Time Out of Mind (27 page)
Authors: John R. Maxim
Tags: #Horror, #General, #Psychological, #Suspense, #Memory, #Thrillers, #Fiction, #Time Travel
“
Please sit down. Be comfortable. I'll be back in just a
minute.” He gestured toward a grouping of tufted chairs
opposite his desk, then walked from the room, closing the
door behind him.
“
No Jimmy Carter or Ronald Reagan.” Corbin swept a hand over the array of presidential photographs.
“
Uncle Harry hasn't forgiven either one for mucking up
the last two Olympics,” Gwen told him. “There's also a
snap in his files of him with Adolf Hitler at the 1936 games.
He hasn't forgiven Hitler either. Are you all right, Jona
than?”
“
I'm fine, sweetheart. Really.”
“
You started to get lost again on the street, didn't you?”
“
No.” He seemed surprised. “Not at all.”
“
You were walking around things that weren't there again.”
“
Not that I remember.” He shook his head. He'd
stepped aside when the guy in the fur hat came down the
steps but that was all. The only oddness he could recall was
when he met what's-her-name, the housekeeper. Nothing
else.
“
Miss Gwen and her gentleman will be staying for dinner,
Dr. Sturdevant?” Cora Starling looked up as he entered the
kitchen.
Miss Gwen and her gentleman will be staying for dinner,
Dr. Sturdevant?” Cora Starling looked up as he entered the
kitchen.
”
A light dinner in an hour or so, Cora. I think I'm also
going to ask them to spend the night. I hope you don't
mind at such short notice.”
A light dinner in an hour or so, Cora. I think I'm also
going to ask them to spend the night. I hope you don't
mind at such short notice.”
“
Not that I mind, Doctor. I had some nice Dover sole
for you, but there's not near enough for three. How about
soup and sandwiches?”
Not that I mind, Doctor. I had some nice Dover sole
for you, but there's not near enough for three. How about
soup and sandwiches?”
“
That would be fine, Cora. Whatever is the least trou
ble.”
“
Bacon, lettuce, and tomato is close to bein' a salad. It'll
set the best at bedtime and not stir up bad dreams.”
Bacon, lettuce, and tomato is close to bein' a salad. It'll
set the best at bedtime and not stir up bad dreams.”
Sturdevant nodded. “That happens to be a very apt sug
gestion, Cora. Any particular reason for saying it?’'
“
That Corbin fella looked like he had a thing or two
messin' his head. Seems calmer though than some you've
brought in here.”
“
He's been given something.”
“
Uh-huh. Seemed like.”
“
Cora,” Sturdevant asked, “what did you think of Mr.
Corbin when you were introduced? Did anything at all strike you about him?”
“
Seemed nice enough.” There was a touch of hesitation.
“Miss Gwen knows him better than me.”
“
Cora, you have superb instincts about people. I'd like
to know what you thought.”
Cora, you have superb instincts about people. I'd like
to know what you thought.”
“
He looked at me funny.” Cora squinted one eye, sig
naling that she was offering an impression, not a confident
opinion. “First I thought he doesn't care for black folks,
but that wasn't it. Then maybe that he was snooty, but that
wasn't it either. I think he was surprised you introduced us.
Then he gave me this long look like he was tryin' to re
member something.”
He looked at me funny.” Cora squinted one eye, sig
naling that she was offering an impression, not a confident
opinion. “First I thought he doesn't care for black folks,
but that wasn't it. Then maybe that he was snooty, but that
wasn't it either. I think he was surprised you introduced us.
Then he gave me this long look like he was tryin' to re
member something.”
“
He thinks he's lived before, Cora. More accurately, he
thinks he's carrying around another man's memories.”
He thinks he's lived before, Cora. More accurately, he
thinks he's carrying around another man's memories.”
“
From way back?”
“
About a hundred years.”
“
Back when white people looked through black folks like they wasn't there?”
“
Any servant, Cora. He wouldn't have expected to be
introduced to any servant. I suspect his long stare came when he had that feeling and then tried to imagine why.
You might also have reminded him of someone from a past
life.”
Any servant, Cora. He wouldn't have expected to be
introduced to any servant. I suspect his long stare came when he had that feeling and then tried to imagine why.
You might also have reminded him of someone from a past
life.”
Cora nodded. “It's in the eyes. They know each other
from the eyes.”
from the eyes.”
“
What are you talking about?”
“
It's what my granny said. She believed that stuff about
some folks livin' before. She said they knew each other from the eyes. The stirrin' is what she called it.”
“
She thought people who had past lives could recognize
each other at a glance?’'
