His fingers tapped the keyboard as he entered the time and coordinates for the jump he planned. If everything went well, he would appear at the same drainage ditch as Wells. That was where he’d last seen Joe on that fateful day, and he wanted to be there again.
Leaving the office, he went to the closet in his bedroom and opened the door. Hanging in the back corner was a uniform. Dark-green shirt, brown pants, a city water and power crest stitched to both shoulders. A truck belonging to the city had been parked nearby on the day he and his friends were there. The person drove away before they entered the tunnel, but he planned to change that this time. He reached up on the closet shelf and pulled down a plain wooden cigar box. Inside, wrapped in an old rag, was a .38 revolver.
His imagination kicked in as he envisioned what would happen. He would use the gun to scare the city worker and then tie him up. Using his truck, Michael would hide in the cab and keep watch on the ditch. He wanted to see what happened to Joe and change the outcome. He put the uniform and the gun back in the closet and went out to the living room.
Heather was sitting on the sofa, the dog lying on her lap; her arms were holding his furry neck. She glanced up at Michael as he came out of the hallway. Anger filled her eyes. He sat down next to her.
“I’m sorry for what happened. I wasn’t prepared for the way Wells disappeared, but he came back okay, didn’t he?” He wasn’t sure, but at least there weren’t any glaring signs the dog had been changed by the experience. She swiped away the tears before she spoke.
“I’m not mad at you. I was just afraid. He seemed scared just before he disappeared and that terrified me, I guess. I don’t want to be in there tomorrow when you go. I’ll be a basket case waiting until you get back. Please tell me you’ll be okay.” Tears were flowing again, and her voice was choked.
He smiled and touched her arm. He wanted to console her, to chase away her fears, but he wasn’t certain of anything. “Nothing is going to go wrong.” He lied just to see her smile again.
They ate leftovers for supper and watched television in silence until bedtime. Wells went out the patio doors a couple of times and returned as he always did. His appetite hadn’t diminished, emptying his usual bowl of kibble with a belch. The rest of the evening, he spent on the rug in front of the fireplace. He’d taken it as his bed.
Chapter 18
Plates and pans clattered in the kitchen. Michael sat up in bed anxious to meet the next few hours. He showered, put on the uniform, and walked out to the kitchen. The doorbell rang as he was pouring a mug of coffee.
Jon stood on the step smiling. Michael moved back and realized with alarm, Wells hadn’t run to the door.
“Come on in, Jon. You know where the cups and coffee are so help yourself. Heather’s just making breakfast.” The sense of dread deepened in his stomach. He followed Richter and glanced over to the fireplace. Wells’ rug was empty. He relaxed a little and decided the dog must be outside.
“Good morning,” Jon said to Heather as he poured coffee.
“Morning, how do you like your eggs?”
“Whatever’s easy,” he said. “I’ll eat anything you cook.”
She made a face Michael had seen several times in the past. This was her “make up your mind” face.
Wells barked at the patio doors to be let in. Michael opened the door. The dog didn’t stop to say hello, thank you, or kiss my ass, and went straight for Jon, nearly bowling him over.
“He’s pissed off at me, isn’t he?” Michael grumbled.
Heather dropped the spatula in the pan and turned to glare at him. Holding up his hands in a defensive gesture, he retrieved his mug from the counter.
“So, what do you think you’ll find back then?” Richter asked Michael. He’d felt the tension in the room, so he kept his voice low.
“I’m not sure, but as long as I can see what happens to Joe, I’ll be happy.”
“The uniform’s part of some sort of disguise?” Richter asked with a wave of his cup.
“I remember a city utility worker in the area the day he disappeared, so I thought I’d take his place.”
“Hmm.” Jon frowned and sipped his coffee.
Michael saw the suspicious look in Richter’s eyes. “I just want to borrow his truck. He’s not going to get hurt.”
