"They all sound good. But, um, wouldn't you need the permission of the Davenport family to use their ancestor?"
He shrugged. "I wouldn't use his real name. I'm not even using the hotel name, although it will probably be obvious from other details I include. When my agent contacted the Davenport's marketing division, they were really stoked about the publicity potential so I don't think there'll be a problem."
You couldn't be more wrong, Maggie thought, then reminded herself not to dwell on problems tonight. She had plenty of time and a lot could happen before she had to do anything. Her mood lifted considerably with Noah's next words.
"I found several mentions of The Weeping Woman. One of the accounts suggested she might be a young hotel maid who was found dead on the beach in 1927. It was generally believed the girl had gotten pregnant illegitimately and just walked into the ocean to end her shame. But here's the interesting part. The examining doctor reported seeing bruises on her throat and stated she may have been strangled first. In those days though, her death wouldn't be important enough to investigate so the possibility of murder was buried along with her body."
"The maid I saw said something about her babe but she was turned away from me and on her knees so I couldn't say whether she had a pregnant belly."
"Sounds like the unsolved murder victim could have been your Irish maid but your noticing the lack of brogue in the voice you heard on the trail would seem to contradict her being The Weeping Woman. Besides, the earliest mention of her was in 1945."
"But," Maggie countered. "That could have just been when the spirit was given an identifying nickname."
"True." Noah added that possibility to his mental file. "The other specific incident that caught my attention was a mention of another suicide death in 1927. That one was a man."
"Not Robert Davenport?"
"No, his was three years later. Plus, this man's was by drowning, like the maid. But it did make me realize how often a questionable death on the island was labeled suicide."
Maggie made a face at him. "Let me guess. You're thinking Hotel Hellgate makes people want to kill themselves."
Noah laughed aloud. "I hadn't gone in that direction yet. But I probably would have eventually. Anyway, there are a lot of possibilities besides those. The 1928 hurricane alone accounted for at least a hundred dead on the island, mostly employees of the hotel who were outside or in the workers' barracks when it passed over. Back then they had no warning and may not have had any idea what a hurricane was. Bottom line is, there were a lot of people who died or disappeared from here over the years."
They had walked quite a distance before their way was blocked by a thick stand of sea grape plants. There, where the cleared beach ended and the broad-leafed vegetation began, was an egg-shaped geode, as tall as Maggie. It had a long crack down the side facing the ocean but it wasn't possible to tell what sort of crystal was inside.
Noah stroked the smooth rock face then turned to her with a broad grin. "But here's the best part of everything I read. A group of ghost hunters spent some time here a few years ago. They picked up so many different hot spots, they concluded this whole island is a doorway between dimensions. Would you believe that? A supernatural portal could be the perfect tool for Hotel Hellgate! What do you think?"
"I think..." She was distracted by the strong energy that seemed to be pulsating off the rock. It was different from what she'd felt in the Amethyst Cave, different from the energy field along the nature trail. Her gaze focused on how pointedly the moon's beam was illuminating the crack, as though awakening something inside. "How strange," she mumbled as she ran her index finger along the crack.
"Maggie?"
She forced her attention back to him. "I think... you're right. It's perfect." Now if you'll just steer away from Robert Davenport as a main character...
"In which case, the person who built the resort would be like a gatekeeper for Hell." He gave her a firm hug. "Thank you."
Her eyes narrowed with alarm as she envisioned her name being mentioned in his book's acknowledgements. Her voice came out slightly pitchy as she asked, "Why thank me? I've hardly done anything yet."
He shrugged. "If not for you I wouldn't have done all that research so soon. I think you're my new muse." He slipped his hands around her waist and eased her closer. "Enough talking." He leaned back against the rock, drew her close and kissed her forehead. "It's a beautiful night." He kissed each cheekbone.
A strange tingling enveloped her bare feet.
"The moon is putting on a show just for us." He kissed her nose.
The tingling spread up her legs.
"And that ocean is really warm." He kissed her mouth then outlined her lips with his tongue.
Her body was being aroused yet her mind was sidetracked by the ticklish sensation now shimmering throughout her body. Something physical was happening to her that had nothing to do with Noah's seduction. The peculiar sensation strengthened, peaked with a strong wave of dizziness then completely went away.
"We're completely alone... and you did say you like trying new things..."
She gave herself over to his mesmerizing kisses, his voice, his touch, his suggestion that they continue their play in the water. There was nothing she would not do with him.
Until a wave splashed over her feet and deposited a clingy glob of seaweed. She kicked it off and watched a family of tiny crabs scramble back toward the sea. She was no longer entranced enough to follow him into that dark abyss. "Maybe another time, but I wouldn't mind returning to that cushy lounge for two in the caba—"
Noah grabbed her hand and pulled her into a light jog back down the beach. A minute later they came to an abrupt halt. Where there had been ten colorfully-striped tents, there was now only a single tan one. As they got closer they heard a woman's shrill giggle and the flaps of the tent were securely closed. It made no sense.
On the sand beside the tent were two neatly-folded, green-striped seersucker cover-ups with gold waist ties. Maggie picked them up and handed one to Noah. "Something's very wrong here," she whispered as she put on the wrap. "Maybe we got turned around somehow. Let's just go back inside the hotel and get our bearings. We can return these once we find the cabana you reserved."
