Page 78 of The Paradox Club

“But isn’t that kind of a boring answer?”

“Not all science is fascinating.”

“Wouldn’t it be more interesting if there was a reason? If there was some force in the universe that decided it would be cool to make the sun and the moon look the same size and then fix their orbits so every once in while the moon was perfectly in front of the sun?”

“It would be interesting, Tess. Just like it would be interesting if you could squirt lime Jell-O out of your ear. But you can’t. It’s just a coincidence.”

“You just don’t want to believe in things you can’t see.”

“Tess—from subatomic particles to the origins of the universe, almost everything I believe in is something I can’t see.”

“You know what I mean. You don’t want to believe in a force that has no scientific explanation.”

“You mean God?”

“Whatever you want to call it.”

“I do believe in God. You know that, Tess. We’ve talked about that. But I can believe in God and still believe that some things are coincidences.”

“Yeah, well your God is no fun, and mine made solar eclipses perfect.”

“My God says it’s time for you to go to bed.”

“That’s not God. That’s Marie.”

MCDonald’s

When he turned around after placing his order at the McDonald’s in Sturgis, Nemo 7 immediately recognized Valentine 6, although he had never been in the same room with her. She was a noob—a recent recruit still technically a provisional member, but none of this meant her name and picture hadn’t appeared in the latest update of the membership book, and Nemo 7 was sure to always be familiar with the contents of that book. Had the McDonald’s been in Times Square or on the Upper West Side, he would have been perfectly willing to dismiss the appearance of Valentine 6 as coincidence. But in Sturgis, Michigan, a town of perhaps ten thousand people that was six hundred fifty miles from New York, the presence of another member of the Paradox Club was no coincidence.

Nemo 7 stepped up to the counter where she stood waiting for her order.

“Valentine 6,” he whispered. “What are you doing here?”

Valentine 6 whirled around with a look of fear in her eyes. “Keep away from me,” she hissed. “If you lay a hand on me, I swear I’ll scream. There’s a pair of cops in the corner booth and I promise you the name Pilgrim 3 won’t do you any good here.”

“Calm down,” said Nemo 7. “I’m on your side. At least I think I am. I’m working for the president, for Calvin 4.”

“Bullshit,” hissed Valentine 6, backing away a step. “I may be new to the club, but even I know you’re one of Pilgrim 3’s henchmen.”

“Because the president wanted me to get close to her. I’m trying to get in touch with him right now, but Montag 5 took my phone. Can I borrow yours?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? You think I’m going to give you my phone so you can call Pilgrim 3 and tell her you found me?”

Valentine 6 could feel the sweat trickling down the back of her neck. She had no idea what to do. She doubted she could outrun Nemo 7, and she probably couldn’t beat him in a fight—especially not in the middle of a McDonald’s. She considered shouting that he was attacking her, drawing the attention of the police, but she needed to get to Calvin 4. She couldn’t spend her day in the Sturgis police department giving a false statement about something that never happened. Even as she came to this conclusion, she saw the two police officers leaving the corner booth and heading toward the door.

“Leave me alone,” she whispered to Nemo 7. “I’m not the one you want anyway. I’m just trying to get away from all this. I wish I’d never joined this stupid club.”

It was a gamble, playing dumb, but at the moment Valentine 6 didn’t see any other way.

“Listen,” said Nemo 7, “I’m sorry this is your introduction to the club. It’s not usually like this, I promise. Montag 5 and I are acting on orders from Pilgrim 3 and we kidnapped a young woman named Tess Maxwell.”

“Any relation to Harry Maxwell?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. So much for playing dumb, she thought.

“Tess is Harry’s daughter,” said Nemo 7. “You’ve done your homework.”

“I read the club history. Doesn’t change the fact that you just confessed to kidnapping, which makes me even less likely to believe anything you say.”

“I’m working with Calvin 4 to try to get Tess and her aunt Vivian away from Montag 5. I’m a mole. But Montag 5 has a gun and my phone and everything else that might be useful. He doesn’t trust me.”