Fantastic Detectives
Page 25
I wasn’t sure how long it was, but the next thing I remember was Patty stroking my forehead lightly. I could feel a little energy from her touch reviving me a little.
Every bone in my body ached.
And my head hurt from where Hank had hit me with that slot machine handle.
And I wanted to sneeze something awful.
I opened my eyes and smiled at the love of my life, who was smiling at me with those huge brown eyes of hers.
“You all right?”
“No idea,” I said, honestly.
She helped me sit up.
I was still on the floor in front of the booth and Madge was hurrying in with three glasses of water.
Sherri and Screamer were sitting next to Laverne on the floor and Stan was helping Ben to sit up.
“What happened to all the people?” I managed to ask with a hoarse throat.
Patty handed me a glass of water that tasted wonderful and gave me even more energy.
“Kronos brought Burt and some of the other gods and got them all back to their right places and times,” Stan said.
Laverne nodded. Then she looked at Stan with a look that I hoped someday to have her look at me with. “Thank you.”
“Yes, thank you,” I said, smiling at my boss.
He smiled. “It was worse in the last five hours knowing what I knew from that side, but not knowing how we got there, or if it would even work. Kronos says it did. We’re back in the main timeline. Everything is reset.”
Patty hugged me, smiling, and I could feel even more energy pouring through me.
“Mom,” Sherri said, “Let me get you home and into bed.”
Lady Luck nodded, but didn’t move. “Stan, want to jump us both there and come back. Not sure if I dare risk it yet.”
Stan nodded and the three of them vanished.
Patty was working to get me to my feet and into the booth and Screamer was helping Ben up from the floor when Stan appeared.
“Stan, same kind of help if you don’t mind?” Ben asked.
Stan nodded and smiled. He looked at me. “We have some talking to do.”
“Tomorrow,” I said.
He laughed. “Tomorrow. Great work, once again.”
He vanished with Ben.
“You two going to be all right?” Screamer asked.
I nodded. “After some rest.”
“Great work,” he said, “as always.”
“You too,” I said. “Tell Madge we’re done for the night.”
He nodded and turned and went through the door into Madge’s Diner.
Outside the windows of my office, I could see the hint of sunrise starting to color the eastern hills. Below, the lights of Vegas looked wonderful.
It felt great to be home.
I couldn’t remember being so tired.
And so satisfied at the same time. Especially sitting there in the booth of my office, holding Patty.
Finally, she pushed away from me and waved her hand. “You need a shower, big boy.”
“Sweat?” I asked, smiling at her.
“Perfume,” she said.
I stood and she held me as we headed for the door to her apartment below.
“You might need to soap me up some,” I said, smiling at her. “I’m pretty tired.”
“Raspberry soap?” she asked, smiling back and hugging me.
“Of course,” I said. “Just like the first time ten years ago.”
“I don’t think either one of us has the energy to do what we did that first time ten years ago,” she said, kissing me as we went through the door and into her wonderful apartment.
And, of course, she was right.
But the next night we certainly tried to repeat what we had done ten years before in that wonderful shower with that wonderful-smelling soap.
And we honestly came pretty darned close.
And in sex and raspberry soap showers, pretty darned close is pretty darned nice.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch writes in almost every genre. Generally, she uses her real name (Rusch) for most of her writing. Under that name, she publishes bestselling science fiction and fantasy, award-winning mysteries, acclaimed mainstream fiction, controversial nonfiction, and the occasional romance. Her novels have made bestseller lists around the world and her short fiction has appeared in eighteen best of the year collections. She has won more than twenty-five awards for her fiction, including the Hugo, Le Prix Imaginales, the Asimov’s Readers Choice award, and the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Readers Choice Award.
Publications from The Chicago Tribune to Booklist have included her Kris Nelscott mystery novels in their top-ten-best mystery novels of the year. The Nelscott books have received nominations for almost every award in the mystery field, including the best novel Edgar Award, and the Shamus Award.
She writes goofy romance novels as award-winner Kristine Grayson, romantic suspense as Kristine Dexter, and futuristic sf as Kris DeLake.
Her popular weekly blog on the changes in publishing has become an industry must-read.
She also edits. Beginning with work at the innovative publishing company, Pulphouse, followed by her award-winning tenure at The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, she took fifteen years off before returning to editing with the original anthology series Fiction River, published by WMG Publishing. She acts as series editor with her husband, writer Dean Wesley Smith, and edits at least two anthologies in the series per year on her own.
To keep up with everything she does, go to kriswrites.com. To track her many pen names and series, see their individual websites (krisnelscott.com, kristinegrayson.com, krisdelake.com, retrievalartist.com, divingintothewreck.com). She lives and occasionally sleeps in Oregon.
FICTION RIVER: YEAR TWO
Fantasy Adrift
Edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Universe Between
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith
Fantastic Detectives
Edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Past Crime
Edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Pulse Pounders
Edited by Kevin J. Anderson
Risk Takers
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith
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Copyright Information
Fiction River: Fantastic Detectives
Copyright © 2014 by WMG Publishing
Published by WMG Publishing
Cover and Layout copyright © 2014 by WMG Publishing
Editing and other written material copyright © 2014 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Cover art copyright © Xneo/Dreamstime, Milosluz/Dreamstime
Cover design by Allyson Longueira/WMG Publishing
“Foreword: Just Great Stories” Copyright © 2014 by Dean Wesley Smith
“Introduction: Fantastic Writers” Copyright © 2014 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Case Cracked” Copyright © 2014 by Joe Cron
“Living with the Past” Copyright © 2014 by Dayle A. Dermatis
“All She Can Be” Copyright © 2014 by Karen L. Abrahamson
“Under Oregon” Copyright © 2014 by Kara Legend
“Role Model” Copyright © 2014 by Kevin J. Anderson
“Death in Hathaway Tower” Copyright © 2014 by Ryan M. Williams
“Trouble Aboard the Flying Scotsman” Copyright © 2014 by Alistair Kimble
“Containing Patient Zero” Copyright © 2014 by Paul Eckheart
“Canine Agent Rocky Arnold vs. The Evil Alliance” Copyright © 2014 by Juliet Nordeen
“An Incursion of Mice” Copyright © 20
14 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“They’re Back!” Copyright © 2014 by Dean Wesley Smith
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.