Time Will Tell

by Mary S. Palmer

  He and Mona. He liked the sound of that. The linking of their names seemed natural now. He hadn’t even talked with Mona about their relationship, but he’d taken it for granted that they belonged together. He knew she felt the same way. Or did she? Doubt crept in. Was he taking too much for granted? Was it just that they were caught in the passion and excitement of the moment? When all this was over would they still have something in common? Or was it all part of the unrealistic experiences they shared?

  No. It was more than that, at least for Rob. He’d been attracted to Mona way before any of this. But at the time, she was interested in somebody else. Interested? Hell, except for Lee Black, Mona didn’t know anyone else even existed. But that was over and done with — he hoped.

  Soft music coming from the radio ceased, and a loud commercial took its place and got Rob’s attention.

  “And now for the news. Reporting from Mobile, Alabama, this is Jim Rush. The recent sightings of space ships in the area and reports of them exploding in the air have been deemed erroneous. Investigators and members of the media from around the country have left the Port City, saying there is no documentation for these stories. One reporter from New York City called the incident, ‘an attention-grabbing ploy to bring the filming of more movies to Mobile.’ But others left with doubt, even though they could find no concrete proof. Further investigation is continuing by members of the local media who remain noncommittal.”

  When the announcer continued with the national news, Rob turned off the radio. No need to disturb Mona. All that was nothing new. But it bothered him. If he heard it, Frank heard it, too. That kind of influence would make convincing him of the truth that much harder.

  A loud clap of thunder returned Rob to reality. Surprised at more bad weather so soon after Hurricane Dennis, at the first sign of a sprinkle, Rob turned on his windshield wipers. The clouds emptied, and rain soaked the streets. Mona shifted her position but did not awaken. In seconds, precipitation was so heavy that Rob could scarcely see through the windshield, even though his wipers ran on high speed. Finally deciding that he should pull off of the road until the rain slacked up a bit, he looked for a hard shoulder. Before he got a chance, unexpectedly, an eighteen-wheeler breezed by him and forced him off the road into a soggy spot. He got out of the car, certain that he was stuck in the mud.

  The jolt awakened Mona. “What’s going on?” she asked, straightening up and rubbing her eyes.

  “Nothing much. We just can’t make it in this driving rain. I had to pull off. I couldn’t see out at all.” He couldn’t bear to tell her of yet another problem.

  She sat bolt upright. “But Rob, if we stop now, McNally will beat us to the paper. We just can’t let him get to Frank first.”

  “If we can’t get through, chances are that he can’t, either.”

  “He might. He’s probably got an SUV.”

  “So? That’s just tough luck.” He looked at her. “Mona, I hate to tell you but we’re stuck in the mud.”

  She moaned. Such luck. Hadn’t they already had their share of trouble? Why? Why?

  There was nothing else to say. They sat in silence as lightning struck all around them. In the woods that bordered this stretch of the freeway, Rob could see the sky light up and the lightning streaking down almost to the ground. Thunder boomed time and again. Rain poured down unceasingly.

  He thought about putting a board under the back wheels and trying to spin the car out, but he had no boards and probably wouldn’t be able to find any; it would most likely be a futile effort anyhow; he was in too deep. If he got out in this kind of weather, he might be struck by lightning and Mona would be left alone. So, until the weather cleared, he saw no chance of moving the car.

  Impatiently, Mona asked, “Isn’t there something we can do? We can’t just sit here indefinitely.”

  Without a verbal reply, Rob just shook his head. This was a minor thing, but it was grating on his nerves more than that foreign object in his tooth had. He thought about how funny human nature is. A person who can deal with facing death without flinching may crumble when trying to cope with life’s little irritations. Life was odd. Leaning back, he tried to sleep.

  He must have dozed. But closed eyes didn’t prevent him from smelling smoke. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the woods were on fire. They were parked close enough to the edge of the road to put them in a dangerous position; their car could catch on fire. They had to get out of there.

  As he jumped from the car yelling to Mona, “Get out, quick,” she saw the fire, too. She realized, too, that they were in a precarious position — just yards from a tree that lightning had struck. The fire lapped at underbrush and moved in their direction.

