Backtracker

by Robert T. Jeschonek

  "By killing the girl, I probably changed Billy's whole life. He'll never meet her, so he won't sleep with her, lose his true love, get married and all the rest. She was the key, the one person who'd done the most to push Billy in the wrong direction.

  "When I killed Kimmel, I increased the chance that Billy will stay on track. Even with the other girl out of the way, maybe Kimmel would've still stolen the girl Billy loved...but with Kimmel gone, Billy will have a better shot at keeping her.

  "Kimmel was insurance, and so were Ernie's parents. With the one girl gone, Billy would probably marry the girl he loved, get a good job, raise a family and be happy...but just in case, just in case some fluke threw things off and pushed him down a road like the one I ended up on, I had to make sure he'd have either you or Ernie around to help him.

  "Of the two of you, I picked Ernie," Larry said with a sigh. "Not because I preferred him over you, but because I couldn't see any way to make you stay.

  "I knew that with his folks gone, Ernie would have to stick around and care for his brother and sister. He wouldn't be able to leave for probably ten years, maybe longer, and that would be enough of a safety margin to protect Billy.

  "On the other hand, if your parents were gone, there really wouldn't be anything to keep you here. Your brother's almost old enough to get out on his own, so you wouldn't be held back by him.

  "Anyway, I picked Ernie. I hated to do anything that would hurt him, but I just didn't see any alternative.

  "I caused the wreck that killed his parents," said Larry, and then he faltered. He looked away from Dave, absently ran a hand across his brow.

  "Well, they're dead now," he said finally. "Their deaths served the purpose, too. Ernie's stuck in town for at least the next ten years. Even if Billy somehow ends up on the wrong track even after all I've done, he'll still have Ernie to help him through any troubles he might have.

  "He won't have Tom Martin to contend with, either," nodded Larry. "That jerk's out of the picture for once and for all.

  "I'll tell ya', it wasn't easy getting rid of Ernie's folks...but I didn't have such a hard time with Martin.

  "The reason I killed him was for more insurance, of course...to guarantee that even if part of the chain of events repeated, Billy wouldn't lose his job and his chance for a promotion at the steakhouse. Still, I've got to admit, it sure felt good to pay that bastard back for all the grief he put me through...all the grief he put everybody at Wild West through." Larry's eyes twinkled and his voice rose with fresh enthusiasm. "Martin had tormented and taken advantage of everyone at Wild West since Day One, abused his position and even embezzled from the company...so when I killed him, I knew I wasn't just helping Billy, but doing a favor--a big favor--for the employees and the company, too.

  "Hell, I was doing the whole world a favor," chuckled Larry.

  "It was a real pleasure. He'd set himself up so well, too. He made it easy for me.

  "His embezzlement made a perfect excuse for a suicide. You know-manager steals thousands over the years, finally has an attack of conscience and does himself in. Makes sense, right?

  "The suicide note I made him write did the trick. It wasn't hard to make it look like he'd killed himself, either. There wasn't a damn thing to point to a murder.

  "Of course, there was that video you claimed you had," Larry said slyly. "I have my doubts about that, though. I bet there wasn't any video, was there?"

  Dave didn't answer, didn't move; he had to exert a great force of will to keep from flinching before his opponent's burning, steady stare.

  "Hmmm," Larry said thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes. "Not gonna' give me the lowdown, huh? Here I am, putting all my cards on the table, and you don't have the courtesy to do the same.

  "Come on. What about that video, huh?"

  As difficult as it was to maintain his composure, Dave managed to hold on. For as long as Larry stared at him, he remained fossilized, didn't even blink.

  "Oh well," tossed Larry at last. "No matter. If you don't have it, there's no problem. I'll just say I admire your bluff, and let it go at that.

  "If you do have it, I doubt you'll try to use it after you're done hearing me out. Once you get a little perspective, I think you'll see there's no need for that video.

  "Of course, this late in the game," smirked Larry, "it wouldn't do you any good, anyway."

  As he absorbed the unsettling words, Dave felt his stomach twist painfully.

