Part 20 (1/2)

WITH ONE GLANCE AT my clock, I shoved out of bed in a panic It was Tuesday; I wasI stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower

For athe phone call, the rasping voice

The figure across the street

It was daylight now E room but in the spare room that faced the street I pulled the shade

There was the house, the apart next to it, and farther down, Saint Mary's, the liturgies of which I often heard drifting from the open s of the church in su the sidewalk, bundled up in coats and scarves, toward Massachusetts Avenue There was no one else

I hurried to shower, shave, dress I hesitated aoutsidefro female voice that reminded me of Barbara Streisand I couldn't ht, heartened le short ride from Central to Kendall Station, one of the train car's few passengers was holding onto the rail tome He looked at least fifty-five and wore a faded Carhartt jacket His hair was orangish, in the way of e, thick glasses took up the upper third of his face An ”I didn't vote for him” bumper sticker with a picture of the president rapped around his sleeve like an armband As far as I could tell, he wore no watch

”Can I ask you soenerally they held rah they were the coanism and not five simple lines named after colors

”Sure” I prepared to tell him he could switch to the Green Line two stops after Kendall

”Has so you?”

I froze And then I studied the e of his upper lip, the flannel shi+rt under his jacket, the too-straight line of his hair across his forehead that indicated a coing eyelidsto you? So sweat of the night before returned towith the same need to flee, to shut myself behind a door The train sloith a squeal of brakes, and I ju for the rail near the door as it stopped completely I squeezed past the doors as soon as they opened, hurried out into the station and up the stairs Only on the street did I look behind me to confirm that he had not followed me

I needed to talk to Lucian

I went into thelate, flustered, unprepared I contributed little, unable to think of anything but the man on the train, the voice on the phone Were other ion aware of what Lucian was up to, his ambition to have his story-and theirs-outed? Could they interfere?

Helen pulled”Clay, I know you're working on a brilliant piece of writing And it is brilliant But I can't have you doing it at the expense of your responsibilities It's all right if it takes longer to finish You and Anu are still working out the contract particulars, aren't you?”

”Yes” I'd forgotten the contract

”Then give yourself the time you need to do your job in the meantime Please”

I nodded, e openly chastised outside the conference room I went into my office, shoved the door shut with more force than Ionto my desk

I went to theand looked out at the people walking by, headed so toit was any usual day-not that I had had a usual day since early October-putting the packets on the corner of ned in to the company server, opened ht: L L But that was not what caused me to hesitate Below that, a line across the time block read: But that was not what caused me to hesitate Below that, a line across the tiain

I sagged intohands

27

In the Marriott Starbucks across the street from my office, I waited For Lucian For answers For the end of the story

Five o'clock arrived and passed I sipped h the hotel lobby, studied every patron that caain Except for a businessman camped at a table with his laptop, I was the only one there

I checkedback at ht through our last conversation that day in the airport before the nuns ca They had thanked Lucian, not in the way older woal way of those accustomed to respect I had eavesdropped on their conversation, which consisted wholly of the details of their trip, and had foundScripture or the devil

5:19

I thought about the ure in the darkness across the street from my aparture in the darkness across the street from my apartment They weren't the sahtly stooped The figure across the street was taller, see but standing there was short, slightly stooped The figure across the street was taller, see but standing there

Waiting to be seen Watching o pants with zippered pockets and a ”Carpe Brewem: Seize the Beer” sweatshi+rt strode into the coffee shop He was tall, with straight features and a prominent nose He wore thick socks inside his Birkenstocks, and I could see the glea into the neck of his sweatshi+rt He rad student at MIT

He wasn't

”I'm sorry, Clay” He sat down atlate?”

”Well, yes But mostly for the situation we seem to be in”

”What situation is that? Did you call ht? Was that you on the street outside s flopped over his forehead He raked them back and then frowned ”Someone called you?”

I nodded I had never considered that he ht not know about the call But he did not ask for details Instead, he sighed ”I'm afraid I've pulled you into thebefore you were aware of it, one that has been happening around you forwell, you know the story”

”There was ato me”

”I've heard”

”He had auburn hair, bald on top-”

”It doesn't matter what he looked like He could be one of ion?”