Hello to everyone reading! Carolyn, I agree ^^ that Tess moving in with Max and Isabel would have been a disaster. I'm not against Tess as much as some, but even I don't think that would have been a good idea for anyone, including Tess.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
September 12, 2000, 7:30 a.m.
Doubletree Inn and Suites, Roswell
"Your breakfast, ma'am," the waiter announced, pushing the cart laden with steaming dishes into the suite. "Scrambled eggs," he announced, lifting a lid. "Toast. Bacon. Sausage. Coffee. Orange Juice. Is there anything else you require?"
"No, thank you, it all looks wonderful," Vanessa smiled, quietly slipping him a five dollar bill.
The waiter gave her a slight bow. "Enjoy your breakfast."
I intend to, Vanessa thought, surveying the spread with satisfaction. It having occurred to her that Jaddo would likely not return to the scene of his capture, she'd done some checking and discovered that he'd never checked out; the room was still registered to him, still funded by whatever credit card he'd presented at check-in. The Doubletree was no Ritz Carlton, but it was far better than a Holiday Inn. Not wanting a good thing to go to waste, she'd moved in here, leaving the shoddy Holiday Inn and its bad memories behind, along with its dodgy room service and errant skin flakes which had settled in the crevices of the room; cleaning up an exploded husk in a hotel room, it turned out, was a bit of a challenge. Comfortably settled in Jaddo's suite, she'd cheered herself up while waiting for him to resurface by planning her campaign for their treaty. First stop had been Courtney, always an irritant but undoubtedly a survivor. If she could bring the weight of the Resistance to bear in their favor, that would make a huge difference. Next up had been certain strategic individuals back in Copper Summit, although the pickings had been slim there; anyone in a position of power such as hers was surrounded by people just waiting for the chance to tear you down and elevate themselves. But one had to start somewhere, so started she had, and she should have some idea of which way the wind was blowing by the time Jaddo reappeared. She'd decided she'd been hasty in expecting him to resurface quickly. After his ordeal, he'd probably lay low for at least a week, maybe more. In the meantime, she'd enjoy his lovely hotel room and work her end of the bargain. He'd have some catching up to do when he…
Buzzzz!
Vanessa grabbed her phone a little too eagerly, stopped, checked herself. God, but she was acting like a schoolgirl waiting for her boyfriend to call. Looking at the display, she frowned.
N.
Shit, Vanessa thought darkly. Had one of those strategic individuals blown her in? Quite possible, but she'd factored that in; some wild story about a treaty was nothing against the piles of dirt she had on all of them. Anyone who tried to throw her under the bus would find themselves under it in short order while she waved goodbye from the safety of the sidewalk.
"I've lost some operatives," Nicholas said with preamble.
"Good morning to you too," Vanessa said dryly. "You do tend to misplace your playthings."
"Very funny. I sent them to Roswell. Have you seen them?"
"Now, why would you have done that? I told you this was
my assignment."
"And I decided you needed some help because I'm Khivar's Second, and I get to do that. Have you seen them?"
"Nope. If you told them to stay hidden, which I imagine you did, I'd say they're doing a bang-up job."
"No one who doesn't report in is doing a bang-up job," Nicholas said crossly. "What do you know about these power outages?"
"I know the human power grid is a pile of toothpicks held together with chewing gum and Scotch tape," Vanessa said. "I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often."
"Then obviously you haven't been paying attention. The outages are following a specific pattern. They started in New Mexico, and now they've moved into Arizona. When the power goes off in a new area, it goes back on in the old one. It looks deliberate."
"Are you accusing me of playing pick-up sticks with the power grid?"
"I was just wondering if you had anything to share," Nicholas said acidly. "You know, like progress? Has your beloved Daniel finally turned up?"
Vanessa licked some bacon grease off her fingers. "Yes."
" 'Yes'?" Nicholas repeated. "And you didn't tell me?"
"He only just resurfaced," Vanessa said. "I'll get back to you when I've finished taking his temperature. Good luck with your grid. And your missing toys."
