“Some people find it helpful,” the agent offered, “to retain something from their original name in the new one. Samuel Johnson, for instance, might become John Samuelson. In my experience, it makes the transition a little easier.”

Something in that logic appealed to him, and Jeremiah mumbled out loud as he worked out variations in his mind.

“Adam Jeremiah... Jeremy Adamson... Jeremiah Parker... How about Adam Parker for my son?”

“Adam Parker,” the agent said, spelling it out as he typed it into a laptop. “And a middle name?”

Jeremiah hardly had to think before he said it.

“Brent.”

“Adam Brent Parker,” the agent repeated as he typed. “And you? What is your first name, Mr. Parker?”

“Jeremy, I think,” he said. “Yes, I like that. My name is Jeremy Adam Parker.”

For the next hour, Jeremiah answered an endless procession of questions, which touched on everything from what he had studied in school to whether he’d ever had measles, while the agent took fastidious notes on every answer and barely looked up from his laptop.

“Now we’ll cross-reference this with your existing records,” the agent said, still typing at lightning speed, “and input photos here, and here.” He handed Jeremiah the laptop and a stylus. “And if you could sign here and again over here,” he said, “with your new name, of course.”

Jeremiah had to stop and think before signing his name. After the agent had him sign no fewer than twenty-six more times, however, it almost became easy and the scrawl took on the characteristics of an actual signature.

“Very good, Mr. Parker,” he said as he stood to leave. “All of your documents will be waiting in your vehicle for you within the hour—one packet for you, another for your son.”

“What documentation will be included exactly?”

“Birth certificates, social security cards, passports, a driver’s license for you, school transcripts, the title to your vehicle, immunization records, medical and dental histories, eight years of tax returns, bank account verification and two library cards, one of them expired. We’ll even have a few old utility bills thrown in for good measure. You will also receive two cell phones, complete with a two-year carrier contract under your new name, as well as a detailed biographical history. You will need to read that and become familiar with it. It’s everything you’ll need.”

“I’d say so.” Jeremiah whistled. “You’re certainly thorough. Don’t we need to change our appearance—dye our hair or something?”

The agent came very close to smiling.

“Don’t believe everything you see in the movies, Mr. Parker,” he said. “That is very rarely necessary. You must remember, however, that neither you, nor your son, will be allowed to come within a one-hundred-mile radius of Boston again—ever. One of the documents you’ve just signed agreed to that. I’ll get a full copy into your folder. And the federal government now has an excessive amount of information on you.” He glanced pointedly to the laptop in his hand. “If you try to come back here, we will find you. Aside from that one restriction, you are free to go where you will. Do what you want. But stay out of trouble. And stay under the radar. Don’t get famous or anything.”