The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray: A thrilling new time travel adventure

by O. R. Simmonds

  ‘Go on…’

  ‘Would you like to go grab a cup of coffee with me?’

  The woman pursed her lips playfully, seeming to hesitate for a moment, then said, ‘Yes, I’d like that.’

  ‘Yeah? Great! Maybe this day isn’t a total bust after all. I’m Will, by the way…’

  ‘I’m Abigayle. Nice to meet you, Will.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  May 19th, 1984, 05:21

  At some point during the retelling of his first encounter with Abigayle, Will had slumped down onto the front doorstep of a neighbouring house. He was shaking his head, attempting to make sense of it all. ‘Frenz, what does this mean?’ he said. ‘You think she could be involved in all this?’

  ‘I really don’t know, William, but I think we should consider the possibility.’

  Will shook his head again, more vigorously now. ‘No, there’s no way.’

  ‘How long did you say you’d known her for?’

  ‘Long enough!’ Will snapped back before lowering his eyes apologetically. In a softer voice, he said, ‘The Abigayle I know is the most selfless, caring and warm person I’ve ever met.’

  ‘I am sorry, and I know this must be difficult, but I need to be objective about this. Remind me, what was is her profession?’

  ‘She works for some government department,’ Will said, picking up a discarded bottle cap and tossing it along the footpath absentmindedly. ‘Doing research, I think. She told me that her job required a level of security clearance that meant she couldn’t tell me a whole lot about it.’

  ‘Well, if she is involved in all this, then what she’s told you fits. And at least it appears that she didn’t lie to you. She told you she couldn’t tell you more, and that would have been the truth,’ Frenz said.

  ‘I just can’t see her working for a murderous sociopath like Cillian Gander. Plus, if she’s involved, then that would mean she knew what the Timepiece was when she saw it and intentionally went astray – but that’s crazy, right?’

  ‘A couple of weeks ago I would have argued it was bordering on insanity for someone involved with the agency to intentionally let themselves go astray, but that’s exactly what I saw Nestor do and it’s what I myself did. It might still be crazy but doesn’t seem too unbelievable to me now.’

  ‘Jeez, thanks, Frenz. Did anyone ever tell you that sometimes it’s polite to spare one’s feelings with a white lie?’

  ‘I think we’re at a juncture in our journey where honesty is the best policy. But I’ll bear your emotional sensitivities in mind whenever I can.’

  Will seemed to shrink into an even lower position on the step and clasped his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes once more.

  Frenz thought for a moment, then said, ‘Did you ever see her inside the house?’

  Will spoke a slightly muffled response through his hands: ‘I can’t be sure. I don’t think so, no.’

  ‘I need you to focus, William.’

  Will lowered his hands from his face. ‘All I saw was her walking down the steps away from the front door. Maybe she was just calling at the house like I was. Maybe it was just a coincidence. I mean, I was there too – for weeks, in fact – and I’m not involved with the Timekeepers in any way.’

  ‘True. Still, it’s strange that she was there at that hour. Did you ever see her bring her work home with her? Any paperwork?’

  ‘Look, I didn’t ever go snooping around her office and she was professional enough not to leave classified documents laying around the flat.’

  ‘Is there anything that springs to mind about the conversations you’d had? Did she have any hobbies that could be relevant?’

  Will thought for a moment when a spark of a memory ignited in his mind. ‘Hang on, hang on’ – Will clicked his fingers excitedly – ‘not long after we first met, we were talking about why I came to London. I told her that I came for the history and that it all fascinated me. She told me that it was a passion of hers as well and that she was lucky enough to be able to study it as part of her work!’

  ‘Very good, William, that is interesting,’ Frenz said.

  ‘It must have been on our first date and I hadn’t even thought about it since then. She must be a historical researcher, just like –’

  ‘Just like I did for the agency,’ Frenz said.

  ‘Shit. You don’t think that’s what she’s been doing all this time? Doing your old job, but for Cillian Gander?’

  ‘It’s a possibility, I suppose. But researching what exactly? Cillian had very little interest in the past when I knew him.’

