Just in Time: Portals of Time (20 page)

“Hello.” She went right to Helen. “Are you well this morning?”

“I’m trying to be strong,” Helen answered honestly.

Celeste put her hand on Helen’s shoulder.

“No, Celi, don’t. You’ll harm yourself.”

Ignoring the plea, she drained some anxiety from Helen, making her own body weaker. “Stress is not good for the baby.”

Helen smiled gratefully.

To get an energy boost, she crossed to the coffeepot.

“Caffeine is bad for the nervous system, especially yours.” Alisha seemed more cranky than worried.

After pouring a cup and adding in some delicious cow product, Celeste took a place at the table. She sipped the still-tart brew, then asked, “What’s wrong, Lisha?”

Before her friend answered, Celeste saw someone emerging from downstairs. Two people.

Unabashedly, Luke circled his arm around Dorian. “Good morning, everybody.”

Jess smiled. “I guess it is for you two.”

He kissed Dorian’s head. “You got that right.”

Grumpy Alisha’s eyes narrowed. “Is this why you wanted additional support around the house? So you could join with Dorian?”

Now Luke’s eyes burned. “No, it’s not. I’ll do anything to protect my brother.” He faced Dorian. “Coffee, dear?”

“No, thank you. But I will have some of the juice of oranges. I like that.”

Luke retrieved both juice for her and coffee for him, then he and Dorian dropped down in the remaining chairs.

When they were settled, Celeste began the conversation. “I have something to say.”

“So do I.” This from Alisha.

Dorian shook her head at Lisha. “We aren’t discussing Luke and me. It’s none of your busy.”

“Business,” Alisha corrected. “And yes, it is.”

“I don’t think so,” Luke stated.

“We’re here on a mission. We can’t afford to be distracted by sex. Honestly, you all make so much of physical need. It’s like craving water or sustenance.”

Tired of bickering, Celeste slapped her hand on the table. “Stop, both of you!” They all thought she was mild mannered and weak. But she was stronger than they knew. And she was going to give them one chance to agree to her plan. “We have more important things to discuss. I’ll start. I think I should contact Craig Krueger today. Make up a story about what happened last night. There’s so much inside him that I’m bound to find a way to get proof. I simply need more time.”

Helen, Jess and Luke said simultaneously,

“No.”

“No.”

“Hell, no.”

Celeste exchanged looks with Alisha. She took in a deep breath—to calm herself?—and shook her head. “I agree with them.”

Glancing around at the people she’d come to care about deeply, she sighed. “You all don’t understand. Women don’t need to be protected in our time. We’re as capable as men in physical strength and stamina. I have all the tools necessary to continue this chase until we get what we need from Krueger.”

Luke’s face reddened, and Celeste knew his blood pressure had spiked. “I wouldn’t want a
man
to walk back into the snake’s pit.”

Celeste frowned. “It’s not your decision, Luke.”

He stood abruptly. “The hell it isn’t. I’m calling the FBI.”

“And tell them what?” Alisha’s voice rose. “We have no proof.”

“They can talk to his wife.”

“Do you really think she’ll tell them what she told us?” Alisha asked. “We caught her at a weak moment.”

“The bureau has ways to coerce her into talking. I’ll bring her to them for questioning.”

“I don’t believe she will talk, Luke.” This from Celeste. “When I stayed back after you two went to the auto vehicle, she indicated she wouldn’t turn him in, I think you call it. And I sensed she won’t.”

Dorian touched Luke’s arm in a gesture so natural it made Celeste almost jealous. “I agree with Celi. Our better choice is going with Celi’s plan.”

“No. Absolutely not.” Luke again. “We’ll figure something else out.”

Jess and Helen looked frightened.

Alisha and Dorian seemed frustrated.

And Luke was mad.

Suddenly, this was no longer a good dawning.

FROM A MAP
on the Internet, Celeste had memorized how to take the multi-rider vehicle called a bus to Lower Manhattan. She’d styled her hair, applied the makeup Helen had bought them and donned a peach sundress. They had no frivolous garments in her time, and she liked the feel of material on her skin and the breeze on her bare legs. She brought her small computeller on her mission so she could continue to study the history chips on the ride, but the smell of the fuel made her gag. The lurching and quick turns pitched her stomach. Reading was out of the question, so she turned her thoughts to something pleasant.

