“Did you see your class schedule on the kitchen table?”
“I haven't been home yet. I came here first.” Over the years of their friendship, Fritz had learned Ashley's quirks and habits. When Ashley sighed, he didn't want to do something. This time, he didn't want to go home. “But I guess I should go check to see if everything's okay.”
“It is. I've kept an eye out, took in the mail, cut the lawn. I've had a lot of time on my hands.”
“Fritz, where's Linda?” Sadness reappeared in his eyes.
“You took off before I could tell you. She left with TJ before you came home in June. She's with her parents. She doesn't answer my calls. I haven't seen or spoken to her all summer. I'll tell you about it later.”
“What happened last night?”
“Declercq has been asked to join the Caballeros. The president brought him here to avoid eavesdropping. We can talk about that later, too. Oh, by the way, you owe me two hundred bucks for my landscaping services.” He hoped for a normal Ashley reaction.
“Want help cleaning up?”
“I'm fine. And call your parents. I'm tired of talking to your mother.”
“Fritz, I can't believe she's gone.” He lowered his head as his eyes welled. “Living without her is going to be emptier than that Palestinian desert.” Tears disappeared into his beard.
When Ashley left, Fritz sat with a cup of coffee and pondered how the portal had turned his life upside-down. He'd become friends with the president of the United States, met foreign leaders, helped prevent nuclear war, and saved an Israeli village. He'd met Robert E. Lee, saw the Wright Brothers' first flights, been shot at by a Japanese plane at Pearl Harbor. And just before school ended for the summer, he'd met Benjamin Franklin at the Continental Congress and brought him to Riverboro for a visit. Fritz told him of his quotations, including one about the kind of government they had created. “A republic, if you can keep it.” Franklin had responded, “I said that? I like it.”
When the Riverboro Fourth of July chairman had called looking for Ashley to read the Declaration, Fritz told him that Ashley had taken a vacation, but he'd see if he could find a replacement. He journeyed back to Franklin's house in Philadelphia and asked if Franklin would like to visit and read the Declaration to a crowd more than two hundred and twenty-five years in his future. Franklin accepted and thrilled the Riverboro gathering with the most realistic impersonation they had ever seen. He walked with Fritz through the crowd, shaking hands and talking to his modern-day fans. Fritz returned him to the eighteenth century, but not until after they'd toasted with a couple of beers, downed a couple of hot dogs, and cheered an early evening fireworks display.
“Thank you for today, Mr. Russell. I must say that I've never enjoyed myself so. Perhaps you'll allow me to invite you to visit me. I will plan a surprise of my own.”
“Dr. Franklin, I would love to. When did you have in mind?” They discussed possibilities and Fritz asked if Franklin would allow him to bring a guest.
“Of course, my boy. Bring whomever you'd like.” Fritz explained the difficulty of a pinpoint time and date. “That's why it's called experimenting, Mr. Russell. I will see you soon.”
That evening, Fritz called the president.
“Really? Are you serious? That would be so cool.”
“Franklin drew a floor plan of his house. As long as the portal works, we can get there, but Tony could be stuck at the school for a while.”
“I'll warn him that might happen. I'll tell him to bring his reporter friend. What do you suggest we wear?”
“Dr. Franklin commented on the comfort of our clothing style, especially in summer. We should be casual. He has advocated for lighter clothing in the summer, and we can show him his effort paid off. But you should bring something 'presidential'. Like one of those postcards that say '44th President'.”
“Fritz, this is going to be fun. Thanks for inviting me.”
Two weeks later at the end of July, Fritz collected the president. Tony said, “Fritz, open it. I'll tape the latch to keep it active and send the planes home.”
Fritz opened the door, and through the portal saw a large Franklin stove visible from the hallway. Shortly after, Fritz returned. “I have to try again. I'm short by two days.” He moved the paperclip slightly and entered the hallway. “The more I play with the paperclips, the more we find information on how this all works. The farther back you go, the more sensitive the paperclip is to movement. I only nudged it a little. Let's see.” He walked through, looked at the two other men with Franklin, and stuck his head back to Riverboro. “Come on through.”
As the president stepped into 1776, Franklin met them. He laughed at the look of shock registering with his other guests. “Gentlemen, I've told you we would have other guests. Here they are. Mr. Russell, would you introduce us?”
“Dr. Franklin, gentlemen, I would like you to meet the President of the United States.”
One tankard hit the floor, spilling the clear liquid. “Now Thomas, look what you've done. Welcome, gentlemen. It is my pleasure to introduce my guests. May I present Mr. Thomas Jefferson and this gentleman is John Adams of Massachusetts.”
Fritz shook hands with John Adams, who looked him up and down, and looked at his hand when Fritz let go. Jefferson, more reluctant, asked if Franklin was engaged in one of his practical jokes. A twinkle in his eye, Franklin said he would explain over dinner. He began a lively conversation, both eras' representatives filled with questions. The usually quiet Jefferson remained in character, staring at the president. The president watched both of his predecessors. At a lull, Jefferson said, “So, we have a president, not a king. That means we have formed a government.”
