"That'sit," she declared. "Now I remember. That's the name he used. I swear. So it's real. I'm not crazy."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's him. That's what he said he was going to do."
She clicked on the name.
The Web page came up and it was strictly in black and white, with small print. And there it was again,the Methuselah society. There was no information beyond a request for a secure e-mail address.
"Looks like they want to check you out," Stone said.
"To make sure you're not connected to politics or law enforcement."
"Then why not give it a shot," Stone said. "You're on AOL. You'd have to be a civilian."
She typed in her address and entered it. Immediately a little yellow padlock appeared in the lower right-hand corner, indicating their communication was secure. Then a notice materialized, a small square flickering to life. It contained her phone number and then her name. Next a complete financial record began to scroll down. It had been elicited from banks, mortgage companies, credit services. There was Value of Real Estate owned, Mortgages Outstanding, Bank Accounts, Outstanding Obligations, Estimated Net Worth. It had all appeared in a time span of seconds.
"Wow," Stone said. "There are no secrets left from these guys, whoever they are. They are wired."
Then a message appeared: The minimum net worth required to be a member is 500 Million Dollars. The fee for membership is 100 Million Dollars. A 10-Million-Dollar retainer is required while your application is being processed. Please be prepared to designate the ages you and your companion wish to remain.
"My God," she said, "that's him. He's done it. Winston Bartlett is alive and well, and selling immortality, real or not."
Then another message came up: “Welcome, Alexa. Please be advised you are already a member. But you have not yet selected a companion.”