Blood Trail

by David Rhodes

  As always, he paused for a second to look at the corner of the room, at the open space with its exposed twisted beams and missing bricks. Tony always wondered what had gone wrong there and Boss had actually come to the house once just to look at the wreckage. He shook his head and wondered if maybe Boss had some bricks missing too, then he walked out of the room pulling the door shut behind him. Too easy.

  Tony walked up the stairs and as he got closer to the main room he heard Lauren ask, “What are you doing for Christmas?”

  Aria answered, “I’ll be at home with the family. Tony has a girlfriend, Paula, and he’ll be at her apartment some of the time, but he’ll be home a lot too.”

  As Tony walked into the room Lauren said, “Tony, I hear you have a girlfriend. When did this happen?”

  “A couple of months ago, Lauren.”

  “And I’m just now hearing about it? Please bring her over sometime.”

  “Well, maybe.”

  “We’ll all be here on New Year’s Eve. Why don’t you stop by just for a few minutes that afternoon? You too, Aria. I know you probably have plans for that night but if you have time we’d love to have you stop by.”

  Tony hung his head slightly and replied, “We’ll do that, ma’am, I mean Lauren. We’ll bring Mom with us too.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Lauren told him. Then she handed him a small wrapped package and continued, “Now here’s your present and I’ll let Aria tell you about your raise. Other than New Year’s Eve I don’t want to see either one of you back here for two weeks. Have a great time off.”

  “We will,” Aria said as they walked out the door and toward their cars. “Isn’t Lauren wonderful?” she asked Tony. “I want to be like her, so kind and understanding.”

  Tony paused by his car and looked down at the present for a second then tossed it into the back seat. He looked up and said, “Mom, we’re just workers to people like her. What you think is kind and understanding, I think is condescending. You think she likes us, that we’re special. We’re not. We just happen to work for her but think about it, it could have been anyone. We were just lucky.”

  Aria sniffed and said, “You know that’s not true. We both know what is condescending and what isn’t. She’s not, and neither is Charles. They are nice people. And so are all of their friends. I like all of them.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Pick me up on New Year’s Eve okay? I do want to visit. And if you aren’t going to come over, then let me know.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “How is Paula?”

  Tony smiled and said, “She’s great.”

  “There’s my big boy,” Aria said. “See you at the house.” Tony nodded and couldn’t help smiling again as Aria drove away.

  Charles leaned forward and watched intently. He was surprised to find he was so interested in the outcome. He felt the heat on the back of his neck, so he tilted his head slightly, so the brim of his hat kept the sun off it. He glanced to his right at Danny and heard him pleading under his breath, “Come on, Pops, come on.”

  Charles smiled and stared back out at the field as the batter dug in. The pitcher checked the runner on second then threw toward home and the umpire called, “Ball one”. Danny nodded his head and clenched his fists. The batter swung at the next pitch but didn’t get all of it and he popped it foul along the first base side. “Hang it there, hang in,” Danny said louder. Then he shouted, “Straighten one out, come on.” That fired the sparse crowd up and everyone joined in shouting encouragement.

  The batter nodded his head and dug in again and slowly swung the bat over the plate a couple of times. The pitcher checked the runner again and then delivered the pitch. The crack of the bat let everyone know the ball had been hit hard and as it bounced in the outfield grass and rolled quickly between the outfielders, the runner on second scored easily. The crowd applauded and as some of them moved out onto the field Charles and Danny stood up and started to turn away. Then Danny took one last look at the players, took a deep breath, then they walked toward the pasture where the car was parked just beyond the left field fence.

  As they got in the car Charles noticed Danny had a tear running down his cheek. Charles put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Your dad really came through. That was a great game.”

  “It was,” Danny agreed as he drove out of the field. “But…” Charles let the silence go until Danny continued, “But it’s almost the end of the Negro Leagues. Did you see the crowd? Just a handful of people, almost none. Dad’s too old now for a look from the majors and he’s about to move to Clear View and start working as a janitor at Buckland University. What if…?”

  “Well you never would have met the Fontanas and then we would never have met. You wouldn’t have gone on the jumps with us and you wouldn’t have written your book. We wouldn’t be here watching your dad play ball and –”

  “And seeing Grandad again,” Danny cut in. “He was sitting behind the plate. I wanted to walk over to him and say something to him, just one more conversation. You know he died suddenly, a surprise. Just one more talk.” Danny smiled and continued, “But at least I did get to see him and hey, Dad got the big hit and won the game. You’re right, I have to keep remembering, the past has to be what it is, or was. I’ll be okay, Charles.”

  “I know you will be and remember, I set the camera down next to me, so you’ll have the whole game on video.”

  Danny smiled and said, “That’s true, I will. Thanks, Charles. I’m feeling better already.” Charles smiled back, but he wasn’t sure Danny was telling the truth.

  Lauren watched as the golf cart drove slowly down the drive toward the house from the building where the time machine was. As it got closer she opened the door and waved and as they parked and walked up she asked, “How was the game, Danny?”

