The Unofficial Biography Of Kimmay

Book 2: The Nature Of Power

by G. L. Hudson

 

 

Excerpts from the Diary of Claire Keystone

It was a long and boring week. Sitting through the reviews was akin to slow torture. There was only one thing worse than a graduate student fumbling through a boring presentation, and that was a foreign graduate student with horrible English fumbling through a boring presentation. Fifteen of our twenty-two presenters were foreign. By the time we made it to dinner I was numb. The only thing that kept me going was the vision of Saturday.

I stopped by Kim's office each morning to catch up on news and talk with her. I wanted her to anticipate Saturday as much as I did. I told her about the previous day's reviews. We would laugh about the quality of their work and the simplistic projects that they struggled with. "I'm not trying to talk you into anything Kim, but just the thought of the level of work that you could carry out makes me want to scream at these kids."

"Then stop trying," she would say.

I made sure to compliment her on her clothes each day. I told her that she looked pretty, and that I was hearing good things from the students. I asked her if she felt that she was getting more respect from the kids. "I think it is better. Not great, but better," she would say.

"It's the power of lipstick," I told her. "That and a beautiful face and figure."

She would blush. I made a point of taking her to lunch each day. I would wrap my arm around her waist or shoulder and walk her down the hall. At lunch, when we were talking I would make a point of touching her on the hand when I was telling a story. I did everything I could to subtly promote physical contact between us.

I kept the conversations as light and spirited as I could. I repeated the jokes and rumors that I heard around the coffee pot. I talked about our schedule on Saturday. I confirmed our salon appointments. "I'll pick you up at 9:30 sharp."

"Quit worrying, I'll be ready," she would repeat.

It was a long week. I was surprised that Saturday ever arrived. I was up at my usual time. I had a light breakfast and then spent a long, leisurely time in a bubble bath. I wore new panties, bra, camisole and stockings. I wore my best knee-length, pleated skirt and a tight sweater. I even put on a pair of three-inch heels. I wanted to look sexy for Kim.

I drove over to Kim's and knocked on the door a few minutes early. She opened the door and gave me a 'Hello'. "I'm running just a bit late. Give me a second," and she ran off towards the bedroom. I sat down on the couch and was quickly joined by her cat. The cat jumped up on the back of a chair and stared at me. I had never had a cat stare at me, and she looked very unfriendly.

Kim was true to her word. She returned in about two minutes, wearing a casual denim skirt and a loose sweater. She obviously wasn't as excited as I was. My favorite salon was several miles away, so we arrived with only a few minutes to spare. We spent the rest of the morning relaxing and being pampered. I had my hair put up in a stylish up-do, and I had them leave Kim's hair down. They put some soft curls in her hair and added some volume. Her new style looked so much better than her typical 'college' style. We both had a manicure and the manicurist used the same bright red polish for both of us. We left looking and feeling very pretty.

On the way back to Kim's apartment we stopped for lunch. I continued to compliment her on her looks. I meant every word. She was pretty. I couldn't wait to get her dressed for the evening.

We stopped by her apartment for a short ten minutes to pick up her clothes and then headed home. We pulled in about 2:00 and sat down for a rest. I actually fell asleep in the recliner for about forty-five minutes. The evening started at 6:00, so at 4:30 we started getting ready. After washing up, I asked Kim if she would like some help with her makeup. She agreed and I sat her down at my vanity and began to put on her face. I didn't want her to lose her youthful appearance but I wanted her to look elegant. I used lighter shades of blush and shadow, but I made her brows and eye lashes more dramatic than normal. I outlined her lips and used a cranberry lipstick to color her lips.

I then took her seat and put on my makeup. I asked Kim to help me with my dress, and she zipped me up and helped me straighten hems and seams. I asked if she could use any help getting into her dress. I used the opportunity to assure her how pretty she was and made sure that her dress was hanging perfectly. I gave her a nice pair of two-inch earrings and then fastened a choker around her neck. We applied a little of my perfume, slipped on our heels and pronounced ourselves ready. "You're going to be the center of attention tonight, Kim."

The dinner was at the alumni center, a new building with tall glass windows looking over a terrace leading into some wonderful gardens. I parked the car and offered Kim my arm. She looped her arm through mine and we walked into the lobby arm in arm. Our heels clicked out a loud, staccato rhythm as we walked across the marble floor and into the reception hall. As we stepped into the reception hall we could pick up the buzz of conversation. Probably half of the guests were already present. I released Kim's arm as we walked over to a registration table, where we picked up our nametags and took turns pinning them on each other. I directed Kim over to another table and we both picked up a crystal champagne glass filled with soda. No alcoholic beverages were allowed at government-sponsored functions.

We each took a sip of our drink and looked around the hall. It was a beautiful, high-ceilinged room, with large crystal chandeliers. One entire wall consisted of floor to ceiling glass windows over-looking the terrace. The sun was setting to the west, and wisps of red and violet clouds could be seen in the sky.

Dean Halverson had spotted us and came to greet us. "Welcome and thank you for joining us tonight, Kimmay. You look stunning." She was going to hear that all night. She did look very pretty. Only five of the twenty-two graduate students were girls, and not one was as pretty as Kimmay, nor dressed as nicely. They were still in 'college dress' mode. The rest of the guests were considerably older than the students. The men wore suits, or in the case of the dean, a tuxedo. The women were dressed more like me. Their dresses were more formal, usually calf or ankle length with low bodices and plenty of sequins. Most of the women had their hair up if it was long enough. No one in the room was nearly as pretty or as youthful as Kimmay.

Kimmay collected a great deal of attention throughout the evening, with most of it coming from the men. The women were polite, but not friendly. Being with Kimmay, I enjoyed more attention than I would have otherwise. We were constantly surrounded by people. Kimmay not only attracted the attention, but she was able to keep people involved in small talk. Her physics background, coupled with her recent lectures made for fun and easy topics to discuss. And when people ran out of science topics, they would ask Kimmay about her awards and travel. She was the center of attention and she was comfortable with it. I was sure that she was having an enjoyable evening.

Undersecretary Kaliber arrived about thirty minutes after us. I think he wanted a full hall before he made his grand entrance. Most notable was the fact that he arrived alone. He did not bring a date. He spotted Kimmay and made a line for us. I saw him coming and whispered in Kimmay's ear, "Be nice." She nodded in agreement.

He began fawning over Kimmay as soon as he arrived. "You look absolutely gorgeous, Kimmay. I am so glad that you agreed to join us tonight. You brighten the entire room." He said hello to the rest of us standing there and then he quickly returned his attention to Kimmay. He lavished her with compliments. For the rest of the evening he wasn't more than two feet from her, except when she went to the restroom. The dinner tables had assigned seating. I sat to Kimmay's left and Mr. Kaliber sat to her right. He had the dean on his right, but didn't say two words to him the entire meal.

Kaliber harassed and talked with Kimmay all through the meal. She would occasionally grab my leg under the table and squeeze as if she were in agony. It was her way of controlling her disgust. Towards the end of dessert he must have built up his courage. He asked her on a date. Ostensibly it was to discuss the possibility of accepting a grant and working with the DOE, but it was definitely a date. I had warned her that it might happen. All the same, she wasn't ready for it when he asked her.

"Mr. Kaliber, I am very busy in the litho lab and my schedule fluctuates greatly. I don't have high priority so I fill in when a slot opens up."

He wouldn't take no for an answer. "I'm sure that you won't be working next Friday night. I'll have the dean close down the lab and send everyone home if I have to."

I interrupted and asked Kimmay to join me in the restroom. I gave the undersecretary a quick wink as we walked away. Once I got her aside, she gave me a long, "Ewwwwwwwhhhhhhh," to express her disgust.

"I agree," I said. "He's a creep from the get-go. But remember what I said, he and his kind are going to be around for a long time. And as little use as you have for the government, they can make your life a living hell if they want to. You have to let him down easy. If you can't think of a way to do it tonight, then maybe you should go to dinner and do it then. Maybe it will be easier in private to shoot him down. I've bought you about fifteen minutes to think about it."

She calmed down a bit and reflected on the situation. She was trying to decide how to handle things. "Thanks," she said and she headed for a chair to sit down.

"Do you want me to wait for you?"

"Would you please?"

I took a chair next to her and remained silent. We sat there for about ten minutes. Neither one of us spoke. I was sure that she would ask for advice or run a potential scenario past me, but instead, we sat in silence. I felt sorry for her. I knew she hated the man and what he stood for. But she knew that she had to make a mature decision. No longer could she hide behind her age. I knew the decision process was churning her stomach. I really felt sorry for her.

Finally she spoke. "This isn't right. It's like being stalked and you're not allowed to protect yourself because the guy is a government official. Just because you work for the government shouldn't mean that you can get away with a crime."

"He hasn't committed a crime. Yet," I commiserated.

Kim just looked at me. "My answer is no. Let's go back." I had to respect her decision.

We returned to the table and sat down. Kaliber immediately asked her again if she would go to dinner with him next Friday. Everyone at the table was pretending not to listen, but they were. "Mr. Kaliber," she began, "thank you very much for the invitation, but I am afraid that I have to say no. I'm very sorry."

The undersecretary wouldn't take no for an answer. "Is some other time more appropriate for you?"

"Mr. Kaliber, I don't think so," she said. "I'm not ready for dating yet. I'm too young." And by inference, you're too old. "I'm still trying to get my feet on the ground at the university. I don't feel comfortable with classes, teaching and research all at once. I'm just not ready for additional items and responsibilities. I do hope you understand."

He smiled and muttered, "Sure, I know how it is. Just getting started and all." Then he turned to his right and began a discussion with Dean Halverson. The conversation picked up around the table once again. It was hard to read Kaliber since Kim interfered with my view, but I doubt that he was happy.

