Out of the Sun by Robert Goddard Page A

emphysema means tobacco is a banned substance in this house, I fear. And it's a ban Mace polices rigorously."
    "Well, the sea air must be ... good for .. ."
    "Clarity? Yes, it is." She glanced out through the window, where the fall of the land and the lie of the garden hedge disclosed a sun-winking wedge of the North Sea. "Clarity of thought as well as respiration." She looked back at Harry, then down at the book she had been reading. Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness by Roger Penrose. It looked a fat and formidable work. "I don't suppose you're familiar with Professor Penrose's .. . No, of course not. You're not a mathematician, are you, Mr. Barnett?"
    "No. I'm afraid not. But I'm here about a mathematician."
    "David? Yes. Poor boy. I really was so very sorry to hear what had happened to him. It would always be sad, naturally. But for the possessor of such a first-class brain .. . Well, you're a friend of the family, so I need hardly elaborate."
    "Actually, I don't know David at all. To be honest, I don't think you could really call me a friend. Of any member of the family."
    "Could one not? Well, well. You do intrigue me." She grinned mischievously as Mace brought in his coffee. "Mr. Barnett is here under false pretences, Mace. What do you think of that?"
    "I think it's not so unusual," said Mace. She placed the cup at Harry's elbow and left again without looking at either of them, the hem of her dress brushing past the plants like a forest breeze.
    Dr. Tilson chuckled. "You didn't want sugar, did you, Mr. Barnett?"
    "Er .. . No."
    "Just as well. Mace obviously decided it would be bad for you." Her gaze narrowed. "But don't let me distract you from explaining yourself."
    Harry sipped evasively at the coffee before replying. It tasted insipid enough to be decaffeinated. "I'm David's natural father."
    Dr. Tilson nodded reflectively as she absorbed the information,
    then said: "Why don't I find that as surprising as I should?"
    "A resemblance, perhaps. David's ex-wife thought she noticed something in my smile."
    "Yes. I think she's right. Put three stones and twenty-five years on David and I suppose you're something like what one would get."
    "Thanks very much."
    "Take it as compliment, Mr. Barnett. I met Mr. Yenning once. David's legal father as I suppose I should call him. You represent an improvement, believe me. But let's come to the point. What brings you here?"
    "Some of David's possessions seem to be missing. Which makes the circumstances of his insulin overdose look less straightforward than most people seem to think."
    "Which .. . possessions ... in particular?"
    "His mathematical notebooks. I gather he always carried the latest few around with him. Did he have them with him when he last visited you?"
    "Yes. Most certainly he did. We glanced through some of his recent work. I'm flattered to say he still values my opinion. Mathematicians peak early, Mr. Barnett. David would be thought by some to be past his best already, even without ... As for a septuagenarian like myself, well, the present generation look upon me as a museum piece. Those that don't assume I'm long dead, that is. David is exceptional in his ability to disregard the fashions of the moment when assessing mathematical significance. It's an ability that did little for his career. But as for posterity, that could prove to be a vastly different matter."
    "You mean David's on the track of some important discovery?"
    "Maybe. To be honest, some of his calculations proved to be a little beyond me. My mind simply isn't as agile as it once was. I can't help hoping emphysema will claim me before Alzheimer's does."
    "But you did see what he was working on?"
    "Some of it. He was reluctant to show me everything. He said much of the material was too speculative to be shared. But there was certainly plenty of it. The freedom he's enjoyed since leaving Globescope had evidently been put to good use."
    "Did he say why he left