Reversion - A Novel Part 11

It was just as well. In two more blocks the vehicle pulled up to the curb before a ramshackle exterior that did not suggest the fine restaurant on the inside. Rosalind paid the driver. The entryway beyond the front door was worn with age. A large, buxom woman with plaited hair pilled atop her head greeted us sternly.

aGruss Gott,a she said without a smile, almost as a challenge. Evidently she was a south German.

She led us into a cavernous main dining room half filled with the remains of the luncheon crowd. The wooden floors had been scrubbed smooth over the years. The decor was reminiscent of the Weimar period. The air was stuffy with food smells and a hint of tobacco despite the roomas very high ceiling. Ancient male waiters in dour formal garb shuffled between tables, some of them lofting heavily burdened trays with unseemly ease.

Without a word the woman placed us at a table already set and handed around the menus before departing.

aI want Holsteinschnitzel,a I declared eagerly, placing aside the menu without opening it.

aI donat suppose theyall let us have beer,a Alice grumbled.

aDo you truly want beer?a asked Rosalind with wide eyes.

aWhat else in a German restaurant?a Alice sneered.

Rosalind giggled. aThen Iall give you some of mine.a Her giggle subsided to a patronizing smile from her pinnacle of 21 years. aWhere have you traveled that they would serve you beer?a I saw Alice open her mouth but hesitate. She looked at me. The correct answer was all over the world a" beginning about 15 years from now! But she surprised me. She smiled smugly at the young woman. aTheyall serve me here.a Rosalind chuckled indulgently. aNo, they wonat. Not even an old Kraut could think youare legal.a aWait and see,a said Alice confidently.

Rosalind turned to me and asked plaintively, aShe wonat embarra.s.s us, will she?a Before I could answer a" a.s.suming I might have found an answer a" Alice sniffed, aAct your age, Rosalind.a aMy age?a aYouare not old enough to be my grandma.a The waiter, a thin old man with an Adamas apple bobbing above his black bow tie, soon appeared and said to me, aGuten Tag, mein Herr.a He rotated to face Rosalind. aMay I haf your beferage selections, madam?a aColas for a"a aEinen Augenblick,a declared Alice, raising her hand. Suddenly she was speaking fluent German. aFrom the form of the name, I a.s.sume Spatenhaus has its own brew. Is that correct?a aYes, miss,a the waiter responded, also in German. aWe have produced Spatenbru for over 70 years.a aExcellent! The young man will have a cola with ice. We women each desire a gla.s.s of Spatenbru to a.s.suage our thirst.a aBut, but aa The old manas eyes widened dramatically.

aWhat is it?a demanded Alice, glaring up at him.

aYou are underage, miss!a She lowered her voice and hissed at him, aYou fool, I am a midget! Do not think to judge me by my size. Adolf Hitler couldnat gas me and Spatenhaus will not fail to serve me my beer.a Her glare eased. aNow end this impertinence and bring our drinks.a The waiter glanced nervously around, possibly concerned that other diners may have heard the reference to der Fhrer. Actually he neednat have worried. That name is not p.r.o.nounced quite the same in German as in English, and Aliceas accent was better than mine. I recalled that she had taken one of her degrees at Heidelberg.

aAs madam wishes.a He bowed obsequiously and whirled away.

aWh-what was that?a asked Rosalind, staring from one to the other.

I answered dryly, aIt seems that Alice and you will be served Spatenbru.a Her chin was sagging. She stared at Alice as if a demon had possessed the small body. aYou speak German?a aYes,a I answered for her. aWe both do.a I chuckled gaily, hoping to divert the astounded young woman. aShe told him she was a midget.a aA midget?a Rosalind blinked but after a moment had to chuckle also. aA midget!a Her chuckle became a laugh. aYou think it will work?a aI expect so.a She c.o.c.ked her head at Alice. aWhy didnat you say Timmy was a midget too?a aPartly because he doesnat like beer. Mainly because heas a poor liar.a It worked in spades. The waiter returned shortly with tray aloft. He poured for Alice as if the brown bottle contained a wine of great vintage. She went through with the farce, tasting the beer and nodding acceptance, though not without a mild complaint. aGreen hops,a she said distastefully in German, abut you poor Americans cannot yet obtain the proper buds from the Rhr. It will serve. Thank you.a aMy lady is most gracious,a the waiter fawned before setting bottles and gla.s.ses before the rest of us. He did not pour for us.

When he departed, I grinned at Rosalind. aHeas eating out of her hand.a The young womanas face was animated. aThis is exciting!a Life chose that moment to become a lot more so.

