In the hotel lobby Jeffrey is browsing the papers when a woman walks in. She walks over to the reception desk and addresses the desk clerk.
"Excuse me, could you tell me the bus times?"
"Certainly. Where would you like to go?"
"I -- I don't know."
"Then any bus will take you there," Jeffrey says.
"Young man," the receptionist says reproachfully.
"You must be the Cheshire Cat," the woman says. "I didn't recognize you without your wide grin."
Jeffrey shows her his best pearly white grin. "I'm Jeffrey. Who are you?"
The woman has to think about this. "Nothing really comes to mind. Perhaps you should call me Alice. I feel like I went through the looking-glass."
"Nice to meet you, Alice." Jeffrey extends his hand and Alice shakes it politely.
"Madam, have you decided which bus you would like to take?"
"No. I don't know where I want to go. Perhaps it is best if I take a room here. You are a hotel, aren't you?"
"Yes, we are." The receptionist throws Jeffrey a look for chuckling. "If you please sign in here." He places a registry book before Alice. "How long will you be staying?"
"For as long as it takes me to remember what bus I want to take." Alice looks puzzled at the registry book for a moment then registers as Mrs. Neele.
"Very well. I hope you enjoy your stay at the Harrogate Hydropathic Hotel."
"Harrogate? The spa town?"
"Yes, madam."
"Good. I could probably use a mineral bath."
"I know how you feel," Jeffrey says. "I often feel like I went through the looking-glass."
"Hmm. Tell me, do you also feel like there is something you should have remembered, but can't find what it is?"
"No, I've never had that."
"Are you here alone?"
"No, I'm with some friends. Would you like to meet them?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
Alice follows Jeffrey into the tea room.
"Hey, kid. Why did you never tell me that Phineas Miller was the financial backer of Eli Whitney?" Bogg asks as Jeffrey and Alice arrive at the table where Bogg and Pam are sitting.
"Whitney, the inventor?"
"You could have made me feel a lot better about my name if I had known there were some famous Phineases out there."
"I didn't want things to go to your head," Jeffrey replies, a little disturbed by the sudden, unprovoked interest in history by his friend. "This is Alice. She doesn't know where she is going. These are my friends, Bogg and Pam."
They shake hands and Bogg offers Alice a seat.
"Do you at least know where you are from?" Pam asks.
Alice looks down at the cutlery. She twists the knife to look at her reflection in the blade. "Africa," she says at last. "I'm on holiday from Africa."
"You haven't picked the nicest time to visit England. The weather and the temperature must be much nicer in Africa right now."
"I suppose so."
A slightly awkward silence follows which Bogg decides to break.
"Kid, what did the papers say?"
"Nothing that seems unusual. I have no idea what ..." He stops talking suddenly aware of the company.
Bogg nods he understands. Nothing unusual in the papers means no clues to solve the red light. Pam offers Alice a sandwich, which she declines, but a moment later accepts stating she is famished. Alice orders herself a tea too, and on Jeffrey's request, some cakes.
Later Jeffrey and Alice are playing a board game and Pam is engaged with some 1926 magazines Bogg decides to go for a walk. The cold December air cuts through his clothes. He heads for the church to pick up on his earlier suggestion, before he was rudely cut off by Pam, to see if they have a clothes fair for the poor. He is in luck. Dressed for the era and climate he emerges from the church some fifteen minutes later. He sticks his hands deep into his pockets. There is a lot he has to think about. Pam for one. He really feels like the Golden Goose: everyone that touches him voyages with him. At this rate he'd have a small army tagging along within a couple of years. But Pam has a doctorate in History. Like he said to her, that could be useful for a Voyager. Maybe she's like Jeffrey meant to be a Voyager, but called before her time. If so, then why is it always his omni that picks them out? He's already got a kid. He doesn't need a head strong woman that spends most of her time sitting on deck chairs and in hot tubs. Why couldn't someone else have picked her up? Like Olivia for instance. The two of them would make a nice combination. Bogg can't surprise a smile when he tries to imagine what an encounter between Olivia and Pam would be like. He would love to see that. He'd pay to see that. As things stand, he's got Pam and Olivia is probably getting herself into trouble all on her own.
