1
Karen was busy calling realtors on Wednesday morning while Jamie studied a math book and worked problems. Karen lined up two realtors specializing in rentals to come out later in the week. They would give Karen estimates for managing the property and also try to give her a ballpark estimate of how much the property might rent for.
When the doorbell rang, Karen looked at her watch and noted it was ten o’clock already. She got so engrossed in the property rental issue that she had lost track of time. She had almost forgotten entirely about the appointment, perhaps out of some instinctive fear that she felt.
“Hello, Mrs. Meyers,” Michael greeted in a voice that Karen instantly recognized. “You remembered our appointment I hope. Is....well, are we alone?”
Karen shook her head trying not to mention Michael’s name while Jamie was working in the dining room. “Why don’t I try to arrange a little privacy for us?”
Karen asked Jamie to please move her work up to her bedroom so Karen and the visitor could speak without distraction. Jamie thought nothing of it, believing that the visitor was one of the realtors that her mother had called earlier this morning.
Michael and Karen moved into the kitchen after Jamie went upstairs. That afforded them an added measure of privacy in case Jamie happened to come downstairs for something. Karen said nothing. She left it up to Michael to begin.
“I am the son of a great and wonderful Rabbi, Mrs. Meyers.”
“Call me Karen, please.”
“Karen! As I was saying, Karen, I am the son of Rabbi David Pearlstein. He died in August 1976. Not too long ago I got a call from California about a little girl who knew everything there was to know about my father and my entire family. I went to meet the girl and she recognized me on sight.”
The hair stood up on the back of Karen’s neck, and she shook with a sudden chill that Michael noticed.
“Yes, Karen, I told you this was going to involve the supernatural. Let me try to shorten the story. I am convinced that this child is the reincarnation of my father. Only a few people in the world know of the connection between this child and my father, and I believe that nobody leaked it. Then, out of the clear blue, your daughter called this Corina woman, a friend of the child’s mother, and asked about the Pearlsteins.”
“And just what do you think the connection is, Mr. Pearlstein?” she asked.
“I don’t know, frankly. But I find it absolutely incredible that a precocious three-year-old from Buffalo might just happen to stumble upon the connection.”
Michael went on to explain the circumstances surrounding Maria’s life and her unfortunate withdrawal and hospitalization. Karen listened to every word of the story, uncomfortable about the similarities between Maria’s early years and Jamie’s, although she said nothing to Michael about Jamie.
Karen asked him, “What is it that you want, Michael?”
“It’s probably a lot to ask, but I wanted to speak to Jamie in private about Maria. I was hoping to surprise her in an effort to catch her off guard. I have a feeling that this is the only way I might arrive at the truth. Do you think you might be able to allow me this favor?”
Karen was confused and frightened, but something deep inside told her that this man could unlock mysteries that she herself could not. She never could understand the source of Jamie’s knowledge. Also, it was gnawing at her that Jamie had lied to her about the California call.
“I’ll allow you to do it, Michael, but on one condition. I have to know what you find out.”
“Okay,” Michael agreed, fully aware that he might have to go back on the promise.
“I’ll allow you to meet with Jamie in her room. I’ll take you up and leave the two of you. You can make your own introduction.”
“Thank you so much, Karen.”
Karen led Michael up to Jamie’s room. The door was closed, so she knocked gently and waited for a response before entering. Jamie looked at the man and then gave her mother a puzzled look.
“Jamie, this gentleman would like to talk to you for a moment. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” She turned and went downstairs, leaving the door open. Jamie assumed he was a realtor and she was quite puzzled by why he might want to talk with her.
“Jamie, I have a question to ask you?”
“What?”
“Are you reincarnated, too? I’m Michael Pearlstein.”
The horror that flooded Jamie’s mind was so overwhelming that it contorted her face. Every instinct within her told her to flee. But something else inside told her exactly what she must do. It was a calm voice of reason that originated from someplace within her, yet was totally foreign to her.
“I’ve been expecting you, Michael Pearlstein,” she replied in a monotone voice. “Please sit down so that we may speak about your father.”
