by Ken Farmer
Lucy nodded. “So you see how Anompoli Lawa’s ancient Amerindian explanation fits…You have always been here.”
Padrino shook his head and blew out his breath. “It is amazingly simple and amazingly complicated at the same time.” He grinned. “The nuances of the folds in the space and time continuum.”
Lucy added, “That fictional show is very close to being right on quite a number of things.”
“It’s rumored that the show’s creator, Gene Rodenberry, got many of his ideas for the series from actually visiting with aliens.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Could be…But now, you’re mostly caught up…except for what is going to happen before you go back to your time.”
“So, we will be going back?”
“That’s the way things stand…for now.”
Padrino arched his white eyebrows.
“Welcome to our home, Padrino,” said Mary Lou as she came out the green painted gingerbread screen door. She was followed by her husband, Cletus. “Lucy’s told us all about you.”
He snatched his veteran’s ball cap from his head. “Miz Wilson. I’m really happy to meet you.” He sniffed the air. “Well, that smells very good.”
“Since Lucy told us you were comin’, I waited supper till you got here. I fried up a couple of pullets, with smashed potatoes, cream gravy, put by field peas and fresh yeast rolls.”
Padrino grinned. “Nothing can beat fresh yeast rolls and butter.”
Mary Lou grinned. “Unless it’s my pickled peach cobbler.”
Lucy could almost see Padrino’s mouth watering and grinned.
“Oh, my,” he said.
“Cletus, why don’t you take care of Padrino’s mounts.”
“I’ll help, Miz Wilson.”
“Oh, nonsense, you’re a guest and have had a hard ride to get here…Now you come on inside, I’ll pour you up a mug of cold sweet tea…The ice man came today.”
“It’s no problem, Padrino,” said Cletus. “I’m still confused how that mind conversation thing ya’ll do works, though.”
Lucy looked at her adoptive father. “It’s not really a conversation, Papa. People don’t think in words…We actually just exchange impressions and images. The thought process, in other words.”
He shook his head as he walked down toward the horses and muttered, “Still don’t get it.”
JACKSBORO, TEXAS
The door to the Sheriff’s office opened and Gomer’s intended, Emma Lou, came in carrying his supper on a wooden tray.
“Come on in girly,” said Harlan Rudabaugh.
She looked at the two hardcases with more than a little trepidation. “Who are you and where’s Gomer?”
“He’s back in a cell. Now set that grub on the desk here an’ you go back and bring some more fer me an’ my brother here,” added Frank.
“But what about Gomer?” she asked.
The two brothers exchanged glances.
“He’ll be fine, long as you do what yer tol’…Sabe?…Now bring two suppers an’ tell yer boss that she’s to feed our men whenever they come in.…What’s the name of yer eatin’ place?”
“Sewell’s Restaurant.”
“Awright then…Git.” Harlan pointed to the door.
One of the Rudabaugh’s men, Luke Brogan, came in the door as Emma Lou was leaving. He glanced at her with an appraising eye, and then closed the door behind him.
“May have me some of that ‘fore we go…” He turned to the two brothers. “Got the lookouts posted on all sides of town…We’ll know if’n anybody’s comin’.”
“Who’d you put out there?” asked Frank.
“Apache Kid on the east, Boone on the west, Doc on the north, an’ Joshua, the south, fer the first shift.”
“Good choices. They know not to kill anybody till we find out who they are, right?” inquired Harlan.
“What if’n somebody puts up a fight?”
“The boys’ll already have the drop on ‘em, so tell ‘em to jest wing ‘em,” said Frank.
“An’ tell the boys they kin go to that Sewell‘s place to eat, got it?” added Harlan.
“How long you think we’ll have to wait?”
“Long as we have to,” answered Frank turning back to the stove and grabbing the coffee pot with his bandana and filling one of Sheriff Flynn’s white ceramic cups from the shelf above the stove.
“Tell Black Jack to come in here. He should be just outside.”
Luke nodded and headed back out the door.
In a short moment, Black Jack Webb, a hawkish looking man with close set, dark eyes, stuck his head in the door. “What?”
“There’s a nigger that works at a horse ranch, the Flyin’ L, southeast of here. Name’s Slim Parker…I want him,” said Frank. “Alive.”
“Got it,” replied Black Jack.
§§§
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
NORTH TEXAS
The train chugged its way out of Valley View, only ten miles from Gainesville to the north. It was almost midnight.
A troubled Bone leaned over to Loraine. “You’re not going to believe this, Pard.”
She stirred from her intermittent slumber in the rocking and swaying railroad car. “What’s that, hon?”
“I think Padrino’s here.”
Loraine jerked up, fully awake and turned to him. “What did you say?”
“I think my Padrino’s here…in this time frame.”
“What? How?”
“Beats hell out of me…But I feel him, plus the distinct impression of danger.”
“Where could he be?”
“The only place I can think of…the ranch.”
“The ranch?…Yours and his ranch?”
“Yep. I think he’s there…With Lucy.”
“But how could he possibly be here in this time?”
Bone glanced back down at her. “Most likely the same way we are…Remember that brief phone call I got from the Captain on our wedding day?”
