The Secret Manuscript

by Edward Mullen

  Chapter Forty-One

  Ben and Vanessa arrived in Cold Lake past midnight on Wednesday night. They were worn out from the day and needed a place to crash. They drove through town and found a hotel.

  “Good evening,” the lady at the front desk greeted them.

  “Hi, we’re looking for a room,” Ben said.

  “Certainly, sir. For how many nights?”

  “Indefinitely.”

  “Okay, and what size bed would you like?”

  “A king please.”

  “Unfortunately, the closest thing available is two queens.”

  “Okay, that’s fine, we’ll take it.”

  “Great, I just need your credit card for an authorization, please.”

  “I don’t actually have my credit card with me — my wallet was stolen this afternoon.”

  The lady had noticed Ben’s bruised face and swollen lip, but did not address it. “I’m so sorry to hear that, sir.”

  “Vanessa, do you have your credit card on you?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah, but there’s not much room on it,” she said. “Actually, I think it might even be over its limit,” she said, being slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, I’m a student, remember?”

  “That’s fine,” he replied. “How else can we do this?” Ben asked, turning back to the lady. “Can I just pay you in cash?”

  “Sure, it’ll be one hundred for the room and two hundred for the deposit.”

  Ben took all the money from his pocket and laid it out on the counter. He had exactly enough.

  “Perfect,” the lady said. She counted out the money and put it in the register. “I’ll just print your receipt and give you your key.”

  “Thanks.”

  With nothing more than a backpack between them, the couple went to their room. The receptionist was not quite sure what to make of the late-night arrivals, but it was a bit strange to say the least. They seemed to be on the run from something and were not surprised they did not want to use their credit cards.

  The next morning, Ben was first to rise. After years of waking up early for work, he had grown accustomed to it. By the time Vanessa opened her eyes, Ben was just getting out of the shower.

  “Good morning,” he said, drying his hair was a hand towel.

  “Morning,” she moaned, still not fully awake yet.

  “I’m opening the curtains,” Ben said, retracting the curtains to allow the morning sun to light up the room.

  “It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day, what should we do?” Ben asked.

  “What can we do? We don’t have any money.”

  “It’s okay, the bank will be open soon so I can make a withdrawal.”

  “How will you be able to take money out? You don’t have your wallet or ID.”

  “It’s okay, they know me here. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “You haven’t lived here in a year, are you sure they’ll remember you?”

  “I’m pretty sure they will. If not, I’ll just explain what happened and show them my face. There has to be a procedure in place for situations like this.”

  “For people who get mugged and then leave town?”

  “No, for people who have their wallet lost or stolen. I’ll probably just have to sign some documents and answer a few security questions.”

  Vanessa stood up and reached her hand in her pockets. Feeling something that felt like a folded up bill, she pulled her hand out.

  “Oh my gosh, Ben, check this out,” she said. “I just found twenty bucks in my pocket!”

  “You didn’t know you had it?”

  “No, it’s an old pair of jeans I haven’t worn in a long time. In fact…” she paused with an astonished expression on her face.

  “What is it?”

  “I think this is the twenty bucks you gave me on our first date!”

  “Really? That’s hilarious! What are the odds?”

  “I know, right?”

  “I guess that means you’re paying for breakfast.”

  After leaving the hotel, they took a stroll down the block to find a nice place to eat breakfast. On the next block, they found a cozy restaurant with an inviting atmosphere. They stepped in and were seated by the window.

  “I bet Kyle will be excited to see you,” Vanessa said.

  “That’s only if we happen to run into him. I have no idea where he’s staying.”

  “I thought he was staying with that lady you met on the bus?”

  “I gave him her number, but I have no idea if he called her or not. Besides, even if he did call her, it’s been months, I doubt he’d still be there.”

  “Maybe she knows how to get it contact with him. You should try the number anyway just to make sure.”

  “Good idea, I’ll do that.”

  Ben took out his cell phone and tried to dial the lady’s phone number. After a short moment, he pulled the phone back from his ear and looked at it with a confused look.

  “What’s wrong?” Vanessa asked.

  “I don’t know, my phone doesn’t seem to be getting service out here.”

  “Maybe it’s still roaming, give it a minute.”

  “It’s fine,” Ben said. “I’ll try the number later. It’s still pretty early.”

  Eventually the waiter showed up to the table with the food.

  “Here you are,” the waiter said, setting down the hot plates.

  “Thank you.”

  “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

  “We should be okay, thank you.”

  Ben and Vanessa finished their breakfast, and when the bill came, Vanessa handed Ben the twenty dollars so he could pay. They had just enough to cover the cost. The total, including tax and tip, was eighteen dollars, leaving Ben with a toonie.

  “That was so awesome how you found that money in your pocket. We had just enough.”

  “I know, it worked out well.”

  “Hey, since the bank isn’t open yet, maybe we could see your old apartment.”

  “Okay, I’ll take you there, but I’m not sure if they rebuilt it yet.”

  The two walked hand in hand without a care in the world. The morning breeze gently caressed their bodies as the rising sun kept them comfortably warm. Vanessa commented on how clean the air was compared to the big city and fell in love with the friendliness of the small town. Everyone they passed either smiled or waved.

