I'll Be Seeing You Through Time (The Dimension Keepers) (6 page)

Chapter Nine

The flight to Portland felt as though it took days, when in reality, it had only been a few hours. A cab dropped Glenn and Hadley off at the address from the map.

Hadley looked across the street and shook his head in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that the coordinates were correct. “You did it. You were right. It’s here.”

Crossing the street they stopped in front of
Second Chance Books.
The large window displayed an array of antique books from the last one-hundred years.

“I never thought I’d see this place again,” Hadley said with an audible swallow. As they moved closer, his pulse kicked up.

“Come on, don’t back out on me now. We need to go inside,” Glenn urged.

There was a tremble in his fingers as he extended his arm toward the front door. He turned, looked at Glenn and then asked, “Samantha… what if I can’t get back through? She’s having our baby.”

Glenn stopped. “God… I’ve only been thinking of myself. You have as much if not more at stake here than I do. It’s too dangerous. I understand. I’ll go. You stay here.”

Reaching for the heavy wooden door, Glenn drew it open. It creaked under its weight. Glenn looked up in disbelief. A wall of bricks filled the doorway. “Dammit!” he cried. “This isn’t fair.” He punched the bricks and pulled away bloodied knuckles. Stepping back, he scrubbed his hands over his face. “There has to be another way.”

“Glenn?”

Hadley stood on the inside of the door frame with a shimmer of bricks between the men.

“How did you…” Glenn’s words trailed off.

“I’m a
Dimension Keeper
. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but obviously, it will. Though it’s past my time, I was hoping that I would still be able to move in and out of the bookstore.”

“I can’t let you do this. It’s too dangerous. What if you can’t get back?”

Hadley smiled faintly. “I took an oath over a hundred years ago to help travelers, and that doesn’t end. If I don’t come back, you…” He closed his eyes for a second as a lump formed in his throat. “You have to promise me that you will watch over Samantha. Do not leave her alone. There is a bank key in the wooden box in my desk with more money than she will ever need to keep her and the child supplied. I love her as much as you love Jewel. Please… promise me.”

“I promise to watch over Sam, but you can’t do this!”

“I’ve made the choice not you. I have faith in the Ancients. I have already paid my time and I can only hope that the portal will not keep me. But, Glenn, how will I find Jewel?”

“Try the Marine base and then…” he paused. She said ‘where it all began.’. There’s a little park at Lombard and Fillmore. It’s where I proposed. Maybe she’ll be there.”

Hadley bowed his head in a short nod. “I will come back when I find her.” He let out the breath he’d held and closed the door solidly behind him.

Arthur looked up and started to say, “We weren’t expecting...”He stopped in mid-sentence. He stood so quickly, he knocked over a cup of pencils on the edge of his desk. They fell with a clatter to the floor and rolled in different directions.

“Hadley! My dear boy… how… how did you get here?”

“I came through the front door. Like everyone else.” A grin stretched across his lips.

“But you left… you’re back.”

“No, I am not
back
. I am hopefully just passing through. I am helping a friend. There was a grievous error committed with a traveler, Glenn Miller.”

Arthur turned the ledger and flipped back multiple pages. “Yes, in 1942?”

“Is Clayton still here at the bookstore?”

“Yes.” Arthur shook his head “This is unheard of. A Dimension Keeper returning? Is there more of an issue? Say, a problem with your current life?”

“No. Samantha and I are having our first child. But I can’t be a good father with a clear conscious. Glenn suffered great injustice and misunderstanding when he traveled. I am here to make it right.”

“You’ll only be able to travel if the Ancients permit it.”

“I will take what Fate deals me.” Hadley started to move off, but stopped. He smiled at Arthur. “You look well, old friend. I see that you are still here.”

“Where else would I be? But you’re telling me that you’re happy in your new life?”

“My life is perfect… but occasionally I miss our games of chess.”

“You were like the son I never had.” Arthur smiled. “Clayton is awaiting the arrival of another traveler. He’ll be surprised to see you.”

“I’m sure of that.”

Hadley reached for the railing and stepped onto the first wood stair that led to the second landing. If he wasn’t allowed to travel by the Ancients, would they stop him now? What would they do? Would they shoot him back to his current time, or would he disappear between dimensions. A shiver traveled up his spine. He’d made it through the front door— a good sign— but what about the next level?

