On a hunch Leonard turned to the 'intentionally' blank pages placed at the end of most books. There were four of them and they were not blank. From top to bottom, left to right back to front each page was meticulously and neatly filled not with words, but tightly packed with assorted symbols, numbers and codes which to him was about as legible as hieroglyphics on the walls of the Great Pyramid of Giza, but which he knew obviously meant something. Was this finding what compelled him to stay and was meant to be found by him?
He could only guess. But he had a good feeling though an incomplete feeling.
Yet, he felt an indistinct energy emanating off the pages as if the characters were endowed with some kind of strange life force of their own. He briefly imagined looking at them long enough to see them glow magically and reveal their hidden secrets, like those animated still images in paintings in a Harry Potter movie. He thought of tearing the pages from the book to take with him but on second thought that felt like it would be a blasphemy or violation against the book itself as well as Lawrence's painstaking endeavors. Instead of thoughtlessly ripping the pages from the publication, a better option would be to keep the entire text intact. Besides, he enjoyed some of the thoughtful and revolutionary quotes he skimmed over contained in the book made by various famous historical and modern personalities from practically every nation and strata of society. He intended on reading the book in its entirety when time permitted, and he thought it to be a clever hiding place, considering less and less people showed an interest in reading physical books these days, thanks to high tech and cell phones. Leonard had an ambivalent view regarding modern technology. Though it served a great Yang purpose and had become a vital and handy tool for society, it did however come with an unfortunate Yin side - that was gradually digitizing citizens into mental and physical zombies monitored and spied upon by paranoid power obsessed Big Brother governments more bent towards fascism than democracies. Though computers conveniently placed universal information in our laps and at our fingertips, at the same time it was believed by many to be eroding our natural sense of curiosity and wonder. Like most things so easily acquired and used, its benefits could also be just as easily taken for granted. It started to rain again. Leonard heard the soft patter of raindrops tapping against the window. He looked around in the library for something in which to place the book. Saw nothing. He then went into the main bedroom, flipped the light switch, and warm-white light spilled across the room from recessed bulbs in the ceiling to reveal a decorum fit for an oil baron. Not an item out of place. The plush white carpet was as clean and spotless as the day it was manufactured in the factory and delivered to the retailer. The king-size, contemporary Rosetto platform bed could easily have qualified for display in a showroom. Leonard approached and opened the door to a walk-in closet the dimensions of a medium size bedroom. He was greeted pleasantly with the clean scent of sweet cedar wood. All of the clothes and other items were arranged in perfect order by color, style and material. There were at least over a hundred pairs of shoes set on shelves made of cherry wood. Many of the shoes looked as if they'd never been worn, and resting atop the shelf was a 24-inch black leather Kenneth Cole Designer Executive duffle bag. Leonard pulled it down. Unzipped it. It was empty and did not look as if it had ever been used as the price tag was still attached. Removing the tag, he placed the book inside the bag and instinctively felt his jacket pocket where his hand touched the package given to him by Gabriel. He removed it. Opened it and pulled out a medium size sandwich bag filled to the hilt with marijuana. Primo it must've been, as Promised by Gabriel, for the rich aroma from it rose into his nostrils and practically whetted his palette. The resin on the healthy-looking buds seemed to sparkle like tiny sequins. This revelation for Leonard was a surprise to know that Lawrence had indulged in using the psychotropic herb. Then again, maybe it should not be so surprising. It's been known that some of the brightest, creative minds and most scientifically accomplished personalities have indulged at one time or another in the smoking of cannabis and or consumption of magic mushrooms as aids into deeper regions of their probing and creative minds. Leonard however had no use for it. From his personal use of marijuana, it seemed to dull his senses and confuse his ability to accurately detect. But he would have another use for it, and it had nothing to do with smoking it. His attention now focused on how he would deal with the two agents waiting for him outside. He had detected a sense of hostility and a potential for violence in the agent he had briefly confronted at the front door. He felt him to be the main problem. He knew he would not be able to shake them that easily if at all within city limits, which left him with only one option – one he regretted to employ but felt he had no other choice. Leonard removed his jacket and hung it in the closet. He laid down on the Turkish kilim pattern-printed chaise but rose up to turn off the lights as complete darkness would help him to better focus. Comfort and total relaxation were necessary for a successful foray into the frontiers of consciousness be it his own or another. He sighed as he had not realized the extent of his exhaustion until now; he felt more tired than he wanted to, especially after remembering it had been over seventy-two hours since he last slept. This added venture now was more than likely going to exhaust him to the brink, but it had to be done. He fought against a strong desire to give in to his weariness that bordered on falling into a deep sleep. The neighborhood was as quiet as a mausoleum which was perfect and so he began…