Fox’s Game Ch. 15: They Run Into a Dead End…Maybe an Economist Can Help?

Thompson Station

Kristoff emptied the contents of his beer glass and continued, “We’re looking for evidence of an organization that, at least to some degree, prided itself on being able to memorize absurdly large amounts of information.”

“Right.”

“Well, what if the Book of Shadows is the only text that we can track because the rest of their information would be transmitted orally?”

Robert took a deep breath, trying to follow his friend’s logic. “So you think that they would’ve resorted to simply telling each other what they wanted in person?”

“Yes, when they could. And when they couldn’t, they probably wrote letters in such coded terms, that to extrapolate meaning could take years. We’d have to find their letters, letters that were probably memorized then disposed of or we could search for evidence of their actions.”

A slow smile creeped across Robert’s face as he understood Kristoff’s point. “You’re saying we should see if the events of Harvel’s case is similar to other such cases?”

“Yes. It’s like physics. When you shine light on a subatomic particle, you change its position. This is frustrating because you can’t see without light. So what do you do?” Kristoff asked.

“I don’t know. Study how the particle moves and then use that as a starting point for guessing its structure and composition?” Robert said.

“Close. We study the movement, but we also study the effects of the movement. It works not just at the subatomic level. We look at black holes and see how matter reacts when close to them. That allows us to separate the unknown from the known.”

Robert appreciated his rationale, mostly because it would make looking for evidence easier. So far, all they could find was the information that Kristoff’s friend in Washington had sent them. It was like investigating the mob—the evidence somehow disappeared when examined.

The more Robert thought, the more Kristoff’s subatomic analogy fit because any lead vanished like a quark running from the light. They needed specific shadowy activity if they hoped to trace the organization’s movement.

This need to change tactics excited the two professors, it meant they were making some headway. Even a failed hypothesis brought them a step closer to the truth. But that also meant scrapping much of the work they’d done up until that point, which made them tired. Kristoff often admonished his physics students on the value of failed experiments with a quote from the legendary computer engineer John W. Backus, “You have to generate many ideas and then you have to work very hard only to discover that they don’t work. And you keep doing that over and over until you find one that does work.”

Kristoff kept that quote on the door of his office. But unlike a failed physics experiment, time seemed much more of the essence. Perhaps more lives than André Babineaux’s was at stake.

“What do you think we should do now, Robert?”

“I need a break. We’ve been at this for hours. We need to keep pushing, but I don’t know how effective I’d be.”

Kristoff laughed a laugh of exhaustion and relief, “Well, part of effective work is knowing your limitations. The mind needs breaks just like the body. What do you propose?”

“It’s late now. I’ll call Julian tomorrow to see if he’s made any headway with Dr. Morell. If she can devise some algorithms for us, that would allow us to use our energy more effectively.”

Kristoff agreed. “Yes, talk to Julian. And even if he hasn’t spoken to her, he could provide a different perspective.”

“I’ve worked with Julian on a couple of committees, he has a knack of approaching problems in an unorthodox but effective way.”

“Okay, so do you want to meet back here sometime tomorrow?” Kristoff asked.

“Yes, how does 1:30 sound? Right after lunch.”

“I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you come over at noon, and I’ll make lunch. I sometimes do my best thinking while I’m cooking, and it’d be good to have someone there to bounce ideas off of.”

“Sounds good, Kristoff. See you then.”

********************

Tiffany and Julian agreed it best to arrive before Alyssa in order to lessen the chance that she’d catch on to their intentions. Tiffany was shocked when she called her and found that she had a young voice. For some reason, she expected her to sound older. And when she Googled her, Tiffany felt a twinge of envy at seeing her picture and reading her accomplishments. Although Tiffany had an accomplished resumé of her own, she found it hard not to compare herself to another woman in her city and her demographic.

As with most comparisons, she unknowingly downplayed her own strengths and overrated the other person’s. Knowing that she wasn’t doing herself any good, she logged out. In spite of herself, she felt a slight sense of jealousy at knowing she was going to help a guy that she’d just flirted with meet up with a girl who, irrational as it sounded, now seemed like competition, not even competition for Julian, just competition in that vague way in which young women sometimes found themselves.