He took them out onto the two-lane road as they set out for the inn. It was a beautiful day, with the sun shining through the forest on either side of the road and the smell of pine fresh in the air.
“So what are the next ninety years like?” asked David.
“Both terrible and wonderful. The stock market crash sets off a worldwide depression, which only ends when World War II starts.”
He looked at her sharply. “There’s another world war?”
“Unfortunately, and this one’s even worse. There are several wars over the next ninety years, as well as acts of terror which chill the soul. But there are also amazing advances in science and medicine. Technology brings the world closer. Music, movies and television give you endless entertainment and computers put knowledge at your fingertips, though you wouldn’t always know it if you spent too much time in the comments section of any website.”
David smiled. “I only understood about half of what you said.”
“I guess the short answer is there’s good and bad.”
“Just like always.”
Josie smiled at him. “Just like always.”
“You mentioned you’re divorced,” he said casually.
“Yes. It isn’t as big of a thing in my day as yours. He and I wrote movies together, then he fell in love with my best friend. They’re getting married, having a baby and living in my old house in Los Angeles.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. But I just realized it doesn’t hurt anymore. So, perhaps I should thank you for that.”
“What did I do?”
“You gave me a mystery to solve. And you’re pretty hot for someone who disappeared several decades before I was born.”
He drove for a bit without saying anything. “What does happen to me?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”
“In the stories I read, you were the main suspect in Corrigan’s murder, as well as Kurt Franklin’s.”
“He died, too?”
“Yep. Officially the crimes remain unsolved, though everyone assumes you did them. You disappeared the night Mikey died and no one heard from you again.”
“Ever?”
Josie sighed. “They found a body washed up on the beach, drowned. They couldn’t do an official identification, so they had to go on the belongings found with it. A watch and a ring.” She looked at the watch and ring on him at that moment. It didn’t seem possible this strong man would soon die. “I mean, that’s what happened in my timeline. But it’s also a timeline where Senator Farnsworth and Madame Racine were never even mentioned. So who knows what happens? I think this is it on the right.”
They slowed down, then pulled into the driveway of a small Victorian which was in need of a paint job. There was a sign in the window advertising rooms for rent.
They got out of the car and knocked on the front door. It was opened by a middle-aged woman who wiped her hands on her apron. She looked them up and down, then glanced at the Duesenberg appreciatively. “Are you two looking for a room?”
“Actually, we’re in need of a little information,” said David.
The woman looked disappointed to miss out on renting to two well-heeled strangers, but she rallied. “I’m Mrs. Benson, the owner here. Would you like to come in and have coffee?”
Moments later, Josie and David were sitting in her parlor on overstuffed chairs with doilies and with a cat rubbing up against their legs. They were drinking weak coffee in the overly warm room.
“How can I help you?” asked Mrs. Benson.
“We were trying to find an acquaintance whom we believe came through this area about a week ago,” said David, using the story they’d agreed upon. “She was a lady perhaps four inches shorter than yourself, a bit plump, with red hair. I don’t know when she would have arrived, but she would have been gone a few days later at the most.”
“It sounds like Mrs. Tenley. You say you’re a friend of hers?” From the way Mrs. Benson said it, she hadn’t been fond of the lady.
“She’s only an acquaintance,” said Josie.
Mrs. Benson tsked. “If you ask me, there was something shady about her. She gave me the wrong amount to pay her bill, all the while complimenting Hugo.”
“Hugo?” asked David.
“My cat. If I hadn’t counted the money, I would’ve been short-changed fifty cents! She said it was just a mistake, but I’m not so sure.”
“Did she have any visitors while she was here?” asked Josie.
“None that I saw. I’m mighty strict about not allowing any hanky-panky in my rooms. I run a very respectable house. I didn’t think I’d have to worry about her, being an older lady and all.”
“Did she leave anything behind?” asked David.
Something flashed across Mrs. Benson’s face, but then she smiled, looking a bit nervous. “No, she didn’t leave anything behind.”
Josie glanced at David, who smiled at the woman in that charming manner of his. “It’s quite important, Mrs. Benson. If there’s anything, no matter how small, it might help us. And I’d gladly pay to see it.”
Mrs. Benson considered it, clearly torn, then said, “Very well.” She crossed to a jar on the bookshelf, then took a small piece of blue paper out, which looked to be the size of a ticket. “I didn’t notice it until she’d gone. Most people might’ve thrown it away, but I’m such a fan, I just had to hold onto it.”
She gave them a theater ticket, advertising a play with Kurt Franklin at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles. Josie couldn’t believe it. This was the connection they’d been looking for and it made all the sense in the world that it would be Kurt Franklin. In her timeline, Kurt Franklin must have killed Mikey Corrigan, then David Remington killed Franklin in a fit of understandable rage.
Now they just had to make sure history wouldn’t repeat itself here.
She looked at David and her urgency was mirrored in his face. He returned the ticket to Mrs. Benson, then gave her five dollars. From her look she hadn’t seen that much money all at once in a long while, if ever.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Benson,” said David. “You’ve been a great help.”
