“Look behind you,” my friend Adam said to me quietly.
“Which picture?” I asked Adam while turning to look behind me. It was easy to spot the man that Adam meant because he was staring right at me and I was suddenly glad I had used the picture excuse, it didn’t make me seem as obvious.
“Oh, yeah, that is a nice photo of the pub back in the old days,” I said to Adam, looking at the picture that was located directly behind the man who was staring. Even if I had of been looking at the picture, I would be lying to Adam about it being nice. I hated that picture, it was the worst one that they had hanging in the pub. I often suggested to the bartender that they should take it down. They always agreed with me yet, never did anything about it.
I turnt back to face Adam.
“You know him?” He asked me, quietly.
I shook my head. “I’ve never seen anyone quite like him in my life.” This was true, I hadn’t. He had an eye patch over one eye and a shaggy beard that grew out in curls. It looked as if he hadn’t made any attempt to maintain his beard in years and he also had a wooden leg. The closest thing I had ever seen to him was Hagrid from Harry Potter and even then, Hagrid looked like a male model compared to this guy.
“Do you know him?” I asked Adam.
Adam shook his head. “Nope, besides, it’s not me he’s watching.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. What was with this guy? I could still feel his eyes on my back and it was starting to make me uncomfortable. Maybe if I looked at him again he would look away? I did just that and was met by a cold look from him but once again, he didn’t look away, just continued staring.
I wondered if I should confront him but a part of me was afraid that he was some sort of physcho that got his kicks from choosing random victims in bars. The last thing I wanted was for him to follow me home so I would have to stay at the bar until after he left.
“I wonder who he is?” I asked Adam.
Adam shook his head again. “No clue. Hopefully not some physcho choosing random victims in bars. Best to wait here until after he leaves aye?”
I gave Adam a funny look, had he just read my mind?
“What?” Adam asked.
“Nothing,” I shook my head.
Adam ordered another round of speights for the both of us and I quietly sipped at my drink. If I was going to wait until after the guy with the eye patch and wooden leg left I would want to limit my drinks, it could end up costing me a fortune otherwise.
Adam and I began to chat about rugby and which team we thought would win the sevens. I looked at the time, it was already eleven pm and I had told my wife that I would be home by ten. She would be starting to get worried soon. I decided to make a quick call to her while Adam was still here, surely the creepy guy wouldn’t attack me with him sitting there.
“I’m just going to call Gloria,” I told Adam.
He nodded. “Okay, Jack.”
The landline phone rang three times before Gloria finally answered.
“Hello?” She sounded stressed and I instantly felt bad, she had been worrying.
“Hi, Love.”
“Jack? Where are you?!” She half shouted down the phone, she wasn’t happy but I did pick up the sound of relief in her voice.
“Still at the pub. Sorry, time got away on us, we’re watching the sevens.”
Gloria sighed, she was used to me forgetting what the time was. I was lucky to have her really, I knew a lot of wifes wouldn’t let it go so easily.
“Just be home when you can, okay?”
“Sure thing. I’ll see you after.”
“See you.”
Gloria hung up the phone and I pressed end call on my cellpone before putting it down on the bar. I didn’t like lying to Gloria but I didn’t want the guy watching me to know that I knew he was watching me.
“Is he still watching?” I asked Adam.
Adam didn’t try to hide the fact that he was watching the guy when he turnt to look at him. I didn’t dare look back at the guy.
“Yup.” Adam made a popping sound on the p and I sighed, what was this guys problem?
“I’m going to go and talk to him,” Adam said getting up.
“Adam! No!” I cried but it was too late, he had already gotten up and was heading towards the guy. I quickly followed after him, if a fight was to break out I could hopefully jump in and break it up. The bar manager would ban us for fighting and as this was our local, I didn’t really want that.
“What’s your problem, Man?” Adam asked the guy, storming up to him.
“Join me outside and I’ll tell you?” The guy suggested.