  How late was it?

  "Anyway, about the boy," said Larry, flicking his head in the general direction of the corpse that Dave and Billy had found. "More insurance.

  "He's the narc, the kid who got Billy busted for dealing drugs. He's the one who got me thrown in jail the first time...or he would have been, I guess.

  "With the girl dead and all the others, Billy probably never would've run into the little creep...but like I said, insurance. Just in case Billy hits the skids again, at least he won't have that narc waiting to set him up. At least he won't go to jail and get even worse like before.

  "Killing the boy was a pain, though," grumbled Larry, wagging his head. "Took a lot of extra work.

  "I knew his name, but that was about it. When I first got into town, I didn't know where he lived, how to get to him, anything. Had to go through the phone book, call everyone with his last name, say I was a teacher looking for this kid so I could give him a grade or something.

  "Once I tracked him down, I had to get close to him...so I volunteered at that youth center I found out he went to. I became his buddy, got him to trust me, set him up the same way he'd set me up.

  "Then, when the time came, after I'd handled my other business, I killed him. Drove him out here today so we'd be alone, told him I wanted to show him the rocks.

  "I, uh...I'm sorry about what I had to do to him," sighed Larry, dipping his eyes away from Dave. "I didn't want to mess him up as bad as I did, y'know.

  "I just didn't expect the kind of fight he put up. When I brought him out here, I thought I could do him quickly...but he really gave me a tussle. I suppose I tend to forget how old I really am. Easy mistake to make when you're reliving your younger days.

  "Anyway, it took a lot to kill him. By the time it was over...well, I'm sorry about that. Really." Voice trailing off with an apologetic gravity, Larry stared at his feet.

  "Well, like I told you, there's one more to go," he said after a moment's silence, looking back up at Dave. "Just one more, and I'm done.

  "I have to kill the killer. The bastard Billy took the rap for. The one who got him the death penalty.

  "I have to make sure Billy never gets mixed up with him. As long as that animal's alive, Billy's still in danger.

  "As soon as I leave here, I'll be heading out of town to hunt for that guy. I have a pretty good idea of where to find him.

  "After that...well, you'll never see me again. Obviously, I can't come back after this. Even if you don't go to the cops...and I hope you won't...I doubt Billy will keep his mouth shut.

  "He knows I'm a killer, and he'll go to the police. He won't know what you know, won't understand, so he won't want to let me get away with what I've done.

  "I don't want him to know what you know, either, so please don't tell him," Larry punched urgently. "It won't do any good to tell him. He probably won't believe you...and if he hears the truth, it might somehow ruin things, screw up all the work I've done to give him another chance.

  "I really do need your help, you see. That's why I've told you all this. Now that Billy knows at least some of what I've done, I need someone he trusts...someone I trust...to keep my secret and do what's best for him.

  "I need you to let me get out of here without trying to stop me. I need you to convince Billy not to go to the cops, at least not right away. I need you to buy me some time, just a little more time, so I can finish my work.

  "I know this all may be pretty hard for you to accept," nodded Larry. "It's all pretty unbelievable. Here I am, telling you that I'm your be
st friend aged another twenty years, that I've come back in time and killed people to change the past. If I was in your shoes, I know I'd have trouble accepting that.

  "Still, after the things I told you before, the things only Billy could know...things he'd never tell anyone...I hope you believe that I am who I say I am.

  "If you absolutely can't believe me...well, that's okay too, I guess. If that's how you feel, I can live with that...but I still hope you'll help me.

  "Think about it," Larry said gravely, staring up at Dave with dark and serious eyes. "Even if you don't believe me, can you afford to take the chance that I'm not telling the truth? You may think I'm lying, but can you be totally sure that I am?

  "Maybe I'm some kind of crazed killer, just telling you these things so that I can get away...or maybe I'm telling you the truth. Maybe I am Billy. Maybe I have come back to put things right.

