CHAPTER 13 Sam was still talking to Bernie when Al and Beth walked into the cafeteria. Bernie was lying in Sam's arms, their cheeks together in a warm embrace. Al was going to sit elsewhere but Sam beckoned them over. Bernie shifted as Al sat down. Sam watched her as she stood, still holding onto her hand. "It's okay Bernie we only need a drink, I'll get them. Anyone else?" Beth asked as she placed the parcels she was carrying onto an adjacent table.. "No Beth, I'd better get something done." Bernie turned to Sam and smiled, Sam reluctantly slid his fingers away from hers. "I'll come with you, leave the boys to talk." Beth blew a kiss to Al and followed Bernie into the kitchen. "Well, how was the shopping trip?" Sam leaned his elbows on the table. "Uh, okay, a bit of a ruckus, on the way back, just outside of Santa Fe. A truck jack-knifed, spilled it's load and the road was blocked for awhile." "Was anyone hurt?" "Nah, just took 'em ages to clear the road." The two women returned with a jug of hot steaming coffee, the aroma of the coffee filled the air as Bernie lay it on the table. Beth promptly poured it out into the mugs. "Bernie's been telling me about the confrontation you had with Rosie earlier. She's a weird girl." Beth remarked as she handed a mug to Sam. "Oh yeah Al, did you know Jessie Olivera was Rosie's sister?" "No I didn't know, she doesn't have the same name, I don't think anyway. Can't remember much about her, I'll check her rE9sumE9." "Sammi said her surname's Saint-James, that reminds me, I want Ziggy to run a check in those two. According to Rosie, I'm somehow involved with Jessie's murder." "Okay we'll go down later, see what Ziggy can come up with." "Alfredo's getting a little squiffed about Rosie too." Bernie added, "He's not at all happy with her lately." "I love those cute little English terms so quaint." Beth continued, "No he's not too happy with her attitude, he says that she's been slacking, slinking off somewhere, she keeps disappearing, he turns around and she's gone." "I'll see if Ziggy can check on that too. Where she goes I mean, Ziggy will know if she's spoken to anyone, Ziggy may not have eyes, but her ears are everywhere." "I still can't believe you created this fascinating computer. How come you called her Ziggy?" "Well that was Al," Sam remembered the first Beta test, "On the first test run, Al thought that the Beta version was like the cartoon character Ziggy. Remember pi Al?" "Was that Cherry or Apple, ahm, Ziggy's little joke." Quirked Al. "She wasn't a she at the beginning though, she was a he." "That was Donna's idea." Al looked a little flustered. After he'd said it, he wished he hadn't. "Tell me about Donna, Sam." Bernie asked. Sam felt a little embarrassed, "We'll talk about that later, I want to run those check on Jessie and Rosie," Sam kissed Bernie. "I'll see you at the end of your shift, about seven okay. Are you coming Al?" He stood up and strode to the door. Al had to run to keep up with him. Bernie looked uneasy that she'd mentioned Donna. Beth turned to her, "Don't worry about it, it's not you, he doesn't like to discuss Donna." "I didn't want to upset Sam, I hope he'll be okay with me." Beth reassured her, "He'll tell you when he's ready. It's just Sam's way of dealing with things." "Oh I do hope so." * * * * * "Al, I've had a great idea." The doors opened as the elevator arrived, the two friends entered and the floor descended. "What's that?" Al asked when San didn't carry on the conversation. After a long pause Sam continued. "When the plane arrives tomorrow." The elevator stopped and the doors opened, Sam leaned against the open door of the elevator and paused again. "When the plane comes for Matt and Leone," another pause, Sam looked heavenward, "I'm gonna ask Bernie if she'd like to visit my Mother and Katie in Hawaii." Al looked at Sam aghast, but let Sam keep on talking. "I've not seen them for years, I need to make amends, I'm sure they would love to meet her. I wonder if I have any nephews or nieces? Do you know Al?" "Erm, ahm, er," Al led Sam by the arm, "We've got some talking to do." He was almost dragging Sam down the tunnels that let to the Control Room. "What's with it......." "Shut up Sam." Al ordered, with the authority of an Admiral. "Why......" "Sam!" Al was almost reprimanding. Sam became quiet. He ushered him into the chair next to Ziggy's console. "Ziggy run the full scenario for September 18 2000." Sam suddenly turned to Al, "What are you trying to tell me Al?" He ignored Sam's remarks. His attention was on Ziggy. "Are you sure you want me to run the full synopsis for September 18 2000, Admiral?" "Al, are you going to tell me?" Again he ignored Sam. "Yes Ziggy, especially the full one." "If you insist Admiral." "Just do it Ziggy!" Al was becoming impatient. "This is the newspaper article from the New Mexico Journal, 'On September 18 2000, an accident occurred, involving several fatalities. Two of whom were top scientists at a government research