several
miles out of Las Vegas. Malone, in the first car, wondered briefly about
the kind of patients they catered to? People driven mad by vingt-et-un
or poker-dice? Neurotic chorus ponies? Gambling czars with delusions of
non-persecution?

Sitting in the front seat next to Boyd, he watched the unhappy San
Francisco agent manipulating the wheel. In the back seat, Queen
Elizabeth Thompson and Lady Barbara, the nurse, were located, and Her
Majesty was chattering away like a magpie.

Malone eyed the rear-view mirror to get a look at the car following them
and the two local FBI agents in it. They were, he thought, unbelievably
lucky. He had to sit and listen to the Royal Personage in the back seat.

"Of course, as soon as Parliament convenes and recognizes me," she was
saying, "I shall confer personages on all of you. Right now, the best I
can do is to knight you all, and of course that's hardly enough. But I
think I shall make Sir Kenneth the Duke of Columbia."

Sir Kenneth, Malone realized, was himself. He wondered how he'd like
being Duke of Columbia--and wouldn't the President be surprised!

"And Sir Thomas," the queen continued, "will be the Duke of ... what?
Sir Thomas?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Boyd said, trying to sound both eager and properly
respectful.

"What would you like to be Duke of?" she said.

"Oh," Boyd said after a second's thought, "anything that pleases Your
Majesty." But, apparently, his thoughts gave him away.

"You're from upstate New York?" the Queen said. "How very nice. Then you
must be made the Duke of Poughkeepsie."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Boyd said. Malone thought he detected a note
of pride in the man's voice, and shot a glance at Boyd, but the agent
was driving with a serene face and an economy of motion.

_Duke of Poughkeepsie!_ Malone thought. _Hah!_

He leaned back and adjusted his fur-trimmed coat. The plume that fell
from his cap kept tickling his neck, and he brushed at it without
success.

All four of the inhabitants of the car were dressed in late Sixteenth
Century costumes, complete with ruffs and velvet and lace filigree. Her
Majesty and Lady Barbara were wearing the full skirts and small
skullcaps of the era--and on Barbara, Malone thought privately, the
low-cut gowns didn't look at all disappointing--and Sir Thomas and
Malone--Sir Kenneth, he thought sourly--were clad in doublet, hose and
long coats with fur trim and slashed sleeves. And all of them were
loade