“... repeat, this is Luna Moth for Robin Hood, over.”
“You’ve got Robin Hood,” I said.
“Just wanted to let you know we’ve got Smokey down here in the nest and he’s prowling around the big rigs.”
“Ten-Four, Luna Moth. Thanks for the heads-up,” I said. “Did you hear that, Floy – I mean Steel Duck?”
“Loud and clear,” Floyd said. “Sounds like we have a friend out there.”
“I didn’t understand a word of that,” Marcie said.
“The Marshal that passed us is down there at the diner,” I said.
I figured he had used the restroom and was now either waiting for us or looking to make some beer money from the other truckers. Or maybe both. I glanced across at Marcie. From what I could see through the blouse, the air-conditioning had cooled her down pretty well.
“Do you want me to turn it down?” I asked.
“Oh, no, I like it.”
“Me too.”
“Eyes on the road,” she said. “You can look at the view after we stop.”
I was going to say that I loved the hills and couldn’t wait to get down into the valley, but I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea about me.
“Oh, good, it’s a motel,” she said, looking down towards the diner. “I’m going to get a room so I can take a shower...”
She took off her sunglasses and looked across at me. She put one arm of the glasses between her lips and sucked on it. With acting that bad I wasn’t sure what my response was supposed to be. That’s not true. I knew what my line was, I just couldn’t make myself say it. Marcie must have thought I was slow on the uptake because she kept going.
“I bet you’d like to wash the dust off too, wouldn’t you?”
Just because I hadn’t used it in a while didn’t mean it was dusty.
“I’d love to share a shower with you,” I said. “But if my husband found out he’d throw a fit and I’d end up in the guest room and the mattress in there is just a bag of lumps.”
“You have a husband? But they said...” She caught herself but it was too late.
“Did they offer you a bonus if you kept me distracted for more than an hour?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She pouted.
“Can the clichés, sister. You’re busted.”
“Stop the car.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’ll walk.”
“Not in those shoes you won’t.”
She folded her arms. I turned down the air-con and we drove the rest of the way in silence.
The Big B diner was close to the highway and had a giant retro sign to draw folks in. Judging by the animated neon, the B that was Big was a Butterfly. A little further along another road crossed the highway, running north-south in the bottom of the valley. Signs indicated that Sparrow’s Gap lay to the south and Frogs Hole to the north. Neither sounded like places I wanted to be. I guess this spot near the crossroads meant the diner saw plenty of trade. Behind it was the motel complex and at the side was parking for cars and a line of rapid-charging points for trucks. I could see Floyd hooking our rig up to one of them.
When I pulled the Trekker into a space in front of the diner Marcie didn’t get out straight away.
“Will you be all right?” I asked.
“I’ll deal with it.”
“It wasn’t you,” I said. “Just the circumstances.”
“Aren’t you sweet?” she said, then her face softened. “Do you really have a husband?”
“Ex,” I said. “And two ex-wives.”
“You’ll find the right person someday,” she said. She opened the door and slid out.
I reached into the back and passed her the hat. “Stay out of the sun.”
I got out of the Trekker and watched Marcie walk into the diner. Floyd appeared beside me.
“What happened?” he asked.
“She’s working for the other side.”
“She’s a lesbian?”
“No, you tin idiot, she was paid to distract me by whoever’s trying to stop us from reaching New Grimsby.”
“Oh,” Floyd said. “I was right about her then.”
“Yes, you were right. Again. I’ll put another gold star on your chart.”
“I’m sorry you’re disappointed,” Floyd said. “Maybe you’ll find someone else inside...”
“Drop it,” I said. “Go and fix that light and anything else that looks suspect. I need a burger.”
“I understand,” he said.
I wasn’t disappointed. At least not in the way Floyd meant. I had no idea whether I would have gone to the motel room with Marcie. But I would have liked to find out what I did decide. It felt like an opportunity for self-discovery had been lost. As things stood, I still didn’t know if I was over Harmony.
But on the plus side, by avoiding the shower date I had gained us an hour’s worth of travelling time. Possibly more on a good day.
I pushed open the door and stepped into the diner. I didn’t know it then but there was trouble on the menu.
Chapter Thirteen
I slid into a booth at the back, picking one where I could keep an eye on the truck through the window. I looked down at the laminated menu. There were images of butterflies all over it. The waitress brought me a glass of water. She seemed a little nervous.
“The specials are butterfly chicken breast and butterfly pork chops,” she said.
I was beginning to notice a theme. I also recognised her voice. Her name tag said ‘Shelly’ but ‘Luna Moth’ suited her better. Her pale complexion made me think of moonlight.
“Do you use fresh butterflies?” I asked.
She smiled as if she’d never heard that before. She obviously needed the tips.
“I was thinking of trying the luna moth salad,” I said, then more quietly: “Thanks for the warning.”
Little patches of colour appeared on her cheeks. “He’s been hanging around all morning,” she said.
“Fat guy in a Stetson?” I said.
She shook her head. “Big guy on a motorcycle.”
“Highway Patrol?”
