by Sable Hunter
“Once Aunt Myra sees them, I can pretty much guarantee they’ll be housecats.” She smiled as he made faces at the kittens. “Unless you want to try and take them with us.”
Reno jerked his hand back quickly. “No. No, I don’t want that. It might not be safe for them.”
Journey didn’t push the idea any farther. “At least they’ve been rescued out of that damn plastic bag.”
“I wish I could have ten minutes alone with the son of a bitch who threw them away so cruelly.”
“I agree.” She fastened her seat belt, then put the car in gear to ease out of the hotel drive and onto the street. As they passed the ornate gates of Graceland, she raised one finger in a respectful salute. “I wish we had time to visit the mansion itself, I’m sure you’d love it.”
“It’s okay. I’m ready to go home.”
She could sense a change in him. He was preparing, steeling himself to deal with ghosts he hadn’t faced in years. “Just one stop to buy a proper litterbox and we’re on our way.”
Once that chore was completed, she activated the Subaru’s GPS. Now, give me some idea where we’re headed.”
“Okay. Our cabin set on a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River. We were south east of the city. The ground was rocky. The limestone hills were steep, and the forest was lush.” His voice slowed and lowered. “I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“Okay.” She tapped the navigation map to show the area and make it as big as possible. “Look at the curve of the river. Does anything look familiar?”
He reached out to touch the shiny, colorful screen. “Kingston’s family plantation was about three miles northeast across the river.”
“Do you think it’s still there?”
“Look for Ramsay Plantation.”
She tapped in the name. “Eureka! Okay, now taking that locale into consideration would put us near Mead’s Quarry and Ijam’s Nature Preserve. Nice. It looks like the area is undeveloped, which means you should be able to still find the place where your home once stood.”
“And my mother’s grave.” His face looked peaceful. “That’s a relief. Thank you.”
Glancing at the sacked-out kittens, she nodded over her shoulder. “If you want to put them in the back seat, be my guest.”
“That’s a good idea. Maybe I can get a little more reading done. What’s our route?”
“Through Nashville. Home of the Grand Ole Opry.”
“Do I want to know?” Nothing surprised Reno anymore.
“Nashville is music city, the proclaimed home of country music. Musicians come there to get their big break. Record labels turn some singers into superstars and others have to go home with their heart broken.”
“Sounds exhausting. Is there a way to skip it?”
“There’s probably a loop around the city, sure. We don’t have to stay on the main road, we can take the scenic route if you’d like.”
“Please. The closer I get, the more I want things to be…less modern.”
Journey thought she understood. “You got it. You made me happy last night – now, it’s your turn, big boy.”
He threw his head back to laugh out loud. “God, woman, you are good for my soul.” With that proclamation, he opened a book to continue his search as she pointed the nose of the Subaru toward the rising sun.
…As requested, Journey decided to take a southern approach to Knoxville, going through Chattanooga. She’d never been this way and looked forward to the beautiful scenery. The kittens were napping peacefully, and Reno was deep into his research. She could tell he’d found something when he leaned forward to stare a bit more intently. “Any luck?”
“Just substantiating what we already knew. This is concerning what I shared with you previously about the man called Neigh who moved the Indians from the reservation in Texas to one in Oklahoma. Okay, here it is: In total, over 1500 Indians were escorted north by Neigh and two companies of Cavalry soldiers in order to protect them from Taylor’s raiders.”
“Taylor’s raiders. That’s incredible. It just comes right out and says that?”
“It does.” He held the book over so she could glance to see.
“I wish we had a list of their names.”
“I may not find one here, but there may be someone familiar with the term Taylor’s Raiders back home. Kingston has political and social connections I don’t have. So do Gentry and Dom.”
“Good work, baby.”
He beamed at her praise. “I will look some more in a bit.”
“Don’t forget your coffee. That insulated mug keeps it warm for you.”
He picked up the tall, heavy bottle with an odd lid. “How does this work?”
She reached over to pull back the tiny lip. “You can open and close this to drink. Makes it easier to prevent spills and keeps the temperature of the coffee constant.”
He shook his head. “I am going to miss many of the amazing things you’ve introduced me to in this time.”
“We could stuff the saddlebags with a bunch of stuff, but then we’d have to explain them.”
“Yea, better not.” Still, he took a big sip, then groaned. “Strong, sweet, and hot. Perfect, just the way I like it.”
“Me too.” She winked at him. “Just like I like my men.”
“Men? Plural? Do you want another spanking?”
“If it’s like the last one, hell yeah.”
They drove along in silence for a while. She couldn’t help but notice how his eyes ate up the distant horizon. She knew Reno wasn’t seeing the present, he was looking for the past.
Meow. Meow.
“Uh, oh. Somebody’s awake.” He looked over his shoulder to see two pair of green eyes blinking up at him. “Come here, guys.”
“Are they boys?”
“Yep. I checked.”
“I’ve always had a hard time figuring out the sex of cats.”
As he brought them forward, he held one of the little guys up. “Unlike me, they’re equipment is a little shy.”