“Mr. Jefferson,” said the president, “to retell the history, or for you, the future, would take days. The original document you three gentlemen have written has been preserved and now resides on display for all the people to see.”
“Mr. Russell invited me to read the Declaration on the occasion of their July Fourth celebration. In their time,” said Franklin. “I witnessed what Mr. Russell calls a national holiday.”
“So, we are successful?” asked Adams.
The president said, “You were. And you created the longest continuing democratic government in history. But not without fault.”
“Where did we fail?” Adams asked.
Fritz answered, “Hardly a failure, Mr. Adams. After the war for independence, which we call the American Revolution, you convened to create a format for governing, and a document resulted, the Constitution. A carefully crafted bipartisan agreement outlined a central government, with a designation of individual rights. We call them the Bill of Rights. In our almost 240 year history, only seventeen times has the original document been amended. The brilliance of the Constitution is that you anticipated change, and created a process to make adjustments. Mr. Adams, you asked where you failed. In my opinion, you omitted three important considerations.”
“What might they be?” Adams asked, in a sharp tone. An intellectual and a lawyer, Adams shunned criticism of his work, so Fritz proceeded gingerly.
“Mr. Adams, we have the advantage of hindsight and more than two hundred years' experience benefitting from your courage,” said Fritz, attempting to calm a man who could be quick to anger. “The most difficult concerned slavery. Although the slave trade ceased, new inventions and the abundance of slaves already here allowed slavery to grow and spread on its own.” The three Founding Fathers stared at him, and glanced at each other, Jefferson remaining uncomfortably quiet. Adams muttered that they had had no choice if they were to reach agreement.
“Continue, Mr. Russell,” said Franklin. “What other issues did we mistake?”
“Well, sir, you must remember that I'm reporting, not criticizing. Europeans came here and uprooted a native population. By not securing rights for them as part of your, our independence, you left a legacy, which even today, continues to be a shadow on your success.”
“Mr. Russell, pl
ease tell us what is your livelihood?” asked Franklin.
“Sir, as we have chatted about before, I teach history in a public high school. Public education for most boys and girls has become law.”
“Most?” asked Adams.
“Mr. Adams,” said the president, “the country now consists of fifty states, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. All have governments of their own, with issues such as how much education is required.”
“How do you govern centrally, while having fifty competing governments?” asked Jefferson. “Your world must be quite chaotic.”
The president answered, “Mr. Jefferson, the Constitution structures the federal government to include a judicial branch. Our legal system has evolved so that when disputes arise, interpretation of the law permits resolution, with the final decision resting with our Supreme Court. It has worked well, for the most part.”
“I would add that you failed to consider women as your equals. All men, and women, are created equal, Mr. Jefferson,” said Fritz.
Adams said, “Abigail said as much.”
The president laughed. “In the course of history, women have played remarkable roles in the growth of the country. Too many examples to discuss now, but women are more civic-minded in our time, and are the majority of our college graduates, and our voters. They shouldn't have been left out.”
“College graduates?” asked Adams. “What does that mean?”
“Mr. Adams, you are aware of colleges, but today we have thousands across the country. Today, American education continues with advanced study in the arts and sciences. Women are a larger percentage of degree recipients than men. They also are active participants in government, although still underrepresented in Congress.
“Women in government?” asked Jefferson.
“One of the amendments to the Constitution granted women the right to vote. Office-holding came quickly, but not in abundance, at least not yet. But we are likely to see a woman as president, maybe as soon as our next election,” said the president.
Franklin chuckled. “It seems so many things have changed since our little gathering here. As you can see, we have taken a practical approach and created quite a progressive nation.”
“Mr. President,” Jefferson said. “You are obviously a man of intelligence, yet you are a Negro. How did this happen?”
“Sir, my story is uniquely American, and could only have happened here, as a result of your work. In our time, we refer to people of my background as African-American. In fact, my father came from Africa. My mother was white. I am not a descendant of slaves, but truly a combination of Africa and America. I have served two terms as president, eight years. Like you, Mr. Adams, I am a lawyer, and in fact, taught law at a university before entering politics.”
“Most impressive. How many presidents have been elected?” asked Franklin, watching Jefferson rub his chin.
The president said, “I am the forty-fourth.” As Fritz had suggested, the president handed his official picture to the three Founding Fathers. “Every four years, since your time, a president is elected or re-elected. Although we have had some contentious campaigns, at no time has an election failed to produce a continuation in government, and only once has a president served for more than two terms.”
“Imagine,” said Franklin, “a regular, peaceful transfer of power. No king. A true government of the people. How have you done it?”
The president gestured to Fritz. “You did it. Most people accept the concept of free elections, and our duty as citizens is to maintain the tradition. Certainly, we have our disagreements, just as you have them now. Even to get the delegates to sign the Declaration required compromise.”
Adams said, “True. I see the British refusal differently from some others, but I admire their thoughtfulness and desire for redress and reconciliation. But affairs have gone beyond. Parliament is recalcitrant, and considers us second-class, though we share a common heritage. Right now, a sizeable British army and naval force occupies New York. They have left us no choice.” His voice rose as he finished. “Things were not always so.”
