She sighed as she shook her head.
“So you had me figured out all along and I still haven’t figured you out,” she said, “This is so wrong. What’s your secret? Why are you so different?”
“I’m just-” he started, raising his hands defensively in the air.
“Leave him alone, ‘Brooksie’. If he’s been treating you well, then just accept it. Why do you have to always question the good in people?” Ben said.
“Because people aren’t good!” she shot at him.
He shook his head and then looked over at Eddie.
“Anyway, as I was saying – I used to look out for her. We still kept in touch. I swore to her that she would come back and when she did, she would bring trouble with her. Trouble and Patience just go together like Ben and liquor. If you haven’t figured that out yet, you will,” he said, grinning at the pouting lady in the corner, “She knew about all my connections in Silver Falls. I told her if she was ever in trouble, to rattle off a code to the doorman at the hotel. All she needed to say was ‘Tell Ben he’s in violation of Ohio Ordinance code 117.03.’ There is no code by that number – just so you know. It’s actually the birthday of a very troublesome girl we’re both acquainted with.
“And I can’t believe she remembered our secret code. So what does my sister do when she gets to Silver Falls? She puts some mutt up to storming my speakeasy with a badge in air and shouting about some ordinance code 117.03. That, my friend… is Brooksie. Patience would have never thought up something that crazy.”
Eddie smiled as he looked across the table. She sat a little straighter now with the implied compliment from her brother.
“Well, people change and sometimes it’s not bad,” she replied.
“I’ve never had the honor of meeting Patience before, but Brooksie? Now that’s a girl that keeps you on your toes,” Eddie said.
Brooksie and Ben laughed at the same time.
The clock on the wall swiped away two full hours as Eddie listened to their stories of Hollywood, long distance road trips, the corruption of the police force, and the surprisingly beautiful world of 1928. Brooksie and Eddie relieved the establishment of several free bottles of Coca Cola while Ben subdued nearly a gallon of grain alcohol.
“Well, I’ve got to get Edward back to the park before his parents leave him stranded,” she said, finally bringing the conversation to an end.
She bent down and gave Ben a hug before reaching out for Eddie’s hand. For the first time since they met, he took the hand of a famous movie star. He felt almost honored by her continued desire to be with him. His mind warned him again of the need to keep his distance.
After a quick good-bye, they headed up the stairs and out into the dark alley behind the hotel. She shocked him when she nuzzled in close.
“Thank you for putting up with me and just… thanks for hanging out, Edward,” she said, “It’s nice to have someone to talk to and to just simply hang out with.”
“What are you thanking me for? If you recall correctly, we have a whole day to hang out tomorrow. You owe me,” he said.
She laughed and then nodded.
“I was wondering if you’d forget,” she said.
Eddie welcomed the light of the streetlamp when they finally stepped out of the dark alley. The foot traffic in the parking lot across the street and all around the hotel sidewalk was surprisingly heavy for this late at night. Some people were lugging suitcases into the hotel while others were just out for a smoke.
They were halfway across the street when Brooksie abruptly turned around and quickened her pace. He could tell something was seriously wrong just by the painful grip of her hand.
“Take me at the lamppost,” she whispered through clenched teeth, “He’s right behind us.”
“What?” he asked, frightened by the hideous fear in her expression.
Twisting sharply and leaning against the lamppost, she grasped him by the front of the shirt and drew his face to hers.
“Kiss me now like my life depends on it.”
His moment of pause proved to be a moment too long. She reached behind his head and forced his lips to hers. Any amount of confusion that had been clouding his judgement was discarded the instant her soft lips pressed against his. Now Eddie’s attention was drawn solely to this lady as some mystical passion bubbled up from within his battered heart. He slowly glided his hand behind her neck and then to his surprise, their imaginary kiss became real.
She had to be aware of the sudden change, no matter what amount of adrenaline had been coursing through her veins. That Hollywood kiss was gone now as she turned to accept him and kiss him more fervently. His teeth accidentally scraped hers as he attempted to pull her impossibly closer to him.
He slowly drew his lips from hers, wondering perhaps if he had taken this too far. She looked into his eyes and then gently nipped his bottom lip between hers. With his question now answered, he kissed her more feverishly. Her hands moved up his spine and through his hair as she searched for the same impossible closeness that he desired.
She eased her lips to the corners of his mouth and continued to kiss him gently along the jaw line.
“We need to get out of here and we can’t take my car,” she whispered near his right ear, “Let’s turn around and walk to the bus station.”
He reluctantly pulled away from her and took her by the hand. Together, they walked toward Broad Street as Eddie was overcome with a hurricane of emotions. For reasons unknown to him at the moment, he started to weep. A casual swipe at his eyes would go unnoticed, but then he coughed out a sob. By the time they rounded the corner, he was overcome with unexplained emotions.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, turning to verify that they were now clear of the hotel crowd.
