Linda said calmly, “You got them back unharmed. That's the most important thing.”
“Thank God. So how was YOUR day?
Chapter Eleven
SATURDAY MORNING brought jacket weather. We sat with our first cups. The spring leaves were rattling when brakes on the driveway made me snap to. “Now what?” I said. When I got to the back door, there stood Ashley, his arms around a full paper bag.
“I brought breakfast,” he said, peeling off his scarf and rubbing his hands against red cheeks. His early morning arrivals had been a part of our weekends for years, and were usually accompanied by a story.
“You're up early. Couldn't sleep?”
“Nope. I kept going over the classroom layout in my head. The bookcases are steel, you know. And that ugly green rag you call a rug. Always charges me up for a static shock when I touch metal. I think we really need to get in there and look around.”
“Is Sandy coming?” asked Linda.
“She said she'll meet us at school. I need to call her.”
“I'm not going anywhere until we find out what the president's doing,” I said. “But I'm glad you're here. We're going to need to help George with the story, I'm sure. Grab a cup of coffee. It's hot, and it tastes as good as it smells.”
“I brought bagels, the deli's lumpy cream cheese, and coffee cake. What do you want?”
With bagels in the toaster, and Ashley finally sitting down with his mug, I said, “We can explain away the time-travel trips, but the kids in the gym saw the president, so we're tied in to his explanation of that.” Ashley had already managed to get crumbs on the table and was picking some off his sweater, one at a time, and putting them in a neat pile on the corner of his plate.
“Maybe you can explain away time travel. I can't. You say you met a man who's been dead for a hundred-and-fifty years. You took a class to an event in 1911. You can explain it away. Explain it to me first.”
I told him I couldn't, but both had happened. And we had to find out why and how before the government took steps to erase any evidence. Including me.
Linda pointed out that the president was changing his schedule book to say he'd stopped as he was driving by. “But there were no cars,” she added. “I wonder if the school's security cameras were on when they didn't arrive.”
“Wow, I forgot about the cameras,” I said. “We need to let him know.”
* * *
THE PRESIDENT, joined by the Secretary of Energy and the two analysts, was also having coffee. Served from silver and holding china cups by an original Remington cast of The Bronco Buster, they discussed the troubling science of Fritz's travels. “That's some story, Mr. President. I share your concern, especially since it violates everything we know about physics,” said Secretary Stevens.
“Well, not everything, Madam Secretary,” said Kim Bishell, a tall woman with a serious face and red glasses. “Mr. President, we have been studying time as a tangible substance, as more than a concept alone. We have used every energy-detecting device we have, and although we haven't actually produced a picture yet, we have found that at low frequencies, we are able to discern what seems to be time's residual particulate matter. It's really early, but it's interesting.”
The president asked, “Do you think you could find anything in that classroom?”
“Don't know, sir, but we can give it a shot,” Tony Almeida responded. “But first, Mr. President, we can check your door before we go to the school. I have one of the wave counters in my lab. It's about the size of a pack of cigarettes, and we can collect data on a laptop. I'll go get it, if you want.”
The secretary took charge. “Tony, go get it quickly. We can start here, if that's okay, Mr. President.”
“That's why we're here.” He called the secret service agents into the room. “James, give him a ride so he can get back through the gates quickly.”
“Yes, sir.”
The president continued, “I'm going to ask the three of you to go to New Jersey today and check out the school. We'll arrange for you to meet Mr. Russell while you're there. Does that data collector have any use on people?”
Kim replied, “We've never tried it, sir. It would be interesting to see.” Tony and James left the Oval Office.
Pondering the doorway of elegant white panels, the secretary asked that no one use it until it was scanned. “If there is something there, we don't want to add additional energy patterns.”
“Being able to trace someone through time, extraordinary,” the president mused. “A time imprint, like a fingerprint. This is exciting, even for me as a non-scientist. But as a lawyer and a citizen, I worry about the privacy implications. It raises as many issues as it might solve. I have a call I need to make. Would you mind waiting in the outer office? Tom, show them where and get them some coffee.”
“Thank you, Mr. President,” said the secretary, as she and Kim followed Tom out the door.
Tom returned immediately. “Mr. President, we've continued to monitor Mr. Russell's conversations. I think you should hear this.”
As he listened, the president's legal pad was filling up. Tom clicked off the recorder. “Two things hit me, Tom. First, the cameras. We need them to 'malfunction'. Ask George if they have cameras and then let him show you the system. The second thing is what Mr. Russell said about his brain causing his travel. I'll have to think about that. Tom, sorry to lay this all on you this way. We've seen a lot together, haven't we?”
“We have, Mr. President. It's been an honor to work with you.”
Within minutes, Tom's beeper notified him that James was back. “Bring them all in. And Tom, we're also going to need listening devices at Gilbert's and McAllister's, and Horton's, just in case. I think redundancy is appropriate.”
“I was thinking the same thing, sir. I'll take care of it. If they do find one or two, they may be less cooperative, but they're not likely to look for additional ones. I was thinking of putting one in the kitchen also.”
