Read Time's Echo: A CHRONOS Files Novella for Free Online

head. "And Irene. Mary's oldest girl is Irene. She helped out in the shop until they moved to
Springfield. They had Irene and then Henry, Jr. and then Elmer."
    "Jess, what is wrong with you? Mary has two boys. She
had Henry, Jr. the year after she married in…let me see, 1889. Maybe you're
thinking of Arnold Shelly's girl. Her name is Irene. Or maybe it's Eileen, I
can't remember."
    "No." Despite the fear in his eyes, there's a
stubborn set to his jaw. "Irene. You met her in the store once, Kiernan,
when Mary's family was here last Christmas. She's about a year younger than
Kate. Blonde hair, pretty girl. She was fluttering her
eyes at you until I told her you were spoken for." He looks back at Amelia,
and his voice is shaking as he speaks. " Irene ,
not Eileen. Mary's girl. Dear God, woman, what
kind of grandmother forgets her own granddaughter?"
    Amelia gives him a hurt look and turns toward me. "What
happened to him? Do you know?"
    Yes, I know. Something about this time shift means that Jess
is down one grandchild. He shouldn't remember the girl any more than Amelia
does. But I was leaning against him as the shift happened, and he was a hair's
breadth away from the CHRONOS key.
     I shake my head firmly. "I was getting up to
leave and something just seemed to come over him."
    Jess's eyes narrow and I can tell he's calling me all sorts
of traitorous names in his head.
    "Can you help me get him to bed, Kiernan?" she
asks. "Maybe a good night's sleep…"
    I nod and grab his elbow, but he yanks his arm away from me.
    "I can get myself to bed. You go on home."
    I turn to Amelia. "Would you get him a glass of water?
And see if you can find him some aspirin."
    She would normally huff at me for bossing her about in her own
house, so I'm a bit surprised when she gives me a frightened half nod and heads
into the kitchen.
    I follow Jess into their room and find him sitting on the
edge of the bed. Although he still seems shaken, he's more
angry than anything else.
    "I told you, I'm fine," he says.
    "I know you are, Jess," I say in a low voice.
"Listen, I've got to check on Kate, but you're not going mad, okay?
Irene—well, you do remember her. So do I. Amelia's not going to believe you,
however, and if you keep talking about it, they'll be carting you off to
Danvers in a straightjacket. I'll explain it all tomorrow, but we can't talk
about it in front of Amelia."
    "Why not? What happened to me?
To both of us, 'cause I know you saw it, too."
    Amelia's silhouette blocks the glow of the lamp from the
parlor. I glance over my shoulder, and then turn back to him.
    "Jess, I think you need to listen to Mrs. Jessup.
Everything will be much clearer after a good night's sleep. You were probably
half asleep when I came in, and this is just the tail-end of a dream you were
having."
    He gives me a long, hard stare. "Could
be. I guess that could be. But you be sure and stop by the store tomorrow. I need a hand with that shipment of Black
Cavendish that came in today."
    I nod and squeeze his shoulder. "I'll be there, Jess. I
promise. Get some sleep and I'll stop by to help you in the morning."
    Amelia walks me to the front door, her fingers worrying at
the tip of the braid hanging over her shoulder. "I'm sorry about your
head, Kiernan, but I'm awfully glad you were here tonight. You seem to have
calmed him down." She raises one thin hand and rests it against my cheek
for just a moment. "Thank you."
    As she closes the door, I catch one more look at her braids
and realize that the bows at the end are now red, not blue. I just stand there
for a moment, stunned, wondering what element of the time shift trickled down
to change the color of the ribbons that Amelia Jessup chose tonight.
     

∞4∞
    I'm still dizzy, either from the blow to the head or the
time shift or both, and I keep a firm grip on the iron railing. I make it to
the bottom step, then turn my back to the sidewalk and reach down the front of
the borrowed pants, yanking the CHRONOS key