Stealing Time

by Nancy Pennick

  “Just for a few weeks until they get the news of my untimely death.”

  “She’s very tough, resilient. She’ll be happy you got away and enjoyed those last few weeks of your life.”

  “Yes, she would.” Drew nodded and leaned back into the sofa. He closed his eyes. “I finally feel at peace. Looking back on this, it was a stressful week. I love you, Kate. If I hadn’t found you...”

  “Shhh.” Kate put her finger on his lips. “Just rest. It’s been a big day.”

  * * * *

  Drew stood, machine gun in hand, holding it steady on Kate’s father.

  “Please, Drew, he didn’t know. He was just trying to write a story. He accidentally found out about the shipments. The liquor distributions. The payoffs. He won’t tell!”

  “Be quiet.” Drew’s eyes could barely be seen under the black fedora he wore. It was cocked a little to one side and pulled down, almost covering those beautiful green eyes. “You asked him to stop, but he wouldn’t. Now he has to be silenced.”

  “He’s my father. You can’t be that cruel.”

  “I’ve got my orders.”

  “Orders? Is that what it comes down to? Your wife is begging for her father’s life, and you have your orders?” Kate could hardly look at the handsome man, wearing the same suit he wore at her eighteenth birthday. She remembered thinking that day all he needed was a machine gun to finish the look. And now he had one.

  Drew raised the gun and placed it at her father’s temple. “Just one shot should do it. Kathryn, you need to leave.”

  “No!”

  “Rudy, take her to my bedroom, lock the door and stand guard.”

  Kate struggled as she was led away. When the door shut behind her, she thought she heard a gunshot.

  “No!” Kate sat straight up and looked over at a sleeping Drew. His face was so innocent, so calm. She hoped she hadn’t wakened him.

  “Everything okay?” Her dad ran up the Pullman’s steps.

  “A dream, that’s all.” Kate wanted to say a nightmare but stopped. “What time is it, Dad? We must have dozed off.”

  “Close to dinner. The porter will be here soon. I think we need a good night’s sleep, something I’m sure you haven’t had in awhile.” He touched his daughter’s cheek. “You shouldn’t have gone through this. I blame myself. I promised to never put you in danger again.”

  “Dad...”

  “No, I knew how bad it was. I knew what Nicolas really was and how he made his money. I let finding my brother blind me to everything else. You almost paid the price...again.”

  “We’ll never go back there...ever. Promise you won’t either.”

  “If it gives you peace of mind, I promise.”

  “This time of year is off limits, right?”

  “How many times do you want him to promise?” Drew sat up, laughing. “Did I hear someone mention food? I’m starving.”

  Drew put his arm around Kate and pulled her close as if she needed protection. She didn’t want him or her father coddling her. She could take care of herself. She hoped he realized she’d never tell her father what happened to Albert. She wanted to protect him. Nothing good could come from her dad knowing the truth.

  “Dinner is served.” The porter seemed to magically appear, placing a large tray on the dining table.

  “Thank you.” Kate smiled at him, glad to see a friendly face.

  Drew and her father joined her at the table. Tension seemed to dissipate as the family enjoyed the meal in blissful silence. Wine was poured, and glasses refilled as they finished the meal and headed over to the couches.

  Kate looked at the two most important men in her life. This was the first time she was really angry with Drew, feeling lonely and scared even though they were together. The lessons learned on the trip would help them in the future. Make them stronger as a couple. Little did Nicolas realize he helped solidify their bond. Kate had always viewed her relationship as perfect. Now she learned that wasn’t the case. It’s not humanly possible to live that way. Mistakes will be made. The emotional wall she put up in New York was slowly coming down.

  Watching her father as he poured more wine into his glass, Kate was silently grateful he was on the train where she could keep an eye on him. Since his confession of wanting to be an investigative journalist, she knew he wouldn’t stop until he got the answers he needed. She wanted him to think he had them.

  Kate’s dad held up his glass. “To my best friend and son-in-law, Andrew Martin. Someone who I trust with my life...and my daughter’s.” They all took a long drink from their glasses.

