Class of '59 (American Journey Book 4) (14 page)

The man frowned.

"I see."

Ben felt his stomach twist when Mrs. Grant looked around the mostly empty room. He felt it drop when the librarian turned to her right and zeroed in on the students at the end of the desk.

"Perhaps one of you can help," Mrs. Grant said. "Ben and Sally, this is Special Agent Trent Richards of the FBI. He's trying to find a slim brunette who committed a crime in Las Vegas this month. He believes the woman attended Midway a few years ago and may have come here from Huntsville, Alabama. Can either of you think of a person who fits that description."

Sally looked at Ben, sighed, and then returned to her supervisor.

"I can't think of anyone in particular, but then I'm probably not the best person to ask. I didn't know many juniors and seniors as an underclassman."

"How about you, Ben?"

"I'm the same way, Mrs. Grant. I'm drawing a blank."

The librarian frowned.

"Well, thank you, anyway."

Ben nodded. He relaxed when Mrs. Grant turned away and grimaced when Agent Richards studied him closely. He did not care for the intense scrutiny.

The librarian resumed her conversation with the visitor.

"Have you met with Principal Raines?"

"I have," Agent Richards said. "He sent me here."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you more," Mrs. Grant said. "I'm sorry."

The lawman smiled.

"That's all right, ma'am. You've been very helpful. I'll show myself out."

Ben watched the FBI agent walk across the room and disappear through a door. He did not know what to make of the odd exchange, but he did know one thing. The authorities wanted Mary Beth and maybe Mark for reasons that were as clear as a desert sky.

Ben wanted to speak to Sally and clarify a few things, but he knew he couldn't say a word with others around. So he waited for a break. He got that break a few minutes later when the librarian stamped the last of her books, put them on a cart, and turned to her student assistant.

"I have to leave for a minute," Mrs. Grant said. "Can you watch the desk?"

Sally nodded.

"I can handle things."

"Thank you."

Ben watched Mrs. Grant closely as she turned around, pushed her cart against the wall, and headed for the door. He waited until she exited the room and then returned his attention to Sally. When he did, he saw a classmate with a pale face and troubled eyes.

"I know what you're thinking," Ben said. "You're thinking that Piper lived in Huntsville and has an older sister who looks just like her. You're thinking that one or both of them might be criminals. Well, I can tell you, unequivocally, they are not. Mark and I spent that entire weekend with them. They even have a different last name. The Alabama connection is nothing more than a crazy coincidence."

Sally sighed.

"That's a relief. That's a
big
relief."

"Don't tell anyone about this," Ben said. "I don't want Piper to hear a rumor that the FBI is looking for someone from the South. She'll just worry over nothing."

"I won't say a thing," Sally said.

"Thanks."

Ben took a deep breath and relaxed. He finally had time to digest the past ten minutes. He had time to think about what he would say to Mark, Mary Beth, and Piper.

The peaceful moment did not last long. Five minutes after Mrs. Grant put away her books, asked Sally to watch the desk, and left the room, she returned. She reentered the library with Principal Warren Raines, Vice Principal Dale Thompson, and a look of panic on her face.

"He stood right there," Mrs. Grant said. "We spoke for several minutes. Ben and Sally saw him too. They can probably give you an accurate description."

The principal stepped toward Ben and Sally.

"Is that true?" Raines asked. "Did you see the man who spoke to Mrs. Grant?"

Sally nodded nervously.

"Ben?"

"I saw him," Ben said. "What's going on, Mr. Raines? The FBI agent said he met with you. He said you sent him to the library to talk to Mrs. Grant."

The principal sighed.

"I didn't meet anyone, Ben. I didn't send anyone to the library," Raines said. He fixed his gaze. "The man you saw was not an agent. The man you saw was an imposter."

CHAPTER 23: MARY BETH

Pasadena, California – Tuesday, March 31, 1959

Mary Beth stared at Ben and repeated the question.

"Are you sure? Are you sure about his ear?"

"I'm positive," Ben said. "It looked like a stub."

