I crossed the room and looked out the peephole. What I saw made me go cold. Backing away from the door, I looked at Kaliis once before going to the weapons bag.
“Who is it?”
“It’s the cab driver from the airport.”
“Aw, crap.”
I dug deep in the bag until my hand found what I was looking for – Papaw’s .40 caliber revolver. It weighed a ton. Flipping open the cylinder, I exposed the case ends of six bullets, each the thickness of my little finger. I flicked it shut and spun the cylinder and returned to the door. I leaned my forehead against the door and looked through the peephole again. “Who is it?”
“Muhammad Wahdid,” came the reply. “I drove you from the airport. Remember?”
“What do you want?”
His muted response came through the door. “Could we speak privately?”
Kaliis shook his head. “Not a good idea.”
“Well, what do I do?” I asked.
Kaliis didn’t answer. He knew a lot but he didn’t know exactly what to do at that given moment. He shrugged and without saying anything, got up and took one of the equipment bags into the bathroom.
There was a long silence while I tried to figure out what to do. Muhammad knocked on the door again. “Are you there?” he asked.
I went to the window and carefully peeked out to see the cabbie standing alone outside the door. It was early evening and traffic was thinning on the avenue. He was probably getting off work, but what could he want with us? There was only one thing: he wanted another diamond or two, probably to keep quiet. Yet, there was also the possibility he wanted to rob us of all our diamonds. What to do?
He knocked on the door again. “Hello?”
Muhammad wasn’t a big guy and alone he didn’t pose much of a threat. “All right, all right,” I said.
I stuck the revolver between my pants and the small of my back; the cold steel barrel pressed against my bare skin. I opened the door and asked, “Are you alone?”
“Yes, of course,” he said, stepping back, away from the door so that I could look out onto the walkway and see for myself. I did so, looking both ways before asking, again, what was it he wanted?
“I was hoping we could do some more business…?”
“I don’t think so.” I started to back away and shut the door.
“Come on,” he said, “If you had to pay a cab fare with three diamonds, you could probably use the services of a street bank.”
“What’s a street bank?”
“Let me in and I’ll tell you.”
I heard Kaliis’ servos behind me and knew he had donned his extenders – that’s what I called the exoskeleton. I shook my head. “I don’t think so,” I told him.
Kaliis spoke up. “Let him in.”
I looked at Kaliis. “Are you sure?”
“Better than to have him standing at the door for all to see.”
I stepped aside and Muhammad came in with a nervous nod and smile. I closed the door behind him, keeping my opposite hand behind me and on the grip of the .40 caliber. The cabbie stood between us. If he made a provocative move, it was likely to be his last.
Kaliis edged closer to Muhammad. The extenders made Kaliis taller and his eyes were level with the cabbie’s. “So,” said Kaliis, “you are more than a cab driver.”
“Oh sure. It doesn’t take an eagle eye to see you need cash.”
“We have cash,” I said.
“You didn’t earlier.
“We do now.”
Muhammad smiled. “I get it. You don’t want to say anything. That’s okay, I understand.” He reached into his right front pants pocket and I drew out my pistola.
“Whoa,” he said, withdrawing his hand, “take it easy. It’s cash, see?”
“Don’t shoot him, Amanda.”
“Yes, Amanda, please don’t shoot. I have a wife and two daughters. They are very demanding. I only want to buy a few diamonds from you.”
“Where did you get the money?”
“I told you. I’m like a street bank. I do business here and there, everything on the float, you understand, but I can get bank together when a good deal comes by. And I think a good deal is here for you and me. I’ve got cash and you got the stash.”
I lowered the pistol. “Like I said, we don’t need any help. Why don’t you stroll on out of here?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, taking a breath. “You, the gun, it took me by surprise.”
“What do you expect? How did you find us?”
He smiled again and spread his hands, “It’s the only motel in town.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Look, I just want to buy some more diamonds. I turned the three you gave me. That’s where I got the money. I figured you might sell a few more. Why not, right?”
“Wrong,” I said. “I don’t have any more. The three I gave you weren’t mine to give. No, Muhammad. I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”
Muhammad stood, gave a little half bow and said he understood. Halfway to the door, he paused and turned, finger in the air, “It would be customary,” he began, “under circumstances such as this, for you to offer me something in order to assure my silence on the matter.”
“I told you, I don’t have what you’re looking for.” I held up the weapon so he could get a good view of it.
“All right, all right,” he said, “you don’t have to ask twice.”
Whatever. Muhammad went to the door, me on his heels, and opened it. Instead of stepping outside, however, he moved to the side. Two big guys with big guns shouldered their way into the hotel room. I was right there and the first one grabbed me with a hand so big, my wrist was a pencil in his grip. As he took my pistol, I kicked him in the shin but he didn’t flinch.
Muhammad closed the door and faced me. “Allow me to introduce my associates. “This is Mr. Right…”
The big assassin, Mr. Right, looked at me, said nothing.
“And this,” continued Muhammad, “is Mr. Wrong.”
Mr. Wrong was as big as Mr. Right and both looked equally cranky. Mr. Wrong was captivated by Kaliis. He stared at the alien, mouth agape. “What the hell is that?” he managed to ask.
