“That is all!” I said, in the same manly tone.
I walked quickly towards the Lincoln car and sat in the back seat. I was in a hurry to leave the company of the police, before I could trip or do something else to make myself look ridiculous. Sal, Nora and Mrs. Levi got into the car and we were soon driving through the heavy late-morning traffic.
I took my chart of La Guardia airport and began marking a circle on it with my compass. I needed to determine the likely number of people that would be at Marine Air Terminal today at 2:00 pm. If I would be visiting there, I didn’t want to be paralyzed because of unexpected crowds. I needed to know what to expect. I took my protractor and made a thirty degree angle.
“What are you doing?” asked Nora.
“Oh, just a simple geometric probability diagram,” I said.
Nora said nothing and I could recognize her confusion.
“It’s not important,” I said. “I can do it later. Now, everyone, please listen to me. I will tell each of you what your task is. We each have a task in this important mission.”
“We’re listening, boss!” said Sal.
I moved my chart to the front seat, so everyone could see it and I circled locations on the map to indicate where each of us would be positioned for this mission.
“Sal,” I said, “you will go to the Central Terminal of the airport and wait on the Arrivals Level.”
“Sure thing, boss!” said Sal. “Only, what do I wait for?”
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “I forgot to tell you what you’re waiting for. You’re waiting for a young man, between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. Okay?”
Nobody replied. I looked at everyone’s faces and couldn’t interpret their emotions. They stared ahead, like mannequins.
“Do you understand who we’re looking for?” I asked.
“Trueman, dear…” said Mrs. Levi.
“Yes?” I asked.
“You do know there are probably hundreds of young men in the airport who are that age, right?” she asked.
“Please, don’t tell me that is all you know about this murderer!” said Sal. “If all these police discover you brought them out to look for a man like that they’ll be plenty mad!”
“What?” I asked. “Why mad?”
“Because, Trueman!” said Nora. “A young man aged eighteen to twenty-five? That could be anyone! We thought you knew exactly who this man would be, not just a vague, general idea like that!”
They were silent and I could interpret the disappointment on their faces. They had expected me to create mathematical miracles and solve this case, but now they were disappointed to think I really had no idea, exactly, who the murderer was.
“No!” I said.
“What?” asked Nora.
“No, you’re wrong!” I said. “This vague description is not all I have! It is true there are hundreds of young men in the airport between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five years old. But we can easily identify which one is the murderer!”
“How?” asked Nora.
“It is simple,” I said. “Sal will wait in the Central Terminal and watch everyone who arrives on a plane. If he sees a man like the one I described, he will use his wrist TV to execute my crime-fighting equation! Do you understand what I’m saying? My equation will indicate who the true murderer is.”
“Ah!” said Sal. “Now I understand!”
“Good!” I said. “You, Mrs. Levi, will wait in the Delta Terminal of the airport. You will wait on the Arrivals Level and look for such a young man as I described.”
“Yes, dear,” said Mrs. Levi. “Then, I use your little equation there on my wrist TV to tell if he’s the murderer?”
“Yes,” I said.
“And what about me, Trueman?” asked Nora.
“Well,” I said, “you wait in the US Airways Terminal of the airport. Wait on the Arrivals Level and look for…”
“I know what to do, Trueman,” said Nora. “But I’d rather wait with you. I’d feel a lot better if we could be a team.”
“No,” I said. “That’s not on the plan! I am waiting in the Marine Air Terminal. I am to wait there with Buckley.”
“But why can’t I join you?” asked Nora. “You can send Buckley to wait in the US Airways Terminal…”
“No!” I said. “He can’t do it! He has no wrist TV! What if the criminal arrives at US Airways Terminal? None of us will test him with the crime-fighting equation. He’ll escape!”
“Okay, fine…” said Nora. I could recognize by the look in her eyes that she was disappointed.
