up to be a lawyer, you see. He did what was necessary to prove Cole’s innocence. He did this for me. The only problem is that Cole was long dead at this point. Now, since I’m back, we can use the information contained within these legal documents to win my brother’s release.”
When he saw that the men were still staring at him blankly, Reno almost walked out. His friends still thought he’d lost his mind. Frustrated, Reno moved on to speak of Journey, what she meant to him, and how hard it had been to leave her side. “I promised to return to her, but I’m very afraid my chance to do so could’ve died along with Ela.”
King held Reno’s gaze. “That’s the most fantastic tale I’ve ever heard.”
“Well, it’s true. Every word of it.” Reno’s gaze moved from one skeptical face to another. “Look, it doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. I still need your help. Please, King, I beg you to speak with someone about John Taylor. At least find out if he could be involved with these raids. We need to do something before a war is triggered and many innocent people are killed.”
“Fine. I’ll look into it.” King picked up the notes from the history book and put it in his drawer. “Tomorrow, I’ll ride into Austin and speak with Governor Pease. He’ll know if Taylor is up to no good. You can go with me.”
“Thank you.” Reno felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Gentry held out his hand. “Give me what you have concerning Cole.”
Reno gladly handed the documents to his friend. “The drummer boy will be willing to testify. His name is Jerome Grassley and he lives in Fairfax, Virginia. There is also details there explaining Jubal’s part in the affair. He framed Cole for a crime he committed himself. Pierce was the one responsible for passing the strategic information.”
“I’ll send a telegram to Wallace to expect us and you and I can take this information to him.”
Reno’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you. I owe all of you a great debt of gratitude.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll collect our pound of flesh.” Gentry tapped the folded papers on his knee. “For what it’s worth, I’ve heard of this type of thing before.”
“You’ve heard of what thing?” Clay asked with curiosity in his voice.
“People traveling through time.” Gentry lifted one eyebrow and gave them a small smile. “One day my mother was walking through the gardens behind our estate when she looked up to see a whole garrison of Roman soldiers marching across the field. She said they looked as real as anyone she’d ever seen. Fascinated, she moved closer to them. She could hear their breathing and watch as their sandaled feet parted the high grass. As she drew closer to get a better look, they slowly faded from sight.”
“Well, they must’ve been ghosts,” Clay spoke in a near whisper.
Gentry laughed. “Would you rather believe in ghosts or time travelers, preacher?”
Clay put on his preacher’s hat. “Ghosts are scriptural, to a degree. I mean, you have the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit, but there’s also that strange story in the Old Testament when King Saul commands the Witch of Endor to call up Samuel’s ghost. Now, that one is a little controversial, I’ll admit…but I don’t remember any time travelers in the scriptures.”
Gentry smiled a sneaky smile. “Well, it depends on how you look at it. The prophet Elijah departed in a whirlwind in the days of Jezebel, 9th century B.C. Remember? He later shows up at the time of Christ. Plus, according to scripture, he’s scheduled to return again at the end of days. Next, there’s John, the disciple who was closest to Jesus, he walks through some type of spiritual door and travels to the future, then returns to record what he witnessed in the book called The Revelations of John.”
Clay bowed up and frowned. “Yea, but that’s the Bible. You can’t…” Clay let his words trail off, knowing he was beat before he began.
Gentry graciously let him off the hook. “Funny thing about the soldiers, my father always told us there was an old Roman road behind the estate. If you looked hard enough, you’d still find some of the stones they’d laid.” He looked up at the ceiling in deep thought. “And I’ve also heard of people who’ve gone to sleep and when they wake up a few hours later, they feel like they’ve been