Page 34 of Diagnosis Attraction

He turned his palm up. “Did you read many science fiction stories when you were younger? Or movies? There are a lot of paranormal abilities we can explore.”

“I do remember Star Trek reruns.”

“Another blast from your past.”

He saw that she “heard” what that thought had triggered.

“You think we can use our minds to—blast someone?”

“I don’t know. But if we can, it’s much more convenient than having to pack a six-shooter. And stealthier, too. Whowould suspect an innocent-looking woman like you of being the Terminator?”

She laughed. “Didn’t the Terminator use brute force?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s finish eating and try some target practice.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere secluded.” He waited for a beat to see if she’d come up with something. Then he said, “We might drive out toward Frederick. There should be plenty of open space out there.”

She took small bites of her hamburger.

“If you’re not hungry, drink the milkshake.”

“That’s strange nutritional advice from a doctor.”

He shrugged. “If we’re going to try blasting something, we’ll probably use up some calories.”

“I guess that’s right.” She took off the top of the bun and ate some of the meat and bottom bun, then picked up the milkshake. “I can drink this while we drive.”

“Do you often multitask?”

“Apparently.”

“Well, eat more of your burger in the car, too.”

He bundled up the trash and threw it in the wastebasket, then hesitated as he walked to the door.

“You’re thinking that maybe we shouldn’t come back here?”

“That could be right.”

“But you’re going to run out of cash if you keep renting rooms for a few hours.”

“Yeah. I guess we can decide later.”

He looked through the blinds before opening the door and ushering her to follow. They both got into the car, and he drove to the closest shopping center, which happened to have a home improvement store.

Inside, he bought electrical tape and a pair of scissors, then found a secluded part of the lot and looked at his license plate. One of the letters was an “L,” which he was able to change into an “E.” Stepping back, he looked at his handiwork. Not too bad unless you got on top of it. But on the highway it should work. And he’d better not call attention to them by speeding.

They headed northwest and got off Route 70 in a rural area. He found a state park where nobody else seemed to be taking advantage of nature, and they both climbed out.

“How are we going to do it?”

“Let’s start with some mind-to-mind communication experiments.”

“Like what?”

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