Harry Watt Bounty Hunter
Page 31
“Are you serious?” said Berkeley. “Marjorie, how can you sleep with all this going on?”
“Quite easily, thank you. I also have a dinner engagement, and think it proper to keep up the appearance of normalcy, don’t you?”
“What! Half the city is baying for blood, and you want to go eat? Are you nuts?”
“Hey! Remember who you’re talking to,” Calvin said, and there was real venom in her voice. Yet, in an instant, she was her usual unruffled self. “I’ll be fine, once you make your broadcast. And besides, it’s informal, just a few friends. I’m sure they’ll be worried if I don’t show. Harry’s right. We must let the people know that we have the situation in hand, that there is no cause for panic. Though you’d better not use that word.”
Berkeley mumbled something, and went to fetch his chair.
“I should get going, too,” said Harry standing up. “In fact, I’m already late.”
“Fine, fine,” said Berkeley, righting his chair and setting the pedestal straight. “You two run along, don’t want your dinner to spoil, now do we?”
“Marjorie’s right, Aaron,” said Soames. “There’s nothing that can’t wait till tomorrow. I will get a message to The Infinity Wing, once Harry has given me the details of his friends. I’ll get Thomas back in here with Beryl and Sheryl, and get working on your speech. You should also let the hospital know that Mr O’Hanlon can stay another night. I’ll get Gerard to form a search party to try and locate Petersen. With luck, he’s returned to the safe house. Other than that, I think we could all do with a decent meal and some sleep.”
“Of course!” Berkeley said, opening his hands in mock adulation. “I’ll get Thomas to call the hospital right away, and tell them that the planned invasion of our planet isn’t that important after all. Don’t mind the fact that it makes me look like a fool.”
“Don’t be such a baby,” Calvin told him. She got up out of her chair, and straightened her jacket and skirt. Those still seated also stood up, as tradition down the centuries had dictated. “Gentlemen, I will see you back her tomorrow morning, at say, nine?”
“Sounds good,” said Harry nodding.
“Wonderful!” Berkeley averred. “Splendid. That is, if we’re all still alive, and the place hasn’t been razed to the ground.”
36
Family Ties
“Heidi, I’m home!” Harry said. rather more cheerily than the occasion warranted.
“In here,” came her reply.
Harry hung his tunic up in the hall closet, and walked into the kitchen. Heidi stood with her arms folded, wearing an expression that Harry, not for the last time, could not quite read. This changed immediately when she saw his face.
“Hi,” he said, grimacing with the effort of smiling.
“Jesus! What happened to you?”
He was relieved when she unfolded her arms, and came up to kiss and hug him. “That’s nice,” he said, doing what he loved to do, stroking her hair, and kissing the top of her head.
“Let me get some ice.” She let go of him and opened the refrigerator. She wrapped some ice cubes in a cloth and handed it to him.
“Thanks.” Harry placed it over his eye and cursed. “Come here.” He put his free arm round her waist, and kissed her head again. “God, you smell good.”
“Do I need to know how you got this?” Heidi asked, looking up at his swollen eye.
“Just give me a minute. Are you guys okay?”
“Well, there’s, ahh, been a development,” Heidi said, pulling away to look up at him.
“There sure has! How do you know?”
“Eh?”
“Did Gareth call you.”
“Eh? Harry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh. I see. Well, what’s up?”
“You first.”
“Oh, okay. Well, three things. One good, one not so good, one really not so good. What do you want to hear first?”
“The good?”
“Headlock has pretty much declared war on the colony.”
“Oh. And the not so good?”
“I’m the new sheriff.”
“Ah. And the really not so good?”
“I may be responsible for starting a civil war.”
“That’s it? And there’s me thinking things were bad. Well I suppose I should say congratulations, for becoming sheriff, I mean. I was wondering what you were going to do up here to earn your keep.”
Harry just had to laugh. “I love you, Heidi Heinlein,” he found himself saying.
Heidi blinked, and faltered her reply. “Oh. Well, so you should. You deserve the best.”
Not quite the response he was hoping for, Harry decided to let it go. “So what’s your news? What’s this, development?”
“Through here, dear.”
Heidi took a bewildered Harry’s hand, and pushing through the flexible pressure door, led him through into the dining room. Seated at the table were Angel, Chisato, and one other.
The one other had Chisato seated on her knee, bouncing her gently, tickling her ribs and making her giggle. She looked up as Heidi and Harry came into view. Harry lifted the ice pack and blinked.
“Oh. Hi, dad,” said the girl. “Long time no see. Wow, that’s a beaut. So what’s new?”
“Grace,” Harry said as calm as you like. “Well, well. Fancy seeing you here. Are you alone?”
From the downstairs powder room came the sound of the toilet being flushed. Harry just knew. A few seconds later, the door opened, and out stepped his ex-wife. Their eyes met.
“About time,” Sybil said. “We need to talk.”
“No doubt,” said Harry.
Harry Watt will return in Bombs Away.
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Copyright © 2015 by Rob Guy
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This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. So there.