Alien in the House

Chapter 80



“IT SO FIGURES.”

Heard someone talking in the background. “My cousin says that the police are on their way to a potential suicide. Are they headed to wherever you are?”

“Yes, and it wasn’t suicide. It was murder.”

“So you said. Murder and assassination are not the same. The end result is the same, but the motivations are normally very different.”

“Yeah, I know. Need the truth again—have you or your cousin been killing off members of the House of Representatives in ways that look natural or like accidents?”

“No. We have been working outside of the United States for the past many months. Because of your good advice.”

“Okay. Good.” Logic said the Dingo could be lying outrageously. But I knew he wasn’t. The only reason I could give for why was that ACE always said that I thought right, and my thoughts confirmed that the Dingo wasn’t willing to sully himself by lying to me, whether out of honor or pride or a combination of both.

Of course, thinking of this meant I was thinking of ACE. But there was no answering “think” in my mind. I missed ACE. A lot. And not only because if ACE were around I could ask him what was going on and get a clue. “I don’t know what to do to stop this.”

The Dingo was quiet for a few moments. “If you look at the facts, and when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

“Sherlock Holmes said that.”

“Yes.”

“You’re a fan?”

“Very much so, yes. You don’t believe people in my business read for pleasure?” He sounded amused.

“No, I’m just sort of thrilled at the moment. Because I need help. And despite what every single person I know would tell me to do, I need to meet with you and tell you what’s going on.”

“Why?”

“Because I think I need Sherlock Holmes. Chuckie’s the Conspiracy King. I’m Megalomaniac Girl. We know there’s a conspiracy at work, and we know the person behind it is a megalomaniac. I think we even know the why it’s all happening, or at least a lot of the why. But the who is escaping us, and we’re running out of time.”

Speaking of which, sirens were in the distance and coming closer. I was going to need to get off the phone soon.

“Ah, I hear that you have company coming.”

“You’re good. Or you’re close by.”

“I am both.”

“Did you see who shoved Edmund Brewer off the rooftop?”

“Perhaps. Meet me in the cemetery, where we met before. Ten o’clock tonight. Don’t be late. Come alone.”

“You know no one’s going to let me sneak out by myself, especially not now. And, let’s be honest, it’s sort of a stupid move to meet the two best assassins in the business in a cemetery at any time, let alone late at night.”

“I do not wish to have someone attempt heroics.”

“Noted. I’ll ensure that whoever I bring with me is in agreement that we’re coming to you for help, not to make an arrest. Deal?”

He was quiet for another few moments. The sirens got a lot louder. “I should not trust you, but I do. I accept your terms. I will see you tonight, Miss Katt.” He hung up and I dropped the burner back into my purse and closed it up.

So, the Dingo and I were in agreement that we shouldn’t trust each other but did. Couldn’t wait to share that with the people I was going to take to the cemetery with me tonight. They weren’t going to be my husband or either of my best guy friends, so I had a hope that they wouldn’t yell at me.

White and Raj returned. They beat the police cars by seconds, but by enough that the officers wouldn’t realize they’d just come back from an excursion.

“We found them,” Raj said in a low voice, while White went to greet the police and Len and Kyle went to help Jeff and Nathalie up off the ground. “They were all in some big trash cans nearby.” His voice shook. “All dead. Necks broken.”

“It’s official—Clarence Valentino is alive and somehow well and he is here.”

“I agree. So does Former Pontifex White.”

“We all prefer first names, Raj.”

“Right now, I prefer titles, Ambassador,” he said as the cops approached us. “Please allow me to do the talking.”

“Why?”

“Because, in this case, I’m going to be better at it.”