  "If I am being straight with you, and you interfere with the last of my work, maybe you'll sentence your friend to death all over again. Even though I've arranged things so Billy should be all right, even though I've gotten rid of the girl and Kimmel and Martin and the rest, if I don't kill the killer who set up Billy, maybe that guy'll get Billy again. Maybe Billy will somehow fall into the same pattern as before and end up on Death Row.

  "If that happens, it'll be your fault," declared Larry, pointing a finger at Dave. "You'll be responsible for ruining your best friend's life!

  "Can you take the chance, Dave? Can you risk putting him through the same hell I've been through?

  "Maybe I'm lying...but if I'm not, do you dare try to stop me, Dave? Will you be able to live with the consequences if I'm telling you the truth?"

  For a moment, Larry paused, kept his steely gaze fastened on Dave. The air was still; there was no sound anywhere nearby-not the twittering of birds, not the rustle of branches in the wind.

  "What I've tried to do," Larry continued then, his voice a bit softer. "I think I've been successful. Things are already different than they were for me, the way they were the first time around.

  "The girl who would've trapped Billy is gone. So is the guy who would've stolen his true love.

  "Ernie will stay at Billy's side, and Tom Martin won't be able to take away Billy's job.

  "I killed that kid before he could grow up to be the narc who would've sent Billy to jail. I've covered almost all the bases.

  "I guess I've created a whole new history. Nothing will be the same as I remember it...and believe me, that's great. I've spared Billy all the pain I've had to live with, given him a clean slate.

  "He'll never become like me," Larry said tightly, shaking his head. "He'll never have to kill to save himself.

  "What will happen to me in the end, I don't know." Larry hesitated, turned his gaze away from Dave, looked over the opposite rim of the cleft. "Maybe I'll just be left in this time to live with what I've done. Maybe that'll be my punishment-to wander around, knowing that the people I care about are right here, but I can never go back to them.

  "Maybe, once I'm done with my work, I'll be sent back to the time where I belong, and my life will have been different and I'll be happy.

  "Maybe I'll just...I don't know. Maybe that'll be it for me.

  "Anyway, it doesn't matter what happens to me. All I care about is him." Stepping back and to the side, Larry pointed at Billy, the silent form in the dirt and shadows. "He's what's important, understand?

  "I'm asking you, I'm begging you: don't interfere! Don't try to stop me! Whether or not you believe me, please give him a chance!

  "Whether or not you approve of what I'm doing, please let me finish. Don't let all my work, all those lives, have been wasted!

  "I can't ask you to do it for me, because you don't even recognize me for who I really am...but I'll ask you to do it for him, for Billy, for your best friend!

  "Please," pressed Larry Smith, his voice full of desperation. "I'm at your mercy! It's all up to you now!

  "Will you please give me the time I need to save him?"

  *****

  Chapter 31

  A light breeze sifted through the trench, slipped across Dave's forehead like a cool cloth.

  "Go," he'd said. "Just go."

  Kneeling in the dirt, he again pressed his fingers to Billy's throat, felt for his pulse. The beat was still there, the strong, steady rhythm just under the skin.

  Alive; Billy Bristol was alive. About that, at least, Larry hadn't lied.

  Billy was still unconscious, hadn't stirred since Dave had descended into the cleft...but he was alive. Poised at his side, Dave could see his chest rise and fall with the action of breath.

  Alive.

  Larry hadn't killed Billy; that much was a relief, anyway. That much was certain, perhaps the only certainty.

  They were alone in the trench now, Dave and Billy. Just a few minutes before, Larry had climbed out, crossed the mound and disappeared into the woods; he'd waited for permission to leave, and when Dave had given it, he'd departed.

  "Go," Dave had told him. "Just go."

  "Thank you," Larry had said graciously. "Thank you for this chance."

  As always, Larry had been mystifying to the last. He'd beseeched Dave for his permission to go, but Dave didn't know why he'd done so. Certainly, Dave could do nothing to stop him, couldn't stand against his superior strength.

  "Go," Dave had said nervously, straining to keep himself from shaking. "Just go."

  "Remember," Larry had called back to him on his way to the woods. "Don't tell Billy what I told you! Don't let him go to the cops for a day, at least!

