was surprised when Bert gave him a conspiratorial wink, and the surprise rapidly matured into suspicion. Bert had been a long time in the restroom again .. but, maybe, it was only the cold. If he’d gotten stuck in here, surely, he’d say something. Bert wasn’t the kind to keep quiet when he had something to bitch about.

Bert wandered over to Rachel. “Hi, how you doing now?”

This was step two in the investigation. Bert couldn’t complete step one by doing any research online because he didn’t have his laptop with him. However, he’d been in The Gold Rush and he knew step two was questioning the victims.

“I’m warmer than I was,” Rachel replied.

“What happened? Can you tell me?”

This was an addendum to step two – look and sound sympathetic. Their pain is your pain, this is what they have to believe even if you don’t actually feel anything except curiosity.

Rachel shook her head, not in refusal but in disbelief. “I went to get your ice cream. I went into the kitchen, got the bowl an’ spoon, found the chocolate sauce an’ sugar sprinkles; it was all ready. Then I went into the big store, opened the freezer, walked in, found the tub of vanilla ice cream, picked it up, turned round .. and the door had shut behind me.” She shivered at the memory of the sharp chill. “It didn’t just shut, y’know? I would’ve heard the door click,” she went on, her voice soft as if she was only just realizing this fact herself. “I didn’t. Someone closed it deliberately, working the handle so it wouldn’t make a sound.”

“It wasn’t me, Rachel. I was here with Alex the entire time.”

Rachel regarded him, her head angling slightly. “Are you saying either Derek or Nick did it?” she asked, sounding mildly accusing.

“No! Of course not! I was only trying to say .. it wasn’t me. I’m sorry it happened to you. And I’m sorry I said what I said about the service in here. I was being flippant an’ it was wrong.”

Rachel smiled. “Apology accepted.”

“So .. what happened next?”

“Derek rescued me. I think he was concerned that I hadn’t come back. And thank God he did.”

Bert nodded and wondered what to say next. “Who do you think shut you in the freezer?”

Rachel hesitated. “I have no idea who’d do it, Buck. I have no idea who would want to do it.” She shrugged. “Sure, I have a few former patients, and some current ones, who might think it was a good idea but they’re not here, are they?”

“No,” he agreed. “So .. if it wasn’t Derek or Nick, and it couldn’t have been me or Alex, who else is there?”

For a split second, Rachel thought about Merlin. She could have sent Aquila as a get back for Rachel’s dogged persistence at the cabin. But then she dismissed it as unworthy. Merlin didn’t take revenge, not for things like that, plus Aquila was working on healing that injury.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

Bert took his courage in both hands. “Do you think this place could be haunted?”

Rachel sat back. “It could be. It would surely explain what happened.”

“Yeah, it would. I think I’ll go take a look at the kitchen. I may discover some clues.”

“You do that,” she nodded. “And .. let me know if you find any.”

Bert rose from the table. “Again, I’m sorry it happened.”

He walked away and he thought to himself oh no, no, I’m not gonna tell you anything. You’re doing your own investigation on the QT. You’ve kept me on the bench, wouldn’t let me play on the team. This is my investigation. This is The X Files, season eight. I’m still Scully but you are all Agent John Doggett. It’s your turn to get there just a little too late.

*****

As soon as the door closed behind him, Nick came over. “What did he want?”

“He was asking how I am,” Rachel replied.

That was suspicious in itself. Bert never thought of anyone but himself.

“That all?”

“He said he didn’t do it. He was in here with Alex the whole time.” Rachel paused. “Derek told me you got stuck somewhere too. Which means .. Derek is the only one with no alibi.”

Nick leaned a little closer. “Are you serious? You really think he did it?”

“You checked out the freezer. It doesn’t have an instability. Everyone else is accounted for. Unless – ”

“Yeah?”

“Unless this place really is haunted.”

Nick frowned. “You come up with that idea?”

“Bert did. He’s gone to check the kitchen for clues.” She laughed softly. “It gives him something to do, Nick. And he may well be right. I can’t believe Derek would do something like that so what other explanation could there be?”

“Maybe I should go check on Bert.”

“Don’t crowd him. He’s putting into practice what he’s seen us do. Observe only. Okay?”

“Sure.”

It was lightly voiced. It was also genuine. Nick would only observe. Absolutely. Because no way was that Bert. Bert didn’t come up with ideas, period. He only repeated other people’s views, comments and opinions. The real Bert was still in the restroom, muttering to himself about how nobody understood him or had time for him .. except for Merlin. Nick couldn’t understand that himself. Maybe she saw Bert as some kind of .. strange bug or something. Nick just knew he was irritated by it.

Having gone that far, he generously also admitted that she’d really come thru for them the past few days. Bert would’ve been a lot worse without the interference Merlin had run for them.

Nick rose and padded past Alex and Derek, cast a quick look into the booth at Merlin, then pushed open the door to the passage.

A haunted diner. It would explain a lot. The cold drafts. How both he and Rachel had been shut away. How he’d met two Dereks on the way back to the public area where Derek actually was .. or could have been. It would explain too how the fake Dereks had been so dismissive and had blamed Bert for something he hadn’t done. Or maybe he had done it and that Derek had been real.

As far as Nick knew, Rachel was okay and so was Alex. But what if Rachel was a fake? What if Bert hadn’t asked her any of that stuff or suggested the idea of the place being haunted? In which case .. it could be the real Bert heading into the kitchen to get his own dessert.

I’m thinking myself round in circles, Nick thought. I don’t know who’s who anymore. I don’t know what the hell’s going on here. I’ll just .. take it as it comes an’ do what I’m good at doing. I can’t do much else now, can I ..?

