Code to Zero Page 0,54

phone and ran out the door. Pete saw him and ran after him. They went down to the parking lot and jumped into Anthony's car.

The fact that Luke had spoken with Elspeth dismayed Anthony. It suggested that everything was coming unglued. But maybe if he got to Luke before anyone else, he could hold things together. It took them four minutes to drive to Independence Avenue and 10th Street. They left the car outside the back entrance to the museum and ran into the old hangar that was the Aircraft Building.

There was a payphone near the entrance, but no sign of Luke.

'Split up,' Anthony said. I'll go right, you go left.' He walked through the exhibits, scrutinizing the faces of the men as they gazed into the glass cases and stared up at the aircraft suspended from the ceiling. At the far end of the building he met up with Pete, who made an empty-hands gesture.

There were some restrooms and offices to one side. Pete checked the men's room and Anthony looked in the offices. Luke must have called from one of these phones, but/he was not here_now.

Pete came out of the men's room and said: 'Nothing.'

Anthony said: 'This is a catastrophe.'

Pete frowned. 'Is it?' he said. 'A catastrophe? Is this guy more important than you've told me?'

"Yes,' Anthony said. 'He could be the most dangerous man in America.'

'Christ'

Against the end wall, Anthony saw stacked chairs and a movable lectern. A young man in a tweed suit was talking to two men in overalls. Anthony recalled that Elspeth had said Luke was with a bunch of physicists. Maybe he could still pick up the trail.

He approached the man in the tweed suit and said: 'Excuse me, was there a meeting of some kind here?'

'Sure, Professor Larkley gave a lecture on rocket

fuels,' the young man said. 'I'm Will McDermot, I organized it as part of International Geophysical Year.'

'Was Dr Claude Lucas here?'

Yes. Are you a friend of his?'

Yes.'

'Did you know he's lost his memory? He didn't even know his own name, until I told him.'

Anthony suppressed a curse. He had been afraid of this from the moment Elspeth had said she had spoken, to Luke. He knew who he was.

'I need to locate Dr Lucas urgently,' Anthony said.

'What a shame, you just missed him."

'Did he say where he was going?'

'No. I tried to encourage him to see a doctor, get himself checked out, but he said he was fine. I thought he seemed very shocked - '

Yes, thank you, I appreciate your help.' Anthony turned and walked quickly away. He was furious.

Outside on Independence Avenue he saw a police cruiser. Two cops were checking out a car parked on the other side of the road. Anthony went closer and saw that the car was a blue-and white Ford Fairlane. 'Look at that,' he said to Pete. He checked the licence plate. It was the car Nosy Rosy had seen from her Georgetown window.

He showed the patrolmen his CIA identification. 'Did you just spot this car illegally parked?' he said.

The older of the two men replied. 'No, we saw a man driving it on 9th Street,' he said. 'But he got away from us.'

You let him escape?' Anthony said incredulously.

'He turned around and headed right into the traffic!' the younger cop said. 'Hell of a driver, whoever he is.'

'Few minutes later, we see the car parked here, but he's gone.'

Anthony wanted to knock their wooden heads together. Instead, he said: 'This fugitive may have stolen another car in this neighbourhood and made his getaway.' He took a business card out of his billfold. 'If you get a report of a car stolen nearby, would you please call me at this number?'

The older cop read the card and said: I'll make sure to do that, Mr Carroll.'

Anthony 'and Pete returned to the yellow Cadillac and drove away.

Pete said: 'What do you think he'll do now?'

'I don't know. He might go right to the airport and get a plane to Florida; he could go to the Pentagon; he may go to his hotel. Hell, he could take it into his head to go visit his mother in New York. We may have to spread ourselves kind of thin.' He was silent, thinking, while he parked and entered Q Building. Reaching his office, he said: 'I want two men at the airport, two at Union Station, two at the bus station. I want two men in the office calling all known members of Luke's family,