"Paul Levinson - Loose Ends 02 - Little Differences" - читать интересную книгу автора (Levinson Paul)

****

A thousand questions screamed in Jeff's skull. Rena was killed in 1964тАФhe'd held the damn Daily News
with her face and the article right in his handsтАФhow could she be here now? Was the newspaper wrong?
Had Rena somehow come here first? But why? And how? Laura and he had figured out the irresistible
magnet that 1963 was to time travellers ... or thought they'd figured it out...

The only thing Jeff was sure about was that this wasn't a dream, he so glad to see Rena ... that, and his
time somehow had passed to shoot Nixon. It was a subtle thing, but Jeff knew it was over.

He looked at Lincoln. The entourage was still there, but Jeff felt sapped, almost drugged, his circuits too
overloaded with questions about Rena, with joy at seeing her again, to even pull out his gun, let alone
shoot anyone.

He was a very different person, a detached part of him realized, than he had been just a few seconds
ago.

Which was the more real?

Rena tugged on his arm. тАЬForget him, Jeff. That's not you. You were meant for other things.тАЭ

Laura took his other arm.

тАЬI've got the car nearby.тАЭ Jeff thought he heard Rena say. тАЬThe pickup on these 20th-century models is
amazing.тАЭ

The car seat felt comfortable indeed after this long day. Jeff's head felt muzzy. Rena drove, Laura gave
him some tea.
He had so many questions. Had Rena come here in a Thorne? That opened up all sorts of possibilities.
His Thorne had disappeared in that vandalized student lounge. Laura's had vanished a few days after her
arrival, sucked back at the behest of who knew what force or command into its Artificial Worm Hole...

Like the nothingness his brain felt it was being sucked into right now.... His eyelids put up a desperate
rear-guard action to stay in touch with what was happening. But they were hot pasty lead...

The last thing he heard before he gave in to sleep was Eddie and the Cruisers singing тАЬSeason in HellтАЭ on
the radio...

****

Jeff woke up the next morning, mind clearer than it had been in years.

Laura was in the kitchen making breakfast in their New York apartment.

тАЬYou drugged me last night,тАЭ Jeff said.

Laura looked at him, nodded.

тАЬTwice,тАЭ Jeff said. тАЬOnce when you first grabbed my arm near the Lincoln Memorial.тАЭ Jeff touched his
arm with his fingertip. тАЬI can still feel a little puncture mark hereтАФwhat was it, some sort of contact