She hung up on his sputtering, ignored his subsequent calls while she finished her breakfast in peace and quiet, and headed for the office, where her ever busy intern was busy even at this hour. "Parker," Vanessa nodded.
"Hi," Parker said.
"Here before school starts," Vanessa noted. "Now that's dedication."
Parker smiled weakly while Vanessa eagerly picked up a pile of messages, leafing through them. "Are there any other messages?" she asked. "Did Mr. Pierce call?"
Parker hesitated. "No."
Oops, Vanessa thought, registering the look on Parker's face. She'd been determined to wait patiently, and here she was, abandoning that resolve for the second time in the last hour. "Look at me," she said ruefully, "waiting for my boyfriend to call. Which one of us in high school?"
Vanessa went into her office, attempting to muster some interest in the day ahead. It was Tuesday, only three days since she'd freed Jaddo, but it felt like three weeks. She really needed to get a grip. "Actually, Congresswoman?" Parker said from the doorway, "Agent Pierce isn't...coming back. Ever."
Oh, good grief, Vanessa sighed. It was a universal axiom that the young were creeped out by the thought of their elders having sex, but this was too much. "What are you talking about?" she chuckled. "You make it sound like he's dead."
"No, no, no, um...uh…" Parker paused, struggling for words. "You see, he left this message...a voicemail...saying that he was going away, and he wasn't coming back ever...and that it was over between the two of you."
Vanessa stared at her in shock. "I want to hear it," she said tightly.
"Um...I erased it," Parker confessed. "It was really harsh," she rushed on, "and cold, and...you know, trust me, you just...you didn't want to hear it."
"I can make those decisions for myself, Parker," Vanessa protested. "I'm a big girl."
Parker's mouth worked for several seconds before she managed a barely audible, "I'm sorry."
"Voicemail," Vanessa said faintly, finding it hard to breathe as she slowly lowered herself into her chair and Parker quietly let herself out. How ironic. Rath's Warder had just dumped her via phone. She stared into space for a long time, unable to believe her ears. Why would Jaddo do that? He'd been committed to the treaty, probably more so than she was. Was this Brivari's doing? Perhaps it was Brivari who'd called, posing as Jaddo, who was posing as Pierce, in an attempt to derail a treaty he didn't support? Or maybe…
A moment later she started laughing, loudly enough that Parker shot some alarmed looks in the direction of her office. Oh good Lord, but she was an idiot! Jaddo hadn't dumped her—
Pierce had dumped her, and in a very public way which was sure to set tongues wagging. It was all tied together, his silence, the power grid problems, Nicholas's missing operatives. They'd killed one in the Holiday Inn, but the other had never returned. She'd assumed Brivari had gotten to him, but that had never been a satisfactory answer because it didn't make sense; Royal Warders were smart enough to realize that missing operatives drew attention. But Jaddo was hot-headed and temperamental just like her, and after his capture, she could easily see him hunting down the second operative. That's where he was, why he hadn't reappeared. He was probably planning on retiring the Pierce personna, and this was his way of letting her know he was okay, albeit in a heart-stopping way.
Jackass, Vanessa thought fondly as she started leafing through the endless stack of papers which seemed to live on her desk no matter how much she cleaned it. When he got back, she was going to give him a substantial piece of her mind for scaring her like that.
*********************************************************
West Roswell High School
"So were you going to tell me about this?" Michael demanded.
"I just told you," Max answered.
"Ages after it happened," Michael said sourly.
Pulled off to the side in a hallway with students milling past, Max's eyebrows rose. " 'Ages'? It happened last night."
"And it's not 'last night' now. Why didn't you call me last night?"
"Because it was late," Max said, "and because I handled it."
"Yeah, you 'handled' it," Michael huffed. "All by yourself, like you usually do."
"
We handled it," Max said pointedly. "Tess, Valenti, and me."
"Great, so now you're 'handling' things with everyone but me?"