“No, you definitely don’t have a problem in that department.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” He turned Blackie around, so his tail was facing Journey. “FYI, as you say, to tell the sex of a kitten, you lift their tail. If the little genital opening is round, it’s a male. If it’s a vertical slit, it’s a female.”
“Good to know.”
“I’m glad I could teach you something. You’re always showing me up.”
“Oh, yea, right. Don’t you realize how fast you’ve picked up modern skills? I would introduce them to you one time and you’d just run with it. I’m sure I’ll be much slower to adjust to your world. For example, I’ve never used a rubboard or built a fire. I don’t have the best green thumb in the world and I’ve never made bread. Also, I can’t sew worth beans. Shall I go on?”
“No use. I had no idea you were so lacking in necessary skills.” He blew out a long breath. “Fortunately, you’re good in bed.”
“Ha!” Journey laughed and playfully slapped him on the knee. “You’re shameless.”
“I know.” He took another sip of coffee. “Let’s stop and get some milk for the kittens when you find a place.”
“All right, I’m feeling a little weak myself. I could only bring myself to eat one of those peanut and banana pancakes. They were just too rich.” She scanned the road ahead for a sign. “Help me look for a convenience store.”
“You know, I love that name. I’m going to suggest Mr. Scruggs change the Kingsland General Mercantile to the Kingsland Convenient Store.”
“I’m sure that will go over big.”
“Probably not.” He continued to gaze out the window thoughtfully. “If all goes well, I can see how a person in my situation could change the course of history in many ways greater than I’m planning.”
“I’m sure they could. At our fingertips, we have details on the rise of industries, the stock market, assassinations of leaders, wars – the possibilities are infinite. It’s scary.”
“Do you think it’s happened before?”
Feeling chilled, Journey aimed the A/C vent into the floorboard. “I don’t know. Since Lou started sharing her stories, I did a little digging myself. Of course, you can find anything on the internet. Before you rely on information, the sources need to be checked and rechecked.”
“What did you find?”
“Nothing useable.” She laughed softly. “One article did catch my attention. I think the title was Time-Traveling Celebrities. There was a long list of famous people, everybody from Nicholas Cage to Brad Pitt, and next to each name was a photograph of the movie star and another photograph from history. I have to admit, some of the resemblances were uncanny. More likely, some computer program was used to manipulate photos and the faces were morphed somehow.”
“What does morph mean?”
“Morph means…” She thought a second or two. “It’s weird how we use words with a vague idea of what they mean, but properly defining them is a challenge. Morph means to undergo some type of transformation. So, the computer program would take the two faces and overlay one on top of the other and manipulate the pixels…”
“Pixels? Stop. You are so over my head, I’m drowning. Gentry has a thick book, a dictionary, that contains every word in the English language.” He measured the thickness with his fingers. “Now, I bet that same book would have to be a foot thick to accommodate all the new words today.”
“You’re probably right.” She saw a sign for a store up ahead and noted the exit number. “I guess new words and terms are created often.”
“I don’t know what’s scarier, the idea of people traveling through time or not knowing if what you’re told is true or not.”
“You don’t know the half of it. They say history is written by the victor, and I guess that’s why books like the one in your lap are so controversial. And worse, there’s a thing called ‘deep fakes’ now. They can merge a video of two people talking, like the president and an actor who faintly resembles him, then have the actor say things the president would never say. By the time they’re through manipulating the original image, the viewer could see irrefutable evidence that their leader just declared nuclear war.”
Reno shifted in his seat, feeling uncomfortable. “If that’s true, it’s hard to believe anything, not even your own two eyes.” He wondered how much of what they were relying on was fact or fiction.
“Welcome to one of the most frustrating dilemmas of the modern age.”
After stopping for milk and snacks, they fed the kittens, then continued with their trip. Journey saw a couple of places she would’ve liked to stop and investigate, like Ruby Falls and Outlook Mountain, but she knew Reno was anxious to be on his way.
Once they were past Chattanooga, Reno pointed at a sign that said, Knoxville – 112 miles. “I used to would’ve said we had a long way to go, but speed has reduced the impact of distance, hasn’t it?”
“You’re right.” She glanced over at his lap full of sleeping kittens. “You’re becoming quite attached to those two, aren’t you?”
“Yea.” He grinned as one wiggled against him, stretching its arms over its head. “It’s going to be hard to say goodbye.”
Just the way he said those words sent a wrenching pain through Journey’s middle. Like someone had stepped on her grave. She gasped audibly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Those spicy chips I consumed aren’t sitting too well.” She didn’t think that statement counted as a lie since she did feel a bit nauseated. “Aren’t you going to read anymore?”
“I am.” He rubbed his hand over the slick cover of the book sitting on his knee. “I just wonder at the accuracy of what I’m reading and what use I might have from the information I’m gleaning.”
Seeing his despondency, she reached over to rub his neck. “Look at it this way, the story these books tell matches up with what you know to be true. The information you’re gaining is your best chance at preventing a tragedy. If you’re wrong, nothing changes. If you’re right, you’ve rewritten history.”
