Timepiece

Chapter 23

“Hello, Gerald.” Teague arranged her expression into a smile. “So glad you could come on such short notice.”

When Lily exhaled, I realized how tightly I must have been holding her. The fact that I hadn’t noticed spoke volumes about my anxiety level.

“I cancelled my afternoon classes. I hope the matter is as urgent as you made it sound in your message.” He’d taken one of the fedoras from the moose antlers in his office and clamped it down over his head of white hair. He removed the hat now, holding it in one hand and tapping it against his other palm. I noticed his suspenders for the first time. They perfectly matched his orange bow tie.

“You’ll have to ask Edgar how urgent the matter is,” Teague answered, nodding her head toward Poe, who’d taken a seat in the corner.

Edgar? I’d have gone with the nickname, too. I wondered briefly if his middle name was Allen.

“Hello, Poe,” Dr. Turner said kindly. “Teague didn’t tell me I was visiting for your benefit. I would’ve made it here much more quickly.”

Poe stood and held out his hand. “Sir.”

Dr. Turner shook it, and then his eyes caught the device Poe held. He looked from it to Teague, and back to Poe again. “Is this…?”

“We don’t know,” Poe said, and handed it over to Dr. Turner. Teague hissed between her teeth. Neither of them acknowledged her. “Unfortunately, I can’t get it open.”

Turning it over and over in his hands, Dr. Turner squinted before lifting his glasses and taking an even closer look. “Like a technological vault.”

“Precisely.” Poe continued to ignore Teague as she tapped one high-heeled foot. Both men stared at the device. “Whoever stored the information knew how valuable it was.”

Dr. Turner whistled. “Those won’t even come on the market for at least a couple of years.”

Teague’s thin patience ripped. “Gerald, can you help us or not?”

“I’m afraid I can’t.” A lie. One he was happy to tell. “I’ve only read about these, how much information can be stored on them. Not how to access it. There’s a USB port here, but if that’s what Poe’s been using-?” Dr. Turner dropped his glasses back down on his nose to look at Poe, and Poe nodded. “Then I have nothing more advanced to test it.”

Lily’s arms snaked around my waist. I looked down in surprise, and then realized she was about to lose her balance again. I pulled her close enough to feel the rise and fall of her chest.

“What about the university?” Teague asked. “Wouldn’t they have more advanced equipment?”

“You’ve been out of academia for too long.” Dr. Turner shook his head. “We have to fight to get funding for our most basic needs. Skrolls aren’t even in our orbit. Probably won’t be for ten or fifteen more years.”

“I can’t accept being this close to information and not being able to access it.” She walked to the window to stare out at the water. “We’ll just have to keep trying.”

Dr. Turner and Poe exchanged a look I didn’t understand. The emotion that went with it was mixed-both trust and fear.

“You know, Teague,” Dr. Turner said, “doing something rash to this piece of equipment could destroy anything stored on it. Why don’t you let me take it-”

“Oh no.” Teague spun around and held out her hand. “It doesn’t leave my sight.”

Dr. Turner didn’t let the Skroll go. “Where did you find it? That might give me a clue about how to manipulate it, the right kind of software and such.”

“Or give you a clue who to contact for leverage against me.” A history of betrayal hung between them, the kind that spoke to the fact that they’d once been allies. Teague wanted to tell him what she knew, and he wanted to hear it, but neither with the intention of helping the other.

Slimier than a snake pit, and even more twisted.

“We should find a way to work together.” Dr. Turner said.

“Why would we do that, Gerald? We don’t want the same thing.” The warmth in her cheeks didn’t match the coldness of her smile.

“That’s not always been the case. It was different when Liam was here.”

All my muscles tensed as a quick flood of adrenaline pulsed through me. Lily rubbed her hand across my back, intending to soothe. It did.

“Liam left because he’s entirely too honorable,” Teague said, lifting her delicate shoulders. “Always has been.”

“I don’t think that’s the only reason Liam left.” Before Teague could ask what he meant, Dr. Turner continued. “Maybe he left because he had information he didn’t want to share. With anyone.”

Teague frowned.

“Oh, and… his son is here, in Memphis. He doesn’t know anything about the Infinityglass, either.”

I tensed again under Lily’s hands. I could feel her heart beating.

“When did you see him?” Teague asked, her expression full of reproach.

“He was at my office.” Dr. Turner didn’t get into specifics about exactly when.

“And he knew nothing about the Infinityglass?” She assessed his reaction. “You’re a human lie detector. If you say he didn’t know, he didn’t.”

“He didn’t.” Did Dr. Turner have a special ability, too?

Teague conceded with a slight nod of her head. “Did he know about me? What about Chronos?… Gerald?”

“He didn’t… there wasn’t…” The way he fumbled around for an answer suggested Dr. Turner hadn’t anticipated that line of questioning, or prepared an adequate story. And that he was afraid of Teague. “They didn’t know much.”

“They?”

“There was a girl with him. Emerson.”

“What did you tell them?” Teague’s voice had gone deadly cool. She knew who Emerson was.

“Very little,” he said, pulling at his bow tie, loosening it. “Gave them some generalities about Chronos so they’d go away satisfied.”

“What about Jack? Did they ask about him?” Dr. Turner didn’t respond. “They did.”

“Just if I’d heard of him, or if I knew where he was.”

“They’re looking.” Teague smiled. “Good.”

“What are you after?” The fear was in his voice now.

“Finding the Infinityglass has always been the ultimate goal of Chronos, our main purpose for years. We’re closer now than we’ve ever been.” Teague had an unnatural light in her eyes as she looked at the Skroll. “Jack Landers picked up the search where Liam left off.”

“You think that all you have to do is find Jack, and he’ll be able to open the Skroll up and answer all your questions?” Dr. Turner asked.

“If we can’t find the answers on our own, I believe he can be persuaded. Especially once he discovers the Skroll is in our possession.”

“What about the Hourglass?” Dr. Turner asked.

“If they find Jack for us, they’ll be fine.” She shrugged. “This isn’t a game. Sometimes myth translates into reality.”

“What if you find the Infinityglass and it doesn’t do everything you hope it will?”

“It will.” Teague held out her hand. Dr. Turner gave her the Skroll. She placed it in the top drawer of her desk and then locked it with a small silver key. “That and so much more.”

Poe and Dr. Turner exchanged a look.

“Shall Poe and I see you safely out of the building?” Teague asked Dr. Turner.

“You have that little trust in me?” Instead of sounding offended, he seemed relieved.

“I don’t trust anyone. That’s why I’m still here.” She opened the door, and she and Poe followed Dr. Turner out.

We were perfectly still for thirty seconds after they left.

“They’re gone,” Lily said. “Far enough for us to get out safely.”

We stepped out of the closet, and the hourglass made of bones started whispering to me again. I turned away. “We need to get out of here before they come back.”

“I’m not leaving empty-handed.” She was staring at the desk drawer that held the Skroll.

“How do you plan on making that happen?”

Without another word, she dug around on top of the desk until she found a paper clip. Shoving it in the lock, she wiggled it, opened the drawer, picked up the silver case, and slid it into the waistband of her pants. She took off my flannel shirt and tied the arms around her waist.

Then she looked at me, smiled, and took off toward the hall at a full run.