Jon stared at Michael for a moment. “I know from experience that my new boss is about to do something against the law. Even if it is in the past, there might be repercussions from your actions. You don’t seem like the sort of person who could disable another man without some kind of weapon. You’re taking a gun aren’t you?”
Michael couldn’t maintain eye contact. He nodded.
“What? You’re taking a gun? Michael, what the hell are you thinking?” Heather dropped the plate on the table to underline her words. Michael looked at Jon, glaring his displeasure at the new security manager. The doorbell rang.
Billy didn’t wait for someone to answer and just walked in.
“Mornin’ all,” he called as the door slammed behind him. “Smells good. I’m just in time.”
“Help yourselves,” Heather growled and stormed down the hall toward the bedroom.
“Should I know what’s been happening around here?” Billy asked, standing by the table.
“No,” Michael snapped. He plated food for Billy and Jon and took the one Heather had dropped on the table. The men ate silently. Wells sat on his haunches watching Jon, drool forming a puddle on the floor as the beads fell from his tongue.
Despite the frozen rock sitting in his stomach, Michael managed to eat everything. He put the empty dish in the sink, refilled his mug, and went quietly down the hall. The computer monitor was on but blank except for the cursor.
“Run a final diagnostic, Dawn,” he ordered and sat in the chair. The bedroom door opened across the hall, and Heather appeared in the doorway. She’d been crying, her eyes red and swollen. The tears were gone now, and her face was filled with fear.
“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid back there,” she whispered.
Michael stood and hugged her tightly. “The gun isn’t even loaded,” he said into her neck and kissed her there. She pushed away looking up into his eyes.
“This isn’t going to work, Michael. You’re going to get hurt or hurt someone by going back there. Stay here with me and forget this crazy idea.” Her hands were like claws on the front of his shirt. He shook his head and went across the hall to the closet. Retrieving the gun from the cigar case, he tucked the weapon into the back of his pants and returned to the computer room.
Richter and Billy were standing in the doorway. Heather had gone back out to the living room.
“Stay away from the table and the box,” he told the men as he pushed between them.
“I’m going with you,” Jon said then. Michael turned sharply on his heel.
“I don’t know if I can send both of us at the same time. Even if I could, this isn’t your time or your problem.”
“I’m your head of security and I told you that included being with you wherever you go. The only way I’ll be certain you’re safe is to go back in time with you and make sure you won’t get beat up by the city employee when you try to steal his truck.”
Michael digested the problem. There was only one cell phone for the computer to lock onto and return them safely. He began to shake his head, but an idea came to him.
“If we stay together, can you bring us back together, Dawn?” Lights flashed on the computer, but she remained silent. He glanced at the monitor, but there was nothing there either.
“I have computed the percentage of success at ninety-eight percent possible.”
The sound coming out of both Billy and Jon was as if they’d both been punched in the gut.
“You made it talk,” Billy finally gasped.
“Never mind for now. I’ll tell you all about that when we get back. Just sit in that chair and don’t touch anything.” He was frowning and trying to organize on the fly. “L
ie down on the table,” he ordered Jon. “I’m going to use the phone booth. When we get there, do exactly as I say or we aren’t coming back and time will be changed for both of us.” Jon nodded and settled onto the table. Michael squeezed into the booth. “Ready,” he said to Dawn.
The computer cranked up, lights flashed, a glow appeared in the booth and around the table. Slowly, Billy saw both men begin to disappear and then they were gone. He finally let out a gasp, releasing the breath he had been holding.
Two men materialized among the sections of concrete drainage pipe waiting to be installed into the ground. One was dressed as a city employee and the other in jeans and golf shirt.
Michael turned slowly, matching what he saw with the memory of that day thirty years before. Everything was the same. His head swiveled quickly, scanning for the worker. There he was, sitting in his truck fifty feet away. The man seemed to be sleeping. Michael nudged Jon, and they ambled toward the vehicle.
