Alibi Jones

by Mike Luoma

Chapter Thirteen

  Alibi contacts his Aunt Anita from the bridge of the Cruiser.

  "We've got the proof you wanted," he tells her.

  "We'll see. We'll discuss it over dinner," she says. She agrees to see him and his companions and hear their report at her apartment.

  Food arrives at Anita's place right after Alibi, Piccolo, Kit and Katie do. Anita called the Ceres Central commissary after getting off the com with them to arrange for delivery.

  As they feast on a full spread of meat, vegetables and tubers, Alibi shows his aunt the pictures and the footage they took of the Eldred and Masakov. He hold off on some of the footage, saving the worst for after they finish eating.

  "We need to send at least a squadron of ships in," Alibi tells her after he finishes. "Can you get them to send SAIF ships back to the planetoid to collect evidence? Maybe have some folks from The Project go through the lab and the hangar?"

  "Alibi, honey, you know I love you," she says, trying to figure out how to say what she feels she needs to say. "Despite what you think you've seen, I don't think we're seeing the return of the Eldred. There has to be another explanation," Anita protests.

  "If I was some random member of SAIF coming back to report something like this, would you believe me then?" he asks, pushing back at her.

  "If you were 'some random member of SAIF' I don't think you'd be talking to me at all," she answers matter-of-factly.

  "Point taken," Alibi concedes. "Not like this. But you'd get a report eventually," he presses. Anita shakes her head.

  "I don't know," she says. "I mean, they do look like them, sort of. How did you find this planetoid, again?"

  "We went where Dr. Krish said we'd find them based on a... well, a vision. I saw something when I touched part of what he said was an Eldred ship."

  "Wait... You dragged Krish into this?" she accuses. "Oh, Alibi..." Then the rest of what Alibi said sinks in. "Wait... you had a 'vision'? Of what? You're kidding me, right?"

  "I got an 'impression' from the metal. That's what Krish called it," he explains. "He said it reminded him of... of my father."

  The mention of BC brings the conversation to a screeching halt. Anita looks at Alibi intently for a few seconds, then looks away. He continues anyway.

  "We went to the place I saw in my vision, the planetoid that we just left. Krish helped us find it," Alibi tells her. "And that's where we found this guy Masakov or Ashumeth or whatever his name is. We found his lab and a huge underground hangar where the Eldred ship was kept. We found kidnapped human prisoners, and the human and Eldred victims of horrible experiments. The man was a brutal butcher!"

  "I just saw footage," she points out. "Humans dissected like that." She grimaces at the thought. "Maybe he was somehow animating the Eldred corpses? I don't know... maybe he was growing new ones?" she offers. "But how? And how would they stay alive, without an Ancient Enemy around?" She asks questions to which no one has the answers.

  Anita is momentarily struck silent by the thought of the return of the Ancient Enemy.

  "What about the SAIF forces you called in? Did they see them?" Anita asks after a short silence.

  "I don't think they saw the Eldred. We left before the SAIF ships landed, but their report said they went right to the hangar where the victims were. They would have seen the Eldred ship, I guess. Can't be sure they saw any actual Eldred. They didn't include anything in the report. They evacuated those survivors we found and left immediately," Alibi says. "Guess they didn't want to antagonize the Tek'Tah fleet that showed up."

  "Oh," Anita says, surprised. "The Tek'Tah are tied up in this, too?"

  "Somehow," Alibi tells her. "We think they're supporting Masakov."

  Anita shakes her head again as she struggles to process information that doesn't make sense to her. She paces across her living room, wringing her hands.

  "I've gotta think about all this," she says, finally. "Let me try to wrap my head around it all tonight. I'm going to sleep on it."

  "They were really there, Aunt Anita," Alibi insists, pressing his case. "Eldred. This guy Masakov must have found a way to bring them back. Or maybe he found some that didn't die."

  "I know what you're saying, Alibi, I just don't see how..." she trails off as Alibi calls up pictures of the Eldred from his Wand and projects them over the table. She looks at the images. "They... they look like Eldred. Kind of. They look... more feral, untamed."

  "Vicious is the word you're looking for," Alibi tells her. "These Eldred don't seem to have much intelligence. They're just mean."

  "There's just no way these are Eldred, Alibi. There's no way this Dimitri Masakov could have 'brought them back', not given the file we have on him. I've been looking that over since you sent the inquiry in."

  Alibi looks surprised.

