"Isn't it funny… you hear a phone ring and it could be anybody? Yet a ringing phone has to be answered, doesn't it? Doesn't it?"
* * * * *
"Hello." answered a trembling voice.
"Hello Diane." The voice on the other end of the receiver whispered into her ear as though he were a secret lover rather than a complete stranger.
"Gary? Stop fooling around would you; I have so much to do today… You know I have to take James to the doctor's surgery. Why aren't you home to take care of the girls?"
"Diane, this isn't Gary." Said the man, with a soft and crumbling voice that seemed to search out her fears and latch onto them like a tic or a leech or something. "Your husband won't be home today…"
"What? Why? Who is this? Do you work with my husband, has something happened to him? Please tell me, I need to know." Diane was scared; something in this man's voice made her very nervous and awkward. He was commanding and unassailable and yet something about the way he spoke made her quiver inside.
"Diane, there are many things you need, my dear; knowing the whereabouts and condition of your husband is not high on the list right now."
"What do you mean 'his condition'?" she asked with an irritable tone. She hushed her son who was pulling on the tasselled sleeve of her grey cardigan. "Who are you? What is this about?"
"First things first Diane, please do not interrupt me. I don't like these sporadic comments of yours while I am trying to make my point. I will answer your questions in due time. Please respect me and I shall endeavour to show that same generosity towards you."
Thinking he had said his peace, Diane began to ask her questions. Obviously her male caller was not feeling generous.
"DIANE! I mean what I say! You will obey me… or I will not offer you any further opportunities…"
"Mommy, please? I want my chocolate milk… I did my spellings… please, Mom please?" whined Diane's nine year old son James, with tears in his pale blue eyes.
"Obey you? Who the hell are you? Why should I do anything you say anyway?" Diane spat down the receiver with a furrowed brow and a nervous twitch in her grey blue, left eye.
"You will obey me Diane; simply because I ask you to. I know you Diane Elizabeth Cartwright, born 12th of January 1968 to a ranching family in err Prescott Arizona, I believe…"
Diane didn't know what to say; her father had a mental breakdown when she was six years old and the ranch that had been passed down the Peterson family for generations was burnt to the ground, with her mother and two older brothers inside. There was no one who knew about that part of her history… not even Gary.
"How do you know that? Who are you?" She asked uneasily.
"Now… I'm not sure about this… I never disclose my name to anyone, usually." He paused as though contemplating something far greater than telling the woman his name. Perhaps the worthiness of a political debate or the plight of the third world…
"My name is Cole." She didn't know how privileged she was to hold such information; for that matter she didn't know much about the man who had called himself Cole and had been monopolising her days schedule for the past six minutes.
"Well, Cole; what do you want from me?" she asked with a new found strength to her tone. Somehow being able to use his name in the flippant way he kept slurring hers, made her feel like she could fight back. Cole laughed softly and Diane felt that quiver rush through her body again.
"All I ask is your permission." He seemed to want to say more, so Diane waited patiently; for some reason feeling afraid to disobey him again.
"My permission, for what?" She asked after enough silence to cause the hairs to stand up on the back of her neck. She rubbed her dishwater soft hands over her neck and down her throat and over the swell of her cleavage. Cole gave a gentle sigh and took a deep slow breath.
"You are a very beautiful woman Diane… very beautiful indeed." Diane felt herself blush a little and that little girl's giggle escaped her lips as she tried to contest Cole's flattery.
"That's generous, Cole, but if you can see what I look like right now…"
"Grey woollen cardigan, over and pale blue tapered blouse and charcoal pants… do I need to go further?" She looked shocked and that quiver inside turned quickly to a chill. "I must say that I find your maroon vest far more alluring, but the black lace is good over that milky white complexion all the same."
Diane stood up and walked towards the kitchen window closest to her. Apprehensively she looked out across the street, towards the abandoned house three doors down. It was the obvious place, and had a perfect view to her bedroom window.
"How do you know me, Cole? What do you want from me?" Diane asked, trying to control the pitch and strength of her voice.
"I told you what I want, Diane. I want your blessing…"
"My blessing, for what? Are you going to hurt me? Where are you? I know you can see me, but this isn't fair; I want to speak to you properly… face to face."
