The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure Read Free Page B

replied. “At the paper it was one story after another. I didn’t have time to look up. I forgot about everything else.”
    I squeezed her shoulder. “You know, Charlene, I had forgotten how well we talk together; our conversation seems so easy and spontaneous.”
    Her eyes and smile confirmed my perception. “I know,” she said, “conversations with you give me so much energy.”
    I was about to make another comment when Charlene stared past me toward the entrance to the restaurant. Her face grew anxious and pale.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked, turning to look in that direction. Several people were walking toward the parking lot, talking casually, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I turned to face Charlene again. She still appeared alarmed and confused.
    “What was it?” I repeated.
    “Over by the first row of cars—did you see that man in the gray shirt?”
    I looked toward the parking lot again. Another group was exiting through the door. “What man?”
    “I guess he’s not there now,” she said, straining to see.
    She looked directly into my eyes. “When the people at the other tables described the man who stole my briefcase, they said he had thinning hair and a beard, and wore a gray shirt. I think I just saw him over there by the cars … watching us.”
    A knot of anxiety formed in my stomach. I told Charlene I would be right back and walked to the parking lot to look around, careful not to get too far away. I saw no one who fit the description.
    When I returned to the bench, Charlene took a step closer to me and said softly, “Do you suppose this person thinks I have a copy of the manuscript? And that’s why he took my briefcase? He’s trying to get it back?”
    “I don’t know,” I said. “But we’re going to call the police again and tell them what you saw. I think they also ought to check out the passengers on your flight.”
    We walked inside and called the police, and when they arrived we informed them of what had occurred. They spent twenty minutes checking each car, then explained that they could invest no more time. They did agree to check all the passengers boarding the plane Charlene would be on.
    After the police had left, Charlene and I found ourselves standing alone again by the fountain.
    “What were we talking about, anyway?” she asked. “Before I saw that man?”
    “We were talking about us,” I replied. “Charlene, why did you think to contact me about all this?”
    She gave me a perplexed look. “When I was in Peru and the priest was telling me about the Manuscript, you kept popping into my mind.”
    “Oh yeah?”
    “I didn’t think too much about it then,” she continued, “but later, after I returned to Virginia, every time I would think of the Manuscript, I would think of you. I started to call several times but I always got distracted. Then, I received this assignment in Miami that I’m headed to now and discovered, after I had boarded the plane, that I had a layover here. When I landed I looked up your number. Your answering machine said to contact you at the lake only in an emergency, but I decided it would be okay to call.”
    I looked at her for a moment, unsure of what to think. “Of course,” I finally replied. “I’m glad you did.”
    Charlene glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late. I’d better get back to the airport.”
    “I’ll drive you,” I said.
    We drove to the main terminal and walked toward the embarkation area. I watched carefully for anything unusual. When we arrived, the plane was already boarding and one of the policemen we had met was observing each passenger. When we approached him, he told us that he had observed everyone scheduled to board and no one fit the description of the thief.
    We thanked him and after he had left, Charlene turned and smiled at me. “I guess I’d better go,” she said, reaching out to hug my neck. “Here are my numbers. Let’s keep in touch this time.”
    “Listen,” I said. “I want