Perhaps it is not all bad. Okay, the kid and he are a team, and the team just got a new member. But this member could be useful. She knows her history, and perhaps she could act a little bit as a mother figure for Jeffrey. 'Cause no matter how hard he tries, he's much better at the father figure part. Although Jeffrey is fast approaching that age where boys think they don't need their mothers so much anymore. And some adult company would be nice for him himself too. There are just some things you don't talk about with a kid. But he's not too sure he wants to talk about those things with a woman, this woman, either. They'll just have to see how things work out, and if they don't: he can always dump Pam somewhere in time. But, he has to admit to himself, things would have to get pretty ugly before he would do a thing like that.
When Bogg returns to the hotel he finds Pam and Jeffrey still in the tea room. Only a few of the other tables are occupied. Pam and Jeffrey are playing a game. He stands in the doorway looking at the scene. This is what he had in mind when he thought the company would be nice. It's almost family-like. Jeffrey laughs out loud and throws his arms victoriously in the air. It gives Bogg a warm feeling.
"Again," Jeffrey urges.
"No way, not again," Pam replies gathering up the pieces of the game. "You've already beaten me trice at this game. There is only so much abuse I can take." She looks up. "You look very handsome," she says when she spots Bogg.
"I thought I would dress more for the time," Bogg says as he approaches the table. "Here, kid, I got you something warmer too."
"Does this mean we're going outside again?" Jeffrey asks. "It's getting dark outside. Shouldn't we be looking for a place to stay the night?"
"Taken care off. We're staying here the night. Any thoughts on how to spend the evening?" He sits down at the table.
"Do you know this game?" Pam shows him the box.
"I don't know any board games."
"Very well. We can play this again. Now you can humiliate him."
"Jeffrey beats me at pretty much everything, except for arm wrestling and poker."
"And one day soon I will beat you at arm wrestling too," Jeffrey replies as he sets up the board for another game.
Bogg smiles. This is as close to a family as he has been in years and he is going to enjoy every minute of it.
After several hours of board games, mostly won by Jeffrey until Bogg and Pam decided to gang up against him and resort to cheating, Bogg suggests is time for them to go to bed. They clear up the game and head up the stairs.
"There's only one bed," Pam states.
"There was also only one bed in the cabin we had. You said nothing about it then."
"That was more of a gifted horse thing. Here I think you could have asked for two rooms, or three single beds, something."
"Budget's tight. There's only so much time I want to spend washing dishes. If you get what I mean."
"Yeah." Pam sighs quietly. "You're probably right. Which side of the bed do you want?" She makes a hand gesture as if to cut the bed in three equal pieces.
"The inside," Bogg replies.
"Very clever." Pam throws him a look.
"Hey, guys, why don't I sleep in the middle? And the two of you stay out of each other's hair."
"Very smart, Jeffrey. You'd make a good diplomat." Pam pats him on the shoulder. "I'm going to see if there's a towel to brush my teeth with." Pam sets off for the bathroom, located elsewhere on the floor.
As soon as the door closes behind her Jeffrey turns to Bogg. "Do the two of you have to fight all the time?" His hands on his hips give out an air that drives Bogg immediately into the defensive.
"She started it."
"And I'm ending it. Just face it, Bogg. We're probably gonna spend a lot of time with her. It's going to be much easier on all of us if the two of you could be nice to each other."
"Tell that to her."
"I will, but I'm also telling you. Cut her some slack. She's new to all this voyaging. She had probably entirely different plans before she almost ran us over with her bike. The transition would be smoother for her if you tried to be a little less you and a little more me."
Bogg looks at him in surprise. He can't quite think of a quality Jeffrey has that is better suited to win women over than the qualities he has.
"Diplomatic," Jeffrey says, guessing his question. "Could you try that? If not for her, than for me. I'm sleeping in the middle and I don't want to get battered in the night."
