At length, “Who is Dr. Chase?” Ben asked.
“Liz met him in Saint Meinrad, at the Abbey. That’s all I know about him, other than he seems to know quite a lot about the 1901 event.” Jenna looked at him closely, moving her hand up and down to let him know the clothes he was wearing revealed what she was thinking. “You actually went with her last night.”
“When I attempted to enter the portal in the great room, something extraordinary happened.”
“What do you mean when you say something happened?”
“The portal must have closed suddenly. I didn’t make it. I didn’t get to the other side.”
“You must love her very much.”
“I’m sorry, Jenna.”
“You’re not the kind of man to let something go—not even when you realize you should walk away. I’d have been surprised if you hadn’t attempted to follow Anna, despite the obvious dangers.”
Shaking his head, he said, “I don’t know what’s happened to me.”
Jenna smiled. “If you want to talk about it, I’m available.”
Taking her hand in his, Ben was glad it was Jenna Newland walking beside him. “Thanks.”
Jenna cleaned and bandaged the wound on Ben’s back. Everyone was soon settled in the library, a pot of fresh coffee on Ben’s desk. When Chase spoke, his comments were usually extremely concise, but inclusive of his reasons for coming to Newburgh, Indiana. With so much to discuss, it was necessary to establish a chronology of events, so Dr. Raymond recommended that Charlie provide sufficient information to get the others up to speed. Agreeable to her request, and anxious to explain his interest in the 1901 event, Charlie volunteered to offer pertinent data, especially those recently compiled.
The others, particularly Liz Raymond, were excited to have such a dedicated and competent scholar among them. Liz was convinced that he was the one person knowledgeable enough to reveal the missing pieces. Furthermore, Chase was a man without pretense, direct, extremely confident, and perceptive to the point of being psychic. Liz was increasingly fascinated by a scientist whose divergent thinking frequently collided with mainstream ideas. To some extent, Charlie was a romantic, a stargazer, a man who marched to the beat of no drummer. No one was ever going to change that, unless Smith had already done it—circuitously, deceptively.
“One of two things happened out there, and neither has anything to do with aliens.” Charlie spoke with enough assurance to be convincing. Even though his ideas were largely conjecture, they were logically conceived possibilities that he felt would eventually be supported by facts. “Suppose a craft successfully traveled through a time-shift, and its passengers found themselves isolated more than two centuries from their own time. They constructed these communication towers to transmit their location. Here’s where the narrative diverges. Either another craft from that time managed to arrive at the same time and place as the first craft, or there was no second craft. Either way, those who came were marooned, and left to make the best of it.”
Liz looked at Charlie and smiled. “That’s interesting, Dr. Chase.”
“Stop and consider that for a moment—people from our own future unable to return to their time,” said Chase. “Suppose these travelers were caught in a time–warp that inadvertently sent them into the late 19th, early 20th centuries. The knowledge these people possessed would be extraordinary, but they were trapped in an almost primitive past. It was later, maybe by coincidence, that they located or manufactured the time portals connected to Atwood House. But returning to their own time remained impossible—for whatever reasons.”
“But they never stopped trying,” suggested Liz.
Chase added, “The communication towers they constructed failed, so they eventually gave up—resigned to live out their lives in a time that must have been extremely backward and undeveloped to them.”
“And gradually acculturation occurred,” added Liz.
Chase nodded. “That would make sense.”
“Coincidence would explain it. They probably had no intention of traveling beyond their own time, and at first, had no idea what was happening to them. The time slip took them into the past by accident,” suggested Liz.
“Then, they soon realized it was a one-way ticket?” asked Ben.
“Not exactly,” added Chase. “Certain conditions had to exist for the time slip to occur in the first place. That’s the reason I lean more toward the first idea, that only one craft arrived. I’m convinced there was never a second craft. What you’ve located by the bridge was one of their communication towers. Communication remained the only alternative they had. After the towers failed them, they were intentionally destroyed and buried. You have unearthed not only their hopes, but also their frustrations and failures.”
“What about the pieces we’ve recovered out by the church foundation?” asked Ben.
“Parts of the space craft that brought them here. A debris field that the military never suspected,” answered Chase confidently.
“What evidence do you have to support this idea that the craft was from our future?” Ben inquired, a hint of doubt evident in his tone.
“Not much,” he confessed. “Why don’t I begin with these?”
He handed the two coins to Ben who recognized them immediately. They were like the one he had taken from Anna Atwood’s sitting room. Much surprised by what Chase showed him, he had no idea what to say. Dr. Charlie Chase had certainly caught Manning entirely off guard
“I dug them up near where the creek goes into the woods, north of the house,” Chase confessed.
Catching Manning’s surprised expression, Liz asked, “What is it, Ben?”
“Nothing, I was only considering what Dr. Chase said.” Looking at the three of them looking at him and knowing he had more to say, Ben exhaled nervously. “I found something down there,” he began, his voice strained and showing signs of anxiety.
