kill Ted Hockney because no man could’ve torn him apart like that. So they won’t
put a lock on my accounts.”
“If federal agencies are behind the research that produced Einstein and this
creature,” Garrison said, “then they’ll be hot to get their hands on you, and
they might freeze your accounts.”
“Maybe. But probably not right away. You’re in the same town, so your bank
should clear my check by Monday at the latest.”
“What’ll you do for funds in the meantime, while you’re waiting for me to send
you the forty thousand?”
“We’ve got some cash and traveler’s checks left over from the honeymoon,” Nora
said.
“And my credit cards,” Travis added.
“They can track you by credit cards and traveler’s checks.”
“I know,” Travis said. “So I’ll use them in a town where we don’t intend to
stay, and we’ll scoot out fast as we can.”
“When I’ve purchased the cashier’s checks for forty thousand, where do I send
them?”
“We’ll be in touch by phone,” Travis said, returning to the couch and sitting at
Nora’s side. “We’ll work something out.”
“And the rest of your assets—and Nora’s?”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Nora said.
Garrison frowned. “Before you leave here, Travis, you can sign a letter giving
me the right to represent you in any legal matters that may
arise. If anyone does try to freeze your assets, or Nora’s, I can beat them off
if at all possible—though I’ll keep a low profile until they connect me with
you.”
“Nora’s funds are probably safe for a while. She and I haven’t told anyone but
you about the marriage. The neighbors will tell the police I left in the company
of a woman, but they won’t know who she is. Have you told anyone about us?”
“Just my secretary, Mrs. Ashcroft. But she’s not a gossip.”
“All right, then,” Travis said. “I don’t think the authorities will find out
about the marriage license, so they might take quite a while to come up with
Nora’s name. But when they do, they’ll discover you’re her attorney. If they
monitor my accounts for canceled checks in the hope of learning where I’ve gone,
they’ll know about the twenty thousand I paid to you, and they’ll come looking
for you—”
“That doesn’t give me the slightest pause,” Garrison said.
“Maybe not,” Travis said. “But as soon as they connect me to Nora and both of us
to you, they’ll be watching you closely. As soon as that happens . . . then the
next time we call, you’ll have to tell us at once, so we can hang up and break
off all contact with you.”
“I understand perfectly,” the attorney said.
“Garrison,” Nora said, “you don’t have to involve yourself in this. We’re really
asking too much of you.”
“Listen, my dear, I’m almost seventy-one. I still enjoy my law practice, and I
still go sailing . . . but in truth I find life a bit on the dull side these
days. This affair is just what I need to get my ancient blood flowing faster.
Besides, I do believe you have an obligation to help keep Einstein free, not
just for the reasons you mentioned but because . . . mankind has no right to
employ its genius in the creation of another intelligent species, then treat it
like property. If we’ve come so far that we can create as God creates, then we
have to learn to act with the justice and mercy of God. In this case, justice
and mercy require that Einstein remain free.”
Einstein raised his head from the attorney’s lap, gazed up admiringly, then
nuzzled his cold nose under Garrison’s chin.
In the three-car garage, Garrison kept a new black Mercedes 560 SEL, an older
white Mercedes 500 SEL with pale-blue interior, and a green Jeep that he used
primarily to drive down to the marina, where he kept his boat.
“The white one used to belong to Francine, my wife,” the attorney said as he led
them to the car. “I don’t use it much any more, but I keep it in Working order,
and I drive it often enough to prevent the tires from disintegrating. I should