Chapter 5

The bruises will heal. It might take a few weeks. At least, she broke no bones.

After she stopped, I asked her what happened.

"I don't know."

"I was sure you were dead," I said. "I'm ... amazed ... that I'm Sooo glad you're not."

"I wasn't dead," she said. "But I don't know why."

"Tell me," I said.

"When the wheel broke the tie-rod and the A-frame collapsed I thought, 'Shit!' I wasn't expecting the car to bounce over the kerb. The barge was just another problem." She sighed. "Then we were underwater only you weren't there. I was sure I was going to be trapped under the barge. I was glad you weren't there."

"Why?" I wanted something ... but I wasn't sure what.

"Why what?"

"Why were you glad I wasn't there?"

"I didn't want ... I don't know ... If I was dead, you could move on."

"I'm ... I understand ... at the time I didn't want to move on. I'm glad I don't have to."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"They dredged up the car. The propeller cuts passed before and after the seat."

"I noticed."

"I'll bet."

"Then I was out of the car. The prop wash bounced me along the bottom. I saw something shiny and picked it up."

Oh, brother.

"It was this watch." She held it out for my inspection.

A simple gold pocket watch, abet a quality make. French. Revolutionary period. A decimal time, dumb quarter, repeater antique pocket watch by Regnauld a Chaalons ... it was working. I could see the second hand move.

"And?"

"I was in the new canal dig." She looked terrified.

"Canal Dig? The one using the trenches?" The dig was miles from the crash.

She nodded, "Uh huh."

"That is strange," I said. "Then?"

"A sergeant saw me and sent me out of the pit." She said that with something like relief.

"How came you to be in Hazebrouck?"

"A truck driver picked me up from the roadside and brought me to maman," she said.

"That's not going to work with your father," I said.

"You're not telling me anything I didn't already know."

"May I see the watch?" I held out my hand.

"No."

"I just want to hold it," I said. I was inordinately upset that she didn't want me to hold it.

"You hold me and tell me what you want to try. I just have this feeling..."

"Okay. Look really closely at the case."

She did ... and took her time. It was just a watch ... granted ... it was French Revolution period. Probably after 1790 and before 1800 ... Exactly when would necessitate taking the watch to pieces. That didn't sound like a friendly idea.

"There's nothing."

"No levers, buttons, secret catches?"

"Nope. Wait. it's a hunting case. They open by pressing the stem." She tried it. " ... that didn't." Sh messed with it. "I see ... The cover has a lip." She slipped a nail ... the cover pried open ... easily. "There's a lever sticking out the side. It has a catch." She pulled the lever out. and pulled the stem up. The hands revolved freely. She pushed the lever in and pushed the stem to it's first stop.

"Wait. The stem has another stop." She pushed it in ... and wound the watch.