"No, Isabel knew nothing about it until after it was all over. Michael, what's this all about?" Max demanded. "It's all settled—"
"Right, it's settled without
me," Michael said. "Seems like everything gets settled without me, or without anyone even consulting me."
"I'm consulting you
now—"
"Yeah,
after it's settled," Michael said. "Just like you usually do. And assuming you've told me everything, which I'm not sure you have."
"Of course I have," Max protested. "Someone broke into Tess's house last night—"
"Not 'someone'—an alien," Michael corrected. "Ordinary burglars don't leave thousands of dollars worth of artwork untouched and pieces of skin hanging from the back hedge."
"Fine, an alien," Max said patiently, "and now she's staying at Valenti's house—"
"And why is that?" Michael demanded. "Why isn't she staying with you and Isabel? You know what? Never mind—I already know the answer to that. This is about Liz, isn't it? Because everything's always about Liz, even when she's not here."
"Well, I suppose we could send Isabel over to your place and put Tess in Iz's room," Max said. "Then we'd be doing everything 'by the book'."
"This isn't about the book, and you know it," Michael retorted.
"Then what
is it about?" Max demanded. "Valenti agreed that he was the best one to take her in. She's not used to pretending, not in her own home. She doesn't have to pretend with Valenti and Kyle because they already know what's what."
"I pretended with Hank," Michael said.
"Yeah, you did," Max agreed. "Until you didn't. And we both know how well that worked out."
"Hey, I was defending Isabel!" Michael exclaimed. "You heard him!"
"I know, I know," Max said wearily. "I'm not trying to start a fight over Hank. I'm just pointing out that you, of all people, should realize how hard it would be for her to have to pretend all day, every day, around the clock."
"Because you don't want your fake parents to know," Michael said scornfully.
"Because
you don't want them to know either," Max said pointedly. "The fewer people who know, the better, not to mention that my dad would be all over the fact that Tess is technically a minor. He'd be digging into Ed Harding, and looking for relatives and lots of other things we definitely want him staying out of. Valenti is perfect because everyone will assume the sheriff is doing all that."
"I just think she should be with one of us," Michael argued.
"Fine," Max said shortly. "She can stay with you."
A bell rang, and students scattered as quickly as Michael backed up. "Me? Why me?"
"Why not?" Max shrugged. "You want her to be with 'one of us'. If she moves in with you, she's with one of us, and she doesn't have to pretend. Oh...I get it," Max said when Michael just stared at him. " 'One of us', means
my place, not yours. Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"
"She'd be better off with Isabel," Michael said, irritation having been replaced by awkwardness. "The girls would be happier together. And they'd both be better off with your mom."
"Oh, now she's my mom?" Max said sharply. "A minute ago she was just a 'fake parent'."
"Admit it," Michael ordered. "You don't want her there because of Liz."
"I admit I don't want her there," Max allowed, "but not because of Liz. In case you haven't noticed, Liz and I aren't exactly together any more."
"Yeah, well, at least one of you has some sense," Michael muttered.
"I don't want her there because she thinks of me as her husband, and I'm not," Max went on, ignoring him. "I don't remember being married to her. I don't want to be forced into a relationship I don't want, and apparently you don't either because I don't see you picking out china patterns with Isabel. That's my excuse. What's yours?"
"Look, it doesn't matter where she's living—"
"Certainly seems to matter to you," Max said.
"—what matters is what whoever broke in there was looking for," Michael said. "What were they after? What did Nasedo have that they wanted?"
"Tess said she didn't know of anything they'd be after," Max answered.
"Just because she doesn't know of anything doesn't mean nothing's there," Michael argued. "Obviously someone thought something was there. And just because she said she doesn't know of anything doesn't mean that she doesn't."
"You think she's lying?" Max said.
"I think she's capable of it," Michael answered.
"Capable of what?" another voice said.
Michael huffed impatiently as Max's eyes dropped and Tess came up behind them. "What are you doing out here during class?" Michael said.
