right?”
“You know I’m not.”
“What have you got?”
“A clue of my own.”
“What is it?
“If you help me, I’ll share it with you.”
Without knowing anything about the guy, it seemed crazy to commit to helping him. I wanted to talk to Alex first. After all, it must’ve been Alex who’d told him about my fixation on Einstein’s secret. “Let me think about it.”
“Okay,” he said, and it was a confident “okay,” as if he knew I couldn’t resist pursuing any and all leads.
“So what kind of memorabilia do you collect?” I asked, hoping his answer might hint at what he’d found.
“Collect and sell. That’s how the lucrative part works, thanks to Eddie’s Emporium.”
“Eddie’s Emporium?”
“My eBay store: your destination for fifties memorabilia. Magazines, records, toys, sports programs, photos, movie posters, et cetera.”
“Why do I have the feeling that I’d be most interested in the et cetera?”
“Because that’s the best part of Eddie’s Emporium. It’s a collection of rare historical documents from the fifties. Letters and notes written by the famous and infamous. Public records that fell through the cracks of history. Any kind of documents that might have some historical value.”
“So your history degree came in handy after all.”
“Not as handy as the MS I’m working on in Computer Science. That’s how I learned to mine the Internet for documents.”
That was impressive and piqued my curiosity even more. What had he uncovered about Einstein’s secret that I’d missed?
We talked a little more, mostly about the history department and how it was a political minefield, then he gave me his number and said to call him if I decided to take him up on his offer.
Chapter Two
I wanted to call Alex immediately, but restrained myself. This was a fresh start. A start where Einstein wasn’t supposed to be a priority. So instead of punching Alex’s number into my iPhone, I walked over to the Iliad Bookstore to pick up copies of my class handouts. Alex had recommended the Iliad, so I’d forwarded them PDFs of all my material before moving to Charlottesville.
Behind the counter, a woman in her late twenties was immersed in a book. Her short red hair swung down over one of her cheeks and even though she didn’t glance up as I approached, I could still see that she was beautiful.
“Hi,” I said.
She looked up and her hazel eyes completed the picture. “What can I help you with?”
“I’d like to pick up copies of my class handouts.”
“Which class?”
“HIUS 5055.”
Her jaw tightened, as if I’d made her angry. “So you’re the lucky winner.”
“Winner?”
“You got the job. You’re Alex’s college buddy.”
She radiated hostility, and it took me a second to understand why. “You were up for the job?”
“Are you questioning my qualifications?”
“No—That’s not what I meant. I—meant that Alex should have said something to me when he recommended the Iliad.”
“Why? It’s not his fault I didn’t get the job.”
She said it like it was my fault, and I was at a loss for words.
She got up and started toward the back of the store. “Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I’ll get your class materials.”
I wanted to smooth this over, and tried to come up with something to say. I hadn’t thought of anything by the time she returned.
She plopped a box loaded with my handouts down on the counter.
“Did you go to grad school here?” I said. It was the best I could do.
“Is that so hard for you to believe?” She rang up my tab. “Seventy-four fifty.”
I handed her my credit card. “Do you want me to resign?”
She almost cracked a smile. “Won’t do much good. I’m sure I’m not next in line.”
“But classes start in two days and you’re available.”
She handed me back my credit card. “If Alex recommended you, you must have something going for you.”
“Or I know a secret about his sordid
“You know I’m not.”
“What have you got?”
“A clue of my own.”
“What is it?
“If you help me, I’ll share it with you.”
Without knowing anything about the guy, it seemed crazy to commit to helping him. I wanted to talk to Alex first. After all, it must’ve been Alex who’d told him about my fixation on Einstein’s secret. “Let me think about it.”
“Okay,” he said, and it was a confident “okay,” as if he knew I couldn’t resist pursuing any and all leads.
“So what kind of memorabilia do you collect?” I asked, hoping his answer might hint at what he’d found.
“Collect and sell. That’s how the lucrative part works, thanks to Eddie’s Emporium.”
“Eddie’s Emporium?”
“My eBay store: your destination for fifties memorabilia. Magazines, records, toys, sports programs, photos, movie posters, et cetera.”
“Why do I have the feeling that I’d be most interested in the et cetera?”
“Because that’s the best part of Eddie’s Emporium. It’s a collection of rare historical documents from the fifties. Letters and notes written by the famous and infamous. Public records that fell through the cracks of history. Any kind of documents that might have some historical value.”
“So your history degree came in handy after all.”
“Not as handy as the MS I’m working on in Computer Science. That’s how I learned to mine the Internet for documents.”
That was impressive and piqued my curiosity even more. What had he uncovered about Einstein’s secret that I’d missed?
We talked a little more, mostly about the history department and how it was a political minefield, then he gave me his number and said to call him if I decided to take him up on his offer.
Chapter Two
I wanted to call Alex immediately, but restrained myself. This was a fresh start. A start where Einstein wasn’t supposed to be a priority. So instead of punching Alex’s number into my iPhone, I walked over to the Iliad Bookstore to pick up copies of my class handouts. Alex had recommended the Iliad, so I’d forwarded them PDFs of all my material before moving to Charlottesville.
Behind the counter, a woman in her late twenties was immersed in a book. Her short red hair swung down over one of her cheeks and even though she didn’t glance up as I approached, I could still see that she was beautiful.
“Hi,” I said.
She looked up and her hazel eyes completed the picture. “What can I help you with?”
“I’d like to pick up copies of my class handouts.”
“Which class?”
“HIUS 5055.”
Her jaw tightened, as if I’d made her angry. “So you’re the lucky winner.”
“Winner?”
“You got the job. You’re Alex’s college buddy.”
She radiated hostility, and it took me a second to understand why. “You were up for the job?”
“Are you questioning my qualifications?”
“No—That’s not what I meant. I—meant that Alex should have said something to me when he recommended the Iliad.”
“Why? It’s not his fault I didn’t get the job.”
She said it like it was my fault, and I was at a loss for words.
She got up and started toward the back of the store. “Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I’ll get your class materials.”
I wanted to smooth this over, and tried to come up with something to say. I hadn’t thought of anything by the time she returned.
She plopped a box loaded with my handouts down on the counter.
“Did you go to grad school here?” I said. It was the best I could do.
“Is that so hard for you to believe?” She rang up my tab. “Seventy-four fifty.”
I handed her my credit card. “Do you want me to resign?”
She almost cracked a smile. “Won’t do much good. I’m sure I’m not next in line.”
“But classes start in two days and you’re available.”
She handed me back my credit card. “If Alex recommended you, you must have something going for you.”
“Or I know a secret about his sordid