Hank says, “What is it about that little game that gives you comfort?”
“Certainty,” Georges says. “Newton’s third law of motion. It’s comforting to be reminded that the laws of physics provide for perfect order in the universe.”
“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. But what about the second law of thermodynamics?” Hank says.
“Yes, entropy,” Georges says, “the law that says that without the application of energy everything will fall apart. But mathematicians have shown that beneath chaos there’s order.”
“So you’re a determinist,” Hank says.
“I’m with Einstein,” Georges says. “God does not play dice with the universe.”
“When society catches up to you and Einstein,” Hank says, “I’ll be out of work because then we won’t be able to hold criminals accountable since what they did was predetermined.”
“Beats me why we have criminal law,” Georges says, still playing with his Newton’s Cradle. “Romans 12:19. Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord.”
Hank says, “Estella Verus is willing to dismiss the charges against Ismael.”
“She is?” Georges says. “Damn. Will she drop the persecution of Ryan Hunter?”
“The name of your esteemed friend and client extraordinaire, Ryan Hunter, did not come up,” Hank says. “All she said was, ‘Don’t forget you’re way behind the win-loss columns.’”
“An odd thing to say,” Georges says.
“You think? Actually, it’s the kind of thing Aurora would have said. Fact is, with van Keet dead, they’ve got nothing against Ismael,” Hank says.
Georges walks back to his office windows. “Or not enough, anyway,” he says.
“Of course, there’s a condition to her agreement to dismiss. Ismael has to donate the funds that the government seized to the Red Cross to further its work in Sierra Leone.”
“Are you going to recommend the settlement?” Georges says.
“I will if Ismael gets permanent asylum. I was wondering,” Hank says. “If the case against Andrew had gone to trial, what would your defense have been?”
“I wouldn’t have been able to put him on the stand,” Georges says.
“That’s for sure,” Hank says. “Not with that cockamamie story about orbiting Jupiter and seeing the future in a state of shamanic delirium.”
The men are silent as Georges looking as if he were summoning strength and wisdom, as if preparing to deliver a sermon, again plays with his Newton’s cradle. When the balls come to rest, he says, “You’ve seen the evidence,” authoritatively, as if Hank needed to be reminded. “Andrew Good-Eagle Godfrey was not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.”
Acknowledgments
Taking complete ownership of any errors in this book, in addition to my wife, Andrea Zinder, I express my unbounded gratitude to the following six men and one woman, each of whom is or was an inspiring, patient, and superb teacher of mine and for whom I have the highest esteem for their love of teaching university undergraduate and graduate students. Each took the time to provide me with invaluable written feedback and annotations after reading the manuscript; some read portions of the manuscript several times. Victor Wolfenstein’s insights about those portions of the novel he read were invaluable. Sadly, passed before I completed the first draft.
Kip Thorne was my science advisor for this book. He read the passages relating to astrophysics on several occasions as I revised and rewrote, and he read the entire manuscript when I thought it was complete, providing me with extensive and insightful notes and advice. Dr. Thorne is the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Astrophysics, emeritus, at Caltech, and a 2017 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics.
T. C. Boyle, who read chapters as my writing progressed, provided me with invaluable editorial and structural suggestions. He then read the manuscript in its entirety when it was complete. Dr. Boyle is a Distinguished Professor of English, emeritus, at the University of Southern California.
Aram Saroyan, an award-winning poet, and Christopher Meeks, an extraordinary novelist and short story writer, each of whom also read and annotated the manuscript and gave me invaluable advice. Messrs. Saroyan and Meeks were instructors of creative writing at the University of Southern California in its Master of Professional Writing Program.
The late E. Victor Wolfenstein, Professor of Political Science and Political Theory at UCLA.
Madison Smartt Bell, my literary agent and an award-winning novelist, biographer, and author of other nonfiction books of extraordinary excellence. M. Bell is a Professor of English and creative writing at Goucher College.
Judith Searle is a beacon of literary light for whom I have the greatest admiration. She is an actress, a teacher, a novelist, a poet, an author of amazing nonfiction books. And fortunately for me, an extraordinarily talented editor.
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