“I have no idea,” said Uriah. “I think we’re done here. I’m sorry you have so many personal problems, Graham, but my time is valuable.”
“Wait, Uriah,” said Graham. “Please give me a chance to explain myself. I’ve been reluctant to put my cards on the table until now because my boss specifically requested that I maintain the strictest confidentiality, but I have a proposition that will change your fortunes for the better—not that you need any help in that regard.”
“Cut to the chase,” said Uriah.
“Fine,” said Graham. “This is an opportunity for you to correct a regrettable oversight that has no doubt plagued you during the better part of the last four decades. Correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I understand, Peterson came to you for financial assistance before he went to George Hamilton, and you refused to invest in him.”
“Best decision I ever made,” said Uriah.
“Yes, so it must have seemed at the time,” said Graham, “but things are different now. Peterson is gone. There’s no murder, no treachery, no scandal—just a revolutionary product that has the potential to change life as we know it. If we manage to get this right, we’ll have so much money that we’ll have to find an offshore bank to put it in. Don’t you want to be a part of that?”
“I don’t know,” said Uriah. “You haven’t convinced me your boss is really capable of pulling it off, and if your performance here today is any indication of the usual quality of your work, I’m not impressed. I thought the whole point of us coming to this filthy little dump was to find the notebook, but you couldn’t even manage to do that.”
“It’s not essential,” said Graham in a surly voice. “It would have made things easier, but I can get along without it. I’ve got a contingency plan in place, and it won’t be long before it starts yielding results, but there’s no point in trying to convince you if you’ve already made up your mind. I see how it is. You’re hesitating because you’re afraid of damaging your reputation.”
“It’s a legitimate concern,” said Uriah. “I’m reluctant to attach myself to anything that produces so many corpses. Why don’t you research something else—something interesting—like magnets?”
“What?” said Graham. “No, you don’t understand, Uriah. That’s not even an option. I’ve already started assembling a team.”
“Yes, you mentioned something about a local doctor,” said Uriah.
“Forget about him,” said Graham. “Turned me down flat. I’ve found someone better, though, so it doesn’t matter. We’ve got everything squared away for the next four months, but after that, we’re going to need more space, more people, and more equipment. That’s where you come in, Uriah. Forgive me for being blunt, but my boss has instructed me to ask you for an investment of one million dollars.”
Silence greeted this announcement. Josh glanced at Richard. His face was incredulous.
“That’s a lot of money,” said Uriah. “You’re a funny man, Graham, but you’ve almost persuaded me, believe it or not. You’re passionate, and I like that, even if you’re unreliable. How about a loan instead? I’ll give you as much money as you need, and when you make it big—or after a designated period of time specified by my attorney—you’ll pay me back at twenty percent.”
“I’m surprised at you, Uriah,” said Graham. “I’m also disappointed. I might even be slightly offended. If I wanted a loan, I’d go to a bank. I reached out to you because I wanted a business partner. My boss has a very specific endgame in mind, and you stand to benefit from it as much as anyone else.”
He seemed to know any additional attempts at persuasion would be detrimental to his cause. The sound of his pacing feet echoed through the house, keeping time like a ticking clock. Finally, a chair scraped across the linoleum and the floor creaked as Uriah stood up.
“All right, Graham,” he said. “I’ll give it to you. One million dollars. Not a loan—an investment.”
“Seriously?” said Graham. “I hope you’re not joking, Uriah, because I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with that sort of shock right now. You’re a wonderful human being. You won’t regret this.”
“You might,” said Uriah.
Graham didn’t seem discouraged.
“Please allow me to shake your hand,” he said. “I can’t wait to tell my boss. The past few months have been difficult, as you can probably imagine, but there’s nothing like a piece of good news to change everything for the better. When should we draw up the paperwork to make this thing official?”
“All in good time,” said Uriah.
They left the house. Josh and Richard didn’t move until they heard the car drive away. Then, they climbed wordlessly out of the attic and surveyed the chaos in the kitchen. Richard began picking up the broken plates, collecting the larger pieces of ceramic and piling them up on the table. Josh looked out the window and watched as the car with its sinister occupants disappeared around the corner. When he turned back around, he saw Richard kneeling on the floor. He was motionless, huddled on the ground.
“This is all my fault,” he said in a barely audible voice. “I shouldn’t have come back. What was I thinking? I knew this would happen. The nightmare isn’t over. It’s just beginning.” He scrambled to his feet, and if Josh hadn’t steadied him, he would have lost his balance.
“Maybe you should sit down for a while,” said Josh.
“That’s a good idea,” said Richard. He collapsed onto a chair and leaned back, taking several deep breaths and relaxing visibly. “I didn’t mean
