Time Travelers Never Die - Jack McDevitt [136]
“What?”
“They don’t look much alike in detail. If they ever get around to comparing Mr. Randall’s panoramic with Shel’s wings, they’ll notice something’s wrong. But it should be good enough to get by.” She transferred the data, everything except the panoramic, from Shel’s disk to Randall’s.
A car pulled up outside.
Helen put Shel’s panoramic disk in her pocket, marked his name on the Randall disk, and placed it in the folder.
Dave heard a siren. Getting louder. “Helen, I think we may have tripped an internal alarm.”
“Probably.”
“We have to go.”
“All set.” She replaced the folder and closed the file drawer just as the siren arrived and shut off. Blinds covered the windows, but rotating lights leaked through.
More car doors and voices. Out front and in the parking lot.
They retreated to the back and began taking Victor down from the X-ray machine. Meantime, they heard keys in the front door. “It’s taking too long,” Helen whispered.
The door opened. A flashlight shone in. A voice said, “Police.” Then the door swung wide, and more beams appeared. The plan had been that David would take the corpse directly to the town house, remove the converter, and return with it for Helen. But time was becoming a problem.
The body came free and fell into his arms as the police started down the corridor. Dave began to attach Helen’s converter while she wiped off the headrest and checked the floor to be sure no blood had been spilled. Then she and Dave turned off their penlights.
The passageway lights came on.
“We don’t have time,” she whispered. “We’re going to have to leave the body.” She inserted a fresh disk into the X-ray machine.
“We can’t do that.”
“Have to. No choice.”
Maybe there was.
The cops ordered them to come out into the passageway. “Where we can see you. And get your hands up.”
“Helen.” A new voice, in the dark.
Dave’s voice. A second Dave’s voice.
Damn. It had worked. The second David held a converter out for an astonished Helen. “Take it. Quick.”
Dumbfounded, she looked from one to the other, then grabbed the laptop.
The voices were right outside the door.
David activated Victor’s converter, watched him fade, and followed. The darkened dental office went away, and he was back in the den at the town house, standing beside the desk. Victor’s body lay on the floor.
Helen, still in a state of near shock, appeared, followed instantly by the second David. She stared at one. Then the other. Leaned on a side table. “Are you twins?”
“No.”
“What’s happening?” she asked. “Where’d he come from?” But she wasn’t sure which he she was referring to.
The two Davids laughed. Then the one who’d come in with the body removed the converter and set it to return to the point of departure.
“Where are you going?” asked Helen.
“Back to rescue you.” He grinned. “I’ll arrive a couple of minutes ago.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Take care,” he said.
“Wait.”
“Got to go.” He hit the button.
And he was back, watching himself bend over poor dead Victor, trying to decide what to do.
“. . . Have to leave the body,” said Helen, while inserting a disk into the orthopantomograph.
The David who was about to attach the converter to the body shook his head no. “We can’t do that.”
“Have to,” said Helen. “No choice.”
“Helen.” He couldn’t see her well in the dark. But he heard her gasp. He pressed the converter into her hands, the one he’d removed from Victor back in the town house. “Take it,” he said. “Quick.”
She got it into her hands. Almost dropped it.
Dave and the body went away as lights went on and two police officers burst into the room, guns drawn. Helen started to fade, and Dave pressed the black button.
THEY were all back in the living room.
Helen gawked at him. At both of them. “Are you twins?”
The David who’d been with Helen