Hourglass (Hourglass 1)

“Oh, I can quite assure you we’ll be talking after that.”

“What time is it?” Michael asked, in an attempt to defer Liam’s wrath, I was sure.

Liam held up his watch, shaking it. The crystal was cracked down the middle. He pointed to a clock hanging above the door. Both hands pointed at eleven. “Do you need help?”

“We can’t risk anyone seeing you. Em will stay here and get you briefed.”

I frowned at him. “How are you going to get John Doe across the—”

“I’ll drag him. There’s a blanket in my trunk. We need to hurry, and Liam needs the rest of the details.” I gasped when he grabbed my shoulders and kissed me hard on the mouth. “I’ll be fine. Be right back.”

The door slammed behind him and Liam looked at me. I was trying to figure out why Michael had left so quickly, and to interpret the kiss.

“Novikov Principle, hmm?”

I gave my head a shake so I could get with the program. “Right. All I know is that it works because it doesn’t allow us to change the past, just ‘affect it without producing any inconsistencies.’ We replace you with the cadaver, and then you go into hiding, and the continuum isn’t affected because everyone’s timeline remains the same. Except for yours, I guess. But you didn’t have one. Because you were dead.” I winced and looked at him apologetically. “Sorry. Cat and Michael gave me the Cliffs-Notes version.”

“How far back in time did you travel?” He lowered himself onto a stool beside a long worktable full of lab equipment. “How long have I been … gone?”

“Six months.”

“A lot can happen in six months.”

I rested my elbows on the table. “How much did Michael tell you?”

“Not enough. Too much. We spent most of our time talking about Grace.”

“I’m sorry.” I wanted to comfort him, but I didn’t know how.

“So am I. And confused. Grace is very strong. I don’t see my death sending her over the edge that way, making her that desperate. Considering how much she loves Kaleb, I know he would have been her first thought. Her every thought.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“I wish I had an explanation.” We were quiet for a moment. “Kaleb told me about you and your wife, about how amazing you were together. I’ve never heard anyone my age talk about their parents the way he talked about you two.”

“We’re a very happy family. Or rather, we were.”

“Michael is positive you can get it all back. I’m sure he’s right.”

“Thank you, Emerson,” he said kindly, but he looked like he was in pain. “Please, tell me about my son, what he’s been up to. Michael tried to sugarcoat it.”

“I don’t think you have to worry. I get Kaleb. I understand where he’s coming from. I lost my parents, too, and when you think you don’t really have anyone left you … maybe you don’t make the best choices.”

“These choices—would you consider them to be irrevocable?”

“No, not all of them. They can remove tattoos.”

“Tattoos?”

“Don’t you think Michael should be back by now?” I asked. “John Doe—the cadaver—isn’t that heavy.”

He squinted, looking up at the clock, and I watched as fear marred his features.

I swung around.

Neither of the clock hands had moved since Michael left the lab.

Chapter 45

You don’t have anything in here that would tell us what time it is?” Scrounging around on his desktop, I tried to find something that would give me the correct time. “No cell phone? No watch besides the one on your arm?”