Alice frowned to my left. I saw someone approaching from the corner of my eye, not the waiter to take our orders. Two large fleshy men came hurriedly to our table, both dressed in worn and rumpled blue suits. Apparently one sought me, the other Alice. Mine leaned down close above me, exhibiting a varied crop of blackheads at the temples, bad teeth and vile breath.

Taking a rough, cop-like grip on my shoulder, he hissed, aTvoi otets zhdet ukhoda. Esli tye ne poidesh sam noi sechas on poumeriot.a Unlike the child he took me for, I well knew how vanis.h.i.+ngly improbable it was that my father waited outside, whether threatened with death or not. Desperately squirming free of his grasp, I fell backwards in my chair to the floor. But with great agility and strength he grabbed me up and swung me over his shoulder.

aLeave us alone!a I heard Alice scream.

My man, already faced away, sprang for his exit. Raising my head from his back I was able to see Aliceas further response. She had jumped onto her chair. From there she leapt onto the adjacent table, splas.h.i.+ng the soup bowls of a dumbfounded party of four across their suits, dresses and faces. She leapt again to the next table, rocking it, beer and wine geysering from kicked gla.s.ses. Rosalind sat still, mouth agape in horrified shock, head swinging from me to the leaping girl.

The second intruder started after Alice, but distraught people were rising to their feet all along her path from table to table. He visibly gave up the pursuit and swung toward us. Someone in the crowd was thinking quickly, however. I saw him go down just as my bearer pa.s.sed the kitchen door on the far side with me squirming and shouting. A shot rang out above the screams and shouts behind me in the dining room.

My man shouted, aMake way!a still in Russian, and pounded through the steamy kitchen past the glaring eyes of cooks and waiters. We burst through the back door into the sharp cold air. An automobile sat there, engine running, the driveras wide Slavic face peering through a window.

My captor ran around the car, threw me past the open door against the driver and crowded into the bench seat beside me, compressing my smaller body. aMove out!a he shouted.

aWhere is Ivan?a asked the driver, also in Russian. Why were Russians interested in us?

aFBI. Move out before they get us too.a The FBI? I dismissed that as paranoia. The car lurched ahead, hardly slowing at the head of the alley, and with clas.h.i.+ng gears roared out onto the street, fortunately clear of traffic and pedestrians.

aWhat are you doing?a I asked, wriggling for breathing room. aDonat you know that kidnapping draws death penalty in this country?a aYou have pretty teeth,a said my captor.

aHuh?a He held up a hairy fist. aShut mouth if you want to keep them.a Thatas what I call a persuasive argument. I looked around. We were running straight up LaSalle into the Near North Side. The car began slowing as it approached each intersection although we had the right-of-way. My captors stared hard at each street sign.

aNot Voxsar,a the driver muttered, again and again, finally declaring, aA police car follows us. Ah, he has turned out. How much further?a The one on my right with the healthy blackheads scanned right and left, craning his neck. aNot very far,a he muttered.

The driver caught his tone. aYouave been there! Donat you know?a aVoxsar Road, 1309. Of course I know! Just keep driving.a Pa.s.sing through another intersection, suddenly the driver applied the brakes. aThat was it: Voxsar Road.a aWhat? How do you know?a aYou can still see sign. Right over there.a I had seen it. The cross street name was Boxcar Road. Suddenly I understood. The Cyrillic B is p.r.o.nounced as the Roman V, the C as Roman S. The other letters sound similar in both alphabets. Thus Boxcar equals Voxsar, a.s.suming long Os.

By squinting my young eyes could make out the next cross street ahead of the car: Voxser Road.

aWhich way should I have turned?a asked the driver.

aLeft.a At that moment on a Sunday afternoon traffic was very light. The driver simply swung the car in a wide U-turn. At Boxcar Road he turned right.

Blackheads was studying the street sign. aThatas not right,a he said uncertainly.

aItas Voxsar,a declared the driver. aSpell it yourself.a We were in the 1000 block among rows of apartment complexes. Parked cars lined both sides of the street. In three intersections we had reached the 1300 block. We proceeded along it slowly.

aWhich building?a asked the driver.

aIt should be right there,a Blackheads answered worriedly, pointing to an empty lot.

Indeed we had just pa.s.sed 1305. I could see the house number on the next building: 1313, apparently an unlucky number for my captors.

aWhat do you mean, ait should be?aa demanded the driver.

aIt is missing! What have they done with it?a That set off a debate that soon reached the shouting stage. The driver pulled into a bus stop the better to concentrate on his arguments. I gathered that people having the misfortune of birth in Kiev did not compare in intelligence to those born in Novgorod, though which group was superior remained far from clear.

