“I beg your pardon,” the mortician’s tried to act confused, but Frost caught the sweep of apprehension as it flitted across his face ever so quickly.
“You didn’t do your homework on me.” The ARA’s face turned to stone. “See, I used to work for the Space Authority. I won’t go into the gory details … but to make a long story short, I did investigative work. You get where I’m going?”
“No … I don’t think I do, sir.” However, the look on the man’s face told Frost just the opposite. He understood completely. He hadn’t thought the morbid old bastard could’ve gotten any paler. He was wrong.
“After many consumer complaints, we looked into some schemes very similar to the one you’re proposing to me right now. Would you like to know what we found out?”
“Sir, I don’t know where this is going …”
Frost continued his narrative unabated, “We found out that ninety-nine percent of these canisters never made it into space. They just got chucked in the garbage. And the video that people got … well, it was just the same video sent over and over and over.”
“Let me assure you, Mister Frost, that we are above reproach when it comes to our business practices,” the man replied, the soured look still twisting his sallow visage.
“Good!” Frost smiled, but his eyes were cold and deadly. “Cuz I’m going to take you up on your offer. Cain had no home, no family. An Authority gunboat was his home for twenty years. So this seems only fitting. But lets me and you be clear. If I ever find out you double-crossed me, it’ll be you some ghoulish funeral director tosses in the trash. I’ll see to that personally. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes, sir.” The man was used to dealing with death, but he wasn’t used to dealing with people like Frost; people who dealt death whenever they felt it justified. He certainly had no doubt the man meant what he said.
“Good! My man Cee Tee here will take care of the details later. If there isn’t anything else … get out!”
The look of disgust on Frost’s face left the man with no illusions of the ARA’s true feelings. He scrambled toward the door as if the building were on fire. It was all Cee Tee could do to keep from belly laughing.
“My, but it’s good to see your incapacitation did nothing to affect your charming demeanor,” he chuckled.
“Cut the shit!” Frost growled irritably. “What’s taking so long? I need to get outta here and get back on the job! And where’s my Lunarol?”
“You know how these hospitals work … nobody’s in a hurry to do anything.”
“Yeah, Heaven forbid, I was actually dying.” He rubbed his head again. The headache was now just a dull, aching throb. “Gimme a status report.”
“Your man in New York called to wish you a ‘Get Well Soon.’ He wanted to remind you that your reinforcements are arriving today, and he hopes there would be no … how did he put it … rush to judgment.”
“Jesus, I’m already warm and fuzzy inside now,” Frost snarled. “These must really be some winners!”
“He also wants you to offer Thomas a bribe to give up the vixen.”
“Typical corporate ass wart. He thinks every man has a price. Men like Thomas don’t sell out. They have … principles.” That last word rolled off his tongue as if he were spitting out a rancid piece of meat. Yet, Cee Tee thought he detected a speck of grudging admiration.
“Well, we’re going to have to find him first. He disappeared off the grid. No PDC, no vehicle to track … the ZiPs aren’t sharing any intel about known acquaintances.”
“That’s a direct violation of the Act,” Frost fumed. “They’re required to share any information they have by law.”
Cee Tee shrugged, “Tell that to Special Asshole Burlington. He says he doesn’t have to share anything on a fugitive that officially doesn’t exist. You know, he has got a hard-on for you.”
“Pretentious prick!” Frost’s face turned red with rage, and his headache spiked again. “He’s gonna seriously piss me off one day!”
“Oh, and you’re gonna love this! As for acquaintances … we got one right here in this hospital just a few floors up.”
“What?”
“Thomas’ hacker buddy was injured last night. He’s up in ICU in a medically induced coma.”
“He would have all we need.”
“Yeah, even in a coma, you could do a brain drain,” Cee Tee acknowledged. “It might kill him, but what do we care?”
“World won’t miss one less two-bit loser hacker.”
“Problem is they have him under heavy guard. SWAT team. Burlington and his Ex Oh are the only ones allowed in.” Cee Tee shook his head and laughed. “He really is a pretentious prick. You just don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s fucking his Ex Oh. That pretty little piece of tight ass that’s always with him.”
“How do you know?”
“Please! It’s obvious if you pay attention. My C.O. in the Guard was notorious for bedding his admin assistants. I could always tell who he was fucking, who he’d broke it off with, and who he was working on to be the next in line.”
Frost rubbed the day-old stubble on his face thoughtfully. “Hmmmm. Interesting. Interesting, indeed.”
“What about those hillbillies?” Cee Tee asked. “You think they’re gonna give us any more shit?”
Frost looked to the man, a blank, reptilian look in his eyes. “I don’t like looking over my shoulder, do you?”
“Nope.”
“Time for the Tuttles to go away and leave us in peace … once and for all.”
***
The Carter household had awakened to a morning of emotions as diverse as the colors of the marshmallows in Brittain’s favorite cereal. Joy, curiosity, amazement and childish delight mixed with sadness, regret and a sense of loss.
In her bedroom, Lulah’s daughter was leading Amber through a childhood she’d never had. Tiger was amazed at the vixen’s almost instantaneous transformation from oversexed seductress to sweet and innocent angel. Moreover, it didn’t seem
