"But, good God, girl, this could be important. The most important assignment you have ever had. Maybe our first space visitor.

"First space visitor?"

"Well, maybe yes, maybe no. We don't know quite yet…old was holding out the phone to him. He took it and spoke into it. "Just a minute, Frank. I'll be right with you." ~

Annie said, "There'll be a plane waiting, ready to go. There'll be a ear at Bemidji."

"Thanks," said Garrison. He asked Gold, "What have you got?"

"Good story, far as it goes," said Gold. "Solid. Lots of facts. Loads of detail. Sounds exciting. Something did fall out of the sky up there."

"Solid enough to go after?"

"I'd say so," said Gold.

Garrison swung around to Kathy. "I hate to ask this of you," he said. "But there's no one else. No one I can reach out and grab quite fast enough. Everyone is working. You and White fly up to Bemidji. There'll be a car there, waiting for you. Play story. I'll guarantee you that. Byline. The works. You ought to be in Lone Pine by six or before. Phone before eight. We can make the first edition that way, with what you have."

"All right," she said. "If you'll buy this pair of tickets. I'll be damned if I'm going to be out the price of these tickets."

"All right," he said, "I'll buy them. I'll work them into my expense account somehow." He dug his wallet out of his pocket. "How much?"

"Thirty bucks."

"That's too much. That's more than you paid for them."

"They're good seats. Anyhow, that's what you'll have to pay for them."

"All right. All right," he said, stripping out bills.

"And if Jerry Conklin calls, be sure someone tells him happened. He was to be my date tonight. Promise."

"I promise," said Garrison, handing her the money.