  "They keep me informed, Al, especially when you go off the grid," she explains. "When you call in from contested space looking for information, they tell me what you're looking for and usually copy me on the reply. I read up on Masakov. He was far too small time to have developed anything on this scale. He has no medical background whatsoever. I don't know what he was doing with those machines, but there's no way he was the one doing the experiments."

  Alibi tries not to lose his temper.

  It's always the same thing with Aunt Anita! Always looking over my shoulder, but never believing me. She always resists. With her, I can never be right.

  "M'Bekke has been trying to reach you," she tells Alibi. "He tells me you've missed a couple of mediation assignments he had for you."

  "I've been busy," he says barely hiding his exasperation. "Why? Were you talking about me?"

  "Just in passing," she says. "He was asking where you were."

  "What did you tell him?"

  "I told him you were off chasing ghosts."

  "Great. I'll call him in the morning," Alibi says.

  "And what about you? Kit, wasn't it?"

  "Yes, Ma'am," the Dakhur purrs.

  "You've been awfully quiet this time," Anita says, pressing him.

  "You do not seem to be any more inclined to believe that there are living Eldred out there than you were before, despite the additional evidence presented to you," Kit points out. "There did not seem to be any point to me trying to convince you."

  "I see. And who are you two?" Anita asks Piccolo and Katie.

  "Coy Piccolo."

  "Katerina Ramsey."

  "What do you two have to do with this?"

  "It's a long story," Alibi says, breaking in and coming to their rescue before any more can be said. Both Piccolo and Katie look relieved at not having to answer the woman. "I'll tell you more later, Aunt Anita, I promise. Like you said, it's a lot to wrap your head around. It's late. Can we meet again in the morning?"

  "Sure, Alibi," she agrees.

  "Whether or not you believe me about the Eldred... We really should send a SAIF expedition back to that planetoid," he says.

  "We'll see," she says. "Well. More in the morning, then."

  The conversation is over as Anita gets up and leaves the room.

  "Well, then," Alibi says. He sighs and gets up, letting the others know their visit is over. "I guess we'll be going." He raises his voice so his aunt can hear him in the next room. "I'll swing by in the morning so we can talk. Goodnight, Aunt Anita."

  "Goodnight, Ali," she says, leaning back into the room.

  The four turn and leave, heading down the hall to Alibi's rooms.

  "Ali?" Katie asks with a hint of a tease in her voice.

  "It's what she used to call me as a little kid."

  "Aw, that's so sweet," Piccolo says with his usual sarcasm.

  "I don't know. She's reminding me I'm still just a kid to her," Alibi scowls. He almost walks past his apartment door. "Aw, hey, here we are."

  Alibi has a small apartment on Ceres Central for when he visits.

  "You can stay in the bedroom, Katie," Alibi tells the girl.

  "Great. Thanks, I gu
ess, but," she starts to protest.

  "We'll work more on your case tomorrow," Alibi says, cutting her off with his reassurance. "I promise." He turns to the other two. "I'm claiming the couch out here. Kit, Piccolo, you're welcome to the floor..." Alibi offers.

  "Thanks!" Piccolo says, sounding relieved to have a place to stay.

  "I will stay at a hotel," Kit demurs. "But thank you for your offer of, er, hospitality," the alien purrs. "I will see you again tomorrow morning. Goodnight." He nods a small bow and leaves the apartment.

  Alibi goes into the bedroom and gets spare blankets and pillows for him and Piccolo. Katie follows him in.

  "So... I can stay here? Tonight?" she asks.

  "Yeah," Alibi says. "Piccolo will be out here where I can keep my eye on him. Plus, the bedroom door locks from the inside. You'll be fine."

  She smiles at him.

  Heh. She is kind of cute.

  "Thanks."

  He leaves her in the bedroom and walks back out to give Piccolo a pillow and blanket. The bedroom door clicks closed and locks behind him.

  "You're gonna leave her alone, right?" Alibi challenges the man.

  "Right," Piccolo says, not making eye contact. He tosses the blanket down on the floor. Alibi sits on the couch, but he realizes he can't sleep.

  "You know, Piccolo? I can't sleep," Alibi says. "Do you want to go get something to drink?"

  "Nah. Wanna sleep," the man on the floor says.

  Alibi figures Katie will be fine locked in the bedroom, so he leaves his rooms and heads to the public sector to find a bar and a drink.

