odds against getting an eight-letter word like that, offset on each side with two-centimeter spacings?”
“Ummm,” Lakin said, shrugging. Gordon always had the feeling that at such moments Lakin had some expression in his native language, Hungarian, but couldn’t translate it into English. “I still believe it to be … nonsense. There is no physical effect such as this. Interference from outside, yes. I can believe that. But this, this James Bond Morse code—no.”
With that Lakin shook his head quickly, as though erasing the matter, and ran a hand through his thinning hair. “I think you have wasted your time here.”
“I don’t really—”
“My advice to you is to focus on your true problem. That is to find the source of noise in your electronics. I fail to understand why you cannot seek it out.” Lakin turned, nodded to Cooper curtly, and was gone.
• • •
An hour after Lakin had left, after the equipment was turned off or cycled down, the data collected, the lab books compiled and details filled in, Gordon waved goodbye to Cooper and walked out into the long corridor leading to the outside. He was surprised; the glass doors showed gathering gloom, and Venus rising. Gordon had assumed it was still late afternoon. The frosted glass in each office door was black; everyone had gone home, even Shelly, whom he’d counted on talking to.
Well then, tomorrow. There was always time tomorrow, Gordon thought. He walked down the corridor woodenly, lurching to the side as his briefcase banged against a knee. The labs were in the basement of the new physics building. Because of the slope of the shoreline hills, this end of the building gave out onto flat land. Beyond the glass doors at the end of the corridor night crouched, a black square. Gordon felt that the telescoping hallway was swimming past him, and realized that he was more tired than he thought. He really ought to get more exercise, stay in shape.
As he watched, Penny stepped into the framed darkness and pushed through.
“Oh,” he said, staring at her blankly. He remembered that he had mumbled a promise this morning to come home early and make supper. “Oh damn.”
“Yes. I finally got tired of waiting.”
“God, I’m sorry, I, I just …” He made a gawky gesture. The plain fact was that he had completely forgotten, but it didn’t seem wise to say that.
“Honey, you get too wrapped up.” Her voice softened as she studied his face.
“Well, I know, I … I’m really sorry, God I am …” He thought, self-accusingly, I can’t even get started on an apology. He stared at her and marveled at this compact, well-designed creation, womanly and slight, making him feel bulky and awkward. He really ought to explain how it was with him, how the problems took up all the space inside him while he was working on them, leaving room for nothing else—not even for her, in a sense. It sounded harsh but it was the truth and he tried to think of a way to tell her that without …
“Sometimes I wonder how I can love such a dope,” she said, shaking her head, a small smile beginning.
“Well, I am sorry, but … let me tell you about the set- to we had with Lakin.”
“Yeah, do tell.” She bent over to pick up his briefcase. She was wiry and she lifted the bulging case without difficulty, shifting her hips. Despite his fatigue, Gordon found himself studying the motion. The tightening of her skirt made her thighs leap into outline beneath the fabric. “C’mon, what you need is food.” He began his story. She nodded at his words and led the way out the back and around the liquid nitrogen filling station and down into the small parking lot, where safety lamps cast shadows of the guard railings, making a stretched and warped fretwork on the fresh blacktop.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Penny turned the ignition key and the radio came alive, blaring a shrill, “Pepsi Cola hits the spot! Twelve full ounces, that’s a lot—” Gordon reached over and clicked it off.
Penny pulled out of the parking lot and onto the boulevard. Cool night air fanned her hair. The strands were mousy brown at the scalp but then lightened into blond, bleached by sun and the clorine of swimming pools. A sea tang thickened the soft breeze.
“Your mother called,” Penny said carefully.
“Oh. You told her I’d call back?” Gordon hoped this would chop off the subject.
“She’s flying out soon to visit you.”
“What? Goddamn, why?”
“She