"Peeing," Tess answered, waving one of Mr. Sommer's coveted bathroom passes. "And I could ask you two the same question, but I'll stick with my first one, so...I'm capable of what?"
"How'd you know we were talking about you?" Michael protested.
Tess smiled. "I didn't. You just told me. Cough it up, Guerin, or am I so frightening that I render you speechless?"
Max said nothing as the two stared each other down. "Fine," Michael said flatly. "You told Max that you didn't know of anything anyone would want to steal. I'm not sure I believe that. You've kept things from us before. What's to stop you from keeping things from us now?"
Tess nodded slowly. "I see. So it's still 'us' and 'her'. Well...I guess I already knew that."
"You haven't answered my question," Michael noted.
"True," Tess agreed. "So here's my answer—there is nothing in my house that I know of that an alien would want to steal."
"What about something you don't know of?" Michael said. "God only knows what Nasedo had."
"Well, if I don't know about it, I can't tell you about it, now can I?" Tess said. "Besides, if Nasedo had something important enough to steal, what makes you think it would be at the house? The book was hidden in the library. The healing stones were with that Indian."
"River Dog," Max corrected. "And she has a point, Michael."
"So you're telling me there was
nothing hidden in your house?" Michael said. "Nothing at all?"
"Of course there was something hidden," Tess answered. "All the paperwork for our fake identities, the deed for the house, all the stuff on 'Ed Harding's' bank accounts. All of that was hidden in a space like the one in the library, with a handprint lock, and all of that was untouched, so no one found it."
"You didn't mention that last night," Max said.
"In front of Valenti? No, I didn't," Tess said. "But it was the first thing I checked."
"When you ran upstairs," Max nodded.
"It's in Nasedo's bedroom," Tess said. "I brought it to Valenti's with me, so it's safe."
"If Nasedo had one hiding space, he could have others," Michael said.
"He could," Tess agreed, "but if he did, he never told me about it."
"But we should look," Michael argued. "We should go over that place with a fine-toothed comb."
Tess shrugged. "Okay."
" 'Okay'?" Michael said.
"Yeah, okay," Tess repeated. "I'm going over after school to pick up more of my stuff. Meet me there, and we can tear the place to shreds if you want. What?" she went on when they both stared at her. "If there's something there, I want to know about it too. We all do."
"You guys go," Max said. "I've got work."
"What, the UFO Center is more important than this?" Michael protested.
"
Access to the UFO Center is important," Max corrected, "so why don't you take point on this? And then afterward I can accuse you of not telling me about it soon enough to suit me, and we can do this all over again. Twice in one day. Double the fun."
"So now you're a stand-up comic?" Michael retorted. "Keep the day job."
"Do you want this, or do you just want to bitch that you're left out?" Max demanded.
There was a brief pause while Michael gave them both a stony stare. "Fine. I'll be there."
"See you then," Tess said.
Michael stalked off, leaving Max and Tess alone in the hallway. "Sorry about that," Max said. "He gets like this when he's worried."
"Oh, so that's what it is," Tess said. "And here I thought he was like this all the time."
Max smiled faintly. "Right. So...how life with the Valenti's?"
"The sheriff's good," Tess said. "I got to cook this morning for someone who actually enjoyed it."
"Great!" Max said. "What about Kyle?"
"Ah," Tess sighed. "Kyle."
"Is he upset?" Max asked.
Tess shook her head. "I'm afraid 'upset' doesn't even begin to cover it."
*********************************************************
Yes! Alex thought, sliding into the computer lab and finding it blessedly empty. This was the highlight of his week, alone in a room humming with technology, with any or all of it at his disposal. The reasons why this particular lab was empty at this particular time on this particular day were still a mystery to him, one he hadn't pursued for fear of alerting someone who would promptly demystify it by taking it away. No, best to just enjoy the rare times the universe sent flowers and not ask impertinent questions about who sent them. He never mentioned this to anyone, never opened the door any wider than absolutely necessary to admit his thin frame, never turned the lights on, never made a peep lest someone investigate. Now he slid into a chair at a terminal in the middle of the room, the furthest point from either the door or the windows, and jiggled the mouse. The screen awoke as the thrum of students hurrying in the halls faded into the background and he descended into the land of Python, Visual Basic, and Java, where everything was colorful, orderly, and predictable…
Slam!