“Of course.”
“Using my remarkable talents as a detective…I deduced that has something to do with Padrino being here.”
“Damn you, Bone, why can’t you be serious once in a while?”
“I am, Love. I know I feel him and that’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“You have a point.”
“I know…I also know we need to get there ASAP. I think there’s trouble in River City.”
“Do what?”
“With a capital ‘T’.”
“Oh, Music Man,” Loraine said.
“Good, Pard.”
“Damn you, Bone, I’m going to kill you.”
Fiona leaned out into the asileway from the other side. “Are ya’ll romancing again?…What are you talking about?”
“Bone’s sensing his Padrino…his Godfather,” answered Loraine.
Fiona furrowed her brow. “I’m getting some disquieting feelings from Lucy, too.”
“He’s with her at the ranch,” said Bone.
“How do you know?” asked Loraine.
“Lucy just told me…Well, not in so many words, but in her impression of him.”
“I wish we were as good at this as she is,” added Fiona.
“Practice, practice, practice,” said Bone.
Mason had aroused, caught the gist of the conversation, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “I asked Bodie to bring our mounts up from the Sullivant ranch in the telegram and put ‘em in Faye’s carriage house. Told him we wouldn’t stay long in Gainesville and needed to get back to Jacksboro.”
He looked at his pregnant wife. “But, you, my dear, will have to come by carriage. Bodie has agreed to drive you.”
“Now you listen to me, mister…I’m perfectly…”
“I know you are, honey, but you’re also a little over three months along…You know what Doc Mosier said about horsebackin’, or in your case, mulebackin’…I feel like we’re going to be ridin’ hard.”
Fiona took a deep breath and looked out
the window at the bright moonlit night. “I know…You’re right.”
“I’m with Mason. Whatever’s going on…I suspect we need to get there quickly,” commented Loraine.
“I’m glad the ranch is on the way…We can stop and see what’s up with Padrino,” said Bone.
“I’d say we leave about sunup,” added Mason.
“Just hope we don’t get a blue norther,” said Loraine.
“You had to bring that up, didn’t you, Pard?”
She smiled. “Call ‘em like I see ‘em.”
WILSON RANCH
Lucy and Padrino sat in front of the fire in the parlor, finishing their evening coffee before retiring. Mary Lou and Cletus had already gone to bed, but Padrino and Lucy wanted to stay up and visit.
She smiled. “They’re on their way.”
“Bone and Loraine?”
“Plus Mason and Fiona. They’re almost back to Gainesville on the train…Be leaving for here in the morning by horseback…except for Fiona.”
“She’s not coming?” asked Padrino.
“Oh, yes, but she’s three months pregnant and shouldn’t be riding. Bodie’s bringing her by carriage. It will take them longer.”
“Of course.”
“Did you find out how many there were in the gang?” asked Lucy.
Padrino shook his head. “The travelers didn’t say, but if they’re holding the entire town hostage, I would surmise that there are ten or better…Guess we’ll be finding out.
“Wish you’d given me one of those bracelets like the one you gave Bone and that you wear. Might be a good idea for both he and I go behind the lines…so to speak.” He grinned. “It worked beautifully when Bone took or will take down those evil men that were going to burn you out in 2014…Scared the water out of them.”
She giggled. “Yes, I can see how that would be beneficial.”
“He materialized right in front of one of the main bad guys who said, ‘Where in the hell did you come from?’ and Bone replied, ‘Oh, I had the Asgard beam me down.”
“Yes, your Norse God.”
“Well, actually Bone called your race of the Annunaki, the Asgard because of the way they’re depicted on the TV show, SG-1,” said Padrino.
Lucy nodded with a twinkle in her eye. “Yes, I know.”
She unsnapped the magnetic clasp holding her bracelet of invisibility together and handed it to Padrino. “See if you can get this on.”
“Your own bracelet?”
“I shouldn’t be needing it anytime soon.”
The wiry Padrino laid it across his wrist and bracing it against his leg, managed to close the clasp. “Tight, but, it’ll work…Good thing I have small bones.”
“Do you know how to use it?” she asked.
Padrino nodded. “Bone showed me on his. I assume this one works the same?”
“It does.”
He held it up and pointed to two of the turquoise type gems set in the solid gold links. “These two activate the light bending field for the invisibility and these two turn it off…correct?”
“Yes…and that one there adds the solid particle force field which will stop a bullet,”
“Really?”
“Yes, but just make sure you keep the ruby charging crystal exposed to the sun’s rays…to keep it powered…The force field takes more power than just the light bending function.”
“Ah, in sequence, I suppose?”
“You suppose correctly…There’s a third one that adds an energy beam force field…but no one on this world has that in this time period.”
“I see.”
“I don’t have the materials or tools with me to make any more.” Lucy smiled. “Mason wanted one when I demonstrated it for him…The gold and gems are easy enough to come by, but the tiny integrated circuitry chips aren’t.”
“They’ll be invented in our time. They literally revolutionize the world, with computers, weapons, satellites and communications equipment.”
“I gathered that from you and Bone’s knowledge…I suspect my people will give it to you.”
