“But how do you know us if we haven't met yet?”
“That, Gilbert, is for you to answer. Perhaps you should engage this Turing fellow to assist you.”
“That's probably a terrible idea. I'm not taking that chance, Winston. And you have enough on your plate as it is. So wish me luck.”
“Still a cheeky one, I'm glad to see. See you in about nine years.”
“Before I go, may I ask you a question?”
“Of course. I may not have the answer, but ask away.”
“Why did you follow us? The first time we visited you.”
He eyed me critically before he responded. “Gilbert, for most of my adult life, I have been called upon to make decisions, and to judge men whose character I would rely on. To venture into the past, as you did, required courage. You did not know what you would find. Yet you came anyway. Only a fool would accept your statements without a sense of who you were, are. I trusted from that brief assessment that you both were trustworthy. And your doorway was like nothing we have seen before. Knowing the world has a future gives me hope. You and your friend gave me the push to step forward. I wish you luck in finding him. Do come again.”
“If you see Fritz, have him write a note to tell me where I can find him, if you would. If I can I'll pop by from time to time to see how you're doing. And Winston, KBO.” He waved.
Chapter 15
Ashley
WHEN I RETURNED, the lights in my classroom were still on. That meant the custodians were probably still around. I tapped the doorknob. The storms over, the portal closed, and no closer to finding Fritz, I cleared my desk, grabbed my keys and started for home. Before I reached the parking lot, my phone buzzed.
“Where have you been?”
“Hi Natalie, how goes your day?”
“Where are you now?”
“Just leaving school. Why?”
“Stay put. Brian Shaw just called me. Sandy O'Connor had a car accident. She blamed you.”
“Me? I haven't left here. Well, not the school property anyway.”
“I'll be there in five minutes.”
I walked across the parking lot to my, well, other me's, car. Intending to sit and wait for her, I saw it had been damaged, hit broadside. “Now what?” Obviously, someone had stolen it, had an accident and brought it back. Within five minutes, her yellow V-dub turned into the lot and pulled up next to me. She told me to get in, and in seconds, we were on a back street, headed where I didn't have a clue.
“Where were you?”
“Truth? Visiting Winston Churchill.” She stomped on the brake and the car stalled. “I took Sandy to meet Robert E. Lee and we went to see Hitler in jail. Ask her.”
“How did the car get smashed?”
“I don't know. I've been here.”
“She said she talked to you. She told the chief.”
“That's not possible. Unless … other me is back. But that shouldn't happen.” I retraced our visits.
“You better come up with a good reason. She didn't mention your trips to Brian. He's got you leaving the scene of an accident.”
“Wait. Be quiet for a minute. Let me think.” Could I have set the pinballs in motion, or did Fritz do something? Did speaking English to Hitler change him? Did telling Winston about Turing alter the war? “I think I crossed into another dimension, and other me had nowhere else to go, so he came back. I bumped him back here, and I think he's gone again. We can't both be here at the same time.”
She started the car and I asked her where she was going. To meet Chief Shaw at the diner.
Parked near the door, Chief Shaw leaned against the trunk of his police cruiser when the yellow car squeaked to a stop. She said to let her do the talking. She waved to him and climbed out. I stood by my door, not sure what to say.
“Mr. Gilbert, we need to talk. Frankly, I'm getting tired of seeing you. I didn't see you this much as a student.” His laugh relieved some of my tension.
“Chief, Nat told me what happened. It wasn't me.”
“I know. Sandy described what you were wearing and said you acted like you were disoriented, drunk or stoned. So I need to get the real story. Shall we have a cup of coffee?”
I glanced at Natalie, and she nodded, just enough that I would agree. “Sure, I'm buying.”
We sat at the same booth where Nat and I had been before. They both sat across from me and the waitress had her order pad out as soon as we sat.
“Brian, you and I have talked about Ashley's comments already. I asked him what happened, and I think I'm right.”
“Chief, this story is not believable, and I can't prove anything. I think I know what happened, and Sandy can verify some of it.” In as much detail as I could, I explained my presence in this version of Riverboro, what had brought me here, and what had occurred that afternoon. I only stopped when the waitress placed the coffee in front of me, and when Niko stopped to say hello. “If Sandy will admit what she saw, that will prove I'm telling the truth.”
“Mr. Gilbert, most people would think you were nuts. I don't. I've liked science fiction since the first Star Treks. The possibility of time travel has always fascinated me. But if it's real, then it's also very dangerous. But multiple dimensions? I never thought about that. So, all of us exist, at once, on multiple timelines. That's scarier than aliens—different me's.”
“That's why I called you Jim. In my world, you are training to be a secret service agent. The president sponsored him. 'Other you' has been through the portal, helped rescue him from terrorists.”
“Him? You mean her.”
“In my world, the new president here, is just leaving office. She lost the election this year.”
“Really. That's interesting. So you know this new guy?”
“I don't know. Maybe.”
“So what do we do now?” Nat asked.
“Do you know if you have car insurance? If your other is as disconnected as he seems, he may not have bothered.”