Now Michael felt the chill. He had hoped to use the element of surprise to his advantage, but now Jamie had used it on him.
She asked, “How much do you know about Maria Cortez?”
“I don’t really know that much,” he lied.
“Perhaps I can put you a little more at ease, Michael,” Jamie suggested. “I know that you at least suspect that Maria is the reincarnation of your father.”
“How do you know this?” he demanded.
“You came here in search of the truth, didn’t you?” Jamie questioned. “You came to me for that truth. Before I tell it to you, you must answer some questions for me.”
Michael knew she had the answers. He was totally at her mercy. He decided to cooperate.
“What do you want to know?” he asked her.
“What has Maria told you about David?”
“She really hasn’t told me much at all. As we speak, she’s hospitalized in a hopeless state of withdrawal.”
“Has she told you she was reincarnated?”
“No. I figured that out by myself.”
“Who else knows this?”
“Her mother and Corina suspect only that she’s a medium. There’s one psychiatrist that I told, but that’s all. You’re reincarnated too, aren’t you?”
“Listen to me, Michael. I’m going to tell you a story that that will shock you. Your father is indeed reborn in the form of Maria Cortez. David Pearlstein was a righteous man who was chosen by God to bring the message of salvation to mankind. He was born into the form of Maria Cortez and she will one day walk the earth and bring God’s message to all of humankind. That is, if she survives to fulfill that mission.”
“Survives?” Michael questioned. “And who are you? How do you know these things? Why should I believe you?”
“You need proof! Of course you do! Michael, I am sent by God to find Maria and protect her from harm. I am a servant of God, sent forth to counteract the evil forces that were created to destroy Maria.”
Michael’s eyes revealed his concern over that last statement. “Explain!” he demanded.
“Let me tell you some things about David, yourself, Eric, Rose and the rest of your families. I don’t know everything, of course, but I know those things that God has chosen that I know.”
Jamie went on for ten minutes revealing what she knew of the life and family of David Pearlstein. Michael just sat there in awe as facts were revealed to him that he knew to be correct, but had long forgotten. When Jamie was finished, Michael had no doubt that this child before him was divine.
“Are you a believer yet, Michael?”
He nodded to her. He wanted to speak, but couldn’t.
“When the soul of David Pearlstein was chosen by God to carry His sacred message, God prepared him by implanting that message deep within his core. It is not expected that this message is even known to Maria at this time, nor perhaps will it be for many years to come. It will all surface as Maria grows and develops. Then one day she will awaken with the knowledge of her duty to God and mankind.”
“Please go on,” Michael urged.
“When Maria was born, so too were four others born to seek her out and destroy her. These four are much like Maria, but sent here with the demonic purpose of destroying Maria before she can bring the message of God to earth.”
“Sent by whom?”
“By the Fallen Angel, Michael. By Satan or the Devil or however you may know him. Are you surprised by that?....Surprised by the existence of a Lord of Evil?”
Michael made no attempt at a reply.
“When God learned of the existence of these four, he chose me to be sent as the Guardian of Maria. The disadvantage, Michael, is that I do not know who these four are. The advantage is that neither do they know who I am. The game is a simple one. We must find and destroy them before they find us or Maria.”
“Then they don’t know who Maria is?” questioned Michael.
“Not yet. But they do indeed possess incredible powers from the Lord of Evil.”
“Why doesn’t God just find them Himself?” Michael asked skeptically.
“The souls of man are the eyes of God on earth. God has no power directly on earth but for the power of those who believe in Him. So too for the Lord of Evil.”
Then a horrible thought swept through Michael. “How do I know you aren’t one of the evil ones?”
“That is a simple question to answer, Michael. You might have already deduced the answer yourself. If I were one of the four, then you would already be dead.”
She said it so coldly and confidently that Michael had no cause to doubt her. It made perfect sense, anyway.
