Page 76 of The Paradox Club

“You’re a psychological genius, aren’t you?” said Vivian.

“You know I could shoot you,” said Montag 5 to Vivian. “Not kill you or anything. Just take out a kneecap.”

“I can’t!” cried Tess. “He won’t let me.”

“The voices tell her to do things.”

“And if I don’t,” said Tess, who had managed to conjure up some tears, “something horrible will happen.”

“You’re being held at gunpoint,” said Montag 5. “Isn’t it a little late to prevent horrible things?”

“I have to count the cars in the parking lot,” said Tess, her voice slightly calmer. She took a step toward the door.

“No, you don’t,” said Montag 5, moving in front of her.

Tess had no idea what she’d do if she succeeded in getting past Montag 5 and out the door. She couldn’t very well run down the road and expect him not to catch up with her. The chances of a police officer or a helpful bystander being in just the right place seemed slim on this remote two-lane road. Nor did she dare to hope that Nemo 7 would be waiting to whisk her away, even if he had claimed to be a friend. And she believed Montag 5 would not hesitate to shoot Vivian in the kneecap, which would only make Tess feel more guilty than she already did. Besides, she needed Vivian. Harry’s message had said, “Find Vivian and get to the island.”

So, no, Tess did not have a plan. But she did know that counting cars in the parking lot was closer to freedom than sitting in this motel room. She took a step toward Montag 5 and shouted in his face, “I have to count the cars!”

“Stop shouting,” said Montag 5. “You’re going to attract attention.”

“Then let me out,” said Tess. “It will only take a few minutes. You can watch me. But I have to count the cars.” She placed her hands over her ears, shook her head violently, and shouted again. “Stop saying that. I’m going! I just need him to get out of the way.”

Tess had heard actors talk about using emotional recall in their performances: remembering traumatic moments in life to reproduce a traumatic moment onstage. She thought it sounded horrible. Why would you choose a profession that forced you to relive the worst moments of your life over and over? But now she understood. Tapping into her experiences with the voices, and into the emotions that came with those experiences, but doing it on her own terms for her own reasons, gave her a sense of power and control that she never had when the voices really spoke to her. She could see the exhaustion and confusion in Montag 5’s face. And she could see him wavering.

“Look at this place,” he said at last. “I bet there aren’t three cars in the parking lot.”

“You know as well as I do that lot is nearly full,” said Vivian. “The walls are too thin to hide the fact that these rooms rent by the hour.”

“I have to count the cars,” said Tess.

“Can’t you just look out the window and count them?”

Tess began pacing up and down furiously, making a loud whimpering noise that she hoped would grate on Montag 5.

“She has to touch them,” said Vivian.

“I’m not having her set off a bunch of car alarms,” said Montag 5.

“She won’t set off the damn alarms,” said Vivian, taking a step toward Montag 5. “I’ve seen her count thousands of cars, and she never sets off one alarm. She barely touches the tip of her finger to the back while she memorizes the license plate.”

Tess thought this was a nice touch. She had, in fact, counted cars in parking lots many times, especially at college. The voices had been particularly fond of sending her to some faraway lot on the campus at three o’clock in the morning. And it was true that she had never set off an alarm, though she hadn’t told Vivian that. But memorizing the license plates—well played, Aunt Vivian.

“I can’t let her out there long enough to memorize license plates,” said Montag 5.

“She can do it as quickly as you can blink your eyes,” said Vivian with what sounded like pride.

“Photographic memory?” said Montag 5.

“Only for license plates,” said Vivian.

“Yours is NCL-3140,” said Tess. In fact, Tess had never memorized a license plate number in her life and had only gotten a quick glance at the plate on the black sedan as Nemo 7 had ushered her into the back seat. She did know that it began with an N, but the rest was pure bluffing.

TESS AND HARRY ON THE DOCK

“Why are the sun and the moon the same size?”

“They aren’t the same size, Tess, the sun is much bigger. It’s bigger than any planet or moon in our solar system.”