She nodded. “Are you ready to order?”
“I’ll have a cheeseburger,” I said. “No, make it two. And a large coffee. How did you know about us?”
“Bobby-Ray,” she said. “The bit with the police car in the tree made me laugh. I’ll get your coffee. Burgers will be a few minutes,” she said. “Do you want me to save you a piece of pie?”
“Key lime?”
“Best in the county.”
“Save me a big slice,” I said.
“You got it.” She hurried away to the kitchen hatch with my order.
The diner was about half full. The clock had just ticked past five so this was the early part of the evening rush. In a booth on the other side of the room I could see Marshal Dimmock tucking into a huge plate of rare steak and fries and who knew what else. People around him were giving him a wide berth and casting unfriendly glances in his direction – a combination of his uniform and his table manners, I suppose.
Floyd appeared and slid into the booth. He pressed himself into the corner so as not to draw attention. You don’t get many robots in eating places.
“How’s the truck?” I asked.
“Ship-shape and street legal,” he said.
“Marshal Pork-Pie is at the trough over there,” I said, “and there’s a Highway Patrolman around here somewhere.”
“I saw him lurking outside,” Floyd said.
“Any sign of the Dragon Riders or our friends from the exploding pick-up?”
“Not so far. I’ve got the drones up keeping an eye out,” he said.
The drones were two little flyers I called Gnat and Mozzie. They’d been with me since before I met Floyd and they’d helped me out of a few scrapes.
The front doors opened and a shadow filled the space. The Highway Patrolman. Luna Moth had been right, he was a big sucker
. A bodybuilder for sure. He spotted the Marshal and went over to talk to him.
“I don’t like the look of that,” I said.
Floyd twisted his head around to look. “He not your type?”
“Those two are comparing notes. What are the odds that it means trouble for us?”
“Two of them and two of us, I like those odds,” Floyd said.
“There’s a whole lot more where they came from. Let’s keep a low profile. I’d like to get away from here without either of them following us.”
“Do you want me to put them out of action?” he asked.
“No killing,” I said.
“I meant disable their vehicles.”
“Oh, yeah. Good idea.”
Floyd slid out of the booth and slipped out through the side door by the jukebox.
Luna Moth brought my coffee and two of the biggest burgers I had ever seen.
“Chef says ‘hi’,” she said.
“Tell him thanks,” I said. “I’m glad I didn’t order fries with these.”
“Chef made the patties fresh today. See if you can guess what his secret ingredient is.” She was lingering by my table. I think she just wanted to chat.
I picked up the first bun, squeezing it hard to try and make it small enough to bite into. “Why’s it called Butterfly County? I haven’t seen a single one.”
“You won’t,” she said. “The county is shaped like a butterfly. Well, if you squint at the map it kinda looks like a squashed butterfly.”
“I missed that,” I said and bit into the burger.
“I’m not surprised. This place doesn’t have much going for it.”
“It’s got this diner and it’s got you,” I said. “That’s plenty. Is it parsley?”
She shook her head and smiled. “Nope.”
It was fresh cilantro but I thought it was rude to guess too soon.
“Paprika?”
She shook her head again. “Give me a wave when you’re ready for your pie.”
“I might need that to go,” I said, looking down at the burgers.
Luna Moth smiled and flitted away to serve another customer.
The door opened and more people came in. At the front of the group was a big redneck in greasy jeans and sweat-stained tee-shirt. He had big arms, a thick neck, and too much curly blond hair. He was cute enough to warrant a second glance but there was something in the way he pushed his way through the crowded space that I didn’t like. That alpha male crap only does it for me if the guy isn’t trying too hard. The greasy blond was so big that I couldn’t get a good look at the shorter guy who came in with him. It didn’t matter, I’d decided I wasn’t in the mood for a hook-up.
I reached for the ketchup and managed to knock over my glass. Water spread across the table and dribbled off the end onto the floor.
“Squit!” I got up to grab some more paper napkins from the dispenser on the counter. As I turned around I collided with the shorter guy who had just come into the diner.
“You?” she said.
“You!” I said.
We stared at each other.
“What are you doing here?” Harmony asked.
“What happened to your hair?”
She scowled. “What happened to your manners?”
“It’s short.”
“I like it short.”
“You look like a boy.”
“Really?” she said, grabbing her breasts angrily. “Whatever you’ve been doing to yourself has made you blind.”
“That’s a myth,” I said. “Who’s the greaseball?”
Harmony glanced towards the counter where the big man was ordering drinks for the two of them. There was a flicker of something in her eyes but I wasn’t sure what it was. “He’s just a friend,” she said.
“He doesn’t look like he’s got anything worth stealing,” I said. “But I bet he wants something from you.”
Her face clouded and her eyes were narrow slits when she turned them on me. “Stay away from me, Quin. I can take care of myself.”
I couldn’t argue with that. She turned and headed further into the diner to snag an empty table.
