Depth of Deception (A Titanic Murder Mystery) (38 page)

"
But how could they have possibly known that the
Titanic
was going to sink?
"

"
Don’t forget, you were being given Laudanum. You had told me that the night the ship sank, the maid fixed you some tea —Miss Langlea likely put the Laudanum in the teapot.
"

Myra seemed flustered
and upset. Then she sat up and added,
"
But Archie had a cup of tea as well.
"

Edward sat back and thought for a moment. Then it hit him,
"
Most likely it was only your cup that was laced with Laudanum. In its day Laudanum was used as a sedative…produced sleep… probably to make sure you slept through the night, should they want some late-night tryst.
"

"
Eddie!
"
Myra was shocked. Then as the truth sank in,
"
That would explain why I couldn’t wake up
fully
when the cabin was filling up with ice-cold water.
"

"
Exactly. The sinking of the
Titanic
presented a fortuitous circumstance to accelerate their plans for murder. You weren’t meant to wake up at all.
"

"
What do we do now? We have no proof.
"

"
Even if we did, there would be nothing we could do. You’re not dead so they can’t be charged with murder.
"

"
Surely we can argue that they tried,
"
asked Myra.

"
We would have to prove that you are the real Myra Sloane Hoffman. If we went to the authorities and told them that you’ve traveled forward through time they would have us committed.
"

"
But what about…?
"

Edward signaled Myra to be quiet as Jamie approached. She smiled at them both and asked,
"
Could I get either of you some more refreshments?
"

. . .

Callum was reading the fax files excitedly, now fully awake. He was just starting to put the puzzle pieces together when
he
heard the door open behind him. He spun around and saw Milton, the familiar husky police detective from G
lasgow, standing in his doorway.
"
Callum Toughill, you’re under arrest for the murder of Donald de Kirkhaugh, Ruth McArthur and Janna....
"

"
Hold it! I didn’t kill anyone,
"
Callum said.
"
I have proof that I’m telling you the truth. Here’s a fax from de Kirkhaugh.
"

"
I’ll take those,
"
Milton said.

"
Wait a minute,
"
Callum said, withdrawing the papers,
"
You’re Strathclyde Police. You have no jurisdiction outside of Scotland.
"

"
Yes, I do,
"
Milton said with a smile.
"
We’re part of the United Kingdom… we can arrest where ever…
"

"
No,
"
Callum interrupted.
"
I know Parliament is considering that mo
ve… but it’s not the case… yet."

Milton pulled his gun and aimed it at Callum,
"
You’re coming with me and you’re bringing those papers… and that iron box you brought in. If you’re telling me the truth, then you have nothing to worry about.
"

"
How did you know about the iron…
"
Callum was suddenly distracted by the gun aimed at him, then looked down at the fax machine and said,
"
It’s still printing. I’m going to have my coffee while it finishes.
"

Callum discretely pressed the large button on his answer-phone before he crossed into his kitchen.

"
Just stay where you are!
"

"
I’m not going anywhere. But I’ve had a rough few days and I really need my coffee,
"
Callum grabbed the pot.
"
Would you like a cup?
"

"
Put your hands up where I can see them!
"

Callum turned back to Milton who had his finger on the trigger and a determined look in his eye. Callum casually asked,
"
Nice gun… so… how could you kill your partner?
"

"
What?
"

"
Modified weapon…
"
Callum said gesturing to the gun in Milton’s hand. It had an extra attachment to the side and a cable or tube connected a battery pack attached to Milton’s belt.
"
I wager that’s the one that killed de Kirkhaugh… and Ruthie… and you were first officer on the scene. Isn’t that convenient? Go in, kill as
Jack Frost
with an untraceable bullet, and then go back in as the investigating detective… to make sure you’ve covered your tracks… or add to them if you’ve left your fingerprints by mistake. Pretty smart.
"

"
You’re not,
"
Milton sneered.
"
Because now that you know, I can’t let you leave this room alive.
"

"
Before you shoot me,
I have to know
: who hired you?
"
Callum asked.

Milton laughed,
"
What do you think this is, the bloody cinema? Must the villain tell the hero the whole diabolical plan?
"

"
Worth a chance,
"
Callum said, still holding the coffee pot.
"
You tell me who hired you and I’ll open the box.
"

Milton glanced down at the locked box.
"
I can shoot you now and open it myself.
"

"
You can try. It’s booby-trapped. Only I can open it,
"
Callum said. Milton stole another glance at the locked iron box. Callum asked again,
"
Who hired you?
"

"
Couldn’t even if I wanted to,
"
Milton said.
"
Truth is… I’m given a name, address and when the job’s done money goes into my account. Now where are your grandfather’s notes?
"

"
Sorry, the deal was I would tell you if you told me who hired you,
"
Callum said.

Milton aimed the gun at Callum’s crotch,
"
I don’t have to kill you quickly.
"

BEEP-BEEP

"
End of tape,
"
said the robotic voice from the answer-phone, which had recorded the whole conversation after Callum had hit the ‘memo’ button. Milton was distracted by the sudden beeps and voice. Callum took advantage of the situation and threw the coffee pot at Milton, who deflected it with his gun. The glass pot shattered, hot coffee burned his hand and Milton fumbled his gun.

