Twin Speex: Time Traitors Book II (12 page)

Ava smiled. “But you weren’t buying it, huh?”

He returned her smile. “Yeah, no… it was, well, not right. And the mural… there was no reference to it anywhere, not when it was put up or by whom.”

“Is it Roman in design?”

“No. It just looks like one of those bas-reliefs you see on old Roman buildings. The design is more modern, a kind of quick overview of physic through the past one hundred years, lots of symbols and some famous faces.”

“So, let me guess. It opens via a secret code into a hidden passageway.”

“Bingo.”

“And the code?”

Odell looked down at the floor and shoved his hands into his pockets. “You’d think it would be some complicated physics-type code, but that was just a ruse with all the symbols and such. It took me two years of sneaking around staring at it to finally figure it out. Turns out, it was just a simple nursery rhyme all along.”

He was quiet for a couple of minutes until she raised her eyebrows expectantly. “Well?”

“Sorry. If I tell you, I’d have to kill you,” he replied seriously, then smiled and shrugged his shoulders before changing the subject. “Once past the mural, there are a few steps up into a space in between the top floor and the observatory. From there you can access a passageway. It’s a very narrow staircase that runs inside the wall all the way down here. It is the only entrance from the building, the other being, of course, the tunnel. Coming down the staircase that first time, I ran smack dab into Dr. Scuddy.”

“J.D. Scuddy?” she asked with her wide smile. “He was only here as an adjunct when they brought me in, but I met him at a reception for his wife. She used to be faculty in the History Department. He’s quite a character to say the least—kept me laughing the entire evening.”

Odell grimaced affectionately. “Yeah, that’s him. Not surprising he’d find the prettiest woman in the room to monopolize,” he replied without thinking, and then regretted it as she looked away, suddenly self-conscious.

He cleared his throat and continued, “Dr. Scuddy was coming up the stairs, all two-hundred and eighty pounds of him, as I was coming down. I’ll never forget our conversation. He said to me,” Odell assumed a growling baritone, “ ‘God dammit, Speex, can’t believe it’s you! I had my money on Simpson.’ ”

“What did he mean by that?” she asked laughingly.

“Well, over the last one hundred and fifty years the other labs on this corridor have been occupied by previous students and faculty who’ve discovered the secret. Seems there have been only a very few. So they’d pool their money and bet every year on who would be next. The pot would just roll over to the next year if no one found their way down here. Between me and the previous person, there was a spread of twelve years, so… well, the prize money was pretty substantial.”

Odell laughed and shook his head reminiscently. “Funny thing, Scuddy had to walk all the way down backwards, because the stairwell was too narrow for him to turn around. He gabbed at me the whole way, a running history of the place, the famous, and not so famous, who had occupied these labs.”

He looked around. “After he retired, I took it over. Since then, most of the others have also retired. Only one other lab is occupied now.”

He looked down at the package in his hands and headed for the door. “I need to give this to Sameena; she’ll deliver it to Ettie.”

“Sameena?”

“She has the other lab down here… discovered this place just last year. One of my students, a freshman, can you imagine? Smartest person I’ve ever met.” He shook his head with mild regret. “I definitely would have won some money if there’d been anyone to bet with.”

“Why don’t you just give it to me? I can deliver it.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s the reason I asked you here. But now, come to think of it, I’m not so sure it’s such a good idea. I haven’t been seen for almost two days, and if the police weren’t looking for me before you can bet they are now. The last lead they had was you leaving my house with my things. If you approach Ettie…” He shook his head. “Listen, I just don’t want to draw you into this any further.”

Ava furrowed her brow and gave him a quizzical look. “What are you planning?”

Odell hugged the package to his chest and leaned back against the door, facing her. “I didn’t tell you everything Ambrosius told me. I’m going away. Apparently, I have a job to do.”

“Where?” asked Ava. “Or rather, when?” she added uncomfortably.

“Seventeen seventy-six. Philadelphia.”

“The American Revolution!” she exclaimed, an unaccountable thrill racing up her spine.

“The very same,” he answered abruptly and then went out the door.

