Charlotte stared hard while Cyrano continued.
“Not to bore you with details, it is a surgical technique that replaces all a patient’s blood with a solution to cool the body down. This gives doctors the time to fix injuries without losing patients to blood loss. We here at TEMPUS are going one step further. We are doing the very real research that involves cryosleep. It is not too dissimilar from what you’ve probably seen in movies. We are experimenting with sedatives, IV drips, catheters, and a genuine cooling of the body to slow the body’s metabolism down.”
“And what will this be used for?” Charlotte asked.
“For space travel and, how should I say? For wealthy people who may want to live very long lives. They are our main donors.”
Charlotte lowered her eyes. “I see. Obviously, TEMPUS has nothing to do with time travel then?”
“No, Charlotte. I’m afraid time travel is the stuff of science fiction and romance novels.”
Charlotte slid the manila envelope across the table to Cyrano. Their eyes met, his concerned, hers determined. “Would you please read the contents of that envelope and give me your impression? One account is from a woman named Charlotte Wilson. The other account is from me. I think you’ll find them, if nothing else, at least fascinating.”
Cyrano ran his hand across the envelope. “Who are you, Charlotte?”
“When you read that account, then you’ll know. Shall I stay while you read? I promise, it will be worth your time.”
Cyrano appeared doubtful.
“You are in that account,” Charlotte said, waiting for his reaction.
His eyebrows lifted. “I… How could I?”
His voice trailed off as he took the envelope, opened it and tugged out the hand-written manuscript. He flipped through some pages, casually skimming them. When his eyes lifted, they held irritation. “Is this some kind of prank?”
Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t know what it is. After you have finished reading it, perhaps you’ll be able to tell me.”
Charlotte rose to her feet. “Perhaps I should return this afternoon?”
Cyrano nodded. “If you wish…”
Charlotte returned at 3:30 that afternoon. Once again, the secretary escorted her to the conference room, where Cyrano and a woman were waiting. The woman introduced herself as Kim Stein. She was in her 40s and quite thin, with large startling dark eyes. Tattoos covered her entire left arm, and she exuded warmth and friendliness.
After they were all seated, Cyrano tapped the manila envelope with a finger and looked pensive.
“I hope you don’t mind that I made a copy and allowed Kim to read your account as well.”
“Not at all,” Charlotte said.
Kim said, “According to the account, you met the woman who claimed to have time traveled, was an older version of you, and helped save your family from perishing in a fire?”
“Yes. As you have read, I met her, and as you can imagine, it was a rather startling and unforgettable experience.”
Kim swung her gaze first to Cyrano and then back to Charlotte. “Charlotte, it is not our place to challenge or doubt you. We at TEMPUS can only say we have absolutely no knowledge of this.”
“Then how do you explain it? How do you explain that both of you are mentioned at various times in the account? How do you explain that in June 1968, a man appeared at our apartment and handed me that envelope?”
Cyrano held Charlotte’s eyes. “We can’t explain it.”
He spread his hands, then closed them. “It is an extraordinary story. Beyond that, I have no rational explanation. Perhaps the writer’s intention was to write a novel, a very entertaining novel, but nothing more than that.”
Charlotte sat quietly for a time, finally focusing her eyes on them. “When I was a young woman, I was all appetite and ambition. That woman in the account saved me, and she saved my family. I left the NSA in 1970, went back to school and became a psychologist, specializing in family counseling. I retired six years ago. It was a very rewarding career. My two daughters married and had children, and now I have five grandchildren and one great grandchild. My husband, Paul, is still in good health. We have been married almost fifty-five years. None of it would have happened if that woman… whoever she was… had not met me and warned me.”
Charlotte paused, thoughtfully, before continuing. “If you were able to help her return to 1968, then I thank you, and please thank the entire team. By the way, is Alex Mason around?”
Charlotte shrewdly measured their reaction. There was none.
Cyrano said, “No, Charlotte. We don’t know an Alex Mason. He has never worked with us in any capacity.”