The meal was soon brought to a halt. Dean Halverson stepped forward and took the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to our Awards Banquet." He began making presentations and my mind drifted away. I was thinking about what a brave and dangerous thing Kim had just done. It had all the potential of ending a portion of her career. Sooner or later in everyone's career, money from the government was welcome. Sometimes it was almost a necessity to keep one's research moving. Her chances of getting money had just been seriously eroded. In addition, there was always the chance of blacklisting. That was even more insidious, because you never knew for sure it was happening. And if you did realize that it was happening, there was still nothing you could do about it.

She appeared to be putting on a brave face. I didn't know if she realized the predicament that she had created for herself. She acted like it wasn't important. Either she was brave or naïve. I wanted to get her out of there and get her home so that we could talk. Unfortunately, Halverson loved to hear himself talk and he was dragging the presentations on forever.

It took the Dean a full hour to finish. I am sure there were many relieved people when he finally finished. We quickly said our good-byes and left. Kaliber was very pleasant to Kim when they said good night, but with me and everyone else he was definitely upset. I wrapped my arm through Kim's arm and escorted her to the car. As soon as we were both in I asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she said. There was actually a bit of a lilt to her voice. "The dean was way too long and boring, but other than that, I feel good. My feet are a bit sore. I'll be glad to get out of these heels. How are you holding up?"

Her high spirits surprised me. It seemed as if she wasn't the least bit worried or concerned about Kaliber. "I'm doing fine as well. And like you, my feet are tired. I love wearing heels, but my feet aren't too happy about it." I wasn't sure what to say about Kaliber. I liked having her in a good mood, and I was afraid that I might bring her down if I mentioned him, so I decided that what was done was done. No need to re-hash old business. And besides, I could always bring it up tomorrow.

"Are you ready to head home and call it an evening?" I gave her a nice smile. I was trying to interest her.

"I still have a little energy left. I don't think we need to call it an evening immediately." She returned my smile.

I wondered if she meant what I hoped she meant. If I didn't know better, I would have thought that she was opening the door to some additional late-night activities. "That's great," I said. "I'm sure that we can find something to do together." She continued with her smile and fluttered her eyelashes at me. My heart skipped a beat. She had indeed sent the message that I was hoping to hear. I returned her smile and stepped on the accelerator.

When we reached home, I unlocked the front door and followed Kim inside. I asked if she would like something to drink. "No. I would just like to get these shoes off."

I decided to move things along. "Come in the bedroom and we can both take off our shoes and get more comfortable." We kicked off our shoes and I put mine in the closet. "I need to get this dress off, would you unzip me please?" I asked. She pulled the zipper down, and I turned to face her before I slid the straps off my shoulders and let the dress slide down to my hips. I held the straps in my hands and let her see me standing there in my bra. She continued to look at me. I looked in her eyes as I stooped to let the dress drop to my ankles so that I could step out of it. I smiled. "Let me hang this up, and then I'll help you."

She stood in place and watched me hang up my dress. I walked behind her and unzipped her dress. She turned and faced me, leaving her arms by her sides. She was inviting me to undress her. My heart picked up several beats per minute and I could feel a flush come over me. Her eyes were wide with more than a bit of innocence and curiosity. Her lips were parted slightly, and her lipstick glistened. I took the dress by the shoulders and slid the sleeves down her arms. She pulled her arms out, and then again left them hanging by her side. I slid the dress down, first exposing her bra and then her panties. She kept her thighs tight together as she stepped out of the dress and continued to stand in place. I leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. Her eyes looked into mine as we kissed.

"Would you like to remove your make-up?" I asked.

"You go first."

I hung up her dress, took my shortest negligee from the closet and literally ran to the bathroom. I quickly removed my underclothes and stockings, used the toilet, washed and then slipped into my negligee. When I walked back to the bedroom Kim was sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed. Neither of us said a word. She walked over to me, gave me another kiss, then picked up a small bag and went into the bathroom.

My heart was beating so hard I could feel it against my chest. My face felt flushed and warm. My blood pressure was pushed to its limit. I sat on the edge of the bed to calm down and wait for Kim. It took about fifteen minutes for Kim to return. She was wearing an aqua colored negligee that came to mid thigh. It was a shiny satin with thin straps and a flared skirt. She walked to the bed and stood in front of me, while I remained seated. She bent over and gave me a light kiss on the lips.

"There is something I have to show you." I remained silent and watched. She bent over and pulled her panties down to her ankles. She lifted her negligee so that I could see her crotch. She was standing with her thighs together and I could see her soft, pubic hair. She lifted one foot out of her panties and stepped to the side to spread her legs. As she spread her legs, I saw a penis and scrotum swing down into view. They had been tucked up between her legs.

It was surreal. I was totally caught by surprise. It looked so incongruous. Her penis was small and flaccid, and hung limply between her legs. My mind couldn't comprehend the situation. I waited for them to go away. I thought maybe it was a trick or joke. I looked up at Kim. She remained silent and smiled at me. I looked down at her crotch. Everything was still there. I wasn't sure what to do. I again looked at her eyes.

"I wasn't sure if you knew or not. I hope you aren't too disappointed."

I still didn't know what to think. All I could say was, "Can I touch you?" I wanted to see if it was real.

She laughed at the request. "That's what I'm here for. Are you ok with this?"

"Uh-huh," I muttered. I reached out and took hold of her penis. It was warm and soft. It was very soft. I wiggled it a little and it responded by jiggling. "I don't understand. Are you part male and part female? Are you a hermaphrodite?"

"I was born a male. My mother and her girlfriend raised me as their daughter. I have been taking female hormones since I was ten."

"Why?"

"It's a long story, and rather complicated. Are you ok with this? Do you still want to go to bed with me, or do you want me to leave?"

The last thing I wanted was for her to leave. I stood up and gave her a hug. "Oh no, don't leave. I want you to stay. You just caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting this."

"Are you ok with this?"

"Yes. Yes I am fine with it. Like I said, you caught me by surprise. This could make things much more interesting. More fun even." I was sincere about that. Although my preference was women, especially beautiful, young women, I had no trouble with either sex. And two together started to fascinate me.

Kim had remained standing, holding her hem up for me to see her most private side. She dropped the hem and wrapped her arms around me. I kissed her lips. Kimmay responded by holding me tighter and opening her lips. I slid my tongue in and pressed my body against her. She moaned and I realized that this would be an evening I would never forget.

 

Collected from the French Department of Justice

Brian Kaliber was sitting at his desk with his traveling computer sitting on the desktop. It was open and running in enhanced mode, since the lighting was a little dark. The picture came from one of several cameras that had been placed in Professor Claire Keystone's apartment. He watched Kim and her professor as they entwined themselves in their passion.

"That explains why she isn't interested in me," he said aloud. "She prefers the girls."

Considering her true sex, that wasn't surprising to him. At least he now knew that she wasn't afraid of sex. She could be brought around. Starting next Friday he had only two weeks to convert her. It would be a tight schedule, but she looked like she would be worth it.

He glanced at the file in his open briefcase. It contained Kim's birth certificate. It was now the only one in existence. He had purged all of the official records. Other than the professor, not another person knew Kim's true sex. It didn't really matter. Inside of a week the professor wouldn't be telling any tales.

He clicked to another camera and another view. He would have to make sure that they removed all five cameras before Friday.

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

 

Source: Valerie Samantha May

 

Kim and Claire had a wonderful evening together. They awoke Sunday morning with Claire spooned against the back of Kim. Her arm was over Kim's waist and holding Kim's hand. "Hi, sleepy head," she whispered. Kim responded with a quiet moan. Claire slid her hand over Kim's stomach and down to her crotch. "I loved last evening, I hope you enjoyed it also," she whispered. Kim gave another affirmative moan.

 

Kim returned to her apartment about noon. Andromeda was anxious to go out, and flew out the door the moment Kim opened it. She carried her clothes into her bedroom and placed them in their proper receptacles. The dress and negligee went in the closet. The underclothes went in the hamper. She went to the refrigerator to find some iced tea, then walked outside and sat on the stoop waiting for Andromeda to return.

Andromeda eventually returned and walked up to Kim. She jumped into Kim's lap and looked Kim in the eyes. She gave her a meow. "Yes," Kim answered. "I had a beautiful evening. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. How about you? Did you miss me?" Another meow and Andromeda curled up in Kim's lap.

 

Monday was an interesting day for both Professor Keystone and Kim. They were now lovers and it changed everything between them. They couldn't show it at work. Whenever they met, their smiles were warmer and larger than normal. They had to talk in code and they continuously looked around to see if anyone noticed them together. They both thought that everyone else knew they were now lovers. It was pleasant to be together, but stressful wondering if they were giving away too many signals with their body language. Both enjoyed the occasional physical contact as they touched hands or rubbed shoulders. Kim accompanied Professor Keystone to lunch, but for once the Professor did not put her arm around Kim as they walked down the hall.

Amanda stopped in Kim's office after class. She seemed to know something special had happened Saturday night. She dropped little hints in their conversation. Amanda asked no direct questions and Kim denied nothing. They both accepted the situation. Kim began to wonder a little about their relationship. If Amanda knew about Kim and Claire, and it sure seemed like she knew, how did that affect the two of them? Was their friendship simply platonic and academic, or did Amanda have other interests in Kim? Did she have romantic interests also? Kim certainly liked Amanda but she hadn't thought much about a romantic link. The thought however didn't bother Kim. She might even welcome it. Saturday night seemed to have opened new possibilities and desires in Kim.

Amanda and Kim continued with their normal schedule that week. They met in Kim's office after class and then again later in the day at the library. They talked about doing something together Friday night, but hadn't come up with any concrete plans.

