A Circle of Time (19 page)

“It's a long story,” Allison replied. “Better sit while I tell you.”

Magda poured the sarsaparilla tea while Allison recounted the story, starting with Tere's arrival in the automobile and ending with Isa's finding the ruby cross. “It fell from Tere's pocket while they were thrashing about on the floor.”

When Allison finished her story, Magda sat quietly staring into the fire, watching its flaming tongues stretch to lick the kettle. “Isa gave the cross to my brother. If its return is a message, he may truly be alive.”

“But to find him,” said Allison, “we first have to find that man—the one who calls himself El León.”

“Sí,”
whispered Magda, “we must find El León.” She grew quiet again, still staring into the fire. Then she said, “How is Isa?”

“Tere gave her one of your potions to make her sleep. Once she was asleep, Tere took the cross from Isa's hand. Socorro's watching over her now.”

“I will send some different herbs back with you—for Isa. I also dried a new batch of peppermint and chamomile. Doña Ana might enjoy some teas to help settle her nerves.”

“Nothing too strong for Doña Ana, though. She's been doing better since she's been more ... lucid.” Allison shook her head. “Poor Doña Ana. All these years she's been living with the guilt of what her betrayal of Isa's confidence has done to Isa. And now, to have her daughter accuse her of being the cause of her misfortune. What a horrible burden.”

“It's a real shame it happened when she was starting to perk up,” said Joshua.

“She's actually holding up pretty well, considering. She's putting up a brave front so Don Carlos won't ask questions. Doña Ana doesn't want him to find out about the cross or her visit to Isa. She's insisting that this time, no one must betray Isa's confidence. If José really is out there somewhere, Doña Ana wants Isa to be able to see him. She's convinced it's the only thing that will make her well.”

Allison lifted the golden rope over her head. “I need to be getting back to the estate. Tere wanted me to bring you the ruby cross for safekeeping. And we were thinking—” Allison shot a look at Joshua.

“You think you could hold it, Magda?” said Joshua, picking up on Allison's signal. “We thought you might be able to see something about José and this man El León.”

Magda took the chain and cross in both hands, holding them in front of her as Isa had done when she was holding the imaginary cross. Then she drew her hands to her chest and closed her eyes.

Joshua moved to Allison's side and squeezed her hand as they watched. For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then Magda began to sway and moan, clutching the cross to her chest, in her fists. Suddenly, Magda screamed in agony and threw the cross from her hands. She rolled up into herself and fell to the floor in a heap.

“Magda!” Joshua lifted the woman's head onto his lap. She was unconscious. “Allison, here, take my place. Hold her head like this. She's fainted and I have to find one of her vials...”

Allison took Joshua's place while he jumped to one of Magda's wall cupboards and pulled out a tiny red vial. Popping open the top, he placed the vial under Magda's nose. Magda moaned and began to stir. She tossed her head from side to side, grimacing at the smell.

Allison said softly, “Are you all right?”

Slowly, Magda opened her eyes. When she saw Allison, her face twisted with pain.

“What did you see, Magda?” said Joshua. “Can you tell us?”

She closed her eyes again. “Pain, in my head, pounding. Something hit me on the head. No—not me, it was José. Arms tied behind him, legs bound. Boots kicking him in the ribs, in the stomach. Pain, so much pain. Someone is lifting him, carrying him, shoving him down. A ship, swaying, nausea—awful nausea. Thirsty, so thirsty. Smells, stench, horrible. Can't move ... so much pain.”

Magda cried out at the memory. She curled back into a ball, pulling away from Allison and moaning.

“Magda?” Allison said, touching her shoulder.

Joshua pulled Allison away. “Shhhh, let her rest. She needs to move through the pain.”

 

While they waited for Magda to recover, Allison sat at the table, warming her chilled hands on the ceramic mug of tea, and Joshua paced the floor. At last, Magda ceased moaning and, with obvious effort, pulled herself to a sitting position on the floor. Joshua and Allison waited impatiently for Magda to break her silence.

