Will shifted forwards in his seat, mirroring Abigayle by resting his elbows on his knees. He said, ‘Okay, then what happened? How did you wind up working for Cillian Gander?’
‘Frenz told me the outline of the plan, about the escape, but he wouldn’t tell me the details. He said I’d be safer if I didn’t know everything. Instead, he said he would leave instructions for me and that when the time came, an old friend he had in the police force would give me the access I needed to the jail.’
‘I know how that part goes, believe me. Something tells me this friend would have given you a better welcome than the one I got,’ Will said.
Abigayle continued, ‘The biggest danger in the whole plan was using the Timepiece. He was sure that even though the agency had seemingly disbanded years earlier, that a man named Cillian Gander would never stop looking. Frenz told me about Ben, it’s a kind of monitoring system that tracks the Timepiece’s location and destination whenever it’s used.’
‘Yeah, and it’s not just a guy, you know, it’s a huge machine!’ Will added defensively.
‘Right,’ Abigayle said, a frown twitching on her brows momentarily. ‘Well, anyway, the plan was to infiltrate Cillian’s operation and shut it down so that they could no longer monitor the Timepiece. The problem was, we didn’t have much information on Cillian, so I started doing some digging. With Frenz’s help I managed to track him down. He apparently ran a consultancy company in the city – an obvious front – and had some openings for researchers. Frenz didn’t like the idea, but I volunteered to apply for the job. Frenz coached me on all the things to say and what Cillian would be looking for in a candidate and it worked. I got the job as a historical researcher.’
Will shuffled to the end of his seat. His hands were almost touching Abigayle’s. Slowly her story was causing all of Will’s uncertainty about her to dissipate and he felt guilty for ever doubting her. ‘And that’s why you were at his house the day we met?’
Abigayle appeared momentarily caught off guard by this. ‘Well, yes. I’d not even met the man personally, but I was often asked to stop by his house, mostly to retrieve documents that were stored on the upper floors, somewhere he apparently never went. Every time I was alone in his house, I would search for a key that I needed to get access to Ben. You interrupted me that one time. I know we both promised never to talk about it again, but you never did fully explain what you were doing in his house that day yourself, you know.’
‘It’s a long story for another day. Let’s just say that the first time you met me wasn’t necessarily the first time I met you.’
Abigayle sat upright, tilted her head to the side ever so slightly and with a furrowed brow began to say, ‘I don’t…but that doesn’t make any…’
‘Believe me, this whole thing makes my head hurt just as much. I’m still trying to convince myself this isn’t all some horrible dream, so let’s move on, okay?
Abigayle nodded yes, then continued, ‘Once I got the job and we both knew what we had to do, Frenz and I decided to break all communications with each other until it was time to make our move. It wasn’t safe to be seen together. For either of us. And they could never know where he was, that he was so close by. The plan was for me to send someone I trusted to him instead. Someone who knew nothing about him or the Timepiece. That person would pass him a coded message without even realising it, and that person would bring one back to me that only I would be able to understand. Depending on the message, it would either be that we should abort or that Ben had been disabled and we were ready to begin phase 2.’
‘And you sent me to do what, exactly?’ Will said curtly.
‘I never intended for him to give you the damn Timepiece if that’s what you mean! That was never an option we discussed. You were meant to send an abort code to him. You’d mention that a friend had recommended the shop to you and that would be it.’
‘So, what happened the day you sent me to him?’ Will pressed.
Abigayle edged closer to Will once more. The feeling that he was pulling away from her caused her voice to shift slightly; there was an edge of desperation to it as she proceeded. ‘The day before you went to see Frenz, I had met Cillian Gander for the very first time. I’d been working for him for almost two years and had never even seen him until that day. I was called back to his house, but this time someone was home, two men I’d never seen before. One tall, the other short.’
Will nodded knowingly. ‘That’ll be Tyke and Wigmore. We’ve crossed paths once or twice.’