“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to comfort her. “But I chose the Marine Air Terminal for myself because my equation says the murderer is 20 percent more likely to arrive at the Marine Air Terminal than at the other three terminals. I should wait at this terminal because I can do the equations faster than everyone else, because I can do the equation in my head. I don’t need the wrist TV to help me. Also, I need to be alone. I can’t be distracted. The Marine Air Terminal is the most important one.”
“Yeah, Trueman,” said Nora. “I understand already.”
I looked at Nora, but I still saw no indications that she was comforted. I couldn’t interpret her emotional state, but I knew it was not any of the good emotions I could recognize.
“I think we’re just about ready for our mission, Trueman dear,” said Mrs. Levi. “You really are a born leader! The way you line us up and give us our orders so clearly, like a general with his troops… you really have become quite the detective!”
I felt my face become warm from pleasure.
“I’m glad you think so, Mrs. Levi,” I said.
“Even your voice sounds different!” she said.
“Oh really?” I asked, in a manly tone of voice.
“Yes,” she said. “But, you forgot one thing.”
“I did?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “None of us have any idea how to use the computers in our wrist TVs!”
“That’s right, boss!” said Sal. “How are we going to use your crime-fighting equation to find this murderer if we have no idea how to use the equation or the wrist TVs?”
“Oh, yes,” I said. “I forgot about that.”
I threw my chart onto the back seat and displayed my own wrist TV. As the sun shone over us, and cars honked around us, I described the method of inputting data into the wrist TV and how to use the crime-fighting equation.
By the time I had finished the lesson, we had arrived at La Guardia airport. I could see the massive air traffic control tower and hear the sound of plane engines roaring in the skies.
“Alright, my friends,” I said. “Now, we start the mission. If we follow the plan exactly, then I’m sure we will succeed.”
12
La Guardia Airport
I was holding a cup of tea and trying to watch the crowds of people in the Arrivals area of the Marine Air Terminal. But the noise of the crowds and the airplanes made my head hurt. To avoid the discomfort caused by the noise, I had to put my earphones into my ears. I wore my special sunglasses to avoid any visual distractions and stared at the clock on my wrist TV.
Something touched my shoulder and surprised me. I jumped and the cup of tea fell from my hand and spilled on my lap. I screamed and fell backwards, off my chair.
“I’m sorry!” shouted Nora.
I could see Nora standing over me. She took my arm and helped me get up. She led me to my chair and wiped the tea from my clothes, with napkins she’d gotten from a napkin dispenser.
“I was only touching you because you weren’t answering me!” she said. “I wanted to tell you that a plane just arrived! It’s almost 2:00 pm. So, this is the murderer’s plane, right?”
I sighed and tried to relax. The airport was starting to get busier and noisier and I tried not to look around me. I had already been nervous, but after being scalded with hot tea and falling to the ground, I was even more nervous.
“I wish you hadn’t insisted on joining m
e!” I said.
“Why?” she asked. “You don’t like my company?”
“I like your company!” I said. “But it wasn’t part of my plan. It makes me nervous if we don’t follow my plans exactly! Because I was nervous about changing my plans, now the crowds are making me nervous and my reactions, also, are more nervous.”
“That’s why you jumped when I touched you?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“You’re saying I’m responsible for making you nervous?” she asked. “Because I’m the one who made you change your plans?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Well, Trueman,” she said. “If that’s what you think, then just think about this. What if you got nervous and I wasn’t here to pick you up and put you back in your chair? What if something else went wrong and you got nervous, and I wasn’t here to help you? You don’t like crowds when you’re nervous.”
“That’s correct,” I said. “Crowds are unpredictable.”
“Well, then,” she said. “If that’s the case, then how would you be able to complete this mission without my help? How could you find the murderer in the crowd if you’re too nervous to even look at the crowd? You need me to help you, Trueman!”
I realized Nora was right. This was the same logic she had used to convince me she should come with me to the Marine Air Terminal. It was true I might need someone to help me in this crowded place, in case the crowd caused me problems and rendered me helpless. Because this was the terminal where the murderer was most likely to arrive, I didn’t want to risk any problems.
