Nancy slammed the phone down hard on the hook. For once, she was glad her mother had an old fashioned phone. It felt good to take her frustrations out on something.
She had been trying for days to get in touch with Liz but her cell phone was going straight to voicemail and she wasn't picking up the phone at the beach house. No one had heard from her, not even Liz's mother. Not that she blamed Liz for not wanting to talk to her mom for a few days. When Nancy had called her to see if she had heard from Liz she seemed more concerned with her own problems. The phone call she had just made to the police was a waste of time. They didn't take her seriously. She went to find Gary.
He was in the study trying to sort through decades of paper.
"Gary, I'd really like to take a drive out to Emerald Isle tomorrow to try and find Liz. No one seems too concerned except for me."
"I know. This is not like her to be out of touch for so long. I feel like it's my fault for suggesting she get away. I think she took it too literally. I'll tell you what, if we don't hear from her by tomorrow we'll take a drive out so you can stop worrying. In the meantime, why don't you give me a hand."
"This is just overwhelming, the amount of stuff she's collected over the years."
"I know. I just came across a box of cancelled checks from the 60s."
"Yikes." It was then that she noticed the desk he was sitting at. "Hey, did you know that this desk has secret compartments in it?"
"Oh, good. Places to put more stuff."
"No, I'm serious. Liz and I were watching the Antiques Roadshow a couple of weeks ago and a lady had a desk just like this. One of the Keno brothers showed her the compartments. She was shocked."
Just then Nancy's mom walked in. "Hey mom, did you know that this desk has secret compartments in it?"
"Oh, don't be silly."
"No, really. You just have to move something in these drawers in the center and the whole thing comes out." She pulled out the top drawer in the center and felt inside for a release mechanism. She surprised herself by finding it. After a little click, the whole center console pulled out.
"Well....," said Ruth and Gary in unison.
"There they are, the secret drawers! Just like on the show!" Nancy opened the top one first and was shocked to find an old yellowed envelope with her name on it. She looked first at Gary and then at her mom. They both just stared back, obviously just as shocked.
"Don't look at me, I didn't put that there." The look on Ruth's face let Nancy know she wasn't kidding.
Her fingers shook as she opened it. The paper crackled as she carefully unfolded it. "OK, this is bizarre."
"What is it?"
"It's a letter from Liz!"
"What?"
"A letter from Liz." Nancy read the letter out loud.
"I hope you're reading this and wondering where I am. I know this is going to sound strange, but it's for real. I've been kidnapped by James Crowson. He and his father and grandfather have discovered a way to travel in time and they've sent me back to 1951. I don't know how they did it but they have a lab somewhere in a basement at Duke University. I managed to get away from them, but I don't know how to get back . (If I wasn't living it, I'd think I was crazy!) If you go to my boss, you'll need some proof. You'll find it in an ad in the June 21, 1951 edition of the Raleigh Times. I'm counting on you. Love, Liz."
Gary was already headed for the door and Nancy was right behind him. They went straight to the Raleigh Times building and asked for the microfilm department. As they sat staring at the screen, there just as she had said, was an ad for cleaning services with Liz's picture.
Nancy and Gary stared at each other, speechless. Gary hit the print screen button on the microfilm reader. They both watched the copy print out, not quite knowing what to say to each other.
"We have to take this to Liz's boss." Nancy finally said.
"What are the chances he'll believe this whole thing? I'm not sure I believe it yet."
"I might have thought this was a practical joke until I saw this ad."
"At any rate, we need to get back to Durham."
A few hours later Nancy and Gary were headed back home, both lost in thought. Nancy broke the silence. "Do you think Jim knows who we are?"
"Well, I don't think so, but......"
She blurted out, "I would love to do some snooping around at Duke."
"Nancy!"
"What?"
"I swear, you read my mind."
Before she could say another word they were getting off the highway and heading onto the campus.
"It's been years since I've been in here. Where would we start?"
"I did some graduate work here years ago," said Gary. "I think I can still find my way around the research buildings."
As they looked for a parking space, Gary started thinking out loud. "The Crowson family were very well known around campus. Not only had multiple generations graduated from this University, their family had donated millions of dollars over the course of many decades. The family had donated to the physics department so I thought we might start looking around there."
"I thought Jim was into computers."
"He was. In fact he was the first in the family to go into that field."
They arrived at the physics building and found the main door unlocked. "Since her letter mentioned the basement, let's start there."
Nancy followed Gary down the steps. As they walked down the corridor, they tried various doors and found most of them locked. Nancy tried one though that opened easily. She stepped into an empty room. As she turned to leave she noticed Gary walking through the door across the hall. She caught just a glimpse of a large room with a lot of computer equipment before the door closed. Just then she heard footsteps coming down the corridor so she ducked back into the room she was in to wait for the person to pass. She could hear them stop right outside her door. She held her breath as she heard a door open, and realized it was the door Gary had just entered.
