Interloper at Glencoe Read online

  Beth only gaped at him.

  “I’m not kidding.”

  She looked, and there was another plane, following the same path the first had taken.

  “There’s an airport not far from here. They’re landing there, and letting the people off. Like a train...” He stopped and thought for a moment. “I mean, like a coach stop. They let passengers off, and new ones on.”

  Finally she was able to speak. “People can fly?”

  Nick nodded. “People have been flying for a hundred years.” He looked up at the one coming in. “In machines. I sometimes think they can invent a machine for just about everything. They landed on the moon more than thirty years ago.”

  “On the moon?” Now she sounded even more astonished, and it occurred to him he might be telling her too much at once. “On the moon?”

  “Yeah. Left the American flag there. And a lot of junk. They’ve put machines on Mars, too. One machine has actually left the solar system.” She was still gaping, so he said, “I’ll show you when we get home. We’ll go on the computer and I’ll show you some pictures. Really neat stuff.” He took her hand, and they continued their walk. “Seriously. I wouldn’t lie to you. It’s for real.”

  Beth walked slowly, glancing around behind her at the machines descending from the sky to let off their people.

  They rounded the block and returned to the apartment complex where Nick let them into the car. When he pulled onto the street Beth was still white-knuckling the seat, but at least she’d stopped hyperventilating. They made it to the park in North Hollywood for his football game without panic.

  Most of the guys had already gathered and were informally choosing sides when Nick and Beth approached across the grass from the parking lot, hand-in-hand.

  “Yo! Nick! Our side! You’re our quarterback!” It was Jerry, whom Nick had known since high school. If a guy in his thirties could have a best friend, Jerry was Nick’s, though they had grown into very different lives and rarely socialized any more beyond the football and Fourth of July barbecues. Nick drew Beth over to that cluster, where some regulars and a couple of new players stood around, chatting.

  Three wives had come today and were busy setting up folding chairs and coolers filled with ice, water and juice. One was Jerry’s current wife, and the other two were women Nick hadn’t seen before. Cindy was a blonde bombshell, perfectly turned out in crisp shorts and halter, her tanned skin smooth and shiny in the bright morning sunshine. The woman was a lawyer by day, and over the years Nick had seen edges to her that made him wonder how she’d ever fallen for goofy Jerry. Beth’s hand tightened around Nick’s, and he squeezed back in reassurance.

  “Hey,” said Nick to the gathering.

  “Dude, you’ve lost some weight.” Jerry tended to the pudgy, but claimed it was all muscle, so anyone thinner than himself was “skinny.”

  Nick patted his belly. “I had it to lose. I was getting up there for a while.”

  Jerry nodded toward the other cluster of players. “Those guys’ll break you in half, man.”

  “Only if they can catch me.”

  The guys all chuckled. The other team drifted off to their end of the field to organize.

  Jerry turned to Beth and said to Nick, “And who is this vision of loveliness?”

  “This is my girlfriend, Beth NicDonald.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Jerry held out his hand for her to shake, and leaned toward her. “Beth... MacDonald?”

  “NicDonald. Or Dhomhnallach, if you prefer.”

  That brought a puzzled laugh. “Ggghov... gghovnal...”

  “She goes by Beth.” Nick knew Jerry would never get the Gaelic; he himself could barely pronounce any of it without choking.

  “Beth. Nice meeting you.”

  “Likewise.”

  Nick told Beth the names of the players he knew, and the ones he didn’t introduced themselves to Nick’s guest. She told them all she was pleased to meet each of them.

  Jerry leaned in and said to her in a conspiratorial whisper but with a big Jerry-like grin, “Nick meant to say ‘woman’ friend, I’m sure. Nick, you gotta learn this stuff. ‘Woman,’ never ‘girl’ and ‘person,’ never ‘man.’”

  Nick laughed. “Uh huh.”

  “Made my life easier.” Jerry winked at his own wife, whose raised eyebrows suggested he wasn’t lying. Nick knew he wasn’t. Cindy put up with little from anyone.