Jamie continued. “I have arranged to have my family move to Los Angeles so that I may be close to Maria if and when she needs protection. It is all part of the grand scheme of things that God has willed. But there are two things I must caution you about, Michael. First, what I have told you is between us and must remain so. If my family were to know the truth about me, they might falter and their lives might be destroyed. Second, you mentioned a psychiatrist. I caution you that it could be a dangerous thing if Maria were to be prematurely pulled out of her withdrawal. The burden that God has placed upon her soul is so great that it is perhaps a blessing that she does not have to cope with it before she is ready.”
“I’m not sure I can handle all this, quite frankly,” Michael confided.
“Oh, but you must. There is one more thing I must tell you before you go. You have come here for a purpose, and you will leave here with a purpose. You must help me in my lonely mission. You and I were meant to find one another, Michael. This is no chance occurrence. You and I share a singular divine purpose from this point forward; the protection of the soul of David Pearlstein.”
“I need time to digest and accept all this,” Michael confessed. “I’m not sure what to do.”
Jamie assured him, “You will come around, Michael Pearlstein. You must!”
“Tell me about the others; the evil ones,” he pleaded.
“I don’t know too much about the four,” Jamie explained. “I know only that they were all born about the same time as Maria, January 5, 1977. And I know exactly who they were in their previous lives.”
“Then they were reincarnated too?” Michael asked.
“Oh, yes. Their souls were seized by the Evil Lord when they died. They too are reincarnates, and they too will have knowledge of previous existence. This knowledge of previous life is what makes them so powerful and formidable, even at a very young age. So too is it with me, Michael. My power is awesome, but the four are more than three years my seniors. That is why time is of the essence. I must find these four and forever destroy their power.”
Michael contemplated all that Jamie was telling him. “I just need time to think,” he told her. Then he remembered something. “I promised your mother that I would let her know what I found out. What should I say to her?”
“Leave that to me, Michael. Let us go downstairs and tell her as much as we dare.”
Jamie led Michael downstairs. They found Karen in the kitchen rinsing some dishes.
“Mom, we need to talk,” Jamie requested.
Karen looked back and forth suspiciously between the two of them. “What is it, Jamie?”
“It’s a long story. Where should I begin?” Jamie rubbed her chin as Michael and Karen looked on. “I lied to you and Dad. I didn’t think you could handle the truth. I apologize for that, Mom, and now I’m going to tell you the truth. I know where my previous knowledge comes from. I lived before as another person. So did this other little girl in California. That’s why I called that Corina woman on the phone. That little girl lived before as Michael’s father.”
“What are you saying, Jamie?” Karen asked in disbelief.
“Mom, it doesn’t change anything about how I love you or Dad. It’s something that I can’t help, but I have to try and forget about this other life or it’ll make me crazy. Now that it’s off my chest, I have a favor to request.”
“What?”
“This is going to be hard enough for you to handle. I know Dad couldn’t handle it at all. Please don’t tell him.”
Karen thought about it. “I agree, Jamie. I won’t tell him. I never told him about our other secret; the one about the knowledge you were born with. I guess this isn’t all that shocking to me. Maybe I sort of knew it all along.”
“Well, just like it would destroy Dad, it would destroy Michael Pearlstein’s family to find out. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I suppose I do,” Karen conceded. “But how did you know about the Pearlstein name when you were in California?” Karen asked.
“I was researching to try and find others like me. I located this news story and it led to this girl Maria. That researcher in California got me the information. Please don’t be angry.”
Karen asked, “Michael, didn’t you tell me that nobody knew the connection between you and this child?”
Jamie jumped in and said, “It was that reporter in California that did the news story. We got access to his notes.”
It was a safe lie for both her mother as well as Michael. Jamie knew from the article that Ted Fox called the Pearlsteins to get their comments.
“Please,” Jamie added, “don’t let that reporter know we got access to his personal notes. Someone could get in a lot of trouble,” she lied.
Michael marveled at how well Jamie had handled all this. She was an intelligent, fast thinking little girl.
The three of them spoke for some time. Karen told Michael about their upcoming move to Los Angeles, and Michael told them about his frequent business trips there and his accompanying visits to Maria.
