CHAPTER TWELVE

Dunston Moore

“What’s your name, boy?” asked the old man.

“I’m Angel, sir.”

“So, I’m in heaven?”

“Oh, no, sir. My name is Angel. I mean, my name is Luke, but they call me Angel.”

“Boy, I ain’t stupid. Luke was an Angel.” Angel could only laugh, shaking his head at the old man.

“Actually, sir, Gabriel was the angel spoken about in Luke in the Bible,” said Nine. The old man looked at him, staring him up and down. “My name is Joe, but my friends call me Nine.”

“Don’t you boys ever use your real names? You on the run or somethin’?”

“No, sir. We are not on the run. May I ask your name?”

“Dunston. Dunston Moore. Lived on my farm in Natchitoches for nigh on seventy years.”

“Natchitoches? That’s a long way from here,” said Angel. “You’re near Lafitte, south of New Orleans.” The old man looked around, then toward the river. He shook his head.

“Ain’t never been here before. Why am I here?”

“We’re not sure, sir. What do you remember?” asked Nine.

“Well, now, I remember goin’ into town to see the train go by.”

“The train?”

“Yes, sir. The election train. Hayes and Tilden were speakin’ to the people.” Angel looked at Nine, quickly typing something into his phone. Dunston stared at him, looking at the bright, flat box in his hand. “What is that contraption?”

“Magic,” smiled Nine.

“Are you talking about the election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden in 1876?” asked Angel.

“That’d be the one. Funny, I can’t remember who won,” said the old man.

“Hayes won, sir,” said Angel.

“Damn,” he muttered. “Well, did he do good?”

“I’m not certain. My history isn’t what it should be. You went to watch the candidates speak, but do you remember anything else?” asked Angel.

“I’m not sure. I was worried about gettin’ back to the farm. My wife wasn’t feelin’ well. We were both gettin’ up there in age, and I didn’t like leavin’ her alone. Sadie, she was a help to us around the house. She stayed with her so I could go.

“I remember the train was all decked out with red, white, and blue banners. The men wore fine suits. I did notice that Tilden had a funny eye like it’d been hit or somethin’. Made him look strange. I wonder if that’s why he lost.”

“I don’t think so,” said Nine with a grin. “Did you leave after the two men spoke?”

“No. No, I went to get some supplies from the store. Mailed a letter to my sister in Georgia, then I grabbed a bit of lunch from the hotel. I can’t remember what it was,” he said, rubbing his stomach as if trying to remember the taste of it. He turned again, looking toward the river, and this time, Nine and Angel noticed something different.

“Dunston, did you get into a fight with anyone?” asked Angel.

“I’m not a fightin’ man unless you’re speakin’ ill of my wife,” he said. “Why would you ask such a question?”

“Well, there’s a knife sticking out of your back.” He turned several times, as if he could twist far enough to see the knife himself. He felt for the handle, touching it but not pulling on it.

“Why is it still in there? If I was buried here, why do I still have the knife in me?” he asked.

“It’s a great question,” said Nine. “Maybe you weren’t buried here. Maybe someone took your life and whatever belongings you had and dumped you here. Did you have business in New Orleans? Would you have come all this way?”

“Never,” he scoffed. “I hate this part of the state. Hated what it was turnin’ into. Besides, it would have been a couple days’ ride for me to get here. I ain’t as young as I used to be. Or was. Or somethin’.”

“We understand,” smiled Nine. “I know this feels strange, but we’re going to try and figure out what happened to you. If you remember anything, just come and find us, but we’ll be keeping you up to date.”

“What’s that fancy thing in your hand?” he asked Angel.

“It’s called a cellular telephone, sir. Telephones came into existence long after you passed, but it allowed people to call one another from a device across cities and states.”

“You’re lyin’!” he exclaimed.

“No, sir. I am not,” laughed Angel. “Telephones have gone from large boxes to what you see here. This device has the whole world at your fingertips. I can look up all kinds of information. I can search for people.”

“And can they search for you?” asked Dunston. Angel and Nine looked at one another, nodding.

“Unfortunately, yes, they can,” said Nine.

“Seems foolish to me. You think you got access to the world. Truth is, the world’s got access to you.”