Read Online Written in Time by Jerry Ahern - Free Book Online Page A

birth the skein of one’s life was woven by their equivalent of the Fates. The warp and woof seemed to be quite apparent.  
    Elizabeth, not seriously dating yet, was to go out with three of her friends, but one of them—the one old enough to drive—had to work instead.  
    David was to have been out with a few of his buddies from school, guys with whom he’d been on the wrestling team and the tennis team, most of them friends since kindergarten. But their plans fell apart; Ellen didn’t know why.  
    Clarence had called and accepted their standing offer to come up from Atlanta and spend the night.  
    At the post-office box that morning, there had been another package from Arthur Beach, this one quite a bit thicker.  
    Ellen and Jack had opened it together in the car. Considering the age of the originals from which the copies had been made, the photos were remarkably clear. The likenesses of the Naile family of nearly a century ago to the Naile family of the present were not just uncanny, but unmistakably identical.  
    She could have lied to herself that the queasy feeling she had was because her period had just started, but she didn’t; the reason was in an envelope on her lap.  
    The day had passed quickly—too much so—and, almost before she knew it, the entire family, such togetherness an increasing rarity, was seated around the kitchen table.  
    Perhaps to keep her mind off the photographs and their scary implications, Ellen Naile had done something that she rarely did—she made dessert. Lars Benson had called during the day, telling them that he had the advance check for Angel Street and that he’d have the disbursement check in their hands by the following day, Friday. Because of that, Ellen went to the grocery store and bought T-bone steaks, one of Jack’s favorites.  
    The check was to arrive by Federal Express, meaning that it would be there in time for deposit. Because of that, Ellen was not surprised when she caught a weather report predicting severe thunderstorms throughout the Southeast. The storms would obviously be so severe that flights incoming to Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport would be delayed just enough that their check would not arrive until after two p.m., meaning that the deposit wouldn’t be credited until the following Monday.  
    But she bought the steaks anyway.  
    The steaks consumed, she suggested, “Why don’t we wait a few minutes before dessert, guys?”  
    Elizabeth stood up from the table, came over and felt her mother’s forehead and cheeks. “Doesn’t have a fever or anything.”  
    “Mom must be sick, though,” David cracked.  
    “So, fine, I made a dessert. It’s got broccoli in it—don’t worry.”  
    “Did you check the ingredients?” Clarence asked.  
    Her nephew obviously knew that she’d checked the ingredients. Although the rest of them kidded Clarence about it, his allergy to peanut oil was no joke. “Yes. It’s cherry cream-cheese pie. I made the crust from graham crackers, and I checked the box for ingredients. Liz double-checked it.”  
    “Well, you know I’ve gotta be careful.”  
    Jack cleared his throat, got up, said, “Be back in a second,” and walked into the hallway.  
    “What’s up with Daddy?”  
    “Yeah. Dad seems awfully quiet,” David declared, agreeing with his sister.  
    “It’s not some more of that stuff about that other Naile family,” Clarence began. “When I was up here the last time, I went home and didn’t get to sleep for a couple of hours, and I had some really yucko dreams.”  
    “Well, saddle up for some more of them, Clarence,” Jack said. He stood in the kitchen doorway, both of Arthur Beach’s envelopes in his left hand, a cigarette in his right. “Exhibit A.” Jack placed the earlier package at the center of the table.  
    David picked it up and opened it. “Like I told you before, Dad, this is some kind of a sick joke.” But David didn’t take his eyes from the Xerox of the Naile