Bogg smiles. "I'll give it a shot. And you have this conversation with her too. I think she could use it."
-oOo-
The next morning Jeffrey wakes up feeling something heavy on his chest. He lifts his head up to look down. Pam's arm is across his chest and so is Bogg's. Whose hand is holding on to Pam's upper arm. Jeffrey drops his head back in his pillow. At least they're not fighting anymore, but this is just as ugly to be in the middle of.
After breakfast Jeffrey pulls Pam aside.
"Can I have a word with you?"
"Just one word?"
"There's just one word I wanna hear from you. I'll be talking a bit more."
"You are strict."
"Let's go out for a walk."
They don the coats Bogg has gotten them and head out into the December cold.
"It's about you and Bogg."
"What about us?"
"You have to stop arguing."
"I didn't think we were arguing much."
"What? You always talk to your friends like that?"
Pam looks at the seriousness in his eyes. "I guess not."
"I know this isn't easy for you. Trust me, no one understands better than me. But you have to understand this isn't easy for Bogg either. He used to be a free agent, then he got a kid to tag along, and now you."
"You're saying we cramp his style?"
"No! I'm saying he feels responsible for us. Like he got us these coats, and a bed for the night. It was an accident that we took you with us, but here you are. You know nothing about Voyaging, you don't have any survival skills. And you're making Bogg think about just dropping you off somewhere. Not very smart."
"I know my place," Pam says in an attempt at a joke, but Jeffrey doesn't seem very amused. "Guess it's also not much fun for you if we argue?"
"No, it isn't."
"Hmm. I'll try not to bust his chops over every little thing anymore."
"Good." Jeffrey pulls on the collar of his coat to close the gap to his neck.
"What was that one word you just wanted to hear from me?"
"You're right."
"That's two words."
"How about that." Jeffrey ducks Pam's hand as she tries to tousle his hair.
"Smart ass kid."
Jeffrey suggests they stop at a news agent's to browse the headlines.
"Look at that one." Jeffrey points. Agatha Christie Vanishes is splashed across the front page. He picks up the paper and starts reading. Pam looks on over his shoulder. "This is about Alice. Look at that description, that fits her to a T."
"Hey, are you going to buy that paper, or will you put it down?" the newsagent calls at them.
"I don't have any money," Pam says to Jeffrey.
"Neither do I." He puts down the paper, gives the man his best friendly smile and runs away followed by Pam. After rounding the corner they slow down to a normal pace.
"I think that is what our red light is about, about Alice being Agatha."
"If I remember correctly Agatha Christie did disappear for a short while. That means right now there is nothing out of the ordinary. I thought you said red lights showed when things had gone wrong."
"Sometimes we get a red light to warn us that something that should happen is about to not happen."
"Confusing."
"No, it's all actually quite simple. C'mon, this way."
"Are you sure this is the right way back to the hotel?"
"Yeah, I wanted to go round back."
"Why?"
"Always know all your exits." Jeffrey taps his nose before jogging up the steps to the hotel's back door.
"Smart thinking."
The back door opens and a tall man dressed in black steps out.
"Drake." Jeffrey stops dead.
"Mr. Jones. Fancy seeing you here."
"Are you following us?" Jeffrey moves himself in between Drake and Pam.
"I most certainly am not. I have better things to do than chase after a little boy and his monkey," he replies with disdain. "Are you following me?"
"I would. For all that you did to us, and Pam."
"What did I do to Pam?"
"You tried to drown her. Are you going to deny that?"
"Yes. I presume you're Pam. I don't know why I would want to drown you." Drake shoves Jeffrey aside. "But I'll take the opportunity if I can."
Drake grabs for Pam. She steps back, slips and falls down the stairs. Jeffrey gives Drake a push. He falls but manages to press his omni and disappears. Jeffrey runs down the stairs.
"Pam, are you okay?"
Pam scrambles up and gives him a big smile, "Tip top."
"I don't think so."
"Why? What's the matter?"
"You're bleeding."