Kim's teaching was getting easier. There was no doubt that the environment had changed in the classroom. The students were showing more respect and behaving better. Part of the credit had to go to the students who had dropped out. They had been the biggest troublemakers and they were now gone. But part of the credit had to go to Professor Keystone. Her welcome speech and her advice on dressing had helped. Kim was still modifying her clothing selection. She was alternating between ankle/calf length skirts and knee length skirts, and between sweaters and blouses. She wore only dress shoes; sneakers were no longer in her school dress repertoire.

Kim was feeling much better about school. She had two good friends, her teaching was going better, she had more self-esteem now that she was dressing nicer, and she had made very good progress in her independent studies class. Professor Keystone and Kim had actually built chips with coherent circuits using inorganic superconducting molecules. Kim hadn't proven out the actual geometries she needed, but she knew that was merely a process of trial and error. The concept was now proven.

She was happier than she had been in a very long time. Unfortunately, it was about to come to an end.

 

Collected from the French Department of Justice

Brian Kaliber and his associate met Monday night. Details were finalized and timetables were fixed.

"What if she doesn't go out with you Friday night?"

"I'll let you know by 4:00 P.M. I will confirm one way or another. I want to be out of town when it happens, so I already have plane reservations for Saturday morning. If she goes out with me, I can cancel the reservations later."

"I can work with that. I'll remove the cameras at both places tomorrow during school hours. I'll also collect the items I need and have everything in place by this time tomorrow. If anything goes wrong I'll let you know."

They covered a few other minor arrangements. The meeting was wrapped up. "I sure hope she is worth this," the woman said.

"It's really none of your business whether she is or isn't," Kaliber answered.

"Actually dear, by this time Friday night it will be my business. Two weeks. Don't forget." She left.

 

Source: Valerie Samantha May

On Tuesday morning Kim said good-bye to Andromeda and walked out the door on her way to school. A woman sitting in a car two blocks away watched as Kim pedaled her bike towards school. The woman started her car and turned it in the opposite direction. One block from Kim's apartment the woman parked the car, opened the trunk and pulled open the zipper on a large shoulder bag. After removing a box of non-sterile, latex gloves from the bag, she slipped on a pair. She picked up the large shoulder bag, slid the strap over her shoulder, and with her hands hidden in her pockets she walked over to Kim's apartment.

Upon reaching the apartment she pulled out a small device and inserted it in the lock. The door latch popped open and she quickly walked in. Andromeda was sitting on a chair and watched her enter. As the woman headed towards Kim's bedroom, Andromeda jumped off the chair and walked into the kitchen. In the bedroom, the woman took a screwdriver and removed the grate over the hot air vent. She removed the camera that was inside the vent and replaced the grate. Then she walked around the bedroom and the rest of the house as she removed five cameras in all. They were also placed in her shoulder bag.

The woman returned to the bedroom, walked over to the dirty clothes hamper, and removed a pair of Kim's panties, a bra, stockings, a sweater, camisole and skirt. They would all have plenty of Kim's DNA on them. She placed them in a plastic bag and added it to the other items in her shoulder bag. In the bathroom she found Kim's hairbrush, removed some of the hair and placed it in a sterile container. It was also placed in her shoulder bag.

When she was finished, she made one more tour of the house to make sure that everything was in place. Andromeda was sitting on the back of a chair and watched her as she left.

 

Excerpted from personal conversations with Senator Horn and Jennifer Gayle

Friday morning I was reading through my mail when Jennifer entered. "Good morning Senator, I have something rather odd for you."

"Good morning to you too, Jennifer. What have you got?"

"Some amateur pictures," she told me. "I'm not sure where they came from or what they are about. They were addressed to you."

"Ok, let's see them." Jennifer projected them up on my wall monitor. There were eleven pictures in all. They showed a young, rather attractive woman. She had a large bag with a long strap wrapped over her shoulder. She was indoors in rather poor light. One picture looked like she had a tool of some sort in her hand. One picture showed her sorting dirty clothes. Another picture showed her on her knees looking under a chair. Another picture showed her looking into a room. That was the oddest picture. It clearly showed that she was wearing some type of tightly fitting glove.

"Is she doing house cleaning?" I asked.

"I can't tell. The gloves would suggest that she might be cleaning. The pictures on her hands and knees would support that. In one picture she is clearly sorting clothes. I'm not sure why we have these pictures."

"Was there anything else included with them? A note of some sort?"

Jennifer shook her head.

"Where did they come from?"

"I don't know. They were on a disk and sent through the U.S. mail. There is no return address, and so they were held up for inspection and decontamination. They probably should have been here a day or two ago."

"Hoax, joke or flim-flam?"

"No idea," Jennifer responded.

Most peculiar I thought. They looked mundane enough, so why would someone send them to a senator. I was thinking it might be a set-up of some sort. The current administration was always trying to trap opposition members in some sort of garbage. They had absolutely no ethical or morale standards. And they called themselves the moral majority; a throw back to more honest times.

"Hang on to them, Jennifer. Look around and see if you can find anything else."

 

Source: Valerie Samantha May

It was late on Friday afternoon and Kim was finishing up in her office. She had written her lab notes in her science journal and had just finished signing it. She heard a knock on the door and looked up. It was Brian Kaliber. 'Doesn't he ever give up?' she wondered.

"Mr. Kaliber, please come in." Kim was going to be polite.

"Hi, Kimmay. I just wanted to stop by one last time and say what a pleasure it was to meet you. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

'Finally,' Kim thought. "I hope you have a nice trip." The unspoken translation was, 'good riddance.'

"Before I leave I have something to give you." He pulled out a bouquet of 6 red roses from behind his back and handed them to Kimmay. "I wanted you to have these."

"Thank you," Kim said.

He carried an attaché on a strap over his shoulder. "I have one other item for you. May I sit down, please?"

"Certainly, Mr. Kaliber. Go right ahead." Kim wondered what else he might have.

Kaliber pulled the attaché off his shoulder and set it on his lap. He unzipped the case and extracted a file. He reached over the desk and handed the file to Kim. "I wanted you to have this."

Kim took the file and opened it. There was one piece of paper inside. It was an official looking form. Upon further inspection she could see that it was a birth certificate. It was her birth certificate. Perplexed, she looked at Mr. Kaliber.

"Before I left, I hoped to change your impression of me. I didn't want you to think of me as some creepy old government bureaucrat." Did he say 'creepy'? "I wanted you to have this to demonstrate my good intentions. It is the last one in existence. I have destroyed every other copy. I would suggest that you put it in a safe deposit box in case you need it some day. You will probably never need it, but in case something comes up, say passport problems, social security, whatever, you have it if you need it."

Kim was at a loss for words. "Thank you. I don't know what to say."

"Thank you is fine. I wanted to explain myself. I was sent here for two reasons. The least important reason was to review the grant work being done by the professors and their graduate students. That was as much a cover as a reason. The real reason I came was to talk with you. I was instructed to try and recruit you for the Department of Energy."

He shifted in his chair and looked at the door. "May I close the door, please?"

"Ok," Kim answered. She was very surprised at Mr. Kaliber's honesty and was wondering what else he had to say.

He closed the door and returned to his seat. "Almost one full year ago I was tasked with the project of contacting you. We have known of your special talents for a long time, and quite honestly, we have been extremely impressed with your intuition, foresight and analytical abilities. Your reputation is well deserved. Anyway, before contacting you I ran a complete background check on you. I needed to know how good you really were." He was almost apologetic for running the check on her. "Anyway, one of the routine checks was to confirm your age and residency. That was simple enough. But I was very surprised to find out that you had been born a male. Now it is none of my business as to why you changed your sex, and personally, I think it was an excellent decision. You are a very beautiful girl. But the reason was not important. I knew that the information that I had uncovered could be embarrassing to you. So I took it upon myself to collect all known copies and eliminate them; except for the original there."

Kim shook her head and again said, "Thank you."

"You are most welcome. That brings us to why I am here. We do want your help. Kimmay, you are a natural wonder, a whirlwind of intuition. We believe that your intuition can lead to significant technological progress. They, meaning the United States government, believe that much of your work has potential weapons applications. They would much rather have you lead us in this technology, than find out someone else has developed it for their own purposes. Does any of this surprise you?"

"Only your honesty."

"Well then, let me be more honest." He was about to do just the opposite. "I believe otherwise. It's the glass half-empty thinking that I disagree with. Everyone in our government is always

looking for the worst-case scenario. The most negative case they can imagine. I call it the 'Chicken Little Syndrome'. The sky is falling, the terrorists are coming, they have more weapons of mass destruction. It's the negative and threatening scenario that they always use to try and keep the public under control. Do you know what I mean?"

"Absolutely," Kim replied.

"I looked at your talents and saw just the opposite. I can see your new technologies bringing great benefit to humanity. The opportunities for instantaneous transportation alone are mind boggling. I loved your speech on space travel. To be honest, I considered space travel to be an overly expensive dream of some aerospace companies looking for more government handouts. You totally changed my opinion. However the technology develops, I can see tremendous potential without it becoming a feeding trough for private companies. I see wonderful potential from your discoveries.

"I'll be honest," he said as he continued his lying, "I was originally told to recruit you for the defense people. But after seeing you and listening to you and talking with you, I now know that would be a total mistake. I have already contacted the right people in Washington, and I have authority to make you some very special offers. But the offers are not for the defense people, they're for the constructive side of our government. It really is the Department of Energy that wants your special talents. We want to do constructive development work based upon your theories and direction."

Kim wasn't sure if she should believe Mr. Kaliber's speech. He wasn't looking as creepy as he had. He seemed to have an honest and open attitude towards Kim's work. He admitted his misconceptions and original intentions. Maybe this was worth listening to and considering.

"Kimmay, I am leaving tomorrow morning to return to Washington." He reached into his attaché and pulled out his plane ticket and showed it to her. This is my last opportunity to talk with you and present my ideas and offers. One last time, I would like to invite you to dinner. I want to show you that I really care about the same things that you care about. Please give me this one last chance to explain myself and our once in a lifetime offer. Would you please accompany me to dinner?"