“There’s no way that’s happening,” Adam laughed cockily. I was glad Adam had said no to this man. We were safer inside.
Adam squeaked suddenly and I looked over at him, wondering what was wrong. I noticed something pressed against Adam’s stomach. Shit! Was that a gun? It was! This guy was definitely crazy, Adam wouldn’t go outside with him so he got out a gun?
“How about now?” The guy asked.
“Yup!” Adam squeaked again. It was easy to tell that Adam was scared and I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t think I would particularly enjoy someone holding a gun to me.
“Don’t draw any attention to yourselves,” The guy warned us.
Adam and I walked outside quietly with the guy walking behind us, with the gun pressed against Adam’s back. I wondered why he was picking on Adam? It was me he had been watching. Wasn’t it?
“What’s your problem?” Adam asked again once we were outside and I looked at the guy, wondering that myself.
“My problem?” The guy repeated Adam’s question.
“Yeah, what? Are you deaf or something?” I wished Adam wouldn’t be so smart. He was going to get us punched at this rate, or worse, shot.
“My problem is you,” The guy said. Before I had time to do anything the guy turnt his gun on Adam and shot him. Adam fell to the ground and I knew he was dead. I yelled out, half in terror and half in remorse for my, now, dead friend. What was this guy going to do to me now?
“I did that for your own good,” The guy explained, tucking his gun into his back pocket.
“What?” I was a little confused. How was killing my friend for my own good?
“He was reporting you to the C.I.A after you left.”
What?! For what?!”
“He knows what you have been up to and he’s not your friend.”
I froze. Adam knew what I had been up to? How? I hadn’t told him.
“I know you didn’t tell him, but he can read minds and he knows everything that has been going on with you. Hacking into government files is a crime, Jack and he was about to bust you. If that happened your life would be ruined. Gloria and the kids? Their lives would be ruined.”
I was shocked. This guy knew the name of my wife? He knew I had kids? He knew what I had been up to and he knew Adam was a mind reader. I mean, I had suspected when he sometimes repeated my thoughts but… Wait.
“How do you know Adam was a mind reader?”
The guy shrugged, “Takes a mind reader to know a mind reader.”
My mouth dropped open, “Is everyone a mind reader? Am I the only one that isn’t?”
The guy rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic, Jack. You know, what? One person that’s a mind reader? Two including me, now.”
“Who are you? Have you been following me?” I asked. He kept speaking to me as if he knew me.
“I’m your uncle Reamus and yes, I have been following you.”
My mouth dropped open, “Uncle, Reamus? But, Mum told me…?”
“That I was dead? Yeah, that’s what she thinks. She’s going to get a shock to see me.”
Uncle Reamus was my mum’s brother who I had never known. I had seen photos of him when he was younger and he still held a few similarities to the photos but Mum had told me that he had died when I was two months old in a car explosion and we had gone to the funeral.
“I’ve been in witness protection. I seen a crime, can’t tell you what but not a good one. The person I have been hiding from died last year and so I was on my way home when I heard some guys on the street mention your name. I decided to follow them, turns out they were detectives and they have been tracking your activity. I broke in one night and erased everything they had on you but that doesn’t mean they wont dig up more on you. You need to stop this criminal activity, Jack. If not for your sake then for Gloria and the kids.”
“How do you know about Gloria and the kids?”
“I told you. I’ve been watching you.”
“I can’t believe that about Adam. He was my best friend.”
“Jack, I don’t go around killing people for fun. If I did those detectives wouldn’t be alive. The difference between them and Adam was Adam knew everything okay? Everything. If I could have erased minds then I would have done that but I can’t so killing him was the only thing left to do to protect you.”
Even though he had killed Adam, if he was telling the truth then I owed him my life and the least I could do was thank him.
“Thank you, Reamus.”
Uncle Reamus put his arm around me. “Don’t mention it, Jack. Come on, lets go surprise your mum.”