I left the office and stepped carefully around Keeler’s unconscious bodyguards. “Not someone. Russell Potts. He’s the DHS representative on the New Millennium board.”

“You’re sure he’s involved?” asked Deb.

I’d been sure about Keeler, too. “I can’t prove anything yet, but I’m not taking chances with my family. I’m going to get them the hell out of there, and then Potts and I are going to have a very unpleasant chat.”

I called Talulah once we’d left Keeler’s house. My throat was dry, and sweat dripped down my sides. “I need to confirm whether Babs Palmer is any relation to a Darlene Jackson-Palmer at DHS. Make sure nobody at New Millennium knows you’re running this search.”

“This isn’t my first concert, Isaac. Hold on . . .” I heard the machine-gun clicking of her keyboard. “Darlene is Babs’ sister.”

“How long has she been working for Homeland Security?”

Another pause. “According to her LinkedIn profile, just under a year.”

They’d hired her right around the time we started building New Millennium. “Thanks, Talulah. Any luck with that security footage yet?”

“Working on it.” She paused. “Vince texted me about a half hour ago. He’s going over our research projects again. He noticed that Doctor Palmer has been poking around your Gateway files.”

Another piece fell into place like a sledgehammer to the sternum. “Understood.”

“You look like you can’t decide whether to puke or punch something,” Deb said as I hung up.

“Keeler’s press release mentioned a bigger attack, something that would unite the world against magic. The bastards intend to start a war. And I think they mean to use my research to do it.”

TESTIMONY AND QUESTIONING OF WITNESS NUMBER 18: ISAAC VAINIO (CONTINUED)

The CHAIRMAN: Please tell us about the Gateway Project.

Mr. VAINIO: The goal is to create a safe, stable portal that can establish instantaneous transportation between two points. I got tired of losing half a day in airports and on cramped planes every time I got called to D.C., or needed to commute between Michigan and New Millennium.

Mr. HOFFMAN: How much could a portal like that move? What distances are you talking about?

Mr. VAINIO: I’ve seen a small, short-lived portal connect the Earth and Moon, so we know it can reach at least two hundred thousand miles. We’d have to run some tests to see how much magical energy was involved, and what kind of charring—

Mr. HAYS: Charring?

Mr. VAINIO: Magical damage. If you channel too much power through a book all at once, for example, the results look like you held a blowtorch to the pages. Human beings can suffer the same damage. I lost fifteen percent of my vision that way.

The CHAIRMAN: What applications do you see for this project?