confirmed in my discussions with some of the rocket team.' Even now, as he spoke to the general, Bradley thought it odd that

the mention of Gladys Kinder as Wilson's mistress should make him

feel slightly resentful and, perhaps, even jealous. It was too ridiculous

for words, but he couldn't deny the feeling; and when he recalled her

sly smile in the hotel's gloomy bar, her droll mockery of his obvious

confusion in her presence, he was irresistibly seduced by her image and

wanted to see her again.

Crazy. Just crazy...

'What was this woman's name?' the general asked, picking up his pen and staring with what Bradley, in the guilty panic of his thoughts,

imagined was accusing intensity.

'Kinder,' Bradley replied, feeling a helpless stab of desire and its

bed partner, guilt. 'Gladys Kinder.'

'Kinder,' the general murmured, writing the name down. 'Gladys

Kinder,' he emphasized, as if deliberately tormenting Bradley.

'Mmmm...' he murmured, studying the name thoughtfully before

putting his pen back down, looking up again, and saying 'So, what

about him?'

'Pardon?'

'The physicist that the Kinder woman told you about.'

'Ah, yes...' Bradley gathered his thoughts together. 'Miss Kinder

told me that when the physicist left for good after the rocket launching

of December 31, 1930, G.o.ddard confessed to her that his mysterious,

temporary a.s.sistant was a, quote, genius, who'd helped him develop

many of his more notable innovations, including liquid-fuelled, selfcooled motors, gyroscopes for guidance and control, lightweight fuel

pumps, and reflector vanes to help stabilize and steer the rockets. The

guy's name was John Wilson.'

'Interesting,' General Taylor said, writing that name down also,

then popping some gum into his mouth and starting to chew, 'but I

can't see what relevance all this has to Adolf Hitler's Germany.' 'Well, I can't be too sure of this,' Bradley replied, 'but I do have

my worries there.'

'Don't tease me, Mike.'

'Well, for a start this John Wilson's a complete mystery. No one at

Roswell knew where he came from, Wilson wasn't about to tell them,