Chapter 22

“Can I have him back now?” I ask Danny. It’s Saturday night, tomorrow he has to leave.

“You’ve had him every night, sis,” he reminds me. “Had him, too, I guess, I know you’ve been trying to be quiet but—”

“Danny!” I say. My face is hot, this is embarrassing.

He laughs. Really laughs, long and loud. And I know he’s made up his mind and it’s OK.

“So what’s the verdict?” I ask anyway.

He shakes his head and raises his hands palms up. “I give up. I’ve done everything but turn him inside out, and I haven’t made a dent. Nobody can put on an act that well, not every damn detail. And the spear, and then that sling ... You know, I looked up on the ‘Net about slings and they say it’s strictly a one-shot weapon, but we saw him do it. I keep telling myself how impossible the whole thing is. But anything else is even more impossible. So...”

“‘When you eliminate the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth, ‘“ I quote.*

“You read Sherlock Holmes?” Danny says in surprise.

“Some. I’ve read that one, and the line stuck with me.”

“Well, it sure applies here. If he’s selling snake oil it’s from no snake I ever heard of.”

“You’ll help us, then?” I ask.

He sighs. “You know this means we’re going to be breaking a whole bunch of laws. ­Really serious laws these days, with all the homeland security stuff.”

“Yes,” I say. “I know. I think they make too much of this ID business. I mean, suppose those nine-one-one hijackers even used real IDs instead of fakes. They weren’t known to anybody before. All it would have meant is that we’d have known the names of a bunch of dead guys a little sooner.”

“I suppose,” says Danny. “But it’s still the law, and if we get caught we’re in really deep shit. You want to try to sell cavemen and time travel to a cop? Or a court?”

“We have to not get caught,” I tell him. “As bad as it could be for us, it’d be even worse for Hugo. They might never let him go.”

“True. All right, I’m in. I’ve got a few ideas, they’re pretty half-baked right now, but I told you I know some people. Don’t get impatient, though, it may be a while.”

“Not too long,” I say. “We’re OK holing up here for now, but we can’t do it forever. Hugo has to be able to prove he’s somebody.”

“I know, sis. I’ll work it out.”