“Michael,” Karen noted, “It’s such an incredible coincidence that we’ll be so close to you and Maria. We have to keep in touch.”
Michael glanced over to Jamie who smiled and nodded ever so slightly. He replied, “Yes, I’d like that very much. And I also look forward to meeting your husband.”
They parted on a friendly note, looking forward to meeting up again in California.
.....
As Michael left the house, he tried to grasp the significance of the story that Jamie had told him. It all went against his basic religious beliefs. But the facts were the facts. Maria Cortez was all the proof he needed to make him believe in reincarnation.
Then he thought about his father’s soul being chosen to bring to earth a message from God. He imagined such grandiose things that he was ashamed of himself for thinking them. He envisioned Maria Cortez bringing God’s message of salvation to the entire world. He saw her as a Savior; a Messiah. Then he thought about Jesus Christ. He wondered about the fundamental beliefs that Judaism taught. Was it all wrong?
He thought about the life of Rabbi David Pearlstein; the teachings, the beliefs, the torments and the struggles. He thought about the way his father played with him when he was a child. He thought about his mother and brother. Then Michael quietly wept.
.....
Jamie sat there wondering where that whole story about Maria and the four demons had come from. It was as if it had come to her out of thin air. Yet, at the same time, it seemed vaguely familiar. It was like deja vu.
The more pressing thing that Jamie had to decide was how she should proceed from this point forward. Michael had believed her. Somehow she knew she must find a way to make use of him in fulfilling God’s mission. It disturbed her that she had to reveal so much to her mother. On the other hand, she hadn’t told her mother anything that would really compromise the secret that the other five had carried with them to earth.
What frightened Jamie the most was the fact that Maria had connected with Michael at such a young age, and that Michael knew she was reincarnated. That just reinforced Jamie’s belief that urgency was more important than ever.
Then a memory flashed into Jamie’s mind. It was shocking, yet somehow soothing. She remembered Zoron and his hypnosis. He had told her he was preparing her for contingencies. Surely that was where the story of the four demons had originated. That’s why it seemed so familiar. She hadn’t created it, but rather just related it as Zoron planned. She felt better knowing that she had done nothing that Zoron might have objected to.
2
The next few days were hectic. The realtors looked over the house and made their rental estimates and offers for managing the property. The studio arranged for relocation and temporary housing until they found a place on their own. Vic gave notice to his employer. The moving company dropped off boxes and packing supplies, and Karen began to pack things for the move.
A friend threw a going-away party that Friday night, and all of their friends, relatives and some of Vic’s coworkers showed up. Brittany Peters even dropped by for a few minutes to wish them the best. By the time the party was over, Vic and Karen were totally depressed.
“It’s going to be hard to leave,” Karen told Vic in bed that night.
“It’s just for five years. That’s not really that long a period. We’ll come back with lots of money and enough stories to last for the rest of our lives,” he assured her. “Besides, we’ll make trips back to visit.”
“Jamie asked me about UCLA today. I think I’ll contact them and find out if we can work something out with them.”
Vic asked, “Are you all right with all this?”
“Yes, I suppose so. I’m just getting last minute cold feet. I’ll be fine as soon as we get past all this transition stuff and settle down in a house we can stay in for a while. I don’t look forward to the next couple of months living out of suitcases and boxes.” She looked into Vic’s eyes and said, “I’ve got the same question for you. Are you all right with this?”
“Yeah, I think I am. Ask me again in six months, though.”
Karen and Vic switched the subject back to the evening’s party. “That was really nice of Brittany to stop by, wasn’t it?” Karen noted.
“It sure was,” Vic agreed. “Did you see the faces on everybody when they saw her? She’s probably the biggest celebrity around here.”
“Not for long,” Karen reminded him. “Wait until Jamie does her first movie. They’ll probably erect a statue of her in the park.”
.....
Michael Pearlstein spoke with Dr. Francine Sullivan late Friday night. Since Wednesday he had spent most of his time struggling to figure out what to do about Maria and about Jamie. In a way he felt relieved to know he wasn’t crazy. That thought had occurred to him many times before.