“Do you know what I wish?”
“How many wishes do you have? If you have three, feel free to waste one.” She tickled him behind the ear. “If you only have one, you might save it. Just in case you come across a new position you’d like to try.”
Reno felt his spirits lift. “I have a whole lifetime of wishes left.”
Love for him rose in her breast like the coming tide. “I look forward to helping you fulfill each and every one of them.” She trembled when he brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. “Now, what were you saying before I let my dirty mind take over?”
“I like your dirty mind.” He continued to hold her hand. “I just wish I could know things were going to be all right. I know I said I didn’t care what far-reaching effects my actions would have on the future, but that’s not true. When I go back to the past and do what I must do, I just wish I could raise the curtain of time and take a peek, just to make sure everything turned out okay.”
“You don’t have to be a time-traveler to feel that way. Everybody wishes they could know the future, be able to look into a crystal ball and see what’s coming.” She paused speaking in order to change lanes, giving her full attention to the road. “But I think that would be a mistake. We’d be so focused on trying to avoid the inevitable, we’d miss a thousand other things along the way.”
“Ela told me her second sight could be a burden. Just imagine, she foresaw all this. Why didn’t she just spell it out plainly to me?”
“What would you have done with the information?”
Reno sighed, then tilted his head in thought. “I probably wouldn’t have ridden into the box canyon.”
Journey nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.” She squeezed his hand. “Although, I’m very, very glad you did.”
The closer they drew to Knoxville; the more restless Reno became. Unable to just sit and wait, he placed the kittens on the floorboard between his feet and delved back into the history books. It wasn’t long before he touched her knee. “Journey, you won’t believe this.” He held the book a little higher so he could make sure not to miss a word. “As Neigh was returning from escorting the tribes north, he and his party were accosted by a band of marauders in full Indian garb. There was an exchange of fire and one of the attackers was killed. When the dead man was examined, he was found to have red hair and white skin beneath his war paint.”
“Amazing.” Journey shivered. “One of the men who terrorized me had red hair.” She knew there was no connection, she just hadn’t gotten over the feeling of being hunted like an animal.
“I hope they put those two under the jail.”
“I should hear something soon about their trial.”
“They’ll notify you?”
“They said they would.”
“I want to know when they do,” Reno muttered as he went back to reading, “A few days later, Neigh resigned from his post. In his final report, he made mention of how he looked forward to spending more time with his family. After his final goodbye, he left the office, stepped out into the street and was shot in the back by an unknown assailant. He perished where he fell.”
“Reno! Taylor had Neigh assassinated?”
He slammed his hand on the open pages of the hardback book. “I’d bet my bottom dollar he did just that.”
“What else?” She urged him to continue digging. “There has to be more.”
“Very little. If Taylor was behind the crime, he was never charged. It just says that after the war, John Taylor moved to San Antonio.”
“San Antonio’s not that far. Do you think he reorganized Taylor’s Raiders?”
“If they ever disbanded.” He opened another book. “I saw a short biography of Taylor. I didn’t notice his date of death.” After a quick search, he tapped the page. “February 4, 1894. The old bastard’s still around.”
“And probably still causing trouble. I sincerely doubt he�
��s had a change of heart.”
“I think you’re probably right.” He moved the books to the back seat, then picked up the kittens who were ready to play. “At least I have some idea of what’s going on. As soon as I return, I’ll tell King everything. The Captain will know the best way to proceed.”
“Good idea.” She was relieved to see he felt more positive. “We’re getting closer. Do you want to have lunch before we start our search?”
“That’s probably wise. I don’t want you passing out from hunger.”
They kept their eyes open and soon they saw a sign for BBQ. “How about pulled pork?”
Reno cocked his head to read the billboard. “I could go for some ribs, for sure.”
Once they pulled into the parking lot, the smell of burning wood and smoking meat hit Journey like a ton of bricks. “You know, I’m feeling a little off. Would you mind going in for the food?”
“Not at all.” He looked at her with concern. “Do we need to find a doctor?”
“No. Just bring me some unsweetened tea and a slice of whatever kind of bread they have.”
“All right. I’ll get some extra food for later, just in case you change your mind.”
She nodded and lay her head against the window. The next thing she knew, he was opening the door. “I’m back.”
Journey rubbed her face. “I must’ve dropped off to sleep. I don’t know why I’m so tired.”
“Maybe it was all those orgasms I gave you last night.”
Knowing he was trying to make her smile, she obliged. “I’m sure you’re right.” She took the tea he brought to her. “Thanks for this.”
“And here’s a slice of homemade bread. There’s a little thing full of butter there too.”
“Dry is good.” She took a bite, then a sip of tea. “I’m sure I’ll be fine in a jiffy.”
Reno didn’t start eating right away. “I’m worried about you.”
“Don’t be.” She indicated his food. “Eat up. Don’t let it get cold.”
He did as she suggested, even offering the boy cats a bite or two. Journey finished her tea and bread but declined anything else. “If you don’t mind, would you put the leftovers in the very back? The smell is bothering me a bit.”