He was gone only a few short minutes before returning to find Ava digging in the canvas book bag she had brought with her. On the couch, she had placed the clothes and tennis shoes Marta had given her the night before.

“I don’t think you’ll need these, and I definitely could use the room.”

Odell noted the pile of objects she had gathered on the couch. She must have rifled through his desk while he was gone, because he saw his Swiss Army knife among them. Also, a large roll of packing tape, some night vision goggles he had planned to dismantle for parts, a travel clock, some ear plugs, and a package of five cheap reading glasses, indicated that no drawer in his lab had gone unsearched.

“You are
not
coming,” he declared flatly.

“Oh yes I am,” she replied without looking up, as she stuffed the bag with her cache of odds and ends.

“This isn’t an episode of ‘MacGyver,’ you know.”

Ava looked up, her lips parted in a little put-on half-smile. “Damn right, it’s not; this is time travel. And I have every intention of joining you on that Tempor-thingamajiggy—”

“Temporatus,” he replied stiffly.

“Yeah, that’s it. It takes two, right?” She nodded briskly. “Well, either this is for real or you are having a psychotic break of epic proportions. In which case, I may have to protect myself with this Swiss Army knife.”

“You think I’m suffering from psychosis?”

She stopped stuffing her bag and stood with her hands on her hips. “Honestly, I have no idea. It could very likely be me. Either way, you’re not disappearing on me.”

Odell looked at her for a few seconds tightlipped before stating the obvious, “You’re black.”

“Last time I looked, yeah.”

“Well, this may be Philadelphia we’re talking about, but slavery was legal and practiced throughout pre-revolutionary America, even in the northern colonies.”

“So, we’ll just pretend I’m your slave.”

“You know this may surprise you, Dr. Washington—white man, that I am!” he burst out. “But I have no desire for a slave, real or pretend. And I don’t think I’m going to have the time or energy to protect you from those who do!”

“And this may surprise you, Dr. Speex!” she countered angrily. “But I’ve had to develop some pretty innovative survival skills, this country not quite being the post-racial utopia some seem to think it. I assure you, I can take care of myself!” She took a deep breath and said more evenly, “I may even be of some help.”

He turned away from her and walked over to the opposite wall, running his hands through his hair. Finally, he heaved a dramatic sigh and pulled a beautiful crystalline object from a chain under his shirt. He punched several keys.

The air around them crackled with electricity and a cool wind swept through the room. Ava had to squint, because it looked like every particle of light was bursting around her. The brightness eventually faded, drawing back to reveal a sleek, metallic object that looked like nothing so much as some futuristic design of an aerodynamic motorcycle. A small machine, the seat was barely large enough to carry two. Its surface gleamed with a high polish and seemed to pulsate with liquid movement.

“Son of a bitch,” whispered Ava.

Odell had the good grace not to look smug.

*

A wet nose touched Ettie’s face, and she opened her eyes to the pit bull’s concerned yellow gaze. Beatrix sat on the floor next to the bed, one paw resting on the cover. Ettie dropped a light kiss on the dog’s head as she slipped quietly out of bed and walked down the steps to the foyer.

Ettie hadn’t needed Bea to let her know someone was at the door. She had heard the soft knock. She opened it to find a petite Indian woman standing in the hallway with a large manila envelope in her hands.

“Odette Speex?”

Ettie was modestly clothed in a pair of old gray gym shorts and a faded blue ribbed tank top. Still, she felt ill at ease meeting a stranger in her nightclothes.

“Yes,” she replied.

“I’m Sameena, a student of your brother’s.”

Ettie breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t seen Odell since the night of their mother’s murder, and the police were becoming increasingly suspicious, particularly Detective Hamilton.

“Did he send you?” she asked and then stepping back, invited her in. “Won’t you come in and have a cup of coffee or something?”

“Yes, he did send me, and no thanks, I can’t come in,” Sameena replied. “The police have this building under surveillance. It’s just lucky happenstance that I have a friend who lives here. The doorman waved me through, but I don’t want them to find me here.”