“It’s okay, Ben,” Jenna assured. “Take your time and tell us what’s bothering you.”
“There’s a room. The light on my cell was dim so I didn’t see the interior clearly for very long, though I did see what I’m sure were three spacesuits hanging on one of the walls.”
There was a sudden gasp in the room.
Chapter 51
No one had expected such a remarkable comment. Each sat silently for what seemed like minutes, considering the implications of Ben’s remarks. Here was further proof to support Dr. Chase’s contention. Though Ben was not a man given to exaggeration, he could certainly have been mistaken. Not one of them thought this, however. He said he had seen three spacesuits and they believed him.
Several seconds passed before Chase said, “What we already know is certainly fundamental to what we don’t know, and that missing information is most likely in the tunnels beneath our feet.”
“There’s much more. It was so dark, and my cell battery was so weak.” Ben faltered, as though he didn’t really want to remember.
“How did you get where we found you?” Chase asked, his curiosity apparent to the others.
It was Jenna who answered. “There are things about this house, strange things, very strange things.”
“I guessed as much,” Charlie admitted. “Dr. Raymond briefed me on some of what’s been happening. I assure you it’s not the first time I’ve been involved with the paranormal.”
“I have told Dr. Chase about the portals in this house, the gateways to other dimensions,” stated Liz. “If we’re going to solve this, then he should know what we know.”
Charlie looked from one to the other before speaking again. “I’m sure you’ve discovered that this entire area has a high concentration of ley lines, and that any sustained convergence of these lines produces strong magnetic fields.”
Liz nodded to confirm with Chase that they were familiar with the ley lines and the anomalies created by them. Before she coul
d speak, she was conscious of a shadow passing by the entrance to the library. She was sure what that meant. If Anna Atwood was back, she had come again for Ben.
Liz’s change of expression was instantly apparent, particularly to Jenna, who glanced toward the doorway. “It’s Anna, isn’t it?” shot Jenna.
Liz nodded.
Chase, quick to pick up on what was happening, hurriedly withdrew from his bag what looked like a small digital recorder and put it on the corner of the desk facing the door. They all looked at the doorway as though each expected someone to appear. They didn’t have to wait long before a black fluttery shape came into full view. A silhouetted shadow, much like a hologram, loomed faintly in the doorway. Although the shape of a woman was apparent, her face had no distinguishable features. The only thing vivid enough to be seen clearly was the vase of cut flowers that was placed methodically on the table beside the door. The shape became gradually insubstantial, disappearing into thin air.
“I assume this has happened before,” Charlie said calmly. He turned the camera off as he spoke and set it in his lap momentarily.
Liz looked at Chase before telling him, “Yes, but not entirely like this.”
“How do you mean?”
“That was Anna Atwood,” said Liz. “This house was built in 1903 by her husband.”
“You might as well know, Dr. Chase,” Jenna begin, “Anna Atwood is a frequent visitor here, and she most assuredly has form and substance, right Ben?”
Ben nodded.
“We have a distinct trail camera image of her and Ben during a snowstorm—taken this past winter out by the bridge,” revealed Liz, “and yet another image, not quite so distinct, captured near the thing on the lawn. We were never quite sure what it was we had discovered,” conceded Liz.
Charlie nodded. “That’s a whole new dynamic, isn’t it?” he returned. “Have there been others?”
“Occasionally,” Liz admitted. “We’ve done a sustained and detailed investigation, Dr. Chase.”
“I’m sure you have,” Chase said. “You can feel the magnetic fields here. I’m certain there are portals that come and go throughout this house. You probably know their locations. Question is, how are these portals controlled?”
“If we knew that we’d shut them down,” said Jenna abruptly.
Charlie looked at Ben. “I wonder if you would walk me through the house later, show me these hot zones?”
After Ben nodded his agreement, Liz began with, “The stairway, the foyer, the great room, and here in the library, those are the primary locations. There were other incidents outside the house, one on the back patio, and the one I mentioned near the stone bridge.”
Chase looked at Ben, hoping for some response that would at least reveal why he was dressed the way he was, and perhaps provide further information regarding what he had recently experienced. But Ben remained silent. He looked at the bouquet of cut flowers, as though he had nothing more to say.
Jenna, whose love for Ben had deepened considerably these past few weeks, was going to do everything she could to end the unnatural hold Anna had on him. How she would do that, she couldn’t say. She thought Dr. Charlie Chase was asking all the right questions. With what he already knew, information he seemed willing to divulge, Jenna might get the kind of help she desperately needed.
Slowly, Ben got up and walked across the room to the desk, opened a drawer, and took something out. “I found this in Anna Atwood’s sitting room,” he said as he placed the coin on the desk.
“You what?” shouted Jenna, his comment taking not only her, but also the others by complete surprise.
“Ben,” started Liz, “How, how can that be possible?”
Chase looked carefully at the coin before saying, “It’s the same coin . . . the same date and denomination. You say you took it from Anna Atwood’s sitting room?”
“It’s true.”
