Chris also explained that his trip had been “only a visit,” but it sounded so phony, no one would ever believe it. Again Johnny grinned; Chris was always a scrapper, when they got him mad. Damn, but a good old-fashioned street fight would make a new man out of him.... And get him subpoenaed. He figured to stay in the house for a while. One paper had pictures of Lisa’s appearance at World Dome on Saturday, and a review, which mentioned the presence of Dr. Kutler among the U.S.A.A. party at the performance. “Miss Trovi was escorted by Dr. Thaddeus Bourgnese, Chief Biochemist at U.S.A.A. Dome,” it said right afterwards. _Well, whaddya know? We’re makin’ time, hey?_ He was startled at how calm he felt about it all. When he found the wire from her in the facs chute, with last Tuesday’s date on it, he did not want to open it. He almost threw it out. _Leave well enough alone. It’s done, it’s over. Forget it._ He had already told her so. His own wire would be in her hands by now. He wound up putting the envelope, unopened, in his desk drawer. Tomorrow, he could decide what to do with it. He did not drink. He went to bed at midnight, cold sober. To his surprise, he fell asleep without trouble, and slept well all night. _Dollars Dome--Monday, September 5, 9:30_ P.M. (_C.S.T._) _Okay babe if that’s how you want it. It was fun while it lasted, I guess. My least sincere congratulations to whoever--whoops, whomever--the lucky man may be._ _Easy come, easy go, babe._ _Better luck next round._ _Johnny_ She must have read it through fifty times, looking for something, some clue, somewhere in it, that would explain what it meant. Because it _couldn’t_ mean what it said. That didn’t make sense. She knew there were thirty-nine words in it. There’d been a movie or book once called _Thirty-nine Steps_. A movie--she saw it at the Museum. Thirty-nine steps to where? Out. Right out, obviously. But.... Why? Because it was _Johnny_, that’s why! There just wasn’t any other reason to find. The phone buzzed. Phil. She’d promised to call him back, hadn’t she? “Hey, kid, you hungry yet?” he asked. “N-nnoo. Thanks, Phil.” “Well, how about a drink? A walk in the Mall? The way I feel tonight, gal, I’ll even go dancing with you....” She kept shaking her head, but she smiled. “Phil, you’re sweet, but I think I better....” “I think you better listen to Doctor. Turn on your screen?” “Phil, honestly, I--” “Let’s put it this way. _I’ll_ go have a drink. Then I’ll come pick you up. We’ll do whatever you want to do. Or just sit and talk. But be ready in fifteen minutes, or you’ll find out--” He made that improbable leer of his. “--I ain’t like no lily myself. Hate to go banging doors down, but”--he shrugged fatalistically “--sometimes, you know...? See you. Fifteen minutes.” And he switched off before the seed of laughter turned to tears or gave her voice enough to answer.