She handed Ettie the package and turned to go.

“Wait! Is he okay? Did he tell you anything?”

Ettie looked so worried that Sameena stopped and, brushing thick black hair back from her face, sighed, “Listen, I really can’t be found here. I don’t want to have to explain to the police how or
where
I got that package, but Odell was fine when I saw him yesterday afternoon. He looked tired, but otherwise okay. He really told me nothing, just to give you that.” She nodded at the envelope in Ettie’s hand, smiled, and left.

Ettie closed the door and turned back into her apartment. It was a small space. Her bedroom was situated in a loft just above the foyer where she stood. She had descended a set of polished wooden stairs to reach the door, and she now turned back to walk the short distance to her combination living room-study.

She pulled the secretary desk from its cabinet and placed the heavy envelope upon it. After staring at it with some trepidation, she finally reached down and tore open the top. Four objects spilled out: an old leather-bound journal, an antique-looking spyglass, a block paperweight, and a very strange mechanism with dials, lights, and indentations.

Among the pile was a letter. Odell wrote:

Hey Ettie,

Sorry to put off the explanation, but I’ve had to leave for an extended period of time (or not, depending on how things turn out). The spyglass, paperweight, and phantasometer (that’s the thing with the lights and such) were all mom’s. I don’t know what the spyglass or paperweight do, if anything, but the phantasometer will help predict an imminent time shift –which is what you and I have been experiencing.

I’ve left a longer explanation of what I believe is going on and how things work on the following pages. But what I need you to do right now is read the journal. It will explain a lot and give you an idea of what we are up against. You may get the impression that this is due to some meddling on my part. And, well, that’s kind of true. But there’s a lot more to it. I’ve left you all the information I can, pretty much all I know up to this point.

I don’t want to put you in any danger, but I’ve also outlined a sketchy plan of action—sketchy because you’re going to have to fill in the details. With all the time shifts, I can’t really know what you are going to encounter.

Anyway, read the journal, then the rest of this letter.

As always, Odell

Ettie put the letter down and shoved the items back into the envelope and closed it into the desk. She had been sitting cross-legged on the sofa reading the journal for over an hour. She had almost finished when Beatrix pricked up her ears and turned to look in the direction of a man descending the staircase.

He was classically handsome with a square jaw, a well-formed mouth, and dark eyes that were heavily lashed. His equally dark hair was worn a little long, just enough to be pleasingly tousled without looking messy. He wore faded jeans and was pulling a tee shirt on over incredibly well-defined chest and abs.

Since Ivy’s death, he had been a constant source of solace and support for Ettie. He had stayed with her at her small apartment so she could be comforted by familiar surroundings and, of course, Bea.

Ettie pulled a throw pillow onto her lap, covering the journal.

“How long have you been up?” he asked, leaning over to plant a kiss on her forehead and then heading into the kitchen for some coffee.

“A couple of hours,” she answered, taking the journal and tucking it securely between the cushions.

He walked out holding a cup and blowing on the hot liquid. Leaning against the doorjamb, he looked over at her and smiled. Even now, having just rolled out of bed, he could easily be photographed for the pages of some high fashion magazine.

“Was that someone at the do—?”

The phone rang. Ettie smiled apologetically and reached for her cell phone. “Hello?”

“Good morning, Ms. Speex, it’s Hector. Would you please inform Mr. Drake that his car is here?”

“No problem, Hector. Thanks.”

She hung up. “Your car’s here, Charlie.”

Ten

“DO YOU HAVE any idea where we are?” Ava asked in hushed tones, her breath visible in the cold darkness of the stable.

“Philadelphia, I hope. Precisely where in Philadelphia, I’m not sure,” Odell replied. “I calculated the location of a large indoor space, deserted, of course… ah… except for the horses.”

The animals reacted with panicked whinnies and tossed heads when the Temporatus had burst into their domain in a flash of light and crackling electricity. Once the machine was stowed inter-dimensionally, they quieted. Nevertheless, Odell and Ava waited nervously until they were certain the ruckus had drawn no undue notice.