Mary Beth closed her eyes and slumped in her bright red booth seat. She could no longer deny the obvious. Someone in Southern California wanted to find her and perhaps harm her.

"I feel sick."

Mark reached across the table for four, one of a dozen in Dino's Diner, and took Mary Beth's hands. He held them until she finally met his gaze.

"What do you want to do?" Mark asked.

"I don't know," Mary Beth said. "I need time to think."

"Why would he look for you?" Piper asked. "Even if he found you, he couldn't prove you did anything but make a legal bet. You didn't bribe a player to miss a shot. You put money on a game two thousand miles away. He can't prove you cheated."

Mark tapped his fingers on the table.

"Maybe that's not what he wants to do."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"I mean the 'FBI agent' is not the man we cheated," Mark said. "He's not the man who paid us two thousand dollars. He was a bystander."

"What are you getting at?"

"I think he wants the book. That's the only thing that makes sense. He's not after two thousand. He's after two million. He wants a sports guide that's potentially priceless."

Mary Beth took a breath.

"I think you're right."

"Do you still have the book?" Mark asked.

Mary Beth nodded.

"It's back at the motel."

"How could he possibly know about the book?" Piper asked. "You didn't take it into the club. You left it in the car. I remember seeing it both times."

Ben looked at Mary Beth.

"Did you mention the book to anyone? Did you
say
something?"

Mary Beth closed her eyes, pressed her temples, and searched her mind for answers. She needed only a minute to identify her mistake.

"I didn't say something," Mary Beth said. "I
did
something. I discarded a receipt."

"You what?" Ben asked.

"I threw out the receipt for the book. I tossed it in a garbage can when Mark and I walked from the club to the car. I gave a stranger the title of a book that won't be published for nearly sixty years. He knows I have the book and knows I'm from the future."

Piper looked at her sister.

"Did the man see you leave the club? Did he follow you out?"

"I don't think so," Mary Beth said. "He wasn't even there on Sunday."

"Then I think it's unlikely he has your receipt."

"He has
something
, Piper!"

"You're right. He does," Piper said. "He has instructions from the club owner to find you, watch you, and wait for you to make a mistake. As long as you don't say or do anything that suggests you swindled a bookie out of two thousand dollars, you'll be fine.
We'll
be fine."

Mary Beth conceded Piper's theory had merit. She did
not
concede the danger had passed. She did not have enough information to cross that bridge. She thought about the matter for another minute and turned to the young man who had called the gathering.

"Tell me more about yesterday, Ben. Who knows about the man? Who knows about
us
?"

Ben leaned forward.

"The whole school knows about the man. The principal made an announcement this morning. He advised us to watch out for a guy pretending to be an FBI agent."

"What did you tell the principal?" Mary Beth asked.

"I told him what I told the police," Ben said. "I told him I saw a man approach Mrs. Grant, the school librarian, and ask questions about a woman named Colleen Finley."

"What else did you say?"

"I said the 'FBI agent' thought Miss Finley was from Huntsville, Alabama, and had attended Midway a few years ago."

Mary Beth sighed.

"Do the authorities think the woman is me?"

Ben shook his head.

"I don't think so. They didn't ask about you. I'm pretty sure the police think the fake agent is just a pervert who likes looking at yearbook pictures of high school girls."

Mary Beth frowned. She could believe that.

"What about Sally? What does she think?"

"She suspects something," Ben said. "She knows you're from Alabama and knows that you fit Colleen Finley's description, but I don't think she'll be a problem."

"Why do you say that?"

Ben smiled.

"I told her that you and Piper spent the weekend in question with Mark and me in L.A."

"You vouched for us?"

"I did. I would do it again too."

"Thank you," Mary Beth said.

"Did Sally talk to the police?" Piper asked.

Ben nodded.

"She gave a brief statement and left. She wanted no part of it."

Mary Beth looked at Ben with new admiration. He was more than just a cocky high school senior who collected girlfriends like trading cards. He was a stand-up guy.

"Did you say the fake agent looked at yearbooks?" Mary Beth asked.

