BACKTRACKER by Milo Fowler (books to read in your 30s TXT) 📗

"No idea who dropped it off?" He glanced at Armstrongbefore tearing the top off the envelope in one clean stroke. "The vidfeedsdidn't catch anybody?"

Armstrong stared at the open end of the package as Muldoon tippedit and shook whatever was inside into the palm of his hand.

"Nobody. Was like they knew the orientation of oursurveillance cams."

"They kept out of range." The plastic wristwatch landedwith an absence of fanfare. Muldoon looked down at it without a change inexpression. "Well, what do you know."

Armstrong blinked. "That's it?"

"Notquite." Therewas something else in the package, a thin ream of what looked like paper, boundon the side. An actual book. "Looks like nostalgia comes in two's,Sarge."

He set the wristwatch on the sergeant's desk and pulled out thesmall dog-eared book. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He stared at thesketch of the cat with a broad, full set of teeth on the cover. Alternate teethhad been shaded in grey. He didn't know what to say. Not a single quip.

"Well now. That's odd, isn't it?" Armstrong reached forthe wristwatch, turning it over in his sausage-fingers. "I remember havin'one of these as a lad. They kinda went out with the buffalo once the Link came online.For adults, anyhow."

Muldoon flipped through the book, refreshing his memory of whatthat old library had smelled like, back when he was a kid. The last one intown. He couldn't remember the most recent paper-and-print book he'd read. Notsince the Link.

The novelty alone of this time-worn children's classic was enoughto hold his interest at first, but then he noticed something. The pages slowedthrough his fingers. On every page, starting at the beginning of the firstchapter, certain letters had been circled in black ink. A t from to,an i from into, an m from mind. Some kind ofmessage?

"I hate to say it, but looks like somebody's just pullin'your chain." Armstrong dropped the wristwatch onto the desk in disgust andsat back with an explosive sigh. "Sorry to drag you down here for this.Wish it'd been more."

"Yeah." Muldoon closed the book and slid it into theenvelope. "You and me both."

"Maybe you could auction them off on the Link." Heshrugged. "I'm sure there's a collector or two who'd be interested in thiskinda crap."

"Now there's an idea." Muldoon scooped the wristwatchinto the envelope as well and tucked the package inside his coat. "Or Icould start a collection of my own." He nodded toward the old cop'sclutter. "Follow your example."

"Hey now, these are high-value items!" Armstrong grinned. "That's the spirit,lad. Don't let a thing like this get to your head. That's what they want, thosejokers. Nothing else better to do than to try and screw around with us.Cowards, hiding in shadows. That's all they are. They don't give us a fightingchance to even the score!"

Muldoon was ready to leave, but he didn't want it to look like hewas in a hurry. No reason to be rude. "No prints?"

"On the package?" Armstrong cursed. "Not a one.They were careful." Then he chuckled again, shaking his head. "Eitherthat or... Like I said. Left by a ghost."

"Get one of your techs to tune up the surveillance feeds.Isn't there some kind of poltergeist spectrum?" He half-smiled ashe turned away.

Armstrong exploded with laughter. "Go on, get outta here!"

"Don't have to tell me twice." Muldoon raised a hand infarewell as the door slid open before him, and he left the sergeant to hischuckles and bad coffee.

Hard to believe, but the volume of human traffic outside hadincreased. Muldoon shouldered his way through bodies like a fish swimmingagainst the current. He kept one hand inside his coat to hold the package inplace. Why had it been left for him? What could the message inside the bookpossibly mean? He couldn't even begin to guess the purpose of the wristwatch.

"Destination?" droned the Paradox computer, itsengine idling where he'd left it at the curb. Now five empty taxicabs weredoing the same, parked in front and behind.

"Office." He dropped the large envelope onto thepassenger seat and buckled on the safety harness. "Automatic drive."

"Confirmed."

He stared at the book's edge protruding from the open end of thepackage. He watched it warily, as if it contained something dangerous,something that might take his life on a course he'd never be able to turn backfrom. One he never could have imagined.

Almost as if he already knew that it would.

"Estimated time of arrival: ten minutes, due to trafficconditions." The car pulled away from the curb. The twin steering gripswobbled independently.

Muldoon snatched up the book and turned to chapter one. "Downthe Rabbit-Hole." He scanned the first four letters circled sequentially;they spelled TIME. Then the next twelve: DISPLACEMENT.

There was more.

A lot more.

SIX

Now

Gavin Lennox considered himself enlightened. He held noprejudices, no bigotries, to the best of hisknowledge, against any particular peoplegroup. He treated everyone the same. Fairly. Even the synthetics under hisemploy—he'd always afforded them the dignity the government said they deserved.

So it was not intolerance in any shape or form that caused him toshrink back at the sight of the two followers of the Way seated on either side of Mayor JosephReeves. Instead, it was something akin to shock.

"Here he is, just the man we've been waiting for!" Themayor stood, clapping once in delight and grinning broadly as he opened his arms wide. The two men in white robes rose from theirseats. Reeves strode forward from the table and beckoned Lennox within reach."Gentlemen," he said, half-turning toward the monks, "may I introduce to you the man of the hour, Mr. Gavin Lennox himself!"

Lennox felt himself stiffen as the mayor slid a bulky arm aroundhis back, and he watched the two holymen bow toward him at the waist. Their skin wasdarker, but otherwise, they looked exactly like the sword-wielding apparitionhe'd encountered in the alley outside.

Outside an alternate nightclub in another reality. The Pit.

"Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Lennox," said the one onthe right, his teeth an even row of bulky ivories. "We have been told muchabout you."

Lennox forced a smile, one crafted to make him appear at ease andin complete control of the situation. "Nothing true, I hope."

The mayor guffawed and clapped