The Goldilocks Zone

by David D. Luxton

  I thought for a quick second. I was nervous, but I wasn’t sure how to say no. “I’ll call her right after I finish up here and see if she’s available.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she will be.” She tapped my knee and stood up. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  I went down to my pod and called Brenda right away.

  “Nadine invited you to the ranch on Sunday, for tea.”

  “For tea? Why?”

  “She made it sound like she wants to meet you in order to make amends with me. She knows we’ve been seeing each other.”

  “Make amends? She must have some other reason. Do you think I’ll be at risk going there? Are the culties going to attack me or something?”

  “I don’t think so. We can tell others you are here and if anything happens, you know, a…”

  “…deadman’s trigger, right. Do you want me to come?”

  “It’s up to you. You can say no.” I was still apprehensive about the meeting, fearing things might go bad if Brenda pressed with too many questions.

  “I’d like to meet her face to face and see what she has to say. When did she say she wants me there?”

  “This Sunday at two. We don’t want to give it away that we are on to them. The last thing we need to do now is poke the bear.”

  “No shit. I’ve got questions. She’s a lawyer and I’m pre law, remember? I know what I’m going to do.”

  “Maybe don’t eat any food she serves. There could be nanobots in it.”

  “Should I bring something? Something to eat or a gift?”

  “The gesture would be nice. No meat, though. They’re vegetarians.”

  “I’ll figure something out. I’ll meet you there then, on Sunday at two.”

  On Sunday afternoon, Brenda arrived at two in a skirt and blouse, her hair curled and flowing, with a plate of shortbread cookies she’d made the night before. I was too nervous to hug her. I was certain we were being watched.

  “Are you sure about this meeting?” I asked again as we headed to the house.

  “I came all the way out here, didn’t I? I’m sure.”

  “Remember, don’t…”

  “…poke the bear, I know. Relax, Ben,” she said as we passed the giant tent and newly constructed Learning Center. A pair of Nadine’s horses ambled up to the fence to watch us.

  “Beautiful horses,” Brenda said, “expensive too.”

  From the main house, we caught a glimpse of the metal shipping container huts in the hollow. “Are you going to show me your pod afterwards?” she asked, half smirking.

  “I’m sure Nadine would love that.”

  Nadine met us at the door. “So you must be Brenda,” she smiled, her country twang in full swing.

  Brenda presented her cookies. “Shortbread. My grandmother’s recipe.”

  “They look delicious, so nice of you.”

  In the living room, Brenda and I sat together on the sofa with Nadine across from us in a large leather chair. On the coffee table was a silver tray and a teapot of steeping Earl Gray tea, three cups, and a platter of apple fritters, to which Brenda added her shortbread cookies. I felt like I was bringing my first girlfriend home to meet my mother.

  “So sorry Daniel can’t be here to join us. He’s busy working on some very important things right now. No grass growing under the feet of that one.”

  “Thank you for inviting me,” Brenda said in calm tone.

  “So tell me, how did you two meet?”

  “We met at Ramblin’ Joe’s when I first came out here,” I said.

  “Do you enjoy working there, Brenda?”

  “It’s okay, I suppose. Just temporary.”

  “Going back to college soon?”

  “Yes, in the spring.”

  “At Montana State, I presume?”

  “Yes. They have a good pre-law program.”

  Nadine smiled. “And affordable. So you want to be a lawyer?”

  “Yes,” Brenda said, returning the smile. “You went to Harvard, didn’t you? Must have been expensive.”

  I gave Brenda a quick eye. Watch it!

  “You know my educational background? Yes, Harvard. An Ivy League education isn’t cheap, but it helps when running a major not-for-profit like our foundation.” She began to pour. “How do you take your tea, dear?”

  “Straight is fine,” Brenda said.

  Nadine poured out tea and set the teapot down. “Apple fritter?”

  “Yes. Thank you,” Brenda said, taking one onto a plate.

  “How about you, Ben?”

  “Sure.” I took one and nibbled on it, knowing I was going to have to hit the ex-lax later.