"That's what he did first," Ben said. "He apparently looked at every one."

Mary Beth turned to Mark.

"It's a good thing you didn't attend Midway High School. The man would have needed only minutes to find your class picture and learn your identity."

"You're right," Mark said.

Mary Beth returned to Ben.

"Did the man get a good look at you?"

Ben nodded.

"He did. He even looked at me funny."

"Weren't you scared?" Mary Beth asked.

"I was at first," Ben said. "Then I remembered he wanted a woman in her early twenties and her male companion. Sally and I didn't look like Bonnie and Clyde."

Mary Beth laughed.

"Oh, Ben, that is just what I needed. I feel better already."

Mark looked at Mary Beth.

"We still need to figure out what to do next."

Mary Beth nodded.

"I know."

"Let's at least get rid of the book," Ben said. "If we ditch the book, then the man won't bother us. He won't have a
reason
to bother us."

"That's not necessarily true," Mark said.

"You think we should keep it?" Mary Beth asked.

"I do."

"Why?"

"I can think of two reasons," Mark said.

"Oh?"

"The first should be obvious. If we tell the man we discarded the book, he'll just think we're lying. He'll have a powerful incentive to 'convince' us to tell him where it is."

"What's the other reason?" Mary Beth asked.

Mark looked at each of the others.

"That should be even more obvious. If we hold on to the book, we'll have a bargaining chip. We'll have something we can give him if we find ourselves in a spot."

Piper leaned forward.

"You're still assuming that this man knows about the book."

"I am," Mark said. "I am for the sake of argument."

"So what should we do?" Mary Beth asked.

Mark looked at her thoughtfully.

"You should do what's best for you. If you think it's too dangerous to stay in 1959, then you should go back to 2017. I'll understand. So will Ben."

Mary Beth appealed to Piper.

"What do you want to do?"

Piper glanced at each of the others and then gazed out a plate-glass window at cars zipping down a busy street. She needed only a moment to produce an answer.

"I want to stay," Piper said. "There's still more I want to do here."

"What about the stalker?" Mary Beth asked.

"I know things could still get dicey, but I want to stay. We will never again have the chance to time travel. I don't want to go back until we absolutely have to."

"I feel the same way."

"That's good," Piper said.

"I have one request though."

"What's that?"

"I want to make a quick trip to 2017," Mary Beth said. She took a breath. "I want to check in on Mom and Dad."

CHAPTER 24: MARK

Beverly Hills, California – Friday, June 2, 2017

Several hours and fifty-eight years after setting aside one problem at a table for four, Mark, Ben, Mary Beth, and Piper rushed into another at a table for six. Each found it easier to elude the grasp of a Las Vegas stalker than the scrutiny of two Alabama parents.

Mark handed his menu to a waiter, sipped his water, and smiled at the couple sitting across from him. He had smiled a lot at Brody and Colleen McIntire since they had invited him to lunch. Smiling beat answering pointed questions seven days a week.

"Thanks for letting us join you," Mark said. "It's not every day that Ben and I have the opportunity to meet people from the South. This is a real treat."

"It is for us as well," Brody said. "It is not every day we have the chance to meet two young men from Los Angeles. This city has changed a lot in the last thirty years."

You have no idea.

"It has."

"Mary Beth tells us you're a college senior."

"I am," Mark said. "I'm currently working toward a degree in engineering."

"What do you want to do after graduation?" Brody asked.

"I want to build rockets and missiles."

Brody smiled.

"Then you should come to the Rocket City. Huntsville is a hub for rocket and missile development. I know. I've worked on NASA's Space Launch System since 2012."

Mark glanced at Mary Beth, who sat to his left, and noticed a playful grin. If she was sweating through this hastily arranged gathering, she had a funny way of showing it.

"I've read about that program, Colonel. I plan to look into it."

"I hope you do, Mark. I hope you do."

Mark took a breath when it appeared he had weathered the storm. He didn't mind talking to parents, but he did mind running a gauntlet of endless questions. He knew it was only a matter of time before he said something stupid. Encounters like this were risky.