‘Whoever they are, they gave me the creeps. They took me into the basement, into this small room, and strapped me into a chair bolted to the floor. I was terrified.’
Will’s jaw clenched and his hands bunched into fists at hearing this information.
Abigayle resumed her story. ‘For a while there, I really thought they were going to kill me. They sat me down and left me there for hours. Eventually Cillian Gander walked into the room, seemed to size me up and then thanked me for my time and let me go. Even though he didn’t really say anything to me, I knew that something was seriously wrong, so the following morning I told you about Frenz’s shop so that you’d take the message to him that we needed to abort.’
‘Okay, but what changed? Frenz gave me the Timepiece so somehow your message didn’t get through,’ Will said.
‘Well, that’s just it, it did get through. I called Frenz while you were in the store.’
‘That was you on the phone?’
‘Yes. He told me he had a customer, an American. I couldn’t believe it. It was just pure luck that you were still there, I thought you’d have been and gone hours earlier. I told him your name and that he should be certain it was you.’
Will slapped his knee with an open palm, then said, ‘So that’s how he knew my name! But why call at all, I thought it was too dangerous?’
‘I didn’t have much choice; it was highly likely that the Timekeepers had been watching you and that they likely followed you to his shop. I told Frenz I was sorry and that he needed to get out of there and take the Timepiece with him before it was too late.’
‘Well, I wish he’d listened because he sold it to me instead.’
‘I didn’t tell him to do that, you must believe me. I would’ve never put you in that kind of danger,’ Abigayle said, taking Will’s hand in hers.
‘I guess he thought it was safer with you than it was with him,’ Will offered.
‘Maybe. Maybe he was just tired of running.’
‘What made you think the Timekeepers were watching me?’
Abigayle dropped her hands from Will’s, and she began to play with the ring on her index finger again. ‘Cillian called me into his office at work just before I left for the day, around the time you were no doubt lost while looking for the shop I gave you clear directions to.’ Will rubbed the back of his neck guiltily.
Abigayle rolled her eyes at this and said, ‘When I sat down, he threw an envelope at me. It contained dozens of pictures of the two of us having lunch earlier that week. He then told me that he knew who you were, that he’d seen you before and that he thought you were working with Frenz and had helped him to steal the Timepiece. He said that years ago, at the beginning of his Futures Project, he’d gone into the future and that you were there. He said that the two of you fought and that he had killed you by throwing you from the top of Elizabeth Tower. He said that he hadn’t seen you since that day. That is, until he saw me having lunch with you. I didn’t believe him, but he showed me… a picture. A Polaroid of you and…’ She reached into her pocket and retrieved the small square photograph. It was soiled and faded, but the image was unmistakable. She handed it to Will, who studied it uneasily. ‘It was just like he said. You were dead. Then he showed me a newspaper clipping from 18th December 2016. The day he said that he’d killed you.’
‘So that’s what Cillian was rambling on about in the tower? The guy was talking on and on about knowing the future, that he knew how everything was going t
o play out. But I guess he was wrong. So, he tells you all this and then he lets you go, just like that?’
Abigayle shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ‘Yes, he just thanked me for my cooperation and let me go.’ She shook her head as she studied her restless hands.
‘And that’s when you called Frenz,’ Will said, piecing her story together.
She looked up, brightening slightly. ‘Yes, and then I came straight home. You have no idea how relieved I was to see you. I had no idea that you had the Timepiece with you until you showed it to me.’
‘But why did you use it? You must have known how dangerous it was to travel to the future.’
Abigayle nodded slowly and offered a sad sort of smile. ‘I didn’t think I had time to do anything else. I was sure the Timekeepers were going to kick the door down at any minute. I knew the plan was always to go to the past to free Frenz, but I couldn’t face the idea of doing that and losing you. And there was something about that picture that Cillian showed me.’ She looked into Will’s eyes as moisture pooled around the edges of her own.
‘What?’