Slowly, the woman moved to the rocker and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. She rocked quietly for a few minutes. The only sound in the cottage was the crackling and spitting of the fire and the creaking of a loose board beneath the rocking chair.

Magda took a deep breath and began her story. “I saw what happened to my brother all those years ago. The night José was riding to the convent to take Isa away with him, he was ambushed. I could not see the men's faces. I doubt José ever saw them, either. They beat and bound him. They took him to a ship and held him prisoner until they were well out to sea. Then he was forced to work as a sailor.”

“Your brother was shanghaied?” Joshua looked appalled. “No wonder he never showed up at the convent.”

“He became very ill but recovered, and spent many years on the ocean, sailing from port to port. Then he was shipwrecked and stranded for years on a small island...”

Allison stooped to pick up the ruby cross that still lay where Magda had thrown it. “Do you suppose he met El León aboard a ship? Maybe they became friends, and he asked El León to bring the cross to Isa.”

Magda pulled the shawl tighter, as if she couldn't get warm enough. “No, José is not El León's friend,” she said in a strange voice. “José
is
El León.”

 

“I can't believe it,” said Allison, as Joshua walked her back to the estate. Dusk had settled, and night was descending like a heavy blanket. A few birds still chattered, scolding the unwelcome pair for disrupting their rest. “The man who chases me—or Becky, rather—is Magda's long-lost brother.”

“I just don't get it,” said Joshua, wagging his head. “Why would he want to hurt Becky?”

“Maybe he doesn't want to hurt Becky. Maybe he only wants to talk to her. He kept yelling, ‘Stop, girl,' but Becky panicked. And she had me panicked. I wasn't thinking straight that night. Becky was screaming in my head. I had just stumbled over a dead body and was covered with blood. And someone was definitely chasing me. Then I saw that wild-eyed, shaggy man.”

“I don't blame you for getting spooked, Allison. José—if that was him—does look pretty frightful. I was uneasy with him, myself.”

“I just can't imagine that the man Magda talks about with such tenderness, the same man Isa loves so passionately, could have turned into such a horrible person.”

Joshua gave Allison a hand as she stepped over a log, lifting her long skirts out of the way so she could see where she placed her foot. “It's been years,” he reminded her. “People change, Allison. Remember he was shanghaied. Years of living with cutthroats and thugs can turn even the gentlest man into a ruffian. And don't forget, he was shipwrecked, too.”

“I guess you have to harden to survive that kind of life. Still, it's sad to think that the man Isa has waited so many years for could be a murderer.”

“Remember, Allison, we don't know if Sadie's death
is
a murder—could be an accident. You said so yourself. We also don't know if it's José's doing.”

“That's true. And he's not our only suspect. He's just the only person I know for sure had the opportunity, because I saw him at the scene. But what's his motive?”

Joshua shook his head. “That's a puzzler. After all these years, I would think he wouldn't even remember Sadie. She was a seamstress at the estate when José disappeared.”

“And he arrives only a few days before her death. It doesn't give Sadie a lot of time to make a new enemy.”

“But don't forget,” said Joshua, “Don Carlos has blackmail as a motive. What if Don Carlos decides not to pay her off after all? What if he decides to finish her off, instead?”

Allison sighed. “I don't know, Joshua. I've gotten to know him a bit better. He's crusty and arrogant and generally dictatorial, but I've seen him with Tere. He softens like clay in a warm hand when he's around her. As nasty as he was with Sadie that night, I can't imagine him committing murder. Especially when he's got the money to pay her off.”

“Don't be too sure, Allison. Magda believes he can be ruthless. She used to believe he was responsible for Jose's disappearance. He'll stop at nothing if he thinks what he's doing is best for his family.”

Joshua,” Allison said as they ate lunch under the ancient oak, “it's already April sixteenth. We have to find José. We need to know why he wants to talk to Becky, and, more importantly, we have to find out what he knows about Sadie and whether he has a reason to kill her. Because if he doesn't, someone out there does, and we have less than two days to stop him.”

“Maybe José will contact Magda soon.”