“You were there?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“How did you do that?” pressed Charlie gently.
Ben withdrew something from a bottom desk drawer. It was a small box, which he opened so they could see the brooch inside. He had no idea what to say. Jenna would recognize it at once, so he stayed silent, waiting for her response.
“So, it does work,” Jenna said bluntly.
“Yes, I wanted to tell you, Jenna, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t even sure it had happened at all.”
She took the brooch from the box and walked across the room to the fireplace. “Why don’t we try it?”
“No, Jenna,” Ben cautioned. “You have to believe me.”
But already she was kneeling and attempting to fit the brooch into the hole.
It was Liz who stopped her. “No, that’s not the answer, Jenna, not yet anyway.”
Jenna gave the brooch to Liz and walked away. Still not convinced that it had happened, that Ben only wished it had happened, she shot a look across the room at him before exclaiming, “So why don’t you tell us about your trip? Tell us what you did back there with the beautiful Anna Atwood.”
He didn’t like the cutting accusatory edge to her voice. In fact, he was beginning to regret showing them the coin, and regretted even more his comments about traveling back in time. “Maybe I imagined it all. It happened months ago, and it was all so confusing.”
Dr. Chase looked closely at the brooch, rubbing his fingers over the raised edges. “Well, there is one way to find out.”
“You’re not serious,” declared Liz.
“I’d be willing to take that chance. Think what it would mean if it does work.”
“The risks are too great, Charlie,” said Liz.
“Nobody’s going to miss Charlie Chase.”
“I will,” she admitted.
It was Jenna who tried to put an end to what she considered unabashed nonsense. “Suppose it does work, what happens if you can’t get back?”
“Ben did it,” Charlie stated.
“He was lucky,” Jenna said.
“You know I have to try,” Charlie replied. “I have to know.”
Liz looked at Charlie. “Then you’ll need a witness.”
Chase reached out his hand to her. “Are you sure?”
“Why not take a chance? That’s what it is, isn’t it?” Liz was showing some excitement.
“There are no guarantees,” Ben said. “It worked once for me, but when I tried to enter a portal a second time, something went wrong.”
“A second time?” questioned Jenna.
“Last night in the great room,” he reminded her—“when I found myself trapped in those awful tunnels.”
“What a shame,” she chided. “Did you wonder why she didn’t save you?”
Charlie jumped into the middle of their conversation “So how does this work?” he asked, holding up the brooch.
“You’re sure about this?” questioned Ben.
Chase nodded. “It’s an opportunity not to be missed.”
Chapter 52
But second thoughts prevailed. After minutes of deliberation, Liz recommended taking time to consider what Dr. Chase seemed almost too anxious to attempt. “Let’s give it some additional thought, instead of rushing into something that we don’t really understand.”
“I agree with Liz,” Jenna said. “This is not a thing decided so quickly. I’m not so sure it should be considered at all.”
Again, Dr. Raymond attempted to put a practical face on what she considered an impractical and dangerous idea. “Something this extreme requires more planning.”
Charlie nodded. “Opportunities like this are impossibly rare. They’re beyond cutting edge, and if I sound too anxious, I’m sure you’ll understand why. I’ll walk the razor’s edge for knowledge this extraordinary.”
“Ben,” began Liz, “can you tell us what happened here last ni
ght?”
Manning poured out a fresh cup of coffee. Shaking his head, he explained, “I was trapped in the same room the Youngs bricked shut. I don’t know how it happened. For what seemed like minutes, I was in a dense fog that slowly began to dissipate. It seemed my body was being transported by this heavy fog, which felt like it was attached to me. And then the awful wind took hold of me. There was nothing to hold onto, only this horrible gray nothingness pulling me deeper and deeper into a sea of eyes that started at me vindictively. They were everywhere—eyes without faces looking at me, watching me, never blinking as they bulged out of their sockets. If it had not been for the door on the back wall of that room, well, I don’t want to think about what could have happened.”
“It’s okay, Ben.” Knowing he was still troubled by the experience, and imagining the fear which had apprehended him in so much darkness, Jenna tried to comfort him. She put her arm around his shoulder and gave him a look that said he was safe.
After sipping his coffee, he went on, his eyes closed, as he tried to remember details that might be important. “A long tunnel, which intersected with two others. Rats, big ones, gnawing at my shoes. At the end of the tunnel, I managed to move what I’m sure was a door. That’s when I saw these,” and here he passed his mobile phone to Jenna.
With the others gathering to see three pictures, it was Charlie who was the most animated. “If you look past the uniforms or spacesuits, there’s something else.”
Ben nodded, “Yes.”
“I think we’re looking at something not seen since 1901, deliberately hidden there,” added Chase.
“Hidden where?” inquired Jenna.
“We know where one of the tunnels exits. Ben said another one ran west, which could put it on the other side near the smaller foundation, most likely under the other stone slab.” Charlie attempted to generate enough interest among the others to persuade them to return to the site. “Did Matt run GPR scans on the ground from the house to the south edge of these foundations?”
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