Muhammad became animated and told Mr. Wrong, “You see? Just like I told you. It’s an alien.”
Kaliis stood erect in the devices attached to his arms and legs. The limbs were connected centrally by a spine of sorts and I knew he could lift a house from its foundations while wearing the gear. He had a blaster as well but kept it hidden.
“If you say so,” said Mr. Wrong, shifting his gaze from Kaliis to me. He had a crooked nose from a bar fight somewhere in his past and so he breathed through his mouth. “What I want to see are these diamonds I’ve been hearing about.” He looked from me to Kaliis and back again. “So where are they?”
“Like I told Muhammad,” I said, “I don’t have them anymore.”
Mr. Wrong leered at me and in that moment, I saw everything I did not like about the world outside the Folly. It was mean and vicious, and it bullied you with threats and pain and the very real prospect of death. And now, here it stood before me, personified, and I was allowing him to intimidate me and tell me what to do.
“Look, I don’t want to be rude, but I’ve had a killer day. I’m going to start a count.”
“What do you mean?” laughed Muhammad. “Count? Like your mother does to you?”
“Shut up!” bellowed Mr. Wrong. He turned to me and seemed to swell up twice his original size, which was pretty darn big already; so instead of beginning my count, like I had threatened to do, I thought about Riki and pulled out the .40 and shot him in the foot.
The retort from the gun was deafening in the enclosed space, stunning both Muhammad and Mr. Right. Mr. Wrong hit the deck like somebody had cut the string holding him up. He grabbed his boot with both hands and I saw where the bullet had entered on the top and when he rolled over, where it had exploded through the heavy rubber sole. It must have hurt somet
hing awful.
Mr. Right belatedly drew a bead on me interrupted by a chop from Kaliis’ mechanical arm. The thug dropped his pistol and took a swing at Kaliis that Kaliis blocked with a titanium forearm. Mr. Right slumped helpless against the dresser with two broken arms.
Muhammad stood with his back against the door, in his hand a small caliber firearm. When I told him to drop it, he didn’t hesitate and it hit the ancient carpet with a thud.
“What are you going to do with me?” he asked.
“Do you have a phone?”
“Yes. So?”
“Don’t be a moron. Call an ambulance for your friends.”
Mr. Right could no longer stand and he slid down the dresser until he sat upon the floor. He rested his broken forearms in his lap and I think he passed out after that. I remember one time when I fell out of the tall tree at the broken pyramid and I broke my arm. Liza said it was a green break and wrapped it up good for a couple of weeks. When it happened, I felt like I was going to faint, but I didn’t.
“And then what?”
“After?” I said, “You’re free to leave. Just don’t ever try us again. If you do, there’ll be a more final outcome next time. Okay?”
He nodded, pulled out his mobile and made the call. Mr. Wrong had gained some control over himself and was crawling to the door. I reached past Muhammad and opened it for him.
“I’d prefer if you boys waited outside for your ride.”
Because Mr. Right had passed out, Kaliis had to drag him to the stoop outside our door.
After the ambulance took Right and Wrong away, I checked the walk outside one last time before turning in for the night. Not once in the evening had the management of The Guest House made an appearance. Neither had any members of the Calgary police, if any such organization existed.
Across the wide avenue, however, were the three guys I had run into on the pier. They lounged on a bench, watching me watch them. They had apparently witnessed the ending of the aborted robbery. A feeling of dread crept over me until one of the three intentionally raised a hand in my direction. At first, I took it for a challenge. The three stood and began walking toward their pier, their home. The one who had waved turned a last time and gave a thumbs-up before hurrying to catch his friends.
That’s when I realized they weren’t challenging me; they were showing respect.
Chapter 20
Morning didn’t happen for me because I slept past noon. I don’t know what Kaliis did for the entire time, but when I finally came around enough to open my eyes, he was intently watching a muted 3D video on robots.
“Good morning.”
“Good afternoon.”
I was suddenly hungry and also concerned about Grandpaw. I got up, got dressed, told Kaliis what I intended to do, and asked him what he would like for breakfast.”
“And anything else you might need because I’m going to see about Grandpaw and you’ve got to remain here.” I looked at my pack and was torn whether to take it with me or leave it with Kaliis.
“Leave the diamonds,” said Kaliis. “I will guard them with my life.” He was serious too. But the alien wanted something for himself as well.
“I would like it if you would purchase beer for me.”
“But you need food.”
“Yes, that too please.”
I found a market nearby and gave them money for fruit and a form of rye bread Kaliis preferred. Additionally, I let a lady talk me into buying a liver and kidney pâté “for yer husband, sweetie, because they need an extra boost sometimes, you know what I mean?” I didn’t know what she meant but I bought the pâté anyway thinking Kaliis could spread it on his rye and wash it all down with beer brewed right there in Calgary.
Kaliis was still looking at robot videos when I returned with the groceries. He took a beer and unscrewed the top, then put it to his lips and drained it.
“Why are you so thirsty?”