  ‘That’s easy. Cillian knew what year you went to. So maybe Abby was looking for a sign of you from the past.’

  ‘Yes, looking for me. And for the Timepiece.’

  ‘Yeah, that makes sense. Horology was a hobby of hers. More than a just hobby, I guess. That’s the whole reason I was looking to buy her a watch in the first place. Now that I think about it, the way she reacted when she saw the Timepiece, I thought she was just excited to see a watch that looked unlike anything she’d ever seen before. But maybe it was the opposite. Maybe she was excited because she knew exactly what it was.’

  ‘That’s all plausible. But it still doesn’t explain why she would intentionally use it to go astray. In fact, it makes less sense if she knew exactly what you had found. If she was working for Cillian, then why not bring it to him?’

  ‘You’re right. Whatever her involvement, she’s on our side. Or at least not on Cillian’s.’

  ‘I agree. Our enemy’s enemy is our friend, as the saying goes.’

  Will nodded. ‘This changes nothing for me. I know Abigayle can’t be working with Cillian. It’s got to be something else, so our deal still stands: priority number one is getting her back.’

  ‘Very well,’ Frenz said. ‘In that case, we need to focus on the present, not the past. Right now, we need to come up with a way to get into that house without being seen. Then we need to find Cillian’s private entrance to Central Station.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  ‘Let’s hide the bike and try to stay out of sight. Then we’ll see if there’s a way into the house from the rear or any rooftop access.’

  ‘Right, the last thing we need is to be spotted…’

  Will’s words trailed off as he caught sight of the large metallic-brown Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit that was easing along the road towards them. It rolled to a stop by the kerbside, loose stones crunching under the wheels that supported its enormous weight. Before either Frenz or Will could move, the driver jumped out of the car, a gun already in his hand. He held it right-handed and pointed it at the two of them. He had it rested flat on the roof of the car, concealing it from the view of passersby.

  He was a large man: over six feet tall with broad shoulders; a square, clean-shaven jaw; and neat, closely trimmed dark hair. He was wearing a brown tweed jacket over a white shirt and black tie. He spoke with a deep, thrumming voice: ‘In. Now.’ Will detected a slight accent that could have been French or perhaps Italian.

  The footpaths were narrow and there were no alleys or escape routes through the buildings behind them. They were trapped. With no reason to think that the man with the gun wouldn’t fire on them if they ran, they surrendered. The passenger door closest to the kerb popped open and a plume of thick white smoke wafted out. Frenz and Will looked at each other solemnly and ducked into the car.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  May 19th, 1984, 05:42

  Frenz climbed into the rear of the car first and was still shuffling along the back seat when the driver began to slide in behind the wheel. Will, who only had one foot inside the vehicle, thought for a fleeting moment that he could make a run for it. The driver was a big guy so there was a good chance that he wouldn’t be able to shift his weight fast enough to get a shot away before Will was at a safe distance. He still had the Timepiece after all, and Frenz had gone to great lengths to educate him on the Timekeepers for situations just like this. If he ran, he had a slim chan
ce of saving Abigayle by himself.

  If truth be told, Will didn’t seriously consider this option. Given what he now knew about these people, he just couldn’t leave Frenz to face the music on his own. This and the fact that, without realising it, Will had become awfully fond of Frenz and already considered him a good friend, despite having only known him for a few days.

  Will gulped hard enough for it to be audible, kept his head low and settled into the back seat next to Frenz. The interior was spacious and luxurious and they both sat facing the rear of the car, with a minibar stocked with water and snacks between them and the front-facing seat opposite. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins and he found himself trembling because of it. He pulled the door shut behind him and immediately felt the car rumble and pull away. He continued to look down at his feet when a voice said, ‘Seatbelts, gentlemen.’ Will looked up in the direction of the voice and squinted through a fog of smoke. He coughed and waved a hand, attempting to clear the air.