  “Jack, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  Kate could tell Drew’s guilt was rising inside him. He wanted to say he didn’t protect Kate as he should have. “We love you and are glad you were here to help,” she quickly interrupted. She didn’t want her father exploding into a rage over what happened at the Martin house. Things had finally calmed down, and she wanted to keep it that way. “Isn’t that right?” Kate smiled at Drew, begging him with her eyes to agree.

  “No, Kate, it isn’t. Let me finish. I did a terrible job of taking care of her, Jack. You have every right to be angry.”

  “In the end, you did the right thing. Am I correct about that?” He put his glass on the table. “That’s all that matters. You two are very young and had to make decisions no one at your age should have to. I think you did an admirable job. Now how about if we get some sleep? It’s been a long day.”

  Kate was more than happy to oblige, even though it was her father telling her to go to bed. They settled in for a night at the train station, hoping for the best. So far, everything had gone as planned.

  * * * *

  A loud bang woke everyone in the early morning hours. Kate muffled a scream as her dad and Drew jumped out of bed. The sound was deafening, like it was right outside the door.

  “It’s fine. They’re just hooking up to the train.” Drew grabbed his watch. “It’s seven a.m. so we still have three hours to wait. I’d say so far so good.”

  Kate’s heart still pounded from being startled awake. She wrongly assumed it was a gunshot. Relieved to know it wasn’t, she watched out the window as the Pullman was coupled to the train headed for Chicago.

  “Let’s keep busy, shall we?” Her father spoke up. “Get ready for the day, and then I’ll let the porter know we’re ready for breakfast. No one leaves the car except me.”

  “I don’t think any of us should leave.” Kate didn’t want to let her dad out of her sight. “We’re attached to the train, so the porter should be on board.”

  “True, so it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m just saying if the need arises, I’ll be the one to go.”

  Kate nodded like she was in agreement, deciding to argue her case only if needed. She went to the closet and pulled out some clothes to wear for the day. Not really caring how she looked, she grabbed something, hoping they were matching pieces.

  Please let this train leave on time. I want to go home. Kate was a little surprised by her admission because when she usually said home she thought of the canyon. But this time home meant Ohio.

  After breakfast they passed the time talking about Anna, the funeral, the guests who came, Carl and Renae, anything but the time spent in New York. When the train finally began to move, the mood in the cabin changed. It was like a weight had lifted, everyone could breathe again.

  Drew pulled his watch out from his pocket and looked at the time. “Ten o’clock on the dot. Good-bye New York. Hello Grand Canyon.”

  Kate knew it would be a few days before she was really home, but the progress they made would sustain her until then. She wanted to take Drew’s words and change them to “Good-bye New York and Nicolas. Good luck. You’ll never find us, no matter how long you look or how far you travel.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Are we back? It was a little odd, waking at the ranch on the return trip to the present. Kate had to get her bearings. She glanced around the room and then at Dre
w. They were in Anna’s bed, both holding their books. Kate didn’t know the time or what day it was. She assumed it was the weekend. Looking over at the nightstand, Kate noticed an envelope with her name on it. She quickly took the note out, and read a message from Lindsey:

  Stopped by Tuesday night. Thought you’d be here. Made up excuse why you weren’t with me. Said you two were enjoying the campus and would return later. Will be back Saturday. Hope you’re here by then. If not, I’ll check again Sunday.

  Starting to worry.

  L

  “Drew, wake up.” Kate gave him a little push. “It’s Saturday. Right?”

  “Yeah, I believe so... or maybe Sunday?” He scratched his head in confusion. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

  Kate jumped out of bed and smoothed her clothes as she looked in the mirror. “We look like we’ve been traveling...in another century!” She still wore the outfit she picked out on the train the day they left the New York station. She insisted they keep moving, never stopping to change or shower. The pull to get back to the present was so strong, almost like she was needed there.

  “Drew, Grandmother Lilly said we should go to New York City as soon as possible. Are you up for another trip when we get home?”

