by Rae Knightly
Way too long.
“Keep trying, ok?” she said.
Ben nodded. They both automatically glanced inside the apartment, where Bob was busying himself unpacking Ben’s clothes.
“I’m going to stay here for a bit,” Ben said, indicating his glowing hands.
“And I’m going to look for a job,” Laura said. “Will you be ok on your own?”
He nodded, and they gave each other a quick hug.
Laura entered the apartment and found Bob staring at them as he drank from a bottle of water. He had an unreadable look on his face.
She forced a smile. “Ben said you took him shopping?” She went through the clothing that lay on the edge of the couch. “Thank you,” she added, not sure yet if she approved. Hadn’t she always been Ben’s provider?
He nodded briefly.
Laura tried to fill the silence between them. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. I was on my way to look for a job. Do you mind if Ben stays here in the meantime?”
He took her gently by the wrist, still with that serious look on his face. “Come,” he said. “We need to talk.” He led her to the kitchen counter and invited her to sit on the high stools.
What now?
“Look, baby,” he began. “Why do you need to look for a job? I told you already, I run three successful nightclubs. I’m opening a fourth location in three months. I’m always looking for people…”
She lifted her hand firmly. “I’m not working night shifts again, Bob.”
He cocked his head. “Who said anything about night shifts? Hear me out, for once! My accountant is going on maternity leave next month. I need someone I can trust to replace her. She could teach you. It’s a nine-to-five job, five days a week. The wage is above average. I treat my staff well, believe it or not.”
Laura listened to him with a slight frown. He was speaking with a stern voice that was new to her.
Must be his business voice.
She found herself liking this grown-up side to him. She couldn’t help seeing Ben’s face in his, only, it was the adult version of the one she’d fallen for so many years ago.
“And there’s another thing,” he continued, pulling her back into the conversation. “I may not know much about kids, I’ll give you that. But I know this boy should be in school right now. There’s a private school not far from here. Very well rated. I know the Principal. I could get him registered in a heartbeat.” He kept talking, but unexpected feelings washed over her again.
I fend for Ben!
She struggled to push back the emotion.
In less than five minutes, Bob had solved two of her biggest issues: money and keeping Ben occupied. She didn’t like it, something in the back of her mind resisted for no sound reason.
Don’t be so selfish! It’s only until I find Mesmo.
She waited patiently for Bob to finish talking, then said, “All right, I accept. Thank you, Bob.”
He gaped, his hand still raised before him as if he was preparing for another round of convincing. “Oh,” he said, leaning back. “It’s that bad, then?”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
He sighed and stroked his beard. “The Laura I knew wouldn’t have accepted that easily.”
She lowered her head. “I guess we all have to grow up sometime.” She cleared her throat and stood. “I still need to get some clothes. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for them myself,” she added quickly.
He grabbed her wrist again and bore his eyes into hers. “I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but I’m not blind.” He glanced at her wrist, which still had the mark of Bordock’s handcuff on it. “I won’t accept anyone hurting you or Ben. Your dad said not to ask questions, but I hope you’ll smarten up and spill the beans.” He let her go and sat back. “When you feel up to it, that is.”
His eyes were glued to her, making it extremely hard to maintain her composure. She took a few steps back and nodded unsteadily. “Yes. When I’m ready.” She turned before he could say anything else and entered the elevator, letting out a shaky breath as she did so.
***
Inspector James Hao stared fixedly at an invisible point on the opposite side of the room. The concrete wall of the Dugout infirmary was dull, to say the least, but after its hasty construction, painting the walls a clean or cheerful colour hadn’t exactly been on anyone’s mind.
He pouted in concentration, oblivious to his surroundings or the throbbing pain of his broken leg, which lay tightly wrapped in a cast before him on the hospital bed.
Doctors and nurses slid by his open door, going about their business, which suited him fine because right now he was burning with anger. He had placed a lid on his feelings, concentrating solely on getting better so he could get back to work as soon as possible.