  “So, where’d you find her? Last time I saw you, you were, like, this confirmed bachelor. Now all of a sudden you’ve got a gorgeous girlfriend with enormous—”

  “Jer...”

  Jerry held out his palms. “I wasn’t going to say ta-tas, I swear.” But his grin said exactly the opposite. He continued, “Anyway, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, or even wanted one.”

  “Woman friend. And don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Yeah. Woman friend.” Jerry looked from Nick to Beth, then at Nick again, and Nick could see wheels clanking in Jerry’s head. Nick’s friend started to say something, but hesitated and smiled instead.

  Then he tossed the football in his hands end over end, caught it, and said to Beth, “So, where’s that accent from? England?”

  “Scotland.”

  He shrugged. “Same thing.”

  Beth’s eyes went wide. “Och. Hardly.” Color rose to her cheeks, and Nick knew it wasn’t embarrassment.

  Jerry blinked, but persisted, “Scotland is part of Great Britain, isn’t it?” He wasn’t known for his sensitivity in these things.

  “Aye, but ’tis hardly the same thing.” She glanced at Nick.

  “Long history, Jer. A little bit like lumping Pennsylvania with Alabama, only bloodier.”

  “Ah.” Jerry nodded. “So you’re from Scotland? What do you do?”

  “I do quite well, thank you.”

  Jerry fell silent and appeared very slightly amused, the corners of his mouth barely turned up. “I see. If you told me, you’d have to kill me, right?”

  “No, I mean—”

  Nick leaned down to whisper in her ear that Jerry meant to ask what she did for a living. She drew a deep breath, then looked at Jerry as she searched for a reply. Then she said, “I... cook.”

  “You’re a cook? Where at?”

  “She’s still job-looking.” Nick decided he needed to take control of this. “It’s a little tricky, and her immigration status is up in the air.”

  “Well, talk to Cindy; she could use some pointers in the kitchen.” He tilted his head in the direction of his wife.

  “You could cook every once in a while, too, Jerry,” Cindy commented. Nick knew Jerry was in for it now. She was sure to cut him a new orifice by the time they got home this afternoon for teasing her in public.

  Jerry only threw her a look, tossed the ball up into the air and caught it again, then shouted for everyone to hear, “Okay, let’s play, you guys!”

  They moved onto a wide spot in the grass, between the low hills, some trees, and the parking lot, where there wasn’t quite enough room for a full football field, but it was big enough for their purposes. No flags, this was full tackle, and that was why all the women preferred to sit on the sidelines, for most games involved an injury of some kind. Nick usually played quarterback, and was pretty good at it. After that crappy game of shinty he’d played in Glencoe, he was glad to get back to a game he knew well.

  But today his attention was divided. Each time the play stopped, he looked over at Beth to see how she was doing. At first she seemed to be talking to the other women, sitting cross-legged on the grass next to the folding chairs. Then later he took a snap and as he faded back to pass she caught his eye. Disastrously, for his attention was hijacked just enough that the opposition caught him with a flying tackle and he went skidding across the grass on his back with two guys on top of him. His team lost ten yards, and his shoulder felt like it had when Gòrdan stabbed him.

  But the game receded in his attention, for as he climbed to his feet and checked to see
if he could still move his arm, he looked over at Beth who was now sitting on the slope of the hill opposite the sideline where the women were sitting. Her attention was on her shoelaces; she hadn’t seen him go down. He could see she was unhappy about something, but he couldn’t stop the game to find out what was wrong. He lined up for the next play and tried to focus, but failed. His heart clenched, and he wondered what was wrong.

  Nick played out the second half and his team won, but just barely. Sweaty and grass-stained, and having enjoyed himself thoroughly, he was quite ready for lunch. In spite of the close score and his bad fall, the game had made him feel like his old, competent self again. The guys set the next game, Nick said goodbye to his friends, then went to collect Beth from exile and find out what was going on with her.