  “As long as we fly. I can’t do another road trip.”

  “Good thing we kept up our schoolwork. We already missed a week of class. We’ll spend the week catching up and leave next weekend. The law office won’t open until Monday so we’ll have to stay until Tuesday.”

  “Sunday till Tuesday, it is, then. I guess you can fill me in on the details later, but let’s give ourselves a little more time...say two weeks.” Drew ran his hand over his eyes and stared around the room. “It’s comforting here. I thought it’d be a little strange, but it isn’t.”

  “I feel the same.” Kate looked over to see Drew rubbing his face as if he had more on his mind. “Something bothering you?”

  “Yes and no. Let’s leave it at that. We have enough to worry about.”

  “Oh, no you don’t. You can’t leave me hanging. No secrets!” Kate inwardly cringed, knowing she was keeping a huge one.

  “Okay, I guess it doesn’t matter now. When we were back at the canyon I ran into Thomas. He told me something strange. Remember Kenneth?”

  “Yes, of course. We saw him at the train station.”

  “He was at El Tovar, asking a lot of questions. Thomas said he remembered him from the wedding and thought it was odd he was still there. He knew Kenneth was my roommate and should be back at school. He asked Thomas where we went. Thomas told him we were in New York and from there would go on to our separate schools. It’s probably no big deal.”

  “He was spying for your father,” Kate said what she knew Drew was thinking.

  “You think?”

  “Absolutely. Kenneth seemed relieved my story matched what you said Thomas told him. He was probably going to report back to your father. Do you think he went directly to your house after seeing us in the station?”

  “Maybe not. Knowing Kenneth like I do, he waited until the next day since our stories matched. He’s a procrastinator. Little did he know he helped with our getaway.”

  “What if he ends up working for your father?”

  “God help him...especially since he blew his first assignment.”

  A light tap was heard at Anna’s apartment door, and Kate went to see who it was. If it was anyone other than Lindsey, she had no idea how to explain their sudden appearance.

  “Kates!” Lindsey hugged her tightly. “Here, I brought you guys some clothes.” She dumped jeans and shirts on the bed. “Now get dressed and go out to my car. I’m on this side, so you can climb out the window.” She disappeared as quickly as she came.

  “That’s a true friend.” Drew said as he slipped on his shirt. They stuffed their old clothes in the bag, straightened the room and climbed through Anna’s bedroom window to Lindsey’s waiting car.

  Lindsey spun the car around and pulled up to the front of the house like they just arrived. “Hope breakfast is cooking!”

  She honked the horn and jumped from the car. Abby was the first to greet them. “Look how big she is! Hey, Abby girl, how’s my girl?” Lindsey played with her dog like everything was normal, never asking Kate any questions.

  “Lindsey?” Kate called her name to get her attention. “What day is it?”

  “Really? You don’t know what day it is?”

  “It’s been a tough week.”

  “It’s Sunday.” Lindsey’s face grew serious.

  “Oh, thank goodness, you two are alright!” Aunt Sue hugged Drew and Kate at the same time as she came to greet them. “Your mother called on Tuesday and was surprised you weren’t here. No worries though. I just spoke to your father. Your plane leaves this afternoon. Come on, breakfast’s ready.”

  Sue walked down the hall leading to the kitchen, leaving the three friends alone.

  “Want to fill me in?” Lindsey looked up at Kate from the floor where she was still playing with the dog.

  Kate dropped down next to her and said in a low voice, “Drew’s father’s a mob boss and tried to keep us from leaving. I wasn’t going to let that happen and figured a way out of there. Too many details for now. I’ll call you when I get home.”

  Lindsey’s eyes grew wide as Kate told the story. “I don’t think I have the patience to wait,” she whispered.

  “Well, you’ll just have to. Let’s join the family.” Kate got up and pulled her friend to her feet. “Will you drive us to the airport? We can talk then.”

  “Of course, I will.” Lindsey squeezed Kate’s hand. “And we’ll talk any time you want.” Kate was grateful for the unspoken bond between them.

