A Husband in Time Read Free Page A

Benjamin. And by heaven, that’s just what they did.”
    Jane blinked away the inexplicable tears that came to her eyes as she heard the story. “That’s so incredibly sad.”
    â€œYes, ma’am, that it is. I can take that painting down, store it somewhere, if it’s going to bother you.”
    â€œNo,” she answered quickly. “No, leave it right here.” Her eyes found those of the inventor again, and she could almost feel his pain.
    â€œThe place hasn’t changed much over the years,” the sheriff mused. “Aside from some fresh paint and paper, it’s almost exactly the way Bolton left it. Almost as if it’s been…waiting…or something.”
    Jane frowned at the man. “But it’s been a century.”
    â€œAyuh. After Bolton vanished, his friends, Bausch and Waterson looked after the place. Kept the taxes paid up and so on, always insisting Bolton would come back someday. Course, he never did.” Quigly shrugged and heaved a sigh. “The house was left alone for a short while, of course, after the two men passed. Went to the town for taxes, and naturally the town kept it up, hoping to sell it one day. Never did, though. Not until your Grandma Kate came along. And even when she bought it, she refused to change a thing.”
    Jane could understand that reluctance to change this place. It had a soul to it, as if it were a living entity—or was that the lingering presence of the long-dead scientist she felt in every room?
    â€œHey, Mom?”
    She turned, surprised that Cody’s voice came from a distance and not right behind her, where he’d been standing only seconds ago. “Codester? Where are you?” She stepped out of the master bedroom, into the hall. Cody stood two doors down, in front of that room at the top of the stairs. The one that seemed to have given him a scare before.
    â€œI want this room, if it’s okay with you,” he said. Frowning, Jane went to where he stood near the now open door. He looked in at a rather ordinary-looking bedroom, with no furniture to speak of, and nothing exceptional about it except for the huge marble fireplace on one wall.
    â€œI kind of thought this room…gave you the willies. Isn’t this where you thought you saw something before?”
    â€œThat’s why I want it,” Cody said. He looked at her and shrugged. “If there is some kind of ghost hanging out around here, I want to know about it.”
    â€œGonna analyze it until you convince it it can’t possibly exist?”
    â€œMaybe,” he said, grinning. “So when are the movers gonna get here with my Nintendo?”

Two
    1897
    T hunder rumbled and growled in the distance, and Zachariah got up from the chair where he’d been keeping constant vigil to light the oil lamp on his son’s bedside table. Benjamin had always been afraid of thunderstorms. Just as Zach fitted the glass chimney into place, Ben stirred, as Zach had known he would.
    â€œFather… Oh. You’re right here.”
    â€œWhere else would I be?”
    â€œWorking on the device, of course. You waste an awful lot of time sitting here with me, you know.”
    â€œI like sitting with you.” Thunder cracked again, and Benjamin reached for his father’s hand, found it, and held tight.
    â€œThere, now. No need to be afraid, son. You know thunder can’t hurt you.”
    â€œThat doesn’t make it any less noisy, though,” Benjamin said, quite reasonably. “How much longer will it last, Father? It’s been storming all night.”
    Zachariah pulled the gold watch from his vest pocket, opened it and then turned its face toward his son. “It’s only 9:08, my boy. It hasn’t been stormingall night, only a couple of hours. And it will end any time now, I’m cer—”
    His words were cut off by the loudest, sharpest crack yet, this one so loud it even made