The Mind's Eye

[Jacky]

A slight, almost invisible frown came to his features as she started questioning his move so abruptly. It wasn't exactly a subtle thing to ask, and he felt the Gestapo-like pressure she put behind the question even if she didn't realize it. A slight tone of voice, maybe the way she looked - Mort wasn't sure what made the inquiry so 'pressured', but he would be able to descirbe it well if he'd have to put it in a book.

"...Sit down if you wanna." He suggested before answering, not wanting to start of his stay in this town as a rude person. "I needed a change of scenary." Is all he explained.

[Jacksblackpearl]

Carolina sat down as he insisted or asked and she stared at him.
Knowing that her beginning was already heading towards a disaster she realized that she had to do at least something to make her target feel more at ease.
"I'm Jessy Dickens" She lied with ease and held out her hand for him to shake. "This scenery is pretty much the same, are you sure ? I heard something else.. you know, just.. from around.. other fans"

The lies came out as if it meant nothing. She didn't know she was capable of being such a sly journalist. In the past she had always said never to become like that and not to appreciate that kind of journalism but now..
great, Jessy Dickens, let's just say Charles was your grandfather right ?
Her lying came natural, the lies she told were more forced however.

[Jacky]

He gave her a slight smile and shook her hand when she introduced herself. "Mort Rainey." He returned the favour, though it seemed rather useless, the fact considered that she seemed to know exactly who he was. It's more a matter of courtesy than use, he realized that instant. "Always nice to meet a reader." More courtesy still.

But when she continued, pressing the matter about the reason for his moving, the smile faded again.
He should have realized things wouldn't come as easily even here. Rumour spread far and wide, tale going faster than the fastest fire. Who was he to think that nobody would put a nose into his personal business in Livermore Falls?

He tried to give a decent answer to her question though. He tried.
"The scenary seems different to me, miss Dickens." He started, "If you are referring to any rumours about the reason for me settling down here, I suggest you trust facts rather than tales."
Maybe, just maybe, a little too defensive.

[Jacksblackpearl]

SHe noticed the change of tone in his voice. For some reason it made her shiver.
Could this have been the way he talked to Amy before he had killed her ?

Carolina glanced at her open purse, in which the tape-recorder was still recording. Even that change of tone should've been recorded. She could listen to it repeatedly to make sure she wasn't mistaken. After all, writing cr@p wouldn't be the best way to start a big journalist-carreer.
"Right.. facts.. tales.. tell me Mr. Rainey.. what are the facts than ? Cause I obviously seem to get caught in the lies told." She took her eyes off of the recorder and stared at Mort again. With the lies told she meant his lies. He and noone else tried to clear his name by not telling the truth. Amy and Ted had misteriously disappeared of the face of the earth and he was still sitting here, trying to present the facts as tales and his tales as facts...

[Jacky]

Mort had to restrain himself that moment from saying what was actually on his mind; Miss Dickens, if you are referring to any legal issues that I seem to be having lately I would like you to contact my attorney. Not that I see why it's any of your business.
The answer was too cocky to use though.. He wanted to make things work here, wanted to stay in this town. He believed that starting of a reputation as a pompeous stuck-up city writer wouldn't help him with that. So instead, he tried to answer her straight, by himself. To the truth as he knew it to be.

"I'm not sure what facts exactly you are interested in, Miss Dickens." He managed to give her a sincere, cooperative smile.

[Jacksblackpearl]

Carolina sighed. He wasn't someone to give in easily apparently and it bothered her.
"The facts about your real reason for coming here. What I've heard is that you were sorta teased away by the comunity.. or are those just rumors?"

whatever it is I WILL get it out of you sooner or later she tought to herself, already realizing that this was going to be one hell of a difficult assignment

[Jacky]

If she's not gonna give it a name, I'm not either. Mort decided. If she would mention the disappearance of Ted and Amy he would tell her the truth of it, but if she was gonna circle around it he wasn't gonna start about it either. He'd be mad to, it would be like pointing the finger at himself.

"Teasing a person away sounds rather highschool like, don't you aree miss Dickens?" He replied casually. "I believe I passed that age. The fact is that most habitants of Tashmore Lake and I had a different perspective on certain matters which made me believe I would feel more at place elsewhere." He returned his attention to his dinner. Who *was* this girl, anyway?

[Jacksblackpearl]

"At a place like this town, where no-one disagrees with your perspectives of.." Carolina was rudely abrupted in her sentence.
"Gosh you're hard to find. Will you be having your diner at this table then?" the fat lady stood beside their table holding a plate in her hands
"huh? eh yeah sure" She mumbled and waited till the fat lady had given her her plate and left again. When walked away Carolina finished her sentence "with your perspectives of Amy and Ted's disappearance ?" She finally said it, the high word was out. "after all, I know no other matters which could make you leave such a lovely pitoresk(? ) town as Tashmore... "

take the bait, just take it. Show me who you really are mr. Rainey. Give me a story. Make me write

[Ans]

Mort stopped eating and glanced up to her. It didn't come as a surprise that she eventually mentioned it, she was circling around the subject for almost all of the conversation now - it had to be done at some point.
And he knew that even here someone would ask, sooner or later.
It turned out to be 'sooner', to his regret.

"Miss Dickens, I know perfectly well the rumours that circulate the disappearance of my exwife and Ted Milner. But as I like to point out to you again, they're rumours." He put his fork down calmly, "I don't know why you want to press this matter but.. if you believe those rumours, I might ask you some questions in return."
To his own surprise he wasn't intimidated by her suspicions. He had been looking long and hard for someone who would be open to discussion, and maybe he'd found one at last. He was innocent - why should *he* be afraid?
"Such being.." He paused, "...Why do you believe 'em? Maybe I am a logical person to point at when looking for someone with reason to want them gone. But a lot more happened in Tashmore Lake around that time - stuff that I had absolutely not a single connection with. So tell me. Why me?"
It felt good to ask at last.

[Jacksblackpearl]

Carolina didn't keep her eyes off of him. He seemed so sure of himself. She couldn't find a glimpse of doubt in his eyes. Normally anyone who would be lying would someone betray him or herself.. but this man sitting across from her wasn't aware of anything else but his own truth.

It scared her in a way. All evidence that resurfaced was pointing towards him as the killer. The only thing missing were the bodies. He managed to hide those perfectly well which had kept him out of jail. But everyone who knew about this story, knew that this man that was sitting across from me was as guilty as hell.

"Because, mr. Rainey, all evidence points in your direction. They were missing right after they were spotted at your place. Their tiretracks were found in front of your house, so were the vague trace of their foodsteps, and some blood, in case you had forgotten.
There's no way on earth that you could be innocent..so.. what is this ? Some kind of I've-got-amnesia-trick or what ?"