  Standing by the wheel that was stuck in the mud, Rob told Mona, “I’ve got to try to get us out of here.”

  He stooped to see if he could pry the wheel out of the mud, he saw something that made their predicament even worse. An old rusty muffler lying on the side of the road punctured a small hole in their gas tank. The fluid slowly trickled out. Rob panicked.

  If the fire got to that gas spilled on the ground, they were goners. He had to think fast. What should they do? Should he keep trying to get the car out of the mud and drive away on whatever gas was left in the tank, if any? Or would it be best to make a run for it on foot? Surely somebody would pick them up in this rain.

  Spouting out words as fast as he could, he consulted Mona. “We’re in another mess, Mona. You won’t believe this, but we’ve run over an old muffler. It tore a hole in the gas tank and most of the gas leaked out. If that fire reaches the gas, this car will go up in smoke. If we’re around, we’ll go with it. We have two options: we can try to dig out and get away on the gas we have left or we can make a run for it.” Too frustrated to make a decision, Rob threw up his hands. “I’ll leave it up to you.”

  Without hesitation, Mona grabbed her purse and held it close. “Let’s go. Let’s get the hell out of here,” she said without dawdling over the decision.

  As they fled the scene, Rob turned to look back. He saw flames lapping dangerously close to the car and wondered what Doc would think. If the rain didn’t quickly put out the fire, the car would soon be reduced to cinders.

  Panting, Rob and Mona reached the crest of a hill. Rob stopped and held up one dripping wet hand. “Wait a minute, Mona. I think we’re safe from fire here. Anyway, that car’s not burning yet.” He paused, cringing at the repeated flashes of lightning. “I guess we should have stayed where we were. That lightning sure is close. From the looks of it, leaving might not have been a good idea.”

  “What do you mean, Rob? That fire could pick up any minute.” She was tired and impatient. Rob’s statement aggravated her.

  “There’s not a house for miles,” he said ignoring her last remark. “I can’t see any kind of shelter or any ditches to crawl into. Damn. There a bridge ahead. It’s safer than walking through those pine trees. We’d be a perfect target for lightning there. Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand. “This has got to stop soon.”

  But he knew that wasn’t necessarily true. An electrical storm could last for hours. Even if neither of them was afraid of lightning under normal circumstances, it took on a different perspective out in the open unprotected. Many a person had lost a life on golf courses around here. Their fear was completely justified.

  Cars passed them by and didn’t even slow down. One man glared at them, but he didn’t offer a ride.

  “I suppose we’re lucky he didn’t run us over,” Rob grumbled, swearing at the man’s lack of feeling for his fellow human being. Mona was too winded to comment.

  After half a dozen cars passed without stopping, Rob realized that they would get no help from motorists on this route. If they wanted to get out of this storm, they would have to do so on foot.

  “Come on,” he said, nodding his head toward the west. He tried to reach a side road he’d seen up ahead. “We’ve got to get somewhere that’s dry. At least cars will drive slower on a t
wo-lane road. Maybe somebody will give us a lift.”

  Drenched to the skin, they walked off among the trees where the ground became soggy under their feet. It was difficult to believe there could be so much unpopulated area between Pensacola and Mobile, but there was. Any little burgs nestled in between were so well hidden that if a person didn’t know where they were, it was difficult to find them. Neither Rob nor Mona was familiar with the territory. They spent so much time in the woods recently that the thought of rambling around there didn’t bother them one bit.

  “Seems just like home, Mona. Our noses ought to be able to lead us by now,” Rob said jokingly. “We’ve had so much experience in the woods lately that this ought to be easy.”

  “Well, I’m not so sure about that,” Mona retorted, still a bit uncomfortable in a strange place. “And we don’t seem any closer to that road you’re looking for.”

  The irritation in her voice was contagious. Rob snapped back. “I can’t help it,” he said angrily. “You don’t think I want to be here anymore than you, do you?”