“Not soon enough,” Allison replied between bites. “Last time, I first met Magda the evening of the seventeenth—tomorrow night. She had no idea where José was. She said she hadn't heard from him for years.”

“But things are different this time. Now Magda knows José is alive and that he's back.”

Allison stopped eating and stared at Joshua, taking in what he'd just said. “You're right. Oh, Joshua, you're so right!” Allison clapped her hands to her face in disbelief. “Do you know what this means?”

Joshua opened his mouth to speak, but Allison answered her own question. “It's the first sign of change. It's a sign of hope for all of us that maybe what I'm doing is working. Because I came to work for Tere and helped Doña Ana start living again, she was able to reach out to Isa when the time came. If she hadn't done that, Isa wouldn't have struggled with Tere, and she wouldn't have found the ruby cross, and Magda wouldn't have found out her brother is still alive. And maybe, because I insisted that Tere come back from San Francisco before the eighteenth, José arrived in the buggy earlier than he did the last time.” Allison thought about that for a moment. This time when she spoke, her voice was filled with awe. “Joshua, I may be changing history—I may be able to save you and Becky.”

Joshua said nothing. He simply gazed at the vineyards beyond. A look that Allison couldn't read had stilled the playful grin and brought the barest frown to his face.

“Joshua?” she said. “What is it?”

He shook his head. “I don't know why I trust you so. You compare what's happening now to a time I've never lived through. You talk about signs and hope. But all I've got is your word that anything bad ever happened before or that anything bad might happen to Becky and me tomorrow or the next day...”

Allison felt as though she had been kicked in the stomach. She managed to speak, using all her willpower to keep her emotions under control. “Joshua, you can't start doubting me now—not now that we're so close to succeeding. I couldn't bear it if—” The words caught in her throat. The thought of having to start convincing him all over again was too much.

“If I could remember ... Isn't there something you can tell me to help me believe?”

“You can't remember what hasn't happened. Faith and trust, that's all I can offer. You have to have faith in me and trust that what I tell you is the truth. Whether you believe I'm a very confused Becky or a girl named Allison who comes from a time far from yours, in your gut, you must feel that something unusual has happened.” Allison took his hand in hers. “Trust your feelings for Becky”—Allison looked down—“if not for me.”

Joshua pulled back his hand and stood, staring again at the vineyards. “That's the problem, Allison. I do care for you. Maybe if I didn't believe this crazy story of yours, things would go back to being simple. I'd only have feelings for Becky, and I wouldn't be faced with having my heart pulled in two directions. I've always been true and loyal to Becky, but now...”

Joshua knelt beside Allison. “Now, whenever I look at your face, I no longer see Becky's face. I see the image of another girl. A girl who's strong and caring and smart as a whip. She has eyes that snap like pinesap in fire and a will of iron. And if what you say is true, in less than two days that girl will leave my life forever, and with her she'll take the sweet, innocent love I had for my Becky. So maybe I don't want to believe.”

It wasn't until that moment that Allison realized what she had done to Joshua. She had cared for him since the first moment she saw him in the meadow, his laughing eyes and teasing smile. Maybe she was even in love with him—if you could fall in love in so short a time. But she had been selfish. She had wanted him to like her so badly that she had achieved it, but at what cost? She and Joshua could never be together, and his love for the one girl he'd ever cared for could no longer be pure and undivided. She had to make it up to him. Maybe once history was changed, and he and Becky had survived the earthquake, he'd forget about her, as if she'd never existed.

“Joshua,” she said, “this is your time—yours and Becky's. I had no right to intrude. Becky sent me here to save you, not to steal your heart. But perhaps we feel so strongly about each other because somewhere, sometime, you and I are meant to have a chance to be together. In the meantime, you must trust me and believe—”

“Allison?” a woman's voice whispered in her ear. “Sweetheart, can you hear me?”

A gust of cold air seemed to pass through her. Allison hugged her shoulders. “No ... not yet. It's too soon.”

“Allison?” Joshua said, taking her arms. “You all right? You look like you're going to faint.”