“But remember, Reno didn’t know about me. Not like I knew about him. On his part, there was no real connection between us.” As if taking exception to what she’d just uttered, the memory of Reno telling her about the girl at the end of the rainbow came to mind. She chose not to mention it to Lou at this juncture. “As crazy as this all sounds and as unbelievable as it may be – there has to be a logical explanation for what’s happened. Maybe not the accepted logic of the day, but if anyone can crack this code, I know you can.”
Lou seemed to be considering Journey’s point. “I’m certainly going to give it the old college try.” She smiled and rubbed her hands together. “I told you I was working on my doctoral thesis for the anthropology degree, but I never told you the subject matter. I didn’t want to bore you.” Her eyes alight with excitement. “My subject is vanishing people.”
“That sounds interesting.”
Shaking her head, Lou came close to Journey as she applied a light touch of make-up. “You’re not getting the correlation, are you?”
“What correlation?” Journey was used to listening to Lou talk about her work without having a hope of understanding everything she said.
“To prepare for my thesis, I’ve studied hundreds of cases where people have just disappeared. Vanished. Up until now…” She paused for effect. “Up until now, there’s never been a clue as to where any of them might’ve gone.”
“What has that got to do with Reno?”
“Well, he appeared here in our time, Journey, but he vanished from the past.”
She was beginning to get an inkling of why Lou was so excited. “I see.”
“What’s even more incredible is the possible scientific explanation for this. I’ve been delving into some physics theorems and…” She blew out a breath. “I just feel like I’m standing on the perimeter of a previously unknown territory. On the brink of a huge scientific discovery. Can you imagine what it would mean to my career if I could solve the mystery of time travel?”
Journey could appreciate her friend’s excitement, but she couldn’t let the moment go by without reminding Lou of something vital. “I know this is important to you, for your work, for your research. Just please don’t forget there is a human factor involved. Reno may be from the past, but he’s a real man. With real feelings. This is his life we’re talking about here, not just a stranger-than-fiction phenomenon. If he doesn’t return to the past in a few weeks, his brother will be put to death for a crime he didn’t commit, and his friend and her tribe will be slaughtered by the US Cavalry as punishment for the deeds of someone else.”
Lou had the good grace to look chastened. “I may be excited, but I promise you I’m not making light of this, Journey. For me, this is earth shattering. More important than anything I’ve ever undertaken before. You can be sure I’ll treat both the process and Reno with the greatest respect.”
“Good. Thank you. I knew you would.” She hugged her friend, holding on for a couple of extra seconds. “I’ll be honest, this is hard for me.”
“I can imagine it is difficult for you. We’ve been friends for years. I know how much you care for this guy, or thought you did.” She drew back to look Journey in the eye. “Is he what you expected? Is he the hero you always dreamed him to be?”
“Yea, he is,” she answered unequivocally. “But I feel like I’m standing at a crossroad and any direction I take is going to lead to heartbreak. If he stays, he’ll always have regrets. If he goes, I’m very afraid he’ll take my heart with him.”
“What do you want me to do?” Lou asked. “Just tell me. I’ll abide by your wishes, thesis or no thesis. Monumental discovery or not.”
Journey felt like her heart was too big for her chest. Her worry and sadness produced an actual physical pain. “I want you to help him. Solve this mystery. Send him back in time where he belongs.”
Lou kissed Journey on the cheek. “You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din.” Seeing her friend’s puzzled look, Lou laughed. “Never mind. Sometimes I quote Rudyard Kipling when I’m inspired.”
“You’re so weird, Lou. Did I ever tell you that?”
Lou followed Journey out of her bedroom. “Yea, I think you’ve mentioned that a time or two before.”
…In the kitchen, the