“I’m not. I’m simply enjoying its delightful taste and basking in the slow absorption of low grade alcohol.” He sniffed at the pâté and smiled. “Now this is special, isn’t it?”
“I’m off to look after Grandpaw. Stay out of trouble.”
“There’s no trouble here,” he said.
Before I shut the door, I told Kaliis good-bye. Already absorbed by the video, the beer, and organ paste, Kaliis raised a hand in a half-hearted wave.
*
Now that I knew the route to the hospital, I didn’t need a cab. Calgary was the biggest city I’d ever visited except for New York City when I was three years old, so that doesn’t count, but anyway, Calgary wasn’t so big that I couldn’t walk across it and back in an hour. It was daylight and I felt relatively safe. Also, I guessed the hospital was no farther than fifteen minutes away by foot. Don’t ask me twice, I was on my way. No one paid me any mind, but along the route I looked for Muhammad and the other characters and was grateful when I turned the last corner to see the hospital without getting into more trouble.
The belligerent security guard was at the front desk chatting with the receptionist when I came in. He didn’t hassle me but I was asked to sign in, which I did. My last look at him before turning the corner was the good officer bending over the counter to copy my hand scrawled name.
Papaw had his cold face on when I entered the room. It only took a glance to understand why. He had two new roommates, one with two broken forearms and the other with a gunshot wound to his right foot. Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong were understandably sullen towards me but stopped short of any overt threats.
I helped Grandpaw to his feet and he remarked that he’d already been up and walking around. Although the leg was sore, it was sound, or so he assured me. Leaning against me, he said, “Let’s get out of here so we can talk.”
Grandpaw took his wallet from the bedside stand and limped out of the room with one massive hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sure they’ve got a wheelchair around here somewhere.”
Grandpaw waved off the thought of rolling instead of walking. “I don’t need it,” he informed me.
He led me to an outdoor patio with tables and chairs and we selected a spot away from the door and any prying ears. I told him about his two roommates and warned him that now they knew he was connected to me, there might be trouble. “They were looking for the diamonds,” I said and then went on to explain how they had come to know. Papaw was not as upset as I thought he would be. “Under the circumstances, you did fine. It can be a mean old world.”
At that point, Grandpaw sat on the bench he’d leaned on up until then. He stared at the ground a long moment and I wondered if he’d lost his train of thought.
I asked if there was something wrong but he didn’t answer me directly. I began to think he was more upset with me than he let on. In an effort to lighten the mood, I told him that Kaliis had developed a taste for beer.
“Don’t tell Liza,” he replied.
I gave him the details about Kaliis and the attempted robbery, but before I finished, he held up a hand, stopping me in mid-narrative.
“Something’s happened. I’m about to give you some unsettling news. Afterwards, you must remember we’re here on a job, it’s not a pleasure trip, and simply put, there’s just not any time to stop and cry. You’ve held up well on this trip. Look at us, we got flim-flammed and still got the diamonds. You’ve done a great job, kid.”
“What’s the bad news?”
Papaw rubbed his face with his hands and took a deep breath. “I called home. Your Uncle Pat wasn’t there but I spoke to Liza.”
“Is it the boys?” I asked. “Is it Toby or Riley?”
“No, no, the boys are fine. Phineas and Pat took Danny out looking for your lizard.”
“Did they find it?”
“Yes, they did, or maybe it found them.”
“Why? What happened?” I felt like holding my breath and I wanted to get it over and done. Give me the bad news because the dread of it makes me feel sick.
“
Danny is gone.”
“Gone? Like snatched? Or dead?”
“Yes on both counts. According to Liza, they trailed the critter to a jumble and got separated among the rocks. The lizard snatched the boy and got away without either Phineas or Pat getting a bead on it.”
“How do they know he’s dead?”
“There was enough blood and body parts remaining to read sign for a mortal wound.”
I knew what he meant. He was talking like a hunter, dispassionate, but dead on with the details, if you understood the idiom. Danny’s parents would bury their second son just as they had buried their first: because of the actions of a stalking lizard. Tears came to my eyes for Danny, his brother, his parents, and anyone who had ever been affected by the murderous intent of the killer reptiles.
“Danny was a good person,” I managed to say.
“Yes, he was. Liza says a service will be held day after tomorrow.”
“I wish we could be there.”
“I think we can make it,” Papaw said.
“What? That means we have to leave today.”
“Exactly.”
“But you’re not ready to travel.”
“So now you’re a doctor?”
I wiped my eyes. “No. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Believe me, Mandy, I’m fine. We have a situation back home, though, and we need to get back. Liza said Jonah has been out with his posse, poking around, and making it hard for Phineas to roam about freely. Worse still, that lizard is still alive. Pat told Liza it was a big black one. You were right.”
Grandpaw took my hand. “It’s a lot to handle, I know, but I need your help to get us out of here.”
“I’ll be all right.”
“That boy Danny was special to you, eh?”
“Oh, Papaw, you’re embarrassing me. Danny isn’t… wasn’t my boyfriend. He wanted to be and maybe he would have been, but…”
“Well,” said Grandpaw, “I sure am sorry. I promise you this, though, we’ll get that lizard if it’s the last thing we do.”
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