  After walking for several minutes, they rounded the block where Ben used to live. When Ben looked up, he could not believe his eyes. The building had been completely restored.

  “Unbelievable,” Ben said. “It looks just as I remembered it.”

  “I guess when they rebuilt it, it was easier to just use the old design.”

  One of Ben’s old neighbours, Patrice, happened to be walking by.

  “Hi, Patrice,” Ben said.

  “Hey, Ben,” Patrice replied. “I almost didn’t recognize you. It must be the beautiful girl on your arm. Who is this lovely lady?”

  “This is my girlfriend, Vanessa.”

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” Vanessa said, extending her hand.

  “Ben, I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

  “It’s new. We haven’t been together that long. How’ve you been? Long-time no see.”

  “I’m doing well. I’m just enjoying the sunshine, trying to get some exercise.”

  “I hear you, we’re doing the same thing.”

  “The weather is nice today, but when I win the lottery, I’m moving someplace warm year round.”

  “What’s the jackpot?” Ben asked.

  “They say it’s an estimated twenty million — the largest provincial lottery ever.”

  “Didn’t it get up to twenty million once before? In fact, I think it was around this time last year,” Ben said.

  “They announced it on the news that this was the largest jackpot in Alberta’s history — it’s creating quite the buzz. You should get a ticket, I just got mine,” Patrice said, pattin
g his shirt pocket where he kept his ticket.

  “Well, whatever the jackpot is, I wish you luck, Patrice.”

  “When I win, you two can come visit me on my private island.”

  “Thanks, I look forward to it.”

  Ben and Vanessa continued on their way at a leisurely pace until they eventually arrived at the bank. Ben held the door open for Vanessa and then followed in after her. They were the only customers in the bank and there were three tellers. Ben quickly scanned their faces and walked up to the one who knew him the best.

  “Hi Sharon,” Ben said as he approached the counter. Vanessa took a seat a few feet away.

  “Hello, Mr. Owen, how are you today?”

  “Not good I’m afraid,” Ben said, showing off the bruises on his face.

  “Oh my, what happened?”

  “I was in Calgary yesterday, and I got mugged. The robber beat me up and took my wallet along with all my money, cards, and ID.”

  “Oh my gosh, that’s terrible. I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s fine. It could have been much worse. But as it remains, I am in need of new cards and was also hoping to make a small withdrawal today. I can tell you everything you need to know about the account so you can verify me, but unfortunately I don’t have my ID on me.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Owen, it’s not a problem. And again, it’s terrible what happened to you. That’s why I like it here in Cold Lake, you can walk the streets without fearing for your safety.”

  “It’s certainly good to be back,” Ben said.

  “So let me just pull up your account here,” the woman said as she typed Ben’s name into her computer. “Hmm…” the lady said analysing the screen.

  “Is there something wrong?” Ben asked.

  “Mr. Owen, I’m afraid you’re currently in overdraft. I won’t be able to give you any money today.”

  “Overdraft?” Ben repeated, looking over the counter at her screen. “No, that’s not right. I should have plenty of money in there.”

  The woman swiveled the computer monitor around so Ben could see it. Much to his surprise, the account had been drained.

  “No, this is a mistake,” he insisted. “I had over a hundred-thousand dollars in there. Can you please show me all my latest transactions?”

  The lady expanded the search result and pulled up the data on her screen. Ben stood there dumbfounded. The money was gone.

  “Can you search the last month?” Ben asked, feeling as though he was about to be sick.

  Again the lady showed him all his transactions from the past month. The account did not reflect his current financial situation at all and he could not understand why. Ben’s eyes scanned the list of transactions and noticed a midmonth deposit for around $650 dollars from Ray’s Superstore. He then looked at the date and discovered the discrepancy.

  “Wait, you put in the wrong date,” Ben said, feeling relieved. “These transactions are from last year.”

  “Oh I’m sorry, Mr. Owen, let me fix that.”

  Ben turned to Vanessa with a relieved look on his face. A moment later, the teller informed him the date was correct.

  “No, that’s not right, that’s last year’s date,” Ben said, getting annoyed.

  “Mr. Owen, what year do you think it is?”

  Without answering, Ben looked up at a large calendar that was hanging on the wall behind the counter. It was at that moment when he made the connection. First his phone would not work, then his apartment building was restored, and now his accounts were empty. It was starting to all make sense to him.

  “I’m sorry,” Ben said, “I must have hit my head harder than I thought. Thanks for your time.”

  Vanessa remained seated and had not heard the conversation between Ben and the teller. All she saw was Ben walking toward her with a startled look on his face.

  “Ben, is everything okay?” she asked.

  “We’ll talk outside,” he answered.

  Together they walked out of the bank and Vanessa waited for him to tell her what was going on.

  “Vanessa, I have something very incredible to tell you, and if I’m acting strangely, it’s because I haven’t fully wrapped my brain around it yet myself.”

  “Ben, you’re freaking me out. Just tell me what’s going on.”

  “Vanessa, I think we travelled back in time.”