The man was smooth. He was good. He convinced her to say yes. "Do I need to change?"

"No, you look perfect as you are. If you're ready we can leave right now."

"Let me close out my computer files and I'll join you. It will only take a minute."

"That's fine," he said. "I'll wait for you downstairs," he said as he reached for his cell phone.

 

While Kim closed down her files, Professor Keystone walked over to the Library Bar & Grill. As usual, she entered the pub and took a seat facing the bar and door. She liked to see who was coming and who was going. Dean Halverson was not there yet. At the urging of Brian Kaliber, Dean Halverson had asked Professor Keystone to join him at the union. He would make one last plea to see if there was anyway Claire could change Kimmay's mind. It wasn't going to happen. Especially since the dean was a no show.

As Professor Keystone was chatting aimlessly with one of the other professors, a young woman walked into the pub. She walked to the far end of the bar and took a seat in a barstool. The young woman was very attractive. She was wearing a short, mini dress that she had to continuously tug at to keep the hem from climbing too high. It didn't help that she crossed her legs provocatively. The dress was low cut and showed ample cleavage. She had a small purse and several books which she placed on the bar as she ordered a drink.

She did not look like your usual co-ed. Professor Keystone was curious. The woman was very attractive and definitely over dressed. She had books but she didn't look like she was heading to the library. And here she was in a bar having a drink. 'Most intriguing,' the Professor thought.

As the woman took a sip of her drink, she glanced over at the professor. She tossed her hair with a flip of her head, and threw her long hair over her shoulder with the maneuver. It exposed the side of her face that was facing Keystone. Professor Keystone lost track of the conversation around her. It wasn't nearly as interesting as the woman. The woman put her opposite elbow on the bar and absent mindedly began to twist her hair around her finger. She took another sip and caught the professor's eye. The professor quickly broke their eye contact. She looked towards the other professors and took a sip of her drink. After what seemed a safe interlude, Professor Keystone took another glance towards the woman. The woman was still staring at the professor. Again she broke eye contact. This was weird she thought.

Professor Keystone wasn't the only person to notice the woman. One of the students had noticed as well. He left his buddies at the table and started to approach her. She saw him coming towards her. She quickly stood, picked up her purse and walked into the ladies restroom. She left her drink and books sitting on the bar. The boy waited around for a few minutes, but it was clear that he felt a bit awkward, and he eventually returned to his table. After he left, the woman returned, and again took her seat facing the Professor.

The cat and mouse eye contact game began again. The professor was becoming intrigued and interested. The woman gave her hair another flip and smiled at the Professor. It was definitely a come on. She tugged on her hem, and then slowly rubbed her leg. She was positioned at the bar so that only the Professor's table could see her rub her leg.

"What do you think, Claire?" She was startled back to her own table.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?"

Professor Blake was sitting next to her. He was an old EE professor who was closing in on mandatory retirement. "I said you're not paying attention," and he started to laugh. "We were all noticing the same thing, Claire. Do you know her?"

"I don't think I have ever seen her before," Professor Keystone answered.

"She seems to know you. I think she is coming on to you." Blake thought it was funny and laughed into his beer.

Professor Keystone became defensive. "I don't know what you mean. She's probably coming on to you, you old fart."

"Oh how I wish," he said. "She doesn't look like any of my students," and again he broke into a laugh. Blake was a nice enough guy usually, but he was starting to irritate Professor Keystone. She finished her drink and then stood to leave.

"Just because I was stood up by Halverson, doesn't mean I have to sit here and be abused by old farts." She smiled at Blake.

"Well don't go away mad …" he began. She knew how the old insult went, and he didn't have to finish it. They liked and respected each other. The verbal sparring would continue the next time.

As the Professor headed towards the exit, the young woman gathered her books and purse and followed Keystone out the door. Once outside the pub the woman hailed the professor. "Professor! Professor Keystone may I speak with you? Please?"

The professor stopped and turned towards the woman. "Do I know you young lady?"

"I was in one of your classes a couple of years ago, Fluid Dynamics."

"I'm sorry miss, but I don't recognize you," Claire said.

"Roxanne Kolter," she said. The name was vaguely familiar. "It was almost five years ago," the woman said. "I've changed a little since then. I've had some surgery," and she took her free hand and cupped one of her breasts. "I had my nose bobbed," and she laughed at the joke.

Professor Keystone smiled. The name was becoming more familiar. "What can I do for your Ms. Kolter?"

"May we talk, Professor? Can I buy you dinner?" Again, she gave her hair a flip.

"What would you like to talk about, Ms. Kolter?" the professor asked formally.

"I would like to talk about you. I would like to interview you for an article I am writing."

The professor's attitude changed; she was suddenly more interested. Publicity was always good for the career. "What kind of interview?"

"The kind you have over an expensive Italian dinner." She gave the professor a wink and another flip of her hair.

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"Where were you thinking of going?"

"I was planning on buying you dinner and wine at Guiseppe's. Do you like Italian?"

"I can tolerate it." It was Professor Keystone's favorite restaurant. She loved garlic.

"Good, then let's go. My car is right around the corner, I'll drive."

 

Kaliber opened the door to his car and Kim took her seat. He walked around to the trunk and put his attaché in the back, and then entered the driver's side and started the car. The car was backed out of the parking space and he turned onto the main street.

"Where are we going, Mr. Kaliber?"

"Kimmay, please just for tonight would you call me by my given name?"

"That depends."

"Depends on what?"

"It depends on whether or not you tell me what your given name is."

He broke out laughing. "I guess that is, how do you say in the college world, a prerequisite? My given name is Brian, but everyone calls me Brian." It was a lame joke but it helped lighten the mood.

"So Brian, where are we going?"

"That depends entirely on you. What kind of food do you like?"

"Pretty much anything, but nothing too fancy. I was brought up on plain old German food; meat and potatoes, wurst and kraut. Whatever is easiest."

"Do you like German?"

"Yea, that's fine."

"Good. I was thinking seafood." He gave her a little chuckle and smile. "Do you like seafood?"

"If you were planning on seafood why did you even ask me?"

"I thought it was worth a gamble. You might have said seafood. Then I would have said, 'Bon! I have the perfect restaurant for you.' So, do you like seafood?"

"Only if it is German." They both laughed. The conversation was coming easier. "Do you know a good German seafood restaurant?"

"But of course. It is called O'Shaugnessies Bar & Grill."

"Do they have wurst?"

"Certainly, but I recommend the best; open fire-grilled salmon. It is wonderful."

"Then you have been there before?"

"Never. But I was told by the cleaning lady at the Holiday Inn that the prices are reasonable."

"The recommendations don't come much higher than that. Where is it?"

"Monterrey."

"Where?"

"Over by the ocean. It's a short drive. It's a beautiful evening. Let me pop open the moon roof and let a little breeze in. I have a wonderful CD of Bach organ music and I'll slip that into the player. Lean back and enjoy the ride. It really won't take that long."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Where did this CD come from?"

"To be honest, it came from a specialty shop on the net. This particular CD isn't sold in stores anymore." For once he was honest when he said 'to be honest'.

Kim leaned back and listened to her CD from a thousand years ago. It brought back some nice memories.

 

Roxanne Kolter and Claire Keystone both placed their orders and the waitress headed back to the kitchen. Ann picked up her glass of wine and offered a toast, "To good interviews." They clinked glasses and drank.

"So Ann, when are you going to tell me what this interview is all about?" Claire asked. She was eager to know what kind of publicity she was going to get.

"First, let me explain my background a little. Yes, I started in chemical engineering. And yes, even though you don't know it, you were my favorite professor. But I eventually discovered that Chem. E. wasn't my cup of tea after all. I liked science and technology but I didn't want to end up working in a laboratory or refinery. So after some wandering around I ended up at Jefferson Publishing. They publish technical journals, but wanted to move into more commercial publishing. That is where I came in. They needed an editor with a technical background, but who wasn't quite the typical techie. When they say techie, they mean nerd, goof, freak and all of the other unflattering terms that people use for engineers and scientists."

Claire looked at Ann with a frown. She obviously didn't care for the stereotyping.

"I know what you're thinking," Ann said. "I agree, but that is the way we're viewed by the under-educated. I'm hoping that by interviewing women that look as beautiful as you, I can break that stereotype. Anyway, I convinced them to let me try a couple of ideas. In order to go after the human interest story I suggested interviews with prominent engineers and scientists. They liked the idea, but wanted to broaden the idea. They suggested talking with teachers and professors. You were the first person to come to mind. Not only did I want to present someone with a powerful reputation, but I wanted to present a beautiful woman. You will be my first interview."

"So why didn't you just call me?"

"I did. But I got lost in the university phone system. Push this number for administration, push this number for janitors, push this number for libraries, and on and on. I finally got your voice mail and I thought I did leave a message. Obviously I didn't."

"So what is the magazine's name?"

"It will be called Technology Manufacturing & Management. It is aimed at the decision makers in high technology companies. It will be split 60/40 on domestic and international markets. I will be the editor of the domestic portion. We are anticipating our first publication date to be April of next year. Our first year goal is to have a subscription base of 15,000. That's not very high, but it is a limited market. Initially, the magazine will be mailed out free to a target audience of around 150,000 worldwide. I want you to be our featured article and I would like to put your picture on the cover. Now that is totally undecided at this point," she quickly explained. "I don't have control over the cover, but the feature article usually holds sway over other prospects." Ann took a sip of wine and allowed Claire to digest what she had said. Ann was trying to pump up Claire and win her over. Flattery was the strategy for the night.

"The thrust of the interview would be two fold. First, what new technology is coming? As you know, computers still drive productivity as well as many other technologies. You are the leading expert on chip fabrication methods. No matter how great the new computing technologies are, they have to get laid down on silicon before they can work. You know better than anyone what might happen there."