"I can't do that, Diane. I'm sorry…" This was getting a little too freaky for her by this point and she began to cry. Her son was concerned and tried to hold her hand, but she couldn't risk Cole seeing him too. What if he could hurt her?
"James, I'm fine; please go and play with your sisters in the lounge." She wiped at her eyes and sobbed into the palms of her hands. "Where is Gary? Just tell me what you want and leave me alone… why are you doing this to me?"
"Diane, don't cry." The man on the phone wasn't really trying to comfort her and the words were barked almost as strongly as one of his orders. Still that unnerving quiver inside her wouldn't quit. There was something strange about Cole, something familiar.
"I'm not sure you are ready for me to tell you what I want…" Cole began to explain. His voice was soft and gentle and almost managed to lull her into a sense of false security. But Diane Cartwright wasn't as weak as she could come across. Losing everyone who had been dear to her, forced her to be strong, forced her to survive; whatever Cole wanted with her… she was determined he would not get it.
"I want to know where you are… I won't tell you anything… I will put this phone down right now if you don't tell me what the hell it is that you want with me."
"That wouldn't be wise, Diane. That really wouldn't be a wise decision."
"I'm hanging up. I'm sick of this shit; I wish I'd never picked up this Goddamn phone. I was about to take my son to the doctor…"
"I know Diane; he is depressed isn't he? Has trouble sleeping; a lot of nightmares. Can't concentrate in school and doesn't like to play with the other children."
Now Diane thought herself a good mother, she worked a lot more than she wanted to; Gary was useless at his job and had lost more that year than they'd had months pass them by. She did what she had to; it was her way.
Moving quickly she went to the lounge room and hushed the three children with her fingers. Since James had already explained to his two younger sisters that Mommy was a bit sad; they did as asked, immediately. Quietly she ushered them into the dinning room and from there, into the back hall.
"Diane, what do you think you are doing?" Cole said as she wandered in bare feet through the dimly lit hall with the cordless phone pressed between her shoulder and her left ear. "Come back to the kitchen where I can see you properly, right now."
"F…Forget it! I'll only come out when I can see you too." Cole laughed to himself; a cracking, scolding laughter. She felt stronger now; she felt she could stand up to the torment of this stranger, but that laughter was enough to make her doubt herself again.
"You want to see me?" Cole asked as though he were inviting her to see something clandestine and private. "What difference would it make for you to be able to see me when I impart my knowledge to you?"
Diane hadn't noticed her youngest daughter creep away from their little group. She was trying to calm her son who in turn had got himself rather distraught trying to figure out what was going on with his mother. She didn't notice as Abby picked up a small brown envelope and tried to recognise what the letters on the front meant.
"Well Cole, if I could see you, maybe I would be more likely to believe what you have to say to me!" Again with the assertive attitude. It was just an attitude though, for Diane was shaking like a leaf behind her strong tone. If she had given in to his request and returned to the kitchen table, it would have taken him seconds to see that this was all false bravado.
Cole couldn't afford to play around, what he had to do today was probably one of his more important assignments. More lives were held in the balance today than had been ever before. This was a new avenue for him to explore and he was taking chances… something to make the game more interesting and worthwhile from his selfish point of view. Mostly he picked on self absorbed business men, or occasionally women; who thought themselves above common morality. There had been only one that survived his games. Stu Shepard had been his last case and the only one to make Cole reconsider his actions.
"Oh Diane; have no fear, my sweet; you will believe what I have to say…"
"Oh yeah! What makes you so sure, Cole? Why should I be paying any attention to you at all, right now? Why shouldn't I hang up this phone and walk away this minute?"
"Why, indeed?" Cole asked with a sinister tone. "My subjects have never remained this long before without threats… why do you think you have stayed on the phone to me all this time?"
She knew why she hadn't hung up, the moment she realised it was some weirdo calling her up. There were two reasons at first. She wanted to know what he knew about Gary and she also wanted to know how on earth he knew about her past.
Cole knew of another.
He was breathing softly down the phone; his breath was husky in his throat as though he smoked a little too much and there was an accent that she couldn't quite place; behind the false one he was using. The scratching and clicking of technical equipment was sure to be hiding his location. What else could she hear while she had a little time to think? There was a truck coming along the road outside and she could hear it echo down the receiver. He was close.