The side window was rolled down half way. Five feet away, Jon placed a hand on Michael’s chest to make him stop and then stepped up to the truck. His left hand softly pressed the button on the handle to open the door; the motion seemed to take hours. Michael stood still watching as Richter yanked the door and grabbed the man’s face. He pulled him out of the truck, slamming his left knee into the man’s head before he knew what was happening. The action was over in seconds, no fuss, no mess, and almost no sound.
Michael helped Jon hoist the worker into the seat once more, sliding the unconscious body to the middle. He climbed into the driver’s side, and Richter ran around to the passenger’s side. Michael saw three boys on the edge of the ditch as he shut his door. They were chattering and sitting in the dirt. He knew who they were, and that knowledge made his heart skip a beat.
“We’re here,” he muttered with relief. His mind shifted position, throwing him back thirty years to across the ditch. Words exchanged between friends floated into his memory, and his heart ached to be this close to finding the truth. He started the truck and backed behind a storage shed nearby, but only far enough to appear out of sight. The entrance to the tunnel was still visible.
The three boys slid down the slope of the ditch as soon as they figured he couldn’t see them any longer. He watched as they entered the tunnel. “We go as far as the dark and then come back out.”
“What?” Jon asked. Michael had been thinking aloud.
“I’m one of those kids; the one with the tape on his arms. We go into the tunnel until we can’t see anymore and then we come out. That’s when Joe runs home to get flashlights.” The three boys emerged from the culvert. They climbed the slope of the ditch once more and sat in the dirt. One boy ran off, leaving the other two.
“Why didn’t you wait for him to get back? You knew he would.”
“We couldn’t wait, or we’d have gotten skinned by our parents,” Michael moaned. “Joe’s mom didn’t mind as much as mine or Billy’s. He could pretty much do anything he wanted. Look, we’re leaving.”
They watched as the two boys walked away. Ten minutes had passed before Joe came back. He seemed upset by the fact that his friends weren’t there, stomping his feet and waving his arms as he talked to nobody. Moments later, he slid down into the ditch and entered the tunnel.
Michael craned his neck, hoping he’d see what was happening but knew there was no hope.
“We have to–” his words were cut off as a scruffy man in dirty clothes came shuffling up the street from the direction he and Billy had gone. “I don’t remember seeing him,” he whispered. They watched the man stop, look around suspiciously, and then slide into the tunnel.
“Who’s he?” Jon demanded. Michael shook his head, shocked at what he was seeing. “Are we just going to sit here or are we going in there to see what’s happening?”
“We can’t interfere,” Michael groaned. “If we go inside, my history could change. All I wanted to know was what happened to Joe, but if he gets killed in there, I’ll never know.”
His hand dropped to the lever on the inside of the door. He wanted very badly to go into that tunnel and find out the truth, but he knew in his soul he couldn’t. He’d just have to wait and see what happened.
Thirty minutes ticked by. After an hour, Joe suddenly appeared at the mouth of the tunnel with the shabby man. They were acting like best friends. His hand rested on the boy’s shoulder, and Joe was looking up at him, smiling. Michael frowned.
This wasn’t what he’d expected to find. Joe waved goodbye and began scrambling up the side of the ditch. When he reached the top, he turned and waved once more before walking away. Something about the way Joe walked suggested he was happy. Michael had seen him this way many times before. The hands stuffed in the pockets, the saunter, all signs he was feeling good about his experience.
“I don’t understand,” he groaned. “He never arrived home.”
“Something must’ve happened on the way then,” Jon said from the other side of the truck. His voice broke into Michael’s thoughts like a gunshot in the silence. He jumped nervously.
“Obviously, but what? The police questioned me after Joe disappeared. I told them everything I could remember, including the three of us being here. They must have grilled people between this ditch and Joe’s house to see if anyone witnessed anything. The old guy down there must have done something. There’s no way Joe would’ve gone near somebody like that, not without a reason.” Michael stared out the window, watching his friend walking down the street and the old man as he trudged back into the tunnel.
