doing here, itâs definitely got something to do with these mob guys. I donât know if it will have anything to do with the war, but itâs where we gotta start.â
âRight,â Spader said. âWith the gangster-wogglies.â
Gunny stood up and straightened his suit. âThatâs where I come in. Iâve got friends in a lot of places; not all of them are good. I can ask some questions to get us started.â
I had no idea where any of this would lead, but I felt confident that we were starting in the right place. Where it would take us was anybodyâs guess.
âGet some rest,â Gunny said. âIâll come get you in the morning when itâs time for work. Be ready early.â
Gunny took the cart and wheeled it toward the door. âOh, one more thing. Before work, weâll stop by the barbershop in the lobby. We canât have you two working here looking like ladies.â
I hated to admit it, but Gunny was right. My hair was getting long and shaggy. Spaderâs black hair was almost to his shoulders. These were definitely not 1937 cuts.
âWhatâs a barbershop?â Spader asked.
âGânight, gentlemen,â Gunny said. âSleep tight.â He opened the door, then turned back to us and said, âHowâs this?â He rapped twice on the door, then once, then three times.
âThe perfect secret knock,â I said.
âI always wanted to be a G-man,â Gunny said with a smile. He closed the door and we were alone.
âWhatâs a G-man?â Spader asked again.
âItâs not important,â I answered.
âThen tell me about this World War Two. Is it really the natty-do youâre saying?â
âWorse,â I answered solemnly. âI donât know the words to describe how bad it was. If thereâs a chance we could stop it, it would be beyond incredible.â
Spader stood up and smiled. âRight then! I have a sudden urge to pee. Not that Iâm nervous mind you. Iâm justâ¦scared to death.â He went for the bathroom, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
The ideas we were throwing around were too huge to comprehend. Was it possible that we might find the trigger here in New York that would start a chain reaction to prevent World War Two? A horror like that war was right up Saint Daneâs alley. Of course, that meant Saint Dane would be doing his best to make sure we wouldnât find that trigger. That would be the challenge. Same old, same old.
Then three knocks came at the door.
I got up to let Gunny back in, figuring he had forgotten to tell us something. I hoped it was about breakfast. I was stuffed, but the thought of bacon and eggs was a sweet one.
âI canât believe you forgot the secret knock already,â I called out as I headed for the door. âYouâd make a lousy G-man.â
I opened the door and instantly got shoved back into the room. I fell down on my butt, hard. At first I didnât get why Gunny would have done that. When I got my wits back and looked up, I had my answer.
It wasnât Gunny.
Standing over me were the two gangsters from the subway station. The nasty one had a black revolver pointed right at my nose.
âAinât no G-man around to help you now,â he snarled.
JOURNAL #9
FIRST EARTH
I was on my butt, looking up at two guys who only a few hours before had tried to kill me. They didnât even bother covering their faces with handkerchiefs this time. They were a couple of gnarly-looking dudes too. The nasty one was, well, nasty looking. He had a pudgy face and dark, wild eyes. He was one of those guys who had to shave every hour or heâd have a Fred Flintstone thing going on.
The other guy, the tense one, looked a little less tense than before. Iâm sure that was because he didnât have an audience now. He had thin features and a sharp, beaklike nose. He still didnât look all too happy