  But on his way to the other side of the field, he was stopped by Jerry jogging up from behind. “Hey, Nick!”

  Nick waited up.

  “Hey, dude, hang on a second.” Jerry coasted to a stop and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his cutoffs. He glanced over at Beth, then said, “Hey, man, you know, I was just wondering what the deal is with your girlfriend.”

  Nick looked over at Beth waiting patiently, then turned back to Jerry with a shrug. “What do you mean?”

  “She after a green card, or what?”

  Nick felt himself redden. “What the hell is that supposed to—”

  “Hey, no.” Jerry held up his palms. “I don’t mean it like that.”

  “Then, what—”

  “I mean, does she need one? What’s the deal, anyway? Last week you were bitching about your sex life, or lack thereof, but now there’s a dewy-eyed babe from the UK glued to your elbow and you’ve both got True Love tattooed to your foreheads.”

  True Love? Was it that obvious? Nick’s anger bled away and he said, “It happens, Jer.”

  “Yeah, well, far be it from me to advise anyone on romance, but what I was going to say is that if she needs a green card—or any kind of papers—I can get them for you. No fuss, no muss, and reasonably priced.”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Of course not. Defrauding the INS with a bogus marriage is a felony, and you wouldn’t do that for just anyone, which makes it therefore not fraudulent.”

  “Forged documents are somehow better?”

  “You don’t have to marry her, Nick.”

  “Who said we were getting married?”

  “Nobody. I just wanted you to know that there are other options. Don’t rush into anything just to keep her from leaving the country.”

  Irritation rose again, and Nick didn’t trust what he would say next. He couldn’t reply.

  Jerry said, “I can see you’re serious about her. I don’t want you to make a mistake. Don’t do anything permanent unless you’re sure. I’m telling you as a friend. You’re going way too fast here. Slow down. Give her your money, but keep your soul. I’ve had mine yanked enough times to know it’s no fun.”

  Nick still couldn’t reply. There were too many things Jerry couldn’t know about Beth, and Nick realized he had to forgive his friend this blundering attempt to help.

  Finally he said, “I’ll take this under advisement.” He glanced over at Beth, who waited patiently on the grass. “Right now, though, I think I’d better get her some lunch or she’ll dump me for someone with food.”

  Jerry laughed. “Yeah. See you next week, pal.”

  “See ya, Jer.” Nick went to collect Beth, who stood as he approached.

  “What’s the matter?” He flexed his sore shoulder and a twinge shot through it.

  “I dinnae care to accompany you to your football games any more.”

  “How come?”

  There was a long pause, then she said, “The sun is too hot.”

  “Wear a hat. Bring an umbrella. What’s really wrong?” He knew her at least a little better than that. She hadn’t moved away from the other women to get into the shade, for there wasn’t any. “Talk to me.” He draped an arm around her waist as they walked.

  Not until they were in the car and he was putting it in gear did she speak again. “I was visiting with Jerry’s wife. Cindy, I believe.”

  “Yeah. I saw you two were pretty heavily into it.” He backed the car out of its space, shifted, and headed out of the lot.

  “Into...?”

  “Conversation.”

  “Aye. We spoke. We talked of several things.”

  This was like pulling teeth. “Like...?”

  “Such as divorce. Cindy has been divorced twice. Jerry is her third husband.”

  “Really?”

  “You did not know?”

  “It never really came up, I guess. I knew she’d been married before, but didn’t know how many times. No big deal.”

  Beth turned to stare at him. “You think it is not important?”

  “Do you think it is? You’ve been divorced.”

  “I’ve been betrayed.”

  “Yeah, well, some people get betrayed more than others.” This conversation was beginning to annoy him.

  “She also thinks her husband should keep her house for her.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s pretty much between them. She has a demanding career, and he can sometimes be a pig. I’ve known him for a long time, and I know he’s one of those guys who digs in his heels and pisses people off for no reason.”

  “Aye, that is the word she used. Pig. Everybody works. Men have their work, and women have ours. I think she expects too much of him, to be the man of the family and also to keep the house. She wishes to make a woman of him.”