  "Hey," he says to the bartender. "Could I get a Stout?" His pint arrives. Alibi thinks through recent events as he sips his brew.

  What good does it do me having Aunt Anita's ear if she doesn't listen to me?

  "Hey," he hears in his ear as Katie appears at his shoulder, startling him. "Found you! I couldn't sleep either."

  "I thought you were worried about Piccolo," he says to her, covering his surprise with a hint of anger.

  "I came to find you," she says sharply, returning his ire. "Thought I'd be safe with you. Maybe I was wrong!" she says, a verbal slap back at Alibi.

  "Sorry," he apologizes, feeling chagrined. "Let's start again," he suggests, changing his tone. "You want something to drink?" he offers, trying to sound warmer.

  "Uh, sure. What are you drinking?"

  "Stout. Want one?"

  "Sure."

  Alibi gets her a drink. The two of them sip their beers in silence for a few minutes, until Katie decides to talk.

  "My dad got into some trouble with Rene Laveillur,"she tells Alibi.

  "Yeah, I kinda figured it was something like that," Alibi answers. "There's usually a reason someone sics a bounty hunter on you."

  "Piccolo? Calling him a 'bounty hunter' is a compliment, really. He's just one of Laveillur's lap dogs. One of Peterson's men," she says, hate filling her voice. "He said he was my brother?"

  "Yup. Told us he was 'after his sister, snatched by the Tek'Tah.' Had us convinced, really. Didn't think to wonder if he was telling the truth or not," Alibi admits.

  "Oh," she says. "I guess that makes sense. Why would you?" She grabs some peanuts from the bowl on the bar. "How'd you hook up with the cat man?" she asks past a mouthful of peanuts.

  "Met him in a Tek'Tah cell, same place I met Piccolo," he tells her. "The three of us had kind of similar goals. Although I'm not entirely sure why Kit's still hanging with us. He said he wanted to see this through, help solve the mystery. I think he likes the excitement."

  "So... You were trying to find that lady... the one on the table?" she asks softly.

  "Yeah," he answers even softer.

  "Who was she?"

  "An old teacher of mine," he answers, but he gets prickly. "Look, I don't really want to talk about..."

  "Sorry," she says quickly, waving her arms, stopping him. "You, uh... You kind of saved my life. I'm not trying to upset you!"

  "Sorry," Alibi apologizes. "I've got a lot on my mind. And I'm pissed at my Aunt Anita. She's just being stubborn!"

  "So, you get it from her, then?" Katie jokes.

  "Heh," Alibi chuckles, laughing at himself. "I do," he says, shaking his head. "I really do!" He laughs.

  "That's better!" Katie says. "I like hearing you laugh. You're kind of serious."

  "Serious? Me?" Alibi demurs. "I don't think..."

  "I haven't known you that long, but... you seem kind of serious to me," she insists.

  "Well, let's see... I was rescuing you from a maniac who was cutting people and aliens up and experimenting on them. I had to stop you from killing Piccolo... there have been reasons to be 'serious' as you describe me," he says in his own defense.

  "You've got a point," she says. "So why are you still so serious now?"

  He looks at her and tries to smile.

  "I'm not. I'm having a blast," he says sarcastically. He grins an idiotic grin.

  "Yeah, you're a wild man." she says, meeting his sarcasm. "How about another round?" she asks him.

  "Already?" Alibi responds, looking from his half full pint glass to her empty one. "Fine." He orders two more pints and drains his while they're waiting.

  "You seem pretty serious, too," he says to her. "Not that you don't have a right to be."

  "Well," she says, but she stops and stares into her glass. "Yeah."

  "You don't have to..." Alibi starts to let her off the hook but she continues.

  "My mom and dad are still there, you know?" she says softly, almost too soft for Alibi to hear. "They're still on Laveillur's world. On Kismet. My dad," she says, but stops again. She sips her pint before starting again. "My dad owes him a ton of money. Millions. Gambling. He put..." She stops. She shakes as a sob ripples through her. She looks up at Alibi, her eyes welling with tears. "He put me up as collateral."

  "What the fuck?" Alibi blurts out, outraged. "That's illegal! He can't do that!"

  "Illegal? Where? The Solar Alliance?" she asks with an ironic laugh. "Kismet's not part of the Solar Alliance."

  "That's slavery! You can't own people!"

  "Laveillur owns a lot of people," Katie breaks it to him. "My dad put my mom, and then himself up as collateral after me, to try to win me back. He lost. He lost it all. Now Laveillur owns him, too."