Finally Blackheads lowered his voice and said to me, aYou are American, yes?a I answered, aWho wants to keep his teeth.a aThen answer with truth.a He took a small card from an inside pocket of his suit coat. aWhere is street?a It would have been funny under other circ.u.mstances. The card contained an address, printed in block letters: 1309 VOXSER ROAD.

aTurn left,a I said.

aBut do you know it?a aYes. You picked the long way to get there.a A horn blew behind us. A bus was waiting. We proceeded quickly to the intersection and turned left. After awhile I told them to turn right, then left again. I didnat want them to spot the El, but I wished very much to return to the vicinity of Spatenhaus, just in case that had indeed been the FBI who interfered with Aliceas capture.

Though Blackheads grumbled a bit at the distance, I succeeded in turning them onto the east-west street that crossed LaSalle at the restaurant intersection.

The traffic light was red when we arrived. Our little jaunt had left plenty of time for the Chicago police a" and others a" to gather at the scene of Aliceas demonstration of broken table running.

aWhat is this?a asked Blackheads, staring at the restaurant between the parked police cars, recognition appearing in his eyes.

The driver was waiting with his right foot on the brake. I slipped a foot beside his and stomped the accelerator, at the same smas.h.i.+ng the horn b.u.t.ton with my hand. Unfortunately in the excitement I had forgotten that in 1948, few cars were equipped with automatic transmissions. The driveras other foot was on the clutch pedal. All that my stomp accomplished was to race the engine.

But horn and engine attracted attention. Several faces had turned in time to observe Blackheads slap me down into the seat. I didnat see what happened next, but someone in the small crowd before the restaurant must have reacted swiftly. Our driver kicked my foot out of the way and popped the clutch to squall forward, but here his alley luck deserted him. A car coming swiftly through the green light slammed into the pa.s.senger door with the sound of huge garbage cans smas.h.i.+ng together.

For a moment I was dazed, both from the slap and the crash that had compressed my small frame between the two ma.s.sive men. I shook the fog out of my eyes and tried to sit up. Blackheadsa face was tilted oddly above mine, eyes staring upward. As I watched a rivulet of blood darted from the corner of his mouth.

The driver was fumbling in his coat, hampered by that armas elbow jammed between the spokes of the steering wheel. He saw my stare and snarled, aIf we canat have you, they canat either!a Men in business suits were approaching beyond the window. aDonat be a fool,a I managed to advise.

His lips drew back as he cursed his mother. Contorting his other arm, he reached into the coat and came out with a pistol held by the barrel. In a moment he had reversed it, swinging it towards my head. I had time for one thought: This is it!

The window flew inward with the loudest crash yet. I felt the driver stiffen. Simultaneously his pistol flashed a tongue of flame past my face. Something stung my forehead and earlobe. The sound was indescribable aside from its sharp pain in my ears. The driveras pistol bounced out of his hand to land on the dash and fall back into the floorboards. The manas body relaxed as blood poured from his mouth and from the hole, gaping red and yellow, where his right eye had been.

Though I could hear nothing, I knew I was alive and probably unhurt. Once again my luck held. The powder particles that had stung forehead and ear had even spared my eye!

Alice was hurt worse than I. She had slipped in someoneas dish of Apfelstrudel and fallen aspraddle the head of its consumer, a bald elderly gentleman at that moment bending forward to slurp up the accompanying sweet cream. That fall bruised her thighs, I gather, not a serious wound a" her thighs have been bruised before a" but she somersaulted over his chair and sprained both her wrists on contact with the floor. I understand the old gentleman was not dismayed at all, despite a stiff neck. He took her up in his lap to comfort her.

The shot I had heard while departing was actually two. Aliceas would-be abductor had slipped to his knees in a fallen platter of Oxenfleisch, only to be confronted by an FBI agent with drawn revolver when he tried to rise. He drew his own weapon. Two shots sounded as one. The FBI agent, having steadied his aim with both hands, was only too accurate. Not enough remained of the intruderas head to answer questions.

Of which I had two: why were Russians trying to kidnap us and why was the FBI in close attendance?