"That's not quite as true as it used to be," Professor Keystone pointed out. "But for short term mass production, it will stay valid for a little longer."

"Good. I'd hate to start our magazine behind the technology rather than in front. But the second focus of the article is going to be you; a beautiful and successful woman in the male dominated field of high end computers and technology."

Claire obviously enjoyed the compliment. "Ann, there are a lot more women in technology than people realize."

"You hit the nail right on the head; 'than what people realize'. You see, people don't realize anything. Outside your world, people are actually pretty stupid. They don't know anything unless we tell them. That's where this magazine comes in. It will educate people. At least some people will read the magazine and think 'I didn't know that. Interesting.' At least that is my goal."

"You sound pretty excited about this magazine and its prospects."

"I am. I really am. This is my first opportunity as an editor and I really want to make it work. They wanted eighty hours a week from me and I'm going to give them one hundred."

"It looks like they've got the right person for the job. They will certainly get their money's worth I suspect."

"They will. But I get something in return; some of those intangibles that don't show up on the paycheck."

"Like what?"

"Like the opportunity to travel and meet exciting and powerful people. And even better, the opportunity to meet beautiful women and have dinner with them." Ann smiled at Claire and stared into her eyes. Ann was doing everything she could to make her intentions obvious. She even gave her hair another flip. She wet her lips and left them slightly parted. She waited for Claire to speak.

Claire wasn't slow on the uptake, but she wasn't sure how to respond. She was starting a relationship with Kim and didn't want to jeopardize that. But Kim wasn't around and here was a very beautiful and eager woman sitting across from her. "Thank you for all the compliments. You are very beautiful also Ann. When would you want to start this interview?"

"The sooner the better. Perhaps we could just chat and get to know one another better before we sit down for the actual interview. It always helps to know and understand your interviewee. A mutual relationship and respect makes everything go better. Don't you agree Professor?"

"I do indeed," the Professor responded. "And please call me Claire."

 

Brian and Kim had reached the Monterrey city limits. They had had a nice drive. It was a pleasant evening, the wind blowing through their hair was relaxing and they both appreciated the music. Kim was more relaxed and comfortable than when they had started out. Brian Kaliber was hoping that the adjective 'creepy' was fading from her mind.

Brian drove them through town and past the marina and boardwalk. He pointed out the bay and the world famous aquarium as they drove towards the south side of town. There was an excellent restaurant on the south side of the bay and that was their final destination. Brian parked the car and they walked up to the restaurant. The building had large bay windows that looked out over the ocean. Night was falling and they could see the telltale lights on the luxury yachts out in the bay. With a quick exchange of a large denomination bill, the maitre'd seated them in one of the bay windows.

"I hope these seats are satisfactory," Brian said. He was trying to make Kimmay as comfortable as possible.

"It's fine. The view is great. This looks like a very upscale area."

"It's about as upscale as you can get. A little farther down the road you drive along the ocean. There is a cliff along the ocean side and you can see the kelp beds and the sea otters floating in them. There are a few rocky islands and some are covered with seals and sea lions. On the opposite side of the road are multi-million dollar homes with large lawns manicured like a golf course. And then there are the golf courses them selves. Some of them come up to the ocean's edge and provide some of the best golfing in the world. All of the courses are world-renowned, and regularly hold PGA tournaments here. People from all over the world travel on vacation just to come here and play golf. It is not unusual to see celebrities on the course or in the clubhouse. Yea, I'd say this is very upscale."

"How do you know about this? I mean, don't you work for the government in Washington? Do they send you out here to play golf?"

"Not hardly," he smiled. The waiter had arrived and asked if they would like to order drinks. "I'll have a vodka martini before dinner, and I'll have a glass of red wine with dinner and that is all that you are to serve me. I will be driving later. Understood?"

"Yes sir. And for the lady?"

Kim gave it some thought and said, "Brian, I would like to try a glass of wine, but I have no idea what to order. What do you recommend?"

Brian couldn't suppress a large smile, "Do you prefer sweet drinks or something a bit more tart?"

"Sweeter would be better."

Brian turned to the waiter, "Bring the lady a glass of Johannesburg Riesling."

"Very good," the waiter said and walked away.

"Where were we?"

"You were telling me how you always come out here and play golf on taxpayer money."

"Of course. Actually, I have played golf out here and more than once. But I'm sorry to disappoint you, it wasn't a taxpayer financed junket. I've worked for the Department of Energy for about five years more or less. Before that I worked for the third largest energy company in the world. It was with my former company that I traveled out here a couple of times to play golf with customers and clients."

"Are you any good at golf?"

"Better than average. It's one of the prerequisites for the business world. How about you? Do you play golf?"

"No, I've never tried. I'm afraid it takes too much coordination. I'm not very athletic."

"You never know until you try. Most people aren't very good at golf, but they still play. There are benefits to playing golf. Besides the fresh air and exercise, it is the way the business world socializes. It opens many doors and opportunities that otherwise remain closed. It would do you good to learn how to play golf. I would be happy to offer my meager talents in helping you get started."

"I'll have to think about that. I am busy with school right now."

"How much longer do you plan on being busy? What type of degree are you pursuing?"

"I'm not pursuing any degree. I am merely picking up classes and background that I think will be useful in the future. If I get a college degree along the way that is fine. If I don't, it's no big deal."

"Now that is surprising to me. The world's foremost expert in the world's most technical and difficult field, and you don't have a college degree. Better yet, you don't even care if you get one. That could upset some people. You know, much of the world worships the idea of a college degree. It's like golf, it opens so many doors that you almost have to have one."

"Tell me Brian, do you think Kimmay needs a college degree to open doors in her area of expertise?"

He smiled at her. She had more self-confidence than he had thought. "No, Kimmay doesn't need the degree. Other people do, but not you. There is no doubt that you have established your credentials."

Kim turned the topic back towards Brian. "What did you do at your former company?"

"I was an executive gofer."

"What's that?"

"I was the assistant to the CEO. I did whatever he wanted. I became involved in many varied activities. I did a little research on gas and oil exploration, I did some auditing and some PR work. I was a jack-of-all-trades. When the boss wanted more information on something, it was my job to either learn it or find the right person to explain it."

"What is your expertise? Do you have a degree?"

"I have a degree in engineering from West Point. I know a little engineering and a little army. I was a Ranger for a while, and I served a couple of assignments over seas. When I returned to the states I quit and went to work for Allen Kurtland. When the President was elected, he wanted a new Secretary of Energy. He picked Mr. Kurtland and Mr. Kurtland picked me. Mr. Kurtland and I have been together for almost fifteen years now."

The waiter returned with their drinks. "Salute," Brian offered. He took a sip of his martini and watched Kim try her wine. It was stronger than she had expected, and she didn't like it. It was going to be a struggle for Kim to drink all of the wine by the end of their meal.

"Brian, why are we here? Why did you come to Stanford? You told me part of it earlier, but not everything."

"The short and the long of it is you. I was sent here by Secretary Kurtland to talk with you. Secretary Kurtland serves on an interagency tack force to promote technology in the U.S. We need to maintain our technological superiority to keep our country strong and safe. Your work was identified as a Class II security risk."

"Security risk? Me?"

"Your technology and work. Not you. Class II means that it isn't imminent, but could have feasibility in the five to ten year range. The Department of Defense was most interested in your work. I think they watch too many science fiction movies at the Pentagon. They were envisioning phasers and death rays. Secretary Kurtland was a little more open minded and honest in his assessment of your work. He also sees tremendous potential, but he isn't as paranoid about wartime scenarios and threats. He saw more useful applications. Mr. Kurtland asked for the assignment of contacting you. He in turn gave the assignment to his most trusted man. That's where I come in."

"I see. Please continue."

"I was given the assignment almost a year ago. I began the background checks and that is how I found your birth certificate. We interviewed Professor Barnhardt and talked with some of your other professors. We had a couple of experts review your work and everything came back absolutely glowing in praise of you. After reviewing the analysis and reading your work, I came to the same conclusions that Secretary Kurtland had. I did not think you would work on defense related developments. It's not in your character, Kimmay. And after meeting you these last couple of weeks, I am convinced of that more than ever.

"Before I came here, Secretary Kurtland and I had several discussions concerning your work. We want you to work with us and we are willing to give you unheard of concessions. You can pick the work, you can pick the laboratories where you will work, you can pick your associates and your budget will be essentially unlimited. You yourself will make more money than the President. The money won't be paid directly to you because of the many rules, regulations and over sight committees with their accountants. But trust me; you will have more money and power than anyone else in the sciences."

The waiter was standing by the side of the table waiting for their conversation to stop. "Would you care to order, sir?"

Kaliber addressed Kimmay, "Do you know what you want?"

"I haven't even looked at the menu. Were you serious about that salmon?"

"It's the best in this time zone. I highly recommend it."

"I'll have that."

"Make it two," Kaliber told the waiter.

 

The dinner was delicious. The waitress cleared the table. "Would you like to see the dessert cart?" she asked. "We have some wonderful cheese cake. Maybe some crème brule?"

"Not for me," said Ann.

"Me neither," said Claire.

"Claire, would you like an after dinner drink?"

"No thank you, Ann. I've been overfed and over served. It was a wonderful meal."

"Good, I'm glad that you liked it. Miss, please bring me the bill." Ann picked up her purse and pulled out her wallet. "So Professor, what do you think of my offer? Would you be willing to be my first interview, and maybe grace our first cover? Or would you like to discuss it a bit more?" She twisted her hair around her finger while she spoke.

Claire caught the message. Ann was offering herself to Claire. Claire was more than amenable. "I like the offer Ann. Would you care to finalize the details at my house this evening?"

"That's an excellent idea," and Ann flashed a huge smile. "Just an excellent idea. Now where is that waitress?"

 

Kim and Brian finished their salmon. "It was delicious," Kim said. "I have never had better."