"No answer, for me, Diane? Maybe you wanted to know where Gary is." He left her time to reply but when nothing was said he answered for her. "Perhaps not… You don't get on with your husband do you Diane? He has very little time for you, is that why you aren't particularly bothered to know his whereabouts?"
"That's none of your business!" Diane retorted, defensively.
"Oh, it is so, Diane." He said with a mockingly playful tone. "You made it my business when you attracted my attention in the Briggatto Mall a few weeks back."
"Huh?" Again with the mocking and sinister laughter. Cole could make her skin crawl and her blood run cold. How could a disembodied voice, be giving her such strong feelings?
"Perhaps you remember me? You should do. I saw you watching me at the food hall deli; I saw the way you looked at me too. Or maybe you look at a lot of men like that, Diane; since Gary likes to put it elsewhere!"
"What? What are you talking about? Who are you?" Being caught out, window shopping when she was meant to be spending quality time with her kids, made her feel enormously guilty. She didn't make a habit of giving guys the once over but she couldn't deny it was true.
"It's okay Diane, I don't mind you looking. There was a time, a while ago that I wouldn't have appreciated a married woman mentally undressing me… but things change, don't they Diane? Sometimes people have needs that require outside assistance."
"Is that what you are talking about then, Cole? You want to assist me?" She was, of course, referring to some kind of sexual favour; and she believed, so was he. That wasn't what Cole had in mind, least if it was in his mind; it hadn't been part of the real plan.
"Momma, what's this say?" Abby asked holding out the brown envelope. Diane hushed her daughter and gave her a slight smile to show that she wasn't angry.
"Well Diane, as much as that offer makes my blood rush; that wasn't what I had in mind. As I said, I called you to impart to you, some information that I have come upon since you last saw me."
"Is Cole your real name?" asked the thirty-five year old woman, who right then felt like she was sixteen again with some warped crush. Thoughts swamped her mind and she tried desperately to seek out his face from her memories of that Christmas shopping trip to the mall. He had cropped blond hair and wore a tight fitting green t-shirt and black pants. He smiled kindly at the counter assistant and offered her the correct change in shiny silver dollars.
She couldn't remember a whole lot about him, other than the fact that he seemed much more polite than the average Christmas shopper on a Saturday afternoon; and that he had a nice butt. The later she definitely wasn't going to admit to.
"Would you believe my answer this time, any more than you did my previous one?" He asked; making her consider him even more.
Cole could see her shadow from the frosted glass in the front door. He watched as she shuffled about, rocking against the wood panelled wall.
"I might?" she replied softly. "Now that I know who you are?" She heard something in his voice then and was too busy listening for what she thought she recognised, to hear his answer.
"Fuck, Diane!" He snapped when he realised she hadn't been paying him full attention. "If this was me, a few months back, I'd have blown your head off by now." Thud! The shock caused Diane to fall back against the wall and hit her hip on the doorframe.
"Ouch!" she gasped as the pain washed over her and made her suck back the air through gritted teeth.
"Be careful and listen to me. I'm not messing about here. This isn't some plot to get you to go out with me, my dear. What I have to say is important and there is a lot more to this than what goes on in my pants!"
Diane couldn't help but laugh. It was completely inappropriate and she couldn't even begin to rationalise why she did it or why she was feeling this weird kind of attraction to a man who had just told her, he could kill her.
"You are a clever girl, my name isn't Cole. It's where I bought my shoes, if you must know. Now take that envelope that little Abby is holding and send the kiddies to play while you come back to the kitchen where I can see you."
"Why?" She snapped back at him, taking the envelope from her daughter and reading her name, neatly printed on the front in black ink. "Thank you, honey; you go with Jamie and Claire and play, okay precious?"
The Caller was happy to see that, Diane was doing as she was told so quickly. Perhaps this new plan to encourage morality in people was more effective than he'd imagined it to be. Killing people didn't seem so worthwhile anymore. It was beginning to seem like an 'eye for an eye', and that wasn't what he had in mind. He hadn't planned to let Stu go; he hadn't expected him to want to change. No one ever really meant it before; no one ever deserved a second chance before. But Diane was different.
"Okay, you see me now… whatever your name is? Tell me what you want and stop trying to screw with my head. You are upsetting my kids."
The Caller gazed at her through his rifle scope; his eyes running over her body like water flowing down a hillside waterfall… caressing every curve and swell.