“I don't know. It should be in the glove compartment. Never thought about it. And he kept files of his bills and bank statements. Might be in the desk.”
“Linda probably paid the bills,” Nat said. “She is untidy about most things, but not money. And she was, is, whatever, always concerned to be above suspicion.”
“Linda? Linda Miller? What does she have to do with this?”
“She was living with Ashley, the other one. She left a few days ago.”
“Yeah, she didn't like this me.”
“Let's go check your car. Hopefully, the insurance will take care of the accident part of this, and I'll try to find out about Ms. O'Connor's time travels.”
“Probably be good if you ask her while I'm with you. That way she won't be afraid to admit it.”
“Then I'll meet you at school first thing in the morning. Let's go.”
We checked the insurance card, still good for a few months. I thanked Brian, and Nat and I sat in her car.
“How did he have a key?” I said, looking at my car. “I have my keys.” I took them out, to be sure.
“You, he, used to have one hidden in the wheel well. Magnetic box. Driver's side rear.” We got out again and checked. We found the metal container, but no key.
“This is getting crazier by the minute. And I can't go anywhere until we have another storm.” I ran my hand through my hair. Natalie laughed. “What?”
“Some things aren't different. Other you did the same thing.” She imitated my hand, through her hair. “So since you can't go anywhere now, I think you should buy me dinner.”
WHILE I TALKED, Natalie listened. When we dated in my other world, she rarely shut up. When I wandered, trying to understand what had happened since I arrived here, she asked pointed questions to keep me on track. I also had the chance to talk about me in my other life. I told her about Jane, and all the other women who had died after dating me. As I dug deeper, I found myself telling her things I hadn't ever said to Fritz and Linda, or to Jane.
�
��You really are someone else, aren't you?”
“No, I'm me. I've told you before. The portal changes things. I think these other dimensions, other parallel universes, reflect different choices people have made. And their consequences.”
“And if you find your friend, you'll be leaving. Too bad. Do you think if you go, that everything will go back to how it was before you got here? Here and where you came from?”
“I don't know. I think that we'll remember what's happened, but there won't be any proof. I think it'll be like déjà vu. Or maybe we'll remember exactly. If I can undo whatever Fritz did to start this, then maybe none of this would even have happened. We'll only know if I'm successful, or maybe we'll never know, because all this will be erased.”
“That's pretty confusing.”
“Yeah, it is.”
I paid the check and she drove me back to my car. I asked her to wait until I got moving. I only had to drive a few feet to know the car needed repairs, so I asked if she would follow me home. I inched the car along, and when I safely reached my driveway, she asked if she could come in.”
“You want me to give you a lift in the morning?”
“I get started early. Don't want to be a bother.”
“Ash, what if you're here, you know, permanently?”
Her question had more than one meaning. I tried to sidestep with “I don't know.” I told her that I would have a lot of decisions to make, and that I would need to mold my new life into one I could comfortably accept. In a number of ways, that had already begun. Especially at school.
“Can I have a drink?”
“Sure. Sorry. I should have offered. Soda or something else?” When I got up, she did too.
“You know, I can drive you to school easier if I don't have so far to go.” In my other world, I found Natalie attractive, but annoying. Here she wasn't annoying. But I had a job to do and as George Washington had warned, avoid entangling alliances. I don't know where that thought came from.
“I have a guest room. That's the best I can offer you.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Other you was easier.” She took a step back. “Soda.”
We sat at the kitchen table while I checked my plans for classes. I told her what I'd been doing, giving the kids questions to discuss. I asked her if she'd like to be a guest for my classes tomorrow. My question, I told her, would be pertinent. “What role should media have in politics?”
She asked if I could postpone that question, that she had other things to do, but could rearrange her schedule for later in the week. Since I had no particular plan, I told her to call me with the best day.
I thanked her when she left, told her I'd see her in the morning, and breathed a sigh of relief that I'd met the challenge. But, I had to consider the “what if” possibility.
Chapter 16
Jane
I WAS IN my PJs working on a report for the president. Koppler had skipped the country and his lawyer couldn't be found. After the debacle on Election Day, we had received a huge data dump from James Sapphire and to our surprise, from the Eledorian bank where so much of the Caballeros money had originated. As many times as the president had said that my feelings were scary, this information confirmed everything. Koppler had devised a plan for both enormous wealth and control of companies and governments. Fritz had continually asked why, and I could only conclude that only a massive egomaniac would go to these extremes. With all the money and power he had accumulated, what more could he possibly want? He wouldn't be able to spend it, with everyone hunting him. No one had benefitted except him, and from what I could tell, his massive wealth had accumulated, long before this all started.
I saved my report, closed the computer, and had reached for the light switch when the front door opened. Ashley took two steps in, looked around, went outside and glanced at the house number before coming back inside.
“Hi Ash. I'm in here.” I was on my feet.
“Who are you? Where's Linda?”
I needed all my control to keep from getting my pistol.
“Ash, I'm Jane. Where have you been?”
“Jane? Do I know you? Why are you here? Where's Linda?”