“Francine, it’s Michael. How are you? Anything new with Maria?”
“I’m just fine, thank you. Maria isn’t responding at all. There’s no change since I spoke with you earlier this week. I can’t seem to find the magic words to open her up. She hasn’t responded to any mention of the family, nor any physical contact.”
“I was just wondering if we’re wasting time with this approach,” Michael speculated.
“Well, I really don’t see any harm,” she argued. “If there were another direction we could be heading with her, that would be a different matter. Right now I’ve got to believe I can find a way to pull her out of this.”
“Francine, I spoke with someone who thinks that maybe we shouldn’t.....”
“Shouldn’t what, Michael?”
Michael decided that moment that he wasn’t going to interfere with Francine’s work. “Nothing, Francine. I was just thinking out loud.” He had to let Francine continue to try. He couldn’t just leave Maria in her present condition. He’d have to deal with Jamie about this later. God’s work or not, Maria didn’t deserve to suffer.
“I was thinking of trying some drugs, Michael. What do you think of that idea?”
“What type of drugs are you talking about, Francine?”
“Some rather potent tranquilizers.”
“What would that do?” inquired Michael.
“I wanted to see if I could relax her enough to perhaps drop her internal guard. Then I might be able to focus her thoughts outside of her shell.”
“If you think it’s best, then do it.”
“It’s not permitted without written consent, Michael.”
“Why? Is it dangerous or something?”
“I suppose everything is dangerous, but I don’t think this will be. The consent is needed for any unusual work we do here. It’s a matter of liability and lawsuits. That kind of stuff.”
“Can you fax me the forms?”
“It’ll have to wait until your next visit. Dr. Long has to brief you in person and witness your signature. Rules and regulations!”
“I’ll be in next week or the week after. We’ll take care of it then. Have Juanita and Corina been there?”
“One or both of them every single day.”
“Good. By the way, Francine, I wanted to make sure that nobody has tried to talk to you recently about Maria’s case.”
“Not at all, Michael. Dr. Long asks me every day if things are okay. We never discuss the case directly. Why do you ask?”
Michael dismissed the thought. He was angry with himself for even momentarily feeling the doubt. He blamed it on his engineering training. “No reason,” he assured her. “I’m just so anxious to see some progress, that’s all.”
When he hung up, Michael wondered if he would ever again have the opportunity to speak with Maria as father and son. He wanted so much to be able to comfort her and explain how wrong she had been about his feelings. He couldn’t get the image of her suicide attempt out of his mind. He owed it to her to somehow make her understand his love.
Then he remembered the four others that lurked somewhere out there waiting to take Maria away from him. He couldn’t allow them to succeed.
.....
Saturday was a dreary, overcast day in Buffalo. Jamie reviewed her list of souls and updated it with the tidbits of additional information that came back to her memory over the last week. The updating had been a ritual for her ever since she first made the list.
She kept the list in a secret place where she was certain her parents couldn’t find it. As an additional precaution, she developed an alphanumeric code that would confuse any average individual who might accidentally run across the papers. The code wasn’t foolproof, but she enhanced it by mixing up the order of first and last names, address numbers and street names. At first she used no codes at all. Gradually, as her memory began to return, she reached a point where she encoded the data. As things progressed more and more, she enhanced the codes and destroyed the older copies.
For the first time, she could totally drop the name David Pearlstein from the list. Jonah had taught her to destroy the evidence of the list as she discovered the current identities of the souls. By doing so there would be virtually no chance of anybody ever linking things together as she performed her mission.
The remaining names were Jack Casey, Ray Williams, Hank Alderfer and Ann Willis. Of these four, Jamie could see that Ray and Ann had left considerable family when they died, but the other two would be difficult to trace, especially Hank.
With the updates completed, she carefully hid the list in its secret spot. Then she lay back in her bed and thought about the list.
.....
