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Twenty-Two

 

Eventually the gravel road met a secondary highway, and Frank turned east on it. Before long they passed a Reduce Speed sign. Frank slowed, and his headlights picked up another sign: Speed Limit 35, and then Swabia, pop. 805.

"Maybe there'll be a place to eat here," he said. "It's been a long time since lunch."

Paul said nothing; he was almost broke and only a few hundred miles from home now. He could hold out.

"That'd be fine with me," said Vic. "I'm hungry enough to eat the rear end out of a skunk."

Ahead, a Texaco sign stood in its own lights. Next to the station was a small cafe with a sign that read "Eats." Frank slowed further. "As a matter of general principle," he said, "I don't go into places with a sign that says 'Eats,' but this time..."

Before he could finish, they saw the white Caddy parked beside the place. Frank pulled up in front. "Go on in," he said. "I'm going to fill my tank, in case the gas station's getting ready to close. I'll be in in a minute."

Vic and Paul went into the cafe, where Ole, Carol, and Jerry were sitting in the large corner booth, grinning at their entry. Jerry stood up as the newcomers walked over to them.

"Ole said we'd better take the big booth," said Carol. "He said you'd be along."

"It's your fault," Ole said to Vic, "you and those processes you run on me. I didn't used to be vorth a damn for knowing the future. Now I could go into competition vith Madame Tanya."

The waitress came over with three hamburgers and a pair of menus. Vic and Paul both declined a menu. "Just give me two hamburgers," Vic said, "with french fries and coffee. I really feel hungry."

"I don't want anything," said Paul.

"Are you sure?" Ole asked. "I'm buying. I don't do that very often, so everybody better take advantage of it."

"Okay, I'll have a burger and coffee."

"And bring a coffee for another guy," Vic added. "He'll be in in a couple of minutes."

"What's Frank doing?" Jerry asked.

"Gassing up."

Vic looked at Ole. "What happened to you guys?"

"I stopped at a eating place, and after a few minutes, v'en you guys didn t come in, I figured you'd vent on by. And then I got this idea that you vas in trouble vith the police, at a roadblock, and that ve vould be too if ve followed you. So ve bypassed."

Vic grinned. "You sure called that one right." He began to tell them what had happened, as far as he knew it. Their coffee arrived, and then Frank came in and gave his order.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened to make them let us go," Vic finished, "but I've got half an idea. Something about a lieutenant in Albuquerque." He looked at Jerry. "I don't suppose you know anything about that."

Jerry grinned. "My psychic powers tell me it was a Lieutenant Joseph Parmeter of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

"Jesus!" Diacono said. "They let us out on the basis of a phony telephone call? That's about as miraculous as lightning hitting that fallen tree!"

"That's right," said Carol. "Jerry, that puts you in the same class as rain gods."

"V'y not?" Ole said. He looked around then, and somehow each of them gave him their full attention. "It vas a good thing ve veren't together. Maybe that's the vay ve should travel: separate. If there is only vun person monitoring us, he's going to have a hell of a time if ve're on two different routes."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Vic said. "How will we split up? The same way we've been?" He looked around at the others. "How does this seem to the rest of you?"

"It makes sense," said Jerry. "Somehow I don't like it, but I think we ought to do it, if we can figure out a way to get together at the other end."

"Carol?" asked Vic.

She nodded soberly. "As long as there's someone with each group who can do what's needed when we get to Isle Royale. Otherwise, we need to stay together." She looked at Ole. "Can you do it? Jerry and I haven't been through a gate; I'm afraid I wouldn't even recognize one."

"Ya, I feel like ve could pull it off alone if ve needed to. V'at I'm looking at is improving the odds that at least vun set of us gets there, although the vay ve been going, I'd say ve'll all probably get there." He paused then and looked at Paul. "Except our hitchhiker, of course, who's only going partvay. You're velcome to stay vith us to Oklahoma if you vant, but novun here vill blame you if you decide to split now. Ve ain't the safest people to be vith."

Paul matched eyes with Ole. "Could I be any use to you if I stayed with you all the way up north? I'm not needed in Oklahoma right away. There's not that much to do on the farm till March." His eyes made the circuit of faces. "But maybe I ought to know what you're doing."

"It's a wild story," Jerry said, and looked at Vic before turning back to Paul. "Most people would say we're crazy if we told them."

The Indian grunted. "Most people would think I was crazy if they knew what I'd believe."

They paused then as the waitress brought the rest of the burgers. Vic looked at his. "Boy, I think my mouth was bigger than my appetite. I can't eat all this. Can anyone help me?"

He looked at Paul, who knew then why Vic had ordered two burgers instead of one. "I'd be obliged if you'd eat one of these for me," Vic went on. "You're enough bigger to hold two, and besides, you and me need to have a long talk tonight, and it'll work out better if you don't have an empty stomach. There's a lot I need to tell you if you're thinking about going up north with us."

As they ate, they agreed to separate when they left. They'd meet again at Duluth on the evening of January 24. None of them had ever been in Duluth before, so no place was specified except that it would be near the airport. Vic and Ole seemed content that this was planning enough, and the others, if less than comfortable with the arrangements, were willing to accept their casual confidence as sufficient grounds to go for it.

After an exchange of hugs, Ole left with Jerry and Carol. They'd turn north on Route 277. Frank and Vic, with Paul, finished their suppers and lingered briefly over pie and coffee before they left. Frank said he'd have no trouble staying awake at the wheel.

Vic and Paul climbed into the camper shell and bundled up. Vic would give Paul a session sufficient to make it all at least semi-real to him, and then a brief rundown on their mission.

* * *

The big Indian was perhaps the readiest of anyone Vic had ever worked with, except Ole. They didn't quit until well after midnight, when Frank pulled off on the shoulder for a break.

Vic relieved Frank at the wheel then, and Paul and Frank settled down in the camper to sleep. In the few minutes it took Frank to drift off, it occurred to him that the older man was a marvel. He had no doubt that Vic would drive on until breakfast with no difficulty at all.

Then Frank was asleep, and as he slept he dreamed of a beautiful woman, her raven hair worn bobbed.

 

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