The guy she was with looked like he needed a haircut and a bath. If you liked that whole dirt under the fingernails and stale sweat thing he had a grungy sort of appeal. But I didn’t think he was right for a classy woman like Harmony. I had to get rid of him. Picking a fight with him didn’t seem like a smart move. Under the stained tee-shirt, he was broad across the shoulders and deep in the chest. He’d swat me down like a bug. That thought gave me an idea.
“Hey, buddy,” I said, leaning close to him at the counter. “You ain’t planning to get horizontal with that red-haired chick are you?”
He turned and stared at me. He had a slight squint in one eye. “What’s it to you?”
“Nothing. ‘Cept I hooked up with her a couple of towns back and ended up with the baddest case of crotch crabs I’ve ever had.” I shoved a hand down the front of my jeans and started scratching.
He backed away from me, disgust on his face. Then he turned and scowled at Harmony. He tossed some cash on the bar and headed for the door leaving their drinks untouched.
“Hey, that was my ride!” Harmony said, pushing through the crowd. “What did you say to him?”
“I was telling him about your big Johnson and I think he got the wrong idea,” I said.
I thought for a minute that she was going to pull out her Johnson and stick it up my nose. I’m glad she didn’t. And I still think it’s a stupid name for a gun. I picked up the pint of lager and the sarsaparilla.
“Which one’s yours?” I asked.
Harmony narrowed her eyes and sharpened the barbs on her tongue.
Marcie walked by us on the way to the ladies room. “Is this your ‘husband’?” she asked sarcastically.
Harmony scowled at her.
“I told you,” I said. “It’s the hair.”
“How much does she charge an hour?” Harmony asked as Marcie disappeared behind the swing door.
“She’s not the one trading favours for a ride,” I said.
Harmony opened her mouth in wordless shock.
“What happened?” I asked. “The last time I saw you, you had a spacecraft and twenty thousand dollars in cash. My cash.”
“Our cash,” Floyd said, appearing at my side. “Where’d you find her.”
“Her number was written on the toilet wall,” I said.
“You lousy squit-bag,” she spluttered.
Chapter Fourteen
“I want my head back,” Floyd said.
Harmony looked down. “I don’t have it. I don’t have any of it.”
“Well, it was nice catching up with you,” Floyd said. “Quincy, grab your pie, it’s time we were going.”
“You know, you’re not half the robot you used to be,” Harmony said.
“And you’re still the bitch you always were,” he said. I’m pretty sure that was a line from a movie.
The two of them stared at each other. Didn’t she know that robots never blink?
“What are you doing now?” I asked, in an attempt to distract her.
“Trying to get somewhere where I don’t have to wash the sand out of my ass every night,” Harmony said.
“We’re heading for New Grimsby,” I said.
“Quincy!” Floyd warned.
Harmony looked at me. It was my day for receiving sad little smiles. “You should go,” she said.
“Quincy?” Floyd said.
“Give us a minute,” I said.
Floyd gave me a hard stare but then turned and wandered away. A middle-aged woman grabbed the robot’s arm as he was passing her table.
“You should bring a mop, there’s food on the floor here,” she said.
“You shouldn’t try and shove so much in at once,” Floyd said and headed for the door.
The woman’s mouth dropped open and more food fell out.
I took Harmony’s elbow and steered h
er back to the booth.
“Do you want one of these?” I asked, indicating the untouched second burger. I mopped the table with the paper napkins.
Harmony shook her head.
“How did you end up here?” I asked.
“I told you. It’s all gone,” she said. “I owed money to some bad people. A lot of money. I gave them everything.”
There was a lot more to it than that but it was all she wanted to tell me. I wasn’t going to push her. Maybe she’d open up about it later. I sensed that whatever hole she’d been in had been deep and dark. She’d lost some of the spark that I remembered. But she was still the most attractive woman I had seen on Saphira. Even with her curls gone. She saw me looking and ran her fingers through her hair.
“Is it really that bad?”
“I’m getting used to it,” I said.
She stared at me. I looked pretty much the same as I had when she’d seen me last. I had a couple more grey hairs but you couldn’t see them when I had my jeans on.
“I’m glad you got rid of him,” she said.
“Who, Floyd?”
“Greasy Gawain,” she said, nodding towards the door.
“His name was Gawain?”
“He was a creep. As soon as I got in his pick-up he tried to put his hand in my pants.”
“He won’t do that again,” I said.
“My hero.” She smiled then and it seemed like we’d never been apart.
“I missed you,” I said.
“Good,” she said.
“Will you come with us?”
“No way. Do you honestly think I would get in that wreck of a truck with you two?” she said. “You’re both crazy.”
“Yeah, but we’re the good kind of crazy,” I said.
Harmony shook her head. “You’ve got every cop, biker, and hired thug on the planet after you.”
“It’ll be just like old times!” I said. I favoured her with my best smile. The one with the dimples. Harmony was half-convinced, I could tell. Of course, Floyd chose that moment to ruin things. He stood outside and banged loudly on the window. He pointed to a watch he wasn’t wearing.
“Just give me a minute to talk to him,” I said. “Order food if you want, my treat.”
Floyd was pacing up and down outside. He didn’t even give me chance to open my mouth.
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