Nora still didn't know if she could trust this man, but on the other hand, she couldn't afford to drive away a potential ally. She had felt very alone, fighting this battle.
"Did you get your money back, when you didn't go?" Bryan asked.
"No, since I canceled less than 24 hours before it started, I didn't get anything back. But I did find some who had. That was when a young couple went missing. He didn't have any family to miss him, but she did. I think they tried to take only him, but she didn't want to leave him behind, or made a fuss, so they had to take her as well, then leave the area."
"Ah, yes, I read about that. What I don't understand is what they need all these people for. The fact that two people have died isn't really an indication about anything. That could have been an accident. But what do they need people for?"
"The people I've talked to say that some people were dressed as slaves. Theows, they called it, but that's just the Old English word for slave. They even had chains, though they were padded so they wouldn't be uncomfortable. But some of them also didn't speak. I worry that those might be victims of kidnappings, forced to work as slaves. But why aren't they speaking?"
"Maybe they can't?"
"They would be able to make some sound. Or attempt to run away in a way that makes it obvious that they don't want to be there. Some even mention that they had a theow in the bedchamber, though they could talk then. They stayed in "character" as it was called, the whole time, even when the person tried to get them to talk about other things."
"That paints a grim picture indeed. But why would they do such a thing? Why not ask for workers, I'm sure they would have found some. Your friend, like you mentioned, would probably have taken such a job."
"Yes, and that's the piece I am missing. Why take people by force? And where do they go, when they're not on tour? For large parts of the year, they are not advertised anywhere. Not even in Mexico, and I don't see how they would have been able to cross an international border. Do you know how they move from place to place?"
"I have noticed something that I think can be quite telling. There are abandoned, or not even registered, train tracks close to most of the places I've searched for them."
Trains. That made sense! There was no way a large number of trucks would be able to move as fast as they had to have done, to get from place to place, but with a train, it could be possible. Just a few trucks, like the bus driver had mentioned, and the rest of them on a train.
"I have made a map," Bryan said. "With all the places I have located them in, and the train tracks between them." He opened his bag and took out a map of most of the western United States. Several red dots were marked, many of them places Nora had been herself. What she hadn't seen was the train lines between them.
"None of these lines are in frequent use." Bryan said. "Most of them aren't registered anywhere and just stop suddenly. Yet few of them showed signs of rust or being destroyed by the elements. They are all usable."
Nora had never thought about making a map like this. It showed the area they operated in. It was indeed in the border areas between different states and in some of the most desolate places in the country.
"Even with this it is most likely hopeless to try and find them. Unless they come back to the same area again. I have seen signs that they do so, at times."
"Yes, that is my hope as well. Then I was planning on applying to come again, to see for myself."
"Are you insane? Knowing what happened to your friend, why would you risk that?"
"I have to know. And I have nothing to lose. With your help, I could probably even make sure that if they kidnap me, or kill me, you will know where I am, and be able to bring the police."
"You are willing to risk your life on the off chance that your friend is still with the group?"
"Yes. As I said, I have nothing left to lose. All that held me back was that I could end up being just another victim. Now, if you are willing to help me, I might not have to."
"What if they keep track of previous visitors, and reject you because you didn't show up last time?"
"I wasn't planning on going as myself. I found one of Audrey's family's old Social Security cards, I was planning on using that and a fictitious name."
"That won't work. From what I found from Rita's papers she has tried to go to that place many times but was always rejected. They check that people are who they say they are."
Nora had told him about the extensive amount of information that she had to provide to get in. Maybe he had a point.
"Do you think they keep track of a random visitor that didn't show up over 5 years ago?"
"I wouldn't put it past them. Especially since they kept your friend and texted you specifically. No, you need to find a real person to pretend to be."
"And where would I find that? I can't pretend to be anyone associated with you either. I suspect they let your wife come because they didn't want her to find something."
"Yes, I suspect that as well. I just wish she had trusted me enough to tell me what she was doing. But do you have anyone in your family that looks vaguely like you, that you can use the name for?"
"I don't have any family." Not one that she cared to contact anyway. After finally escaping her father's clutches, she would never willingly remind any of them of her existence ever again.
"Not even a cousin somewhere? You don't have to contact them specifically. It is easy to find a social security number."
That… might actually be an option. She knew her father had some distant cousins back east, she could try to use their name, and take the other information from herself. She had gotten in once, after all.
"Though I shouldn't encourage you to do this at all. It is insanely dangerous."
"Yes, but it is also the only thing I can think of to get some answers."
"Now I almost hope that they never come back to the area you live in."
The two of them spent the rest of the weekend making plans, comparing intel and getting to know each other. Nora had a hard time trusting anyone, but this man might be able to earn her trust. He sounded almost as desperate as she was. They had both lost someone to the same thing. And yet he hadn't acted towards her at all. She had locked the door to her room and barred it during the night, but he hadn't even tried to open it, just met her at breakfast like planned. She knew that not all men were creeps, but this was the first time in a long time she had met one that didn't make her feel uncomfortable. The last one she could remember was Audrey's father. He was very much in love with his wife, just like Bryan. Maybe that was why.
As she headed back home, she thought that maybe, just maybe, she would be able to figure things out after all. She had, after some deliberation, given Bryan her phone number. That may enable him to find out where she lived, but she needed some way to keep in contact with him.