Journey to Yesterday by Madeline Baker Read Free Book Online Page A

guess I’m not as hungry as I thought.”
    “The least I can do is warm up your coffee.” He stood up and
got the coffee pot.
    It was nice to be waited on, Shaye thought, nice to have a
man who thought of her needs, too, instead of just his own. She drank her
coffee, accepted a refill.
    “I guess you’ll be leaving today,” Clark said.
    She nodded. “I’m on my way to Plumas Pines.”
    “Pretty place,” he said. “My folks used to take me there in
the summer. I haven’t been there in years. Good fishing, as I recall.”
    “The best,” she said with a sigh. “I should probably be on
my way.”
    He nodded, but neither of them moved.
    Shaye looked out the window. “Maybe I’ll spend another day
here,” she remarked. Maybe she really would write that book. The longer she
stayed here, the more fascinated she was by the town, by the story of Alejandro
Valverde.
    “Well, I’ve got to get going.” Rising, Clark carried his
plate to the sink and rinsed it off. “If you decide to stay another day, you’re
welcome to stay here. I’ll be at the museum the rest of the day. If you decide
to go, try to stop by before you leave.”
    “I will.”
    “If I don’t see you before you leave, have a safe trip.”
    “Thank you. Now that I know where you live, maybe I’ll send
you a postcard.”
    “I’d like that. Lock up when you leave, will you? And don’t
worry about the dishes. I’ll do them later.”
    Shaye stood up. “Thanks for everything, Clark.”
    “My pleasure.”
    They stood a few feet apart, not quite friends, but no
longer strangers.
    “Well,” Clark said, “I’d better go.” He closed the distance
between them, started to take her hand, and then gave her a quick hug instead.
“Maybe you’ll stop by on your way home.”
    “Maybe. Thanks again, for everything.”
    He nodded, then grabbed his hat and left the house.
    Shaye stared after him. She thought about Clark as she
filled the sink with hot water and washed their few dishes. He was a nice man.
If she’d had time, and if he lived closer to Los Angeles, she might have liked
to get to know him better, she thought, and then shook her head. No way. She
didn’t need another man in her life. At least not now.
    She dried the dishes and put them away, grabbed her
overnight bag and her backpack, and left the house, being careful to lock the
door.
    It was time to get back to the real world, time to forget
about ghosts and Alejandro Valverde. She was a newspaper reporter. She didn’t
have time to write a novel. She was on vacation, obviously a much-needed
vacation. It was time to get on with it.
    She didn’t see any other tourists as she walked down the
dusty road. She thought that was odd, but maybe not. Clark had said there were
days when hardly anyone came through.
    It struck her suddenly how quiet it was. Not even a breeze
stirred the air. It was like the whole town was holding its breath. In spite of
the sun’s heat, she felt suddenly cold.
    She had an inexplicable urge to glance over her shoulder,
and an equally strong urge to run away just as fast as she could.
    “You’ve been here too long,” she muttered.
    When she reached the corner of Green and Main, the wind
began to blow. She shivered, overcome by the strangest feeling that she had
never felt a wind quite like this one before. The sky turned suddenly dark.
Blowing sand stung her eyes and she squeezed them shut, wondering if there was
a storm coming.
    And then, as quickly as it began, the wind stilled. She
adjusted her grip on her overnight bag and stepped into the intersection. It
was then she heard it, the sound of a piano. It wasn’t her imagination this
time. She took a few steps down Main Street and the music grew louder.
    She paused a moment, and then continued on. She stopped in
front of a two-story building on the left side of the street. A weathered sign
proclaimed it was the Queen of Bodie Saloon. The music was coming from inside
the building.
    Shaye frowned. She didn’t