Padrino nodded. “In a roundabout way…There are persistent rumors of a spacecraft crashing in New Mexico in 1947 and our military recovered a lot of equipment and reverse-engineered it…They deny it, of course.”
“Was it near the 34th parallel?”
“Between the 33rd and 34th.”
“They were apparently trying to get to the 34th parallel. That’s near a magnetic ley line that’s part of the Tellus Energy Grid on your world that we use to recharge our power batteries.”
“Your crash at Aurora, Texas is also between the 33rd and 34th parallel wasn’t it?”
Lucy nodded and a wistful look came into her eyes followed by tears. “My mate, Garin and I were also trying to get to the 34th, but it’s a different ley line in Texas that runs southwest to northeast and crosses the 34th parallel near Aurora. We spiraled in from outer space closer to that one…The two lines join over your city of Indianapolis, with numerous others.”
“I suspect the electromagnetic vortex that sent Bone, Loraine and me here is on a ley line?”
“Yes, they go all over the world.”
“I’m really sorry about Garin, Annuna. I know you miss your mate.”
She took a breath. “Everyday, Padrino. Every single day.” Lucy wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Were there any survivors in the 1947 crash?”
He nodded. “According to my information they were taken to Wright-Patterson AFB…but they really kept it close to the vest…still do, for that matter…The occupants were said to be small humanoid individuals in gray formfitting suits.”
“Like mine?”
“Like yours.”
§§§
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
SANTA FE DEPOT
GAINESVILLE, 1898
Bodie was standing near the front of the first passenger car as the train slowed to a stop. It was almost one o’clock in the morning.
Bone and Mason stepped off first and offered their hands as Fiona and Loraine exited.
“Pretty much on time, folks,” said Bodie.
“Seems like the last fifty miles was the longest,” commented Fiona. “Thanks for staying up and waiting for us.”
“Not a problem. Ya’ll would do the same for me…wouldn’t you?”
Bone and Mason exchanged glances.
“We might have to think about it some,” said Bone.
“But, most likely,” added Mason. “Lead the way, garcon.”
Bodie took Fiona and Loraine’s carpet bags, turned and headed to the street, appropriately named, Depot Lane, in front of the depot. The carriage they had rented from Mom in Jacksboro was parked at the hand cut limestone curb.
“Your horses are at Faye’s carriage house, like you asked,” said Bodie. “What time ya’ll want to leave of the mornin’?”
“‘Bout sunup, I’d say,” answered Mason looking at the others.
“Faye’s got a little snack made up for ya’ll when we get to the house.”
“She didn’t stay up, did she?” asked Loraine.
Bodie looked askance at her. “Now, what do you think?”
“Wish she wouldn’t do that,” said Fiona. “She’s so sweet.”
“What’s the big rush?” asked Bodie.
“We’ve been getting impressions from Lucy that there are problems in Jacksboro…Some kind of gang,” commented Fiona.
“Plus my Godfather, Padrino, from our time is somehow here and at the Wilson’s. I sensed from him that there’s big trouble,” said Bone.
Bodie nodded. “Good thing I’m comin’ along drivin’ Fiona. Gonna trail Lakota Moon from the carriage.”
“Got a feeling you might need to bring along extra ammo,” added Bone.
“Always do, when I’m on the trail.”
GAINESVILLE PD
2018
“Oh, golly, Peach, look here, look here,” said Stella.
Peach Presley stepped in the door with two cups of c
offee from the break room.
“My goodness, don’t get so excited you pee your pants, girl.” The tall brunette forensics technician set the coffee on Stella’s desk and pulled a chair over so she could see the monitor.
“Guess the captain and Padrino didn’t scroll down far enough to see this picture. Can you believe it?”
“Oh, honey, I can believe almost anything where Bone’s involved.”
Peach leaned forward after taking a sip of the two day old coffee, and then screeched, spraying coffee on the desk and the monitor.
“Now look what you’ve done,” said Stella as she got to her feet and pulled four or five tissues from a box on Loraine’s desk.
She wiped up the coffee spray, dabbing it from a supplemental arrest report that was also laying on her desk, partially filled out.
“Well, kiss a fat baby, that is so cute,” Peach said as she looked at the picture in the Gainesville Daily Register archives of the Bone wedding.
“Would you look at that dress Loraine is wearin’?” commented Stella, as she took a big breath.
“Oh, just give me some sugar…I may get the vapors.” Peach fanned her face with her hand.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous…and so is Loraine.”
“She could charm the dew right off the honeysuckle in that dress…What’s that dohickey in her hair?” Peach leaned close to peer at the grainy picture on the screen.
“Looks like a Spanish type hair comb with pearls.”
“Goodness gracious…Would love me some of that.”
Stella giggled. “Would you look at that silly expression on Bone’s face?”
“Bless his heart, he looks like he got the last drumstick.”
“Who would’ve ever thought we’d see Bone in a monkey suit and at his own wedding, to boot.”
“Wonder who held the gun on who?” said Peach.
“I betcha she held the gun on him while he proposed and he held it on her while she said yes.”