The president frowned. “I think you should avoid the kitchen, Tom. The First Lady was in there and we weren't, so they would suspect her immediately. I would rather keep her out of this. I don't think she would approve.”
“I'll take care of it, sir.” Tom left through one of the other three doors in the Oval Office. The president turned in his chair and gazed out at the spring morning in the Rose Garden. The first roses were blossoming.
“Interesting,” he said.
When the group returned to the room, the president spun his chair around. Tony removed the wave counter from his briefcase. Before Kim's laptop was connected, the president asked, “Can I see that thing?”
“Sure, Mr. President. I designed it myself,” said Tony.
The scanning lasted only a couple of minutes. When Tony finished, Kim said, “I think we have some activity, but I can't tell if it's from normal traffic or something else. It's all recorded. We need to boost the transmission and check the various frequencies.”
“Good. Are you all ready to go to see the school?” Tony tapped his knapsack. The president told them they would leave from Andrews with Tom and James. “The classroom is the focus, but I want you to go to the gym, too. We'll need to buy time for some other things, so I want you to check the rest of the school.” He sat down at his desk again, leaning on his fists. “None of this is to be discussed, even when they ask—and they will. Mr. Russell is anxious to examine his classroom. Get this done as quickly and quietly as possible but keep scanning after you've finished if James hasn't let you know it's ok to go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Final instructions given, the president asked if arrangements had been made at the other end. Informed that everything was set, he told them that Mr. Russell would meet them at 1:30. “OK, get going and let me know when you're on the way back.”
* * *
THE PHONE STARTLED me. I spilled some coffee down my chin. “Good morning, Mr. President,” I said, wiping my face. “We've been waiting for your call.” The presid
ent filled me in on the schedule. He asked if that would work for us. “1:30. No problem, sir.” I glanced at Ash and Linda. “I'll call George and let him know. Uh, before you go, Mr. President, were you able to fix your calendar?” Ash dropped his bagel, scattering the onion chips. “That's good. Goodbye, sir.”
“I wonder what they think they'll find,” Linda said. “Ash, call Sandy.”
AT 1:10, WE HEADED OUT. Linda had decided she wanted a first-hand view. George and Lois were already waiting in the parking lot when we arrived ten minutes later. Sandy pulled in right behind us. Slapping feet drew our attention to the volleying on the tennis courts across the lot.
Precisely at 1:30, a black Suburban turned into the curved driveway and unloaded James and three strangers. One face was familiar from the news. James introduced Secretary of Energy Brenda Stevens, Kim, and Tony. All business, they were all in suits.
James said, “Thank you for a delicious meal last night. When I told my wife how good it was, she asked if I could get the recipe.”
Linda said, “Gladly, James.” Linda shared the recipe regularly. “Give me your email or street address.”
“Thank you, ma'am.” Linda scowled at him. “Sorry. Linda.” We headed right for my classroom. There was no static when I touched the doorknob.
The secretary explained that Kim and Tony would test for electrical fields to see if there was an anomaly. As we watched Tony begin scanning, Ashley asked, “What is that thing?”
“A scanner. It detects electromagnetic charges that we wouldn't expect to be there,” said the secretary.
Linda asked, “What happens after you collect the data?”
“We'll return to the lab and analyze it.”
Linda asked, “Do you expect to find anything? Do you have a hypothesis?”
“We're working at very low frequencies, which we think would be the energy range for your husband's contact with the time portal.” Tony scanned the door first from inside the classroom and then from the hallway, up and down the entire surface.
AS TONY WORKED, Tom was walking up to the Russell's front door. He covered his shoes with booties and picked the lock. He first checked the original bug and then placed two more. It took less than two minutes. When he opened the front door, he heard snipping and noticed a neighbor trimming his shrubbery, Tom said, “Thanks, I'll be in touch.” The neighbor paid no attention, and he drove away.
His next stop was the McAllisters, about ten minutes away. Then he went to Ashley's house, a comfortable Cape Cod with uncut grass outside and unwashed dishes, undusted everything, scattered newspapers and magazines, and stacks of books everywhere. He left through the back door, repeating “I'll be in touch,” although Ashley's car was gone. If anyone were watching, they would have known he was an intruder. He walked quickly to the Suburban and headed back to the airport.
AFTER TONY HAD FINISHED the door, he swept the entire classroom. He ran the sensor along each row, checked every desk and chair and then, holding his arm up, scanned nothing but air. Ashley asked him if he could pick up the baseball game. Finally he scoured my desk, the sides, crawled underneath, and finally scanned the desktop. After he covered the classroom, he scanned George, Ashley, Sandy, and me.
Tony turned to the secretary, “I've got it all here, ma'am. We should follow the route through the school.” George led the way.
As we entered the gym, Tony asked, “Where was the president in here?”
I tried to duplicate the president's steps and showed where he'd stood signing autographs. Tony scanned the floor, walked to the basket, held the scanner up to trace the arc of the basketball behind my hand as I demonstrated. Then he examined the gym door again. “Done here, Madam Secretary.”
“Mr. McAllister, we'd like to check other parts of the school, just to be thorough,” she said.