She called up a photo of the Lansing children on her device. They were beautiful, all with blond hair lighter than their father’s. He was attractive, too. What had happened between Dorian and Luke came to mind. Celeste wondered if she would have to join with Lansing to do her job.

Would she have to join with Krueger today to get any additional information? Though the notion made her stomach even queasier, she could block her sensitivity when need be. She’d wall herself off from him. Because she’d do anything for Jess and his family, now. And for future generations.

Finally, the bus arrived. She exited at a place called Midtown Station. She bought nourishment at a stand, then took a paid auto vehicle to the correct building in Lower Manhattan, which held dwellings for multiple people. The streets looked different in the light of day with pedestrians walking about and less traffic, but she remembered the way.

Inside, she saw the building needed some repair: a new coat of paint, a correction of the chips in the tile. But basically, it was solid and clean.

Someone stood behind a front desk. She’d remembered that Krueger had told her a doorman was on duty during the days to accept packages and be available for tenants. She approached him with a smile. “Hello, there.”

The man was young, with longish hair, wearing denim trousers and a yellow dress shirt. “Hello.” He gave her a questioning look. And a very appreciative once-over.

“I was here last night with Mr. Krueger.” She held up a bag. “I’ve brought him coffee and some pastries this morning.” To confirm her statement, she opened the bag some, and the scents drifted out.

“I’ll buzz him and tell him you’re here.”

She gave him a purposely sexual smile. Then she grasped his arm, and transmitted a powerfully positive feeling to the man. “I’d like to surprise him, if it’s okay? I have a key.” She produced the spare one she’d taken last night when they realized they weren’t finding proof.

“I guess it would be all right, since you have a key.”

“Thank you,” she read his tag “Eddie.”

As she walked to the primitive box that would take her up, she heard him mumble, “Krueger is one lucky bastard.”

Really, how would Eddie know the circumstances of the man’s birth?

Brushing off her question, she prepared herself for meeting Krueger again. She had a plan to follow. Still, her heartbeat escalated on the ride up. Making her way down the corridor, she arrived at 4467 and took a steadying breath, then slipped the key in the lock. The door swished open.

Inside, the place was still and silent. Unwashed wine glasses sat on the table in the main room, producing a stale scent. Where was he? Could she be so lucky that he’d still be sleeping? She fingered the vial in her pocket that she’d used on him last night. Today, it contained liquid not nearly as strong—she didn’t dare disable him for as long as last night. Quietly, she ducked down the hallway and found his open door. By the godheads, he
was
still asleep. But would he stay that way? She couldn’t take the chance.

Changing her mind about her strategy, she entered the bathing room off the hallway, removed and hid her clothing, and wrapped herself up in the terrycloth. Then she poured the sedative into the coffee she’d bought at Midtown. Making her way back to the bedroom, she took in a deep breath to gather her strength and focus. Then she went to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. “Craig, honey, wake up.”

He moaned.

“Craig. Come on,” she whined, hopefully in the way women did today. “I’ve been waiting all morning.” She bent down to tickle his ear with her breath. The smell of sour liquor gagged her, so she tried to breathe only through her mouth.

Finally, he roused. “What the fuck?” he said after opening his eyes.

“Hi, sleepyhead.”

“Celeste?” He took in her towel, her disheveled hair. Then looked down at his body. She wished she’d thought to remove his clothing last night, but who knew he’d sleep this long. “What happened?”

“I’m afraid you had too much to drink last night. You passed out in here.”

He closed his eyes. “My head is killing me.”

“Too much alcohol.”

His eyes narrowed on the edge of the towel binding at her breasts. “You stayed?”

“I drank too much myself. I fell asleep on your couch.”

“Did you take a shower?”

“Um, yes.” She fingered the towel. “So, how about sipping some of this coffee?” She gave him a coy look. “And we’ll try this again.”

“You’re on.”

Four minutes later, he was out cold.