Moments later, Josie and David were on their way back to the house.
“It could be a coincidence, you know,” said David. “She just happened to see him in a play.”
“Who would voluntarily see Kurt Franklin in a play?” asked Josie. “The murderer has to be Franklin.”
“But why?”
“Presumably he murdered Senator Farnsworth and Sue Bergstrom because they found out about him. He killed Delores because he didn’t want her to betray him.”
“You really think he’s one of the Lassiter children?”
“He’s the right age. And he did die in my lifetime.” She refrained from telling him her theory about who then killed Kurt.
They arrived back at the house just as it was getting dark. Barker met them on the front lawn, where the other guests were dressed in tuxedos and gowns for cocktails. “Did you find anything?” Barker asked David.
“We think so. Where’s Kurt Franklin?”
“Franklin?” asked Barker with some surprise. “He’s behind this?”
“It looks that way. Where is he?”
They looked around and there was no sign of him on the lawn, where the party was in full swing. Lucy and Mikey were drinking martinis and whispering to each other. Dora Barnes and Lawrence Henry were laughing at the bar. Tanner was sitting on the porch, rocking back and forth. Josie looked over to where the back of Tanner’s chair kept hitting the wall in a familiar rhythmic beat. It reminded her of something, but she couldn’t quite place it.
“Josie!” said David.
She turned to see Professor Crowfeather walking toward her, his expression grim.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“What do you mean I have to leave tonight?” Josie asked Professor Crowfeather. She and David had taken him into the sitting ro
om, leaving Barker outside to keep an eye on things.
“I reviewed all the ledgers my ancestors left about the odd occurrences, then I cross-referenced them with the earthquakes we’ve been having. From what I can tell, your best chance of getting back to your own time will occur at some point tonight, as long as there’s an earthquake.”
“And if there’s not?” asked David.
Professor Crowfeather looked solemn. “Miss Matthews might not go home.”
It was difficult for Josie to face that stark possibility. Though for someone who’d spent so much time wondering how to get home, leaving before they stopped Kurt Franklin was a bit disappointing. There was also the matter of what she’d come to feel for David Remington.
“What do I do?” asked Josie. “There have been other earthquakes while I’ve been here and none of them took me home.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know. No one could fully explain what had happened. But from what I read, the visitors were dressed as they had been when they came and they had a talisman from the future. I think those two things might be key, though I can’t explain why.”
“I was wearing my beaded dress,” said Josie. “But I didn’t bring anything back with me, other than the dress.”
Professor Crowfeather considered the matter. “Was there anything from the past that you touched in your own time, other than the dress?”
Josie thought about the trunks she’d gone through, but then it hit her. “The Victrola.”
“Is it the same one that’s in my ballroom?” asked David.
“I believe so,” said Josie.
“That’s probably it, then,” said Professor Crowfeather. “You should wear your dress and stay near the Victrola.”
“Do you think that’ll work?” asked Josie.
“I don’t know. I’m a scientist, so this goes against everything I learned in school. But something brought you here. This may help you get home. I’d like to stay and see what happens, but my grandmother is ill and I need to be by her side.”
“Of course!” said Josie. “I hope she feels better. And thank you for everything.”
“I hope you find your way home,” said Professor Crowfeather. “Living out of time would be difficult. But if you do remain here, the two of you know where to find me. Perhaps we can try again at some other point.”
After the professor left, Josie and David were very much alone. Neither said anything for a moment, then he leaned forward and kissed her. It was a simple joining of lips once, twice and a third time. Then he kissed her to last forever.
It was one of the best kisses of Josie’s life. One of banked heat, yearning and sadness. When David finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers and whispered, “You’d better get dressed.”
* * *
Josie looked at her reflection in the mirror in her room. Once again, she was dressed in the blue and silver beaded gown she’d found in the attic, wearing the same shoes. She’d once again pulled her hair back into the approximation of a bob. She was standing in the 1929 version of her bedroom, with the polished wooden window sills and the luxurious silk wallpaper. The wardrobe contained fabulous dresses from David Remington’s former girlfriends. She briefly considered taking a few back with her, but knew she’d be too depressed to wear them.
Of course, there was no guarantee she was going anywhere. Perhaps she’d just be the idiot who dressed up and hung around a Victrola all night.
She knew she had to go back to her own time. She couldn’t believe she’d be leaving before they caught up to Kurt Franklin because there was still no sign of him. She wanted to know why he’d done it. But at least she knew David Remington would no longer be blamed for the deaths. That was some consolation.
Now, if only she could get over leaving David Remington.
She turned off the lights, then walked down the foyer stairs. The lights were dim, but there was enough moonlight coming in through the windows that she could see her way.
She was almost run over by Mikey Corrigan, who was about to head out wearing his tuxedo. “Mr. Corrigan, where are you going?” she asked.