“Besides,” said Nora, smiling, “we had an agreement!”
“Agreement?” I asked.
“Yeah!” she said. “Remember 545 East 13th Street?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Well, when we were there, I promised I’d teach you how to be a detective, remember?” she asked. “We’ve only had one lesson, so far. Maybe we’ll have our second lesson today. Lesson two can be called ‘how to apprehend a suspect.’ You said the murderer’s likely to arrive here, right? Well, then we’ll probably need to chase and arrest him. I’ll teach you how to do that. It’s not so hard, really. Just watch what I do, okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
A loud crackling noise filled the room and I put my earphones into my ears. Nora’s hands appeared in front of my face. She was writing something on a piece of paper. I realized she probably didn’t want to make me nervous by touching me again, so she was writing her messages on a piece of paper.
“People are coming,” she wrote. “People arriving. Murderer probably in this group? Should we start now?”
I nodded my head to indicate I was ready. I increased the volume of my portable music player. The sound of Mozart’s Symphony #41 in C major helped me to concentrate on my equation. Earlier, Nora and I had discussed the most efficient method for us to identify the murderer in the crowds. Nora would look for men who appeared to be between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five and would note down the exact time of their arrival, as well as a few other physical details I could use in my equation. I could then use my crime-fighting equation to determine which of these men was the true murderer. This was the most efficient method because Nora had no problems enduring noises or looking at crowds, like I did. And, using this method, I could wear my earphones and sunglasses and fully concentrate on my equations.
I concentrated on Nora’s hand and saw her writing times and details. She wrote quickly and so I knew that people were probably arriving in large crowds.
“12:01:30,” I read. “Brown hair, 200 pounds, Caucasian.”
I used my equation to determine if this was the murderer.
“No,” I said. “That’s not him.”
I crossed off that suspect’s details from Nora’s list. Soon we had noted the details of five men and seven minutes had passed. Nora’s hand wrote slower now and I realized the crowds were probably getting smaller and most of the passengers had already arrived. I started to wonder if we’d missed the murderer. Maybe Nora hadn’t noticed him in the crowd?
“12:08:15,” I read. “Black hair, 130 pounds, Caucasian.”
I closed my eyes and inserted this information into my crime-fighting equation. I felt something touch my shoulder and I jumped. Luckily, I had no more tea to spill into my lap and Nora grabbed me tightly, so I wouldn’t fall down.
“What?” I asked. “What’s happening?”
“It’s him!” she said. “We found the murderer!”
“What?” I asked. “Him?”
I closed my eyes and finished executing the equation.
“You’re right!” I said. “The result of my equation is positive! It’s the black-haired, 130 pound Caucasian man! But how did you know? Do you also have a crime-fighting equation?”
“What?” she asked. “No! I was talking about Buckley! Detective Buckley found him!”
“Buckley found the murderer?” I asked.
“Yes!” she said. “He just called me on my mobile phone! Remember, you gave Buckley my wrist TV and sent him to US Airways Terminal to watch the arrivals? Well, he used your equation, used my wrist TV, and he found the guy!”
“No!” I said.
“What?” she asked. “Aren’t you happy? We found him!”
“But something’s wrong!” I said. “I just found the murderer! He’s that black-haired man whose details you wrote on the paper! There can’t be two murderers! There’s a mistake!”
Nora looked at the crowds and pointed at a small man with black hair who was waiting at the luggage carousel.
“That’s the murderer?” she asked.
“If he’s the man whose details you most recently wrote on the paper, then yes!” I said.
“Then,” she said, “who did Buckley find? Did Buckley find the murderer or is it this guy? What should we do?”
“I don’t know!” I shouted.
I grabbed my head. This was unexpected and confusing. I couldn’t deal with it. I wanted to fall to the floor and hide under my coat. Nora grabbed me and spoke in a soothing voice.