Callum took this opportunity to unclip his gun from his shoulder holster and aim it at Milton, who had recovered. Now both men were aiming their guns at each other.

"
Drop your weapon!
"
Milton demanded, his gun aimed at Callum’s chest.

"
No, you drop yours,
"
Callum said with a grin.
"
I believe
, in the cinema,
this
is what they call
a Mexican Stand-off
.
"

"
I’m going to kill you,
"
screamed Milton.

"
Not if I kill you first.
"

Both men looked at each other. Jaws clenched. Fingers hovering over the trigger…

BLAM!

  BLAM!

Chapter
L

Callum was flat on his back, staring up at his ceiling. His chest burning from the impact of the bullet, he struggled to breathe after having the air knocked out of him when he landed. He reached with his hand to feel the damage; his fingertips felt the thick liquid over his heart. Slowly, he brought that hand into the field of his vision, to see his fingertips covered in thick, metallic ooze.

He forced himself to sit up, and his ribs hurt. He reached under his shirt to feel his chest gingerly again. The bullet had not pierced the skin, but he felt a welt forming there.

Suddenly he heard Milton gasping. He looked over. Milton was not so lucky. Callum reached over to where his gun fell and grabbed it as he strained to get onto his feet. He hobbled over to where Milton was bleeding profusely from the wound in his chest.

As Callum neared him, he could see the look of confusion fall across Milton’s face. Blood gurgled from his mouth as he spoke,
"
I shot you! I know I hit you!
"

"
Yeah, you did,
"
Callum said.
"
And this is the part where the hero tells the villain how bloody stupid he is… I knew your expensive, untraceable bullets could be compromised if you weren’t wearing gloves. Hot coffee really fucks them up!
"

Of course it hadn’t melted them as completely as Callum had hoped, and he was still in pain, but he wasn’t going to give this sod the satisfaction of knowing that. Milton gasped trying to say something. When Callum bent down to listen, Milton grabbed him. Callum aimed his gun at Milton. It was too late. Milton was dead.

Callum released him and looked down at his broken carafe. So much for having a coffee. He could hear sirens in the distance. Someone had likely heard the gunshots and had rung the police. He looked about. Callum was still a fugitive, and now he had a dead Strathclyde Police Officer in his flat. Didn’t look good. He hobbled over to his answer-phone and popped the cassette tape out of it. At least he had this recorded conversation on his side, but he wasn’t going to trust this with just anyone, so he tucked it into his jacket pocket. The sirens seemed to be getting closer. He picked up the phone and dialed as he gathered up the faxes de Kirkhaugh had sent him and placed them in a large envelope from the floor.

"
Commander Toughill, speaking,
"
Pamela’s voice said through the receiver.

"
Pamela!
"
Callum exclaimed frantically into the phone
.
"
I have a dead Jack Frost in my flat. The London coppers are on their way. Come and get him!
"

"
I’ll send someone over,
"
said Pamela.

"
I won’t be here,
"
Callum said as he hung up the phone. Although the police in London did not carry guns, he didn’t want a confrontation with them. He looked at the dead police officer on his floor. Obviously, whoever was behind this had money: not only did they buy military designed weapons with
£
75 bullets, but they were also powerful enough to buy police officials to form a network of assassins, and anonymously deposit money into their bank accounts.

Someone with a lot of money, who wanted to ensure that Dolanna’s secret was never revealed. Callum looked at his watch. Edward Hoffman’s private jet would be landing at the airport soon.

Callum placed the envelope on the iron box, to take with him. He checked how many bullets he still had in his Walther P-38, then looked down at Milton’s corpse,
"
Sorry I can’t wait for your friends —I have to go take care of Edward Hoffman once and for all.
"

_ _ _

For the in-flight entertainment, the flight attendant had chosen the movie
The Final Countdown
. It was a recent film
and one that Edward enjoyed watching on a long flight to take his mind off other matters in the past. She had no idea that this time it would have the opposite effect, striking a familiar chord as Martin Sheen’s character said on the screen,
"
All of us know, movement through time is possible. Einstein proved it…in theory.
"

The premise of the science fiction film surrounds a nuclear battle ship with 90 aircrafts and almost 6,000 men. They are inexplicably taken through a ‘time storm’ and find themselves back in time to the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Do they sit idly by and watch the American fleet get butchered as history recorded it? Or do they interfere, thus changing the war and the course of history for the next 40 years?

Edward found himself having to explain to Myra the major events of World War II and the horrors of Hitler’s Nazi Germany, D-Day and the conclusion with the devastating effects of the Atomic Bomb.

"
So if it was such a terrible time,
"
Myra pondered,
"
What is the harm in interfering?
"

"
Well, the ethical issue aside,
"
Edward began,
"
They also create a paradox: Would altering history change their own existence?
"

"
I don’t understand,
"
Myra said.