Charlotte arose. “Well, then. I’ll be going. Thank you for your time.”
Cyrano and Kim stood up. “Charlotte, would you mind if we kept this account? Just as a kind of reference, mind you?”
Charlotte flashed a hint of a smile. “No… keep it. I won’t be needing it anymore. For me, it’s all finished.”
After she was gone, Kim and Cyrano sat in a loud silence.
“Do you think she knew?” Kim asked.
Cyrano pursed his lips up in thought and tented his fingers. “The old Charlotte would have. I suspect Charlotte Two has her suspicions… but I do believe, as she said, it is all finished for her. The old NSA discipline in her will keep her quiet, and that was another reason we chose the old Charlotte to begin with, wasn’t it? I firmly believe she will respect the integrity of this ongoing project.”
“Too bad about Alex,” Kim said, sadly. “You’re sure the photos were accurate?”
“Yes, as I believe I mentioned just the other day, Dieter managed to find the CIA file from June 5th and the events surrounding Alex’s death. The photos of his deceased body confirmed he was killed, but the details had been purged. I wonder what went wrong? Obviously, old Charlotte didn’t know.”
“I suppose we’ll never know,” Kim said.
Cyrano eased back, tapping the end of his nose with a finger. “Frankly, I was never very enthusiastic about his mission. I went along with it because, without him, we would have never gotten TEMPUS off the ground. Frankly, I never thought the whole piggyback thing would work. I’m surprised he made it to 1968.”
Kim smiled. “Should we contact the rest of the team and break out a bottle of Champagne?”
Cyrano nodded. “Oh yes, more than one. After all, we have just learned that after years of wandering in the dark, and three failures, we have finally made time travel a reality.”
“Have you decided what our next project will be?”
Cyrano stood and reached for the manila envelope. “We have several candidates to consider. I suggest we drink some Champagne and then get right to it.”
As they were about to leave the room, Cyrano turned to Kim with an outstretched hand.
“By the way, well done.”
Charlotte started her car, left the parking lot and entered the flow of traffic, heading toward Chevy Chase, Maryland. She glanced back into her rearview mirror at the three-story red brick building she’d just left, with its dark green zig-zag fire escape. She lowered her sunglasses and began to laugh. Her laugh was small at first, just an intimate, personal laugh, but then it swelled and deepened, until it reached a zenith and then faded back into a reflective smile.
She took a detour to the Willard Hotel and parked across the street from it, and her mind drifted and remembered Jay Anderson. They’d met only once, when he’d handed her the manila envelope all those years ago. Their conversation had been polite and brief. There were many things she had wanted to ask, but he hadn’t lingered.
When a text dinged in from Paul, asking where she was, she swung the car back into traffic and started home. Paul was anxiously waiting. They’d already started packing for their second honeymoon to Paris, but they had much left to do before their flight the next day.
In Paris, they would be just two old American tourists, relaxing in the sidewalk cafes, lingering in the mus
eums and enjoying the rich food and wine. They would wander the streets together, sharing their love and all their golden memories.
And while in Paris, Charlotte would enter Notre-Dame Cathedral and light a candle for her, for the woman who had saved her life and her family’s lives. On her knees, Charlotte would whisper a prayer, thanking the woman for a full and rich life. For a beautiful life.
Thank You!
Thank you for taking the time to read Time Sensitive. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and it is much appreciated.
Thank you,
Elyse Douglas
Other novels by Elyse Douglas that you might enjoy:
The Christmas Diary
The Summer Diary
The Other Side of Summer
The Christmas Women
The Christmas Eve Letter (A Time Travel Novel) Book 1
The Christmas Eve Daughter (A Time Travel Novel) Book 2
The Lost Mata Hari Ring (A Time Travel Novel)
The Christmas Town (A Time Travel Novel)
The Summer Letters
The Date Before Christmas
Christmas Ever After
Christmas for Juliet
The Christmas Bridge
Wanting Rita
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Time Sensitive Page 13