"He's very sure of himself," she said.
"Assholes usually are."
Evans got up, and walked to where he could see into the hallway. Kenner was talking to the policemen, signing some documents, and turning over the intruders. The police were joking with him. Standing to one side was the dark man, Sanjong.
"And what about the little guy with him?"
"Sanjong Thapa," she said. "Kenner met him in Nepal when he was climbing a mountain there. Sanjong was a Nepali military officer assigned to help a team of scientists studying soil erosion in the Himalaya. Kenner invited him back to the States to work with him."
"I remember now. Kenner's a mountain climber, too. And he was almost on the Olympic ski team." Evans couldn't conceal his annoyance.
Sarah said, "He's a remarkable man, Peter. Even if you don't like him."
Evans returned to the couch, sat down again, folded his arms. "Well, you're right about that," he said. "I don't."
"I have the feeling you're not alone there," she said. "The list of people who dislike John Kenner is a long one."
Evans snorted, and said nothing.
They were still sitting on the couch when Kenner came bounding back into the room. He was again rubbing his hands. "All right," he said. "All the two boys have to say is that they want to talk to a lawyer, and they seem to know one. Imagine that. But we'll know more in a few hours." He turned to Peter. "So: mystery solved? Concerning the Buddha?"
Evans glared at him. "No."
"Really? It's quite straightforward."
"Why don't you just tell us," Evans said.
"Reach your right hand out to the end table," Kenner said.
Evans put his hand out. There were five remote controls on the table.
"Yes?" he said. "And?"
"What are they for?"
"It's a media room," Evans said. "I think we've established that."
"Yes," Kenner said. "Butwhat are they for? "
"Obviously," Evans said, "to control the television, the satellite, the DVD, the VHS, all that."
"Which one does which?" Kenner said.
Evans stared at the table. And suddenly he got it. "Oh my God," he said. "You're absolutely right."
He was flipping them over, one after another.
"This one's the flat panel...DVD...satellite...high def..." He stopped. There was one more. "Looks like there are two DVD controllers." The second one was stubby and black and had all the usual buttons, but it was slightly lighter than the other.
Evans pulled open the battery compartment. Only one battery was there. In place of the other was a tightly rolled piece of paper.
"Bingo," he said.
He took the paper out.
All that matters is not remote from where the Buddha sits. That's what George had said. Which meant that this paper was all that matters.
Carefully, Evans unrolled the tiny sheet and pressed it flat on the coffee table with the heel of his hand, smoothing out the wrinkles.
And then he stared.
The paper contained nothing but columns of numbers and words:
662262
3982293
24FXE 62262 82293
TERROR
882320
4898432
12FXE 82232 54393
SNAKE
774548
9080799
02FXE 67533 43433
LAUGHER
482320
5898432
22FXE 72232 04393
SCORPION
ALT
662262
3982293
24FXE 62262 82293
TERROR
382320
4898432
12FXE 82232 54393
SEVER
244548
9080799
02FXE 67533 43433
CONCH
482320
5898432
22FXE 72232 04393
SCORPION
ALT
662262
3982293
24FXE 62262 82293
TERROR
382320
4898432
12FXE 82232 54393
BUZZARD
444548
7080799
02FXE 67533 43433
OLD MAN
482320
5898432
22FXE 72232 04393
SCORPION
ALT
662262
3982293
24FXE 62262 82293
TERROR
382320
4898432
12FXE 82232 54393
BLACK MESA
344548
9080799
02FXE 67533 43433
SNARL
482320
5898432
22FXE 72232 04393
SCORPION
Evans said, "Isthis what everybody's after?"
Sarah was looking at the paper over his shoulder. "I don't get it. What does it mean?"
Evans passed the paper to Kenner. He hardly glanced at it before he said, "No wonder they were so desperate to get this back."
"You know what it is?"
"There's no doubt about what it is," Kenner said, handing the paper to Sanjong. "It's a list of geographic locations."
"Locations? Where?"
"We'll have to calculate that," Sanjong said. "They're recorded in UTM, which may mean the listing was intended for pilots." Kenner saw the blank looks on the others' faces. "The world is a globe," he said, "and maps are flat. Therefore all maps are projections of a sphere onto a flat surface. One projection is the Universal Transverse Mercator grid, which divides the globe into six-degree grids. It was originally a military projection, but some pilot charts use it."