THIS IS YOUR
dwelling?” Dorian asked when she and Luke entered his home on the side of Brooklyn that was closest to Manhattan. Contrary to his brother’s huge house, Luke’s space was smaller (though large compared to her future dwelling). It consisted of one main area with leather furniture, tan walls and a video box with the largest screen she’d ever seen. A miniscule cooking room jutted off of it, and he showed her two sleeping areas down a hallway.

“Home sweet home.”

She smiled. “That’s a nice thought. I guess in my time, it would be dwelling, sweet dwelling.”

He chuckled and kissed her on the mouth. They’d shared this easy affection since they’d left Jess’s around noon. Celeste had gotten some pain in her head—a headache—and had gone to lie down, and Alisha went for a running out of inside. When Luke had suggested they go to his apartment so he could clean up (and be alone with her, she guessed) her first concern had been Jess…

“Look, the two security people are outside. One is my friend Dick. I’d trust him with my life. Like I said last night, we were cops together and he saved my hide more than once.”

“Your hide? Like an animal’s?”

He’d grabbed her around the waist and growled into her ear, “You do unleash that primal beast in me.”

She’d felt herself warm…

“I’m going to get a beer. Want one?”

“I would like to try one sometime, but we’ll be going back to Jess’s in a bit and I have to be clearheaded.” She gave a shy smile. “I very much liked how I felt after a glass of wine.”

He grinned. “How about a soda?”

“Alisha strongly objects to those.”

He kissed her nose. “Alisha isn’t here, love.”

Love. The word was never spoken between men and women of her time. Would he someday tell her his love was hers? Did she even want that? Her emotions were in a jumbled mass, so she wasn’t sure of anything but the fact that she wanted to be with Luke.

They took seats on his couch made of animal skin, which was a preposterous waste, but the covering was soft and practically absorbed her. “We’ve only talked about life-and-death things, Luke. Tell me about your work.”

Lounging on the cushions, he looked relaxed and happy. “I fight crime.”

She frowned.

“Do you have crime in your time?”

“Some. Miscreants are rare because all needs are met communally, but there are some psychopaths who bring harm to others. We have a program to deal with them, which is very effective and has a low recidivism rate. And I cannot remember a time when a person’s life was ended, though.”

“Really? No murder? I think I’d like to live in your time.”

“There’s a ninety-eight point-six probability that I can never go back.” The comment just slipped out.

“I know. I’m sorry.” He cocked his head. “Or maybe I’m not. This way, you can’t leave me.”

“If I could return, maybe you could come with me. Though who knows what kind of society will exist if we are successful in saving Jess, and Celeste does her part.”

“Which is? You can tell me.”

“I’d better not. Alisha is already as mad as bees at me.”

Again, he laughed.

“I thought I got that right.”

Coming quickly forward from his slouch, he took the soda from her hand and set it next to his beer on the table made of real wood. “You got a lot right last night. You blew the top of my head off.”

“I know you don’t mean that literally, but I appreciate the sentiment, which I know means we had terrific sex.” Cupping his jaw with her hand, she whispered, “It was so good, Luke.”

“Wanna try it again?”

“You know I do.”

He reached for the buttons on her blouse.

“Here? Not in the sleeping room?”

“Yeah, let’s live dangerously.”

He had her blouse off when her computeller buzzed.

“Let it go.”

“I can’t. Neither Celi nor Alisha would contact me if it wasn’t important.”

“Alisha would. Just to interrupt us.”

She clicked into the machine. “Lisha?”

“I told you,” Luke grumbled.

“We have a problem. Celeste is gone.”

“Gone?”

“I went to check on her and she isn’t in her sleeping space.”

Dorian looked to Luke. “Celeste is gone.”

“Goddamned, fucking son of a bitch.” He stood and began to adjust his clothing.

“Where is she?” Dorian asked.

Luke came into view of the computeller. “She went after Krueger, right? Despite our objections.”

Alisha’s face was taut. “That’s what I think.”

“We’re closest to town. We’ll go down there.”

“All right.”

Dorian ended transmission. “She’s in danger, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is. We have to hurry.”

CELESTE WIPED SWEAT
off her brow. Like Dorian, she hadn’t had the sensation of sweat in her time, so the first time it had happened, she was fascinated. Now, she was simply frustrated. The small dwelling was hot and stuffy, but she was afraid to open windows or turn the conditioner of air on for fear of waking Krueger.