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<p>I'd like to expand on the possibility of temporal clones. It seems
probable that
Bill Reis came back from his trip to Woldercan while he was "still
there" from the point-of-view of Earth time. This gives him more time
to set up his financial empire and have his gigantic palace constructed
as king. It also makes his multiple identities more confusing for his
enemies. Temporal clones are hinted at when Klauser talks of a robin
fighting its reflection (p. 298).
</p>
<p class="vspace">At the end of <em>An Evil Guest</em> Cassie is
heading to Woldercan with a strong desire to bring Wally back. Suppose
she learns the secret of how to properly execute hops from there which
will take her back in time, so that she arrives before she started.
Suppose also that she cannot restore her enhanced star power. She might
attempt to get close to her original self in order to have a chance to
warn Reis and save his life. She may have become a werewolf as a
disguise.
</p>
<p class="vspace">Here are some indications:
</p>
<ol>
<li>Werewolves redistribute their mass (p. 99). Margaret is a
small woman (54). Cassie in the end is thinner than she used to be (p.
299).
</li>
<li>Other forms than wolves, dogs, and leopards are possible (p. 99).
How about a different-looking human?
</li>
<li>Coming back to the part she wouldn't have access to much
money, other than selling the hopper without a legitimate registration.
Margaret was poor.
</li>
<li>Margaret gets Cassie's sandwich too fast (pp. 54-57). There's
only a little dialog and no wait time before she appears with the white
bag. If she knew in advance what the order would be she could get it
before they spoke.
</li>
<li>She also found Chase too fast, getting answering machines at
both his apartments in almost no time (pp 63-64). Again, it seems like
she was prepared ahead of time.
</li>
<li>She exaggerates her truthfulness, playing a role that differs
from Cassie (pp. 82-83).
</li>
<li>She knows Cassie can sing. Saying she can tell from how Cassie
talks seems a bit silly (p. 83).
</li>
<li>Her churchgoing persona (p. 84) may be derived from the role
of Mariah Brownlea. She has kept those initials in the name Margaret
Briggs.
</li>
<li>"Have you ever wanted to help out somebody you loved, and
known the only thing you could do for him was some tiny stupid thing
that was a lot of trouble? And done it anyway? Any of you?" Margaret
nodded. (p. 112).
</li>
</ol>
<p class="vspace">There is contrary evidence in her standard
breakfast of yougurt and fruit (p. 186), since Cassie said
she never wanted to eat fruit again (p. 288). However, she might endure
that as part of her role and to keep her weight and expenses down.
</p>
<p class="vspace">Cassie's hope to change the past seems to have been
defeated by time paradoxes. If she warned Reis she wasn't believed.
Chase seems to have spotted her for a werewolf and gotten the FBI to
arrest her, keeping her from doing more at a critical time. At least
she got the chance to see Wally one more time, when he came to retrieve
the gold bracelet. She got to try the "tiny stupid thing" that was "a
lot of trouble."
</p>
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