A shadow stopped before the crackled glass of the window that separated his room from the corridor. Then a man stepped into the doorframe and leant on it nonchalantly.
“Hi, partner,” Connelly said with his hands in his pockets. “I thought I’d check up on you.”
Hao set his jaw, the lid on his inner cauldron sliding off to reveal burning coals.
Connelly entered, checking the room with vague interest. He stopped by Hao’s bed and tapped the cast lightly with his fingers. “That looks painful,” he said. “Did they tell you how long you’ll be in here for?”
Hao signalled for Connelly to approach, which he did. Then, with lightning speed, Hao grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close, so their faces were inches apart. “You saw me!” he growled. “You saw me, buried in the snow under your feet. And you left me there!” Every word was laden with fury and disbelief.
Connelly struggled to release himself from Hao’s grip. He pushed against Hao’s shoulders, but Hao wasn’t going to let him go so easily. Connelly’s hands slid closer to his throat.
“Hey! What’s going on here?” A woman’s voice shrieked down the corridor, “I need assistance!”
There were thudding feet, then several hands tried to unlock the two fighting men from each other. Arms appeared around Connelly’s chest, and a doctor yanked him away.
“You saw me!” Hao screamed, his face livid.
Connelly staggered back, then caught himself. In a defiant gesture, he straightened his tie, shot a deathly look at Hao, then stepped out of the room.
“I’m on to you!” Hao yelled after him.
CHAPTER FIVE
Headquarters
The sun reflected so brightly on the skyscraper that Laura had to look away. She stood at the corner of a busy crossing, lost in a crowd of hasty pedestrians who brushed passed her, handbags swaying, work shoes clicking hurriedly on the walkway.
The Victory Air headquarters were located in the shiny, window-clad building, with a long set of stairs leading to a modern reception. Some employees sat on the steps, enjoying a ray of sunlight while on their lunch break, or scanned their phones while they chatted with a colleague.
Laura unzipped the raincoat she had bought and straightened her new, olive-green sweater. It had felt good to get rid of the snow-coated clothing that had only served to remind her of the traumatic Kananaskis events.
She plunged into a coffee shop opposite the infamous building and lined up for a coffee and sandwich.
“Busy, isn’t it?” she said pleasantly to the young man on the other side of the counter who was preparing the items.
“Actually, this isn’t too bad,” the man said, working the coffee machine. “You should’ve seen the line-up an hour ago!”
Laura smiled at him. “Is that when all the Victory Air employees have lunch, then?"
The man laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“I saw the news yesterday. I thought they were on strike?”
“Yesterday, yes. Tomorrow, who knows? Everybody’s expecting the company to announce bankruptcy.”
“That’s awful,” Laura sympathized.
The man shrugged as he passed her her sandwich and punched in
the cash amount of the food. “Nah, I wouldn’t worry about it. You should see the CEO. He walks up those stairs with his chest puffed, like he owns the world. I bet he’s got it all figured out.”
Laura stopped counting the coins she had pulled out. “You mean Victor Hayward?” She slid the money towards him slowly.
The man nodded. “He’s like a well-oiled clock. You’ll see his limo drop him off at 8.45am and pick him up at 6pm sharp, every day. With everything going on, you’d think he’d take a back entrance. But not Victor Hayward. He barges through the crowds of protesters and media as if he didn’t have a care in the world.”
Laura stepped aside while he spoke as impatient customers made it clear she was taking up too much time. She thanked the man behind the counter and squeezed into a chair facing the window, beside two men working on their laptops. Then, she waited.
***
Hao munched on his lip, then realized he was staring at the wall with a deep frown again. It wouldn’t do to lie around for days doing nothing. It was time for some action.
He picked up the phone on his bed stand and pressed an extension.
“Yes, sir?” his assistant said on the other end.