‘You looked the same. Exactly the same as you do right now. The same age, same haircut, even the same shoes and jacket, which meant that your death could have happened at any moment. The moment I saw the Timepiece in your hands, and I thought of that photo, I did the only thing I thought that would save you. Frenz always told me that it’s almost impossible to change the past, but that the future was uncertain and always changing, so I figured that I’d have a go at changing it myself. I went to the future to try to save you. But I see now that it was just stupid.’
‘It wasn’t stupid, Abby,’ Will said, taking her hand this time.
‘Of course it was! I didn’t save you. All I did was put myself in a position where I was the one who needed saving.’
‘Doing what you did stopped me from becoming a smudge on the sidewalk –’
‘Pavement,’ Abigayle added with a smirk.
‘Whatever. And, okay, activating a time machine to save your boyfriend from the future might not be the smartest thing you’ve ever done, but it sure is the bravest.’
‘Thank you, Will,’ Abigayle said, her cheeks flushing crimson. ‘After I activated it, it began to overheat. At first, I thought it might be normal, but it got so hot so quickly that I had to loosen my grip on it slightly. Then that damned thing on the table – which I’m now pretty certain is a phone – lit up and made that awful rattling sound and the Timepiece just slipped from my hand. I watched it as it fell and the moment it hit the floor it just disappeared. And you disappeared along with it.’
‘It came as a bit of a shock to me as well, if I’m being totally honest,’ Will said. ‘I didn’t even know what the Timepiece was. Turns out I’m pretty good with puzzles, though. So, I rescued Frenz myself. Then we visited Avy Stammers, who repaired the Timepiece to stop it from overheating. The rest I’ll get into later. The big problem was that after the Timepiece hit the floor, whatever date you entered got wiped, so I had no idea when you’d gone to. But Frenz, he helped me find you.’
‘I’m impressed, Mr. Wells. Maybe Frenz giving you the Timepiece was more calculated than I first thought,’ Abigayle said, grinning at him. ‘Where is Frenz now, anyway? Was he with you?’
Will cupped both of her hands in his, looked her in the eye once more and said, ‘Abby, I don’t know how to tell you this. I’m so sorry, but the Frenz you knew is dead. They shot him. I saw them do it.’
It was as if Will had just dosed her with a sedative. Abigayle’s eyes snapped shut, and she wavered in her seat, collapsing back into it. When she opened her eyes again, they pleaded with Will to say it wasn’t true. She held back the tears and spoke in a low, pained voice. ‘Oh Will, no. It’s all my fault.’
Abigayle rested her head on Will’s shoulder, and he placed a hand on the back of her head. ‘You didn’t kill him, Abby. It was them. And Frenz knew the risks and he did it anyway. There’s no way on earth that he would’ve blamed you for any of this. Okay?’
Abigayle looked up at Will with renewed strength, nodding vigorously. ‘Thank you, Will. At least you freed Frenz like we planned. At least the younger Frenz is safe.’
Will leaned backwards slightly, placed his hand on the Timepiece and said, ‘Well, I didn’t exactly complete all of the plan. I freed him, sure. But he still needs my help.’
Will and Abigayle stood up from their seats. Will reached into his pocket and placed Agent Tyke’s Mimic Watch on her wrist, then said, ‘You ready?’
Abigayle nodded, smiling nervously. ‘Ready.’
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
May 19th, 1984, 13:13
In a flash of light, warmth and pulsating energy, the room around them transformed from the sterile futurist one back to the home they knew and loved. Though it was now in an extreme state of disarray, with strips of police tape strewn on the floor. Five days since she had first gone astray, Abigayle had been returned to her rightful place in time.
Will let out a huge sigh of relief and closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them, he said, ‘Abby, I need to go.’
She nodded reluctantly. ‘Okay, but you’re taking me with you. If Frenz needs help, I’m not standing by and doing nothing.’
Will knew that it was wasted energy trying to change her mind once it was made. She was like Frenz in that way. He simply nodded yes and took her hand in his. Touching her again still felt unreal after everything that had happened and it sent electricity coursing over his skin.
