Lyle

Lyle paced in the FBI agent’s office, an old fashioned leather duffel bag sat on the floor by the chair. It contained the few things he was taking into his new life. He had just testified against his boss for immunity in an accounting scheme. He still couldn’t figure out how his fingerprints got on ledgers he had never even seen.

“Are you ready?” Agent Burrows walked into the room and smiled at Lyle. “Mr Corrupt has left the building. I can get you to the train station without him seeing you.”

“The train station? I'm going on a train.”

“You are. You have a private sleeper where you can lock the door and relax. Are you ready to start your new life as Lyle Carter in St Louis Missouri? You should be there by noon tomorrow.”

“I guess now is as good a time as any. Do you have my new papers?”

“Your driver's license, birth certificate and passport are already in your bag. Here are your train tickets.” Agent Burrows handed Lyle an envelope. He slipped it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, picked up the duffel bag and followed the agent out of the building and out of the life he had always known.

Lyle entered his sleeping compartment. It was a tiny room with a table fastened to the wall under the window, and a padded bench faced the narrow bed on the opposite side of the table. He locked the door then sat down on the bench at the table and placed the bag beside him. He pulled out the manila envelope marked personal papers. He was someone different and yet he was the same, he had a new last name and birthday, a new history. He hadn’t had time to go over it in depth, but he was going to be on the train all night. The train shook and began to move slowly and then picked up speed. The porter knocked on the door and called out for tickets. Lyle opened the door and handed the envelope to the man without looking at it. The porter opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper, and something fell on the floor. The porter initialed the ticket, refolded it and gave it back. “I am called Porter Jones, enjoy your trip, pull that cord in the corner if you need anything. Lyle nodded and sat back down by the window and watched the city fade into the countryside. The sky darkened quickly, then the rain came. Lyle didn’t know how long he sat there staring at the rain. He felt all the tension of the past few months drain from him, his arrest, his boss’s arrest, the long trial, the long days and nights in first one motel then another. Suddenly he was very tired.

Hours later Lyle woke to the sound of a lot of footsteps outside his door. He got up, fumbled for his jacket. The rain had stopped and from the dimming light through the window he guessed it was late afternoon. When he headed to the door he spotted the piece of paper that fell on the floor earlier and put it in his pocket. He took a deep breath as he opened the door.

“I am Lyle Carter returning home to St. Louis Missouri, I am Lyle Carter returning home to St. Louis Missouri.” he said under his breath and stepped out into the hall. “What stop is this?” he asked nobody in particular.

“We are in Cincinnati Ohio, you are welcome to leave the train, get a cup of coffee at the Harvey house, walk around, visit the water closet. The train will continue on in about an hour.” Lyle looked up at Porter Jones and rubbed his eyes.

“Did you change clothes?”

The porter just smiled, “If you intend to get St. Louis tomorrow, return to the train when you hear the ‘all aboard’ call.”

Lyle walked down the narrow aisle of the train car, he took a deep breath and looked around the car felt different than it had when he got on. He could have sworn it looked different too and the porter seemed to have put on the black suspenders. “Maybe I'm not so observant," he thought to himself, “ but I think his pants are a different style”. He walked across a wooden sidewalk and followed the crowd into a building with Harvey House over the door.

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

Lyle looked up at the man standing over him, was at least six feet tall and holding a fedora in one hand. He was dressed in a pale blue shirt with darker blue stripes, white collar and cuffs, black pants with matching suspenders. He was wearing cuff-links but Lyle couldn’t see the design. He sat down in a booth across from the stranger, a waitress brought them cups and poured them coffee.

“Would you gentleman like some pie with your coffee?”

“Yes, two pieces of your best Apple pie” the large man placed his hat on the table and took a sip of the coffee. “Harvey house has the best coffee, and it tastes the same at every stop.”

“Are you a passenger?” Lyle asked

“I will be when it pulls out. I have completed my business in Cincinnati and am heading back to St. Louis. Where are you headed?’

“I am heading to St. Louis as well. What do you do for a living?”

“I live for a living, I do a variety of things, I was here picking up a shipment of merchandise. What is your occupation?”

“I had a falling out with my boss, I am looking for something new.”

“I may be able to help with that, Porter Jones said you might be interested in a position. What are you looking for?”

Lyle took the last bite of his pie, and thought, I am or was an accountant, I need to be something different. “I am not really sure, I am open to possibilities.”

“Do you drive?”

Lyle frowned slightly at the question, “yes, I drive, I sold my car but I can drive.”

“I might know a guy that needs a driver.”

“All aboard” the call cut through the chatter of the dining room, and scraping of chairs replaced the hum of conversation. The two men stood, the larger man lay a gold coin on the table.

“Robert.” the large man said and held his hand out.

“Lyle” Lyle shook hands with the stranger and was swept into the crowd heading back onto the train.

Back in his compartment Lyle sat by the window watching the last stragglers hurrying from the building toward the train. He thought that the styles looked like they were right out of 1920s and frowned, remembering a conversation he’d had with Agent Burrows.

“If you could go to any time in American history, when would you go?”