A doctor among the diners examined Alice and myself in the Spatenhaus manageras office. He taped her wrists after feeling the bones. Apparently X-rays were not so commonly required in 1948. He looked closely at my forehead and earlobe. My hearing had returned along with a distant ringing that gradually faded.

aGunpowder tattooing,a he diagnosed and gave me a card. aCome to my office tomorrow morning and let me clean the ash from these wounds, else youall be marked for life.a He grinned in sympathy. aUnfortunately they wonat resemble honorable scars for the girls to admire. Theyall look like blackheads.a aThank you, doctor,a I said. His remark about honorable scars made me wonder if he too had a Heidelberg degree. aThen neither of us needs the emergency room?a His eyebrows rose. aYou can walk, canat you?a Were people hardier then? But I understood. When the government doesnat pay for medical care, a lot less of it is needed.

He chuckled at Alice. aThese waiters! However did they get the impression youare a midget?a Alice regarded him coldly. aIam sure I donat know.a aMidget or not, you foiled your attacker spectacularly!a His voice held admiration. He laughed. aYou bounded like a gazelle from table to table, scattering food and drink right and left. It was perhaps the most remarkable escape anyone could imagine!a Alice did not smile. aI suppose I should apologize.a aOh, no! You were running for your life a" and incidentally giving us all the story of a lifetime. For the restaurant this is like money in the bank. The reporters are already gathering.a The suited man standing silently by the door spoke up. aDoctor, do they need more attention?a aNot at this time, sir.a The doctor was respectful to the government agent. Vietnam-engendered contempt was two decades in the future.

aThen will you two please come with me?a He actually grasped Alice by the arm. She immediately shook him off and stepped back disdainfully.

aAre we under arrest?a I asked.

He blinked. aNo, no, of course not. But you are minors in need of protection.a aProtection that requires a jail cell?a His eyebrows were climbing. aA what? Young man, I need statements from both of you about what happened. Iall take them before a stenographer in the office downtown.a I studied him. He looked fit, about 35, earnest with thinning hair. Though his gray suit was pressed, his necktie was wrinkled. I said, aPerhaps youall tell us why the Russians were after us and why the FBI was in such close attendance.a aDowntown,a he answered flatly. He gestured with his head. aCome along, kids.a aThe Russians wanted to take us to their office at 1309 Voxser Road. Tell me the advantage of being kidnapped by the FBI versus the Russians.a aTheir office where?a He whipped out a notebook and pencil, scribbling as I repeated the address. He looked up. aThe FBI does not kidnap people. Now cut out this foolishness and follow me.a He turned, placing his hand on the doork.n.o.b. We didnat budge. He blinked and said to the doctor, aAre you sure theyare all right?a The doctoras mouth had fallen open as he stared back and forth. aAh, uh aa I said resolutely, aWe donat care to accompany you downtown, thank you. What have you done with our companion, Miss Rosalind Cannell?a aShe is waiting outside. Would you like her to come with you? a" though she cannot be present at the interview.a I sneered. aNo witness allowed: is that the rule at your interviews?a The man shook his head as if under attack. He took a wallet from inside his coat and held up an ID card with printing superimposed on large, faint red letters: FBI. aTake it easy, kid. Iam with the FBI. You know we wonat hurt you.a Alice moved closer and took my hand. I said, aI donat know anything of the kind. I repeat: we shall not go voluntarily with you. We ask that we be reunited with Miss Cannell.a The doctor spoke up. aPerhaps she is acting as their guardian.a The agentas eyes glittered. His mouth became a firm line. aOne moment.a He jerked the telephone on the office desk around, s.n.a.t.c.hed up the receiver and dialed a long number, finger spinning furiously. When the instrument rattled in his ear, he snapped, aThis is Halleck. Give me Raimer.a After a moment he said aggrievedly, aIam at Spatenhaus, the s.n.a.t.c.h site. The two kids are with me. The doctor has p.r.o.nounced them ambulatory. I need to know exactly how aeasya you meant to goa Yeah, trouble. They refuse to come downtown.a He listened to the rattle and said, aOnly Dr. Grienbaum, who examined thema Nothing too bad yeta Well, to give you an idea, the Kimball kid asked if being kidnapped by the FBI was any different than the Russians.a He laughed dryly and nodded. aHeas a strange one, all right. They both area Yes, sir.a He extended the receiver towards me. aSomebody wants to talk to you.a I shrugged and took it. aThis is Timothy Kimball.a Silence.

