Echoes of Titanic (47 page)

Settling back in her seat, she pulled out her cheese and nibbled at it as she thought about last night. Not only had she gotten a glimpse into the life and times of her forebears, but she had somehow managed to find her way back to God again as well. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, wondering how she could have wandered so far away from Him. How could she have endured that feeling of emptiness for so long? How could she have forgotten what it felt like to be washed in God's grace, to be filled with His love?

Though she knew that today's spiritual high was probably just a temporary emotional thing, she didn't even care. Euphoria or not, from here on out she was in it for the long haul. Now that she had once again given her life over to God, she knew without a doubt that He was present, that He loved her, and that He was in control. And though she was still determined to save her company and her great-grandmother's legacy, she had a new peace about all of it, regardless of the outcome. Now, more than anything, she just wanted to live in a way that was pleasing to Him. She would trust Him to work out the details of the situation according to His plan for her life and the lives of all involved.

Three stops later, Kelsey got off at Canal and began the short walk to Columbus Park. She spotted Cole from half a block away, and just the sight of him sitting there on a park bench waiting for her took her breath away. Just as she'd been wearing blue because she knew he loved it on her, she noticed he had on her favorite dark brown jacket, a rich chocolate leather that they had chosen together back when they were dating. It still looked amazing on him, especially when he spotted her in return, stood, and gave her a broad smile.

When she reached him, Cole gave her the coffee and a warm hug.

“Even when she oversleeps and has to get ready at super speed, she still looks amazing,” he said as they pulled back apart.

“Not looking half bad yourself, Thornton,” she replied. “You know I always loved that jacket on you.” She took a sip of the coffee, which wasn't exactly piping hot but would do. “Thanks for this. What do I owe you?”

“Oh, please,” he said, eyes twinkling. “My treat.”

He held her gaze for a long moment, and though she tried to think of some joke about how indebted she was to him already, she found herself so distracted by his beautiful eyes that she couldn't speak at all.

“I'm not kidding though. You really do look…” his voice trailed off. “Different somehow. I'm guessing you read the diary last night? Is that where this is coming from?”

She smiled, wondering how to respond. “I did read some of it, yes,” she replied. “But if I seem different this morning, that's not exactly why. It's kind of hard to explain.”

“Well, then, let's walk and you can tell me as we go.”

He gestured to the right and they set off, walking briskly through the cool morning air toward Chinatown. As they went, she meant to give him the facts in a nutshell but soon found herself revealing more than she'd intended. She told him about the letter Jocelyn had written to Adele and how her words had spoken to Kelsey as well. When she got to the part where she'd fallen to her knees and recommitted her life to Christ, he responded by putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her a tight squeeze.

“That's wonderful, Kelsey,” he said as his arm again dropped to his side. “I've been wondering how you were doing, spiritually speaking. This is great news.”

“Thanks, Cole. I just can't understand why it took me so long to get back to this place.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Don't feel bad. I have to admit, I wandered away there for a while myself. I'd say it was probably a year, year and a half, before I got back on track.”

“That's better than five.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, but we're talking about God. To Him, five years is like five seconds, as long as you ended up in the right place.”

“Guess so,” she replied, grateful for his perspective.

They turned right on Mott Street, walked past several restaurants, and were engulfed by the delicious, pungent smells of real Chinese food—the kind the Chinese themselves ate—with ingredients like
daikon
and
jie lan
instead of plain ol' American carrots and broccoli. Kelsey inhaled deeply, surprised that the scents appealed to her so early in the morning. It wasn't yet ten o'clock, and already she felt herself craving a plate of Dongpo pork.

Cole stopped halfway down the street and swung open the door to a small shop that was tucked between a restaurant and a florist. The writing on the door was in Chinese, so Kelsey wasn't sure what kind of establishment it was
until they stepped inside and she saw the walls and counters lined with all sorts of paper-based collectibles, from rare autographs to old manuscripts to foreign currency. Walking up to the main counter, Cole greeted the young woman by name and asked if he could speak with her father.

Nodding with a shy smile, she slipped through a curtain into the back, and after a moment a man emerged in her place. Short and slender with stooped shoulders and graying hair, Mr. Hu looked quite old until he smiled, and then his deep brown eyes were young and lively.

“Mr. Cole!” the man cried happily, shaking his hand. “What a pleasure to see you.” He spoke with an accent, but his words weren't at all difficult to understand. Turning to Kelsey, he shook her hand as well, greeting her warmly as Cole introduced them.

Soon, Mr. Hu had been brought up to speed on the situation. They gave him the copies of the bonds, and he spread them out on the countertop in front of him, studying them closely with a magnifying glass.

As he was silently perusing the documents, his daughter emerged through the curtain with a tray of beverages.

“Melon tea?” she asked, and all three accepted a glass.

The beverage was chilled, not hot, and to Kelsey's surprise it wasn't tea at all but instead a sweet, syrupy liquid that tasted like an odd mix of Hi-C, grass, and honeydew melon. After a few tentative sips, the strange drink began to grow on her, and she'd nearly finished it off by the time Mr. Hu looked up at her and spoke.

“You have some very old bonds here, Miss Tate. Quite interesting. Excuse me for a few minutes while I am on the computer.”

With that, he picked up the papers and disappeared into the back with his daughter.

“You really trust this guy?” Kelsey whispered to Cole, nervous about being parted from the pages for a moment, even if they were just copies.

“A hundred percent.”