“
Not so much recognized. Mostly they'd see the eyes
and get a stirrin'. You'd look at someone you don't know,
like in a store or across a bus, and you might feel deep-
down good about that person. Or deep-down bad. Some
times even afraid. And they'd be lookin' back like they knew you too but they couldn't figure where from.”
“
It's not simply a matter of seeing a face that reminds you of another?’'
”
I suppose.”
“
Is it or isn't it?”
“
Some of them books of yours call that denial. Denial
is when you shut out the heart and listen to the head. It's
what keeps folks ignorant, my granny said.” .
“
Your granny, you say.” Sturdevant smiled.
”
I better fry up some bacon.”
Sturdevant knocked before entering.
“
Mrs. Starling will be along in a minute with some sherry.” He chose a seat for himself at the small round
coffee table opposite his desk and, with a gesture of his
hands, invited Corbin and Gwen to sit. Sturdevant placed
Gwen's notebook, his own notes added, on the table before
him. ”A few more questions while we're waiting.”
Mrs. Starling will be along in a minute with some sherry.” He chose a seat for himself at the small round
coffee table opposite his desk and, with a gesture of his
hands, invited Corbin and Gwen to sit. Sturdevant placed
Gwen's notebook, his own notes added, on the table before
him. ”A few more questions while we're waiting.”
“
I'd really like to get on with it, Dr. Sturdevant,” Corbin
told him. “You said something about my living before.”
“
Actually, you said it. I said it was something like that.”
“
Genetic memory, ancestral memory. Whatever it is, I'd
like to at least know what we're talking about.”
”
I have been stalling, haven't I?”
“
Uncle Harry,” Gwen assured him, “whatever this is,
Jonathan's hardly the type to run screaming from the
room.”
“
It's not that.” He made a wave of dismissal. “I've
simply been searching for a place to begin. I'm something of a student of the phenomenon I'm about to describe but
I'm hardly an expert. I'm, not sure anyone is. There are
several other caveats I'm inclined to lay before you by way
of preface, professional ethics and competence among them, but I think you get the idea.”
It's not that.” He made a wave of dismissal. “I've
simply been searching for a place to begin. I'm something of a student of the phenomenon I'm about to describe but
I'm hardly an expert. I'm, not sure anyone is. There are
several other caveats I'm inclined to lay before you by way
of preface, professional ethics and competence among them, but I think you get the idea.”
“
You're afraid I'll say you're crazier than I am.”
“
Well put, Jonathan.'' There was a rap at the door. “Re
prieved.” He smiled.
Well put, Jonathan.'' There was a rap at the door. “Re
prieved.” He smiled.
Cora Starling set down a tray containing a decanted bot
tle of Malmsey and a small assortment of cheeses.
“
Lovely, Cora. Thank you.”
“
Would any of you like me to dry out your shoes while
you're sitting?” She was looking at Corbin.
“
Jonathan?” Sturdevant asked.
“
I'm fine. Thank you.” He knew that he'd been staring. And he knew that his behavior had approached rudeness
when he first met her as well. “Thank you, Mrs. Starling.”
He forced a friendly smile.
I'm fine. Thank you.” He knew that he'd been staring. And he knew that his behavior had approached rudeness
when he first met her as well. “Thank you, Mrs. Starling.”
He forced a friendly smile.
”
I thought her name was Lucy,” Corbin said after the
large black woman had left.
I thought her name was Lucy,” Corbin said after the
large black woman had left.
“
Did I say that?”
”
I guess not.”
“
It's Cora Starling. Been with me for thirty years.”
“
It's nothing. My mistake.”
“
Speaking of women's names, does the name Bridey
Murphy mean anything to you?”
Speaking of women's names, does the name Bridey
Murphy mean anything to you?”
“
Uh-huh. There was a book.” Corbin glanced toward
the shelves, suspecting that a copy of it was in there someplace. “About reincarnation. A woman thought she'd lived
before as a nineteenth-century Irish girl named Bridey Mur
phy.”
“
You're largely correct.” Sure enough, Sturdevant
turned in his chair and reached for a volume whose leaves contained a half-dozen paper bookmarks. “As you see, I've been refreshing my memory since speaking to Gwen this
morning.”
“
We're back to my having lived before.” Corbin was
disappointed.
We're back to my having lived before.” Corbin was
disappointed.
“
Bear with me, Jonathan.” Don't just listen to your head
and stay ignorant, is what he felt like saying, but it seemed
unfair to steal Cora Starling's lines. “The full title of the
book is
The Search for Bridey Murphy.