“I had…” he started, choking back another sob, “I had no idea those feelings existed in me anymore.”
She stopped and turned him to her. Eddie realized that there was more to his tears than just that. Not only did his emotions surprise him, but they also betrayed him. He could never return to his old life again after that outpouring of his heart. The door would never work again for him. But he didn’t lie to her. As he had honestly told Brooksie – he seriously had no idea that was in him. Where did that passion come from?
She chuckled as she put her hand to the side of his face. She wiped a tear away with the tip of her thumb.
“But why the tears?” she asked.
“I just thought… I-I thought it was impossible,” he replied, “I know it doesn’t make sense, but-”
“But when someone rips your heart out, you start to believe it’s been torn away forever,” she finished, “And you try your best to never get close to someone ever again.”
He chuckled as he nodded.
“And then someone sneaks past your barriers and bowls you over,” he said.
“And before you know it, you find yourself in a world you never envisioned,” she added.
“And so now I’m lost because I-I don’t know what to do,” he stated, “Brooksie, I’m literally lost.”’
“Because we both stepped off the map back there,” she said with a grin, “Our charts didn’t include this bizarre continent.”
He nodded again and laughed. He reached up and touched the side of her face as she was still doing to him.
“Do you want to figure this out together then?” he asked.
She smiled and nodded. Then she stepped into him and kissed him again. This time the kiss was gentle and infinitely more expected. He held her face in both of his hands as he tasted her lips with tenderness devoid of worry or fear. In the distance, a clock tower chimed the midnight curfew hour.
6
July 1, 1928
“So, who were we hiding from?” Eddie asked.
A sigh of frustration escaped her. The blessed kiss only served as a momentary escape from the frightening world. His question must have inadvertently brought her feet back to the ground.
“Lowell Barnes a
nd his goons,” she replied, “I don’t know how, but they must have followed me here. I can only assume they knew about Ben and they figured that I’d contact him.”
They had already passed up the bus station about a half mile back. Now they were strolling down a residential neighborhood just outside of the downtown shopping district. It was a last minute decision to avoid the train and bus stations for fear that those would be staked out.
This portion of the city was surprisingly quiet. The lights were out in almost all the homes. Only one or two houses showed evidence of an insomniac reading the paper or fixing a late night snack. The dogs, assuming there were any, appeared to be sleeping inside tonight.
“Was Lowell your fiancée?” he asked.
She looked over at him in confusion, certain that she hadn’t mentioned being engaged. It was then that she remembered the newspapers. He was aware that she was Patience Webb and the papers had announced her engagement three months ago.
“Yeah,” she grumbled, “But would you believe that I never actually said ‘yes’?”
“Some people don’t care what women say,” he replied, “They just come up with a plan and that’s the way it is.”
She nodded, kicking a pebble down the sidewalk.
“Well, here’s the Brooksie-plan. I plan to go that way and never stop until I crash into the ocean,” she said, pointing toward the end of the road, “And if anyone is standing in my way, I’ll plow them over.”
“I like the sound of the Brooksie-plan. Can I tag along?” he asked.
“As long as you don’t get in my way. If you do… well, I’d have to plow you over,” she said.
A car sped by, reminding her again of the goon that was in town. She reached out to take Eddie’s hand.
“We need to get off the road,” she said, “There’s a barn up here past Adeline Street.”
He glanced over at her and cocked an eyebrow.
“And just how does a barn fit into the Brooksie-plan?”
“It’s away from traffic and it’s a good place to sleep,” she replied.
“Hmm… I never slept in a barn before,” he said.
“That’s what you get for jumping off the map.”
* * * *
Eddie tried to roll over, but suddenly realized that his arm wouldn’t cooperate. He yawned as he peeked out into the bright world in front of him. Strips of sunlight pierced through the cracks in the barn wall. Tiny particles of dust danced aimlessly in the thin beams. A tingle of adrenaline fluttered in his abdomen as he recalled his separation from his world in 2009.
The sun and its projected dust-ballet spoke a bold statement to him in that moment. It reminded him that the world somehow continued to turn in spite of his blunders. That ongoing world included the woman nestled beside him.
He attempted to move his right arm again, but it was completely paralyzed. He looked down at the top of Brooksie’s head resting on that arm. She must have unwittingly cut off the circulation through the course of the night. She was still snoring quietly.