“Relax, Trueman,” she said. “I know you’re nervous, but we can do this. Since we don’t know which of these two people is the real murderer, I suggest you go meet Buckley and discover what’s happening. Maybe Buckley didn’t use your equation correctly, right? It could happen. So, you go find Buckley and I’ll stay here and follow this black-haired guy, understand?”
I nodded my head to indicate I understood what she was saying. Nora put her arm around me and pointed to a staircase.
“Go down those stairs to the exit,” she said. “There are taxicabs parked out there. Take one to US Airways Terminal and call me when you figure out what happened, okay?”
I was too confused to do anything but obey. I ran towards the stairwell and out the heavy metal door marked “EXIT.” I looked around, but saw no taxicabs.
“Nora said there’d be taxicabs!” I said.
I couldn’t deal with any more unexpected surprises like this. I leaned against the building and fell to the ground. I was tempted to count prime numbers and forget about the mission.
My wrist TV crackled and I waited a minute before responding to it. I was deciding if I should risk looking at my wrist TV or if I should hide from reality by counting prime numbers. The wrist TV may give me more unexpected surprises.
I decided to look at my wrist TV and saw Buckley’s face. He appeared to be in a crowded room and he seemed to be running.
“Trueman!” said Buckley. “You haven’t been responding to my messages. I’ve been trying to get in touch! We’ve been following this guy! I just wanted you to confirm it for me.”
“Confirm?” I asked. “What do you mean confirm?”
“I mean,” he said, “my little wrist TV here told me this guy’s the murderer! Does that mean he really is? Should we arrest him? You’re the guy who invented this thing, so I just wanted to ask your permission before we nail this guy!”
“Well, I’
m not sure…” I said.
“Not sure?” he said. “Come on, Trueman, we’ve got to arrest him before he takes off! We need to hurry here! Now, why is it you’re not sure? Don’t these equations of yours work?”
“Yes, of course they work!” I said.
I didn’t want Buckley to lose confidence in me and start thinking my equations didn’t work. But I was confused about my equations. I knew something was wrong, because there could not be two murderers. I was starting to doubt my equations again, and I needed to discover why they hadn’t worked. But I needed to discover this in a way so Buckley wouldn’t know I was doubting my equations.
“Yes, it works!” I said. “I confirm it! Yes, of course, you can arrest him. I’m glad you caught him, Detective.”
“Yeah, me too!” said Buckley. “If this proves to be a successful mission, you’ll be a real hero, Trueman! I mean, all the cops in the world will want one of these wrist things! Having the solution to a crime at my fingertips, like this… it’s just amazing, Trueman. I’m over the moon about this!”
I didn’t understand his reference to the moon, but his joy made me even more nervous, because I didn’t want to reveal my doubts to him and ruin his good opinion of my equations. I thought of a plan to secretly determine what had gone wrong.
“Are you arresting him?” I asked.
“Yeah,” said Buckley. “They’re arresting him, now.”
“Can I watch the arrest, please?” I asked.
“You wanna watch?” he asked. “How exactly are you gonna watch the arrest from across the airport, Trueman?”
“Just point your wrist TV at the arrest,” I said, “and I will be able to see it. The wrist TV has a camera inside it.”
“Oh yeah,” he said. “That shoulda been obvious, huh? As you can see, I’m still not quite used to these wrist things.”
Buckley pointed his wrist TV at the scene of the murderer being arrested. I saw a large man with black hair, probably 250 pounds and seemingly of the Latino race. I quickly examined the memory of my wrist TV’s computer. I had designed these wrist TVs so that I could examine everything that had ever been inputted into them. I could not only view the input history of my own wrist TV, I could also view the input history of all the other wrist TVs. I looked for the information that Buckley had inputted about this man and checked its accuracy, compared to the information I had observed. Buckley appeared to have inputted the information correctly. I did not know exactly what time the Latino man had entered the building, but this was a minor variable, and so I assumed the equation was correct.