  Before she could reply, something else captured their attention. Rob heard it first. It was a loud, roaring sound. Turning in its direction, he said, “Listen. I think that’s a train, Mona. Hear it?”

  The rumbling got louder and louder. “What the hell?” exclaimed Rob. “It’s coming this way, Mona. It’s coming this way. A train track can’t run through here.” It was baffling. He glanced around, looking for the source of the sound.

  Just then, they saw a funnel-shaped cloud and a terrible thunderous roar accompanying it rumbled in their ears. The ominous object headed straight for them. Not knowing what to do, they crouched on the ground. The powerful twirling cone lifted a pine tree by its roots, dipped down, and picked up a small brush in its path and within a yard of the would-be victims suddenly and unexpectedly changed it course as if to say, “I don’t want you; you’re not big enough.”

  Still, it came so close that the couple couldn’t tell whether it touched them or not. Then, it backed off in an eerie fashion. When it passed, their relief was overwhelming. Neither Rob nor Mona could speak a word. Stark terror showed in Rob’s eyes. Mona’s lily-white face was blank. It took a few minutes before either of them regained their composure.

  Shaking his head, Rob told Mona, “After seeing those space ships, I thought I’d seen it all. But I’ve never seen or heard anything like that. I can’t believe it.” He grabbed Mona by the shoulders and shook her. “Do you realize that we’ve just been through a tornado? I can’t believe it,” he repeated.

  Mona opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. Seeing her fright, Rob pulled her to him. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he felt her trembling form in his arms. She started laughing, screaming, and crying all at the same time, but the relief of letting her hysteria out broke the tension, and the shaking eventually stopped.

  “Mona, Mona. It’s going to be all right.” Rob tenderly stroked her hair. “I know that after all we’ve been though it’s hard to believe that anything will ever be all right again. And to be perfectly honest, things won’t be the same. But it will get better. I promise you. How could it possibly get worse?” He gave a weak little laugh. “Hey, look.” He held up his open palm and no water fell on it. “Good news already. It’s stopped raining. Let’s go back to the highway.”

  The tornado seemed to be the climax of the storm. Clouds were still gray, but the lightning moved off into the distance. Now, the thunder was heard from afar. Any change in the weather was an improvement. Even in wet clothes and shoes, the walk back was easier.

  But something was wrong. Mona couldn’t pinpoint it, but somehow the tornado looked different from those she’d seen in photographs or on television — only slightly, but enough to cause a gnawing feeling of concern. A face flashed through her mind. Someone she’d seen in the middle of the storm. It wasn’t clear but she knew who it was — Torpi. He had a blunt instrument pressed against her skull. His eerie laughter echoed in her brain as he said, “I’ve erased Rob’s memory, now I’m erasing yours.” He repeated, “I’m erasing yours,” three times. Then, she pictured him falling dead at her feet.

  In seconds, she felt better, but her head still swam. Maybe that was natural. Then again, maybe it was not.

  Without warning, Rob sat down so fast that Mona didn’t see him in her path and she almost stumbled over him. In a minute, she knew something was wrong. Looking down at him, she became terrified. His eyes were glaring ahead. He showed no sign of recognition when he looked up at her. And when she spoke his name, he made no response whatsoever. Frantically, she searched her mind for the answer. What was wrong? She felt dizzier and dizzier. She couldn’t find her purse. Her last thought before she joined Rob in the trance he was in was, What was that cone-shaped object? Was it really a tornado?

  As Mona involuntarily sank down on the ground beside Rob, the words cone-shaped repeated themselves. Vaguely, she realized that it was a clue to the tornado’s true identity.

  Chapter 17

  THE HOSPITAL BED WAS warm and clean. When Mona awoke, Doc stood over her, holding Pep in his arms. It had taken a great deal of fast-talking by the physician to convince the hospital administrators of Mona’s psychological need to see her pet, but Romano had used his clout as a doctor to pull it off.

  Seeing Mona’s perk up, Doc told her, “Your boss has been taking care of your dog. Looks good, doesn’t he? And he’s fine. I knew you’d want to see him.”