When he reached the section he was looking for, he spotted Clayton in a long black coat and his hair tied in a queue. His back was turned away from Hadley. Who knew how many years Clayton had been in the bookstore? Had it been over a hundred years like his time, or longer? They’d known each other as children in England and neither he nor Clayton aged. Their fathers were
Dimension Keepers
. He’d always wondered if Clayton would be his replacement. Now he knew.

“I never expected to see you again,” Hadley stated.

Clayton spun around and his mouth dropped open wide when he saw him. “Hadley, what the deuce are you doing here?”

“I’m just as surprised as you are. I’m back, because I need your help. You took a man through, a Glenn Miller?”

Clayton looked confused. Hadley realized many years had passed since the travel. He clarified, “It must have been a long time ago. 1942. He said that you were in a hurry and did not ask the
Dimension Keeper
questions that are required by the Ancients. This man, Glenn, had no idea he was traveling.”

“I remember now. I’ve fretted over that for a while, but you can’t spend time with all of them.’ ” He shrugged and gave a sideways grin. “What’s done is done.”

“You arrogant prig. You turned this man’s life upside down.” Hadley stalked toward him and grabbed the lapel of his coat. He pulled Clayton close and glared into his eyes. “You’re lucky right now that I don’t break your jaw. When we were in training, you never cared about your travelers. I’m in 2013 now, hoping to pick up the pieces that you or other thoughtless Keepers left behind. It ends here. I’m going to right a wrong so I can live with myself.”

“I’m not sure what you want me to do.”

“There is a young woman still back in 1942. Glenn believes she is going to end her life. You are the guide. You’re going to take me back to 1942 so I can find her.”

“But…” Clayton looked around in a nervous way. “The Ancients. What if they disagree?”

“Let them decide. If they keep me, send me to another time, or make me disappear, so be it.”

“Why are you helping this…Glenn? He’s my traveler, not yours.”

“They are all our travelers. Don’t you see? He’s a good man. He paid with his life and I owe this to him.”

“It must mean a lot to you to make such a sacrifice.”

“It does.”

“Why don’t you go by yourself?”

“You’re the current Dimension Keeper. I think that I’ll need you to travel, and also if there’s any chance for me to return to my current time.”

“I see.” Clayton nodded. He started to walk to a door, and then stopped. “No, this is the wrong time.” He motioned to Hadley and then they moved down the hall to another door. The large planked wooden door stood in front of them.

“Are you sure about this? That I am the key?” Clayton asked. “What if you are blocked from returning?”

“I need to try.”

Clayton pulled it open and took Hadley by the wrist. They stepped over the threshold. Hadley’s ears snapped and the pressure ballooned inside his head. He closed his eyes and awaited his fate.

A man with an overcoat buttoned tight pushed past him and a large blue car blasted its horn.

“Every time I return to this era, it is much louder than I remember,” Clayton said his hand still on Hadley’s arms. “Are you all right?”

“I believe so.” Hadley looked around. He had indeed traveled back in time. He walked over to a corner stand and lifted the top newspaper on the pile. November 26, 1942. He couldn’t quite believe it worked.

“I need to find Glenn’s fiancée and bring her back. You need to come with me.”

Clayton shot him a look. “Why do I need to come with you?”

“If you leave...”

“You think that I would leave you here?”

“Would you?”

“The bookstore will not move; it’s time is slow. It will wait for us. I’ll be here. I’m not as much of a ‘prig’ as you believe me to be.”

Hadley paused. “I have your word?”

“Yes. Now stop wasting time. Go.”

Hadley realized that he’d started to fit into the modern world he now lived in. He missed the GPS in his cell phone, because right now, he had no idea where the hell he was. He was fortunate that the bookstore deposited them in San Francisco or it would have added more hours of travel onto the precious time he had. After getting lost several times, he decided to flag down a taxi. .

First, he checked the air base, but according to their information, Jewel was on leave.

In the back seat of the taxi, Hadley rolled the window down a few inches. The strong smell of tobacco clung to the interior of the car as the cabbie lit another cigarette. Funny, now that he lived in an era where hardly anyone smoked, the smell nauseated him.

“How much longer?” Hadley asked as he strummed his fingers on the door sill
and tried to calm his stomach.

The cabbie’s eyes flicked up to the rear view
mirror. “A few minutes. Why, is it the end of the world if we’re not there on time?”

Hadley didn’t answer. Instead, he watched the scenery glide by. Glenn was right. San Francisco hadn’t changed much. Sure, the people wore different clothes and the cars were larger, but many of the buildings from this era still stood seventy years in the future.

