Book of Days_ A Novel - James L. Rubart [96]
By the time he got back to Java Jump Start, his walls were back in place and thicker than ever.
"Are you going to tell me what you know?" he said to Ann as soon as he plopped down beside her.
He couldn't decipher the look on her face. "Are you going to tell me why you left?"
"Can we get this thing done?"
She stared at him for a full ten seconds. "Sure." She scooted her chair closer to the table and leaned in. "No problem."
"Sorry."
"For what?"
"For being . . . for not . . ."
"Don't worry about it." She tapped the table with her pen. "Let me show you what I think. I was stumped for a while too because I assumed it would be one constellation. But it's more than one; it's a combination just like you guessed. Whoever put this mystery together apparently wants us to work a little harder, but not much. Do you want me to show you, or do you want to take another run at it?"
"Run." Cameron went back to work and within two minutes had the answer. "It's a combination of Vela and Pyxis."
"Yes."
"So now we figure out what these constellations have to do with the areas of the world where the stones are or what it has to do with the legend of the book, and we're on our way to discovering its resting place."
"Or it leads us to another part of an elaborate goose chase someone has cleverly devised that will never get us to the end of the rainbow."
"True believer, aren't you?" He smoothed out the map of the night sky. "Since you've had some time to think about this, what are your theories?"
Ann bobbed her head and smiled slightly. "Three ideas so far. One, of course is what you just said; that the pattern points us to Vela and Pyxis and something about those constellations is a clue. Two, it's a map or pattern you lay over each area where the rocks are found and it guides you somehow. Or three, and the most likely, it's the model of a four-dimensional portal we can build with cereal boxes and a roll of duct tape that will instantly transport us to the nearest Book of Days."
"Can we stay serious for a moment?"
Ann crossed a leg underneath her and leaned in. "If you're ready to get serious, I'm more than ready."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She waved her hand at the map, the papers, and the table. "Do I really have to convince you this whole thing is a hoax? Don't you know, right here?" Ann tapped his chest.
Cameron didn't answer.
"If you're excited about this connect-the-dots exercise because it means we're drilling down to the answers to an elaborate puzzle, great. If you think we're close to exposing a game that's been perpetuated on Three Peaks, fine. But that look in your eyes tells me you really and truly believe the book could exist."
"It could."
"How, Cameron?"
"Are the stones real?"
"Yes."
He raised his eyebrows, leaned back in his chair, and flipped open his palms. "Well?"
"Come on. I can show you evidence Kennedy was shot by seven men or the CIA or the Mafia, depending on what stack of facts I want to haul out. I can prove to you, not in theory but using photos and conversations and hardcore evidence, that we never landed on the moon."
"And your point is?"
Ann glared at him.
"Maybe you're right. But does it really matter? Say it's all faked. You're curious. I'm curious. It means we both want the same thing: to find out where this thing leads. It's a great story either way. And I have to hope this book is genuine."
"Why?"
He closed his eyes. "You know why."
"Why?"
"Can't you imagine for a moment it's real?"
"No." She took a sip of Cameron's coffee. "Did you see that movie The Game with Michael Douglas? It involved an elaborate setup that took him all over the globe hunting down clues and putting his brain through a psychological blender. Coincidences and patterns were in place that looked impossible for someone to have set up. Things were real and then they weren't, upside down, right side up."
"I saw the movie."
"Did you know it's based on real life? That there really is a 'game'