Stealing Time (12 page)

After Lucinda left her little boardinghouse
bedroom, Kate sat down on her bed fuming. “Tyson was here again! I
need to get that book back if it’s the last thing I do. I need to
give up coming here for a few days and make it my mission.
Lucinda’s wedding depends on it. My own wedding depends on it. I
have to protect the people at the canyon, no matter what. They
didn’t ask for their lives to be turned upside down because of one
teenage boy.” She took her dress and zipped it back in its
protective bag as she took deep breaths to calm herself.

Outside her door, she met Anna in the
hallway. Her friend took the dress. “I’ll deliver it to the queen
bee,” she said cheerfully. “I want to start working on my amends.
I’m going to offer to help in any way I can.”

“Then I wish you luck.” Kate handed her the
dress. “I won’t be seeing you for a few days. I’m developing a plan
to get the book from Tyson. We need to get it back in the right
hands.”

“I’ll cross my fingers.” Anna held up two
fingers. “But I’ll miss you. Good luck.”

There wasn’t much Kate could do now except
wait for sunset so she could return to Ohio. When it finally came
she felt relief and terror all at once.

* * * *

Kate knew Mrs. Gray’s jogging schedule never
changed. It had stayed the same since she was a little girl. In the
summer, Ty’s mom would get up, water her plants and then run
through the neighborhood. She was like clockwork. That’s what Kate
depended on now. The alarm on her phone was set to wake her early
so she could watch when Mrs. Gray left the house. She’d be gone for
about forty-five minutes, giving Kate enough time to find the key
and enter the house.

She felt like a little kid, nose pressed
against the window glass, waiting for company or a special package
to arrive. Breathing on the pane, she frosted the glass to doodle
away the time. First, she drew a simple heart design, and when that
faded, another more intricate pattern took its place.

Suddenly, a woman in a blue running jacket
and black shorts came around the side of Ty’s house. It was Mrs.
Gray. Kate threw on a black hoodie, her outfit of choice for
detective work. Actually Lindsey invented the look, and Kate was
borrowing it, but knew her friend would approve.

Dashing across the street, Kate made it to
Ty’s backyard and snuck up the deck stairs. The key was always
under a pot of flowers that decorated the perimeter. There were
many to choose from and never under the same one. The pots were
large and heavy, and Kate was exhausted as she got to the last
one.

No key! What the...?
Heart pounding,
she tried one last time, feeling very carefully under each pot.
Then Kate spotted a new item in one of the pots, a green spotted
ceramic frog. It was so tiny that it was almost unnoticeable among
the flowers and plants. Resting behind some green leaves, the frog
could be the new hiding place. Kate quickly grabbed it and turned
it over. The bottom was solid. Noticing a fine line between the
head and body, she gave it a pull to expose the key. Feeling like
she hit the lottery, Kate wanted to shout in triumph but instead
let herself into the house.

She dashed through the house and up the
stairs to Tyson’s bedroom. His mother had definitely been in there.
The room was neat and clean. She quickly scanned the area with her
eyes. No book next to his bed or on any surface. His mom could have
put it away.

Kate was very careful to put things back
exactly as she found them while she worked her way around the room
and then back again. As she neared the conclusion of her search,
she began to panic. No book to be found.

Sitting on Tyson’s bed, Kate began to cry.
All of her frustrations built up inside. At this point she didn’t
care if Mrs. Gray came home and heard her. She was so angry at
Tyson for causing her grief for two years that she wanted to tear
into his room, rip it apart, which was so unlike her. Kate was the
one who wanted to give everyone a break and smooth things over so
there would be no drama. Well, not now. She wanted drama. The
bigger the better.

Suddenly, it felt like she was having an
out-of-body experience. She floated above the room, watching as the
bedroom got trashed. Drawers popped open, and valuables found their
way to the floor. Bedding flew everywhere. The mattress now hung
partially off the bed. It was like a dream, but in the back of her
mind she knew it wasn’t.

Feeling the cotton sheets between her hands
brought her back to reality. She wasn’t watching. She was the
guilty party. Shaking her head as if to free the cobwebs, Kate
flipped the mattress off the box spring, looking for the book as
she went along. Slamming the pillows on the floor, she gave them a
good punch. With each blow, she felt vindicated.

