They stepped outside and stood thoughtfully on the sidewalk. The lambent sun was glistening on the windows, and it was very serene. There was no indication that any devastating tragedy had occurred at that very spot 15 years previously. Nathan felt the poignant solemnity just standing in the location where Laura Richards had been gunned down.
“This is where it happened” he pronounced, “She just turned that corner, and a car driving down this road fired a single shot.” Fish looked up the road.
“Did they ever find the people responsible?”
“No, It happened so quickly that nobody could offer much information to the police. They think the car was stolen and that the bullet was meant for someone who was sitting in the window seat just there” He pointed to one of the tables on the other side of the glass. “She just got in the line of fire and that was it.”
“Did the police find out who the intended victim was?”
“No, That particular customer left the scene after the shooting, and nobody knows who they were. The police didn’t think it was a real attempt at an assassination because it was a high shot, maybe they just wanted to shatter the window to make a dramatic point. Let’s be honest, hearing a gunshot and then having a load of glass crash down on your table would be pretty dramatic and terrifying. Perhaps it was a gang warning or an attempt to send a message, who knows. Come on Fish, let’s walk”
They moved left and turned the corner, almost immediately they came to a pedestrian crossing that traversed 16th Avenue. The little green man ushered them across, and then they turned the next left down 15th Avenue. It was a charming neighborhood and the very last place you would expect to witness a gangland shooting. 15th Avenue quickly led to a junction with 8th Street, which was a busy road. On one corner was a Conoco Gas Station and on the other corner, there was a 7-Eleven store. Turning right and walking past the 7-Eleven, you came to a fairly large commercial building. It was in this building that Laura had worked. The Pitch Perfect Offices were on the third floor overlooking 8th Street. Nathan stopped and looked up at the offices, then glanced at his watch.
“Not even 2 minutes” he stated. Turning, they walked back a few meters and stood in front of the 7-Eleven store, “This would be a good spot” he proposed. The 7-Eleven had a double door entrance and to one side was an alleyway with assorted bins. Nathan crossed the road and walked up the side of the store and past the bins. Looking left, he could see behind the store. There was one back door and more importantly just one frosted window. “That has to be the bathroom” he was thinking out loud, “but no one ever looks out of a bathroom window. It’s perfect” He glanced at Fish for approval.
“As long as it was exactly like this 16 years ago. Do you know that for certain?”
“No, but I could find out” Nathan felt pleased that Fish hadn’t just rejected his provisional idea. He walked over to the far wall past the bathroom window and stood in the most secluded position with his back to the wall. It was not overlooked at all and shielded from any bystander or passerby. It would be extremely unlikely and improbable that anyone would see him unless they were standing in this location. It didn’t look like it was a site that was regularly frequented, and even if someone was looking out of the bathroom window, they would have to put their head out and turn to the left to notice him. It was as safe and free from detection as any spot could be. “How can we figure out the exact coordinates of this position?” He looked at Fish.
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“A GPS device is what you would need. But we use a Differential GPS device called a Magnavoss and this uses the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) which was developed by the military and is accurate to 0.001cm”
“So you could work out this exact spot here where I’m standing?”
“Actually it’s fairly easy, you would just need to place the device on that spot and take a reading, it would take less than 10 seconds.” Nathan raised his eyes.
“Come on, let’s get out of here before someone sees us. No need to take any risks today” They walked back to the road and looked at the office building where “Pitch Perfect” had their offices 15 years ago.
“So Laura Richards would have walked right past this spot on that particular morning before turning up 15th Avenue” Nathan was thinking out loud again. “So as long as I got here before she left the offices that morning, I would be able to intercept her at some point on her route to the coffee house and cause a delay that would change the outcome and leave her alive” Fish was thoughtful
“Yes, you could probably do all that, but what you couldn’t do is control the repercussions and the results of those changes. As I keep repeating, there is no way to know the implications and the aftermath of that fundamental alteration to her life or non-death which is probably more accurate”
“I know I do hear you, however, we do have a fallback plan, but I really don’t think things would be unfixable. I have confidence in the predetermination of destiny. It will be better than before Fish. Have faith…. Wait here a second” Nathan ambled over to the 7-Eleven entrance and went inside. Less than 2 minutes later, he reappeared grinning. “This particular 7-Eleven store was opened in 2001, 6 years before Laura Richards was shot.”
They retraced their steps back to the coffee house. Once again, it took less than 2 minutes.
“What time did Laura Richards get shot on that morning?” asked Fish
“I don’t know precisely” Nathan responded.
“You know it’s crucial that we identify the exact moment because you will have less than 10 minutes to do everything and then return to the 7-Eleven location. You CANNOT miss that 585-second deadline. It is essential that you return to that position and stand on that exact spot 585 seconds EXACTLY from the moment you get there. It’s critical Nathan. Miss that and you will never come back”
“I’m sure I can find out the exact moment she was shot. There must be records of the 911 call to the police that morning. All we have to do is work back from that. We know it’s a 2-minute walk from the offices to the coffee shop, so even if we allow a couple of minutes for unknown stoppages or hold-ups it would still leave me plenty of time to delay her enough and stop her from turning that corner and I would still have plenty of time to return to the 7-Eleven and be in place for the trip back to the future” Fish looked pensive.
“It’s no joke though, Nathan. Getting back to THAT location within that timespan is crucial. You cannot take any risks with that. I won’t even entertain this if you can’t promise me that you will take that seriously.”
“I promise Fish. I don’t want to be stuck in the past, my life is here and now. I won’t risk anything. I won’t take any chances. You have my word”
“OK … I will get the Magnavoss GPS device and work out the precise coordinates of that location. You find out the exact time Laura Richards was shot on August 8th 2007”
“Great. Thanks, Fish”
“This isn’t a yes, Nathan. This is, let’s get all the documentation and evidence we need and decide if it’s feasible. I won’t take any unnecessary risks. I need time to consider it before agreeing.