"Yes, Diane. I see you. Now open the envelope; and by the way… my name's William but you can call me Will. That is, if you believe me this time?"
* * * * *
"Hello." answered a trembling voice.
"Hello Diane." The voice on the other end of the receiver whispered into her ear as though he were a secret lover rather than a complete stranger.
"Gary? Stop fooling around would you; I have so much to do today… You know I have to take James to the doctor's surgery. Why aren't you home to take care of the girls?"
"Diane, this isn't Gary." Said the man, with a soft and crumbling voice that seemed to search out her fears and latch onto them like a tic or a leech or something. "Your husband won't be home today…"
"What? Why? Who is this? Do you work with my husband, has something happened to him? Please tell me, I need to know." Diane was scared; something in this man's voice made her very nervous and awkward. He was commanding and unassailable and yet something about the way he spoke made her quiver inside.
"Diane, there are many things you need, my dear; knowing the whereabouts and condition of your husband is not high on the list right now."
"What do you mean 'his condition'?" she asked with an irritable tone. She hushed her son who was pulling on the tasselled sleeve of her grey cardigan. "Who are you? What is this about?"
"First things first Diane, please do not interrupt me. I don't like these sporadic comments of yours while I am trying to make my point. I will answer your questions in due time. Please respect me and I shall endeavour to show that same generosity towards you."
Thinking he had said his peace, Diane began to ask her questions. Obviously her male caller was not feeling generous.
"DIANE! I mean what I say! You will obey me… or I will not offer you any further opportunities…"
"Mommy, please? I want my chocolate milk… I did my spellings… please, Mom please?" whined Diane's nine year old son James, with tears in his pale blue eyes.
"Obey you? Who the hell are you? Why should I do anything you say anyway?" Diane spat down the receiver with a furrowed brow and a nervous twitch in her grey blue, left eye.
"You will obey me Diane; simply because I ask you to. I know you Diane Elizabeth Cartwright, born 12th of January 1968 to a ranching family in err Prescott Arizona, I believe…"
Diane didn't know what to say; her father had a mental breakdown when she was six years old and the ranch that had been passed down the Peterson family for generations was burnt to the ground, with her mother and two older brothers inside. There was no one who knew about that part of her history… not even Gary.
"How do you know that? Who are you?" She asked uneasily.
"Now… I'm not sure about this… I never disclose my name to anyone, usually." He paused as though contemplating something far greater than telling the woman his name. Perhaps the worthiness of a political debate or the plight of the third world…
"My name is Cole." She didn't know how privileged she was to hold such information; for that matter she didn't know much about the man who had called himself Cole and had been monopolising her days schedule for the past six minutes.
"Well, Cole; what do you want from me?" she asked with a new found strength to her tone. Somehow being able to use his name in the flippant way he kept slurring hers, made her feel like she could fight back. Cole laughed softly and Diane felt that quiver rush through her body again.
"All I ask is your permission." He seemed to want to say more, so Diane waited patiently; for some reason feeling afraid to disobey him again.
"My permission, for what?" She asked after enough silence to cause the hairs to stand up on the back of her neck. She rubbed her dishwater soft hands over her neck and down her throat and over the swell of her cleavage. Cole gave a gentle sigh and took a deep slow breath.
"You are a very beautiful woman Diane… very beautiful indeed." Diane felt herself blush a little and that little girl's giggle escaped her lips as she tried to contest Cole's flattery.
"That's generous, Cole, but if you can see what I look like right now…"
"Grey woollen cardigan, over and pale blue tapered blouse and charcoal pants… do I need to go further?" She looked shocked and that quiver inside turned quickly to a chill. "I must say that I find your maroon vest far more alluring, but the black lace is good over that milky white complexion all the same."
Diane stood up and walked towards the kitchen window closest to her. Apprehensively she looked out across the street, towards the abandoned house three doors down. It was the obvious place, and had a perfect view to her bedroom window.
"How do you know me, Cole? What do you want from me?" Diane asked, trying to control the pitch and strength of her voice.
"I told you what I want, Diane. I want your blessing…"
"My blessing, for what? Are you going to hurt me? Where are you? I know you can see me, but this isn't fair; I want to speak to you properly… face to face."
"I can't do that, Diane. I'm sorry…" This was getting a little too freaky for her by this point and she began to cry. Her son was concerned and tried to hold her hand, but she couldn't risk Cole seeing him too. What if he could hurt her?