“Take that, Tyson.” She screamed at the top
of her voice. “Steal Drew’s book? I’ve just begun to get my
revenge.” More drawers were opened, and clothes flew over her head
as Kate continued the rampage. The closet was next, and for good
measure, she cleared everything off its top shelf in one sweep of
the arm.

Screaming, crying as she went along, Kate
finally fell to the floor drained of emotion. Sniffling, she
decided it was time to give up until something came to mind.

“Under the bed! I didn’t look under the bed!”
Scooting her body along the carpet, she stared underneath. Shoes,
clothes, socks and underwear were everywhere. Mrs. Gray hadn’t
gotten to that part of the clean-up. Kate pulled it all out. The
last thing she came across was a child’s toy bow and arrow. The
arrows were made of sponge, not meant to hurt anyone. Kate sat up
and held the bow in her hand. Tyson loved Robin Hood. The year he
turned ten, he really wanted a bow and arrow. Kate insisted on
getting it for his birthday. He told her he slept with it under his
bed in case of an attack which made her giggle at the time. Now
eight years later, the bow was still under his bed. One single tear
dripped from her eye as Kate placed the toy back under the bed.

Leaning against Ty’s bed, Kate surveyed the
destruction she caused. Slowly getting up, she walked out of the
room, back down to the deck to replace the key in the tiny frog.
She made her way home, never looking back.

Take that, Tyson. Figure out who trashed
your room. Come and get me, Mrs. Gray. I don’t care. I’m a failure.
I was so sure I’d get the book back, and I didn’t. I’m done with
you for now, Tyson. But I’ll be back. You can count on that.

Chapter
Nine

As she sat at her desk doing homework, Kate
felt like she was away at school because her friends weren’t in
town. They had gone off to distant colleges, and she was stuck here
because of Tyson and the book. She was glad he was far enough away
to not be a constant bother. She got the occasional text or phone
call, but hopefully he was too busy with school and basketball
practice to be obsessing over her.

Lucinda’s wedding came and went without a
problem. Drew and Kate were able to enjoy the wedding in a
different way this time because of Anna. They loved seeing her with
Daniel, knowing the present day Anna was thrilled to be there. Anna
was careful not to flaunt the relationship in front of Lucinda,
even letting go of Daniel’s hand whenever she was close by.

“Did I do enough?” Anna asked Kate on the
phone after they returned home to the present.

“Of course, you did. You can’t erase the
hurt. That will always be there. And you can’t change history. You
had to rush into the Hasting house last minute with Daniel, but I
loved that you apologized to Lucinda. Once would have been
enough.”

“That scene stuck in my mind over the years.
When you told me how she crumbled on the stairs after we left, it
broke my heart. I wanted to make it better even though I knew it
was impossible.”

“So will you stop feeling guilty now? You did
your time. Eighty years of guilt is enough.”

“Alright, I’ll try to let it go. It felt good
to see and do it over again, Kathryn. Most people don’t get that
chance.”

Kate went over that conversation in her head
as she stared down at her textbook. Anna’s right. Most people don’t
get a second chance. Kate felt a twinge of guilt because she had
more than one chance to get the book from Tyson and failed. She
told herself to stop dwelling on it because she tried her best.
Still, she wasn’t giving up.

Days went by as Kate waited for Mrs. Gray to
storm across the street and ask if she was in Tyson’s room, but she
never came. She never heard from Ty either. Kate prepared herself
to act innocent and offer to help figure out who could do such a
thing. She never had to.

Slamming the textbook shut, she headed for
Drew’s room. They agreed to study for three hours uninterrupted. It
was barely two, but she needed to talk. “Drew? Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Kate heard a book snap shut.

“Is that the same book I’m having trouble
with?” She pointed to the closed book in his lap.

“Living the history and reading it are two
entirely different things.” Drew laughed and grabbed Kate by the
wrist, pulling her toward him. “I like our history so much better.
Wedding’s coming up soon.”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about. We
usually go to Arizona for Anna’s birthday, and our wedding’s the
following weekend. With school and midterms coming up, I think we
should pass on the birthday this year. I feel bad, but we see Anna
at the canyon. We can celebrate there.”