  “She has a job, just like he does. I think she makes good money, too. Probably more than him.” He shrugged. “I can’t say for them what’s what. It’s up to them how they run things in their house.”

  “She’s very unhappy. I expect she’ll be divorced a third time one day.”

  “Could be.” At this point Nick wasn’t about to mention that Cindy was Jerry’s second wife.

  “And this doesnae upset you? For your friend to lose his wife—his family—because cooking is not for him to do?”

  “Well, if he wants to get stiff about being asked to boil spaghetti once in a while, maybe he deserves to get dumped.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to cook. I wouldnae let you.”

  He wished she would. That bacon stew had come back on him in ways he didn’t care to contemplate again. “And that’s for us to figure out for ourselves.”

  “And do we not know already what is expected of us?” She sounded very worried about this, as if their future might hinge on it, so he considered his answer carefully.

  “Mostly, I think. You don’t read yet, so getting a job would be difficult at least.”

  “That was not my question.”

  “Then, what?”

  “Never mind.”

  “What, Beth?”

  “I said, never mind. I have my answer.”

  “Which would be...?”

  “Which would be to never mind.” And she turned toward the window with her arms crossed over her chest. There would be no reply from her on this today, he was sure. He would have to wait until she was bored with sulking before they could talk about it again.

  o0o

  Beth stared out the window and watched the city fly past. Now she knew what his intentions were, and the fear once more shook her core. This strange place... she wanted terribly to go home.

  Chapter 12

  By way of softening her up and encouraging Beth to forget she was upset with him, Nick showered quickly at the apartment then took her to lunch at a place somewhat more upscale than McDonald’s. There, ensconced in a big, soft leather booth and surrounded by kitschy décor, she had a beer with her grilled salmon, and that seemed to put her in a better mood. Happily, she critiqued the beer for being far too watery and the salmon for its blandness, and he knew she’d returned to her old self and all was well. Once more she was smiling and giving him those looks he loved to see. Today they told hi
m she loved him and he was forgiven.

  After lunch they went to a strip mall where there was a large chain bookstore, and there she looked like she might start gasping again from shock. She stood, gaping wide-eyed at the shelves and shelves of books, of every shape, size and color. “Och, I thought the volumes in your office were a rare collection.”

  “Nope. I like to read, but my library isn’t anything special. I’ve only got a few books that are very valuable.” He thought of the small leather-bound book he’d stashed on a top shelf in his office, and put it out of his mind for now. That the evil thing hadn’t disappeared when Beth escaped the seventeenth century was a bad sign, and he didn’t yet have the courage to see whether the story in it had changed. Were there thirty-eight victims now? Or still thirty-nine? So long as Beth was with him here, he no longer wanted to know who or how many were on that list. He especially didn’t want her to see it, for he knew she would know, and was related to, everyone on it.

  Nick guided Beth to the children’s section of the store and let her browse for books with covers she liked. She wandered past the shelves, and whenever she found something that intrigued her she made him tell her what the story was about. He noted she seemed to like the older ones the best. Winnie the Pooh. Raggedy Ann. In addition to those, Nick chose for her an alphabet book, a beginning phonics reader, and several Dr. Seuss. He liked Dr. Seuss. Waiting in line at the checkout, he couldn’t help muttering some lines from one of those books which had been a favorite of his when he was a kid. “I would not eat them in a box.” He grinned at Beth. “I would not eat them with a fox...” The memories of his childhood it brought back were warm ones, of hiding under the covers of his bed at night with a flashlight when he was supposed to be sleeping. He found himself looking forward to the homeschooling. It had been years since he’d even thought of that Sam I Am.

  After the bookstore and after a stop at a music store for Celtic CDs, they went to the grocery store. Nick immediately wished he’d thought to prepare her for what she would see there. When they walked through the automatic doors, Beth stopped dead and stared, her mouth dropped open, and he bumped into her from behind.