I said to the agent, aNo one there.a aHang on, sheas coming to the phone.a That told me who it was. In a moment Claraas voice said, aTimmy?a aClara!a I responded, smiling involuntarily. Aliceas eyes widened.

aThey said you were all right. Is that true?a aA few scratches. Alice sprained both wrists, but weare okay.a aAny sign of Mandelbrot?a I thought fast and understood her. aNo, but it has to be, doesnat it?a aIam at the FBI office downtown. Let them bring you two here, Timmy. Theyave promised to explain all this and to release us after they get your statements.a aDo you make a practice of believing government promises, Clara?a aYou will find, Timmy, that you have no choice. Put the best face on it.a aI suppose thatas good advice. Weall see you soon.a I returned the receiver to the agent.

aWill you come without any more bull?a he asked.

aYes.a Into the receiver he said, aLet me speak to Supervisor Raimer.a I waited while he repeated the Russian safe-house address, presumably to Raimer. He hung up the phone and once again gestured with his head toward the door. aCome on, kids.a aOne moment,a I said in unconscious mimicry, removing the doctoras card from my pocket. aDr. Grienbaum, is your home number on this?a The bemused man answered, aYes, the one marked aNight number.aa aYou have our names. If I donat call you before eight P.M., telling you weare okay, will you please report all of this to the newspapers?a The FBI agent sniffed, lip curling contemptuously. It communicated the wrong message to the doctor, whose eyes narrowed. aI certainly will.a aThank you, sir. Iall see you tomorrow morning.a I tugged Alice forward and told the agent, aAfter you.a Rosalind was waiting just outside the door, along with several suited figures and uniformed policemen. She sprang to her feet and clutched me in her arms. aOh, Timmy! Are you all right?a She opened one arm wider and pulled Alice within it also.

aIam sorry,a said our agent, Halleck, separating me from the young woman. aWe have to go now.a aWhat about Miss Cannell?a I demanded.

aWeall see that she gets home.a He had me by the arm. Another suited man grasped Alice. w.i.l.l.y-nilly we started toward the kitchen.

aOur coats!a Alice cried.

aTheyall be taken care of,a snapped Halleck as we entered the kitchen, parading me once again before staring cooks and waiters.

A car was waiting in the alley exactly as with the Russians. At least it was a brand-new one this time.

Clara stood up, face alight, when we preceded Halleck into the small conference room. Of course we both ran into her arms to exchange kisses. Behind us Halleck, two more agents and a woman entered the room and closed the door. We soon separated enough to take seats side-by-side across from the three men. The new woman took a seat at the far end of the table with notebook and pencils poised. I sat between my two females, holding their hands below the table edge.

A man, bald except for coal black hair on his temples and a fringe in back, otherwise distinguishable from Halleck only by necktie, raised some papers and said, aI am Raimer, field supervisor. You kids have met Agent Halleck. Mrs. Edgeworth, this is Agent Halleck on my left. He brought in the kids. On my right is Percival Avery, chief of the Chicago office. Sir, the lad is Timothy Kimball and the girl is Alice, Mrs. Edgeworthas daughter.a He did not introduce the woman at the end of the table, whose pencil was scratching busily in her notebook.

aPleased to meet you folks,a said Avery, smiling. His brown hair, graying at the temples, was cut very short in a military fas.h.i.+on. His facial features were slightly less rugged than the other two but otherwise he was their match. Again the only difference in dress was the color and pattern of the necktie. His was a solid dark red.

Clara said without smiling, aI think our att.i.tude towards this meeting is princ.i.p.ally one of astonishment that it is occurring at all. Will you tell us what happened today and why?a The three men regarded her silently for a moment. At last Raimer said, aDonat you already know most of that, Mrs. Edgeworth?a She returned his stare with narrowed eyes. aAre you preparing an accusation, sir?a Raimer held up a hand. aPlease relax, maaam. In fact we are on your side, you know.a He took a breath. aI said we would explain this incident. It makes no sense to avoid discussing these events with the princ.i.p.als. We even have Was.h.i.+ngtonas agreement on that.a He looked at the chief. aDo you want to handle this, sir?a Avery answered, aGo ahead with the preliminaries.a aVery well.a Raimer spread his papers on the desk. I have always been rather good at reading upside-down. To my surprise, three of them seemed to be birth certificates for myself, Alice and Clara, except that Aliceas gave her last name as Edgeworth and her mother as Clara Edgeworth. I couldnat make out the fatheras name. Was creating a false birth certificate a state or federal crime in 1948? Two false certificates! According to Claraas doc.u.ment, despite her physical origin in New Zealand, she had been born in Hightower, Indiana, along with Alice and myself. Only my certificate seemed valid. It was correct so far as I could see.