  Nadine sipped her tea. “I’m terribly sorry about what happened to your aunt, Brenda, you must have been devastated. And those young children. Bless them.”

  Brenda nodded. “Yes, it’s been difficult for my entire family, especially my uncle. What do you know about my Aunt Sally’s death?”

  “Just what has been in the news. She was killed by that terrible man who escaped from the penitentiary. God rest her soul.”

  “Did you ever meet my Aunt Sally?”

  Please don’t go there, I thought. I could feel the rising tension in the room.

  “No, but Daniel talked with her on the phone once. Your aunt wanted to do a story on alien contact and our Foundation. Did you see her story?”

  “Yes. I’m not absolutely sure she was killed by the convict. Couldn’t it have been someone else?”

  I felt the tension about to break.

  Nadine stared at Brenda. “Who else could it have been? The police did a thorough investigation, especially the FBI. If we can’t trust them then who can we trust?”

  Brenda held her ground. “He couldn’t have killed her. He wasn’t even in the state at the time. I did a public records request.”

  Nadine glanced at me. “But why would the police make up a story like that?”

  “Maybe a cover up?” Brenda said, sipping her tea.

  Nadine chuckled. “A cover up? My dear, I’m sure that the FBI knows what they are doing. What are you insinuating?”

  “I’m not insinuating anything. We’re just talking about some discrepancies in what the public was told.”

  “What do you mean by discrepancies?”

  “Beside the Department of Corrections report, wasn’t it odd that Aunt Sally was found on the edge of your property?”

  Nadine shrugged. “We have curious people trying to sneak in all of the time to watch the viewing events. I can’t say whether she was ever on our land or not. We have over 175 acres here. What I do know is that the location of her…well, she was on federal Reservation land. That’s why the FBI is involved, isn’t it?”

  Brenda’s was becoming upset. It was time for me to speak up.

  “This is a difficult topic for everyone,” I said. “Brenda just wants to know more of the details that the media and official documents didn’t cover.”

  Nadine glanced at me, then back at Brenda. “I don’t blame you, Brenda. The media did a piss poor job of reporting.”

  But Brenda wasn’t done. “You said your husband only talked to my Aunt Sally once on the phone. Are you sure they didn’t meet in person?”

  Nadine stiffened slightly, no doubt realizing that Brenda was interrogating her. “We share everything.”

  “Someone in town said they’d been seen together at Bigfoot Java.”

  “Who said that?”

  “Someone who works there. They said they were seen more than once.”

  “Are you sure about that? Daniel has meetings with editors and reporters all the time. I’m sure that is who he may have been seen with. Who at Bigfoot Java told you this?”

  “I should stop,” Brenda said. “I’m just trying to figure out what was going on before she was killed.”

  Nadine relaxed a little. “Darling, you’ve every right to be searching for answers. It’s such an unfortunate and horrible tragedy. It must be so confusing for you.” Nadine glan
ced out the double bay window, then back to Brenda. “Do you like horses, Brenda?”

  “Yes. I suppose so.”

  “I love watching them run free in the pastures here. Powerful, beautiful, and so smart. I ride year-round.” She smiled at Brenda. “Would you like to come out for a ride sometime?”

  “That’s nice for you to offer,” Brenda said, “but I thought aliens are supposed to be coming here any day now. Isn’t that going to change a few things for everyone?”

  Nadine smiled. “Daniel’s working on it. Just because our world is about to change doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t enjoy simple things while we can. What kind of world would we be in if you weren’t allowed to do any of the things you are passionate about?”

  “But if they’re coming to do harm, control the planet or something…”

  “I’m more than confident that Daniel will lead us out from under alien threat and preserve our rights as inhabitants of this beautiful planet.” She looked at me. “Ben too has confidence in Daniel—don’t you, Ben?”

  “Absolutely,” I said.

  We talked a while longer until Nadine’s large yawn. “Oh my, excuse me. I feel like a Sunday afternoon nap.”