“To find Kurt Franklin. Everyone else is already out there looking for him. I don’t intend to sit back helpless while they do my work for me.”
Franklin hadn’t been seen since well before Josie and David had returned. Barker had called Deputy Irwin, telling him of their suspicions and now Irwin and his men were combing the woods looking for Franklin, along with the other guests from the party who’d all joined in. Even the staff had gone. Apparently, they’d all had enough of waiting out the killer. But David had insisted that Mikey stay at the house.
“I don’t think you should go,” she said to him. “You’re dressed exactly the way you were in the news articles and you were found in the woods.”
She heard a rhythmic pounding on the porch.
“I’m not going to die, Miss Matthews. And I’ve faced bigger enemies than some Hollywood movie star. Besides, I have this.” He pulled a pistol from his pocket.
The pounding continued. Then Josie remembered when she’d heard it last. It was the second to the last night she’d been home. A chair had been rocking against the wall of the house. A chill ran up her spine.
“Mr. Corrigan I really don’t think it’s a very good idea,” said Josie.
“I can look out for myself,” said Mikey, just before being knocked out from behind.
Josie looked up to see Tanner pointing a gun at her. “If you scream I’ll kill you right before I kill him.”
* * *
“You do realize we stand a bigger chance of Deputy Irwin accidentally shooting us, than Franklin doing it, don’t you?” David asked Barker, as they made their way through the woods.
“That’s why I told him to take the woods in the front of the house while we’re in the back,” said Barker.
“I still wouldn’t put it past him to kill us by accident,” said David.
They slowly made their way through the woods in search of the man no one had seen for hours. For all they knew he’d already left town.
“You’re going to miss her, aren’t you?” Grant asked David.
Too much for a lifetime. “She belongs in her own time.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Of course, we don’t know if she’s really going to leave. I’m still not sure I buy her cock and bull story. But there are a lot of things that don’t make sense. Why does Kurt Franklin want to kill Corrigan so much he’d kill three other people to make it happen? I mean, even if he does blame Mikey for whatever happened to his mom, he’s a movie star now. He’s got money and dames falling at his feet. Why give that up to kill Corrigan? I don’t know. Maybe Chicago just scrambles a person’s brains.”
David stopped in his tracks. “Chicago.”
“What about it?”
“Don’t you remember? Kurt Franklin said he’s not really from Chicago. He said it was Tanner’s idea to say that.”
“Maybe he was throwing us off his scent.”
“That guy? The only way that could have happened was if his dumb hick routine is all an act. And I don’t think it is.”
Barker looked at him. “You don’t think Tanner...”
They heard someone approach and Grant pulled out his gun.
“Grant, are you there?” Lydia stepped into the clearing.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” said Barker, pulling her to him, then running his hands over her to make sure she was safe. “There’s a murderer out here! And a deputy who probably can’t shoot straight.”
“Mikey’s my friend. I’m not going to let this man get away with trying to kill him again. And he...he killed Matt.”
Barker stepped back from her and tried to blank the emotion from his face. “I’m sorry about your husband. Of course you’d want justice.”
“I do want justice. But that’s not why I’m here. I’d die if I lost you, Grant. I couldn’t bear staying at the house wondering if I’d ever see you again, es
pecially now that we might finally be together one day.”
For a moment neither said anything, then Grant folded her into his arms. They remained that way, neither of them speaking. It was enough to simply be together. “I guess David doesn’t need to see this.”
He looked to where David had been a moment earlier, only to find him gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
With Tanner’s gun trained on her, Josie had slowly dragged Mikey Corrigan into the ballroom. Not a single servant was left in the house and while she knew someone would return eventually, she had a feeling it’d be too late for Corrigan and her.
“Tie him up!” Tanner said, as he threw her some rope.
“Why are you doing this?” asked Josie as she tied Mr. Corrigan’s feet together, hoping if she did it slowly enough they’d be interrupted.
“Hurry up!” said Tanner.
“You’re not going to get away with this. Deputy Irwin and his men are out there.”
“But they brought dogs, which means they’ll be a mile away when they catch up to Franklin. I’ll be long gone by then.”
“Is Kurt Franklin dead?”
Tanner shrugged. “Probably. I didn’t have enough time to make sure he was dead before I had to get back here.”
“Once they find him dead, they’ll know it’s you.”
“Actually, they’ll think Franklin killed himself. They’ll take it as a confession for killing so many people. Now tie his hands and make it snappy.”
Josie tied Mr. Corrigan’s hands, hoping he could break through easily. At that moment, he groaned. Tanner trained his gun on both of them. “Corrigan! Wake up.”
Corrigan was woozy, but when he could focus his eyes enough to see Tanner, he immediately tried to stand.
“Take another step and I’ll kill both of you.”
Corrigan stopped, then more or less fell back on the ground. “Why the hell are you doing this?”
“Because of what you did to my mother.”
Corrigan stared at him. “You’re Louise’s son?”
That sent Tanner into a rage. “You don’t even remember! Yes! I’m her son!”
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