Free Replay by Marc Levy Page B

occurred to him. He couldn’t care less about her threats; he knew perfectly well that he’d be leaving for Buenos Aires at the end of the month, and that he’d finish his investigation. But Olivia had caught him unawares during their conversation. He’d had to think twice before saying anything because he wasn’t sure what she was supposed to know and what she didn’t know yet. He had no recollection of giving her his notes, either in this life or his other life that had ended in Hudson River Park. On the other hand, he was pretty sure they hadn’t had this conversation before.
    As he headed back to the office, Andrew told himself maybe he shouldn’t have slapped Freddy Olson. He’d have to be careful not to change the course of things from now on.
     
    * * *
     
    Andrew used his lunch break to go for a stroll along Madison Avenue and stopped in front of a jeweler’s window. He wasn’t particularly flush moneywise, but his marriage proposal had a lot more riding on it than the first time. He had felt sheepish about not having the customary ring box on him when he’d gone down on one knee to propose to Valerie at Maurizio’s.
    He went into the shop and peered at the display cases. It wasn’t that easy to fool around with the past, to upend the order of events. He recognized the ring Valerie had chosen when they’d gone to buy one, glinting up at him from among ten other rings. And yet Andrew was absolutely certain they hadn’t come to this particular jeweler’s.
    He knew exactly how much the ring had cost. So when the jeweler tried to convince him it was twice that price, Andrew said confidently: “This diamond weighs just under 0.95 carats, and though it has quite a sparkle, the cut is old-fashioned and there are several flaws, so I’d expect to pay half of what you’re asking for it.”
    Andrew was only repeating what the previous jeweler had explained when he had bought this ring in Valerie’s company. He could remember being touched by his fiancée’s reaction. He had expected her to pick a better-quality stone, but Valerie had slipped the ring on her finger and told the jeweler it was good enough for her.
    “So I see two possible explanations,” Andrew said. “Either you made a mistake when you checked the price tag—and I can’t say I blame you, it’s written quite small—or you’re trying to con me. I’d hate to have to write a piece about dishonest jewelers. Did I mention I’m with
The New York Times
?”
    The jeweler took another look at the price tag and frowned. Looking very embarrassed, he admitted he had indeed made a mistake, and that the ring was worth exactly the amount Andrew had offered.
    They sealed the deal in a most civil manner, and Andrew walked back out on Madison Avenue with a delightful little box nestling in his jacket pocket.
    His second purchase of the day was a small combination lock for his desk drawer at the office.
    The third was a faux leather notebook with an elastic band. It wasn’t notes about his article he wanted to jot down in there. He was going to find out who’d killed him, and stop them. He had less than fifty-nine days left to do it.
     
    Andrew went into a Starbucks and grabbed a bite to eat. He settled down in a leather armchair and began to think about all the people who might want him dead. It made him very uncomfortable. Where had he gone so wrong that he now had to make up a list like this?
    He jotted down Freddy Olson’s name. You could never tell what a colleague was really capable of, or how far jealousy might take them. But he dismissed the thought immediately. Olson didn’t have the balls for it. And anyway, they’d never actually come to blows in his previous life.
    There were those threatening letters he had received shortly after the publication of his article about the child trafficking ring in China. His piece must have thrown into turmoil the lives of any number of American families who had adopted kids from China. Children are