"I've been coming to Monterrey for almost fifteen years. I always make it a point to stop here and I always have the salmon. I have never been disappointed. I'm glad you liked it. Would you like some dessert?"

"Thank you, but I'm quite full and it is getting late. We have a long drive ahead of us."

"That we have. But you can lean back and relax on the trip home. I promise once we get in the car, I won't bother you with trivial things such as work. But before we leave I must ask, will you consider my offer?"

"Brian, I had a wonderful meal and a pleasant evening. I can't make any promises. Can I think about it?" In the heat of the moment, Kim was seriously considering the offer. Brian had turned out to be more charming and entertaining than she had anticipated. If it had been just the two of them, she would probably have accepted. But she thought of Todd Reimer and Professor Barnhardt. As much as she wanted to say yes at this point in time, she knew that she would have to decline the offer. She didn't want to ruin the mood and the evening, so she tried to put him off.

Brian wasn't stupid. He feared that she would say no. Everything was in motion to handle the situation. But he really wanted to step in as savior tomorrow. He didn't want to lose her. He knew he could have her tonight. She couldn't possibly put up enough resistance to stop him. But there was still that small, outside chance that tomorrow would change her mind. It was becoming a difficult decision for him. Take her tonight and never have her again, or wait for tomorrow and hope for a miracle.

In the end, he knew that it was too late to change his options. Plans were already in motion and only a stupid man would risk his life and his partner's life by straying from that plan. The situation was bigger than just him and the girl. Never, never make it personal again.

"That's fine," he said. "Take your time, but not too much time. All offers have expiration dates." 'Some even come with penalties,' he thought to himself.

He still had one more thing that he wanted to do. He reached into his coat pocket and wrapped his hand around the box. "Kim, before we head back to school there is one more thing that I would like to do. I still owe you a little honorarium for joining me tonight." He pulled out the box and extended his hand to her.

Kim sat motionless. She looked at the box in his open hand and shook her head no. He smiled and shook his head yes. "Please. I had a wonderful time tonight and I would just like to say thank you."

She again looked at the box. He continued to hold the box out for her to take. She slowly and reluctantly took it from his hand, and studied the box. It had the seal of the President of the United States embossed on its cover. She looked at him again. He shook his head yes. Kim held her breath and opened the box. Inside were two earrings; two large and sparkling earrings. The diamonds were magnificent.

She closed the box and offered it back to him. "No. I can't."

"Yes you can. Thank you for the evening."

"They're worth a fortune. I can't possibly accept something this expensive."

"They cost me nothing. I received them as a gift. Since I don't have pierced ears I can't wear them. I can't possibly think of a more beautiful place for them than hanging from your ears. They're good earrings, and they deserve the finest."

She smiled at Brian. "Should I put them on?

"I would love to see you wear them."

She carefully removed her hoops and put the new earrings in their place. They felt much heavier. They felt wonderful. They felt at home. She looked at Brian.

"You make them look so much better. I thought they were looking a bit drab in that little box."

"I don't know what to say," Kim said.

"You don't have to say anything. I feel honored that I could give them such a beautiful home. I hate to see stray and homeless diamond earrings. It is really so sad. I am told that they are perfect two-carat diamonds. I wouldn't know, but I think we can take the word of the man who gave them to me."

She gently shook her head so she could feel the weight of the diamonds as they swayed beneath her ears. The man was winning her over. She couldn't help it.

The waiter brought the bill and placed it to the side of Kaliber. Brian paid the bill and they headed towards the restrooms for one last stop before the ride home. It was going to be a dreary ride back, Brian thought.

 

Claire unlocked the front door and the two of them stepped in. Claire threw her purse on the couch and turned to Ann. She took Ann's purse and tossed it next to hers. The two of them embraced and kissed. Ann slid her hands down Claire's back and grabbed her cheeks. She pulled Claire's body into hers as she pressed her crotch against Claire's. They kissed passionately. Claire's hands worked their way to Ann's head, where they wrapped themselves in her hair. They held Ann's head as Claire pressed her lips against Ann's lips and forced her tongue into Ann's mouth.

They kissed until they both needed to catch their breath. Ann looked into Claire's eyes as her hands slid up Claire's body and began to caress Claire's breasts. Claire's hands slid down Ann's body and reached her skirt. She pulled Ann's dress up until she could reach under the dress and rub her hands over Ann's hips and around her cheeks. Claire's fingers worked their way up to the elastic on Ann's panties and began to slide them down.

Ann stepped back. "What say we move into the bedroom where we will be more comfortable?"

"I don't think I can wait that long," Claire grinned. "It's a long way to the bedroom, how about another kiss for the road?" They embraced each other and again locked themselves in another passionate kiss.

 

Kim slipped her arm through Brian's as they walked towards the car. "It's a beautiful evening, Brian. So peaceful."

"It is at that." He slowly walked the two of them to her side of the car. "Kim, I have something to ask you. I'm sorry if I am being too forward but I have no choice. When we get in the car, you will probably fall asleep. I hope you do. It says that you had a good meal and a comfortable evening. And when we get to your house, you will be slow to awake from your sleep and your mind will be full of cobwebs. Before you step into the car, could I kiss you goodnight? It would mean so much to me. Please?"

Kim smiled. She closed her eyes and offered her lips to Brian. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He gently pressed his lips against hers and closed his eyes. They stood motionless for almost half a minute. He withdrew his lips but kept his eyes closed. He still held her in his arms. "Kim," he whispered, "I will never forget this moment." He released her and opened the car door. Kim sat down and snuggled against the seat. She was asleep before they reached the aquarium.

 

Claire and Ann walked into the bedroom. They both had their arm around the other's waist. Claire turned on the light as they walked into the room. Ann knelt down on the floor and removed Claire's shoes. She reached under Claire's skirt and found the top of her thigh high stockings. She pulled down first the right and then the left. She reached behind Claire and unzipped her skirt, and watched it slide down Claire's legs. Then she unbuttoned the five buttons on the front of Claire's blouse and slid the shoulders of the blouse over Claire's shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

Ann stepped against Claire and gently kissed her as she unfastened Claire's bra. She slid the bra off and exposed Claire's breasts. Ann cupped Claire's breasts in her hands and held them as she leaned forward and again kissed Claire.

She stepped back to indicate to Claire that she expected the same treatment. Claire was more than willing to oblige. She carefully and slowly removed Ann's clothes. Claire held Ann in her arms and kissed her. Ann returned her kiss only briefly. "Perhaps it would be best if you first used the bathroom to freshen up. When you return I can then quickly brush my teeth." She gave Claire a quick kiss and released her. Claire turned towards the bathroom.

As soon as Claire closed the door, Ann collected all of her clothes and placed them in the far corner of the bedroom. They were now well out of the way. Ann walked into the living room and picked up her purse. She took out a pair of latex gloves and put them on as she walked down the hall towards the kitchen. At the entrance to Claire's office she paused and looked at the awards and certificates on the walls. The pause lasted for only a brief moment, and then she continued to the kitchen and turned on the light. After glancing around the kitchen she spotted Claire's knife block. Roxanne Kolter removed the second largest knife and returned to the bedroom.

Claire exited the bathroom. She had brushed her teeth, washed off her makeup and removed her panties. She wore only a large smile as she walked towards Ann. Ann was sitting on the bed. As Claire approached, Ann stood with her hands behind her back. When Claire was close enough, she began to raise her arms to hug Ann. At that moment Ann drove the butcher knife deep into Claire's chest.

Claire's eyes flashed their incomprehension. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. Ann plunged the knife into her chest again. And again. Claire crumpled to the floor. She fell on her back, her eyes wide open and looking at Ann. Ann kneeled down beside Claire and drove the knife into her chest again and again and again. A gurgling came from Claire's throat but quickly subsided. She was dead.

Claire's blood was splattered all over the carpet, the bed and the walls. Even Ann had blood all over her. Ann walked into the bathroom and took Claire's washcloth and wiped most of the blood off of herself. She dropped the washcloth in the sink, then left the bathroom and calmly walked down stairs into the cellar. Ann reached behind the furnace and removed a plastic bag containing Kim's soiled clothes, and returned with them to the bedroom. The clothes were removed from the bag and carefully dipped in Claire's blood. She was careful to make sure that she dipped the front of the skirt and sweater in the blood, and she did the same with the bra and stockings.

While the clothes were drying, she took the small bag with Kim's hair from the large bag, and took individual hairs and pulled them under Claire's fingernails. The rest of the hair was balled up and left on the floor. Then she collected Kim's clothes, wadded them all into a ball and pushed them back into the plastic bag. She took the knife and wiped the handle with some of Claire's clothes. Then the knife was dropped into the plastic bag.

She carried the plastic bag that contained Kim's clothes into the bathroom, placed it on the counter where she wouldn't forget it, and then stepped into the shower and took a hot and leisurely shower. After drying herself, she set the towel next to the plastic bag, walked into the bedroom, retrieved her clothes and got dressed. She took Claire's shoes into the bathroom and wiped her fingerprints off them, and then returned them to their previous location.

Ann went into Claire's closet and dresser and removed a pair of panties, a bra, a pair of jeans, a sweater and a pair of running shoes. After collecting Claire's and Kim's' clothes and all of the items that she had used, she took Claire's car keys out of her purse and left through the front door. She didn't lock the door.

The assassin calmly walked to her car and threw everything on the back seat, and then drove back to the school's visitor parking lot. After removing her dress and heels she put on sweats and tennis shoes, locked her car and walked across the campus to the faculty parking lot at the engineering building. She kept to the shadows and made sure that no would see her. Using Claire's keys, she entered the car and drove it back to the visitor's lot, where she took Kim's bloody clothes from the rental car and put them in the trunk of Claire's car. She then drove Claire's car across campus and parked it three blocks from Kim's apartment.

