The Secret Manuscript (20 page)

“One more
thing I should mention is that I may have altered our destinies and
inadvertently sent us down a course where we don’t belong. There
may be some unforeseen consequences to my actions. That may be why
our date didn’t go so smoothly. I think it was the universe’s way
of self-correcting the situation.”

“Oh don’t be
so silly. I don’t think it was the universe’s fault you spilled a
drink on me. You were probably just really nervous. People spill
drinks all the time, it doesn’t mean the world or universe is out
to get them.”

“Either way,
I’m really sorry about what happened, and I appreciate you being so
cool about it.”

“And Ben, if
the universe was working so hard to keep us apart, why did it bring
us together again?”

“I don’t know.
There are a lot of really strange things that have happened to me
lately. I think it has something to do with this manuscript.”

“Tell me more
about this manuscript. Where did it come from?”

“The origins
and the author of it are unknown, but I found it in a secret room
hidden behind a trap door in my fireplace. It was guarded in a
vault-like room with a big steel door, which required a ten-digit
passcode, that just so happened to be a number that was written on
a piece of paper that was given to me by a nurse in the hospital
when my apartment burnt down.”

“Wait, Ben,
slow down,” she said, attempting to make sense of all the details,
“let’s start over at the beginning. Your apartment burned
down?”

“Yeah, last
summer I awoke to a blaze and this old man was in my apartment and
basically saved my life. Next thing I know I’m in a hospital and
upon checking out, a nurse hands me a note, says someone left it
for me.”

“Did she say
who?”

“No, but I
asked. She said her shift just started and she had no idea who the
person was.”

“Weird.”

“Actually, it
gets weirder,” Ben explained. “Less than an hour later I meet some
random lady on the bus and she hands me the exact same note —
something about my life having a purpose and her phone number,
which bears a striking resemblance to the ten-digit number on the
other note. I chalk it up to coincidence, stuff both notes in my
back pocket, and never think about them again.

“While I’m at
work, I receive another note — this time it’s from a process server
who was hired by some law firm in Calgary. I go to their office and
am put in contact with the law firm. As it turns out, someone died
and bequeathed their house to me. There was no note and no
explanation, but I’m told I have to go to Calgary to sign some
papers. I make my way to Calgary to sign the papers and literally
seconds after I leave the lawyer’s office, I bump into my childhood
friend, who was also my foster brother at one point during our
adolescence. We had lost contact and hadn’t seen each other in
years. He tells me he’s leaving town because he can’t afford to pay
rent.

“Next thing I
know, we’re living together. He starts working on his graduate
degree and doing research at the university and is hardly ever
home. I spend most of my time writing, but periodically throughout
the day I’d take breaks to refresh my brain. I would visit the
basement often because I had this strange feeling whenever I was
down there. I don’t know what it was, it’s hard to explain, but it
was like this nagging sensation. Something just didn’t sit right
with me. After some investigation, I discover there’s a secret door
in the fireplace, which leads to a locked door. The code for which
was in my back pocket the whole time.”

“It’s
certainly an incredible story, Ben.”

“But?”

“But, I just
wonder how much of it is true?”

“Every single
word of it, I swear.”

“This is some
kind of joke, right? Did one of my sorority sisters put you up to
this?”

“I know how
this all must sound to you, but you have to believe me. I’m telling
the truth.”

“As a
scientist, I need more proof than just some elaborate story.”

“If you want
proof, I can show you proof.”

“Who are these
men that are after you? And show me what your book says about
them.”

“I have no
idea who they are,” Ben said as he bowed his head with regret. “And
they’re not in the book.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.
I think it might have to do with me altering my destiny. All the
events I described and even bumping into you, I think they’re all
connected somehow.”

“So tell me
about these men. What did they do to you to cause you to run from
them.”

“Last week, I
was at my house when I heard a knock on the door. I peered through
the viewer, but decided not to answer. The men standing on the
other side of the door were huge, and didn’t look like that were
there to borrow a cup of sugar. Next thing I know, the door is
coming off its hinges and the two men are beating me to a pulp. My
brother Kyle came to my aid and we managed to escape. As we were
leaving, they pulled out guns and shot at us. We could hear the
sounds of bullets whizzing by our heads.”

“That must
have been really scary for you.”

“It was
terrifying.”

“So then what
did you guys do?”

“Given the
options of fight or flight, we did the only thing we could do — we
ran. We started hopping fences in backyards and then hid in some
storage shed until we felt it was safe to come out.”

“So did you
end up going back to your house?”

“Sort of. We
actually went to our neighbour’s house. She’s an eighty year old
woman who lives alone. We had met her a few times before and hoped
she would allow us to stay with her given the circumstance. She
welcomed us in with open arms, and I’ve been staying with her for
the past week. I didn’t really want to go back there because if
these guys found me at my house, they’ll definitely find me at
hers. But I have nowhere else to go. Aside from my neighbour and my
brother, you’re the only other person I know in the entire
city.”

“You said
someone died and left their house to you?”

“Yeah, I think
it was my grandfather.”

“You
think?”

“I was put
into foster care as a baby and have bounced around different homes
my whole life. I never knew my parents or any relatives, but upon
reading the manuscript, it filled me in on a few details that I had
forgotten. According to the story, my grandfather left me the
house.”

“You mentioned
you used the contents in the manuscript in ways that benefited you.
Besides me, what else have you used it for?”

Vanessa was
smart, and was asking all the right questions. Unfortunately for
Ben, it made answering some of them a little awkward. Before
answering her last question, he hesitated. The long pause became
uncomfortable and indicated there was something he did not want to
reveal to her.

“It’s fine if
you don’t want to tell me.”