Crap. Alex peered over his monitor, afraid he'd find a teacher. But it was only a kid, a single kid with his back to him, peering out the narrow window in the door. Maybe he'd come in by mistake? Or maybe he was hiding from someone? Maybe if he stayed very, very quiet, the kid would leave and that would be the end of it Seconds ticked by as paradise hung in the balance, until the kid finally turned around.
"Valenti?" Alex said in surprise, forgetting his vow of silence as the sheriff's son and one of West Roswell's biggest jocks surveyed the lab like it was a minefield. "What are you doing here?"
"Following you," Kyle answered. "Is there any other reason I'd be in a place like this?"
"I...well, no, but...what are you looking at?" Alex said as Kyle went back to staring through the window.
"I'm making sure no one saw me come in here," Kyle said.
"Good!" Alex exclaimed in spite of himself. "I mean...I know why I think it's good, but...why don't you want anyone knowing you're in here?"
Kyle gave him a pitying look. "I have a certain reputation, Whitman. I can't be seen talking to geeks, or hanging out in Geek Land. No offense."
"None taken," Alex said. "Even jocks have computers that need fixing. What's wrong with yours?"
"I'm not here about a computer," Kyle said. "I'm here about the little green men."
"Little...green men," Alex said slowly. "Haven't we established that there are no little green men, per se?"
Kyle looked puzzled. " What is 'persay'? No, never mind—it's not a little green man anyway. It's a little green woman."
"A little green
woman," Alex repeated.
"Yeah. She's moved in with us, and I don't know what to do."
Ooooookay, Alex thought as Kyle continued to peer out the window as though he were being chased. Word was that Kyle had only just returned after being gone all summer, supposedly to put some distance between himself and his misadventure last spring, if death by gunshot could be labeled a "misadventure". Perhaps that hadn't been the best idea. Perhaps he should have stayed here and worked things through. "So, Kyle," Alex went on, "have you by chance been...you know…"
Kyle stared at him as he mimed a tipping cup. "What? No! I'm not drunk! What, do you think I'm nuts? I never drink beer at school!"
"Words to live by," Alex agreed. "But you're not making sense, so it was a logical conclusion."
"No, no, I...look," Kyle said in exasperation, "this all started with Noriega."
"Noriega," Alex repeated. "The Panamanian dictator currently imprisoned here in the US. What about him?'
"No, not him...the other "N" word. "No, not
that "N" word," Kyle protested when Alex's eyebrows rose. "Nixon? Nader? Navratilova? Nasedo!" he finished triumphantly. "The guy that was with Tess. He just died. Somebody killed him."
"Yeah, I know," Alex said. "I was there when Max blew into the Crashdown with the news that he was dead on his bedroom floor."
Kyle's eyes widened. "No shit!"
"Just pitched through the window and cacked on the carpet, from what I hear," Alex said.
Kyle sank into a nearby chair. "Wow. That's messed up."
"Tell me about it," Alex agreed.
"Did you know Evans and I got drunk together once?" Kyle said. "Stinkin', rip-roaring drunk."
"Really?" Alex said, tactfully omitting that he'd seen at least part of that experience—a very painful part—on the night of the Blind Date Concert.
"He's not half bad when he's in his cups," Kyle chuckled. "You should have seen the stuff he…" He stopped, staring into space. "Holy
shit! All that weird stuff he did that I thought I just imagined because I was bombed—he really did that! He really—"
"Kyle? Kyle!" Alex commanded. "Keep your voice down! No one's supposed to be...I mean, you didn't want anyone knowing you were in here, right? Well, someone's going to hear you if you keep carrying on like that. Now, you said you were following me. What for?"