centre and their families. Also involved in the accident was a farming family and not connected with the government facility. The accident occurred when one of the scientists suffered a fatal heart attack at the wheel of his vehicle, which was north-bound on the Albuquerque Road to Taos. The fatalities include: Gooshie, research centre scientist; Donna Elessee, research centre scientist; Bruce Danielson, husband of research centre scientist; Katherine Bonnick,'" Sam's jaw dropped, "Katie's dead?" His words were slow and deliberate. Ziggy continued, "'sister of research centre physicist and Nobel Prize Winner, Dr. Samuel Beckett; Lloyd Jones, farmer; Jacqueline Jones, wife of Lloyd Jones; Nathan Jones, son of Mr. & Mrs. Jones and Masie Jones daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Jones. There were no survivors.'" "Yes Sam, she died." "What was Katie doing here? I mean Katie here, where was Mom, was she.....?" Al looked into Sam's despairing eyes. "Your Mom was home on the farm Sam, she's okay. Kate came to help Donna with the baby, your baby, Jimmy. He was less than a month old when Donna and Katie.... when they were killed." "I did it again didn't I, Al." This was not a question, Sam was making a statement to himself. "I changed history, not for the better, I made it worse." "You weren't to know Sam." Al looked at his friend's saddened face. "I should've know not to change my past, I made that rule, now I have to live with the consequences." Sam stood and walked round to the back of the chair and grasped it. The white of his knuckles showed through his skin. "You didn't intentionally change their lives Sam, you wanted to make Donna's live better. It's just that it backfired a little and affected other things in your life." "You said my mom was on the farm, we lost the farm just before dad died, she went to live with Kate in Hawaii." "That changed when Tom came back from Vietnam." Al looked at Sam concerned, "With Tom's help the farm wasn't lost Sam, after your dad died in '89, he took over the running of it." "Of course, I remember now," Sam's mood lightened, "Tom didn't get killed in Vietnam, how could I forget that Al?" "I think your memory's still a little Swiss-cheesed from the leaping Sam." "And my dad didn't die till '89?" "When you were on your honeymoon with Donna, this time you weren't to blame for not attending your father's funeral." "So it wasn't all bad? I mean, for my family then, I did some good?" "Yeah Sam, you did some good." Al was pleased at his friend's change of mood. "And you are an uncle Sam, Tom married and he has two sons." Sam's face lit up, "So I'm an uncle then, two boys. That's it, I'll take Bernie home, to Indiana, Elk Ridge Indiana." Sam smiled as he remembered. The corn fields and the view of the house in the valley, the sun glistening on the windows, the smell of home cooking. He was going home but first he had some digging to do. "Ziggy, give me a rundown on the lives of Jessica Olivera and Rosie Saint-James ." "Will do Doctor. Any particular period?" "No Ziggy, then do a comparison check too." "Affirmative Doctor." Ziggy's processors whirred into action, within seconds she had completed the search and comparison checks. "Jessica Olivera and Rosemarie Saint-James had the same mother, Marie Willis, but both had different fathers. Jessica Olivera was born April 17 1963, her father Willard Olivera married Marie nE9e Willis on 26 August 1960. She attended college and university in Pennsylvania, attained an honours degree in mathematics and literature and worked as an aide for Senator Judith Dreasney until her death on November 12 1996, she never married. Sam glanced in Al's direction, Al stood listening, one hand rubbed his chin, the other arm folded. "Rosemarie Saint-James was born on March 4 1971, as a result of an affair, illegitimate daughter of Peter Saint-James. She attended college in Pennsylvania, attended numerous anti-political demonstrations, no formal qualifications, worked in an ammunitions factory until 1996, a munitions and firearms depot until her present position of waitress. She has never married." "What do you think Al?" Al stood as before, still thinking pensively. "I'm not sure pal, they're two opposites. Different fathers, step-sisters. One for the government the other against, not sure at all." "Could be that Rosie's jealous of her sister, better career, probably a better relationship with her father, and......" Sam broke off, "Ziggy give me what you have on Marie Olivera?" " Divorced from Willard Olivera in November 1972 and after a long court battle, lost custody of Jessica in September 1976. She committed suicide the following January and Rosemarie was taken into care at the age of five." Al turned sharply to Sam, "I think we've hit the nail on the head there Sam." He wandered off into thought again, "And isn't Peter Saint-James the......" Ziggy broke in, "The vice-president of United States of America. Yes Admiral, your deductions are correct."