  The Jenkins house was always full of people, but Kate was taken aback by the sight of only three people at the kitchen table. Anna was missing and Brandon was at school, so there was just Grandpa Dan, Aunt Sue and Megan. The house was quieter. Kate felt the sadness that filled the room.

  “Aunt Sue, looking forward to one of your breakfasts!” Kate was determined to leave the ranch knowing everyone was in a better place. “Anna always loved your French toast. Said no one could make it like you.”

  Drew picked up on Kate’s intention and took over. “Grandpa Dan, how’s the Packard? Mind if I see it before I leave?”

  “It’s your car now, Drew. Anything you want me to do?”

  “Well, let’s take it for a spin, and we’ll talk.”

  “Sounds like a great idea.”

  Kate noticed Megan silently eating, head down. “You should go, too, Meg.”

  The little girl’s head popped up. “That’s what Grandma J called me!”

  “I know. Do you mind if I call you that now?”

  Her head bobbed up and down. “I’d love it, Kathryn.” Megan smiled as she used the name Anna called Kate. Then she turned to Drew. “Can I ride shotgun?”

  Everyone laughed, and the feeling in the room suddenly moved in a positive direction. Breakfast finished with everyone talking at once, and Kate felt her job was done. Smiling, she sat back, looking at her family. They were so different from Drew’s. Full of love. Welcoming and nonjudgmental.

  Drew needed people like this in his life, but Kate wanted him to have good feelings for his own family, too. She felt in her pocket to check that she still had the note from Ilene. She had tucked it away in her book so she could bring it to the present. Planning to show him later, Kate knew Drew would cherish this piece of his mother for the rest of his days.

  Yes, Ilene, I saved your son. Little do you know he’s alive and well, living a full and happy life in another century. “I think I’ll join you, too. I’d love to get outside one last time before heading home.”

  “You are home, Kathryn.” Megan crossed her arms, giving Kate a stern look. “Grandma always said this was your second home.”

  Kate glanced around the room and then at the faces she held so dear. “I guess you’re right, Meg. I do have two ho
mes. Thanks for reminding me.”

  The whole table rose as a unit, cleared their dishes and headed to the back door. Dan slid the door open, and they stepped out into the fresh Arizona morning air.

  Kate put her arm around Aunt Sue and whispered, “Follow your heart.”

  Sue looked shocked, like someone shouted her secret to the world, but then recovered. “I should’ve guessed you knew.”

  “I saw him at the funeral, didn’t I?”

  Sue could only nod. Her eyes filled with tears.

  “Introduce him to Megan. He needs to know his daughter....and she needs him.”

  “You sound like Grandma J.” Sue wiped at tears that were now streaming down her face. “Alright, I will, for you and for Anna.”

  The sky was as blue as Kate had ever seen. Those white puffy clouds her Aunt Lucinda so loved dotted the sky. The Jenkins family could find peace on a day like this.

  “Rest in peace, Anna,” Kate said to the sky. Everyone closed in around her as if to keep her as near as possible. She felt the love, Anna’s love, surround them. It couldn’t be a better ending to a story that could have gone terribly wrong.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kate was in quite a mood. She couldn’t study. She couldn’t concentrate. Back in New York she longed to be home and live the normal life of a teenager in college. Now, here she sat, doing exactly that. Unsatisfied, something still grated at her, gnawing at her inner soul. She finally gave up trying to do schoolwork.

  “I have a paper due the end of the week and haven’t even started!” she screamed at the bedroom walls. “Am I going to college because it’s expected of me and not really my dream?”

  No major was selected when she registered. Kate had checked ‘Undeclared’ as her chosen field. She was told that many students who didn’t have a major made that choice. Drew knew what he wanted to study and was still determined to finish school out west. Kate would rather write in her journals and get a part-time job. If she got through the first year, perhaps she could convince her parents that college wasn’t for her. Since she wanted to finish the year she planned to focus on writing classes to help her improve her skills.