The cabbie pulled off the road and turned in his seat. He pushed his weather cap back on his large, balding forehead. “That’ll be forty-two cents.”

Hadley stared at him for a second. “Bollocks…” he swore under his breath. He’d been in such a rush, he hadn’t remembered to take any money. He thought he’d be traveling with Glenn. Glenn had the hundred dollars in cash Samantha gave them at the house.”

The cabbie rolled his eyes. “Great… another deadbeat. Just what I need today. I got a family to feed, mister.”

Hadley’s mind raced. Then it came to him. “My cufflinks are gold.” He fumbled with the screws until the right one dropped into his palm. “Solid gold… and antique.”

The man frowned. “How do I know you ain’t givin’ me a line and that they’re real?”

Hadley handed it to the man. “Look at it. If you have a brain you can tell it’s gold.”

The cabbie examined it, and then finally said, “Okay.”

“I’ll give you that link. It must be worth twenty times the cab fare. If you wait and return me to where the fare started you will get the other cufflink for payment. You have my word.”

The man blew out a snort. “A man’s word ain’t worth nothing these days.”

“I come from a place where it is.”

When the man nodded, Hadley stepped from the cab and trotted out into the park. It was still early in the morning and because of the fog few people milled around. If Jewel wasn’t here, how would he ever find her? The damp, cold droplets of mist clung to his coat and hair.

A glimpse of orange caught his eye. Red hair. He slowly approached the woman. “Jewel?” he asked as he drew closer. When she turned, relief filled him.

“How… who are you?” She fumbled the bottle of pills in her hand, dropped them, and then bent to pick them up.

“I’ve been sent to find you.” He stopped for a second to choose his words. “Glenn left something for you, and it’s very important that you receive it.”

“Glenn?” Her face darkened as she twisted the gold band on her finger. “I’m not sure what he could have left to give me. He’s dead.”

“No… I mean yes, I know. But I’m a friend.”

“So where is it?”

“What he gave me isn’t here.” He hated to lie, but knew he had to.” I left it back in town. If you’ll come with me…”

She cast him a suspicious look and shook her head.

“I mean you no harm. If you trust me and come, you will not regret it.”

“There’s nothing that he could have left me that would take away the pain of missing him.”

“I’m not sure about that. You must at least let me make the delivery. It was one of his last wishes.”

Jewel searched the park, a confused look clouding her face. “How could you possibly know I was here?”

“Glenn told me that this park was very special to both of you and that this is where he proposed marriage.”

She inhaled sharply and tears appeared in her eyes. “Only he and I knew about this place. You must have been a friend if he talked to you about it.”

“Please, just come with me.”

She shivered. She wasn’t wearing a coat, so he removed his and wrapped it over her shoulders. He took her elbow to guide her back to the taxi.

They rode in silence.

“How long?” she asked as she looked out the window.

“We’ll be there soon.” When the taxi pulled up to the curb, Hadley took off the other gold cufflink and placed it in the driver’s hand. He shook the man’s hand, and said, “These links were in my family for many years. I hope they fetch a fine price. I thank you for your service and for keeping your word.”

As they moved to the front of the bookstore, Clayton waited by the door.

His face brightened. “You found her… I was beginning to worry. What now?”

“We have to take her through,” Hadley stated.

“Oh no. No. We can’t.” Clayton backed away in protest. “That’s unheard of. We can’t. She’s not a traveler.”

Hadley glared at him. “The Ancients will decide this, not you. You have made enough of a debacle of this travel.”

“What if she doesn’t want to go?” Clayton asked.

“According to our calculations, the bookstore will remain in its current destination for another…” Hadley took out his pocket watch, then finished, “Another twelve hours.”

“You can’t just ‘exchange’ her if she changes her mind.”

“Why not? She’ll just come back through.”

Jewel held up a hand. “Would someone care to explain what the heck you two are babbling on about?”

Clayton ignored her and asked, “What if it doesn’t work?”

“We’ll know in a very short time.” Hadley took her hand. “Follow me into the bookstore. You will have choices after this.”

“Choices? I thought you were giving me something Glenn left for me.”

“Yes, it’s inside and it will all be clear in a minute.” When they reached the front counter, Hadley stopped and said to Arthur. “I never thought I would see you again old friend. I guess in our profession we can never say ‘never.’ I may see you again.”