“Um, I really don’t like small planes,” she said.
“It’s okay, darling, this is not a small plane. It’s a race car with
wings,” said Nick.
“Nicely put, my friend,” Dennis said.
“This is the finest aircraft ever built.” Nick put his hand on her
shoulder. “I promise. Have I lied to you yet?”
“No. I don’t think so.” She shuffled her feet up the sandpaper- coated metal stairs.
Above the clouds, the plane handled as Nick described. The flight was as fast and smooth as driving a sports car. Nick sipped a scotch and soda and put his feet up on the ottoman in front of his seat.
“Was there a caller ID on your phone when Hans called?”
“Yes, I wrote it down. The area code was 703—he called from
Virginia.”
“Maybe we can track him down.”
“I doubt it,” said Shelly. She sat back, feeling more relaxed now that the first hour of the trip was behind them. “Probably a public phone.”
“Well, if we find him, you’ll have to hold me back because I’ll slug him.”
Shelly looked at him with curious, shocked eyes.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he continued. “I’m thrilled we got the information. In 1972, this guy walked into St. Theresa’s and saved your life. Why did so many others have to die since then? Why didn’t he spare Kristen? What did he know and why didn’t he tell others? For that matter, if this was a military operation, why did they keep it secret?” He stopped to take a healthy sip of his drink. “I’m just pissed. The more I think about it, the more I realize I was right. Somewhere in this world there was somebody with the cure to cancer hidden in a safe. My guess is this guy is dying, and he’s trying to set things right before meeting his maker.”
“Nick,” she said. “I agree, but you need to settle down and look at the bright side. We may have the cure for cancer in our hands. That’s huge. Bigger than any invective you can spout out. And not to mention, the search for the cure brought us together. That’s also huge. At least I think so.”
“I know, you’re right, but I can’t keep from thinking of how
many lives were lost. So many.” Images of his mother and his