  “I guess I should be going then,” Brenda said, “thank you for the tea.”

  “My pleasure, and thank you for the cookies. Any friend of Ben is a friend of ours.”

  We all stood up.

  “I’m going to walk Brenda to her car, if that’s okay,” I asked.

  “Well of course it is. Such a gentleman you are,” Nadine said.

  I walked Brenda to her Jeep Cherokee.

  “She knew about Aunt Sally and Daniel. I guarantee it,” Brenda said.

  “Are you sure? How do you know?”

  “I just do. Call it woman’s intuition. She’s covering for him and she’s got him wrapped around her finger. I wonder what else you’ll find when you look through her files, maybe credit card statements or something.” She shook her head. “And those were definitely colored contact lenses and that was a fake country accent if I’ve ever heard one.”

  Her comment about Daniel around Nadine’s her finger gave me a thought. “Maybe Nadine is Daniel’s handler. That was a thing in MKULTRA you know. Someone would be the handler of the mind-controlled person, and the handler would be mind-controlled too—a pyramid of handlers controlling victims handling more victims.”

  “So you think The Congressman Young or someone else with black project ties is handling Nadine?”

  “Maybe. I’ll look for evidence and take a photo if I come across anything. Okay?”

  She nodded. “She didn’t even try my cookies.”

  “I hope she doesn’t give me a hard time about the sit down. Text when get home, okay?”

  “Sure,” she said, “I’ll see your pod next time, all right?”

  I watched her drive away, then started back to my pod when I heard Nadine call my name. I walked toward the doorstep. “Yes, Nadine?”

  She handed me my unfinished apple fritter on a napkin. “Don’t let this go to waste, and after dinner, go see if Daniel needs help with press releases. Don’t let him do all the work.”

  “I will, thank you,” I said, nibbling at the fritter. While heading down the trail, I tossed the rest of the fritter into the bushes.

  36: Last Supper

  I reported to the Byrnes for Thanksgiving dinner at five-thirty. Mike and Chester were there, along with Mr. Petulli and Mark Brunsky the filmmaker. A large presentation easel was setup in a corner, cloaked by a cover. I assumed it had something to do with planning for the Proximian arrival event.

  I sat between Chester and Mr. Petulli for the vegetarian dinner of Tofurkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, and the wine I picked up at Costco a few weeks prior. When we finished the main course, Daniel wiped his mouth with a napkin, tapped his wine glass for attention, and then stood. “My friends, in less than thirty days, the Proximians will be here in the Valley of the Moon. It will be the biggest day of my life, and the most important day ever for all of mankind. I want you to know how much I love each of you.” He looked at everyone in the room in turn, resting his eyes on me for an uncomfortable moment, and finally his wife. Tears formed in his eyes. “You are my family, and I want to let each of you know how important you are to me.”

  Nadine clutched her hands over her chest and looked at him with doting eyes.

  Daniel cleared his throat. “Nadine, the love of my life. Ever since we met in law school, you’ve been the apple of my eye. Thank you for guiding and supporting me over the years.”

  Nadine smiled and wiped a tear.

  I felt nauseous.

  “And Mr. Petulli, your support has made this foundation what it is today. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you.”

  Petulli responded with an expressionless, subtle nod.

  “And Mike, you’ve been my rock by my side. We’ve traveled the world together, from the South American rain forests to Europe and the Hawaiian Isles. Your dedication and commitment have been unwavering. Thank you, my friend.”

  Mike raised his wine glass to Daniel.

  “And Chester, you’ve been a great addition to our family. You’ve been through so much, and I believe, with the bottom of my heart, that it was destiny for you to come and work with us at the Foundation.”

  Chester rendered a salute.

  Daniel saluted back then looked at me. “And Ben, I’m so glad you came to us, both times. Your journalism and social media skills have helped us get our message out to the masses in ways we could not have done on our own. It means so much to me that you are here now for this historic event.”

  The unsettled feeling in my stomach worsened. I felt like it was the Last Supper, only with Tofurkey and Costco Chardonnay.

