“What expedition?” Dodgson said, leaning forward.
“Levine’s been planning some kind of expedition for a year or so He’s ordered special vehicles from a company called Mobile Field Systems. It’s a small operation in Woodside, run by a guy named Jack Thorne. Thorne outfits Jeeps and trucks for scientists doing field research. Scientists in Africa and Sichuan and Chile all swear by them.”
“Malcolm knows about this expedition?”
“He Must. He’s gone to Thorne’s place, occasionally. Every month or so. And of course Levine’s been going there almost every day, That’s how he got thrown in jail.”
“Thrown in jail?” Baselton said.
“Yeah,” James said, glancing at his notes. “Let’s see. February tenth, Levine was arrested for driving a hundred and twenty in a fifteen zone. Right in front of Woodside Junior High. The judge impounded his Ferrari, yanked his license, and gave him community service. Basically ordered him to teach a class at the school.”
Baselton smiled. “Richard Levine teaching junior high. I’d love to see that.”
“He’s been pretty conscientious. Of course he’s spending time in Woodside, anyway, with Thorne. That is, until he left the country.”
“When did he leave the country?” Dodgson said.
“Two days ago. He went to Costa Rica. Short trip, he was due back early this morning.”
And where is he now?”
“I don’t know. And I’m afraid, uh, it’s going to be hard to find out.”
“Why is that?”
James hesitated, coughed, “Because he was on the passenger manifest of the flight from Costa Rica – but he wasn’t on the plane when it landed. My contact in Costa Rica says he checked out of his hotel in San José before the flight, and never went back. Didn’t take any other flight out of the city. So, uh, for the moment, I’m afraid that Richard Levine has disappeared.”
There was a long silence. Dodgson sat back in the booth, hissing between his teeth. He looked at Baselton, who shook his head. Dodgson very carefully picked up all the sheets of paper, tapped them on the table, making a neat stack. He slipped them back into the manila envelope, and handed the envelope to James.
“Now listen, you stupid son of a bitch,” Dodgson said. “There’s only one thing I want from you now. It’s very simple. Are you listening?”
James swallowed. “I’m listening.”
Dodgson leaned across the table. “Find him,” he said.
Berkeley
In his cluttered Office, Malcolm looked up from his desk as his assistant, Beverly, came into the room. She was followed by a man from DHL, carrying a small box.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Dr. Malcolm, but you have to sign these forms….It’s that sample from Costa Rica.”
Malcolm stood, and walked around the desk. He didn’t use his cane. In recent weeks, he had been working steadily to walk without the cane. He still had occasional pain in his leg, but he was determined to make progress. Even his physical therapist, a perpetually cheery woman named Cindy, had commented on it. “Gee, after all these years, suddenly you’re motivated, Dr. Malcolm,” she had said. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, you know,” Malcolm had said to her. “Can’t rely on a cane forever.
The truth was rather different. Confronted by Levine’s relentless enthusiasm for the lost-world hypothesis, his excited telephone calls at all hours of the day and night, Malcolm had begun to reconsider his own views. And he had come to believe that it was quite possible – even probable -that extinct animals existed in a remote, previously unsuspected location. Malcolm had his own reasons for thinking so, which he had only hinted at to Levine.
But the possibility of another island location was what led him to walk unaided. He wanted to prepare for a future visit to this island. And so he had begun to make the effort, day after day.
He and Levine had narrowed their search down to a string of islands along the Costa Rican coast, and Levine was as always very intense in his excitement. But to Malcolm it remained hypothetical.
He refused to get excited until there was hard evidence – photographs, or actual tissue samples – to demonstrate the existence of new animals. And so far, Malcolm had seen nothing at all. He was not sure whether he was disappointed or relieved.