“What’s the time?” Ray asked.
Mike looked at Charles’s gold pocket watch.
“After two,” Mike said.
“Running out of time. Any ideas?” Ray asked.
“No.
***
Russell woke up in the tub just after two in the afternoon. Groggily, he saw Sarah in his room. She had broken the lock to the inner door, looking for an escape and had come into his room by mistake. She didn’t know he would be in there. She turned and ran to Jenny.
Russell was in a state, trying to get out of the tub. Sarah got to Jenny and was trying to revive her when Russell, naked and in a frenzy, came into the connecting room and grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the floor. He started beating her. Sarah fought back the best she could. She was weakened by the drugs the nurse had given her and couldn’t protect herself. Russell beat her into submission. She lay there, not moving.
Jenny watched as he beat her senseless. She thought he had killed her. Russell stood and stared at Jenny.
Jenny tried to scream but couldn’t. She was terrified that he would kill her too. Russell went to her and in his rage he grabbed her and pulled her to the edge of the bed and turned her over. Jenny tried to fight but she too was drugged. Russell leaned against her and slapped her.
“Time to teach you a lesson.” He pulled up her dress and started to mount her when Sarah hit him with a chair.
Russell staggered back by the window. He stood there, stunned. He composed himself and locked eyes on Sarah. His eyes narrowed. “You bitch.”
That was all Sarah needed. She ran at him and pushed him backwards out the second floor window.
***
As Mike and Ray walked past the last apartment in the red-light district, they heard a loud crash behind them. They turned to see what it was.
A naked man had just been blown out of a second story window. Mike and Ray saw glass all over the sidewalk where the man landed. Looking up at the broken window, Mike saw a familiar face.
“I don’t believe it—Sarah!” Mike yelled.
“Help us, Mike!” she screamed from the window.
“Come on, Ray,” Mike hollered, and ran toward her.
He stopped at the man bleeding on the sidewalk. It was the man from the swamp who had kidnapped his wife. In the fall he had broken his neck and was clinging to life. Mike wanted to stomp on his neck, but then Sarah shouted, “Michael!”
Mike stopped. He looked inside the foyer. There was a small sign that read: “Dollhouse.” He ran up the steps to Sarah. Ray was two steps behind him.
Mike and Sarah gave each other a long hard hug.
“You’ve been beaten. Are you okay?” Mike asked.
“They drugged us,” Sarah said. “I fell into a darkness I never experienced before. When I woke up, he was in the tub.”
“It’ll be okay, I’m here now,” Mike said, still holding her close.
“He tried to rape Jenny,” Sarah cried.
“What?” Mike asked.
“Where is Jenny?” Ray asked.
“In the other room, still doped up on opium.”
Ray ran to check on her.
“I tried to escape when he woke up. In his rage he beat me and he tried to rape Jenny. His plan was to put us on a boat to China, but when I fought back he wanted to kill us. I couldn’t let that happen. A rage boiled up in me so furious, I pushed him out the window.”
“You’re safe now. I’m so sorry, Sarah.”
“Oh, Michael, I’m just glad to be in your arms again.”
“There, there, you’re okay now. But we need to go. There’s a man getting us tickets for a train.”
“What about Jenny?” Sarah asked.
“Ray, can you carry Jenny?”
“Yes, I got her,” Ray said.
“Let me go down first and make sure this guy is dead,” Mike said.
“Wait! Michael! Don’t kill him,” Sarah cried.
They all went down the steps and out the front door to the street. The man was lay there, a few feet away. Onlookers were gathering. Mike signaled Ray to start walking Sarah and Jenny back to the shop as he crouched down to see if the man was still alive. The man was alive and Mike wanted to kill him, but instead leaned close to his ear. “Enjoy Hell.”
Suddenly, they heard a police whistle blowing. Mike looked up the street and saw a policeman weaving around people and headed their way. He got up and nonchalantly stepped over the injured man and turned to bolt, but was stopped by a policeman standing there.
Ray had been casually walking with Sarah, supporting Jenny between them. However, when the police commotion started, he threw Jenny over his shoulder and walked briskly up the crowded street. Sarah hesitated for a moment thinking Mike might need her, but decided Ray and Jenny needed her help more.
“What happened here?” the policeman asked Mike.
“I don’t know,” Mike said.
“Did you have anything to do with it?”
“Why, no,” Mike said. “I was seeing if I could help.”
“What’s going on?” The other policeman asked when he got there. The officer knelt beside the man and saw that he was still alive.
Mike knelt beside the officer. “He needs an ambulance.”
“Needs a hospital more,” the officer said. “Sound the alarm,” he ordered the other cop.
The other policeman took off down the street to the alarm box on the corner. Mike saw his opportunity.
“You need to apply pressure over the wound to stop the bleeding,” Mike said.
The policeman, seeing that was right, did what he was told.
A man in a gray suit, a passerby, walked over to the policeman. “I’m an eyewitness. This man and his associates did this to this man.”
Mike stood up and backed into the crowd that was gathering.
“Where you think you’re going?” the policeman said.
