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Gray glanced back to the sunken garden, studying the professor’s path "He was trying to keep out of sight"

"Orhis sweaty brow

Gray searched around To the west, the Washington Monu sun; to the east rose the do answers, Gray continued The digital readout on the Gamma-Scout slowly faded as he crossed the Mall With each step, he watched thethe far side of the Mall, Gray hurried across

Madison Drive

He picked up the trail again as it entered another park The signal grew stronger as Gray neared a shadowy copse of red-twig dogwood and Natchez crape eas

Gray stepped to the bench

In the secluded spot, the ain

Had Polk waited here? Was that why the residual radiation trace was stronger?

Gray shifted a flowering branch of a crapeahead, including a straight-on view of the Smithsonian Castle Had the professor waited here until he thought it was safe? Gray squinted against the glare of the sun He re Polk had been on his last legs Desperation an to step ahen Kowalski cleared his throat He was on one knee, dusting a shoe, but his other arm reached under the bench "Look at this," he said and stood Turning, he held a tiny pair of binoculars

Gray shifted the detector closer to the scopes The readings spiked higher "They’re hot"

Kowalski grimaced and thrust out the binoculars by their neck strap "Take ’em, take ’em"

Gray retrieved the binoculars His partner’s fears were baseless While there was radiation, it was only round radiation

Turning, Gray lifted the binoculars and peered through the swelled He watched a figure pass along the front Through the scopes, he ency when they’d neared each other He’d dismissed it as a panhandler’s desperation for a bit of charity He now suspected Polk had recognized him Maybe it wasn’t solely desperation that had drawn hi the Mall and co to intercept hi at his waist

"Let’s go"

Out of the copse of trees, Gray followed the trail west along

Madison Drive

to a set of steps

The trail turned up the the Mall entrance to one of the Smithsonian’s most famous museums: the National Museum of Natural History It housed a ical, geological, and archaeological--ranging from tiny fossils to a full-scale T-rex

Gray craned his neck The ular portico supported by six giant Corinthian pillars Staring upward, he was suddenly struck by how much the museum’s facade looked like the Greek temple on the professor’s coin

Could there be a connection?

Before he followed the trail inside, he knew he’d better report in with central co off to the side, he leaned on the stone balustrade and switched on his encrypted radio He reached Director Crowe i?" Painter asked

Gray kept his voice to a faint whisper "Looks like the professor’s trail leads inside the Smithsonian’s natural history museum"

"The museum…?"

"I’ll continue the search inside But was there any connection between him and this place?"

"Not that I’m aware But I’ll check into past associates"