George finally chimed in, “Well, I don't get it, but I guess you know what you're looking for.” That statement was so typically George. He is a smart man, but he assumes people in authority know more than he does. He reacts to what affects him, the school, and then everything else. Sometimes he seems like he's somewhere else, even when he's talking directly to someone.
Nobody answered him, but we all left the gym after Tony said, “Madam Secretary, I'd like to go check the classroom once more, alone with Mr. Russell.”
“Go ahead.”
When we got there, he had me open the door and scanned the doorknob as I pulled. Then he scanned me as we walked through the doorway and the door as it clicked shut.
“Okay, I'm done,” said Tony, opening the door to the others.
“Find anything, do you think?” I asked.
“Don't know yet,” said Tony, returning his scanner to his briefcase.
“Thank you all for your trouble today,” said the secretary, as the staffers packed up. “We'll let the president know our results.”
Lois, who had been quiet the entire time, asked “What about us? Aren't you going to let us know if you find anything?”
“The president will be in touch, ma'am” said James. “He instructed me to let you know he is grateful for your cooperation, and he will be sure to follow up with you when the data has been reviewed. There is one other thing, though. I noticed security cameras running both inside and out. Are they on today?”
George said, “They're on during the school day and are motion activated when the school is closed.”
James asked, “How are the shots stored?”
“Well, we keep tapes for two weeks and then they're downloaded to a data storage company. I've been principal for eighteen years, and we've only looked at old pictures once.”
“Can I look at yesterday afternoon's recording?” It didn't sound like a request.
“Well, I guess so, sure. They're in the office.”
In a closet where three monitors showed split screen images, George explained that there were three cameras that would have picked up the president. He logged in and entered the security codes. The grainy black and white pictures lit up the screen.
James asked to see the shots of the street and parking lot. He told George that he was making it appear that the camera had failed while the president was at the school since they hadn't come by car. George thought a moment and nodded. When the shots of the president were finished showing, George said, “That's all we have.”
James said, “Thank you, Mr. McAllister. That should take care of everything. We'll let you get on with your weekends.”
When we rejoined the others, I asked, “Did you drive from Washington?”
James said, “No, we flew.”
I assumed he meant into Philly or Newark, but Ashley said “Really! There's no airport around here, at least none that I know of.”
James looked at him. “You wouldn't.”
I looked at Ashley and then at Linda. I said nothing, but Lois said, “So a top-secret government airport? Fascinating.”
James said, “Not top secret, just convenient.”
The car door clanged shut. “Well that was pretty boring,” said Ashley, hands in his pockets. Ash talks with his hands, so that seemed strange to me.
“George, are you set for Monday? Do you need any help?” Sandy asked.
“Thanks Sandy. I don't know what we'll need yet, but I'll let you know.”
Lois took over. She said George would call a mandatory meeting of all staff after school on Monday and so after-school activities would have to be cancelled. George glowered at her. “That's what we thought would disrupt the day the least. What about you, Fritz? What are you going to tell the kids?”
I glanced at the tennis matches while we crossed to our cars. “Like we discussed last night, Lois, I'll go with the story of a friend, the Hollywood version, who developed a new, advanced imaging system. I think they'll believe it.”
“You'll have to talk at the meeting too,” said George.
“By then we'll have the whole story, George. Don't worry. I'll work on it today, and I'll call you and let yo
u know by tomorrow night. Okay?”
“That's good,” said Lois, waiting to climb in. “Let's go home, George.”
* * *
THE PRESIDENT FILLED Koppler in about the day's activities in New Jersey. The national security adviser was a Washington fixture, highly regarded in the intelligence community, and well connected. He had risen through Treasury investigating questionable foreign funds, done well on Wall Street, and returned to Washington as an intelligence consultant. Wealthy and well groomed, he had an imposing personality.
Although the president had appointed Koppler because of his experience in the politics of intelligence, he hesitated to speak his mind about the portal. His advisor wasn't his friend. He wasn't even in the same party. They talked about imminent danger and the ability of the teachers to maintain secrecy. The national security advisor suggested putting bugs in their homes, and he said again he thought the president should consider ending the threat.
“Jim, I want to see where this leads. It's important. If there's reason to be concerned, I'll let you know.”
Chapter Twelve
ONCE WE GOT HOME, Linda broke the silence of the drive. “I think we have more than a problem. Look at what happened. They sent the Secretary of Energy to investigate. They have a device that they think might detect the portal.” She stopped short, I could tell she was thinking, and then asked, “You don't think they bugged us last night, do you?” she asked.
* * *
THE SUBURBAN ROLLED through the parking lot and stopped at the baby jet waiting at the edge of the runway. The open field surrounding the landing strip was protected north and south by woods that blocked the view from the road. Piles of brick and lumber sat by two small trailers. Tom took out his phone. “Mr. President, we're done here. We'll be back in about an hour.” A group of robins landed on the grass next to the tarmac. “Yes, sir. I took care of everything. We were lucky. Ms. Russell and Ms. McAllister came to the school, so I got all three houses. I didn't do Ms. Horton's place, though. Too much traffic. She lives in an apartment complex. Yes. Madam Secretary,” he held the phone out. “The president wants to speak to you.”
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