“I agree, but it’s not every day someone
turns 102-years-old.”

“Don’t make me feel worse!”

“I’m not trying to. Just want you to be sure.
You’ll give up seeing Lindsey at the party.”

“I know. I’m hoping she’ll come to the
wedding like last year.”

“No book available. Anna has the only one in
Arizona.”

“Ooh, why does this have to be so hard?” Kate
grabbed the sides of her head. “We can’t go.” Her shoulders slumped
in defeat.

“I know. I’d love to do it all, but you’re
right. We can’t.”

“There’s no stealing time in the present, is
there?”

“No, once it’s over, it’s over.”

“I guess I’ll go tell Mom and Dad. They’re
waiting on our decision. I hate to give in and tell Mom she’s
right. She said now we’re in college we’d have more on our plates
and have to make choices. I hope she doesn’t say, ‘told you
so’.”

“You’re still annoyed with her from our first
week on campus, aren’t you?”

“Well, she treated us like babies. ‘If you
get lost or have any questions, you know where my office is’.” Kate
used her best mom voice.

Drew chuckled. “Don’t let her hear you.” He
pulled Kate into his lap and kissed her gently, then lifted her up
and carried her to his bed. “We need a break, don’t you agree, Mrs.
Martin?”

“I love it when you call me that.” Kate
buried her head in his shoulder. “Only, Mrs. Martin exists at the
canyon. She’d love to be here, too.”

“Only at the canyon...only at the canyon.
That one time was a weakness.”

“Drew, after reading about Prohibition and
the Roaring Twenties, I can’t believe you’re that prudish. Kids our
ages were going to speakeasies and having sex. It was a very
freeing time.”

“Not at my house.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that. Your father was,
or do I say is, strict. I noticed he always got his way. Your
mother did everything he said, never questioned him.”

“Yeah, he was demanding. You saw how he
wanted to pull me into the family business. Enough about him.” Drew
kissed her lightly on the lips. “Let’s concentrate on us.”

“Hey, I thought you two were studying.”
Kate’s mom startled them into sitting straight up on the bed. “Next
time, try closing the door.” She smiled. “It’s almost dinnertime. I
thought we could discuss the October calendar.”

“Be right down.” Kate ran her hand through
her hair. After she left, they began to laugh, breaking the tension
between them. “If only she knew how hard I have to try!” Kate
teased him. “Come on, let’s go.”

Her dad was already in the family room,
calendar in hand. “Everyone, get out your phones, planners or
whatever you use to keep track of your schedule. I think it’s a
little late to go to Arizona for Anna’s birthday. It’s just a few
days away. Still, it’s doable. Let’s make a final decision.”

“Kate and I have a paper due Monday, and
we’re pressed for time. Anna already knows and is fine with our
decision because we can see her at the canyon.”

Kate looked at her mom and saw she was trying
hard not to say anything. “Go ahead, Mom. Say ‘I told you so’.”

“No, you two are adults now and have to make
your own choices.”

“Fine, then it’s settled.” Kate’s dad set the
calendar down on the coffee table in front of him. “Your wedding’s
this weekend.” He pointed to the next weekend on the October page.
“Since we set up everything last year, all we have to do is go.
That is, if you want to.”

“Want to? Miss seeing our wedding through
Anna’s eyes! Never!” Kate couldn’t believe her dad was even asking.
He was right though. They didn’t need to go back every year if they
didn’t want to. Things still seemed to happen, or the memory was
still in everyone’s minds, whether they were there or not. “This
year I won’t be so nervous. I’ll be able to enjoy it
more...except...”

“Except what?” Her father leaned forward.

“Lindsey won’t be there. Anna’s the only one
who has a book.” Kate pouted, knowing she was pouting for both
Lindsey and herself.

“Give me a second.” Her dad held up his
finger as he dialed his phone. “Carl? Yeah, it’s me. Are you going
to Anna’s birthday party?”

Kate forgot about Carl. She knew he was
going. He chartered a jet this year and hoped they all could go
together. He was flying down to Texas to pick up family and
continue on to Arizona. He had managed his money well, calling it
his fulltime job. Kate was impressed by what he accomplished in the
past year. She was so worried about him losing Rachel. Now he was
dating her great-great niece and in a good place.