"
In time travel, there are many theories, but three that I subscribe to. First, that there is only one
, single fixed history which cannot be changed
no matter what we do. Even going back in time is already a part of that history. Here is an example: I go back in time to find out what happened to my mysterious ancestor who disappeared without a trace. In the process I end up meeting and falling in love with a woman. However, I return to the present to find that that woman was my great-great grandmother and I was the mysterious ancestor who disappeared without a trace… history is unchanged because it was always like that.
"

"
So then whatever they choose to do, it wouldn’t truly be interfering with the past if it was recorded as such?
"

"
In the case of this movie, we know that there was never a nuclear arsenal and fighter jets, so the second theory would apply: history is flexible and is subject to change. And now they can alter the history with advanced weapons.
"

"
What is the harm in that?
"

"
Well let’s say, I go back in time and accidentally kill my grandfather when he was a child. Therefore, he never had children and I suddenly cease to exist. And never existed.
"

"
If you never existed, how did you go back in time?
"
asked Myra.

"
There’s the paradox,
"
smiled Edward.

"
I don’t know what’s so fascinating about time travel. I find it’s giving me a headache.
"

Edward thought for a moment then said,
"
There is an inherent desire to conquer time, for in the end… it conquers us.
"

Myra studied him for a moment, then asked,
"
What is the third?
"

"
Third what?
"

"
You said there we
re three theories you subscribe
to.
"

"
Quite right,
"
Edward said as he took a sip from his glass,
"
The third is the idea of an alternate timeline.
"

"
What does that mean?
"

"
In that theory, there are multiple histories that coexist in alternate realities…
"
said Edward
,
but he could see the look of confusion in her face.
"
Ok, to simplify it, in that theory, there is a universe co-existing with ours where the
Titanic
never struck the iceberg at 11:40
pm and therefore never sank. Likewise, there is another universe where it did sink but you didn’t drink the Laudanum-filled tea.
"

"
And I got off the ship and lived a happy life raising you as my son.
"

"
Precisely.
"

Myra sighed,
"
I wish I was in that universe instead of this one.
"

"
So do I,
"
said Edwar
d as he raised his glass to her.
"
So do I.
"

Chapte
r
LI

Out of habit, Callum started for Heathrow, then recalled that Edward had said he was arriving at the Stansted Airport, which was further north. Fortunately he realized it before leaving London, so it wasn’t as much of a back-track to get onto the M11 motorway.

It was usually a good half-hour drive from Central London, but there was traffic queuing due to construction at one of the junction points.
Bloody Hell!
thought Callum.

He looked at the petrol gauge on the dashboard. It was uncomfortably low.
Bloody Hell, again!
Callum cursed to himself as he soon realized that the only service station anywhere on the M11 wasn’t past the planning stages. To make matters more stressful, he found himself behind a police car that was patrolling the motorway. Callum was still a fugitive and was trying to drive inconspicuously, while feeling the urgency to reach Essex before he missed the plane or ran out of fuel.

He had to slam on the breaks suddenly as traffic came to a grinding halt, and nearly rear-ended the police car.
Too bloody close!
At this point it would be faster to walk. He was only inching now on the motorway. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard and frowned,
I’m barely moving but time is moving too fast!

. . .

"
How is time travel possible?
"
Myra asked after watching the film.

Edward looked at her and asked,
"
Are you asking how it was done in the movie or how you traveled through time?
"

"
Well, the fellow in the movie said it was possible,
"
she remarked thoughtfully.

"
The theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein
,
deduced that the faster you travel, the slower the time moves. If this jet could travel at the speed of light which is a little more than 299,000,000 miles per second, one minute to us in the plane would be one year to the people on the ground who are not traveling as quickly as we are. So if we traveled for two years, we would return to find two
hundred
earth years had gone by. So in a sense we would have traveled forward in time.
"

"
But how could you get
back
in time?
"
Myra asked.

Edward shrugged,
"
You can’t. Not according to Einstein’s theory.
"

Myra pouted. Edward could see the frustration in her intelligent eyes as she asked,
"
Are there other theories?
"

"
Certainly,
"
Edward loved discu
ssing time travel possibilities.
"
There are beliefs in a celestial wormhole, a shortcut through space-time, but
that's
not proven. There were three fiction novels published within the last decade; one made into a film, where the protagonist traveled back in time through self-hypnosis, convincing themselves that they were back in time. Their thoughts simply became reality.
"

"
But you said they were fiction,
"
Myra added.

"
Generally yes,
"
Edward replied.
"
Time travel has always been a plot device used by authors but it has never been proven as possible… until you.
"

There was a moment of silence as Myra seemed to digest this information, then she asked,
"
What other theories are there for moving through time?
"

"
Countless,
"
Edward said thoughtfully.
"
There was one horror novel that came out a couple of years ago in which the hero could see into the future of a person he touched. Though he was not physically moving through time, he knew what was going to happen unless he altered the flow of
that
time
line
.
"