He had answered “the 1920’s, so I could see if my grandma’s stories were true.” No way he thought, It wasn’t really possible. But Agent Burrows had said “I’ll see what I can do.” Did the government really have a secret program that could send people to another time? He’d heard the rumors but didn’t really believe them. Lyle grabbed the leather duffel bag he had been given and opened it. The clothes he pulled out were 1920’s style and he poured the continents of the personal papers envelope on the table, the birth certificate stated that he was found on the steps of a church and his birthday was recorded as June 7, 1895. There was also a driver’s licence and a passport. Lyle was still staring down at the papers when he heard the knock on the door,

“Tickets.”He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, and pulled out the piece of paper that had fallen onto the floor the last time he pulled out his ticket and looked at it. It was a train ticket from Washington DC to St. Louis Missouri dated Friday October 13, 1922. He remembered the joke the agent made about entering Witsec on Friday the 13th, and laughed. He really could be anybody he wanted to be. As soon as Porter Jones closed his door he locked it, then emptied the duffel bag onto the bed. He spread the items across the coverlet. There were three shirts, two pairs of pants, a set of suspenders, a pair of black leather shoes and spats, along with two pairs of socks and some underwear and a shaving kit, that included a dangerous looking razor, shaving soap, a shaving brush, some hair cream, a couple of combs and some scissors. Lyle took off his jacket and put on the suspenders, he dug into his pocket and pulled out the ring that his grandmother had given him, it was her mother's engagement ring that his great-grandfather had given her, he slipped the small ruby onto his right pinky finger. He didn’t change shoes but added the spats. He refolded the clothes and started to put them back in the bag, then stopped and examined the inside of the bag closely. Yes there was a secret compartment. The bottom of the bag lifted up but also was a thin pouch. He found several bills inside, he counted it, $318. He kept a twenty, a ten and three ones and put the rest back in the hidden spot. His fingers brushed something else, he pulled out a small drawstring pouch and poured several small gemstones and some change into his hand. Lyle replaced the gems in the hidden pouch, slipped the change into his pocket and turned back to the bed. He put the shoes back in the bag and something fell out of one of them. He picked up a cigar case and opened it. There were matches and cigars inside, he closed it and turned it over. Lucky Lyle was engraved on the back. Lyle laughed, “Thank you Agent Burrows” he said softly.

Lyle lay on the bed and tucked the duffel bag under his head and shoulders. He leaned back and thought about all the things he could do. He truly didn’t have to worry about his old boss finding him and without computers running the world he could change his name and go somewhere else when he got bored. He could buy a restaurant or a bar, no wait it was prohibition, then a restaurant that doubled as a speakeasy. “No,” he thought, "I don't want to be on the wrong side of the law here either.” Maybe a hotel or store, Lyle dozed off.

It was dark when they stopped briefly in Indianapolis. Lyle barely woke and stayed on the train.

Lyle woke to noises in the hallway, light was streaming in through the window, grass and trees sped by. He stowed his bag under the bench, took the shaving kit with him and stepped out into the passageway. The Gentleman’s lounge is this way he heard a familiar voice, It was Robert from Cincinnati, he followed the man to the next car there were several men smoking when they entered the room, to the back were other doors, Lyle found a restroom, he thought he should be learning to call it a water closet, and freshened up. “If I am reinventing myself I should learn to talk more” Lyle thought as he left the water closet to look for Robert. He spotted him talking to two other men smoking by a window that was open to let the smoke outside. He walked towards them.

“Next stop St. Louis, please return to your seats until we reach the station.” a porter called into the car.

Lyle opened his mouth to say something but Robert spoke first, “Meet me at Harvey house we can talk over breakfast.” Lyle nodded and returned to his berth.

The two men talked over poached eggs on toast, hash browns and coffee. Robert was right the Coffee did taste the same and was very good.

“Have you thought more about driving for my friend?”

“Sounds wonderful.” Lyle hoped he sounded more confident than he felt he was trying to remember what he had read about cars in the 1920’s and didn’t think that they had keys.

“Good,” Robert said, “The attendants should have the cars ready to go by now.” He laughed at Lyle’s confused look. The merchandise I picked up in Cincinnati.”

Lyle followed Robert around to the back of the building where men in rough clothing were filling the tanks of two brand new 1922 Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts. Lyle’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, he stared. Robert didn’t seem to notice he walked up the the automobiles and tipped the attendants, “You take that one and simply follow me”

A ragged boy ran towards them “Mr. Barone, a woman who says she’s your wife is looking for you at the Hotel.”

Robert turned to Lyle, “I’ll be right back.”

As soon as his back was turned Lyle dove for the glove box and the operator’s manual. “Do you need help starting it Mr?” Lyle looked at the boy. “I’ll show you quick.”

The little urchin was a good teacher. Lyle had his automobile running and was fairly certain that he could follow Robert to their destination by the time Robert returned with two beautiful women one of them got in with Robert the other tossed Lyle’s duffle into the back and sat in the passenger seat next to him. “I’ll help you not get lost” Lyle barely had time to process that he had a passenger when Robert honked and waved from the other car.

Robert pulled his car forward and turned onto the road. Lyle followed tentatively at first the more confident. He felt his old self slip away with the wind.