there’s about one chance in fifty that this man will kill you.”
“That is going to take some digesting. And coffee.”
He nodded. “Com Pu Ter, please fill the thermos under the instrument panel with coffee.”
Gurgling and hissing followed a brief silence. When they stopped, Gideon said, “It’s ready now.”
Cassie groped under the instrument panel, found the thermos, and brought it out. “Only one cup. Want to drink from the other side?”
Gideon nodded. “I do. Thank you.”
She poured. “Cream. I usually take it black, but tonight I’ll make an exception.”
“And sugar.”
“Here you go. It’s only half full.”
“Wise, I’m sure.” He accepted the cup and sipped.
“I—Dr. Chase, I just saw how fast we’re going.”
He sipped again, seeming not to have heard her.
“A hundred and forty? Is that right?”
He took the cup from his lips. “About that. We have to reach Canada and travel another hundred miles or more before sunrise. Or so I think. You see, I believe that you’ll agree to what I’m proposing. At this point you have nothing to lose, after all. And much to gain.”
Cassie drew breath, let it out, and filled her lungs again. “I’ve been looking out the window. Everything’s whizzing past. I feel like I’m in a low-flying plane.”
Gideon nodded, smiling. “I wish I had one. But if I did, there’d be no place to land it where we’re going. A hopper would be better, but the Mounties are on the lookout for smugglers. Are you up to some hiking?”
“In these heels? Absolutely not!”
“No. You’ll have to take them off. You know, I ought to have thought of that.”
“Brought shoes for me?”
He shook his head. “Told you to take off whatever shoes you might be wearing and put on walking shoes.”
“You know, I like you. But if I weren’t crazy, I’d be demanding that you turn this—this hot rod of yours around immediately.”
“And yet you are not.”
“No. And you haven’t told me anything. Not anything beyond the less than charming fact that I may have to hike for miles barefoot.”
“I will try to tell you whatever you want to learn,” Gideon said, “provided I know the answers myself. Ask a question.”
“How will you make me a star?”
“Ah!” He turned his head and looked at her so long that she felt a thrill of terror.
“Drive! Please drive! If we hit something at this speed . . .”
“We won’t.” Gideon looked ahead again. “There’s some slight danger, though, that we might buzz right through the checkpoint. It must be close.”
“We’ll have to stop? Thank God!”
“It’s to be hoped that God won’t keep us long. We’ve very little time. You were slow coming to that ice cream shop, which made me think I might have misjudged you.”
“I’m glad you said that. Now I know what my next question will be, if you ever answer my first one.”
“How I’ll make you a star? It’s almost easier to do than it is to explain. Every human being contains a whole grab bag of qualities. Some are inactive, others active. You have the quality that makes stars, but it is latent. The old mesmerists called it personal magnetism. We who think ourselves so much wiser have no better term for it.”
He sipped more coffee and handed her the cup. “One of my own qualities is the ability to manipulate qualities in others. With difficulty, and only to a limited degree, but I can do it. Tonight I’ll try to awaken your star quality. To change it from a latent quality to an active one. As active as I can make it. My mind will reach into yours, find that quality there, and drag it into the light.”
After that Cassie was quiet for a good three minutes. At last she said, “Why do I believe you?”
“Because you sense my honesty. Honesty is a powerful force.”
“You mean that.”
Gideon nodded. “With all my heart.”
“All right. I’d walk barefoot all night and all day if it would make me a star. If there’s a ghost of a chance