As the two of them turned to leave, there was a loud rasping knock at the door, causing them to tighten their grip with fright. They looked at each other and Will whispered, ‘Dammit. That’s probably the police. I forgot to mention that I’m the major suspect in Frenz’s murder. And yours.’
‘What?!’ Abigayle said in hushed astonishment, only now noticing how much her apartment resembled a crime scene.
‘You should probably stay out of sight. Here, take the Timepiece. If they arrest me, you’ll need you to go to Westminster and find Frenz.’
‘What?! Will, this is crazy!’
‘Welcome to my life for the past five days.’
Will walked tentatively towards the front door. He grasped the handle, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Exhaling, he opened them and turned the handle, pulling the door inwards.
To his surprise, instead of being greeted by a group of London’s finest, he instead found his neighbour Kevin standing in front of him. He had an unbearably smug look on his face and a brick-sized mobile telephone pressed against his ear. Will looked at the phone and smirked at the absurd size of it compared to what he’d seen in the future.
Will was about to speak when Kevin cut him off, saying, ‘I thought I heard something, William. Gordon. Wells.’ Kevin spoke his name as if it made him physically revolted to do so. He then said, ‘The police may have given up searching your apartment, but not me. They’re on the line listening in, by the way. Do you think I’m really that stupid that I wouldn’t hear when you came crawling back?’
Will attempted to explain. ‘Kevin, you don’t understand –’
‘Oh, I understand perfectly well. You won’t get away with what you did to my Abigayle. You were never good enough for her. The two of us would have been together if it wasn’t…’
While Kevin was speaking, Abigayle had moved up to the door to stand at Will’s side. She pulled the door open farther to reveal herself to the dumbfounded Kevin.
The look on his face was the perfect combination of confusion and total and utter embarrassment. It contrasted with the uncharacteristic look of rage on Abigayle’s face.
Just as Kevin was about to speak, Abigayle stepped past Will and planted a firm, close-fisted punch square on the end of Kevin’s nose. He stumbled backwards and landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.
Abigayle turned to Will, smiled a small, satisfied smile and said, ‘You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that! Now let’s go.’<
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Abigayle handed Will the Timepiece and the two of them hurried through the front door, stepping over the stricken Kevin. Abigayle flagged down a taxi and they quickly traversed the now familiar route between Holland Park and Westminster.
Elizabeth Tower soon came into view in the distance, standing high above the nearby trees and rooftops that surrounded it. As they neared Westminster Abbey, Will could make out the faint flashing of blue lights dancing rhythmically across the building frontages. A sick feeling began to well up in his stomach.
We’re too late.
They approached more cautiously now. Will was wary that he was still very much a wanted man.
Once they reached Westminster Bridge, they could see that a large crowd had gathered at the base of the tower. They both slipped into the throng of onlookers and slowly worked their way through.
They eventually made their way to the front of the crowd just as firefighters and medical services could be seen carrying a stretcher from the base of Elizabeth Tower.
No, they’ve found the agency’s Central Station.
Will clambered farther forwards for a closer look before the police encircled the spectators, urging them backwards. The body on the stretcher, which was covered by a thick white sheet, could only be one of the three people who were left behind in the underground chamber. As the stretcher was lifted into the back of a waiting ambulance, Will’s spirits were dashed. The proportions didn’t match that of the tall, lanky Agent Tyke nor the short rotund Agent Wigmore. It could only be that of his dear friend, Frenz Belingi.
Were it not for the press of the people who surrounded him, he would’ve collapsed to the ground as he felt his legs go weak beneath him. As it was, he was held upright, almost floating in a sea of bodies. Abigayle managed to catch up with him and took his hand. She pulled him clear of the crowds and said, ‘Will, what is it?’
‘The body on that stretcher. It’s got to be him. It’s got to be Frenz. I’m too late.’
The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray: A thrilling new time travel adventure Page 30