bag from Mileva’s hands and then, a second later, putit down on the table in the middle of the room. “And, here. Let’s pack some food for you to have on the train.”
He darted into the kitchen and began pulling out bread and sausages and cheese. Jonah scrambled in behind him and managed to grab two large chunks of bread while Albert and Mileva weren’t looking. Jonah grinned triumphantly at Katherine and demonstrated how it was possible to hide one of the chunks with his hand while he was eating it.
She rolled her eyes at him. But Jonah noticed that she did step into the kitchen to take the other chunk from him.
Albert began bringing out more and more food.
“There’s not time for that!” Mileva protested. “Let’s just go!”
Albert wrapped all the food in a dish towel and went back to the table to tuck the bundle into Mileva’s bag. He quickly added a few books and several of the papers that he’d left strewn across the table.
“So you’ll have something to think about on the train,” he explained.
“I already have plenty to think about,” Mileva said sadly, turning away from the desk. Had she been getting something out of the desk while Jonah was watching Albert?
Or—putting something into it?
An awful thought struck Jonah.
“What if Mileva’s not taking the Elucidator with her?” he muttered to Katherine. “What if she’s just put it in the desk? Or left it in the bedroom? How would we know? We should have followed her into that bedroom. We should have—”
“Walked through a closed door? How?” Katherine argued. But she grimaced in dismay. “We should have searched the bedroom while they were in the kitchen. We’ll have to do it now, before they’re gone! Then we can look in the desk and follow them . . .”
But Albert had already shouldered the bag, put on a hat, and walked out of the apartment. He was holding the door for Mileva to step out behind him.
“We’ll lose them!” Jonah hissed back at Katherine. “We won’t know which way to go!”
Mileva stopped on the threshold and looked back.
“Yes, that’s right,” Albert murmured behind her. “Memorize every detail of our happy home. Carry it in your heart while you’re away.”
He bent to kiss her, but the kiss only brushed her cheek. She kept her head turned, her eyes darting about.
And then, while Albert wasn’t looking, she pulled something partway out of her skirt pocket, palming it in a way that showed it only to the room behind her.
It was the Elucidator. She was showing them that she still had the Elucidator.
FOURTEEN
A moment later Albert and Mileva were gone.
Jonah couldn’t move.
“Did she hear us whispering?” he asked Katherine. “Did she know we were wondering about the Elucidator?”
“She couldn’t have,” Katherine said. “We weren’t that loud. Albert didn’t hear us.”
“But she knows . . . something,” Jonah said, still rattled.
“And that’s why we’ve got to follow her,” Katherine said.
They waited a few more seconds to make sure that Albert and Mileva were far enough ahead that they wouldn’t see the apartment door opening and closing, seemingly all by itself. They tiptoed down the stairs, and had to slip out another door to get to the street.
“Albert and Mileva both put on hats, right before theywalked out the door,” Katherine whispered. “We’ll just watch for the hats!”
They opened the door to outside—and everyone on the street was wearing a hat.
“Got any other ideas?” Jonah asked.
He didn’t wait for Katherine to answer, because he’d thought of something himself. He darted over to a lamppost and shimmied up it. He looked right and left, staring out over the tops of dozens of hats. And then, in the next block up, he saw a feather on a hat bobbing up and down unevenly, as if the person wearing the hat was limping.
“That way,” he mouthed to Katherine, and pointed.
He climbed down, and the two of them began making their way
He darted into the kitchen and began pulling out bread and sausages and cheese. Jonah scrambled in behind him and managed to grab two large chunks of bread while Albert and Mileva weren’t looking. Jonah grinned triumphantly at Katherine and demonstrated how it was possible to hide one of the chunks with his hand while he was eating it.
She rolled her eyes at him. But Jonah noticed that she did step into the kitchen to take the other chunk from him.
Albert began bringing out more and more food.
“There’s not time for that!” Mileva protested. “Let’s just go!”
Albert wrapped all the food in a dish towel and went back to the table to tuck the bundle into Mileva’s bag. He quickly added a few books and several of the papers that he’d left strewn across the table.
“So you’ll have something to think about on the train,” he explained.
“I already have plenty to think about,” Mileva said sadly, turning away from the desk. Had she been getting something out of the desk while Jonah was watching Albert?
Or—putting something into it?
An awful thought struck Jonah.
“What if Mileva’s not taking the Elucidator with her?” he muttered to Katherine. “What if she’s just put it in the desk? Or left it in the bedroom? How would we know? We should have followed her into that bedroom. We should have—”
“Walked through a closed door? How?” Katherine argued. But she grimaced in dismay. “We should have searched the bedroom while they were in the kitchen. We’ll have to do it now, before they’re gone! Then we can look in the desk and follow them . . .”
But Albert had already shouldered the bag, put on a hat, and walked out of the apartment. He was holding the door for Mileva to step out behind him.
“We’ll lose them!” Jonah hissed back at Katherine. “We won’t know which way to go!”
Mileva stopped on the threshold and looked back.
“Yes, that’s right,” Albert murmured behind her. “Memorize every detail of our happy home. Carry it in your heart while you’re away.”
He bent to kiss her, but the kiss only brushed her cheek. She kept her head turned, her eyes darting about.
And then, while Albert wasn’t looking, she pulled something partway out of her skirt pocket, palming it in a way that showed it only to the room behind her.
It was the Elucidator. She was showing them that she still had the Elucidator.
FOURTEEN
A moment later Albert and Mileva were gone.
Jonah couldn’t move.
“Did she hear us whispering?” he asked Katherine. “Did she know we were wondering about the Elucidator?”
“She couldn’t have,” Katherine said. “We weren’t that loud. Albert didn’t hear us.”
“But she knows . . . something,” Jonah said, still rattled.
“And that’s why we’ve got to follow her,” Katherine said.
They waited a few more seconds to make sure that Albert and Mileva were far enough ahead that they wouldn’t see the apartment door opening and closing, seemingly all by itself. They tiptoed down the stairs, and had to slip out another door to get to the street.
“Albert and Mileva both put on hats, right before theywalked out the door,” Katherine whispered. “We’ll just watch for the hats!”
They opened the door to outside—and everyone on the street was wearing a hat.
“Got any other ideas?” Jonah asked.
He didn’t wait for Katherine to answer, because he’d thought of something himself. He darted over to a lamppost and shimmied up it. He looked right and left, staring out over the tops of dozens of hats. And then, in the next block up, he saw a feather on a hat bobbing up and down unevenly, as if the person wearing the hat was limping.
“That way,” he mouthed to Katherine, and pointed.
He climbed down, and the two of them began making their way
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