  “Great,” he replied. “Dad got the winning hit in the bottom of the ninth.”

  “Wow, I wish I would have been there.” Then she saw the look that Charles gave her and wished she hadn’t said that. You shouldn’t say you wanted to time travel when you didn’t.

  “When do Ron and Lisa get here?” Danny asked. “I’ve been so excited about going to the game I almost forgot we were all getting together today.”

  “They’re getting here about dinner time,” Lauren said. “They’ll be in and out during the next week or so but basically they will be here until after New Year’s, just like you. It’s going to be the longest we’ve all been together since, well, the jumps. The longest time together in years.”

  Danny nodded and said, “Sounds great, it really does. I think I’ll go to my room and take a shower and a nap. I’ll be back down in a little while.”

  As Danny went upstairs, Charles said, “It’ll be good to have everyone here. How long has it been?”

  “We’ve only seen Dad and Lisa once since last Christmas. It was June, and they were supposed to come back for the 4th but didn’t make it.” Lauren sighed, “I wish they’d settle down, maybe buy a house close by.”

  “They like their privacy.”

  “I know but Dad’s getting older and I worry about him…and I miss him.”

  Charles put a hand on her shoulder and said, “I know. We’ll talk to them some this week, no pressure, just see if we can get them to at least think about it. You know, there are several houses not far from here that I bet they would like.”

  “Yes, let’s sneak up on them and make them think it’s their idea.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Good. Now I think I’m going to take a nap too,” Lauren said with a yawn.

  “I’ll be up to join you in a few minutes,” Charles told her.

  Lauren stopped and asked, “You’re not going to jump again are you?”

  “No, I just need to finish up a couple of things in the basement then I’ll be up.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  As Tony drove away from his mom, he said loudly, “Call Steve’s cell.”
>
  The call was answered quickly by a man who asked, “Something new?”

  “Yes. Sending you photos now,” Tony said as he hit a button on his phone.

  There was a pause and he was told, “Okay, I got the photos and will check them later. I’ll transfer your pay and a bonus to your account in just a few minutes. I’ll check back with you soon.”

  “Okay, I’m –,” but the man disconnected the call before Tony could say anything else.

  Lauren woke and saw that Charles had come and laid down just like he said he would. He was sleeping but still looked tired. What was wrong with them? They were always tired. As she got up Charles woke and said, “I’ll be down in just a minute.”

  As Lauren walked downstairs she heard a noise and ran to the back door. “They’re here,” Lauren called out as she opened the door. Then she rushed forward and shouted, “Dad,” as she gave him a long hug.

  Ron hugged her back and said, “It’s good to see you, how are you Lauren?”

  “Great,” Lauren told him as she kissed his cheek. “What about you?”

  “We’ve been great too,” Ron said.

  Lisa stepped up beside Ron and said, “We have, and we’ve been so busy.” She hugged Lauren and said, “We’ve missed you, we’re sorry it’s been so long.”

  Lauren took Lisa’s hand and said, “We’ve missed you too. But get inside, Charles and Danny are waiting for you.” There were more hugs and kisses and Lauren helped Ron bring in some presents from the car and put them under the tree. Then she called out, “Dinner will be served in just a few minutes, go sit at the table and I’ll be right out with the chicken.”

  “I’ll help,” Lisa and Danny both said, and they disappeared into the kitchen as Ron and Charles sat down.

  “You look tired,” Ron said.

  Charles smiled and replied, “I am a little tired. Maybe a lot. I’m…I’m catching up on things and some other things have come up now and, well…well there are just not enough hours in the day so sometimes I have to make them.”

  Ron nodded and said, “I understand, I truly do. But I’ve been able to cut back some and with Lisa I’ve had more fun since, since we, you know, we…”

  “Jumped.”

  “Yes, since we jumped. I’m still working and going into the field, but every day is an adventure with Lisa and I’m looking at things differently than I used to. You should try it.”

  Charles nodded his head but before he could say anything the food was being placed on the table and Lauren was giggling as she asked, “My father did what?”

  “I admit it,” Ron said. “Whatever Lisa said, I did it.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” Lauren said. “But really, a nudist camp?”

  “That’s all she’s mentioned? Well then really, a nudist camp. A liberating experience.”

  “What else is there to talk about?” Danny asked.

  “Nothing nude, I mean new,” Ron replied, and everyone laughed.

  As they ate Lisa remarked, “You know every time I visit here, I’m always amazed at how big this house is.”

  “Can you believe,” Lauren answered, “that when Dad and I first came here Charles lived in this house all by himself? Most of the rooms were shut off and he just opened them every once in a while. When he thought of it anyway. He didn’t even have any help. No security system either.”

  “It’s true,” Charles agreed. “But I never thought about burglars and certainly not about anyone breaking in. My world was time traveling. I always knew there was a chance I would have someone confront me about time travel, but that’s all. Who’d want to break into this old house?”

  “You just lived in your own little world,” Danny said.

  “It’s true,” Charles agreed.