"James, I'm fine; please go and play with your sisters in the lounge." She wiped at her eyes and sobbed into the palms of her hands. "Where is Gary? Just tell me what you want and leave me alone… why are you doing this to me?"
"Diane, don't cry." The man on the phone wasn't really trying to comfort her and the words were barked almost as strongly as one of his orders. Still that unnerving quiver inside her wouldn't quit. There was something strange about Cole, something familiar.
"I'm not sure you are ready for me to tell you what I want…" Cole began to explain. His voice was soft and gentle and almost managed to lull her into a sense of false security. But Diane Cartwright wasn't as weak as she could come across. Losing everyone who had been dear to her, forced her to be strong, forced her to survive; whatever Cole wanted with her… she was determined he would not get it.
"I want to know where you are… I won't tell you anything… I will put this phone down right now if you don't tell me what the hell it is that you want with me."
"That wouldn't be wise, Diane. That really wouldn't be a wise decision."
"I'm hanging up. I'm sick of this shit; I wish I'd never picked up this Goddamn phone. I was about to take my son to the doctor…"
"I know Diane; he is depressed isn't he? Has trouble sleeping; a lot of nightmares. Can't concentrate in school and doesn't like to play with the other children."
Now Diane thought herself a good mother, she worked a lot more than she wanted to; Gary was useless at his job and had lost more that year than they'd had months pass them by. She did what she had to; it was her way.
Moving quickly she went to the lounge room and hushed the three children with her fingers. Since James had already explained to his two younger sisters that Mommy was a bit sad; they did as asked, immediately. Quietly she ushered them into the dinning room and from there, into the back hall.
"Diane, what do you think you are doing?" Cole said as she wandered in bare feet through the dimly lit hall with the cordless phone pressed between her shoulder and her left ear. "Come back to the kitchen where I can see you properly, right now."
"F…Forget it! I'll only come out when I can see you too." Cole laughed to himself; a cracking, scolding laughter. She felt stronger now; she felt she could stand up to the torment of this stranger, but that laughter was enough to make her doubt herself again.
"You want to see me?" Cole asked as though he were inviting her to see something clandestine and private. "What difference would it make for you to be able to see me when I impart my knowledge to you?"
Diane hadn't noticed her youngest daughter creep away from their little group. She was trying to calm her son who in turn had got himself rather distraught trying to figure out what was going on with his mother. She didn't notice as Abby picked up a small brown envelope and tried to recognise what the letters on the front meant.
"Well Cole, if I could see you, maybe I would be more likely to believe what you have to say to me!" Again with the assertive attitude. It was just an attitude though, for Diane was shaking like a leaf behind her strong tone. If she had given in to his request and returned to the kitchen table, it would have taken him seconds to see that this was all false bravado.
Cole couldn't afford to play around, what he had to do today was probably one of his more important assignments. More lives were held in the balance today than had been ever before. This was a new avenue for him to explore and he was taking chances… something to make the game more interesting and worthwhile from his selfish point of view. Mostly he picked on self absorbed business men, or occasionally women; who thought themselves above common morality. There had been only one that survived his games. Stu Shepard had been his last case and the only one to make Cole reconsider his actions.
"Oh Diane; have no fear, my sweet; you will believe what I have to say…"
"Oh yeah! What makes you so sure, Cole? Why should I be paying any attention to you at all, right now? Why shouldn't I hang up this phone and walk away this minute?"
"Why, indeed?" Cole asked with a sinister tone. "My subjects have never remained this long before without threats… why do you think you have stayed on the phone to me all this time?"
She knew why she hadn't hung up, the moment she realised it was some weirdo calling her up. There were two reasons at first. She wanted to know what he knew about Gary and she also wanted to know how on earth he knew about her past.
Cole knew of another.
He was breathing softly down the phone; his breath was husky in his throat as though he smoked a little too much and there was an accent that she couldn't quite place; behind the false one he was using. The scratching and clicking of technical equipment was sure to be hiding his location. What else could she hear while she had a little time to think? There was a truck coming along the road outside and she could hear it echo down the receiver. He was close.
"No answer, for me, Diane? Maybe you wanted to know where Gary is." He left her time to reply but when nothing was said he answered for her. "Perhaps not… You don't get on with your husband do you Diane? He has very little time for you, is that why you aren't particularly bothered to know his whereabouts?"