Noah's confused expression elevated to worry when they couldn't find the side door they had used to exit. Anxious to figure out where they'd gone wrong, they walked the hotel's perimeter until they came to the lobby entrance, only to be brought to another sudden stop inside the doors. Everyone was in costume. Flapper dresses, feathered boas and sequined headbands. Old-fashioned tuxedos and white spats over shiny black shoes. Even the staff's Hawaiian-patterned uniforms had been changed to old safari-style outfits to match whatever party theme was going on.
"Mr. and Mrs. Nash?"
Maggie recognized the Jamaican accent immediately. It was the bellman, Reynard, wearing a crisp khaki ensemble complete with pith helmet.
"If ya will please follow me, I will take ya to your bungalow."
"Bungalow?" Noah asked in an edgy tone. "We have the Diamond Penthouse. Here, in the main building. And we also had a private cabana reserved for this whole night and something—"
"I assure ya I can explain everyt'ing but now ya really must come with me. Quickly, please."
Maggie nudged Noah to follow Reynard as he hurried outside to a horse-drawn carriage on a wooden boardwalk. "Am I crazy or did I completely miss seeing this before?"
He helped her into the back seat then joined her. "Not crazy. There was a paved path here this morning... for golf carts, not carriages."
Reynard lightly flicked the reins and the horse clopped forward.
It was all much too strange, so Maggie chose something simple to question. "Reynard, you know I'm not Mrs. Nash."
"It will be much easier if ya be introducing yourself as such while ya're here."
Noah leaned forward and tapped Reynard's shoulder. "What do you mean, here?" He didn't get an answer but the carriage came to a halt mere
seconds later.
Maggie and Noah shared a bewildered look. They were in front of a row of bungalows, somewhat similar to the ones they'd seen that morning though not nearly as many. The architecture seemed different and none of them were painted the same colors as before. The only thing that hadn't changed were the two yellow rockers on the porch of the one Reynard had stopped in front of. They waited until they were all inside then spilled out their questions in a rush.
"What's going on?"
"Why can't we go back to our suite?"
"Why weren't we advised of any of this in advance?"
"Why do we need to pretend I'm Mrs. Nash?"
"Which brings me back to what you meant by here?"
Reynard held up a hand as he lit a kerosene lamp. "I only have a few minutes before being discovered so I must give ya de short version. Ya are still at de Davenport Resort. In fact, ya passed by dis exact bungalow earlier today. However, when de full moon reached its zenith while ya were at de portal, de two of ya were transported to de year 1927. Ya cannot go back to de suite ya were in because Mr. and Mrs. Robert Davenport are in residence dere at dis time."
"1927?" Maggie and Noah exclaimed simultaneously.
Reynard quickly continued before they could ask more questions. "Ya were unable to bring anyt'ing with ya but what you were wearing or holding at de time. Unfortunately dat was not much so I left the dressing gowns for ya to find. Because someone felt sorry for ya, I was given a rather unusual opportunity in exchange for making certain arrangements for ya, like dis bungalow.
"The closet and drawers have time-appropriate clothing and ya will have no problem signing for meals in de dining room or through room service. But in case you need cash, dere be a supply of currency in de jewelry cabinet. Matches for de oil lamps can be found dere as well. At dis time, only de main areas of de hotel have electric lighting."
He handed Noah the key to the bungalow then turned to Maggie. "Oh yes, about your name. De mid-nineteen-twenties were hardly an era of Victorian morals in dis place, but saying ya are his wife will avoid a lot of unnecessary explanations." He started toward the door then turned back. "Also, if asked who sent ya, say Teddy Roosevelt. And now I must be on my way. I hope you have a pleasant and successful stay."
"Hold on," Noah said, grasping Reynard's arm before he could get out the door. "Say we accept everything you said, what are we supposed to do now? How do we get back?"
Reynard's jaw tensed and his gaze darted upward, as though he were listening to someone above. "Dey know I am here."
"They who?" Noah demanded.
Reynard's speech picked up to auctioneer speed. "Dere is somet'ing ya have to fix or someone ya must save from catastrophe. I was not given dat information. Usually de pair has an idea about what dey must rectify... like a matter or person dey were discussing right before dey transported. Ya had better figure dat part out quickly because ya will not be able to get back unless ya complete whatever ya were sent here to accomplish.
"Even if ya do succeed, de reverse transport can only take place from de same spot on de beach—" His gaze shot upward again, then his expression was one of annoyance.
"Ya only have five days to complete your task, beginning today. Each night, when de moon is at its zenith, de portal will allow ya through if ya have completed your task. It is important ya stay together at dat time to make sure ya both return. De fifth night will be your final opportunity to go back."
"That's ridiculous!" Maggie exclaimed. "What if we don't succeed in five days?"
"Ya will live out your days here on Crystal Island, in dis time. I am quite sure ya would not care for de... restrictions. I must go."
Noah tried to stop him again but he was gone. Reynard had literally vanished in the blink of an eye.
