Part 7 (1/2)
”No, I meant about the gift,” Daniel said.
”Oh,” Steven said. ”No. He doesn't. At least as far as I know.”
”Do you think he has it?”
”What, the gift?”
”Yes.”
”To be honest with you I hadn't really thought about it.”
”I see. Best to just keep him out of this?”
”Well yes, to the extent he can be.”
”That's how I feel about Troy,” Daniel said, ”though it's Eliza's decision, of course. I suppose it's the natural desire to protect your children. But if it turns out he has the gift, I struggle with how appropriate it is to deny him the knowledge to develop it. I mean, if you found out your kid had some special skill, like he was a really good baseball player, you would encourage him to play little league, right? You wouldn't pretend little league doesn't exist, or worse, bar him from playing it? That would seem cruel.”
”I suppose so,” Steven said. ”Hadn't thought of it that way.”
”The gift is like being a prodigy in some ways,” Daniel said. ”They take prodigies out of grade school and put them in college courses so they can advance. Leaving them in elementary schools just stunts them, frustrates them.”
”I'm confused,” Steven said. ”So you would or you wouldn't teach Troy how to develop his gift?”
”I'm saying I struggle with that,” Daniel said. ”If he even has it. Eliza doesn't tell me much about him. But I do wonder.”
”Last time I saw him, his interest seemed to rest squarely in video games.”
Daniel smiled. ”I sent him that Xbox. Eliza was p.i.s.sed but she let him keep it. She told him she won it in a contest.”
”I hope I'm not betraying a confidence, but she told me she doesn't know when she'll tell Troy.”
”That doesn't surprise me. Sounds like she's right where I am. Thanks for telling me. I'll keep that bit of information to myself.”
”We're getting close to my father's place,” Steven said. ”Do you mind if we swing by and see if he's returned from his trip?”
”Not at all,” Daniel said.
”No job to get back to?” Steven asked.
”I'm a writer,” Daniel said. ”I can make anything work.”
Roy looked a little sunburnt.
”How was the trip?” Steven asked.
”Relaxing as h.e.l.l,” Roy said. ”Dixon knows how to kick back, let me tell you. He's perfected the act of relaxation to an art.”
”Glad to hear it,” Steven said. ”This is Daniel. He's been helping me while you've been gone.”
Roy and Daniel shook hands. ”Helping him, are you?” Roy asked. ”Sounds like something's up. Well, follow me into the kitchen and you can tell me about it. I have a few things to unpack.”
They both followed Roy. Steven took a seat at the kitchen table and motioned for Daniel to sit as well. Roy began unpacking several plastic bags. He pulled out a beautiful large sh.e.l.l and handed it to Steven.
”Look at this!” Roy said. ”An animal lived in that thing. Dixon hit the sh.e.l.l like this,” he grabbed the sh.e.l.l back to demonstrate, ”and the thing crawled out. Dixon stabbed it and we barbequed it for dinner. Delicious.” He handed the sh.e.l.l back. ”Beautiful, right?”
”It's a conch,” Steven said, turning the sh.e.l.l in his hand.
”I don't remember what the h.e.l.l Dixon called it,” Roy said. ”And look at this!” He pulled two large bottles of dark liquid out of the bags. ”Local rum! Want a taste?”
”Later, Dad,” Steven said. ”Listen, I want to hear all about the trip but we need to talk to you.”
”What's up?” Roy asked, still pulling items out of bags and placing them on the counter.
”Your father, David, p.i.s.sed off a man eighty years ago by imprisoning him in a soul cage. Now he's getting out and coming after me. After us.”
Roy stopped emptying the bags and stood still, staring at the kitchen cabinets. He didn't turn to look at Steven.
”Frank Wilmon,” Roy said, his enthusiasm gone. ”Am I right?”
”How'd you know?” Steven said.
Roy returned to unpacking the bags. ”My father wrote about him in his book. One of the first things I was ever able to read in that book, because he told me all about him. Frank was one of the first times my father used his gift. He was afraid of Frank and wanted me to know about him.”
”And you never thought to tell me?” Steven said.
”It didn't seem relevant,” Roy said. ”Just a story my dad told me.”
”Well, that story had his hand around my neck the other night,” Steven said. ”He threatened to kill me. With you gone I needed some help, and Eliza referred me to Daniel here. He and I tracked down one of Frank's kids, an old man named Garth. He lives in Olympia. We just came from there. He told us the whole story.”
”Why don't you take a deep breath,” Roy said, continuing to unpack, ”and start from the top. Tell me everything that's gone on.”
Steven and Daniel relayed the entire story, starting with Steven's first visit from Frank through all the details of Garth's experiences.
”You'd think Frank would start with you instead of me,” Steven said, ”being David's son.”
”I was out on the water,” Roy said. ”That's why he couldn't reach me. What about Jason?”
”I have a call out to him, waiting to hear back.”
”So you're an expert on time, Daniel?” Roy asked.
”Well, I do know something about it. I've studied it over the years,” Daniel said.
”What do you think?” Roy asked him.
”Well,” Daniel said, ”I think it's very dangerous. The cage is definitely collapsing. I figure there's 48 hours left before he's completely free. And he's picked up some skills while he's been in there. Steven's skin was undulating and twisting where Frank had grabbed him. His touch left some residual power that was very disturbing. It might have been very small-scale time s.h.i.+fting on a molecular level.”
”Time s.h.i.+fting?” Roy asked.