*****

Derek went to pour more coffee. He glanced at the time. Nine twenty seven. He was tired and this day had dragged on way too long. His body was saying it should be more like eleven thirty.

“How are we all doing?” he asked, returning to the table where Alex and Rachel were sitting together.

Alex was hunched, her arms folded tightly. “I’m okay but .. I don’t like being here. It isn’t the storm. I just don’t like this place. It’s .. oppressive. Too enclosed.”

“It’s only one night,” Derek commented. “And, if it were just the four of us, I doubt you would feel the same way. We all feel a little vulnerable. Peri was hurt and, while that is something we know can happen, we tend not to expect it to, so, when it does happen, it throws us all a little off balance. Fortunately, it was only a slight injury.”

“Was it?” Rachel asked quietly, aware of Bert in the same building. “She’s still sleeping, Derek.”

“I expect she will waken very soon and resume her guard dog activity with Bert. How did he take your last story, Alex?”

“Very well, until he spoiled it. I told him about the time I was trapped in a building with an incubus.”

“Oh, that time,” Rachel grinned.

“I spun that one out and went into lots of very lurid detail. It seems to be what he wants to hear,” Alex remarked sadly, shrugging. “I hate doing it.”

“It is all part of why he came to see us. Ideas for his TV show,” Derek responded.

“Yeah, but .. we’re lying to him.”

“No, I wouldn’t say that.”

Alex glanced at Rachel. “Then what would you say it was?”

He leaned closer and dropped his voice. “The Enforcers are not evil people, are they? No, they’re not. They can be bad, there is no rule against that, if it is bad for a good cause. And they are .. creative with the truth.”

“They lie,” Rachel said.

Derek shrugged. “We are .. being creative with what we know as facts.”

“The truth,” Alex said.

“Peri told me, back when Bert first arrived, that, to guard the truth, we have to exaggerate some things and underplay others. We know incubi exist so .. we take what we know and exaggerate it. Make it larger than life. That is what TV writers do. We tried to give Bert the truth and it wasn’t what he wanted. We’ve learned that a little late in the day. We’re stuck here, stranded. We may as well put the time to good use.”

Rachel nodded. “I guess that makes sense. Did you know Bert thinks the diner is haunted. He’s off investigating.”

“Really?” Derek looked amused. “We’ll have to see how he does.”

*****

Bert stood in the middle of an alien landscape – the kitchen – and looked around rather helplessly. He felt like he was on the set of Land Of The Giants. He was still the same size but everything around him was so big. He recognized equipment he had in his own kitchen but it had grown, lengthened, stretched. He twitched, his muscles acting on their own accord, and he jerked back to reality.

“Investigation,” he said, as a reminder of why he was here. “Rachel got shut in the freezer .. so we look at the freezer. I have no idea what I’m looking for or what I’m doing.”

Bert went into the food store and paused there a moment, trying somehow to tune into his surroundings. He’d heard psychics did that and it sounded a reasonable thing to do.

“Is there anybody here?” he asked softly, and wished he didn’t sound so totally dumb. “If there is, give me a sign? Please?”

It never hurt to be polite. His mother had told him that good manners cost nothing. It was a lesson he’d forgotten slightly in the past few years.

“Of course, I won’t get a sign,” Bert muttered. “I won’t find any clues because .. there are no clues to find. There has to be a rational explanation. That’s what I don’t get with these people,” he went on as he studied the shelves and the packets and cans on them. This was like browsing in a grocery store. “They have all those books, a lot of obvious expertise .. and they try to prove the existence of impossible things rather than determining the rational explanations. Like in Project UFO. Man, that was a show which could have used some modern special effects. Hey .. UFOs are regaining popular opinion. There’s a market for them. What if I suggest to my bosses that we remake it ..?”

He shook himself again. “Don’t wander off the subject. Freezer. There it is. Okay. What can I learn from this? It’s .. big. It has a handle with a catch.”

He pushed the button and heaved the door open. A blast of icy air burned his lungs. Bert peered inside. No way was he going to attempt to recreate Rachel’s ordeal. Rachel had friends to come rescue her. Bert knew he’d be left to become a Popsicle.

“Shelves. Oh .. there’s the ice cream. They have mint chocolate! Wish I’d asked for that. It’s my favorite.”

He peered closer. “An’ coffee ice cream too. Wow. Look at the desserts … An’, on this side, we have patties, bacon strips, chicken, buns. Lots of buns. Trays an’ trays of buns. It seems everything in this diner is served in a bun.”

Behind him, Nick eased into the kitchen. He, like Derek, was starting to feel the effects of a very long day. He’d been up running at six, in the dark. He’d driven a long way. He’d spent hours doing very little, which was always exhausting. He’d driven as far as here in an increasing snowstorm. And, now, he was stuck here and developing a siege mentality. Nick was one of those people who needed to be able to get outside. If an escape was there, he rarely needed to take it. When he knew it wasn’t there, he began to feel trapped, and that led to a build up of pressure with a concomitant shortening of temper. To put frosting on this particular cake, he was tired, Merlin was out of action so he couldn’t talk to her and calm down, and he had a situation of unknown proportions to deal with. Sooner rather than later, Nick was going to blow.

Bert half emerged from the food store. He halted as Nick turned toward him. “Checking up on me?”

“Yeah,” Nick replied.

“Thought so. It makes me so sick. Did you know that?” Bert remarked. “Well, it’s just the two of us. I figure I can do something about it.”

“Judo?” Nick queried, quirking a grin.

“Chocolate cake,” Bert replied and stepped sideways, bringing his arm into view and throwing the cake he had balanced on his hand. Bert had one hell of a good arm, and his aim was perfect.

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