“What if we follow him home? We’d be able to see what happens to him.” Jon whispered. He could almost see the tension and disappointment coming off his boss in waves.
Michael’s head snapped around to stare at him. The elation he felt at that moment was greater than when he’d built his first computer. He started the truck, and they drove slowly out onto the nearby street. No more than a minute passed before they turned onto the road where Joe would be walking. The boy was gone.
“What the hell,” Michael yelled and slammed on the brakes. Jon jerked forward, but his arms saved him from slamming into the dash. He glanced sideways, anger in his eyes. “He’s gone, Jon. Joe is gone, but there’s no way he could have run out of sight in that little time. The nearest shortcut is at the next corner. I don’t understand. I just don’t know how or where he disappeared, so I’m no closer to solving the problem than I was at breakfast this morning.”
“I see what you mean. He must have been snatched off the road by someone in a car. Did you see any other vehicles? I didn’t.”
Michael released the pressure on the brake and pulled the truck to the side of the road. His head was shaking from side to side, his mouth set in a grim line.
“That’s the only thing that makes sense, but we should have seen something. What else is there? How does somebody just vanish? You’re the abduction expert. Do you know any solution to this?” Michael waved toward the front window to indicate the place where Joe had been walking. Jon shook his head sadly.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. Maybe somebody at your office could come up with a scientific explanation, but I’m as confused as you.” He shrugged and sat back in the seat.
“We’ll need to go back to the future, and maybe try this again in a different location. I was hoping that one trip into the past would be enough, but I guess nothing is that simple.” He sighed and reached for the altered cell phone in his pants pocket. Empty, the phone was gone. His hands frantically searched his pants, under the unconscious man next to him, and under the seat.
“What’s wrong?” Jon asked.
“The contact phone is gone. I must have dropped it when we snuck up on this guy. Without the device, we won’t be returning to the future.”
He jerked the truck into gear and made a U-turn in the middle of the street. The tires chirped as he sped back to the other side of the drainage ditch. Bumping and bouncing across the rough ground, Michael guided
the vehicle along what he thought were the tire tracks made earlier.
“I think this is the spot,” he said slamming the gear lever into park. “I’ll just check under the seat and then we can look around outside. If you go over there to where we landed,” he nodded in the direction with his head, “I’ll start at the truck and work my way toward you.” Jon nodded his understanding. Michael stepped out and searched under the seat and every possible hiding spot inside the cab. He closed the door, looked on the ground, and began walking slowly toward Jon.
“Found it,” Jon shouted from ten feet away.
Michael pumped a fist in the air before jogging over to him and taking the phone. A final glance at the worker in the truck showed he was still unconscious. There was a moment of tension as Michael made sure everything was functional before he pressed several numbers on the pad. The scene around them dimmed to be replaced by bright, shifting lights and then the computer room at the house grew visible.
“Yes,” Billy shouted. “That didn’t take long. How was it?”
Sam stood silent and smiling in the doorway.
Jon sat up slowly, and Michael stepped out of the phone booth. He wore a sad expression. “I don’t know any more now than I did before. We have to go back again. How long were we gone?” He dropped into the chair at the desk and typed some words into the computer. His voice and body language were all business—cold, detached.
“You were gone for a minute thirty.” Billy sounded confused. Jon seemed shocked, but Michael knew there would be a difference in the time span.
“Time at one end is slower than on the other,” he explained patiently. “In order to travel through time, you have to bend space. Imagine water flowing along a riverbed. The straight stretches are usually calm and slow, but get into a bend in the river, and the flow speeds up. Time there is like the straight stretch moving along with no hurry. Here is like the bend in the river. Five minutes here is like an hour there.”
Jon, Sam, and Billy nodded their understanding, but Michael could see they weren’t entirely convinced. He grinned and went out to get a cup of coffee.
An Altered Course Page 21