It raised quite a
controversy back in the fifties and in some measure it's still
going on. It involved a Colorado housewife and an amateur
hypnotist who became the author of the book. The hyp
notist had regressed the housewife to what seemed to be an
earlier life. She was able to describe it in detail while entranced. She knew, for example, that she was born in Cork
in 1798 and died in Belfast sixty-six years later. She knew the names of many relatives and neighbors, she could de
scribe the shops and farms, and she related all this in a
quite genuine Irish peasant idiom. She provided any num
ber of obscure details, as you are doing, which were later
verified. There doesn't seem to have been any question of
fraud. None of prior conscious knowledge either. What
made the tapes of her hypnotic sessions so convincing was the utterly prosaic nature of Bridey Murphy's life. It was
essentially insignificant. Most people who claim to recall
past lives tend to be Egyptian princes or French countesses
and such. No one ever seems to recall living a past life as
a plumber.”
Bear with me, Jonathan.” Don't just listen to your head
and stay ignorant, is what he felt like saying, but it seemed
unfair to steal Cora Starling's lines. “The full title of the
book is
The Search for Bridey Murphy.
It raised quite a
controversy back in the fifties and in some measure it's still
going on. It involved a Colorado housewife and an amateur
hypnotist who became the author of the book. The hyp
notist had regressed the housewife to what seemed to be an
earlier life. She was able to describe it in detail while entranced. She knew, for example, that she was born in Cork
in 1798 and died in Belfast sixty-six years later. She knew the names of many relatives and neighbors, she could de
scribe the shops and farms, and she related all this in a
quite genuine Irish peasant idiom. She provided any num
ber of obscure details, as you are doing, which were later
verified. There doesn't seem to have been any question of
fraud. None of prior conscious knowledge either. What
made the tapes of her hypnotic sessions so convincing was the utterly prosaic nature of Bridey Murphy's life. It was
essentially insignificant. Most people who claim to recall
past lives tend to be Egyptian princes or French countesses
and such. No one ever seems to recall living a past life as
a plumber.”
Corbin seemed only mildly interested. “As I recall, these
memories were brushed off as the product of books she
read and stories she heard as a girl. And that a lot of her
details didn't check out at all.”
memories were brushed off as the product of books she
read and stories she heard as a girl. And that a lot of her
details didn't check out at all.”
“
That was one argument, yes. That she was innocent of fraud but deluded. That she'd picked up her Irish folklore
from Irish relatives. Her tape-recorded utterances, it was claimed, were actually a tapestry of fantasy woven from
disassociated memories. But no relatives could be found
who knew of any of these same details. Or who were born
in Cork. Or who lived in the same little Irish village. Or
who had even heard of it. The woman knew things she had
no way of knowing. She knew things which were literally
unknown to any living person until they were researched
among long-forgotten Irish records.”
That was one argument, yes. That she was innocent of fraud but deluded. That she'd picked up her Irish folklore
from Irish relatives. Her tape-recorded utterances, it was claimed, were actually a tapestry of fantasy woven from
disassociated memories. But no relatives could be found
who knew of any of these same details. Or who were born
in Cork. Or who lived in the same little Irish village. Or
who had even heard of it. The woman knew things she had
no way of knowing. She knew things which were literally
unknown to any living person until they were researched
among long-forgotten Irish records.”
“
But,” Gwen asked, “what about the details that were wrong?”
“
Simple,” he answered. “Faulty memory. She remembered them incorrectly.”
Simple,” he answered. “Faulty memory. She remembered them incorrectly.”
“
That sounds a bit pat, Uncle Harry.”
'”What would happen if I asked you to describe some
marginally significant event in your own life five years ago
and do it in detail? You would surely make mistakes sub
stantive enough for me to argue that you probably weren't
there. You learned those details secondhand somehow.”
marginally significant event in your own life five years ago
and do it in detail? You would surely make mistakes sub
stantive enough for me to argue that you probably weren't
there. You learned those details secondhand somehow.”
“
Very well.” Gwen glanced at Corbin to see how he
was taking this. “The woman in the Bridey Murphy case
told the truth as she knew it. Let's say it's possible she
lived before. Jonathan is telling the truth as he
knows it.
Do you think he's lived before or don't you?”
“
Not so fast,” he answered. “First of all, I don't think
she lived before. One school of thought, to which I sub
scribe, is that the Bridey Murphy phenomenon and hun
dreds of other cases like it have nothing to do with
reincarnation and are simply illustrative of ancestral mem
ory.”
“
This argument got a lot of attention in the Chicago
press,” Corbin recalled, “because the Colorado woman had family there. As I remember it, they established that she couldn't possibly have been related to a Bridey Murphy in
Ireland and therefore she couldn't have had Bridey Mur
phy's memories.”
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