“It’s probably just that gash in your head talking, old friend.”
“That’s the way you want to play it?”
Miller shrugged, not knowing what else to say.
“Tell me, who the hell was that muscle-bound freak with the bad spray-on tan? And that epileptic briefcase?”
Miller shook his head. “Never seen him before in my life. Or that case.”
“He was obviously here for a reason. There has to be some explanation. I can’t leave that section blank in my incident report when I write this up.”
“And say what? That some unknown Orange Man with unknown technology tried to break into my house for some unknown reason, and then mysteriously disappeared with a bang, leaving no trace behind? All this after two suspects snuck past you and your partner while you were on stakeout?”
“I see your point.”
“Yeah, they’ll think you’re incompetent and completely nuts. Probably put you on leave for an obvious concussion and toss in a little post-traumatic stress to keep the department shrink busy for months.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I’d suggest you tell ‘em I was out back lighting my gas grill when it exploded. Keep it simple. You and I can figure the rest out together. No reason to mention Emily or the kid, or the rest of it. Nobody saw dick, other than you and me.”
“Except my partner.”
“From the looks of it, he’s not gonna be talking anytime soon. Chances are he won’t remember much, if anything. If he does, spin it, and say his injuries are affecting his memory of the events. They’ll take you at your word, especially if I back you up.”
“What do I tell his wife? She’s gonna want answers.”
“Not the truth about Orange Man and his briefcase, that’s for sure. Just tell her that her husband was doing his job and helping others. It’s essentially the truth.”
Alison nodded and grunted a surrender. “I am already on thin ice with the captain. I’m sure he cringes every time one of my reports hits his desk. Probably has a special place in his filing cabinet just for me.”
“Then it’s settled?”
“Only if you come clean, and I mean right now. No more bullshit about the girl.”
Miller studied Alison while he decided whether to let his fellow Marine in on what he knew about Emily Heart. Their time in the service together was now ancient history, but the bonds between them were strong and transcended time. They’d been forged in the heat of battle in the Middle East, long before civilian life in the USA had gotten in the way.
“Well? What’s it going to be?” Alison asked, shooting Jim a look of frustration.
Miller decided to give Alison the benefit of the doubt. “You’re right. I do know her, but not nearly as well as you suspect. Her name is Emily Heart. And you already know the kid is Derek Morgan. They asked me to keep it all quiet. Neither of them is a fan of law enforcement, and I can’t blame them. Can you?”
“Fair enough. But who is she to you? Some teenage girl who runs around town, showing up randomly at crime scenes without a stitch of clothes on? And how is the Morgan kid involved with her, or is it the other way around?”
“I told you, Derek showed up out of the blue at my hospital room that same day when your head did the tango with the bedpan. Never seem him before that day. As for the girl, I’ve been working on a story about her for some time now. She comes and goes around town, always seeming to pop up in trouble spots. I can’t quite get a handle on her.”
“Ditto here. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then she’s gone. Like the night of your little cowboy act with the rival gangs. That was some seriously bad shit, Millsy. My boss thinks you’re behind it all, but he can’t prove it. Tell me I’m not backing the wrong horse here.”
“No, Alice, I’m not responsible for any of it. But I am trying to find out who is. I’ll make you a deal. Come by the restaurant tomorrow morning, early. Before we open. You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”
Miller put his hand out for a shake.
Alison grabbed his hand and they shook on it. “Tomorrow then,” he said, before walking away.
I’ll be damned, Miller thought, watching Alison get in his car. The cops were staking me out. And Alison’s boss thinks I’m up to no good. With a naked teenage girl, no less. Fuck.
Miller went around the back of the house to take pictures of the carnage for the insurance claim he planned to file. It was one of the weirdest blasts he’d ever seen. None of the damage was consistent or uniform, as he expected it would be, and he had no idea how they’d all survived.
The strange case of Emily Heart just kept getting stranger.
* * *
Derek needed to rest after carrying Emily in his arms for over a mile after their escape from the gawking crowd at Jim Miller’s place. He bent over and carefully put Emily’s unconscious body on the park bench near the memorial statue of the local military hero, Pat Tillman.
Standing in front of him was an immense granite statue. He read the dedication plaque, with his emotions leading the charge. When he finished the last few words etched in stone for all of eternity, a rippling static charge crawled out of the cool Arizona air and landed on his neck. It traveled across his skin and dug into his spine, filling him with an unexpected surge of admiration and patriotism.
He remembered reading a quote somewhere about what it means to be a man. It said a man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, or what he can do—nothing else. Derek lifted his eyes and stared into the eyes of the heroic figure above him, letting the moment soak into his soul.
A short minute later, the words he had read about what it meant to be a man finally made sense to him. Pat Tillman was such a man. A selfless, dedicated individual who aspired to make the world a better place. Pat paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving and protecting others, something Derek wondered if he could do, if given the chance. It takes a special man to give up everything without a second thought for himself, and for total strangers.
He sat on the edge of the park bench next to Emily, being careful not to wake her. He made sure to keep her body covered with the blanket, not wanting the cool air to make her sick.