"Right. Right. Sorry," Kyle said. "I need your help. With the little green woman."
"Kyle," Alex said patiently, "there are no 'little green—"
"I mean Tess," Kyle interrupted. "I woke up this morning, and she was asleep on our couch. And Dad says she lives with us now because an alien broke into her house, and it's not safe for her to go back."
"Wait—an
alien broke into her house?" Alex said. "When was this?"
"Last night," Kyle answered. "You didn't know?"
Alex sat back in his chair and shook his head. "It's not like there's an e-mail list. Damn," he went on ruefully. "Nasedo said their enemies were here. Guess he was right."
"This heaven is so vast, no message can stain it," Kyle intoned. "How may a snowflake exist in a raging fire?"
Alex blinked. "Isn't that...Buddha?"
"That's me," Kyle said in a hollow voice. "A snowflake in a raging fire. There was an alien on my couch, Whitman, and not just any alien—a
girl. There's a
girl in my house, with girly things, and girly clothes, and girly—"
"Okay, I get it," Alex broke in. "Interesting that the girl part is bugging you more than the alien part, but whatever. Did you talk to your Dad? What'd he say?"
"That it was only temporary," Kyle said, his hands working in front of him. "Just until they figured something out."
"Well, there you go, then," Alex said. "It's only temporary."
"But what do I do until then?" Kyle demanded. "I was trying to get away from the little green men, and now one of them is living with me? And it's a girl? That's like a double whammy! Girls are alien enough without them being actual aliens! You've been at this alien crap longer, Whitman. What the hell am I supposed to do with an alien girl?"
Ouch. "Um...okay," Alex said, choosing his words carefully. "First thing to remember? They're people. So we don't call them 'it'. You don't say, 'it's a girl', you say, 'she's a girl'. Just like you would for any other girl."
"Okay," Kyle said, nodding rapidly. "Okay. Alien etiquette. This is good. I knew a geek could help. What else?"
"You just treat her like you would anyone else—no, scratch that," Alex amended, noting that Kyle's human etiquette wasn't exactly Emily Post material. "She's a guest in your home for a short while, so treat her like you would a guest."
"I don't know how to treat an alien guest," Kyle said.
"Forget the alien part," Alex counseled. "It's not relevant."
"Not relevant?" Kyle repeated. "What the hell are you talking about? What if she, like, blows me up in my sleep, or morphs into some hideous, tentacled creature? What do we really know about these...these…"
"People," Alex said patiently.
"Okay, 'people'," Kyle finished reluctantly. "What do we know about what they can do, what they
will do if we piss them off?"
"You know, you have a point," Alex said, giving up. "So your best bet is to
not piss her off. Don't give her a reason to blow you up. Be on your best behavior. Make Miss Manners proud."
Kyle considered that in silence for so long, Alex was beginning to fidget. "You know, you're right," he said finally. "I'll just keep my distance. I'll just keep my mouth shut."
"That would be best," Alex agreed.
"And I'll keep a baseball bat by the bed," Kyle added.
"If...that makes you feel better," Alex allowed.
"It would," Kyle confirmed. "Just in case. 'Speak softly, and carry a big stick'. That's what Buddha said."
"Uh...no, that was Teddy Roosevelt," Alex corrected.
Kyle looked blank. "Oh. Close enough. Thanks, Whitman. You know, for a geek, you're almost tolerable."
"Gee, thanks," Alex said, grimacing from the sharp smack on the arm Kyle had just given him. "For a jock, you're ever-so-slightly human."
"Thanks, man," Kyle said, the sarcasm sailing straight past him. "I won't forget this." He peeked through the door. "Coast is clear. Enjoy your...whatever is you do in here."
Geez, Louise, Alex thought, massaging his sore arm. It was easier talking to a block of wood than a jock. But at least his precious empty lab was still safe, and he might have gotten Tess a reprieve from the Neanderthal she was bunking with. Ironic, really, that the jock with the party-hearty reputation was terrified of an alien girl while the geek was trying to get closer to one.