Mike saw the cop’s partner coming back. He pushed the man in the gray suit and some other bystanders out of the way and bolted up Baltimore Street.
“Stop!” the cop yelled, followed by the screech of a whistle.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Friday, July 3, 1863
It was 3:30 P.M. The Confederate assault on the center of the Union line was beaten. They were now in retreat. General Lee had asked the impossible of his men, whom he thought were invincible. The battle of Gettysburg was over, but late that night a courier came to Lee’s tent. The courier carried a special dispatch from the office of the president.
***
Sarah ran up Pratt Street. She made it to the rear door of Winan’s workshop and knocked. Ray was a few yards behind her, carrying Jenny, his chest heaving. They were frantic for Mike’s whereabouts and safety.
Charles Dickinson opened the rear door of the workshop and saw a woman with blue eye shadow and red lipstick, wearing a lacey, low-cut dress. He thought she was a prostitute and started to shut the door on her.
“Wait! We’re with Mike,” Sarah said.
Charles hurried her inside, then helped Ray with Jenny, who was also dressed like a prostitute. Ray put her in a chair and caught his breath.
“Where’s Mike?” Charles asked as he got them all water to drink.
“He’s coming. Got the tickets?” Ray asked.
“Yes, here they are.”
“You’re short two,” Ray said.
“I didn’t figure on the two women.”
“Why not?”
“I figured the men could stop the steam cannon while the women stay here in the safety of the shop.”
“Oh, no, when we go home we’re all going home,” Sarah said. She dampened a cloth and patted Jenny’s forehead. Jenny stirred a little, but was still very doped up.
Ray watched Sarah comforting Jenny and turned to Charles. “Besides, we need Sarah.”
“Then I’m going to have to buy two more tickets. You said Mike was on his way. Where is he?” Charles asked.
“He’ll be here,
” Ray said.
Charles checked the clock on the wall. It read 3:41 P.M. “We have no time to lose. We must stop that gun. Let’s get to the train station. I’ll get two more tickets while we wait for Mike.”
“We’ll leave a note on the door letting Mike know where we are,” Ray said, grabbing a pencil and paper.
Charles nailed the note to the door. He helped Ray with Jenny and walked to his carriage. Charles and Ray put Jenny in the back seat and Sarah got in the front. Charles joined Sarah in the front seat, picked up the reins, slapped the horse and said, “Let’s go.”
They started down the street toward the Camden Street Station. The weather was hot and humid. Ray took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
When they got to the station, Charles parked the carriage and helped Ray walk Jenny into the station. The train station smelled of burning coal mixed with steam.
Ray put Jenny on a bench seat and sat down beside her. He laid her head in his lap. Sarah sat next to Ray and waited for Mike.
The other passengers that walked by saw two women, one with auburn hair with her head in the lap of a strange man. The one lying there had on brown eye shadow and ruby red lipstick. She wore a lacey, low-cut brown dress that revealed the top of her bosom.
The second woman, a strawberry blond, wore the same type of low-cut dress, only purple, along with red lipstick and blue eye shadow. In other words, what the other passengers saw were two prostitutes waiting for the train along with their pimp.
Not realizing how it looked, Charles went to buy two more tickets. Jenny began struggling with Ray during her opium fit. Sarah tried to settle Jenny. Two ladies stared at the scene as they walked by.
“Why are they staring?” Sarah asked Ray. But Ray didn’t say anything. He was too busy holding Jenny’s arms from lashing out.
The two ladies saw Jenny flinging her hands in Ray’s face. She looked like a drunk on the bench with her head in Ray’s lap playing with him.
Covering her eyes from such a tasteless site, one lady whispered to her companion, “I can’t understand this younger generation,”
“You would think they would act decent in a public place,” her friend answered, as they both hurried along.
“What did they say?” Sarah asked, agitated.
Ray just shrugged like he didn’t know what she was talking about.
After another woman passed by, looking, Sarah turned to Ray. “Why do they keep staring at us?”
Ray thought a moment then realized. “Maybe because you’re dressed like prostitutes?”
Sarah looked down at her clothes. She was instantly embarrassed. “Good lord,” she whispered. “Quick Ray, let me take your place.”
Ray carefully got up as another lady walked by, staring disapprovingly at Sarah.
“What are you looking at? You don’t know me,” Sarah said.
The woman was appalled to be spoken to in such a manner and quickened her step to get by. Ray smiled at the situation. Then all was quiet for a while.
“What time is it? Ray asked. “Where’s Mike?”
“Stop worrying,” Sarah said. “Where’s Charles?”
A few more minutes passed then Sarah got moody.
“Poor George and his family. There wasn’t anything I could do. I tried to fight, but they kept us drugged up. There was just nothing I could do.”
“What are you talking about? George helped us get on the freight train that got us to Baltimore. He, his wife, and daughter, are on their way to Pennsylvania by now,” Ray said.
“Really. So they’re all right?”
“Yes.”
Sarah got a hold of her emotions. She was relieved that they weren’t sold back into slavery. “And you’re sure they got away safely?”
“They were safe when we left them. Our mission now is to stop that gun and fix the timeline. We have to focus on that, nothing else matters,” Ray said.