As they waited, she used the time to look around. Though the room was quite small, it held numerous items of interest. Not surprisingly, some were very old, some very rare—and all seemed very expensive.

“How much is this appraisal going to cost?” she whispered, hoping the man would take credit cards.

“Nothing,” Cole replied. “Though it would be polite to buy something as a thank-you.”

Her eyes widened as she gestured toward a $695 price tag. Cole smiled, pointing to a shelf lined with books, near the floor. Nodding with relief, she knelt down and flipped through them, surprised to see that more than half were in English and none was more than $20. She finally picked a photographic history of Wall Street, which looked fascinating and was on sale for $16.99.

Her decision made, Kelsey waited at the counter, anxiety building in her chest. What if Mr. Hu came out and told them that the bonds were worthless? Could they save the company without them? If the bonds
were
valuable, on the other hand, where could they possibly be?

How were they ever going to find them?

“Okay,” Mr. Hu said, coming back in through the curtain and setting the papers down on the counter in front of them. “What would you like to know first?”

“Present-day value,” Cole said without hesitation.

“Well, the good news is that they are still valid. This is only an approximation, you understand, but my guess is that these would be worth just under two million dollars—each. Probably about one point seven million to be exact, so all six combined would come to around ten point two million dollars.”

Kelsey exhaled slowly. That would be enough to stave off the takeover.
Please, Lord, if it's Your will, help me find the bonds!

“There are two issues here, however,” he continued. “First, as I am sure you are aware, these are hundred-year bonds, purchased on April ninth, nineteen twelve. That means they will expire on April ninth, twenty twelve—which is Monday.”

Cole and Kelsey looked at each other and then back at him, both nodding somberly. “We know,” Cole said.

“Second,” Mr. Hu continued, “as you probably also realize, these are bearer bonds.”

Cole gasped, flipping the pages around so that he could take a closer look. “Oh, man. I can't believe I didn't catch that before.”

“What?” Kelsey asked, looking from one man to the other. “What does that mean?”

“It means anyone can cash them in,” Mr. Hu told her. “Bearer bonds are always paid out to whoever is bearing them.”

“Oh, no,” she whispered, the blood draining from her face.

“Oh, yes. They are like a winning lottery ticket without a name written on the back. Whoever turns it in gets the cash.”

“Is there any way that we can find out if someone else has already cashed them in?” Kelsey asked.

“I tried, but that information is not available on a Saturday. I put a request in to one of my contacts in London and he will reach out to BEA Systems on Monday.”

Kelsey thanked him and asked, “If we can find the bonds, can we still cash them in then?”

“Yes, should you be fortunate enough to locate them, I can facilitate their surrender to the company on Monday,” Mr. Hu replied. “But we will need to contact them at the beginning of their workday, even if that means you have to get up at four in the morning.”

“That's good advice. Thank you.”

Mr. Hu nodded, and then he looked from Kelsey to Cole. “That is about all I can tell you. I hope it is helpful.”

“More than you can imagine,” Cole replied, shaking his head. “You always come through for me, Mr. Hu.”

“It is an honor to do business with the man to whom I owe so much.”

Looking embarrassed, Cole glanced toward Kelsey and gestured at the book in her hands. “I believe Miss Tate would like to make a purchase before we go.”

“Yes, thank you,” she said, handing the book over.

Mr. Hu rang up the transaction, and soon they were ready to leave.

“Thank you again,” Kelsey said to the older man with a slight bow of her head as she accepted her bagged purchase.

“You are most welcome,” he replied, bowing to each of them in return.

As they went outside into the chilly morning air, Kelsey tried to remind herself that all was not lost. They still had the rest of today and all of tomorrow to find the bonds.

If someone else hadn't already stolen them and cashed them in, that is.

April 14, 1912

A
DELE

A
fter watching the sunset, Adele returned to her stateroom. Though she would rather have spent the evening in her room, Uncle Rowan convinced her to go to Reverend Carter's hymn sing in the dining saloon. Fortunately, Tad did not attend, so it wasn't as uncomfortable as Adele had expected. In fact, she ended up enjoying herself. The reverend introduced each song by describing the history of how it had come to be written, and as a special treat they enjoyed several solos by Miss Marion Wright, a beautiful soprano who was bound for marriage in Oregon.

When the final hymn was sung, “O God Our Help in Ages Past,” Adele lingered for a while in conversation with some of the other passengers, including the Browns. She wasn't sure where Jocelyn had gone, but she had a feeling her cousin was wherever the families with children were. That poor girl needed a husband and kids of her own soon so she would have a place to pour out all of that love.

The crowd eventually began to disperse. Uncle Rowan was headed to the smoking room, so Adele bid him good night and went back down to her cabin. After last night she would have been frightened to be by herself in the corridors, but at least a hundred people had attended tonight's hymn sing, and they were still getting settled, so the hallways were populated the entire way.

When Adele reached her stateroom and stepped inside, she was surprised
to see Jocelyn already there. She was still fully dressed, sitting in front of the mirror and fooling with her hair. Adele knew she needed to apologize to her cousin for having been in such a foul mood all day. Though she wouldn't share the particulars about last night's incident with Tad, she didn't have to take out her frustrations on her cousin.

Tonight Adele had worn the most modest dress she owned—a pale blue silk messaline with a high collar, long sleeves, and a loose-fitting overlay down the front—which was also her most comfortable garment. Without changing, she went to the sofa, kicked off her shoes, and pulled her feet up under her as she attempted to chat with her cousin.