A few days later, Miguel and I were walking home from school when Kozak, Murga's assistant, caught up with us.

'Ziff, I need your 'elp. Murga 'as vanished.'

'What do you mean, vanished?' I asked.

'I mean, 'e was supposed to meet me after 'e 'ad worked on Dr Zhang's Mandia computer but 'e did not show up. Dr Zhang says 'e does not know what 'appened to 'im and Toktakunov 'has lost contact. Murga 'e 'as disparu . . . disappeared . . . and I do not want to be stuck 'ere . . . I want to go 'ome.'

'Well, may be he just forgot,' I suggested.

'Murga, 'e does not forget.'

 'Ziff,' Miguel said in alarm, 'Murga is the only one who knows where your parents are.' 

My stomach turned over as I realized Miguel was right. Triple Oh was looking for them but he still had no idea where they were exactly. 

 'Let's check with Dr Zhang before we panic,' I said, although I was already panicking.

'Yonnie and Treeka may know something,' Miguel said. 'They were monitoring the school . . . I'll call Licia.' 

 'Good idea. Try that first.'

Licia invited us back to her place where we watched Yonnie and Treeka replay several closed circuit video cameras. 

 'Murga went into the electric bookcase,' Yonnie pointed out, 'and Mandia must have reacted to Murga's new software.'

 'He's gone somewhere,' Treeka added. 'And Mandia does not remember what happened. She's blaming the new software patch.' 

Yonnie set up a video link with Dr Zhang who told us he had not seen Murga leave the laboratory but suspected that Mandia knew what happened, but was not saying.

We debated the possibilities and agreed that Murga had probably used Mandia for time travel but had carefully concealed his destination.

Yonnie and Treeka agreed they would work with Mandia to find out where Murga went.

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 Several days later, Yonnie and Treeka still had no idea where or when Murga was and the only thing they could report was that Mandia seemed to have lost a part of her memory.

Licia, Miguel and I were still hoping that he had simply returned to Germany in 1944 and had not bothered to inform Kozak. However, neither Kozak nor Murga's artificially intelligent computer, Toktakunov, could find any trace of him. I started to get really worried when I walked passed Dr Zhang's office, after school hours.

 I had been working in the school library and had to go to the washroom. On the way, I found Dr Zhang's office door wide open and he normally kept it locked. I froze, listening for any noise. Nothing, except the rattle of a cleaner's bucket in the gym. I peered cautiously around the edge of the doorway. Dr Zhang's parka was still draped over his chair. The office looked undisturbed but Mandia was running. Typically, Dr Zhang kept her shut down when he was not around.

I checked the machine shop and the washroom but neither Denny nor Dr Zhang were there, so I ran back to the office and called Denny's apartment using Dr Zhang's phone. He didn't answer so I left a message, telling him to call Licia and then I called Licia, who was not available, and then Miguel.

'We just had a B and E at at Dr Zhang's office,' I told him.

'You are watching too much British TV,' Miguel laughed. 'Did you mean breaking and entering?'

 Miguel joined me at school fifteen minutes later and we looked around Dr Zhang's office for any message or clues. Miguel opened a cupboard and peered inside. Mandia's monitor lit up immediately. 

'If you are looking for fortune cookies, my dears, they are in the top cupboard.'

'Mandia,' I said, 'Where are Dr Zhang and Denny?'

'I don't know,' Mandia said. 'I last communicated with them 2 hours 59 minutes ago.' 

Mandia seemed oddly uncertain. 'Guys, I think my love, Denny, and Ahum Lee Zhang disappeared through the blooming electric bookcase . . .  Accidentally I think . . . I am working to find out what happened. I'll let you know as soon as I find out where they are.'

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