  "And I'm sure Laveillur's games are completely legit, too," Alibi cracks. "I bet you can really win your way out of that!"

  "Did you just say 'bet'?"

  "Sorry. No pun intended."

  "There's nobody big enough to challenge Laveillur on that," Katie says dejectedly. "On anything."

  "Oh really?" Alibi says with some bravado. "Slavery is illegal in the Solar Alliance. Laveillur's claim on you is illegal in the S.A. If Piccolo were to grab you, it would be illegal. Kidnapping!"

  "That supposed to reassure me?" she asks with attitude. "Laveillur's claim is legit in some eyes," she argues.

  "Not in mine," he says, looking her straight on. Their eyes lock, briefly, before they both look away.

  What was that?

  Katie changes the subject, lifting her empty glass. "More beer?"

  "Sure," Alibi agrees, although he has to gulp down most of the pint to keep up with Katie.

  "Two more?" she shouts at the bartender.

  "So. Your father has a gambling problem, huh?" Alibi says awkwardly as they wait. Katie just stares at him, glares at him, until she breaks up and giggles.

  "What?" Alibi protests.

  "That SO understates the situation! 'A gambling problem'! Figures. I finally get a hero and he's kind of a weenie!"

  "Oh, come on!" he protests. "Wait a sec... you just call me your hero?"

  "Well, yeah. You did kind of save my life," she says almost too sweetly. She laughs at him. "Look at you! You're blushing! You are a weenie!"

  Alibi stops laughing. He darkens. "I don't like being laughed at."

  Katie sees his mood has suddenly changed and her smile drops. "Sorry. I
wasn't laughing at... no, I was laughing at you. You see? You are too serious." Alibi sees a funny expression cross her face, a strange look in her eyes. Suddenly she leans in and kisses him. Stunned, he kisses her back for a second, then stops and pulls back.

  "What?" she asks him.

  "I don't..." Alibi tries to talk past his surprise. "It's not..." He can't think straight. "It's probably not a good idea, you know, um," he stammers, "I mean, you know, for us, to, you know, get involved, um, like, that," he tries. Katie is clearly disappointed. She looks at Alibi, confused and angry.

  "Yup. My hero is a weenie!"

  She turns away sharply and downs her beer. She glares back at him sideways. "I wanna go back now. Back to your place. To sleep. By myself!"

  Alibi deliberately misunderstands her. "You shouldn't go back by yourself," he tells her. "What about Piccolo?"

  She knows two can play that game.

  "I'm not going to sleep with him!" she says playfully, maybe too loud.

  "Well, that's a shame," Piccolo says, materializing behind the two of them at the bar, startling and creeping out both Katie and Alibi. Katie pulls away, glares back at Alibi. Her eyes shoot daggers at Piccolo.

  "You're dead," she says, pointing at him. She turns and walks away.

  "Kill me and another one will take my place, kid!" he shouts at her retreating back as she storms out of the bar.

  "What the fuck are you doing here? Thought you wanted to sleep?" Alibi asks Piccolo as he waves for the bartender to settle up his tab.

  "I got lonely," Piccolo answers flippantly. "Wanted to find out what everybody was doing for fun." He tries to joke. "Looking out for my 'kid sister' – I saw you kissing her!"

  "You'd better drop the 'sister' thing. It's not a good idea for you to keep reminding me how many times you've lied," Alibi says to Piccolo, simmering anger in his voice. Alibi pays the bartender and leaves on Katie's heels.

  He almost catches up to her as she turns and heads down the corridor to his rooms.

  "Katie!" he calls, but she doesn't hear or ignores him. "Katerina!" He reaches her as they both reach the door to his rooms.

  "I don't like him showing up like that," she says. She's shaking with fear and anger.

  "Not sure it's such a good idea to keep threatening to kill him," Alibi tells her. He reaches past her to punch the opening code into the panel next to the doorway, opening the door.

  "You're not sure, huh?" she asks him, turning around in the now open doorway, making Alibi suddenly aware of how close she is to him. "You're not sure of a lot of things, are you?" she teases him, leaning in a little bit closer before darting through the doorway, and across his living room. She closes the door to the bedroom and locks it behind her.

  Alibi finds himself standing alone in his living room. The doorbell rings. Piccolo.

