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grin on the little girl’s face, she knew they would. Then Sammi quickly turned serious and said, “Uh…Mrs. Sikes? I heard voices at school again today.”
    “Oh, no. Did anybody notice?”
    “No. It didn’t last long. It was during lunch and I forgot to use my block for a few minutes.”
    “Was it the same people talking in the foreign language?”
    “No ma’am. They were different, and they spoke English. It was a man and he said, Follow red target. Do you copy? ”
    “That sounds like a spy movie.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “I have no idea. We’d better tell Carl when he gets home, and I’ll call Jamie later and let him know.”
    Carl laid his jacket over the back of the chair by the kitchen. “I don’t think we should talk about this over the phone. If you call Jamie, just mention that we have something new to tell him, but we don’t know how important it is. If it bothers him enough, he’ll make a doorway and come home tonight to find out what it is.”
    “I like that plan,” Rachel said. “Then we’ll get to see him sooner.”
    “He’ll be here tomorrow afternoon. I think it can wait until then.”
    * * *
    Three men in dark business suits and silk ties walked out of the front of the Dubai Conference Center, through the parking lot full of black limousines, and crossed the busy street without looking at the oncoming traffic. No alarm was sounded until hours later, after their aides became concerned.
    A search team found the three men five days later, seventy miles out in the desert, face down in the sand, dead from dehydration. They still wore their suit jackets, and their ties had not been loosened.
    * * *
    Instead of hurrying out of his Environmental Science class on Friday, Jamie waited while the rest of the students shuffled through the door and the room gradually cleared. His female shadow, the young woman who called herself Ashley, waited too, until it was obvious that he wanted to talk to Dr. Tindall. Alone.
    A look of resignation crossed Ashley’s face and she said, “Uh, I gotta go, Jamie. Catch you later, okay?”
    Jamie only waved his response and waited until she was gone before turning to his professor. Dr. Tindall smiled sardonically and said, “Is that an admirer?”
    “No ma’am. I’m not sure what she is.” Jamie started to elaborate, but decided to save it for another time. He and his professor had something more important to discuss. “Did you make your decision?”
    “Yes,” she said. “I’m going to help you.”
    “Great!” He felt a smile spread across his face. “That’s really, really, great. Um…I guess your grant didn’t come through.”
    “No, it didn’t, though I was strongly tempted to help you even if it did. It would be the opportunity of a lifetime, to study another world, however briefly, even if I couldn’t publish my findings.” She crossed her arms loosely over her chest and leaned back against her desk. “I have a condition, though. Let me investigate Eddan’s world, first, if we have time. At least the area around Rivershire. How soon do you need me to do an environmental impact study of your next mining prospect? Right away?”
    “We have to finish up this deal with the copper mine, first.”
    “Good. I want to go Rivershire and take soil and water samples from around the region, and blood samples from some of the locals, if they’ll let me. Do you think they might?”
    “If we get the word out that you’re going to be there, I think most people will be accommodating. I’m sure the parents at the school will. They always want to help whenever they can, and many of them are farmers. Their fields should be good places to get samples.”
    “I have one more favor to ask. I will need the help of a couple of my grad students to do the study. Do you mind giving them the oath so they can go to Rivershire with me?”
    “That’s fine. How are you going to get to and fro? Do I have to make a permanent doorway somewhere in Cullowhee?