Finally, Ann jogged across campus back to the visitor's lot, retrieved her own car and was back at her hotel by midnight. Just about everything was in place. Even a group of individuals as stupid as the police would figure out what had happened. If she had made any mistakes, no one could link them back to her. She was a total unknown without motive in this case. And besides, even if the police found anything amiss, they would discard or hide it. They were paid for solving crimes. It didn't matter if they had the right person or not.

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

 

Source: Valerie Samantha Kim

 

Kim woke later than normal on Saturday morning. She was in a happy mood. Even though she would still have to turn down Brian's offer, she felt much better about Brian as a person. She was hoping that they would meet again and that she could count on him as a friend within the government. Maybe he could be a friend like Kristal.

Kim was only eighteen and not yet very good at judging people.

Andromeda was sleeping on the foot of Kim's bed. Andromeda stood and stretched as only a cat can. She dug her front claws into the comforter and she pulled her body back to stretch her ribs and front shoulders. Then she arched to stretch her back, and finally leaned forward and stretched out her rear legs. After watching her stretch, Kim wished she could do the same thing. Andromeda walked across the bed and stood on Kim's chest. Meow! "Let's get up sleepy head."

Kim rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Thirty minutes later she felt like a new woman. A happy woman. A woman with a load of anxieties and worries washed away with one evening. She still remembered Brian's goodnight kiss. For an old man he kissed nicely. Kim opened the refrigerator and took out the orange juice. She filled her glass and sat down at the kitchen table. Andromeda jumped on her lap. She wanted some attention before Kim left for school. Kim wasn't moving too fast this morning.

She finally finished dressing, pushed some notebooks and her computer into a backpack and slid her arms through the straps. She opened the front door and rolled her bike out onto the stoop. Kim turned around to close the door and yelled, "Have a nice day Andromeda. It's Saturday, I'll be home early." As if Andromeda was going to plan her day around Kim's.

Kim mounted her bike and began a slow pace towards school. Two blocks later she passed a car parked on the side of the road. Inside the car was a woman whom the previously night had referred to herself as Roxanne Kolter; Ann for short. She watched Kim pedal past her and stop at the end of the street. The light turned green and Kim proceeded through the intersection. The woman drove back to Kim's apartment.

She parked her car and put on a pair of latex gloves as she sat in the front seat. After looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, she removed a bag from the trunk, and walked up to Kim's apartment and opened the door as easily as she had earlier in the week. Once again Andromeda was sitting on the back of a chair watching the woman enter. Andromeda jumped off the chair and disappeared.

The woman walked into Kim's bedroom and opened the hamper with Kim's dirty clothes. She dumped the bag with Claire's stolen clothes on the floor and then dumped the hamper on top of the pile. She rubbed Claire's clothes with Kim's clothes, transferring hair, perspiration, sloughed skin cells and other pieces of Kim's DNA onto Claire's clothes. Kim's clothes were returned to the hamper and Claire's clothes were placed on top. After planting the evidence she left the apartment.

She returned to her car and put her gloves in her shoulder bag. The job was done, but she would remain in town for a few more days to cover any unforeseen circumstances. The woman was a professional. Everything had gone as smoothly as expected and there would be no unforeseen circumstances. It would be a leisurely week of sightseeing while listening to the TV, radio and police scanners. A routine cleanup in a pleasant city.

For once in her successful career, the woman would be wrong.

 

Kim locked her bike to the bike rack and headed to her office. She walked past Professor Keystone's office and saw that it was still locked. That was unusual. Claire was usually one of the first people in the office on Saturday mornings. She usually started the coffee. Kim opened her computer, checked her messages and then headed to the staff room for some morning coffee. Fortunately, one of the other staff members had started the coffee machine. Kim had never done it and wasn't sure if she would have known how. She walked past Claire's office and saw that Claire still wasn't in. Did she forget to set her alarm?

Kim opened her journal and tied up a few late items on her last experiment at the litho lab. The final test results were posted in the labs' database, and everything had gone as expected. In three weeks she was hoping to build a quarter scale model of her latest superconducting circuitry. If the manufacturing process was successful, Kim would finally be in position to evaluate her theory. The quarter scale chip could be taken down to ten degrees absolute and checked for actual energy tunneling. If it worked, her goal would be in reach. With the theory proven, it would merely be a matter of time to finalize the designs, optimize the circuitry, and most importantly, determine how to build connections to tiny chips that could carry the amperage she was contemplating. Many of the steps would require some intelligent engineering, but nothing would be outside existing technology. It would take a full month to get scheduled into the cryology labs and set up her experiment, but if all went well, she would be in position by Christmas to know if her objective was truly possible.

Kim wrote a long e-mail to Valerie, detailing the last week's events. It was obvious from the letter that Kim was happy with her decision to enter Stanford. And it was also obvious that she had enjoyed her previous evening.

She sent the letter and packed up her things. Kim walked down the hall to Claire's office to confirm their Saturday night dinner and a movie. Claire's office was still locked and there was no sign of Professor Keystone anywhere. Kim returned to her office and called Claire at home. Kim reached Claire's voice mail and left a message. It all seemed very strange.

Kim packed up her books and computer and headed towards her bike. She could try and call Claire from home.

 

Excerpted from personal conversations with Senator Horn

I was sitting at my desk in my home office when the front bell rang. I had called Jennifer and asked her to come over. I opened the door and we exchanged pleasantries. Jennifer was not only my long time assistant and confidant, but she was also my best friend. I always enjoyed seeing her.

"Good afternoon, Jennifer. I'm sorry to disturb you on a beautiful Saturday, but this bothers me."

"I understand. It seems out of whack to me also." She held up a satchel that she had in her hand, "I brought some enhancing equipment. I thought that it might help.""Let's have a go with it," I said.

I sat at my desk and watched as Jennifer pulled out the equipment and several cords. She plugged into the wall outlet and also into my computer. She ran another cord from the projector to the keyboard used to control the enhancer. It took about ten minutes to get everything connected and operating.

"Ok Kristal, if you would open your files I can pull them out and transfer them over here."

I opened up two sets of files. One set contained the pictures that we had received on disk and the other file contained the pictures that had arrived electronically that morning. "I ran the standard trace protocol on today's pictures, but it came up empty."

"That's not that unusual. A good hacker could easily cover his tracks. If it came through secure channels you wouldn't be able to trace it either." Jennifer fiddled with a few more items on her keyboard. The screen came alive and the pictures started to materialize.

"Lights down," I ordered, and the room darkened. "So do you think it is the same woman?"

"Yea I think so, but we'll know for sure soon enough." Jennifer started projecting two pictures at a time. Side by side it would be easier to make comparisons. Digital enhance mode made the pictures much sharper. "First off, I think it is safe to say that they were all taken in the same place. Angles are changed slightly, but some of the same furniture is apparent in both sets. For instance, here is a plaid chair and here is the same chair in the new set. And let's look at this one. Yes, if you concentrate on that door in the rear you can see another door to the left. Going back to this picture, the same orientation and geometry is seen. I would say that there is no doubt these came from the same location."

"I agree. Now what about the woman?" Jennifer was getting the hang of the keyboard and its functions. She was flashing through pictures and enlarging and enhancing at a much faster rate.

"We have two sets of good pictures from behind. Let me enlarge this one and slide it over. Ok, the angles aren't perfect but I think it is clear that the size of her head in proportion to her shoulders is the same. And the hair looks identical."

"I agree," I said.

"We don't have any good pictures from the front of the woman. We have a few side views, one half-decent ¾ view, but no full frontal pictures." A thought came to Jennifer. "What does that suggest to you?"

"The same thing that it probably says to you; this woman is being photographed without her consent. Someone is spying on her activities. So what are her activities?"

Jennifer went back to the first pictures and we slowly flipped through each one. "It looks like routine household type chores. Sorting clothes and putting them away. Maybe a bit of maintenance around the house? She is holding something like it is a tool."

"Can you enhance it?"

Jennifer enlarged and enhanced the woman's hand. "It's a screwdriver. She's doing something."

We went through the rest of the pictures and looked at the new ones. Once again the woman was on the floor sorting clothes.

"Wait a minute," said Jennifer. "Look at this series. She takes the clothes out, and then she puts them back. Why would you do that?"

We both knew the answer at the same time. "She is planting something in the clothes hamper."

"Just one second," and Jennifer flipped back to one of the first pictures from the second batch. "Here, it looks like she is entering that bedroom and there might be something in her hand. It has been cut off in the picture. But look when she leaves, there is nothing in her hand."

"She could have brought something with her, and left it in that clothes hamper. But what about the first series of pictures? Did she plant something then?"

Jennifer slowly went through the first series. "More likely she took things out the first time. These early pictures look like this bag is empty, and …" Jennifer flipped between pictures, "these later pictures look like the bag now has things in it."

And then we both saw something that made our blood run cold. "There," I yelled and pointed, "enhance that! Quick."

"I see it, I see it," Jennifer said. She enlarged and enhanced and ran the picture through a couple other filters. There was no doubt about it. Reflected in a mirror was a black cat. It was looking right at the mirror. "What do you think?" asked Jennifer.

"It looks close enough that I need to make an AV call. It sure as hell looks like Andromeda."

 

Source: Valerie Samantha Kim

Kim arrived home from school and gave Claire another call. Still, there was no answer. 'Most peculiar,' she thought. It was a nice afternoon, so Kim decided to go for a bike ride. She put on her biking shorts and top, filled her water bottle and wheeled her bike out the front door. "Back in a little while, Andromeda," she called as she shut and locked the door. Kim mounted the bike and headed across campus. She wanted to ride down through the shopping and eating district and do a little people watching.

Kim hadn't been gone five minutes when her AV-phone rang. Her voice mail picked up the call, "Kim, this is Kristal. Call me as soon as you get in. Bye."