  "Hey, you gonna let me in?" Piccolo calls over the door's intercom. Alibi thinks about it for a minute before he opens the door. Piccolo draws a breath as the door opens, ready to give Alibi a hard time.

  "Don't!" Alibi warns him, index finger pointing in the air. "Don't say another word! You're welcome to sleep here, but that's all!"

  "Okay, fine," Piccolo mumbles, the fight apparently going out of him. He lays down on the blankets laid out for him on the floor. Alibi curls up on his couch and tries to sleep.

  Alibi skims across the surface of sleep. He doesn't feel like he settles into a true deep sleep. He hears Piccolo get up and leave during the early morning hours. He gets up and locks and bolts the door behind him. With Piccolo gone, Alibi finds he can finally relax and sleep. He feels like he wakes up a second later, but three hours have passed. Katie is already awake, talking to Anita on the com as Alibi wakes up.

  "...on the couch. The hunter is gone for now, ma'am," Alibi hears Katie say on her end of the conversation. "He's up! Here, hold on," she tells Anita. "Alibi! Your Aunt Anita's on the com!"

  "Speakers on. G'mornin' Aunt 'nita," Alibi mumbles.

  "Good Morning, Alibi. Hold on."

  "Good Morning, Alibi," a deep, rich and resonant man's voice rings out over the com, his slight Jamaican accent coloring his words.

  "Your Holiness," Alibi says louder and clearer as he sits up.

  "I was speaking to your Aunt and she told me she was about to call you. I asked to remain on the com," Pope John Paul the Fourth, M'Bekke, tells Alibi. "We have been asking for your help with mediation assignments, but you've not been available."

  "I've been busy, M'Bekke," Alibi protests. "Saving lives, uncovering evidence of the Eldred..."

  "You're calling the Pope by his first name?!!" Katie leans over and asks in a loud whisper.

  "Is that the girl, Katie?" M'Bekke asks. "Anita told me about you, Katie. Good morning."

  "Good morning, sir. Your popeness, sir," she says.

  "Yes, well, you hear how he respects his elders, young lady, hmm?" M'Bekke jokes. "Well, are you available now, Alibi?"

  "That depends," Alibi says. "Doesn't it, Aunt Anita?"

  Her heavy sigh is audible over the com.

  "Anita?" M'bekke's voice inquires.

  "Alibi keeps insisting that he's seen living Eldred running around, M'Bekke," Anita tells him. "He found them serving some mad scientist off on an old Eldred planetoid near Tek'Tah space. He rescued a bunch of kidnap victims from an abandoned Eldred base there... that he says wasn't abandoned anymore."

  "We've got footage," Alibi says, breaking in. He hops up off the couch and grabs his Wand to send M'Bekke the files. "Hold on. It's coming back over the com to you, now, M'Bekke."

  "Yes, I am getting something," M'Bekke says. "Well, look at that. Eldred. They do not look like they used to. These are more primal." he comments. There is a pause. "I do not like the look of those surroundings. Unspeakable acts have occurred there, have they not?"

  "They have, M'Bekke. Pray for those people," Alibi says.

  "You? A self-proclaimed atheist telling me, The Pope, to pray? Ha ha ha!" M'Bekke laughs.

  "I want to take Aunt Anita, Doctor Krish and a SAIF exploratory force back to the base to gather evidence. But I don't think she believes me. Not enough to want to go, anyway."

  "You didn't gather evidence when you freed the kidnap victims?" M'Bekke asks.

  "We couldn't, not enough to prove our case, evidently. I got that footage," Alibi says. "But the Tek'Tah showed up and ran us off. That's why I want to take a force with me, and someone with real authority, like Aunt Anita. That... and she's not gonna believe me about the Eldred being back until she sees them for herself."

  "So... You don't believe him about the Eldred, Anita?" M'Bekke asks.

  "I... you know what that means, M'Bekke. I can't bring myself to think..." she pauses. "Has one of them resurfaced? Like Dolomay did? I don't see how."

  "Could another survivor from the Ancient Enemy have been in suspended animation?" M'Bekke asks her.

  "I don't think so," Anita says. "Dolomay died and the Eldred died with him. If there had been another capsule, another Ancient Enemy still around, even in suspended animation, they wouldn't have died off," she argues. "So how are they here again now?"

  "Maybe they didn't all die?" Alibi offers. "The universe is a big place. I mean, we still don't know the full extent of the old Eldred worlds. Maybe all the Eldred around here died, but not all of them everywhere?"