But Raimer glanced at them indifferently before raising gimlet eyes to Clara. aMrs. Edgeworth, are you in fact the boyas aunt?a aWe have already gone over this.a aPlease, maaam. This is for the record.a She sniffed and raised her chin. aNo, I am not, and I trust you have not lost the senior Mr. Kimballas a.s.signment of guardians.h.i.+p that I gave you.a aItas right here.a Even upside-down I recognized Dadas signature.

aIall need that back.a aYouall get it tomorrow after weave made Photostats.a He turned the three birth certificates so that she could read them. aAre you willing to say who is your daughteras father?a Claraas eyes sparkled. aIall tell you the same thing I told the registrar when she was born. If you insist on an answer, I shall lie.a Now I could make out the fatheras name on Aliceas form: Unknown. Absolutely astounded, I stared from the paper up to the woman.

Raimer bored in. aWe have learned from your a.s.sociates that ten years ago your closest friends were Timothyas parents. Is the girl Timothyas half-sister?a The same red spots appeared on Claraas cheeks that she had shown Dell. She declared, aHarry S. Truman is the father of my daughter.a Halleck, silent so far, raised his eyes to the ceiling and suggested, aBess will be sorry to hear it.a aHalleck!a warned the chief. To Raimer he said, aGet on with the statements.a aYes, sir. Tim, would you please tell us what happened this afternoon after you were seated in Spatenhaus.a aThe name is Timothy Kimball,a I said coldly. I suppose my hauteur was cute. All three men and the female stenographer smiled. I went on to describe the events requested, leaving out only Aliceas manipulation of the old German waiter.

aAfter the doctor examined us,a I concluded, aAgent Halleck demanded that we should come here to this office. I asked if we were under arrest a"a Raimer interrupted. aI think we know everything that transpired after the doctoras examination. Vi, did you get all that?a The woman at the end spoke for the first time. aAll except the Russian. And how do you spell dissimulatory? Is that a word?a Apparently my vocabulary had departed from police norms. I had coined that one while describing my misdirection of Voxser Road.

Raimer asked me, aDo you attest that you translated the Russian accurately?a aYes. And Vi, change that sentence to read, aThe directions I gave were lies.aa aThank you,a she breathed, smiling at me.

aVery good,a acknowledged Raimer. aAlice a" I mean, Miss Alice Edgeworth, would you please tell us what happened to you.a Alice stated that she had not understood the words her would-be abductor murmured in her ear, but the grip on her shoulder plus sight of my bulging eyes a" what an unattractive sight! a" was message enough. She put her fists together and struck the man abetween the legsa with all her strength, jumped onto her chair, from there to the tabletop, and on to other tabletops, very frightened, intent only upon escaping from that ahairy beast.a The shot sounded while she was falling to the floor, having stumbled upon the bald-headed gentleman. She did not remember screaming anything but supposed it was possible.

I believed all of it, somehow, except the avery frighteneda part. I was coming to see that my sweet Alice was a very cool customer indeed.

The three men had listened raptly. Raimer shook his head. aYou are to be congratulated, young lady. That was very quick thinking!a aWasnat it!a agreed Avery, the chief, with an odd emphasis. He favored my inquiring eye with a sardonic glance that I could not interpret.

aAnd we already have Rosalind Cannellas statement,a said Raimer, shuffling his papers. He looked at me. aFrom what we have just heard, I gather you speak Russian but Miss Alice does not. Is that correct?a aYes.a aWould you explain that?a I could have in one word: Solayeva. I shrugged. aA talent with languages.a Raimer frowned but shrugged also. He took a breath. aHow many people know that you speak Russian?a I had to blink at that one. In fact before 1995 I had never spoken Russian in either life except once.

Raimer, the trained cop, noticed the astonishment on my face. aWhat is it?a I took a deep breath. aProfessor Peyton Dell, dean of graduate studies at the university, is your man.a aOur man?a I thought fast. I understood that we had impressed Dell tremendously. He knew about my anachronism with the atomic weights and my too-accurate predictions about stock prices. He was not the dummy I was proving to be. He had guessed part of our secret. And no one else had heard the Russian conversation in his office. Also I knew he loved Russia a" or perhaps more accurately a certain Russian female. I said with conviction, aProfessor Dell is the man who told the Russians.a Halleck asked with detectable ridicule, aWhy couldnat some of your fellow students, here or in high-school, or your neighbors, have told them?a aBecause none of them know I speak Russian.a aReally, Mr. Kimball?a He dripped sarcasm. aThen how do you explain that?a Avery surprised me. aAgent Halleck, would you please leave us?a aHuh?a The manas eyes widened in shock. aBut, sir, this d.a.m.n kid has been getting away a"a aLeave us, Halleck!a Avery ordered stonily. aYou have not been cleared for some of this. Mrs. Jones, that concludes the record. Please type it up in four copies and hold it ready for the partiesa signatures.a Halleckas face went neutral. I well remembered how lack of clearance is the magic exit line in government work. He rose, turned and held the door open for the stenographer, closing it solidly behind both of them.