  "It's all up to you now!" Larry had shouted as he hurried toward the trees. "You've got to save him! For God's sake, don't let him down! Don't let him die!"

  There had been great urgency in Larry's voice as he'd fired those words; he'd tried to plant a sense of personal responsibility which would encourage Dave's cooperation. Though the extent of his cooperation had yet to be determined, Dave certainly did feel responsible now.

  Dave felt responsible for everything.

  "It's all up to you now!" Larry had said, and that much, anyway, was a fact. That much stood out in Dave's beclouded brain; that much blazed like a distress flare over a stormy, dark sea.

  It was all up to him.

  If Larry's story was a lie, and Dave took action-if he went to the cops or in some other way intervened-he might be able to save a life, maybe many lives. If Larry was just a killer on a rampage, Dave could ensure that his spree went no further.

  If Larry's story was a lie, and Dave took no action, he might doom a host of victims to death at the hands of a madman.

  If Larry's story was true, and Dave took action, Billy Bristol's life might be ruined. As Larry had warned, Dave could eliminate his best friend's last shot at happiness, even buy him a ticket to the electric chair.

  If Larry's story was true, and Dave took no action, he might win Billy a bright future which he was otherwise fated to be denied.

  It was as simple as that. Truth or lie; action or no action.

  It was all up to him.

  There was nothing simple about it.

  Dave closed his eyes tightly and tipped his face toward the sky. The breeze feathered over his features but couldn't smooth the grimace locked into place there.

  Too much; it was just too much for him. Too much had happened too fast.

  Remembering the day's events, Dave was startled by the amazing twists which he'd experienced in a very short time. Everything had been flipped upside-down, jumbled into bizarre new configurations in a matter of hours.

  Too much had happened too fast. Dave didn't feel that he could deal with it, with any of it; he was dangerously overloaded, far past the point of acceptable pressure and craziness. Had the flurry of events and changes been spread over a week's time, he would have had great difficulty adjusting to it...but compressed into a morning and afternoon, the storms had blasted him into a state of shellshock from which he didn't think he could recover.r />
  The problem was, he had to recover, had to pull himself together and decide what to do...or what not to do. Billy might come around at any moment, and by the time he awakened, Dave would have to know what course he would follow. He had to resolve a problem more complex and critical than any that he'd ever faced before, and he had to handle it immediately, and it was just too much.

  Dave wished that he could be free of the new weight upon him. He wished that he'd never left the house that morning, that he and Billy had never gone in search of Larry. He wished that he'd never met Larry in the first place, had never witnessed his fantastic feats, had never begun the investigation which had led to such horrifying turns.

  Dave wished that he could turn back the clock as Larry claimed to be able to do, start over and change his course...but that, at least as far as he knew, was impossible. For Dave, for now, there could be no going back.

  Timidly, he opened his eyes to the bright, pale sky, squinted up from the crack in the stone as if he were a cave-dweller unaccustomed to the light. A tremendous yawn seized him, forcing the eyes shut again, triggering a huge inhalation and a long, groaning release.

  After another yawn, he shifted from his knees, settled back to sit in the dirt. For the first time since he'd spotted the faceless kid, he felt the potent ache of exhaustion; he remembered just how long he'd gone without sleep, felt the full drag of the weariness which had been repressed by the adrenaline of fear.

  He yawned again, had to blink hard to clear the mist from his eyes. Staring at his friend, he wondered how much longer Billy would stay unconscious, how much time remained for the forging of a decision. He didn't think that there was much time left; Billy had been out for close to an hour already.

  Sighing, Dave let his head sag back against the stone, continued to watch his still and silent comrade. Billy's eyes were closed, his mouth was open, his wavy switch of hair mussed and seasoned with dirt. His arms were spread from his sides, palms up; one leg was stretched straight, the other bowed over a tumble of rocks. The only damage that Dave could see was in Billy's clothes; the neck of his blue sweatshirt was ripped at the middle, and there was a hole in one knee of his jeans.