Page 95 of My Heart Will Find You

And then there was Freddy. True, he’d just met her and he did feel like he’d known her forever. But that happened to a lot of people. It wasnotsome cock-and-bull story of reincarnation. And it was ridiculous that a nice girl like Freddy had worked in the Red Dog saloon as a...as a...

As he poured himself a beer, he tried to clear his mind. Writers wrote about what they knew, didn’t they? That’s what Henry and Etta had done. Henry was an expert historian and Etta could cook. It all worked.

It was as Zack started to sit down that he remembered what was bothering him. There was a book written by a family member. He’d read it when he was a kid. Why was he remembering it now?

What was in it that had made him think of it?

He called his father and asked about the book. Yes, his dad remembered it and knew where it was.

“I’ll be there in about thirty minutes,” Zack said and hung up.

That had been hours ago and now he was outside Henry’s door, waiting to show him the book.

Henry was still dressed and looked like he hadn’t been to bed. He stepped back and Zack went inside. He pulled a plastic-wrapped package from under his raincoat. “I went to Ottawa and got this from my dad.” He held up a thin black book. “It was written and self-published by my great-grand uncle in 1923. The front says that only twenty copies were printed, and they were given to family and friends. I haven’t looked at it in years. I came straight here because there’s something in it... I’m not sure what. It’s just a vague memory.”

He handed the book to Henry, who flipped through it quickly, then abruptly halted. As he read, his eyes widened, then he collapsed into a chair.

“Are you okay?” Zack asked, and Henry nodded. “What does it say?”

When Henry looked up, he seemed to have aged. “We can’t let her go back.”

Zack snatched the book from him and read.

I was told there was a failed attempt to prevent the massacre of the Kanzas in 1871. It wasn’t reported at the time, but a white woman was among those killed. She was the wife of a prominent landowner, and her body was taken away before the cavalry and the press arrived. I’ve never read any accounts that said she was there. I only know what my ninety-three-year-old grandfather, Rufus, told me. His memory was usually quite accurate, but it may have been off about this.

“We can’t let her return,” Henry said again.

Zack saw his worry. “I’m not sure that what you wrote about Etta’s dreams is true, but if she’s killed in the past, wouldn’t she just wake up here? Alive and well?”

Henry frowned. “I’m afraid I’m not an expert on time travel. You know anyone we can call and ask?”

Zack knew when he was being told off. “You’re right. The best thing is if we don’t let her go back. She’s in the house, upstairs, right? We’ll just explain things, then she’ll stay here.”

Henry heaved himself up out of the chair. “I haven’t known Etta long, but I can assure you that if she reads this it will make her even more determined to return. And I’ve seen the bruises her so-called dreams did to her body. A death in 1871 just might play forward. I don’t want to risk it.”

Zack thought about what Henry said. “So let’s do what we must to keep her here.”

“This should be easy,” Henry said with sarcasm.

They went into the big house together, then, against Zack’s protests, Henry went up the stairs with him.

Etta was curled up on the bed, sleeping.

“Etta?” Zack said. “You need to wake up.”

There was no response from her.

He took her shoulders and lifted her. Her head fell back, but she didn’t wake. He yelled, but there was no response. “We should call an ambulance.”

“No,” Henry said. “She’ll sleep wherever she is. I’ll stay here with her and monitor her breathing. If it slows down, we’ll call.” He saw that Zack was hesitating. “In her state and with that virus in the air, I don’t want to risk it.”

Zack didn’t seem to know what to do. “She looks happy.”

“I think she’s probably very happy. She’s with Max.”

“For a while. Then she will...” The men looked at each other.

“Why don’t you go get us something to eat?” Henry said. “Etta filled the fridge.”

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