While he waited, he decided to take stock of his less than stellar life thus far. He thought about his troubled past and the horrendous choices he’d made. Dread filled his body as each memory flashed, revealing his loathsome self. What he saw made him feel sick and ashamed. He wasn’t proud of any of it. Not a single thing, other than he was still alive and not currently in prison.
He searched his memory, but couldn’t remember a single selfless act. Not one time did he do anything for anyone other than himself; at least not before he met Emily. That’s when everything started to change. All of it due to a single chance meeting in the basement of a restaurant. Was it fate? Happenstance? Luck? He wasn’t sure what to call it.
He smiled, realizing that Emily was the only thing that mattered to him. She made him happy. She gave him a reason to exist. She filled all the voids lurking inside his putrid soul. Without her, he was incomplete. A shell. A waste of skin. With her at his side, he was a whole person. He mattered.
Derek stroked her hair with a trembling hand, wondering if she’d run from him if she knew about all the terrible things he’d done in his short life. He shook his head, knowing that she deserved better. He wasn’t good enough for her—not unless he found a way to change, and make amends for being a total douche.
“Be more like Pat,” he mumbled.
To do that, he needed to rise above his petty, selfish nature and grow up. It was time to take responsibility and stop blaming others. That’s what he decided to do. For Emily, and for himself. It was clear to him now. A man needs a purpose in order to achieve and become more than he is. Derek decided right then and there that Emily was going to be his sole focus moving forward.
The innocent face lying before him looked peaceful, even though he knew she’d been through hell and back. H
e marveled at her outer beauty, which was just as striking as her inner beauty, even without makeup or a bath. She was a true beacon of strength in a world of chaos, a world filled with hate, despair, and endless violence.
Something obviously happened when Emily jumped away, only to return a few minutes later—at least that’s what Emily had mumbled. He wanted to know every detail and find a way to help her, but he knew she wouldn’t share any of it until she was damn good and ready. The Orange Man and his briefcase were involved in what had happened to her a long time ago, at least that’s what she had told him. He wished she would trust him with the whole truth. Emily was complicated and cautious, that much was obvious. She had her reasons for not sharing everything, and he needed to accept that. He would bring it up again, but not until the time was right. Whatever that meant.
Emily stirred on the bench, turning over and stretching her arms while letting out a long groan. She opened her beautiful, soft eyes and looked at Derek.
He smiled, letting a tear fall. “Hey there, beautiful. Nice of you to join the living,” he said, not able to hold back an ear-to-ear smile.
Her lips formed a pucker and kissed the back of his hand ever so gently. She held his hand to her cheek for a three-count, then looked up. “Where are we?”
“In the park. I carried you here after the explosion. Needed to get you away from all the gawkers.”
She sat up, letting the blanket fall from her chest. She wrapped her arms around Derek, squeezing him tightly.
“You always protect me. Keep me safe. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said before making cute, affectionate cooing sounds, turning his insides to jelly.
He put his arms around her to make sure she knew he felt the same way. He wanted to kiss her, but decided to wait until she was ready.
“What about Jim and the cops?” she asked, sitting back. She tugged the blanket up to cover herself.
“Not sure since we woke up first. But from what I could see, I don’t think Jim was too bad. Neither was Alison. But his partner got totally jacked. Blood everywhere. He’s gonna need some new body parts.”
“Damn it. I should have done more,” she muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing, just trying to clear the cobwebs.” She yawned. “I’m so tired. I could sleep for a week.”
“What was all that before? Something about leeches?”
“Beats me. Must have been hallucinating. I was pretty out of it after my jump. Just chalk it up to being part of the same nightmare that never seems to end. We should probably find a place to crash for the night.”
“Already on it,” Derek said, pointing at the Fourth Street road sign twenty feet away. They were three blocks from Jim Miller’s restaurant, The Fourth Street Café and Eatery.
“I saw a place the night you disappeared from that police van, while it was still under construction. It’s a high-rise condo that should be close to finished by now. If it is, they’ll have a demo unit to show people looking to buy—all done up nice. Furniture, bed, everything. Just need to get you inside so you can rest. I have to be at my group home by nine thirty, or I get sent back to juvie.”
* * *
Emily nodded, snuggling close to Derek. She wanted to spend another few minutes with him before they took off for the condo. She needed a little more time to feel him. Not just his beautiful body on the outside, but what was inside, too. Her emotional connection with him was an addictive drug, something she knew she couldn’t live without. She needed her Derek fix before life got in the way again.
Derek turned his head and looked at her, gently running his fingers across her back. She let the psychic connection splay open, making a wide path for his life force to travel across. It did, pouring into her with the clarity of a mountain stream, bringing with it a sense of wonder and harmony. At that moment, he seemed happy and content. His calm warmed her heart.
At times her talent to read someone’s emotions became disconcerting, like when it latched onto someone evil or filled with hate. But not this time. Derek’s aura was soothing, and somehow it was helping her recover from her post-jump symptoms faster.