  When the smoke had dissipated sufficiently, he could see their host staring back at them. Sitting calmly in front of him and dressed in opulent silks and furs of cream and gold was a woman with white-gold hair, intricately applied makeup and deep blue eyes. She looked to be anywhere from seventy to ninety years old, but the extent of the makeup made it hard to tell at which end of the scale she lay. She smiled back at the two of them, with a gold cigarette holder balanced loosely between two fingers.

  Will turned to Frenz and to his surprise he found him sitting equally calmly, with both hands neatly arranged on his lap and a smile on his face. Will frowned and felt that now-familiar wave of confusion overwhelm him once more. He looked back at their host, then to Frenz and said, ‘Frenz? Are you doing that “smiling defiantly in the face of danger” thing, or is that a regular smile?’

  Frenz didn’t respond.

  Instead, the voice opposite said, ‘I like him, Frenz. He could’ve run just now. My driver gave him a window and I saw him hesitate for just a second, but he stayed with you. I value loyalty, isn’t that right, Frenz?’

  Frenz’s smile had now disappeared. He looked at Will and said, ‘Will, I’d like you to meet my boss. Or should I say, former boss, Madame Izri. She was the Section Head for The Bureau of Game Theory.’

  Will turned back to the figure sitting opposite them and began to speak: ‘Nice to meet you, Madame Izri, I’m –’

  ‘I know who you are, William Wells,’ Madame Izri said. ‘You’re all over the news, you know. You’re lucky I found you before the police did. They can’t be trusted. Not all of them, at any rate.’

  ‘Look, I had nothing to do with any of that. I mean, sure, I was at the scene of a murder, but I’ve never even held a gun, let alone fired one. That might be hard to believe given that I’m an American,’ Will said with a smirk, ‘but it’s the truth.’

  ‘Yes, yes. I know it wasn’t you. I was there too, you know?’

  Will snapped his fingers as realisation struck. ‘Yeah. I knew I’d seen this car somewhere before. I was going to call the police, then I saw your driver wearing that jacket and I thought you were with the other two.’

  ‘I’m sorry that we startled you, William, but calling the police wouldn’t have been wise. We have reason to believe that Cillian Gander has at least one officer working for him, probably more.’

  ‘Shit, I bet it’s that Inspector Moss. He’s had a hard-on for me from the moment he saw me.’

  Frenz shuffled in his seat and then leaned forwards. ‘You’ll have to excuse William’s manner of speech, Madame Izri.’

  ‘It’s quite all right, Frenz. I find it rather refreshing. What I cannot excuse, however, is one of my subordinates conspiring in the disappearance of fellow agents and theft.’

  Frenz retreated back into his seat. ‘Madame Izri, I can explain –’

  ‘Yes, I’m sure you can,’ she said. ‘But save your breath. Avy already sent me a secure telegram about your paying her a little visit. She brought me up to speed and told me what you’re planning to do.’

  ‘She did?’

  ‘She did. She told me about your missing woman, Abigayle Ward. You have my sympathy, but your plan is never going to work.’

  ‘I’m not giving up on her,’ Will said. ‘If getting to Ben is the only way to find her, then it’s what I’m going to do, no matter the cost.’

  ‘Why of course it’s the only move you have left. The problem is that Cillian knows that too. He would’ve caught you the moment you stepped anywhere near that house. Even if he hadn’t and you managed to access his private tunnel network and reach Central Station, you wouldn’t have gotten inside.’

  Will said, ‘What? Why not?’

  Frenz closed his eyes and said, ‘The vault doors. I’d hoped we could avoid this.’

  Madame Izri nodded. ‘Yes, the vault doors.’

  ‘Vault doors?’ Will asked. ‘I thought this place was like an office or something, not a bank.’

  ‘The vault doors were there only as an emergency measure,’ said Madame Izri. ‘Everything the agency did was extremely sensitive and needed to be protected. Early on, large blast doors were installed in the event of war or a security breach. The doors are large and circular, so it came to be known as the vault. In all my time at the agency, they had only been used once – until Frenz disappeared, that is. After you took the Timepiece, Cillian became paranoid and suspicious of everyone. Even more than usual. He insisted that all agency staff be at their desks by 7 a.m. every day, at which point he’d close the vault, sealing everything and everyone inside. And now, since the Timepiece has resurfaced, he’s closed them once more.’

