The Man from Forever Read Online Free PDF Page B

there’s a potential in this. The way I look at it, people with overactive imaginations stand where the Indians stood and they convince themselves that the Modocs left something of themselves behind when they werehauled off to the reservation. I think folks want to believe that. That way they don’t have to feel guilty about what was done to the Indians.”
    â€œMaybe.” She hedged. “But you’re not talking about something that actually exists.” Or does he? “How can you capitalize on that?”
    He gave her what she thought might be a sly wink. “The power of suggestion. A few well-placed leaks to the press and we’ll have people swarming here, either because they want to believe, or because they’re determined to disprove the rumors.”
    â€œBut when they don’t see anything, it won’t take long for them to decide they’ve been duped.”
    â€œYou’re assuming they’ll come away disappointed. But if they don’t—”
    â€œWhat are you saying?”
    For such a brief period of time that she might have imagined it, Fenton lost his self-confident air; she could almost swear he’d started to glance out the window. Then, smiling deliberately, he briefly touched his hand to her shoulder. “I’m telling you this because, like I said, we’re in the same business. We’re both looking to make a name for ourselves, you through what you can gain from an extinct culture, me from what it’ll do to my career if I turn this park around. Anything and everything is open to different interpretations. For example, those who have been working here for years either count themselves tuned into something—shall we call it otherworldly?—or they don’t. Whatever it is, none of them quite know what to make of what’s been happening lately.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?”
    â€œYou’ve got me. I’m not the one going around admitting I’ve been seeing things, but there have been sightings.”
    When he stood there staring at her, she nearly screamed at him to tell her what he was talking about. But there was no way she was going to let him think she believed in this ghost or spirit or whatever he was rattling on about; neither would she do anything to discourage him from talking. Finally he shrugged and moved to the window and looked out as if assuring himself that their conversation would remain private. “What gave me the idea of capitalizing on things is that all of these sightings, or whatever you want to call them, are the same.”
    â€œAre they?”
    â€œYep. A warrior, brave, whatever you want to call him.”
    â€œA warrior?” She thought her voice squeaked a little at the end, hoped it didn’t.
    â€œGood-looking stud, at least that’s what some say. Damn imposing, too. He’s always way off in the distance so no one can ask him what the heck he’s up to, but those who do see him are convinced he’s real.”
    Convinced he’s real. “You say he’s always a long way away.”
    â€œA real shy fellow. Not that I mind, because that keeps the mystery going.” He ended that with another of his winks, this one lasting longer and punctuated by a slight upward turn of his mouth. “That’s what I’m trying to get the director to understand. We don’t have to come up with anything folks can either prove or disprove. In fact, that’s the last thing we want. But if every once in a while people see something or someone they can’t explain, that’ll keep them coming.”
    Could Fenton have already put his plan into operation? Was that what she’d seen, nothing more than some actor Fenton James had hired to perpetrate this elaborate hoax of his? If that’s what it was—and she wanted the explanation to be that simple—she could tell Fenton that the actor was very, very good.
    â€œIt’s