“Ashley, sit down. Tell me where you came from. We've been worried about you.” Ashley's constant head turning rattled me. This man was not my fiancé, but how did this happen?
“Whose Mustang is in my driveway?”
“Sit, Ash. Your memory is addled. Let's talk. Do you want a drink?”
“Yeah, bourbon. Neat. When did this place get painted?”
“You painted it a year ago, Ashley.”
He was still on his feet, walked right by the kitchen to the bedroom. He opened drawers and banged them closed again. When he started to yell, I grabbed my phone, and dialed 9-1-1. When he started swearing, I told the operator I needed help and to contact Chief Dempsey and tell him his friend from Washington was in trouble. I heard a thud and a crash, and he headed back to me.
“Where's my stuff?”
“Everything is right where you left it.”
“No, it isn't. Nothing is in the desk, or the box spring or my vault in the closet. My vault isn't even there. Who are you?”
“Ashley, sit down. You're acting like a crazy man. Just take it easy and sit. I'll get you your drink.” When I stood, he made the mistake of grabbing my arm. In a flash, I had him sitting and rubbing his wrist.
“Take it easy, will ya? This is my house. I'm Ashley Gilbert. I had a stash of drugs which is missing from my bedroom. My girlfriend, Linda Miller, owns the bike shop and she isn't here. What the hell is going on?”
“You've just time traveled, and you're disoriented. Where did you come from?” I set a small shot of bourbon in front of him.
“This has to be a bad trip. But I didn't take anything.” Adding to his distress, and mine, his tension increased when he couldn't figure out where he was.
“Listen to me, Ashley. The police are on the way. So tell me where you came from.”
“The police. Shit. Why are you here? Who are you?”
“I'm Jane Barclay. I'm your fiancée. I work for the government. Right now, you need to get yourself together. We live here together or we did until you disappeared into the portal.”
“Lady, I don't know you, and I sure don't know what you're talking about. What's a portal?”
The doorbell rang. I called out to let them know to come. Chief Dempsey said, “My guys have the house surrounded, so do yourself a favor, Ashley, and come quietly.”
“This is MY house. I…” With a soft pop, he vanished.
“What the…?” Dempsey uttered.
“Chief, I'm not positive, but I think he's from a different universe. You know that Fritz and Ashley have gone missing in the portal. I think one of them has just done something to change time or history, or something.”
“I didn't know they were gone. Are you all right?”
“I'm fine, but that was eye-opening. Fritz vanished on Thanksgiving and Ash went after him, I think. He didn't tell me when he left. Maybe something happened to him. You know that the man behind the attack on the school is still at large?”
“No, I didn't know that either. What can you do?”
“Nothing. Just wait and hope that they can put the pieces back together. But that guy was about as different from Ashley as I can imagine. A little scary. But not really threatening.”
“Well, I'll have my guys sit out front tonight in case he comes back. Good luck, Jane.”
“Thanks, Chief.”
In spite of the late hour, I called Linda.
Chapter 17
Linda
WHEN JANE CALLED, my notes for a new writer's latest attempt were spread across the kitchen table. Although improving, she still hadn't captured the magic to make the story great. I'd worked with a few independent authors over the years, some very talented and creative. Most of them couldn't afford me, but when I saw possibilities, I worked with them to help develop their characters and plots. T
he ones that annoyed me most were the first timers who argued. They were short marriages. Others wanted to learn, so I gave them reading suggestions, and writing assignments so they could practice how to better use their words. I'd started back with my publisher again, easing in with a book at a time, while I began to set up the bike shop.
Mom took care of TJ, tested recipes, and planned decorations and meals for Christmas. Each week, we went out to dinner twice, and I cooked twice a week. She finally told me her secret about cooking for Daddy. Burn dessert, last thing he would remember. She said it helped keep her thin. As much as I wished Fritz were home, I enjoyed our time together.
I took my phone to the family room so Mom could hear. Jane said that Ashley had come back, but not our Ashley. Just a brief description of what happened set off my fear of the portal. Fritz had been gone a little more than two weeks. I asked her if this other Ashley showing up meant that another Fritz might be around here. Obviously she didn't know. How could she?
“Are you okay?”
“He startled me, but when I accepted that he wasn't Ash, I called the police. He evaporated right in front of Chief Dempsey. Just vanished. You need to pay attention around you, Linda. I've never paid much mind to science fiction, but I need to read up.”
“Why don't you come for dinner tomorrow. We can talk more then.”
“Thanks, I will. But think about this. We're not likely to see many more thunderstorms until spring. I think we need to prepare for a long wait.”
Mom asked about Jane's side of the call. When I told her that Jane said no more thunderstorms, I started crying. “This is my fault, Mom. What if he can't get back?”
She answered so fast that she must have been thinking about the possibility. “You're alive, you're young, you're healthy, you're smart, you're attractive. Life is in front of you. He's only been gone two weeks. You left him alone for six months, and he made it. You have a son to care for, a business to get rolling. You pretend you're working. You don't need the money from those books. Get to work. The rest will work itself out.”
The Portal At The End Of The Storm (Quantum Touch Book 6) Page 12