“Human beings matter,” Sarah said.
“I’m sure they’re just fine.”
As they sat there, moodily staring at the walls, the train’s conductor made an announcement. “Four o’clock train to Frederick boarding at this time.”
Charles got back with two more tickets in his hand. “You ready?”
“We can’t go without Mike,” Sarah said.
“We’re running out of time,” Charles said.
Charles took a seat across from Ray. “If we miss this train, the Confederacy will win the war and your chance to fix the timeline will be lost—and your friend Gordon will forever stay dead.”
“Let’s get in line and hold them up as long as possible,” Ray said.
“Good idea, Ray. I like that,” Sarah said.
“Good, let’s go,” Charles said, and got up.
Jenny was coming out of her stupor as Charles and Ray got her up. She stared into space.
“Wait,” Ray said, making Sarah stop.
“You’re okay. You’re with friends,” Sarah told Jenny.
Jenny started fighting and punched Ray on his chin. Sarah and Ray held her arms until she stopped fighting.
In the meantime, Charles went to the conductor to stop the train. “We have a sick woman over here.”
The conductor walked over to see for himself. What he thought he saw was two prostitutes in a fight.
“Is she okay?” he asked, not really caring if she was or not.
“Yes, she’s good. We just need a minute,” Sarah said.
“The train must leave on time. We have a schedule to meet. You need to board now,” the conductor said. He walked back to the train.
“Sympathetic, isn’t he?” Sarah said.
The conductor was about to give the signal to the engineer to leave when Charles interrupted him once again.
“We’re ready,” Charles said.
The conductor stood aside and let Charles go by. Sarah noticed the man had a grin as he watched her climb on board. Instead of giving him a dirty look, she played up to his fantasies. She came on to him.
Ray helped Jenny climb the steps while the conductor was charmed by Sarah.
“What is this?” the conductor asked.
“Do you like what you see?” Sarah asked.
“I have a train to run,” he said. He turned and gave the signal while standing on the first step. The train began to chug along and picked up speed.
Inside the coach, Sarah joined her friends and took a seat besides Charles, across from Ray and Jenny.
“Don’t look like Mike’s going to make it,” Ray said.
Sarah tried to use her powers to stop the train, but soon realized they had been weakened. She looked up at the ceiling and began to pray. Then she noticed the train’s emergency stop cord running along the top of the windows.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Friday, July 3, 1863
Sarah reached for the emergency cord to stop the train.
“What are you doing?” Charles said.
“I’m going to stop this train.”
“Wait!” Charles shouted in desperation.
Ignoring Charles, Sarah wrapped her hand around the cord, but just before she pulled, she saw Mike running for the train. He leaped and barely made it. He pushed past the conductor.
“I’m here, Sarah.”
“Mike, you made it,” she said.
She gave him a big hug and a long kiss and then hit him on the chest. “Where have you been?”
“Hey, what’s going on here?” the conductor asked.
“Sort of a reunion,” Mike said.
“I’ll ‘sort of a reunion’ you. Where are your tickets?”
Charles handed the conductor five tickets. “They’re with me.”
The conductor punched the tickets. “Take your seats,” he said and continued on his way.
Sarah and Mike sat together.
“What happened?” Sarah asked.
“I had to lose the cops. Take a detour.”
“What kind of detour?” Sarah asked.
�
�Side alleys. Got lost. I didn’t think I’d make it.”
“Glad you did,” Ray said.
“Believe me when I say it wasn’t easy getting here.”
“You’re here now, and that’s all that matters,” Sarah said.
Mike stared across at Ray and Jenny sitting together then turned back to Sarah. “I think I’m wanted by the Baltimore City Police.”
“Why?” Sarah said.
“This ought to be good,” Ray said with a smile.
“Some guy told the cops that I killed that man. I had to get away. I had to run from the police.”
“Good lord,” Sarah muttered.
Mike watched as Jenny slept, leaning on Ray’s shoulder, and he noticed a stupid grin on Ray’s face. Just then two Union soldiers walked by. Mike rubbed his sore leg and looked at Charles. “We have plenty of time now to hear the whole story.”
Charles began to sweat. “What do you want to know?”
“I know you were a Confederate sympathizer. What changed your mind?”
“The test.”
“What test?” Mike asked.
“Like I said, Tom fixed the steam gun better than it was intended. I was appalled by its power and didn’t want to use it any longer.”
“What did he do?” Mike asked.
“He went to the Johns Hopkins Research Facility and stole some supplies he said he needed.”
“How’d he get away with that?” Mike asked.
“He didn’t care if the police were after him. He knew all he had to do is read the spell again.”
Mike understood. “And he’d be back in time.”
“After I told him I wasn’t going to help him any longer, he threatened my wife and child. He said if I didn’t help him, that he would kill them while I watched. And then kill me.”
“That crazy bastard,” Mike muttered.
“So I helped him. After the Confederates won, we went back to your future for a second time to see how it turned out. Tom liked the new future so much, he wanted to live there as a rich man. He would always say to me, ‘Communism or fascism is great as long as you’re on top.’”
“Damn,” Mike said.
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