“Bring me my laptop. I want access to The Cosmic Fall files. Make sure I still have clearance. Also, bring me the boxes in my office. And be quick about it!”
“Yes, sir,” the assistant said, but Hao heard the hesitation in his voice. “Hum, but will the High Inspector agr…?”
“Just bring me the damn things and let me deal with the High Inspector.”
In his mind’s eye, Hao practically saw the assistant jump to a salute. “Yes, Sir!”
***
Laura fidgeted on her seat. She had been at the coffee shop for almost five hours, and her back hurt. She’d had to spend her last coins on a lemonade when she noticed the baristas at the counter glancing her way.
It was close to five minutes before six when a sleek, black limousine pulled up in front of Victory Air.
Laura pushed back the stool, making it screech on the floor, but she took no notice and was out in a jiffy. She had to wait at the pedestrian crossing until the light turned green, because heavy evening traffic blocked the way, and by the time she made it across the street, the man she had been waiting for was already exiting the building.
She jogged diagonally up the imposing stairs, bumping heavily into one of Victor Hayward’s bodyguards. Her handbag flew to the ground.
“Hey, lady! Watch it!” the bodyguard warned, shielding Victor Hayward with his muscled body. He did not need to speak loudly as his stiff posture was indicative enough that he wasn’t up for any nonsense.
“I’m so sorry!” Laura apologized. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
The bodyguard regarded her sternly, then picked up her handbag, giving her a good view of the short man with mixed black-and-grey hair and black-rimmed glasses who was about to enter the limo.
“Mr. Hayward!” she called.
The bodyguard jumped to attention, holding out his hand defensively. “That’s enough! Stand back please.”
Laura tried to glance behind his hulky body. “Mr. Hayward! It’s Laura Archer,” she shouted. “From Chilliwack.”
Victor Hayward froze with his head already inside the car. Then he straightened and turned to see who had spoken.
Laura waved and smiled at him, trying to look as innocent and harmless as possible.
The man’s suspicious eyes softened. He gestured at his bodyguard to let her pass.
“Mr. Hayward!” she said breathlessly. “Do you recognize me? I’m Ryan Archer’s daughter, Laura. You know? Your neighbour in Chilliwack?” She stood before him and held out her hand. “Imagine bumping into you here!”
The CEO of Victory Air shook her hand, then recognition filled his eyes. He broke into a genuine enough smile and said, “Laura? My, my! Yes, I remember you, though if my memory serves me well, the last time we spoke you were about this high…” he lifted his hand parallel to the ground to indicate her height, “…and you were trespassing on my property if I recall.”
Laura let out a giggle, her blush coming out naturally. “Oh my gosh! Please don’t remind me. Dad was so angry with me!”
“You can say that again,” Hayward said, his grin widening to show a set of crooked teeth. “Ryan came over and apologized profusely. So how is my old neighbour?”
Laura’s face fell instantly. “My dad passed away some months ago, Mr. Hayward. He suffered a major heart attack.”
Hayward’s grin faded. “Ah, dear girl. I’m sorry to hear that.” He glanced around hastily. “Look, I can’t talk now. But I want to see you in my office next Monday, 9am sharp. Ask for my Executive Assistant, Charlene. She’ll be informed.” He slipped into his car and pointed his index finger at her. “Don’t be late!”
His chauffeur closed the door on him and hurried to the driver’s side.
Laura blew her hair out of her eyes and watched the limo disappear into traffic.
***
“Where were you?” Ben asked, standing hastily from the sofa and dropping the X-box control on the coffee table.
Laura removed her raincoat and checked the apartment. “Are we alone?”
Ben nodded. “Uncle Bob’s at work. What happened?”
She placed her hand on his shoulder and led him back to the couch. They sat down and faced each other.
“I saw Victor Hayward,” she said, a little out of breath. “I’m meeting him on Monday morning.”
“What? Are you crazy? How did you do that?”
