Infinity Beach - Jack McDevitt [65]
Under other circumstances it would have struck her as a hopelessly mind-numbing career. But there was a lilt in his voice when he talked about it. And he seemed to understand exactly what she was thinking, that it was the work of a dull intellect. So he shrugged and laughed in a self-deprecating way that left her almost helpless. “Born to be a librarian,” he said.
Holding up her end of the conversation was no mean feat. Having manufactured a false name, she was forced to construct a series of lies. She was a teacher, she explained. Of mathematics. She’d secured a position at Danforth University and would start in about two weeks. At first she had a hard time recalling that her name was Kay. A general sense of confusion seemed to have set in.
Toward the end of the evening she was having trouble remembering what she’d said, what branch of math she specialized in, the name of the school in which she’d worked in Terminal City, the exact date she’d arrived in Salonika. Had that question even come up? She was sure it had.
Where was she from originally?
“Eagle Point.”
“My brother lives there, Kay. What part of Eagle Point?”
What part did she know? She had to make up a name. “The Calumet,” she told him, hoping he wasn’t familiar with the town either.
“Oh yes.” His reaction implied he knew the place well. Was he playing with her? Or was he being less than honest?
She began to realize that this was an evening she would always remember. And she visualized herself years from now recalling Mike Plymouth and wondering with a pang what had become of him.
“I should be getting home,” she said finally.
“It is getting late,” he agreed.
He insisted on escorting her, so she named a hotel, not the one she and Solly were actually using, and the cab took them there. As it drifted down through the cloudswept sky toward a landing pad, they fell silent.
“Will I see you again?” he asked, as though he’d detected something, knew there would not be a second evening.
“You can reach me here at the hotel, Mike.” There was another quiet stretch after that. The lights rose up around them, and she understood that they were both embarrassed, but only she knew why. The cab touched down, and she climbed out into a brisk wind. He joined her, and they stood holding hands, gazing at each other. “Mike,” she said, “I had a lovely evening.”
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No. I’m just worn out, I think. Been a long day.”
He kissed her lightly. Her body stiffened and he smiled sadly at her, sensing the distance. “I’m glad I met you, Kay,” he said.
He squeezed her hand, looked in the direction of the elevator and back toward his cab. “I’d like very much to do something like this tomorrow.”
“Yes,” she said. “That would be nice.” But she didn’t want him calling during the day. Maybe find out she didn’t live here after all. “Pick me up at nine?” she said.
“Count on it.”
“Good. And maybe you should let me have your number. Just in case.”
“You’re a lovely woman, Kay,” he said. Then he was standing by the cab while she followed the ramp to the elevator bank. She got in and punched the button for the lobby. He waved, she waved back, and the doors closed.
You’re an idiot, Kay.
“How’d it go?” asked Solly.
She shrugged. “Okay.”
“He didn’t show any sign of catching on, did he?”
“No. He has no idea.”
“Good. I got the package off to Alan. He’s not happy.”
Alan was Solly’s buddy at the Institute lab. “Well, he knows we’re doing something illegal and if we get caught he’s going to be in the soup too.”
“He knows we wouldn’t blow the whistle on him.”
“Wouldn’t matter,” she said. “It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out who was helping