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Lake, California.
    “ Pull over there,” the voice commanded from the back.
    “ But we’re nowhere near town,” the cabbie called back at his fare, “You sure you don’t…”
    “ Positive. Pull over.” The man said firmly.
    “ You gonna hurt me?” Tony asked nervously.
    The man in the back began to chuckle and shook his head no.
    “ I’m not the violent type.” The man paused, “Not anymore , anyway.”
    Suddenly, Tony was glad his mysterious fare was getting out. A chill had settled over the interior of the cab, and it was not a pleasant feeling. Tony flipped the blinker on his cab and eased into a turnout.
    The cab rolled to a stop on the side of the highway, five miles away from the closest town. The man opened the door and exited quickly into the forest. Tony just stared for a moment, until he suddenly realized : the man was probably watching him, waiting for Tony to leave, and if he didn’t, the fare might consider other, less pleasant options.
    Tony shook his head. Takes all kinds. He put the cab in gear and pushed the accelerator to the ground, lest the man think he was dawdling any longer.
    And in fact the man had been waiting just out of sight to make sure of that. After the cab had retreated from view, for the first time in a long time, the man breathed a long sigh of relief.
    The man turned and began to walk through the woods, careful to stay off the path, as he watched the surrounding area carefully for spotters or any one else who might be casing the neighborhood below. After an hour of walking, checking and rechecking the perimeter around the neighborhood, he finally arrived at the backyard of an enormous house facing the mountains behind him. Pausing at the edge and checking the house for any indications of security or an ambush, the man breathed a sigh of relief, slipped into the backyard , and approached the back door.
    Kneeling at the stoop, the man picked up a rock and felt along the edges for a crack. He twisted it, splitting the rock into two pieces, revealing a hide-a-key tucked neatly into a mold.
    Using the key to open the door, the man stood, listening to the house for any signs of life. When satisfied there were none, he replaced the hide-a-key, closed and locked the door, drawing the shade shut slowly behind him.
    When he turned to walk into the kitchen, he ran sm ack dab into the muzzle of a 12- gauge shotgun.
    “ You were much better sneaking into the house when you were 17 , you know.” The muzzle of the gun lowered , revealing Ted McCray, whose eyes were welling up at the sight in front of him.
    “ Hey , Pop,” Alex replied as he stepped forward to hug his father for the first time in six years.
     

Chapter Three
     
    The interrogation was delayed. No answers were expected and none were given. After he hugged Alex enough to guarantee that his once - dead son was in fact really standing inside his home, Ted rushed him into the kitchen , where a father began cooking breakfast for his son.
    For the first few minutes, Alex just sat and nursed the coffee his father had given him as the older man busied himself in the kitchen. Unsure of what exactly to talk about, Ted began to regal e Alex with stories about his friends from high school, giving him the high school reunion treatment in thirty seconds. The ones who had left and gone onto huge jobs and opportunities, the ones who were married, and one other whom Alex was especially anxious to hear about.
    “ Scott’s been working with NASA at JPL for the last three years now.” Ted said happily, turning back to his son, ignoring the burning eggs in the pan on the stove. “That kid was always whiz - bang smart while you guys were growing up, but man , he really has taken it to another level. He’s literally a rocket scientist. He still comes over whenever he’s back in town , and we chat about what he’s up to, what projects he works on. ..” Ted turned back to the eggs. “ O h , dammit all to hell.”
    Ted grabbed the pan