Bye, Karl

The portal interference experiment with Beatrix answered one question and raised a dozen more, but Luke barely has time to process the implications before a new crisis demands attention. Gladys's voicemail is frantic — police following her back to the house, expecting to find Jamie. By the time Luke hears it, footsteps are already on the porch. The back bedroom becomes his refuge, its broken window a reminder of Jenkins's earlier intrusion, its mounting garbage bags a liability he hasn't had time to address. When Jenkins pushes the door against his feet, when the detective stands inches away staring at those suspicious bags, Luke experiences the peculiar terror and exhilaration of almost being caught. He could escape silently. He chooses not to. The whispered "Bye, Karl" is petty, theatrical, and exactly the kind of thing that will come back to haunt him — but watching Jenkins spin toward the sound as the portal swallows him whole is worth whatever consequences follow. The escape high carries him through caravan disputes in Clivilius before reality reasserts itself. When he returns to the house, though, he finds Gladys lounging with an empty wine glass and the satisfied air of someone who's just done something improbable. Turns out, her approach to police interrogation involves shiraz and finding common ground. Luke pours himself a glass, asks her to arrange a wood delivery, and mentions business with Bonorong. Tomorrow's problems can wait. Today, they've earned their wine.