Jamie thought back to Joan Spencer’s death. She had always wondered how the Recorders accumulated the information that went into the Journals; the Books of Life. She couldn’t recall anything at all that could explain how the Recorders had found out about her and her family, yet Zoron had sent Jonah to find Joan Spencer’s name and the ones immediately before and after hers.
As Jamie concentrated, she suddenly remembered a tiny piece of trivia from the time that Zoron and Jonah trained her for the mission. To find her name in the Books of Life, Zoron asked her when she was born as Paula Austin. He hadn’t asked her when she died as Joan Spencer. She remembered how often Zoron and Jonah would answer her questions by telling her that she was the detective. That’s right! She was the detective!
Jamie mulled over the lists. She considered the order of death of the six. It was Jack, Ray, herself, David, Hank and Ann. She remembered telling Zoron that she was third in the cell. Then Zoron told Jonah to find the two before her and the three after her in the Journal. It was the same! They appeared in the cell in the same order that they died. But the span of death dates ranged from January 1975 to December 1976. She herself had died in May 1976. Then all six were reborn on the same day in January 1977. Ann was the last to die on December 2, 1976.
But what did it mean? Did it mean anything at all? She thought about floating in the blackness after death. She remembered that she had ‘thought’ her way to the Processing Station. She never saw a Recorder at all. Where was she between death and the Processing Station?
Everything else made such clear sense to her. The Processing, the rebirths, the merging of the souls with the mortal bodies. Only the Books of Life were an enigma to her. How was the data obtained?
As she pondered the question, she felt a chill travel the length of her spine. It was a chill so cold that it paralyzed her with fright. That moment she realized she must solve the mystery of the Journals, and at that very instant she felt the hands seize her body. She turned to find Zoron in a blind rage shaking her mercilessly and screaming her name, Joan! Joan! Joan! .....
.....
.... “Jamie! Jamie! Wake up, honey,” Karen said as she gently shook Jamie’s shoulder. “Do you want lunch? I made some soup and sandwiches.” Karen looked at Jamie’s face and gasped, “My God! You’re soaking wet with perspiration. Are you all right, honey?”
Jamie was stunned. The dream had seemed so real. Was it a dream? She looked at her mother. “Oh, yes! I’m okay. I must have been dreaming. I’ll be down in a minute, Mom.”
As her mother left the room, Jamie sat up on the bed. She looked around for her shoes and she noticed something on the bed out of the corner of her eye. She turned to identify it. It was the list! She knew she had put it away, but here it was! The list! How could this be?
She put it back in the secret spot just like she was certain she had done earlier. The air in the room felt cold and her skin was clammy. Her little heart was pounding a mile a minute in her chest. All she could think about were the Journals.
As consciousness slowly replaced the dream, Jamie got out of bed and started downstairs for lunch. She wondered why on earth she had dreamt about the Journals. What was the mystery surrounding them, and why was it suddenly such an obsession to her?
.....
Vic and Karen were at the kitchen table when Jamie came down. Karen stood up and set a place for Jamie.
“Soup and sandwich, honey?” she offered.
“Sure, Mom.” Jamie sat down in her spot. “Hi, Dad”
“Hi, sweetheart,” he responded. “Exciting week coming up! Are you anxious to move?”
“Sure, Dad. But I thought we weren’t moving until the week after next.”
“That’s when the van comes, honey,” he explained. “We’ll be busy all week packing and sorting.”
“Sorting what?” Jamie asked.
“Some of our stuff is going into storage out there until we find a house. We have to sort out what stays with us from what gets stored.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “How do we decide that?”
“We made a list,” Karen answered as she served Jamie her soup and sandwich. “Why don’t you look it over and see if there’s anything we forgot.”
“Are all my books coming with? I don’t want you to store them.”
“Some of your books are coming. We’re going to store all your baby books, though.”
“That’s all right,” she agreed. “Actually I only want my math and physics books. Oh! I want my chess set and the games and the...”
“Whoa!” Karen insisted. “Eat your lunch first, then look at the list and then we’ll talk about it. Deal?”
