James Halperin - The First Immortal

“You mean that guy in Montreal who supposedly identified amber amulets from a larger amber mentioned in the Bible? Something about giving Joshua’s trumpeters the power to demolish the walls of Jericho, wasn’t it? I saw a headline about it on one of the supermarket tabloids. Made a spectacle of myself by flipping that rag the bird right there in the checkout line.”

Toby did not laugh at this banter, a departure Gary found odd. Pulling a folded sheet of paper from his pocket, the older man explained, “Here’s a copy of the press release.”

Gary accepted the paper and read:

Can these amulets perform miracles? It is said that anyone who possesses them will become invincible in endeavors of trade, arts, science, athletics, even war. Perceptibly different from any other substance on earth, the seven remarkable globules were identified and purchased at a bargain price by Dr. Jacques Dubois, a young archaeologist, after having been unearthed on a dig in southern Jordan near the Dead Sea and legally exported before their true provenance was established. “I noticed immediately that they had an almost supernatural luminescence,” Dubois explains, “and when I learned the location of their discovery, I knew these must be from the legendary Amber of Jericho.”

Scientists from six countries have examined and performed noninvasive tests on the seven marble-sized jewels. As even Pierre Reverie, a skeptical French geologist, admits, “They radiate an energy that is apparently not of this earth.” Biblical scholars confirm the possibility that holy amber could indeed exist. “There is no mention of the Amber in the English translation of the Book of Joshua,” explains Dr. Solomon Friedman, celebrated expert on the Old Testament, “but in the original Hebrew…”

Before Gary could finish scanning the first page, Toby interrupted. “I could use your help on this one, buddy.”

“Sure. Anything.”

“The publicists who wrote that release are brilliant, don’t you think? The press release goes on to say that the amber pieces will be placed on public display in Montreal in six months’ time, when the miracle powers will be demonstrated beyond any doubt and discharged to the benefit of the world. It also says that the exhibition will be open to the public, free of cost. Several prominent scientists and religious scholars were recruited to offer ambiguous opinions on the amber’s authenticity.”

Gary started considering the delicious possibilities of using his fame to sneak a video camera backstage. Those charlatans would surely love to hook anyone prestigious to add credibility to their fraud.

“Looks like a damn well-orchestrated scam,” Gary muttered, his distaste mitigated by a certain perverse admiration.

“Sure is,” Toby said proudly. “You’ll notice that we never ask for any money, although we do mention that Dr. Dubois would entertain the possibility of eventually selling one or two of the stones.”

“Wait a minute.” Gary frowned. “We?”

“Yeah. We also persuaded Arthur Bradley, my friend at the Boston Museum of History, to issue a statement that the museum does not comment about offers it may or may not have made for potential acquisitions.”

“Amazing.” Gary started to laugh.

“I’ll need you to say something about the Amber, too, if you don’t mind. Maybe even vouch for Dubois. His real name’s John Duncan, by the way; he’s the son of one of my med school buddies. Anyway, we’ll help you make up some bullshit about how the stones gave you some special artistic powers or something.”

“Hmm.” Gary smirked. “Can’t wait to hear the rest of this story.”

“Might take a while,” Toby answered. “Hope you’re not pressed for time today…”

January 11, 1999

—Netscape releases the beta version of its new software which enables Internet surfers to “Backlink” to any Web page which posts a link to that page. Prior to today, it was possible only to “forward click” to pages linked by a Web site’s originator. With Backlink, anyone can post criticisms about any other Web sponsor’s information or products, and browsers can now conveniently obtain the other side of the story. The cyber community hails the product as a boon to free speech and open information. Several organizations, including the Coalition of Trial Lawyers, the Church of Scientology, and the Tobacco Institute, issue press releases condemning Backlink as an invasion of privacy.—Michigan reports economic growth of 6.3% in 1998, possibly the result of the state’s recent elimination of juries in all nonfederal civil trials there.

True, many gourmets considered Locke Ober one of the finest restaurants in Boston, but perhaps Rebecca had chosen it for other reasons. Maybe she wanted to ensure that their dinner would be private, and not too brief.

Gary also couldn’t help noticing how much his sister had aged in five years. Rebecca’s pixielike smile and quick laugh were nowhere to be found, and it seemed even the weight of her shortened hair pulled down her face. The two had rarely seen each other since the appeal decision. Now he was glad that she’d called him; grateful that she’d asked him to come as a personal favor to her, rather than on some pretense of trying to patch things up with Jan. He’d missed her. Damn! Why had he let it wait this long?

“Quite a stunt your friend Toby Fiske pulled off a few weeks ago.” She started the conversation in a light vein, but was also demonstrating that no topic need be off limits; not even subjects that might remind them of the lawsuit. Gary understood. If there was to be a reconciliation, they would have to rediscover their previous openness.

He beamed. “Yeah, he’s having a ball with it, and his books are selling like crazy. Made all the TV news networks and, as I’m sure you saw at Stop and Shop, the front page of every tabloid. Most legitimate newspapers, too. Filled Expo Stadium that night; must’ve been forty thousand people there.”

“How was the exhibition?”

“David Copperfield, it wasn’t. But they managed to pull off a few interesting feats of apparent levitation, deflecting bullets with a force field, that kind of stuff. Then afterward, the troupe of professional magicians Toby was working with showed the mesmerized audience how they’d fooled them. And even then, according to a random survey they conducted afterward, almost half the people there refused to believe it was a scam.”

“Incredible. So, were the amber pieces fake?”

“No, it was real amber all right.” Gary chuckled. “Jacques Dubois, actually John Duncan, and Toby bought seven ordinary pieces of amber in a rock shop in Belmont, drilled microscopic holes in them, and filled the centers with an effulgent similar to the chemical in fireflies. They found a New York public relations firm willing to help them, as long as Toby and John agreed not to sell anything or accept money. And a few semi-famous people, including yours truly, volunteered personal anecdotes about the amulets’ magical powers. Toby even managed to get a few well-known scientists to cooperate, not by confirming anything, but simply by refusing to rule out the Amber’s authenticity.”

“And the scam actually fooled 60 Minutes?” Rebecca asked. “Oh, no, 60 Minutes was in on the hoax from the beginning. John and Toby finally came clean on last week’s show. The segment started out like another piece of their semi-skeptical reportage on the Amber, but four minutes into it they explained the whole setup. It was a classic story about the gullibility of the public and the razzle-dazzle hokum they’ll fall for. I must say, I’m surprised you didn’t watch it.”