There had been three differently sized versions of the suit in room 1952, along with underwear and shoes. Leigh had pickedthe best fits from the available options, disrobing completely in front of the obviously embarrassed, pregnant Asian womanshe’d met there. The woman had explained the rules and taken her purse, jewelry (not that she was wearing much), cell, laptopbag, and clothes. Leigh was given a brand-new laptop, a notepad, and a few sharpened pencils and directed to head to room1964.
And now that door stood before her, waiting. Her legs were tingling. Why was that? That made no sense.
Leigh stared at the door, trying to calm herself. Trying to focus. It wasn’t working, and so, what? Leave?
No. Absolutely not.
She reached up and knocked.
A shadow moved behind the peephole in the door, blocking the light momentarily. The impulse to run gripped Leigh, so stronglythat she half turned before she gathered herself. A click from the door handle, and then the door opened.
A man, white, on the youngish side by complexion, although these days that could mean anything from twenties to forties. Jeans—niceones—a button-down shirt, tucked in, good shoes, all of which broadcast a picture of casual wealth. Sunglasses, and a mopof light, blond hair.
That’s a wig, she thought. He’s wearing a disguise.
“Ms. Shore,” the man said.
“The . . . Oracle?” Leigh said, hesitating a bit.
“That’s right,” the man said.
“Very pleased to meet you,” Leigh said. She extended her hand and received a brief, firm shake in return.
“Come in,” the Oracle said. “Have a seat over there—couch or chair, doesn’t matter.”
Leigh moved inside, seeing a large, well-appointed room with a separate sitting area—a suite. A tray with snacks and drinkssat on a wooden coffee table between a couch and two armchairs. Leigh sat on the couch, placing the laptop and notepad onthe cushion beside her.
“Can I offer you anything?” the Oracle said. “There’s soda, water . . . uh, anything you want from the minibar.”
She realized that he was nervous, too, and felt herself starting to relax. The Oracle, whatever else he might be, was clearlya human being.
Leigh smiled at him, a big, fifty-thousand-kilowatt smile, one of the most potent weapons in her arsenal.
“Just water, thanks.”
The Oracle clinked a few cubes of ice into a glass from the silver bucket on the tray, then filled the glass with water. Hehanded it to Leigh and sat in one of the armchairs.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Leigh said. “I’m glad we were able to put this together.”
“It’s my pleasure,” the Oracle said.
Leigh smiled again and took a sip of water. An awkward silence descended.
“Well, good,” the Oracle said. “Would you like to, uh, get started?”
“Absolutely,” Leigh answered, putting her glass on the table and picking up the laptop. She flipped it open. “How much timedo we have?”
“As much as we need,” the Oracle said.
Leigh’s eyebrows raised, but she nodded. A short burst of typing on the laptop, and then she gave the man sitting oppositeher a look she hoped was direct and businesslike.
“First question,” she said, “what do I call you? Are you comfortable with Oracle?”
The man gave an embarrassed shrug.
He’s such a . . . person, she marveled. Almost ordinary.
“That’s probably easiest for now, I guess. It’s a little goofy, I know.”
“But it’s accurate, right? It’s like calling a man who puts out fires a fireman. You are an oracle, after all. You see thefuture, and you tell us about it.”
The Oracle nodded.
“Fair enough.”
“Next—and this is off the record, just something I’d like to know. That business in the other room. Everything I brought withme is back there, and—”
“Oh, of course,” the Oracle said. He pulled a plastic card from his pocket and held it out. “This is the key to 1952. Youcan get your things when we’re done here. And I am sorry about the security stuff, too, but . . . you understand.”
Leigh took the keycard and slipped it into the breast pocket of her suit.
“I do. I get it. Not even an audio recorder, though? That’s pretty standard equipment for an interview like this.”
The Oracle reached out and grabbed a pretzel from the tray. He chewed slowly, swallowed.
“I don’t want my voice on tape. That’s why we gave you the laptop, Ms. Shore. You can take all the notes you want. We’ll reviewthem once we’re done here to make sure the quotes are accurate, then you get them back on a thumb drive.”
Leigh nodded. She extended her hands over the keyboard, then pulled them back.
“Last question before we start. What makes you think people will believe me about any of this?” she said. “I won’t have anyevidence that we met, other than my word. For a lot of people, that won’t be enough. After all,” Leigh continued, “I’m notexactly Barbara Walters. I’m not even TMZ.”
The Oracle leaned forward.
“I’ve read your work. You’re selling yourself short,” he said. “But I’ll do two things. I’ll put something up on the Siteabout this interview so that people know it’s legitimate. And, second, I’ll give you a prediction tonight that you can putin your story to prove that you met me.”
Leigh felt her face go slack. The Oracle just watched from behind his sunglasses, and, no, he was definitely not ordinary.
“That . . . that would work, I think,” Leigh said.
The Oracle smiled and leaned back in his chair.
“I think so. But you must have a lot of questions for me. Go ahead.”
“All right, Oracle,” Leigh began.
He winced, his forehead wrinkling.
“That’s terrible,” he interrupted. “I didn’t realize how awful that would sound. Just call me J— Just call me Jim, all right?That will work as well as anything.”
“Jim it is,” Leigh said.
“So. The first question, the first real question,” she continued, “is pretty simple. How do you predict the future?”
The Oracle hesitated. To Leigh, it seemed as if he was thinking about how to respond, which seemed strange.