  "Now that we've once again seen the Eldred, Alibi," M'Bekke says, "maybe you are right."

  "No. You weren't there. I was!" Anita argues. "They were all dead . When Dolomay was gone you could see the life go out of them, every one of the Eldred!"

  "Well, they're not dead now," Alibi insists angrily. "You thought they were gone. This crazy guy pulling the Tek'Tah's strings sure sounds a lot like your Dolomay. Are you sure he's dead?"

  "BC insisted he saw him die," Anita says. "And Dolomay's ship itself was destroyed by the Eldred, who had no idea they were killing themselves in the process. But they did die! They were wiped out, planet after planet. We've all
seen the results of that over the years. Plus, this man Masakov doesn't look anything like Dolomay." She shakes her head. "No. We wouldn't be dealing with the Tek'Tah and their aggression if the Eldred were still around..." She stops, sighs audibly over the com. Her tone changes.

  "You know what? No more arguing with you. I've already decided, anyway. Made the arrangements this morning. If you think visiting this planetoid will convince me, then we should go."

  "Really?" Alibi can't believe what he's hearing.

  "Really. You're right, Alibi. I won't believe the Eldred are back unless I see it for myself. I just don't want to believe it. I'm sorry, Al, but I do hope you're mistaken," Anita says. "We'll leave later today, around two o'clock."

  "All right! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Alibi asks her.

  "Contrary to what she says," M'Bekke pipes in with a chuckle, "I think Anita does like to argue."

  "M'Bekke!" Anita says in mock anger. "I do not. I wasn't sure I was going to go out there until just now."

  "You see?' M'Bekke says in triumph. "You do like to argue, you can't stop. I would even venture to guess that the very reason you are going on this trip is so that you can win your argument with Alibi."

  "AAAAaaaarrgghhh!" Anita lets out a frustrated growl. "Now you're ganging up on me. Alibi, have your people ready to roll at two, that's when we're going. Anita out."

  There is a moment's pause after Anita signs off, and then M'Bekke speaks.

  "I guess I will have to wait a little longer for your mediation services after all," he says to Alibi. "Congratulations. You do know that she couldn't have a squadron ready for this afternoon unless she had already called for it last night. Right?"

  "Huh," Alibi is surprised. "No, I didn't think of that. Then she does like to argue."

  "I think she believes you more than she lets on, Alibi," M'Bekke says. "But she has always worried she might show you too much favoritism. And..." M'Bekke finishes with a laugh, "she does like to argue."

  "Thank you, M'Bekke. Funny thing is, I don't know if I want to win this argument. I'm not sure I like what it means if I'm right."

  "I am sure I do not like it," M'Bekke tells him. "I am too old for another war."

  M'Bekke signs off. Alibi turns to Katie. "I'm going to go, but... you don't have to go back there, you know," he tells her. "I don't want to force you to return."

  "I want to come with you," she says. "I don't trust Piccolo back here by myself. Or Laveillur."

  "You'll be safe here if you want to stay," he reassures her. "Aunt Anita has people. Security. They'll take care of you."

  "You trying to get rid of me?" Katie asks, suddenly turning angry. "You don't want me to go, do you?"

  Where's this coming from? Anger issues?

  "Sure I do, but only if you want to go."

  "That sounded convincing," she says, a bitter tone coloring her voice.

  Piccolo rings the doorbell. Alibi stifles a laugh when he realizes it's the first time he's ever been glad to see the man.

  "What's up?" Piccolo asks, looking from Alibi to the still fuming Katie.

  "We're going back to that planetoid to gather evidence," Alibi tells him.

  "We? Me too? That sounded like a 'we' meaning me, too," he says, asking for clarification.

  "Sure," Alibi decides on the spot. "That way, you're closer."

  "Great," Piccolo says, but then darkens. "Closer to what?"

  "Just closer," Alibi replies mysteriously. "C'mon, Katie, let's go get some supplies before the trip. Meet us back here at two o'clock, Piccolo, ready to go." He turns from Piccolo, looks at Katie and then heads for the door.

  "Closer?" Piccolo asks again, mostly to himself.

  "Friends close," Katie tells him as she walks past him. "Do the math."

  "Math?" he asks, not following. "What the fuck does that mean?"

  She walks away following Alibi, not saying another word.

  "That's okay, there, Katydid," he says to himself. "I'm 'closer' to you... and that's all that matters."