“He was my neighbour growing up, remember? I know him personally, though not very well, of course. He was away most of the time, but he’d drop by to catch up on local news with Grampa.”
Ben shivered. “Do you think he witnessed The Cosmic Fall?”
Laura pursed her lips, then nodded. “Yes. I’d bet my bottom dollar on it.”
Ben’s hands flew to his face. “So now what, Mom? You can’t just walk up to him and say ‘hand over the alien.’”
“I know, I know. We have to come up with something.”
They both fell silent, deep in thought.
Suddenly Ben’s face lit up, and he said, “I have an idea.”
CHAPTER SIX
A Dangerous Device
Laura’s footsteps echoed on the perfectly polished marble floor. The imposing symbol of Victory Air hung above the impeccable reception where receptionists wearing a bandana with the red-and-grey colours of the company spoke into extra-thin headsets.
One of them glanced up and said, “Good morning, may I help you?”
Laura tried to make herself look important. “Yes, I’m here to see Mr. Victor Hayward.”
A brief shadow of disbelief passed before the receptionist’s eyes, so Laura added quickly, “My name is Laura Archer. Please refer to his Executive Assistant, Charlene.”
The receptionist’s fingers were already typing away and before long, Laura was given a printed badge that allowed her to override the elevator security to reach the CEO office on the top floor.
Laura’s legs felt like jelly as she scanned the badge and pressed the highest number on the button panel, a staggering flood of doubt almost making her turn back.
This isn’t going to work!
She had argued extensively with Ben, telling him that his idea was way too risky. They could lose contact with Mesmo forever. Not only that, Ben was basing his idea purely on a hypothesis, one they had never tested.
The problem was, they hadn’t been able to come up with any other plan. Most of them involved tedious research and time-consuming spying on Victor Hayward. And time was not on their side. Laura was constantly reminded of Mesmo’s words: if he did not reach Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, within a week, he would never be able to return to his home planet.
She wished they had been able to make contact with the alien to confirm their theory and give him a heads up. But after multiple attempts, Mesmo still had not answered Ben’s cal
ls, meaning he was not in good shape.
Or maybe worse.
Laura shuddered.
Hang in there, Mesmo.
She set her jaw, straightened her shirt neck and pulled back a strand of ash blonde hair behind her ear as she watched the floor numbers flash by.
The elevator door pinged and slid open, revealing a posh reception decorated in tones of soft grey and splashes of red.
A woman with shallow cheeks, glasses and a tight bun stood as soon as Laura entered the spacious area from which she caught stunning views of the city.
“Ms. Archer, I presume?” the woman said in a business-like tone, which she had clearly practiced over many years.
“Yes.”
“I’m Charlene. Please, follow me.” The woman reminded her of a stern middle-grade school teacher.
Laura pinched her lips. In a matter of seconds, she was led into a large office with an impressive oak desk and two leather sofas with an oak coffee table in the middle. Victor Hayward sat in one of these chairs with his legs crossed as he studied documents over his black-rimmed glasses.
He dropped the documents as she approached and stood to shake Laura’s hand. Laura felt his thick, golden ring under her fingers. “Laura,” he stated. “Welcome. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?”
“Oh, hum, a glass of water, please.”
Hayward nodded to Charlene, who left instantly, while he invited Laura to sit.
“Thank you for being so timely,” he began. “I can’t stand people who are late. It’s a habit I caught from my line of work. No-one likes a delayed flight, you will agree.” He sat opposite her and Laura thanked the stars she had categorically refused to let Ben accompany her.
“It’s the least I could do, Mr. Hayward,” Laura replied. “I’m surprised you were able to make time for me at all. I appreciate it.”
“Nothing’s too much for my dearly departed neighbour. I miss him sorely.”
Laura glanced at the businessman, trying to determine whether he was being genuine, but Hayward showed nothing of his feelings. She shuddered at the thought that he could be holding Mesmo against his will.