Her sixth sense, as she called it, was a direct result of The Taking—the night in 1985 when Emily and her mom were abducted and tortured. The night Emily lost her mom. The night Emily started jumping forward through time. The night her innocent life came to an end and was replaced by a wicked nightmare. She’d been jumping ever since—two years subjective time, about thirty years objective time.
“You ready?” Derek asked, running his fingers across her cheek.
“No, but we can leave.”
They stood up and walked the last few blocks to the new condo complex. When they arrived, Emily realized where they were. The location brought up a horrific event from her past. She yanked on Derek’s arm, then pointed across the street.
“Sweetie, I can’t be here. This spot brings back a lot of awful memories. I watched Jim get shot over there. This is where he almost died because of me.”
“I know, Em, but listen—you need to rest. This is the best choice we have.”
“But—”
“I know you’re concerned, but I used to sneak into places like this all the time. No one is ever around at night. You need sleep, and I need to know you’re safe before I head out. Trust me on this, okay? They’re just memories from the past. They can’t hurt you. I need you to be strong and push through it.”
“Okay. You’re right. I need sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah, but you look beautiful.” He leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away.
“Not so fast. You want me to jump again?”
“Oh yeah, that. I keep forgetting.”
“I know. It sucks. Just don’t pressure me, okay? I can’t deal with anything more right now.”
“Whatever you want,” Derek said with a half-smile. “Now, follow me. I know how we can get in. See that sign?”
Emily looked up and read the advertisement with tired eyes:
Tired of Commuting?
Make your move today! Downtown living, walking distance to work, shopping, and nightlife! Churchill Crescent Luxury Demo Units Now Available for Viewing.
By appointment only.
(602) 555-3770
“Okay, how?”
“One of my roommates works for the cleaning company that just got hired for this complex. I know for a fact that their crew leaves the back door propped open while they’re loading up the cleaning equipment and supplies after their shift. All we have to do is wait for a chance to slip past them and we’re in.”
“It pays to have friends.”
“Well, not a friend, exactly. I can’t stand the dude, but he does like to talk. I figure since he’s volunteering the info, might as well take advantage.”
“Makes sense. But what about clothes? As much as I love this blanket, it’s just not doing it for me.”
“We can probably find something in their van. A cleaning jumpsuit or some clothes that one of them might have changed out of.”
“Assuming it fits.”
He nodded. “If nothing else, I’ll bring you something tomorrow when I see you.”
Emily smiled. “Just make sure it’s not pink, ‘cause this girl don’t do pink.”
“Got it,” he said, laughing. “What about shoes?”
“That would be nice. Although, my feet are so calloused now, alligators are starting to get jealous.”
He continued to laugh, not responding this time.
CHAPTER THREE
Two hours later, Emily was standing alone in front of the huge master bedroom window of a luxury condo unit on the top floor, wearing a one-piece jumpsuit they’d lifted from the cleaning van. It was several sizes too large and an ugly orange color, but at least it wasn’t pink. It had pockets everywhere and smelled like cigarettes, but it would do for the night. New clothes and sneakers would be first up on her agenda in the morning.
Derek had been right—ther
e was a fully decked-out demo unit, complete with TVs, appliances, and everything except food and personal items, like clothes. However, there were pastel-colored linens in the bathroom for decoration, which she made quick work of after taking a long, hot bath. The residence was her own little taste of heaven with clean sheets, thick carpeting, and a plush bed. She loved being surrounded by all the lavish space. It made her feel like royalty; if only there had been a world-class chef and a willing butler to cater to her every whim. A handsome butler, she thought. Someone as cute as Derek, but not as complicated. She smiled, thinking of the new love in her life.
Earlier, she’d snuggled next to Derek on the leather couch before he took off for the group home. Missing curfew would have been a violation of his early release, and even though he wanted to stay longer with her, she wouldn’t let him. She almost had to turn into a total bitch and force him to leave, but he finally got up and left. They shared a quick goodnight kiss in the hallway and he was gone.
At first, Derek wanted to return in the morning with clothes and shoes for her, blowing off school for the day, but she wouldn’t let him. It took some explaining, but she finally convinced him she had it covered. They’d made plans to meet at the Burton Barr Public Library the next evening, after Derek finished school and his homework. His rigid schedule seemed like a good tradeoff to her: get out of jail early but be forced to go back to school like a normal person. Derek wasn’t exactly normal, but she figured he could fake it long enough to graduate. He needed to take advantage of the program offered by the state and make something of himself.
When she asked him about what he thought he might do with his life, he told her he wanted to be a sports writer. That, and of course, stay alive and out of jail. She figured each of those goals would prove to be more difficult than he thought since they were forced to live on the streets around Glassford Park or in group homes. Not exactly the proper environment for study and achievement. Yet, she was supportive of his dreams, making sure he knew she was behind him one hundred percent. Having a career or going to school was something she could only dream about. If she couldn’t have a normal life, then he’d better find a way to make it happen. For her and for him.
Glassford Girl: Part 3 (The Emily Heart Time Jumper) Page 2
