Page 85 of The Paradox Club

“When Montag 5 took us,” said Tess, “I was holding that old radio of Harry’s. The one we used to listen to on the island. Montag 5 looked awfully pleased when he made me put it in the trunk of the car.”

Richard and Vivian shared a smile in the rearview mirror.

“Do you mean to say that the radio is now in the trunk of this car?” said Richard.

“If Nemo 7 transferred everything,” said Tess.

“That,” said Richard, “is monumentally good news.” Rescuing Tess had been topmost on his agenda, but to recover the radio in the same operation meant Pilgrim 3’s plans would be well and truly stymied.

“Is the radio a UFO?” asked Tess.

“That radio,” said Vivian, “is the most special UFO of all. Your father found it, and its existence sparked the greatest debate in the history of the Paradox Club—a debate that, in some ways, is still raging today.”

“What makes it so special?” asked Tess, already sensing the answer.

“The radio,” said Vivian, “is the first untethered foreign object we have ever found that maintains a connection to its universe of origin. The broadcasts you hear when you turn on that radio don’t come from Earth or from any other planet in our universe. When you listen to that radio…”

“I’m listening to another universe,” said Tess, feeling her pulse quicken with excitement.

“Exactly,” said Richard. “The club had never seen anything like it.”

“So why isn’t it in the vault at the club with all the other UFOs?” asked Tess.

“Harry wouldn’t give it up,” said Vivian.

“Because he wanted to use it,” said Richard.

“Or because he didn’t want Pilgrim 3 to use it,” said Vivian.

“Who is Pilgrim 3?” asked Tess.

“Another member of the club,” said Richard. “One who would very much like to have me out of the way.”

“And possibly the only member of the Paradox Club who was happy when Harry…”

“When he died?” said Tess.

“Perhaps not happy,” said Richard, “but his absence did serve her purposes.”

“What did she want to use the radio for?” asked Tess.

Vivian gave Richard a warning glance that did not escape Tess’s attention and after a moment of silence, Richard spoke.

“It’s no secret in the halls of the Paradox Club that Pilgrim 3 is hungry for fame and power—not just within the club but in the wider world. Because it stays connected to its universe of origin, the radio has powers beyond any other known UFO, powers even Harry didn’t understand. Pilgrim 3 wants to use those powers to open a portal to another universe, and she wants to do it in a very public way.”

“She wants,” said Vivian, “though of course she never says it out loud to anyone other than her inner circle, to be world famous as the person who connected our universe to another, who proved the existence of parallel universes.”

“Harry was the one who gave her the idea,” said Richard. “When he claimed that the clubhouse of the Paradox Club was particularly suited for such a portal. And, of course, Harry did the math.”

“What math?” said Tess.

“The math that determined when the two universes will be perfectly aligned.”

“October fourteenth,” said Tess.

“How did you know that?” asked Vivian.

“Harry told me,” said Tess. “Sort of.”