A thought had come to him last night as he stared up at the dark ceiling above him. Brooksie had fallen asleep almost immediately, but Eddie’s mind was full of too many worries. He couldn’t relax as the worries crowded him all of a sudden. One by one they demanded his attention:
How can you take care of Brooksie? – maybe I can become a dispatcher
What talents can you offer the world of 1928? – I can answer phones over and over and over again
Why would you want to stay with a woman who will die with her fiancée in 1928? – I’d rather not think about that
How can she die in a fire with her fiancée? – maybethey’re supposed to get back together
Should you tell her what you know? –no
Would she believe a crazy story like that? –no
What about your job in 2009? – I’m getting laid off anyway
How can you return to 2009? …
That last question actually brought forth a surprisingly simple answer. When he returned to 2009 holding onto the newspapers and postcards, they returned from the past with him. What if his mother returned while holding his hand as she went back to 2009? Would it be the same? He would never be able to shake that lingering question if he didn’t at least try.
But do you want to leave Brooksie? – no
Then why are you looking for a way back? – I need answers about the fire
He glanced around the barn as he tried to banish all those worrisome thoughts from his head. She shifted beside him and then rubbed her eyes. He turned to her and smiled.
“Good morning, Brooksie,” he whispered.
She sat up, yawned, and then stretched.
“Oh my,” she muttered, rubbing her eyes again.
Brooksie’s wig was tilted, revealing the blonde curls bobby-pinned tightly beneath. She felt around her head and straightened the wig as best as she could. He sat up and rubbed his arm, quickly bringing the blood flow back into it.
“How’d you rate that you got a pillow and I didn’t?” she said, staring down at the little black book behind him.
He twisted around and then picked up the thin book from the pile of hay.
“I found it in the middle of the night. Apparently someone must have used this hay pile as a reading spot.”
She rubbed her eyes again and then looked down at the book in his lap.
“What kind of book is that?” she asked.
He glanced down at the faux leather cover. The words “Seven Seconds” were embossed across the front in gold. He opened the book and fanned the pages. There were 212 pages which appeared to be typed in the format of a novel.
“I think it’s a short novel called Seven Seconds. There’s even a prologue,” he said, feeling her peer over his shoulder.
“Read it to me. It’s a new day and we’ve nothing better to do,” she said.
He turned to her smiled. She caught his eye and then cocked her eyebrow at him.
“I’m serious,” she said.
He sighed and then opened it to the first page.
“I’m not really good at reading aloud,” he said.
“I’m sure that’s not true. Read me a story, Edward.”
Prologue
Nearly a week before Spencer Rice would die; he prayed a prayer that would startle the Lord. Some would argue that the Lord cannot be surprised, but those are the ones who diminish the wording of Matthew 8:10. As long as a person has free will, a person will inevitably shock, startle, and surprise the Lord. Those surprises may be good or they may be bad. On that summer evening, the Lord would be equally as surprised by Spencer Rice in Pennsylvania as he was by the centurion in Capernaum.
Before the Lord could react to that heartfelt prayer, He was going to have to talk with Spencer. God was smart enough to know that people sometimes spoke words that they really didn’t mean. He was wise enough to know that Spencer’s prayer may have been worded differently if he believed the Lord would truly consider his request.
“How’s my reading?” he asked as he watched her rise up from the floor.
“Beautiful. Please continue,” she replied, brushing the hay from her clothes.
Chapter 1
Six hundred feet beneath the city was no place for a man. Spencer knew this, yet how else was a mindless twenty-three year old man supposed to bring home a paycheck? His father counted on him to provide for the family. Since Pop lost his leg working on the railroads, it was all up to Spencer now.
If you were in need of money but couldn’t go to college, you sold yourself to the coal mines. That was the way of the world in western Pennsylvania. You gave at least ten hours a day only to come home with burning eyes and a nasty cough. If you were lucky, you might have a few quarters in your pocket as well.
Spencer held his lantern out in front of him as he searched for the other members of his group. He could hear them laughing up ahead. The light of their lanterns shone from around the corner.
“So, where�
��s Spence?” Bruce asked.
“He’s on his way,” another voice stated.
“I’m right here, guys,” Spencer offered, setting his lantern on the floor beside the picks.
“It’s about…”
At once, they all paused at the unnatural interruption. A vibration could be felt beneath their feet, and with 60 stories of rock above them, this wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
“Are they blasting in the Pike quarry today?” Bruce asked.
“They’re not supposed to be,” Robbie replied.
“I think this is a novel, Brooksie,” Eddie said, glancing at the coming pages.
“Stop interrupting!” she said, propping herself on a support beam, “Now I want to know if the tunnel crashes in on them. Keep reading.”
“Wow, I never thought my services would be in such demand,” he replied.
He sighed and continued where he left off.
“I think I’ll head on up to the surface and leave you guys behind,” Spencer said.
The men before him froze all of a sudden. He paused to listen to whatever it was that had caught their attention.
“What’s going on?” Spencer whispered.
No one moved. Oddly, even the flame from one of the candles remained frozen in place. It was then that he caught sight of a coin hovering above Robbie’s hand. Something was wrong. Coins don’t hover and flames don’t pause.
Saving Brooksie Page 7