  “It took me a year to convince him to finally get alarms and cameras,” Lauren said. “And it was another six months before he finally quit accidentally setting things off. And getting him to agree to hire Aria and Tony was like pulling teeth.”

  “Again, true,” Charles said. “But I do feel safer now and the house is cleaner and I’m not always hunting for something to eat.”

  Everyone laughed and then for at least a minute it was quiet as everyone picked at their food. Then Lisa suddenly said, “I’m still afraid to be here.” Everyone paused and looked at Lisa as Ron put a hand on her shoulder.

  “What do you mean?” Lauren asked.

  “I’m sorry,” Lisa said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just tired, that’s all. Excuse me.”

  As Lisa started to stand up Lauren said, “No, Lisa, please tell me what you mean.”

  Ron pulled Lisa back into her chair and said, “She means the dreams. She’s had more than a few and I have too. Dreams about the jumps and what happened. Vivid, disturbing dreams that happen at random times but when we talk about visiting here they become more frequent and more horrific.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lisa said. “Ron hasn’t had that many, it’s me who is weak. I just –”

  “You’re wrong,” Lauren said quietly. “You’re not weak. I have dreams too. Nightmares I guess. Intense and unforgettable and I have had more lately too. Maybe subconsciously it has been because all of us were going to be here.” She tried to smile but couldn’t as she continued, “Or, we were just reading each other’s minds.”

  Danny spoke up, “This is the longest time we’ll be together since the jumps. Maybe we are thinking about it.”

  “You’ve had these dreams too?” Ron asked.

  Danny nodded, “Yes, and fortunately I’ve had some training about this type of reaction.”

  “What kind of training?” Lisa asked.

  “First,” Danny asked, “we’ve all had some dreams?” Everyone nodded, including Charles. “Well, when I was a police officer I was taught early on that I was going to be involved in situations that would be terrible, that would affect me emotionally. That if I wasn’t careful, they would influence me so much that they could change my personality. I’m talking about accidents, shootings, suicides, anything that took me outside the realm of my normal life.

  “And I had some of them.” He paused as he glanced at Ron and thought of how he was the one to tell him his wife had been killed in a car accident. “Calls to things that I had to step back from and take a deep breath and then just focus on doing my job. To tell the truth it actually seemed easy to do. For a while I thought I wasn’t affected. Then a wise sergeant grabbed me one day and said he was making an appointment for me with the departmental psychiatrist. I told him I didn’t need to go, even got a little upset about it.

  “Then he asked me, ‘What did you do last night?’ and I told him I sat around and watched the game. Then he kept going back further and further and suddenly I realized that’s all I had been doing. He reminded me that I used to go out with the guys two or three nights a month and actually play some softball and basketball. Not just sit around. Then he asked me about my grade in a night class I was taking. I actually couldn’t tell him what it was, I had forgotten about the class.

  “Finally, he reminded me about all the mental health training I had and asked if I recognized anything. I had to admit I did. I was still coming into work, but I didn’t really want to. I wasn’t producing. I had cut myself off from everyone and was living in my own little world. From that point on I couldn’t wait to go in and talk to someone about things. It was a great session and I was honest about everything with the mental health professional but more importantly with myself.

  “Afterwards I proposed a policy that an officer had to attend a mental health evaluation session after any traumatic event. No waiting to see if they were slowly spiraling out of control. There was a little push back at first from a few officers but now everyone would think the department didn’t care about them if they took the sessions away. It’s good stuff.”

  “PTSD,” Charles said. “You know, I think we all have heard of it and know what it does, but I never connected it to myself or Lauren. I mean, we’re not p
olice officers or firemen or soldiers.”

  “That’s just it,” Danny replied, “it can happen to anyone.”

  “What was the best thing you learned?” Lisa asked.

  “That you will have normal reactions to abnormal situations. Normal reactions including ‘I wish I hadn’t seen or done what I just did’.”

  Danny paused as he took a drink of water then continued, “It took me a while to piece things together after the jumps. Basically, because I did see a mental health evaluator for being shot by Taggit. Like I said, for me and the department that was just the normal policy. I was healing from my wounds and writing the book, so the opinion was that of course I might think of things from time to time.” Danny hung his head for a moment then continued, “But my being shot wasn’t what was causing the problems. We lost some…well, friends. They didn’t start out that way but that’s the way they ended up. Even Jimmy. And I still see them. Smiling, talking, alive. And then they turn to gray statues and crumble into dust.”

  Danny sighed and continued, “And don’t forget, I shot the T-rex. So, I was involved in a shooting along with all the other abnormal things we did. I had been terrified but too busy to think about it. We all were. Took me a while to sort everything out, but I finally did and all of you will too. But, you need to talk about it with someone, professional or not. Talk to someone. Put it out there and let it go.”

  There was more silence then Lisa said, “I still see Marilyn, or what was left of her. I should have stopped her from leaving the tree and I ask myself why I didn’t. I should have but I didn’t. In my dreams I try but…” and she trailed off.