Chapter 11
Who did that? Karma roared. Who gave the fox freedom to interact?
None of the Abstracts spoke but one by one their thoughts shifted to Love.
I am sorry, Love replied. But the test was unfairly difficult. They only have five days before all their fates are sealed forever. It was illogical to have them spend half that time figuring out when and where they were and how to manage.
Justice rose to Love's defense. Love has a valid point, one that I had been thinking of raising. Though I am not convinced releasing the fox was the best solution. Since I presented this mission I will take the responsibility of getting Deception back in his cage.
Karma was far from satisfied. See to it that you do without delay. Earth's humans are having a difficult enough time without the trickster running freely through the ages, stirring up all manners of mischief.
Justice had not finished its thought on the matter. What is done is done. As I brought up previously, this case is an important and time-sensitive one, but it is not an easy one to resolve. The unusually short time period created an additional challenge that others did not have. Therefore, the assistance this pair was given somewhat balances the scales. However, Love broke a rule and her method put humanity at risk. It is up to The First to determine Love's punishment, but I recommend leniency due to extenuating circumstances.
The First refrained from offering an opinion. Although no previous pair had been given so much assistance at the outset, Justice was correct in the conclusion that the extra assistance balanced the shorter time. What had not been repeated was that if this pair failed all of Earth's humans would suffer.
At the moment, The First had to decide what to do about Love's transgression despite the rationale of it.
Deception was serving a sentence of restraint on Crystal Island due to his unapproved involvement in the development of American technology in the 1970s. It didn't matter that his interference turned out to be generally beneficial. It was against the rules to interact directly with Earth humans unless agreed upon by The Council. And they would never have granted such permission to Deception. The fox's desire to be free, even for an hour, would make a deal with him the quickest solution to Love's desire to help Maggie and Noah. The problem was that Love had not made proper arrangements to re-incarcerate the fox immediately afterward.
An official reprimand should be recorded in The Book. It definitely should. But that would not be done in this case. The First always tended to give Love more leeway than the others... perhaps because Love tended to only break the rules for very good reasons.
Chapter 12
Noah slowly carried the kerosene lamp throughout the room, opening drawers, checking behind curtains, the backs of pictures and the bottoms of lamps.
Maggie watched him get more agitated as the seconds ticked by. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for a hidden camera or recording device. This has got to be an elaborate practical joke of some kind."
"Noah, we just saw that man disappear into thin air. That would be awfully hard to create."
"Maybe not. A lot can be done with special effects. Maybe a magician is involved."
"Didn't you say you believed anything is possible?" She got a smirk for her reminder as he continued his search. Maggie bit her lip as he continued crawling along, looking under every piece of furniture. "Noah? You know that talent you insist I have?"
He looked up at her and his expression changed from annoyed to curious. "Are you picking up something?"
"Maybe. And maybe before too. Back on the beach. When we reached the end of the cleared sand. I didn't say anything because you were kissing me..."
He rose and grasped her hands. "What happened?"
"I felt tingling, or maybe it was more of a shimmering, different from what I felt on the trail this morning. It started at my feet and moved up my body."
"Do you think you experienced a temporal shift?"
She shrugged. "I don't even know what that means. It just felt... weird and then it went away. But there was something else very strange. The moonlight... it... was shining a beam directly into the crack in that rock and... and I swear I saw a glow deep inside."
He combed his fingers t
hrough her hair and quietly said, "Okay. That could have just been a reflection... but adding the feeling you described does push it into the weird category."
She made a face. "Well, as long as you're giving me the benefit of the doubt, there's one more thing. When Reynard was telling us where, or rather when we are, and about us having to accomplish something, I was filled with the certainty that he was telling the truth. Like I told you this morning, I've always been pretty good at telling if someone was lying. What he told us sounds crazy. I don't understand how someone could be transported through time, except in a novel or a movie. And yet, I don't have a doubt in my mind that we're now in a different time period than we were."
"He may have given us a hint about the how. He said 'they' knew he was here, and twice he looked up as though whoever they are, they're on a higher plane. Does that make sense?"
She raised one eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure none of this is going to make sense. But if we really did travel back in time, why not blame it on a supernatural power? We certainly didn't travel in a time machine. What makes even less sense is Reynard's explanation about us having to fix something or save someone in order to get back. Plus, it sounds like we'll be punished if we don't. At least he, or they, could have given us a clue."
"Well, maybe he did. He hinted that it was about something or someone we were discussing right before we got to that rock. That could be The Weeping Woman."
"Or the Irish maid," she added.
"Or the other suicide-by-drowning victim. Or Robert Davenport. Or the countless others who died here over the years. We were talking about a lot of people." Noah let out a frustrated sigh then added. "But we were definitely talking about people dying of causes other than illness or old age, not a thing that went wrong or an event that could be changed by someone going back in time. From that we could at least focus on saving rather than fixing."
"And, yes, we were talking about a lot of people, but I would think it would be about someone who died in this specific year, 1927. Plus, I think it's relevant that we personally only had something supernatural happen involving three of them... assuming the man you saw in your mirror was Davenport."
Some Time Away (Lovers in Time Series, Book 3): Time Travel Romance Page 12