Zero History

and Heidi, and you and the others, have formed a rogue wave without meaning to, and
none of it could have been predicted. He has one great advantage, though.”
“What’s that?”
“He already believes that that’s how the world is. Show him a wave, he’ll try to surf it.”
“I think you’re like that. It worries me. I think you’re doing it right now.”
He touched the hair above her ear, smoothed it back. “Because you’re in it.”
“I know,” she said, “but also because you can. Isn’t that true?”
“Yes. It is. Though after this, it won’t be true in the same way. That’s obvious to me,
and was obvious before you called me. I’d already seen it, on hospital ceilings. Same for
the old man. I knew when he told me about this.” He tapped the black square. “This is a
big one. Probably the biggest he had. I’d no inkling about this. The potential, for one
grand exploit, is fabulous. But he’s given it to me to make it easier to get my girlfriend,
and her freak of an employer, out of trouble.”
She noticed the Blue Ant figurine on the bedside table, beside the phone. “Where’s that
GPS thing? I don’t want to lose track of it.”
He looked at his watch. “It should be headed up the Amazon by now. By boat.”
“The Amazon?”
He shrugged, put his arm around her. “By courier. Slowly. If Mr. Big End is tracking it,
he’ll know we’ve played a joke. If it’s someone else, they may think you’re headed up the
Amazon.”
“Someone put it in my bag when I went to Paris.”
“Staff.”
“Here?”
“Of course.”
“That’s scary.”
“But I’ve thought of it. And I’m always here, which simplifies things.”
“Who was here, earlier?”
“Charlie.”
“Graying, Asian, plaid tam?”
“Charlie.”
“He’s almost as wide as he’s tall.”
“Ghurka. Tapers toward the waist. Jewel, Charlie. How do you ever manage to do
anything intimate in here, with all of these heads and things staring?”
“I have absolutely no idea. Never having tried.”
“Really,” he said.