Both Avery and Raimer s.h.i.+fted restlessly in their seats. Raimer looked inquiringly at his boss. aGo ahead,a the man said.

The supervisor s.h.i.+fted another paper to the top of his stack and cleared his throat. aLast summer, in July of 1947, our Was.h.i.+ngton headquarters received a call from the Mexican emba.s.sy, pa.s.sing along what it called aintelligence scoops,a including the name of a New York man acting as a courier for atomic secrets to the Russians. Also included were two predictions: that Britain would grant India and Pakistan independence on August 15, and that Capt. Charles Yaeger would break the sound barrier on October 14 in a Bell X-1 test plane dropped from a B-29, giving his exact speed and alt.i.tude.a He let us think about that a second. aThis was in July?a I asked for confirmation.

aIn July. The spying allegation was most serious. We checked into it and did indeed find the suspect behaving most suspiciously. When the Union Jack came down in Bombay on August 15, we called the Mexicans back. We didnat wait for October, although we already knew that the X-1 flight tests were scheduled.a I sat quiet, refusing to play straight man again.

aAs a result of that call back we sent a team to Mexico. I led that team.a When the silence lengthened, Alice sniffed impatiently. aAnd what did you find there?a aA boy named Antonio Amorosanto.a Her eyes widened. aBut that a"a She glanced at me then at Clara.

aGo on,a prompted Raimer.

Clara actually chuckled.

Raimer turned to her. aYou know him too, do you?a Her amus.e.m.e.nt vanished. aI have never laid eyes on anyone with such a name.a Raimer nodded. aBut you know of him.a He took a breath. aI doubt that itas necessary to tell you what he said. Needless to mention, his prediction of the Yaeger flight was accurate to the mile per hour and foot of alt.i.tude. He also told us why we should believe him, including the details of a process he called reversion and his employment as the lab manager for the inventor of it, a n.o.bel laureate named Timothy Peter Kimball, born on May 5, 1935, who took his doctorate in 1959 from the University of Chicago.a The man paused to stare at me. aThis time around youare moving a bit faster, eh?a When I only stared, he continued, turning to Alice, aAntonio also reported that Dr. Kimballas a.s.sociate, one Alice Farnsworth, holding a doctorate in physics from Heidelberg University, had also reverted. According to Halleckas report, the Spatenhaus waiters claim you speak fluent German, which certainly checks. Will you marry Mr. Farnsworth again, Miss Edgeworth?a She said solemnly, aNo.a aPerhaps not. Antonio gave us some additional predictions that have not yet panned out. I wonder if you would care to comment on them?a He brought up another paper. aThe most interesting has it that the Soviet Union will announce on June 24 that the U.S., Britain and France have no further rights of occupancy in West Berlin and will blockade access to the city.a We sat silent. I waited for a mention of the Berlin airlift. But Raimer said only, aYou can see how important this is. You must comment.a I shrugged. aThe future is not fixed, you know.a aFuture! Thatas hardly five months away.a I smiled. aDidnat Tonio tell you how the U.S. solved that problem?a The manas face lightened fractionally. aIt was a" will be solved, then? How?a I shrugged again. aItas really pretty obvious. Youall need a lot of planes and pilots, but you havenat junked so many yet and the pilots can be recalled.a Raimer glanced significantly at Avery. aAn airlift!a He turned back to me. aThe Russians wonat shoot them down?a I crossed my arms over my chest. aI doubt that answering such questions would be in the interest of myself, my family or even in fact my country. What happened to Tonio?a Raimer dropped his eyes. aHe had a stupid accident.a aOf the fatal kind?a The man sighed deeply. aHe was stubborn about some answers, like you. A Mexican agent who a.s.sisted us struck the lad on the head, Iam sure only to, ah, obtain his cooperation. The Mexicans are not so tolerant of a childas willfulness. It was freakish. Antonio fell backwards from his chair. His head struck the sharp corner of a brick hearth. He was killed instantly.a aQuite a child!a I noted with an incredulous laugh. aDid you ever hear the story of the goose that laid the golden eggs? Now you think you have two such geese, is that right?a Slowly he shook his head. aNo, Tim. We wonat harm you in any way. If you wonat answer, you wonat answer. Our orders are to release you to return to your studies. But we intend to continue your protection.a I stared at him and the watchful Avery, concluding with a smile for both. aSuch remarkable forbearance from the unaccountable executive branch!a aUnaccountable?a Raimer snapped. aOf course weare accountable!a aNo, you arenat, not until 25 years from now, when a presidentas men get caught breaking and entering. Actually I suppose I should thank you. But for Halleck and his pals I guess wead be on our way to Canada just now.a aThatas a good point,a Avery interposed. aWho told the Russians about you?a aI thought it was Dell, but now Iam willing to believe it could be anyone from the Mexican spy outfit to our own. Iall tell you this much: the American government leaks secrets like a sieve.a aThere! If you could give us just a few top names aa I shook my head. aIam afraid that Tonio and I have already perturbed the future. Iall say nothing more of national importance.a I smiled again. aBesides, I liked the way the next 50 years will turn out, for the most part.a But Raimer wouldnat give up. He asked pleadingly, aMiss Alice, you must know about the airlift he mentions. What do the Russians do?a She sniffed. aWho cares? At this point in time only the U.S. has nuclear weapons.a aMeaning we would bomb Berlin? But that would start another war.a She took a breath. aI agree with Tim. Iam sorry. Iall say no more.a He looked at Clara, who raised her chin and looked defiantly back.

