The Legend That Was Earth by James P. Hogan Page B

like that. Sounds like a good idea."
    Cade looked back up at Luke. "Talk to Warren when we're done, would you? Tell him to get the boat set up for a day out. We'll make it a smaller thing this time, just family—something different for them to talk about when they go back to Chryse."
    * * *
    Julia brought up the subject of Marie again that evening, while she and Cade were driving to a dinner party in San Clemente. It struck Cade as unusual. Julia was of a practical disposition and had always tended to leave what was over in the past, where it belonged. What kind of a person had Marie been? Intense, Cade said. A human perpetual-motion machine. One of those women who would never have a weight problem because she burned everything off with nervous energy, regardless of what or how much she ate. So how would he describe their relationship? Julia wanted to know. Cade took one hand off the wheel to make a side-to-side motion in the air. "Mercurial," he told her.
    "How did it end?"
    "She could never really get comfortable with being comfortable. Know what I mean? When life took swings for the better, she seemed to get more guilty about it—as if it wasn't right for her life to be coming together while so many other people's were messed up. She always had this idealistic streak about helping to make the world a better place.... I guess when it became obvious that I wasn't going to change, she decided to move on to find somewhere she could do something about it." They drove in silence, while Julia either contemplated her next question or digested the information. Cade turned his head to glance at her. "What is this? You've never gone into any of this before, and you never do anything without a reason. So what's the reason?"
    Julia remained quiet for an unnaturally long time. Finally, she answered, "An old college friend of mine tracked me down recently—through Dee. Let's say her name's Rebecca. She's in some kind of trouble with the authorities and needs help getting out of the country."
    Cade whistled silently. "As bad as that? What kind of trouble are we talking about?"
    "I didn't ask. But you know what it's like trying to get through the regular exits. Everywhere's watched. They've got everything about you in the computers."
    "Have you decided to start a new line—people smuggling?" Cade asked. Even now he was unable to refrain from a mildly teasing note.
    "She was a close friend, the kind you'd like to do something for." Julia paused again, then drew a long breath as if committing herself finally. "Look, I was asking about Marie to see if there was a chance you might still be on speaking terms. If she is back in the country as those ISS people said, what might the possibility be of contacting her? Doesn't that organization that they said she's with have ways of getting people out—to Asia or somewhere maybe? They're supposed to have a whole underground organization for moving contraband and people, right?"
    Cade glanced at her in mock apprehension. "What are you trying to get me into here? Look, I sympathize with your friend. But even supposing I wanted to get involved, I don't have any idea where Marie is now. I've only got those two spooks' word that she's even back from China."
    Julia, however, was evidently not ready to leave it there. "Come on, you're the Mr. Fixit with connections everywhere, aren't you?" she said. "I know how you work, Roland. Are you really telling me that with all the friends you and she made over the years, you couldn't find a way of getting a message through to her if you really needed to?" She reached out and laid a hand on his knee. "Rebecca was a close friend. And it does sound as if she's in a lot of trouble."
    Cade took his eyes off the road to look across the car for a second. Julia was serious, he could see. "So where is she right now?" he asked.
    "In a hotel downtown. I guess one of those nondescript places where invisible people go. Dee didn't give me any details."
    Cade shook his head.