Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
T he sitting room at the McRainey estate was abuzz with activity. Gwen, Sabrina, and even Tristan, all with cell phones to their ear, calling every Stewart bookstore in Scotland and England.
Miles, the estate foreman, had instructed Tristan on how to dial and talk into a cell phone when Tristan had first been freed. Sabrina’s heart pitched at how hard everyone worked to find Gavin.
Not wanting to think about the sun setting and day one beginning, she hurriedly drew lines through a phone number she’d already called and dialed the next number on the page. Not even halfway down the page, she wondered how many more were left.
A gruff voice answered, and she began her spiel, “I am looking for a friend that may have some to your bookstore….No sir, I don’t know what your bookstore hours are…Yes sir, I am aware of the time. Can you tell me if a tall blond, handsome man came to your store today….Yes sir, I know you’re closed but can you please just….” The man hung up and she stared at the phone, incredulous at his rudeness.
Tristan frowned, nodding his head, “Aye, that’s right. I am in search of a friend who may have visited your bookshop.”
“Oh boy,” Sabrina sighed, giving Gwen a pointed look, who leaned toward Tristan and coached him on what to say.
An incoming call caught her by surprise. It was an unknown number, and she almost didn’t answer, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Perhaps one of the people at book shops she’d called earlier remembered something.
“Hello?”
“May I speak to Sabrina Lockhart?” The male’s voice sounded hesitant. It was followed by a sneeze. “Sorry.”
“How can I help you?” Sabrina waited for the sales pitch so she could hang up.
“Well you see, My name is John Stewart, I own a bookstore in Edinburgh.”
Sabrina stood and waved her arms to signal the others, putting the phone on speaker.
“Yes, please continue.”
“I found a man outside in the rain, he says his name is Gavin Campbell. He is here in my shop with me and remembered your name, but nothing more. Do you know him?”
“Oh God, yes!” Sabrina cried out, looking at everyone who’d gathered close, listening intently. “Is Gavin there now, in your bookstore?” She wiped an errant tear away. “Can you put him on the phone please?”
“One minute,” the man replied. She heard John instructing Gavin to speak into the phone, then telling Gavin she was on the line and would hear him if she spoke. Finally Gavin’s voice sounded.
“Are you there?”
“Gavin, yes, are you alright?” Everyone held their breath awaiting her next words.
“Aye, I am well. I do not remember how I came to be here.” Gavin sounded confused and she figured he had a hard time understanding the mechanics of a telephone.
“We are not far, perhaps an hour away. Remain there with John, do not go anywhere with anyone. Do you understand?”
“Aye,” he replied.
“Gavin, this is Tristan…Tristan…Aye, I am your friend. Can you leap?” Tristan leaned over the phone, his brow furrowed as he spoke. “Can you not return to the alter-world?”
“I do not understand,” Gavin replied, sounding hesitant.
Gavin continued talking. “I do not remember you or anyone, just Sabrina…is she my wife?”
The floor swayed under her feet, and she reached to the desk for support. “Gavin, this is Sabrina. Listen, I’ll be there as soon as possible, you need to get some rest alright? Can you give the phone back to John?”
“Hello?” John answered.
“What happened to him?” Sabrina asked. “He doesn’t remember anything.”
“That’s correct, he doesn’t seem to. I was coming home from the bakery up the street. He was outside, on the sidewalk. I thought he’d passed out or something, so I checked, and his style of dress caught my attention. When he began speaking old English, I decided to bring him here to the shop. He is not from our time is he?”
How could the man possibly guess this? There was something about his voice that eased her, the slight hesitation at asking. Her gut clenching, she decided to be truthful. “No, he isn’t. We have to help him return to his own place. It’s imperative.”
“He’s aging,” John told her, his voice quiet, probably didn’t want Gavin to hear. “His beard is growing, but he doesn’t look too different from what I can tell.”
Sabrina and John spoke a bit longer. She asked him several times to assure her he’d keep an eye on Gavin and confirmed his address.
“Hurry, go,” Miles told them. “I will remain here in case any of the other men reappear.”
“I will drive,” Sabrina said hurrying from the room. “First a coat and my bag.”