“I’ve done
some things to make a little bit of money — things akin to fixed
sports betting, things that may be considered unethical by some.
But you should know, whatever I did, I didn’t harm anyone.”

“I appreciate
you being honest with me, Ben.”

“I’m sorry for
getting you involved in all this. That is my only regret.”

“Do you think
they’re still out there?” Vanessa asked.

“I don’t know.
I’ll go check.”

Ben rose to
his feet and opened the door a crack. All seemed to be calm as he
peeked down the hallway.

“The hallway
is empty, is that common for this time of day?” Ben asked.

“It’s the exam
period of the fall semester, so there are no more classes. Why
don’t we just stay here and call the police, or at least campus
security?”

“Do you have
your phone with you?” Ben asked.

“No, do
you?”

“No.”

“My phone is
in the lab, I can go there and get it and you can stay here where
it’s safe.”

“No, I can’t
let you go out there, it’s too dangerous. I’ll go, wait here.”

Ben stepped
into the hallway and his instincts kicked in. There was an eerie
feeling that consumed him. Something just did not sit right with
him; it was almost too calm. Ben slowly walked down the hallway,
leaving Vanessa behind in the storage room. His footsteps were soft
beneath his trembling legs, and his breathing was controlled to
minimize the noise. Internally, Ben was freaking out.

In the
hallway, he was exposed — a sitting target out in the open. If the
men blocked off both ends of the hallway, he would be trapped with
nowhere to run. Running back to the storage room was also not an
option since it would unnecessarily put Vanessa in harm’s way, and
he could not allow that to happen.

He continued
down the hallway until he reached the stairs. From there, he would
have a vantage point where he could assess the situation better.
When he got to the stairs, he grabbed the railing and peered over
the ledge. Oddly, he did not see anybody. Just then, Ben was
grabbed by the back of the neck and shoved into a set of lockers.
The impact was thunderous and echoed down the hallway. Ben
collapsed to the floor and struggled to regain the breath that had
been knocked out of him. The attack was sudden and unexpected; Ben
had no time to comprehend what had happened. As the brawny man
approached, Ben’s eyes cascaded upward, taking in the full scope of
the enormous man that towered before him. Ben nearly soiled his
pants in fear.

Without saying
a word, the man grabbed Ben by the shoulder straps of his backpack
and flung him like a rag doll against the opposing wall. Ben’s
entire body compressed as it collided with the lockers. Again, he
fell to the floor and writhed in pain like a wounded worm. He had
still yet to recover from the first attack.

“Get up,” the
man demanded.

Ben could
hardly breathe and barely move, so getting up was a difficult task
for him. The man grabbed Ben by his backpack straps again and
lifted him up off the ground with ease. Ben’s body was limp as his
feet dangled freely in the air.

“Where’s the
device?” the man asked.

Ben remained
silent.

“Wrong
answer.”

The man set
Ben down and dragged him through a doorway and into a vacant lab.
Ben scrambled to get his feet under him, but the moment he regained
his balance, he was thrown to the floor. He hit the ground hard and
slid for a few feet on the polished linoleum. The man followed Ben
inside then shut the door behind him.

“I’ve got some
questions for you and I expect honest answers. I’m not here to play
games with you. Is that understood?”

Ben coughed a
few times, but eventually nodded in agreement.

“Where is the
man who’s helping you?”

“What man, I
don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ben answered.

The goon took
a step forward and clenched his fist. Ben cowered and turtled up in
a ball, anticipating the beating he was about to receive, but it
never came. Ben opened his eyes and peered through his arms, which
were up to protect his face. He gazed up at the goliath standing
over him.

“You’re
pathetic, you know that?” the man said. “I actually feel kind of
bad hitting you. You are so weak and scrawny. But I assure you, I
have very little patience. So I’m going to ask you again. Where is
the device and the man who is helping you?” the man said
succinctly.

“Honest to
God, I’m telling you the truth. I received notification one day
that a man named Charles Gringer had passed away and that I
inherited his estate. I moved out to Calgary the next day and have
been living in his house ever since. I didn’t find any personal
effects of his laying around the house and I certainly have never
heard of him prior to receiving that notification.”

“You said you
received notification that Charles Gringer passed away?”

Ben
nodded.

“I assure you
Charles Gringer is not dead, he is very much alive and seems to
have taken a liking to you. Whatever connection he has with you, we
intend to use it. So for now, you’re more valuable to us alive, but
that can change the moment you stop being so valuable, if you know
what I’m saying.”

“With respect,
sir, I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Let me spell
it out in simple terms so you can understand. You are going to lead
us to Charles Gringer.”

“Two seconds
ago, I thought he was dead. How the hell am I supposed find
him?”

“You’ll have
to figure that out, and something tells me you are about to get
very motivated to find him.”

Ben did not
understand what that statement meant, but he soon found out. Just
then, the door opened and the man’s partner entered. He had Vanessa
by the arm and was pulling her against her will.

“Now, tell us
what you know or we’ll hurt your girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend,
I’ve never seen her before in my life!” Ben shouted.

“What did I
say about playing games?” the man said. “Break her arm,” he
instructed his partner.

“No no no,
wait, don’t hurt her. I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.”

“I’m glad to
hear that.”

At that
moment, Ben had an important decision to make. Before he answered,
he reviewed what he was about to do — forgo a life of riches for a
woman he barely knew. It was the ultimate hero’s sacrifice. He
looked over at Vanessa with a shameful look on his face. He felt
terrible for getting her involved in all this. Her fate was resting
on the next words that came out of his mouth so he chose his words
carefully.

“In the
house,” he began. “I found a manuscript containing details of past,
present, and future events. I’ve been using it for my own personal
gain. If you let her go, I’ll tell you where it is.”

“Give me your
backpack,” the man said.