Kim spent the better part of two hours biking. She stopped at Barton's and ordered a double dip ice-cream cone, walked outside and sat on a bench while eating her cone and watched the people walk by. After the people watching, she biked for another five miles and thought it was time to head home. There were a couple of options for her route home. Kim decided to ride past Clair's house and see if she was home. It took about twenty minutes to reach Clair's house. There was no activity around the house, and all of the blinds were closed. As long as she was here, Kim decided to see if Claire was present.

She parked her bike in the driveway, walked up to the front door, knocked and then stood back and waited. There was no response. She rang the doorbell and again waited. Still there was no response. "I guess she's not home," Kim muttered. Just out of curiosity, Kim tried the door handle. It was unlocked. That was very unusual. Like most women, Claire was very careful about her security.

Kim pushed the door open and announced herself. The room was dark and there was an odd odor. "Claire," she yelled, "it's Kim. Are you here?" The house remained silent. Kim felt self conscious but she took a step inside. It wasn't polite to walk into someone's unlocked home, but it was very unusual for Claire to have left without locking the door. What if she had fallen and hurt her self, Kim thought. She decided to walk around the house.

"Claire, it's Kim. Are you here?" She slowly walked towards the bedroom. The strange odor was getting stronger. She entered the bedroom and saw the blood soaked carpet. "Oh my god," she whispered. She walked in a little further and saw Claire. Claire's body was sprawled on the floor, naked and covered in blood. It couldn't be, she thought. Did she walk into the right house? She covered her face and turned away. She didn't move. The sight was just too strange to be real. There was no way that could be Claire on the floor. It must be someone else. She turned and looked again. It was Claire. There was no doubt. And there was no doubt that she was dead.

Kim's knees felt weak. Her head started to spin. She used the wall to hold herself up. She turned and walked back to the living room and sat down. What should she do? Should she leave? Should she call someone? The dean? The police? Who? Her mind kept spinning. Her eyes dilated and everything became bright. She bent over and put her head between her legs, and could taste the horrible acidity of vomit at the back of her throat. "I need fresh air," she said and walked outside. The daylight was brighter than she remembered. The breeze was missing. She stood looking at her bike, the street, the house across the street. Little items filled her view; a watering can, a basketball, a row of hedges. A naked body.

She must have stood there for a solid three minutes. An eternity. Thousands of thoughts ran through her mind. But something kept pulling her back to reality. She had to do something. Kim walked back inside and smelled the odor again, but this time she knew what it was. She walked to the kitchen and activated the AV-phone, then pushed the three number code; 9-1-1. "This is the Palo Alto police. What is the nature of your emergency?" The woman's voice was too pleasant for what Kim had to say.

"Someone murdered Claire."

 

The woman kept Kim on the phone for over ten minutes. She asked numerous questions and Kim didn't remember a single one. She was still talking on the phone when she heard the police enter the house. "I think they're here," and she turned to watch a uniform walk up to her. Kim never disconnected the line; she just stared at the officer.

"Miss, what happened?"

Kim started crying. A female officer wrapped her arm around Kim and walked her out to a police cruiser. Kim sat locked in the back seat for forty-five minutes. Police came and went. Ambulances came and went. And no one talked to Kim. Kim sat in the squad car and cried. Finally, a large, over-weight man in a suit arrived. He came over to the car and let Kim out of the back seat. "Please come with me," he said, and walked her over to another car and put her in the back seat of that car. Finally, he drove her to the police station.

At the police station a woman offered Kim some coffee, then led her into a small room with a bare table and three chairs. She took one of the chairs facing a large, one way mirror on the opposite wall. Kim spent the next three hours answering the same questions over and over. She was interrogated by six or seven or one hundred different people. She lost count. They all asked the same questions. She was getting tired. She wanted to go home. They wouldn't let her leave. They asked more questions. Some of her interrogators were nice. Some were quiet. Others were loud and obnoxious. She was tired, and just wanted to go home and cry by herself, and still they questioned and harassed her.

Slowly her sorrow shifted to anger. They were asking stupid questions. They were acting like she knew what had happened. She didn't know anything. She had found Claire, hadn't she? She had called for help hadn't she? What more could she have done?

Finally, after what felt like days of interrogation, they stopped asking questions. She was taken to another room and waited there. Alone, she waited another twenty minutes. Finally, a female officer came in the room. "Do you have someone who can take you home?" Kim tried to think. The only other person she knew was Amanda, but she couldn't remember what dorm or what room Amanda stayed at. Kim just shook her head no. "That's alright. I'll have an officer drive you home."

The officer drove Kim to her apartment. Kim walked silently to her front door and unlocked it. Andromeda was sitting on the chair waiting for her. Kim dropped into the sofa and pulled an afghan over her. She curled up into a fetal position and lay there until she fell asleep. Andromeda watched over her as she fell asleep.

Kim never saw the blinking light that would have told her to call Kristal.

 

Kim heard a distant pounding, but didn't know what it was or where it was coming from. In fact, she didn't know where she was, but she knew she wasn't in her own bed. Things looked strange. Her head was pounding and full of anxiety. Her stomach felt empty and queasy. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't put her finger on it immediately. Reality was slow in returning to her senses. She was on the sofa. She was stiff and sore. She had to go to the bathroom.

And Claire was dead.

Could it have been a horrible nightmare? No. She knew it wasn't. Claire truly was dead. It had been horrible. There had been blood everywhere. And the police. The police asked lots of questions. They didn't believe her. They had been rude and accusatory.

Bang, bang, bang. Someone was pounding on the front door. Kim had to go to the bathroom. The person at the front door could wait. Stiff from sleeping on the uncomfortable couch, Kim stood and stretched. She was still wearing her biking shorts as she went to the bathroom and relieved herself.

She washed her hands and didn't even have a chance to dry them when she heard the pounding again. She wiped her hands on her shorts as she walked to the front door and pulled it open. Amanda was standing in the door. Amanda stepped in and hugged Kim. "I heard about Claire. Everyone has heard. I am so sorry, Kim. I am very, very sorry." Kim wrapped her arms around Amanda and started to sniffle.

While still hugging Kim, Amanda managed to spin the couple back into Kim's apartment and she kicked the door shut with her foot. "Kim?" Kim continued to hug Amanda. "Kim?"

Kim looked at Amanda, tears were forming in her eyes. "Kim, I am really sorry, but we have to go. We have to leave right now."

Kim was still weak from the emotional exhaustion she had experienced. She blinked and looked at Amanda. "Why?"

"Because the police are coming to arrest you. Kim, listen very carefully to me." Amanda held Kim by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Kim, you were set up. Brian Kaliber had Claire murdered and has set you up as the murderer. The police are coming here right now and they are going to arrest you. Kim, they have all of the evidence lined up against you. You will be convicted. We have to leave. Now!"

Kim was dumbfounded. She stared at Amanda. "That can't be true. Brian likes me. I didn't kill Claire. Everyone knows that."

"No they don't Kim. Everyone will think otherwise. Please, I can't tell you all of the details now. Come here, follow me." Amanda took Kim by the hand and led her to the kitchen. The kitchen window looked out on the parking lot behind Kim's apartment. Amanda held the curtains open just a bit, just enough for Kim to peek out. "Look Kim, the parking lot is filling up with policemen. They are getting ready to come in here and arrest you."

"But I didn't do anything wrong," Kim pleaded. Kim was swaying on her feet as the un-reality of the situation continued to muddle her mind.

Amanda tried to console her, but there was an urgency to the situation. "Kim, I know you didn't do anything wrong. And we can prove that to other people. But not here and not now. We have to leave immediately." Amanda grabbed Kim's hand and pulled her towards the bedroom. "Kim, you have to grab everything you can. Get your journals, diaries, computer memories, and all of you personal items. I'll get your clothes."

They had reached the bedroom, and Amanda grabbed a pillow and pulled the pillowcase off. She handed it to Kim, "Get to your computer and get everything you have. Go! Now! Hurry!" Amanda grabbed another pillow and pulled off the cover. She ran to the dresser and pulled open the drawers. She started stuffing Kim's clothes into the pillowcase. She emptied the dresser and then went to the closet. She grabbed as many clothes as she could and stuffed them into the pillowcase. She spotted another pillowcase on a shelf. She grabbed it and filled it with more clothes and shoes.

Amanda walked out of the closet and set both of the overstuffed pillowcases next to the door. She pulled a small bean-bag out of her pocket and squeezed it. The light in the closet went out. The closet went totally dark. Blank. Nothing was visible past the door frame.

She yelled towards the other room, "Kim, do you have everything? Amanda started walking towards the other room when she noticed a small velvet box sitting on the corner of Kim's nightstand. It had the seal of the President of the United States on the top. She picked up the box and slid it in her other pocket.

Just as Amanda exited the bedroom there was a knock at the front door. There was a muffled call from the other side of the door, "This is the police. Please open the door."

Amanda ran into the other room. "Kim hurry! We have to go now!"

Kim came down the hall with her fully loaded pillowcase. "Where can we go? There is only one door." Kim was starting to realize the gravity of the situation. There was a tinge of panic in her voice.

"Come with me," and Amanda grabbed Kim by the arm and pulled her along. There was another knock at the door. This time it was louder and longer. "Quick, come this way." Kim followed along as fast as she could. "Into the closet," Amanda commanded.

"We can't hide in there. They'll find us."

Amanda scolded her, "Kim, do as I say. Walk into the closet. Now!"

Kim walked into the closet, and her entire world changed forever. Everything went dark. Her stomach flew up into her throat. It felt like she was falling at an enormous rate. As fast as the sensation started, it ended. Her knees bent slightly as they again took the full weight of her body. It became light and Kim heard a slight whoosh and pop. She was no longer in the closet. She was standing in a large room. An apartment maybe? There were floor to ceiling windows in front of her and it was very light outside. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could see the ocean outside. What had just happened?

 

(continued)

  

  

  

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