  ‘There’s got to be some way to open them,’ Will said.

  ‘There is,’ Frenz said. ‘There were three keys made, one for each Section Head. Two keys are required to open the vault. That’s the way things were set up at The Office of Time Dissemination: no one Section Head had the power to do anything on their own. That’s one of the things Cillian wanted to change. Avy had Section Head Marshall Doolin’s key and she gave it to me before we left Dingle.’ Frenz pulled the large brass key with the complex cylindrical head from his pocket and displayed it for Will to see.

  Will’s eyes widened. He turned to Frenz and said, ‘That’s it!’

  ‘What is?’ Frenz asked, looking at the key with a frown creased across his brow.

  ‘Marshall Doolin! That’s the name I was trying to remember back at Avy’s place. Marshall Doolin was the name of the guy who my brothers were working for back home. He’s the one who was coming after me before I came to London. Do you think it’s the same guy?’

  Frenz had a strained look on his face as he spoke, ‘Marshall Doolin has got to be in his eighties now. It’s possible it could be one of his sons. It could also be a coincidence.’

  ‘Marshall Doolin Senior is dead, and I don’t believe in coincidences,’ Madame Izri cut in, looking troubled.

  ‘I agree that it’s a concern, but I believe William when he says that he didn’t know who he really was.’

  ‘I couldn’t even remember the guy’s name,’ Will pleaded. ‘And I had nothing to do with my brothers’ problems. I just got dragged into it.’

  ‘It sounds as if you have a nasty habit of doing that, Mr. Wells,’ Madame Izri added curtly.

  Frenz said, ‘If there’s anything to this, it’s a matter for another day. And it changes little, we still need one more key.’ He held the bulky brass key in his hand.

  Madame Izri considered this new information carefully, then said, ‘Cillian Gander keeps his own key on his persons at all times.’

  She then paused and began to undo a series of buttons below the neckline of her sparkling gold dress. Will and Frenz glanced at each other uncomfortably. She reached her perfectly manicured fingers inside her dress and pulled out a long gold chain comprised of hundreds of tiny, neat links. At the end of the chain hung a large brass key. Unlike a traditional key with grooves cut into the shaft, Will could see that the head of
this key featured a thick outer ring with concentric circles running to the centre of it. It was identical to the one in Frenz’s hand. Madame Izri held it up in front of Will and Frenz and said, ‘Fortunately for you, I also keep my key close by.’

  ‘Why are you telling us all this when you’ve taken us both hostage?’ Will said.

  ‘I would hardly call it that. I just saved you from certain failure and probable death.’

  ‘You don’t know that. We’ve done pretty well without you so far.’

  Madame Izri smiled and turned to Frenz. ‘He’s sceptical of everyone, just like you, Frenz. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought you’d been training him for years.’

  Frenz said, ‘We’ve both been through a lot. I think it’s only natural at this point.’

  ‘Madame Izri,’ Will said, ‘with all due respect, you didn’t answer my question. Why are you telling us all of this? Do you intend to give us your key?’

  ‘Yes, you can have my key.’

  Will straightened his back and with eyebrows raised said, ‘Wow, really? Great, thanks.’

  ‘Not so fast, handsome. You have to do something for me first.’

  Will’s posture shrunk to a slouch. ‘Of course we do. What is it?’

  ‘I need something from you, William Wells. You can give me something that I haven’t had in a long, long time.’ She spoke the words slowly and seductively.

  Will pressed back into his seat even more, grimacing as his imagination ran through the possibilities of her request. He spoke tentatively: ‘My fiancée might be trapped in a parallel dimension, but I’m still in a committed relationship, you know.’

  Madame Izri laughed heartily. ‘Oh my, you are adorable. Don’t worry, I’m interested in nothing of that sort. I’m a wealthy woman and have no shortage of young men looking to get their name inserted into my will. No, what I want is far more valuable to me.’