**********************************************************
Want to c u
Her phone hidden behind her textbook, Isabel smiled. Michael's brush with the law was thankfully over, but her brush with the one who'd sent the dominoes falling thankfully wasn't. Grant Sorenson was quite a bit older than she was, but that's what made him so enticing; he was better mannered, better spoken and, despite his dusty occupation, better smelling than the average high school boy. Best of all, he didn't know her; with him she was free to be whoever she wanted to be, which was very appealing amidst the maelstrom of recent events. He wanted to see her, and she wanted to see him; the trick would be getting away from the eagle eyes of the rest of them.
Me 2, she wrote back, tapping awkwardly on her phone's keys. Grant was so much better at this texting thing. Maybe he could give her some pointers on how to speed things up...
"Evans, Isabel," Mrs. Iorillo called.
"Here," Isabel said, her eyes still on her phone as something swished by her.
"Evans, Maxwell."
"Here."
Isabel glanced up. "Cutting it a bit close, aren't you?"
"She never takes attendance until about 5 minutes into the class," Max whispered. "Michael's freaking because I didn't call him about Tess last night."
"Michael freaks whether you call him or not," Isabel said, glancing down as her phone flashed
L8r? 4 pm?
"What's that?" Max asked.
"Nothing," Isabel said quickly. "So...Michael. Freaking."
"And Tess said Kyle was freaking," Max added.
"And I'm
not the one freaking," Isabel said. "There's a switch."
"Michael and Tess are going to comb Tess's house after school for anything Nasedo left behind," Max said. "You're going with them."
"Why?" Isabel demanded. "I have something else do to this afternoon."
Max arched an eyebrow. "Something more important than Nasedo's murder and Tess's house being robbed by an alien?"
Crap, Isabel muttered inwardly. "Oh, all right, but...wait. I'm going with 'them'? Where are you going?"
"To work," Max said.
"Oh, so that's more important than Nasedo's murder and—"
"Yes," Max broke in firmly. "It is. You, Michael, and Tess are going to search Tess's house, and I'm going to work. Is that clear enough for you?"
Isabel's eyes burned as she turned back to her phone and typed
cant. Michael and Kyle weren't the only ones freaking. Max was freaking too; he just freaked differently, slipping into dictator mode in a vain effort to keep control of a situation which felt like it was slipping out of his control. This particular tendency of his had flared big time after his escape from the Unit, and she'd tolerated it with relative grace, but it was getting old. Besides, what was so all-fired important about the UFO center that it ranked above their latest crisis?
********************************************************
3:00 p.m.
UFO Center
The interior of the UFO center was as cool and dark as ever as Max walked down the familiar stairs into an unfamiliar tangle of furniture and boxes. "Evans," barked the new owner, the brand new owner who had just appeared out of thin air at a very suspicious time. "You can start by cleaning up that exhibit over there. Let me know when you're done."
"Okay," Max said.
Great people skills, Max thought as he got to work, but his mind wasn't on the exhibit. He hadn't mentioned Milton's sudden exit to the rest of them because he still wasn't certain if it was anything to be concerned about, and no one needed anything else to fret over. That meant he couldn't tell them why coming to the UFO Center was more important than joining them at Tess's house, which had left Isabel balking and Michael sulking. Only Tess had accepted the plan without comment or complaint, a kindness which made him want to pull her aside and pour out the whole story. It would be so nice to be able to share these burdens with someone, someone he didn't feel he had to protect from the truth, who wasn't always whining or objecting or overreacting. But it was what it was. Tess would just listen and wait for him to investigate further, but Michael and Isabel wouldn't. He needed more information before he approached them.
Brody walked by. Max watched him unlock the office door and go inside; when he left, it would be his turn. While the others searched Nasedo's house for answers, he was going to conduct a search of his own.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We're back on schedule for every other week, so I'll post
Chapter 28 on Sunday, April 26.