“Deal!” Jamie conceded.
The three of them sat eating lunch together. They all shared a common thought; neither of them could believe that they were finally going to move.
3
On Monday afternoon, the last day of October, Karen called UCLA. She had the name of the person who had called earlier in the month. She waited while it rang four times before someone answered.
“Hello,” Karen said. “My name is Karen Meyers and I’m returning Charles Wexler’s call.....Thank you.....Yes, I’ll hold.....Hello, Mr. Wexler. I’m Karen Meyers, Jamie’s mother. You called about offering her a place in your gifted studies program.”
“Oh, yes. Let me get my notes. Bear with me a moment, please..... Okay! Your daughter appears to be the kind of candidate we’re looking for, Mrs. Meyers. We have a wonderful gifted program here at UCLA and it’s my job to recruit for it. We have some cooperating colleges in New York where Jamie could participate, but none within fifty miles of Buffalo.”
“We’re moving to L.A. in two weeks, Mr. Wexler. Jamie just got a five year contract with a film studio out there and we were wondering if there was a way for Jamie to take part in something out there.”
“You’re kidding! That’s better than we ever imagined. We could put her into one of our high intensity research groups if you lived out here. You say she’s under contract with a studio?”
“Yes. She’s with Dynasty Pictures. She’ll be available to them from nine to three only, Monday through Friday. The rest of the time she’s free.”
“That would work out just fine, Mrs. Meyers.”
“You mentioned something about tuition for Jamie at UCLA. Can you explain that please?”
“There’s a program here that pays the participants in credits for tuition, room and board and books and supplies when they’re ready for college.”
“That’s what I’m talking about, Mr. Wexler. Why don’t you tell me all about that, please?”
Mr. Wexler described the program in great detail to Karen. They agreed that Karen should bring Jamie in to meet with him as soon as she could. By the time he finished, they were on a first name basis.
“So when do you think you might be able to come by?” asked Chuck.
Karen suggested, “We’ll try to make it before the end of November.”
“That would work out fine, Karen. We can test Jamie over a weekend and maybe even get her into a group this year. I’m telling you, this program of ours is the best in the world. It will challenge her to the hilt and develop her to her fullest potential.”
“Well, it all sounds quite good on the phone, Chuck. I look forward to meeting you next month.”
“How about if I Fed-Ex a package to you today? That way you can look it over and get familiar with it before you even get out here.”
“I suppose that would be all right,” she agreed, “but we’re in transition here and I can’t guarantee we won’t misplace it in the shuffle.”
“No problem. Give me your street address and it’ll be there by tomorrow morning.”
Karen gave him the information and then they hung up. She called Jamie over to tell her the news. She explained what Chuck had told her and how Jamie could take part without it interfering with the studio work.
Jamie was ecstatic. “That’s absolutely wonderful, Mom. When will I get to meet them?”
“As soon as we get settled in our apartment, honey. How does that sound?”
“Great!” She threw her arms around her mother and gave her a hug.
Jamie skipped away in joy. She was certain that a connection at UCLA would come in quite handy when it came to researching for her mission. She was already planning the details of how the search should be handled.
.....
Michael Pearlstein called later that evening. After he spoke to Karen for a few minutes, he asked to talk to Jamie. Karen called her to the phone and Jamie took it from her in the kitchen while Vic watched a show on TV in the living room.
“Hello, Jamie. I just wanted to tell you that I’ve given a lot of thought to our conversation. I’ll help you whatever way I can.”
Jamie was relieved, but she wanted to appear strong for Michael. “I knew you would come around, Michael. I told you while you were here, didn’t I? You have no more choice than I do in this matter. We must succeed. I look forward to seeing you in California.”
Jamie hung up and went into the living room. When Vic momentarily got up to go to the kitchen for a snack, Karen asked, “What did Michael want, honey?”
“Just to wish us a safe move and to say he’d see us out in California. He said he’d like to help me search for more children like me and Maria.”
Karen felt a sudden chill go through her. “That’s nice, honey.”