  Daniel got up and went to the demonstration easel. “We have a lot of work to do to prepare for the arrival in three weeks.” He flipped the first page to a hand drawn map of the compound with a hexagon in the south field. He pointed to it. “This is where our visitors will arrive.” He moved his finger east. “Here is where our guests will be, including select members of the press.” He then pointed to the edges of the map, drawing a perimeter with his finger. “We are going to set up some surveillance cameras, and Mike, assisted by Chester, will lead security and keep the inner parameter clear of unwanted guests. We don’t need another flash mob showing up. I’ve already arranged for additional security just in case.”

  “Copy,” Mike said. Chester leveled his eyes on me. “What about him?”

  “Ben will be in charge of social media leading up to and after the event, and he can assist with camera setup. We’ll have our digital cameras on batteries, too, just in case we lose power or Internet.” He moved his finger up on the map. “And Mark, here is where it may be best for you and your crew to be. Ben, I need you to focus in on the craft and me when it first appears. Mark will get the wide shots for the documentary. We had to scratch the drone shots: the Proximians don’t want anything in the sky.” He then pointed to a spot next to the hexagram. “This section will be for our VIPs.” He smiled, looking at Mr. Petulli and Nadine. “We are expecting the Governor to join us. We only have a month to prepare, so we’ll need everyone’s head in the game.”

  “We are with you, Daniel,” Mike said.

  “You know it,” Nadine said.

  “Good,” Daniel said, “any questions?”

  “I’ve got one,” I announced. “How much press are we inviting?”

  “A select few, using the lottery system. We want only the best,” Daniel said.

  “And the Proximians will be okay with them and everyone else being here?”

  “Oh yes,” Daniel said, “as long as everyone stays in their designated area and keep electronic devices off. I suggested to the Proximians that it would be important to have the media present to assure the public it is all real—Oh, that reminds me. I’ve drafted a program for the event. Ben, I’ll want you to review it for me.
”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Now, let’s all meditate,” Daniel continued. “May the cosmic power entrusted in me empower me to communicate with the Proximians, let them know that we mean them no harm, and that they should mean us no harm. Our hearts our open to them, as we are wrapped in the same cosmic destiny. Our fate is their fate, and their fate is ours. Let us work together in unity.”

  Daniel opened his eyes and thanked each of us for coming to the dinner. He hugged and kissed each of us on the cheek as we exited. He placed his hand over one side of his mouth. A toothache? He stopped me at the door and handed me a stack of pages stapled together. “Read through it and give me a good copy edit. Okay? Then, help me to get it formatted in that program you use?”

  “Microsoft Publisher, no problem,” I said. “What’s with this?” I gestured to my jaw.

  “Oh, just a filling that’s come loose. I need to get it taken care of.” He smiled. “Let me know when you are done with the program.”

  That evening while in bed, I flipped through the pages of the program draft. The first section described the Proxima Foundation and Daniel’s story, highlighting his accomplishments towards alien disclosure and contact with the Proximians. The next section described the Proximians, where they were from, their history, and what they likely wanted from us and our planet. The third and final section described a list of dos and don’ts during the arrival, with special instructions for the press corps. Daniel had spent hours on the program, and he was obviously confident that the Proximians were arriving on Winter Solstice. If this was a mind control operation, the event was going to be one brazen and risky experiment with all of the press and other witnesses on site. If this wasn’t about group hallucination mind control, and an alien race was actually coming to the ranch, it would undoubtedly be the most important event in modern history. If neither happened, it would be the biggest farce of the century.

  37: Quan Yin

  The opportunity to search Nadine’s private office came on Wednesday when Nadine and Daniel went into town—Nadine for her monthly Botox and collagen refresh, and Daniel for the dentist. Mike and Chester asked if I was going to join them in the gym. I told them I had some urgent social media announcements to attend to. They seemed to buy it. I estimated they’d be working out for at least forty-five minutes, and if they used the sauna, I’d have an hour. I’d have longer if they smoked a joint afterwards.