Suddenly he turned again to me. aAnother of Antonioas predictions is that the United States will resume warfare in Asia on June 27, 1950, hardly more than two years from now. We find this absolutely incredible, but after the precision of his X-1 prediction we cannot dismiss it. Another of great significance is that the leaders.h.i.+p of the Soviet Union will change on March 5, 1953, implying Stalinas fall from power. Will you at least comment on these?a So Tonio had only given them hints. I wondered why. When I merely stared in return, Raimer sighed and sagged in his chair.

Avery took charge. aRaimer, go check on how Vi is doing with those statements. Would you ladies care for some coffee?a aDo you have a restroom?a asked Clara.

aYes, of course. Supervisor Raimer will escort you. Do you also need relief, ah, Mr. Kimball?a aNo, thanks.a I answered.

My women left with Raimer. I stood to stretch my legs and said to the chief, aWhat happens next?a He studied me silently from behind the table, looming huge even as he sat, a finger nudging his chin. His buzz cut suggested he had been a marine during the war a" a major or colonel, I guessed.

aHavenat you decided?a I asked, annoyed by his smug projection of authority.

aThere are people in the agency who believe this is an elaborate hoax.a He spoke in a deep ba.s.s voice, one a choirmaster would cherish, although I could not imagine the guy in a robe.

aA hoax,a I repeated in amus.e.m.e.nt. I hoped the doubters were the majority! aAnd youare one of them, I take it.a He produced a superior smile. aThe Mexican ladas claim of a" what was it? a" Reversion is ridiculous on its face.a aIndeed! How then do you explain the precise accuracy of his X-1 prediction?a His smile widened in knowing contempt. aI know how government works. Youall notice that Yaeger broke the speed of sound last October. Whoas to say someone didnat go back and correct the Mexicanas figures or even add the whole incident?a aRaimer says it.a aRaimer says what heas told to say.a Iam sure my eyebrows rose. aYou doubt your own subordinate?a He waved an indifferent hand. aI think I even understand the ax that the believers are grinding here. They jumped on it desperately, hoping to save flagging careers.a He chuckled. aYou watch, theyall go the way of the UFO advocates.a He frowned, cutting off his humor. aI admit, however, I have yet to tie in Miss Edgeworth and yourself. The maturity of your ideas, your vocabulary and language skills, are the best argument theyave found yet.a His eyes narrowed. aYour father is intelligent, a professional philosopher. Thereas more to the background of you two kids and your so-called aunt than we have yet uncovered.a aDid Tonio say anything about the technology of Reversion?a He shrugged. aYeah, Iave seen the transcript. Something about parallel continuums. The experts say itas c.r.a.p.a That stung. I leaned on the table supported by my hands, my face jutting close to his. aNone of you people knows beans about multi-continua physics!a I stood upright abruptly and turned away to look out the window. Michigan Avenue lay directly below with the steaming sh.o.r.e of the lake not far beyond. I regretted having blurted those few words. Of course Tonio couldnat produce a valid technical explanation; he didnat have the math. Did Avery mean to goad me into indiscretions?