Quantum

42

Nolan reached out from his bed and fumbled for the cordless phone. The digital clock on the nightstand read 6:30 A.M.

‘Yeah,’ he answered, still groggy.

‘Good morning, sweetie,’ Kelsey said in a singsong voice.

‘Oh, hi, Kelsey,’ he replied with a yawn. ‘You’re up early.’

‘I couldn’t sleep. I need to talk to you about something.’

‘Now that I’m awake, go ahead.’

‘Do you think your grandfather is up?’

‘Now? Yeah, probably.’

‘Could you put a three-way call together? I need to talk with you both.’

‘Let me see. Hang on.’

Nolan put her on hold, then dialed his grandfather’s number on his second line.

‘Is everybody there?’ Nolan asked when the connections were made.

‘Yes,’ Kelsey answered.

‘I’m here,’ Martin replied. ‘So, Kelsey, what’s so important that you had to interrupt my grandson’s beauty sleep? God knows he needs all he can get.’

‘Martin, when Nolan and I first started looking for Wolff, I seem to recall you telling us that you loaned him some money for an engagement ring.’

‘Aye, I remember. I sent him down to my friend Urban; he did a real nice job for him, too. His son’s running the place now. You two should stop by there when you’re ready.’

‘When we’re ready?’ Nolan asked. ‘You sound pretty sure of yourself, Grandpa.’

‘You’re halfway down the aisle right now. It’s only a matter of time. Is there anything else, Kelsey?’

‘Yes, do you know if Johann had the ring inscribed?’

‘I believe he did. In fact, I’m sure of it because I remember Urban telling me it was the strangest thing he’d ever etched into a piece of jewelry.’

‘What do you mean?’ Nolan asked.

‘I mean he put down whatever it was Johann asked him to, but he had no idea what it meant. He said it didn’t look very romantic, but he figured it must have been something between Johann and Elli. As long as his customer was happy, who was he to judge?’

‘Thanks, Martin. That’s all I needed.’

‘You’re entirely welcome, Kelsey. And don’t forget to bring Elli over by noon. We’re meeting with some folks from the university to discuss the memorial service.’

‘I’ll have her there. Nolan, could you stay on after your grandfather hangs up?’

‘You bet.’ Nolan paused until he heard the click of his grandfather’s line disconnecting. ‘What’s this all about?’

‘I was just reading Wolff’s last letter.’

‘I hope you had a box of tissues handy.’

‘So I’m a romantic, sue me. But the letter got me thinking. It says here that Elli “now holds the key to my heart, my mind, and my soul.” What if he meant that literally?’

‘How could he give her the key to his heart, mind, and soul?’

‘Nolan, Wolff was a physicist who loved his work. He lived at a time when physics had just turned the world upside down in a way that hadn’t happened since Galileo and Copernicus. Quantum physics was still a very young field, and he studied under the man who practically invented it. Physics wasn’t a job for Wolff, it was a passion. Everything he was — his heart, mind, and soul — was bound up in that. The most valuable possession he had to offer Elli, as a token of his love for her, wasn’t a ring but his lifework.’

‘You think Elli has the key to Wolff’s cipher?’ Nolan asked as Kelsey’s logic became crystal-clear. ‘The ring. My God, you’re brilliant.’

‘After what Martin said about the unusual inscription, I’m sure of it. Now I just have to wait until Elli gets up, so I can ask her about it.’

‘Well, I’m up now, so call me as soon as you know. Grin still has a good chunk of the first notebook on disk. If we get the key, I think we can decrypt it.’

‘I’ll let you know.’

A second after Kelsey hung up, Nolan heard another, distinct click on the line. He thought about the sound as the dial tone buzzed in his ear. Nolan rolled onto his side, reached over, and depressed the cradle switch; the dial tone disappeared. He then lifted his finger up — the line clicked, then clicked again. Nolan hit Kelsey’s number on his speed dial and got a steady busy signal.

‘Shit!’ Nolan cursed as he slammed the phone into its cradle and rolled out of bed.

He dressed hurriedly in a T-shirt and shorts, then unlocked the safe in his walk-in closet and retrieved a teak storage box that contained the pistol he’d used during his days as a Navy SEAL — a Heckler & Koch USP Mk 23. He strapped on a shoulder holster, then quickly checked over his weapon. Satisfied, he slipped a magazine containing ten .45-caliber ACP rounds into the USP, chambered a round, then safed and holstered the weapon. He then stowed three more clips in his pocket.

Three minutes after Kelsey’s call, Nolan fired the ignition of his SUV and put it in gear.

‘I hope I’m just being paranoid about this,’ Nolan muttered, a cloud of dust in his wake as he sped down the driveway.