Jefferson said, “Mr. Adams himself served as attorney for the soldiers who shot into the crowd in Boston a few years back.”
“The Boston Massacre.” Fritz said. “You successfully defended them.” Adams nodded. At that moment, the portal opened and Tony stuck his head through. Apologizing for interrupting, he said they needed to come home.
“Gentlemen, as much as I would like to continue, duty calls.” The president shook hands with the three men who made the evening interesting, lastly Jefferson. “Mr. Jefferson, I have been an admirer for many years and I hope we can do this again. Thank you all.” He turned to where Tony's face had looked in, waved and left.
Fritz said, “Dr. Franklin, I too hope we may visit again.” He shook hands with both future, or past, presidents, and stopped. “Gentlemen, you understand that our meeting can be dangerous if it should affect the future. The picture of the president is an item he brought to show you, but I need to take them back with me.” When he reached the fluorescent rectangle, he said, “The nation owes you much for your foresight. I, for one, thank you.”
When he walked through, the president had his phone pressed to his ear.
“What happened, Tony?” Fritz asked.
“You've been gone for three hours, Fritz. The power started to fluctuate, and I can't reopen the portal without you. A storm is disrupting the connections. Just playing it safe. Who were those guys?”
“Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.”
“Cool.”
The president hung up and joined them, a wide smile brightening his face. “Thanks for inviting me. That was amazing.”
“I have a question. We just talked to two presidents, but you didn't mention that. Why?”
“I guess I just take it for granted,” said the president. “But it's probably a good thing I didn't. They have enough to digest after our visit, and enough to worry about with a war starting.”
“I brought your pictures back,” said Fritz.
“I need to savor this for a bit. But we gave them some things to chew on. Have we told them enough that will cause them to change things?”
“They won't, or we wouldn't be here right now.” As soon as he said it, Fritz knew he was right.
Chapter 6
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25.
THE BITTER TASTE of cold coffee returned him to his unfinished task. I should tell Ash that story. He'd been so absorbed that he hadn't noticed the time. When Ashley opened the back door, the last plate went into the dishwasher.
“You still haven't cleaned up?”
“I've been thinking,” said Fritz.
Instead of an Ashley-typical snide comment, he asked. “What about?” Fritz told him about some of the trips he had taken. He described his visit to Franklin with the president, as well as watching the Alamo fall, meeting Lindbergh in Paris, pretending to be a reporter at the Potsdam conference, witnessing the connection of the railroads in Utah, and meeting FDR at Hyde Park.
“It's been a lot of fun to see those things. Sorry you couldn't join me.”
“We've both been travelling for the summer. You just didn't pay for gas.”
They grabbed sandwiches at the deli and ate at Fritz's backyard picnic table. “Ash, tell me what happened in the desert?”
Ashley put his sandwich down, licked his lips, and examined the garden. “I've had thousands of miles to relive it, Fritz. You saw the hole the sniper dug in the sand dune. Coming down I stepped in it, and fell to the bottom. When I looked up, the rifle was aimed at us. All I remember was getting hit, and Jane falling on top of me. They told me in the hospital they took out six bullets, and that my insides were shaken up a bit.”
“A bit? You were in surgery for hours.”
“Jane was hit and they told me it was bad. They wouldn't let me see her.” Tears dripped off his lashes. “When she died, they still wouldn't let me see her, to say I wa
s sorry. If I hadn't tripped, she'd be alive.”
Fritz put his hand on Ashley's arm. “It's not your fault. The sniper shot her. He had a perfect place to hide and he found it far in advance. He dug a tunnel through a sand dune, reinforced it and then camouflaged it. From what I've determined, the Caballeros planned it. If anyone's to blame, it's me, for letting you go in. Like Linda said, I should have stopped you.”
Ash looked up, tears trapped on his beard. “You couldn't have. She was in trouble. No one but me could save her, and I failed. Again. It never stops. They all die.”
Chapter 7
THEY TALKED THROUGH the afternoon and into the evening, glad to be able to share stories and feelings that both had kept in check. When Ashley asked about Linda, Fritz said he had stopped calling. He'd called daily through July, but she'd never answered, or returned his messages. Being in such close contact with her father had seemingly driven her further away. “After all that's happened, she should be able to explain to him how important the portal has been.” He shrugged. “I only call once a week now. But I miss her and TJ.”
“Why don't you go get her? Do the caveman thing and drag her out by her hair, toss her in the car and go.”
“Her father would have me arrested. I really don't like that guy.”
“Then use the portal. I'll go with you. Give TJ to me and you grab Linda.”
“I've tossed that around, Ash. Believe me. Look, if she wants to come home, she'll come. If not, I'm sure Tim will make sure I get divorce papers delivered, sooner or later.”
Ashley changed the subject and asked if Fritz had discovered anything new about the Caballeros. Fritz said he had reviewed Jane's files, including bank transactions that had occurred around the two ship bombing attacks, the summit in Geneva and the attack on the White House.
“Did you tell anyone?”
“I told the president, but by the time I figured out what she found, the Caballeros went up in smoke. It's what Linda's father had warned. Rich guys manipulating markets.”
Storm Surge (Quantum Touch Book 5) Page 2