  Overjoyed at finding his mistress again, Pep squirmed and tried to get out of Doc’s arms and onto the bed. Bleary-eyed, Mona smiled up and reached out to pet him.

  Nick leaned over and Mona let Pep lick her hand.

  Mumbling almost incoherently, she asked, “Wha’s wrong with me? This iz a hospital, izn’ it?”

  Doc patted her hand but didn’t answer. He realized that in her condition, Mona was in no frame of mind to understand explanations. She suffered shock and exposure. The sedation she’d been given should be allowed to take full effect. Rest was the best medication she could get right now.

  And rest she would get. Against her best efforts to keep them open, Mona’s eyes closed. As soon as she was asleep, Doc quietly slipped out of the door.

  Frank Dees waited right outside. “Is she all right? Can I see her now?” he asked with concern in his voice.

  “She’s going to be just fine, Mr. Dees. She’s asleep again, but she did awaken for a minute. The first thing she did was to pet Pep. Rob had a good idea about bringing him here. It gave Mona a lift.” Doc put the dog on the floor and kept a grip on his leash. “She did ask what was wrong and if this was a hospital. I didn’t even answer. She fell back asleep immediately. Probably better anyway. No rush to go into details. I’m glad that she regained consciousness. Good sign. But she’s exhausted. More than anything, she needs rest.”

  Dees gave a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to lose his reporter right after finding her again. But he did want to talk to her as soon as possible. He had a million questions that he could hardly wait to get answers to. Nonetheless, for now, he’d have to be satisfied with whatever Dr. Romano could supply. And even those would be delayed. First, he had to check on his other reporter — Rob Parker.

  Rob occupied a room in the same hospital but on a different floor. It was right across the hall from the elevator. When Doc and Dees arrived, the door was shut. Opening the door gently so as not to awaken the patient, the two men entered the room. They need not have worried. Rob Parker was so dead to the world that he’d probably sleep for hours.

  “We can’t talk to him now,” Romano said in a loud stage whisper. “Let’s go to the coffee shop and come back later.”

  “Fine with me,” Dees agreed after seeing the doctor take Rob’s pulse.

  “It’ll be a while before he awakens. I checked the monitor, his heartbeat’s steady. He’s relaxed.”

  They left the room and went downstairs. Over a cup of coffee and a piece of pie, Doc told the
story. He began with how they happened to find Rob and Mona after they’d tried to make their way back to Mobile.

  “I received this call from the police. They found the car I loaned Rob and Mona stuck in the mud on the side of the road. It had been abandoned. Naturally, I wondered why. I was very worried about Mona and Rob. We formed quite a bond when they stayed with me. So, I asked the police to for the location and I drove my other car there to see what I could find out.

  “When I arrived on the scene, the police had found evidence of a fire nearby, which had been caused by lightning. It had hit a tree that we saw felled on the road. They also found the damaged gas tank on my car. We all agreed that Mona and Rob were scared off by a threat of fire.

  “But the next question was where did they go? Did they wander down the highway or into the woods? Which direction did they take? We had no clues.

  “One of the policemen, a rookie, came up with a bright suggestion. He said that bloodhounds were available and they could hunt them down quicker than humans. By virtue of the fact that it was still lightning in that area and there was no haven to seek in a storm, time was important. The policeman got on the radio and got the dogs out there fast.

  “By that time, the storm let up a little. The dogs and their trainers began the search. Luckily, it didn’t take long. Oh, maybe thirty minutes, but, hell, we could have searched for days without those dogs.

  “Anyway, when they sniffed out Mona and Rob, both of them were in bad shape — passed out and soaking wet. I saw them when they first brought them out of the woods. I don’t mind telling you that I was worried sick. Exposure can kill, you know. And now I’m sure that we barely got to them in time.”

  Dees listened attentively. He was glad that Mona and Rob were all right. Now, he hoped Romano would tell the rest of the story but when a continuation did not follow immediately, he impatiently said, “Great. That’s wonderful news. Now for God’s sake, tell me the rest of the story — how you met, where they’ve been, and whatever else you know.”