"That's none of your business!" Diane retorted, defensively.
"Oh, it is so, Diane." He said with a mockingly playful tone. "You made it my business when you attracted my attention in the Briggatto Mall a few weeks back."
"Huh?" Again with the mocking and sinister laughter. Cole could make her skin crawl and her blood run cold. How could a disembodied voice, be giving her such strong feelings?
"Perhaps you remember me? You should do. I saw you watching me at the food hall deli; I saw the way you looked at me too. Or maybe you look at a lot of men like that, Diane; since Gary likes to put it elsewhere!"
"What? What are you talking about? Who are you?" Being caught out, window shopping when she was meant to be spending quality time with her kids, made her feel enormously guilty. She didn't make a habit of giving guys the once over but she couldn't deny it was true.
"It's okay Diane, I don't mind you looking. There was a time, a while ago that I wouldn't have appreciated a married woman mentally undressing me… but things change, don't they Diane? Sometimes people have needs that require outside assistance."
"Is that what you are talking about then, Cole? You want to assist me?" She was, of course, referring to some kind of sexual favour; and she believed, so was he. That wasn't what Cole had in mind, least if it was in his mind; it hadn't been part of the real plan.
"Momma, what's this say?" Abby asked holding out the brown envelope. Diane hushed her daughter and gave her a slight smile to show that she wasn't angry.
"Well Diane, as much as that offer makes my blood rush; that wasn't what I had in mind. As I said, I called you to impart to you, some information that I have come upon since you last saw me."
"Is Cole your real name?" asked the thirty-five year old woman, who right then felt like she was sixteen again with some warped crush. Thoughts swamped her mind and she tried desperately to seek out his face from her memories of that Christmas shopping trip to the mall. He had cropped blond hair and wore a tight fitting green t-shirt and black pants. He smiled kindly at the counter assistant and offered her the correct change in shiny silver dollars.
She couldn't remember a whole lot about him, other than the fact that he seemed much more polite than the average Christmas shopper on a Saturday afternoon; and that he had a nice butt. The later she definitely wasn't going to admit to.
"Would you believe my answer this time, any more than you did my previous one?" He asked; making her consider him even more.
Cole could see her shadow from the frosted glass in the front door. He watched as she shuffled about, rocking against the wood panelled wall.
"I might?" she replied softly. "Now that I know who you are?" She heard something in his voice then and was too busy listening for what she thought she recognised, to hear his answer.
"Fuck, Diane!" He snapped when he realised she hadn't been paying him full attention. "If this was me, a few months back, I'd have blown your head off by now." Thud! The shock caused Diane to fall back against the wall and hit her hip on the doorframe.
"Ouch!" she gasped as the pain washed over her and made her suck back the air through gritted teeth.
"Be careful and listen to me. I'm not messing about here. This isn't some plot to get you to go out with me, my dear. What I have to say is important and there is a lot more to this than what goes on in my pants!"
Diane couldn't help but laugh. It was completely inappropriate and she couldn't even begin to rationalise why she did it or why she was feeling this weird kind of attraction to a man who had just told her, he could kill her.
"You are a clever girl, my name isn't Cole. It's where I bought my shoes, if you must know. Now take that envelope that little Abby is holding and send the kiddies to play while you come back to the kitchen where I can see you."
"Why?" She snapped back at him, taking the envelope from her daughter and reading her name, neatly printed on the front in black ink. "Thank you, honey; you go with Jamie and Claire and play, okay precious?"
The Caller was happy to see that, Diane was doing as she was told so quickly. Perhaps this new plan to encourage morality in people was more effective than he'd imagined it to be. Killing people didn't seem so worthwhile anymore. It was beginning to seem like an 'eye for an eye', and that wasn't what he had in mind. He hadn't planned to let Stu go; he hadn't expected him to want to change. No one ever really meant it before; no one ever deserved a second chance before. But Diane was different.
"Okay, you see me now… whatever your name is? Tell me what you want and stop trying to screw with my head. You are upsetting my kids."
The Caller gazed at her through his rifle scope; his eyes running over her body like water flowing down a hillside waterfall… caressing every curve and swell.
"Yes, Diane. I see you. Now open the envelope; and by the way… my name's William but you can call me Will. That is, if you believe me this time?"