Part 10 (1/2)
”Yes, Mr. Hyatt. Can I call you Stan? My name is Frank.”
Marina smiled. ”And I'm Moon Kitten. It's very nice to meet you. Can we come in? It's a little cold out here.”
”You're not tax collectors,” Stan said. ”Are you?”
Aaron shook his head. ”G.o.d, no. I haven't paid taxes in ten years.”
Stan grunted and opened the door. He wore a revolver on his hip, but the weapon was in poor condition.
Aaron went inside. He was hoping for warmth but the temperature wasn't much different than outside. Marina followed him in, and she frowned.
The interior of the home was so crowded that Aaron had to walk sideways. Books occupied half of the front room. They were stacked floor to ceiling in thick pillars with the t.i.tles facing outwards. A single chair and a floor lamp stood in the center of the library.
Gla.s.s display cases occupied much of the other half of the room. Aaron walked over to one case and examined its contents. Small chunks of rock, metal, and crystal were placed on gla.s.s shelves. The pieces were arranged neatly, like precious gems, and the case had a large padlock. The gla.s.s was thick and laminated.
”That's my collection of alien artifacts,” Stan said.
”Really?” Aaron said. The ”artifacts” looked like garbage to him, although some of the crystals were unusual.
”An a.s.sociate in Arizona supplies them to me.”
”Where does he get them?”
Stan shrugged. ”I don't ask. He doesn't tell. That's the arrangement.”
Typical, Aaron thought. ”I understand. We have to take precautions with the government watching all the time.”
”You know it. Just yesterday I saw a black helicopter in the sky. Hey, do you want to see something?”
”Sure.”
Stan led them into another room where racks of incandescent lamps illuminated a table. It was so bright Aaron had to shade his eyes. The air was at least ten degrees warmer and smelled like a swamp. He counted twenty fish tanks on a large table. Each contained a few inches of water with netting above. Tomato plants were growing on the nets, their roots dangling in the water.
”This is my hydroponic garden,” Stan said.
”What's it for?” Marina asked.
”After the war, when the skies are filled with ash, there won't be enough sunlight for regular farming. We'll need this technology to survive.”
”Oh!” She nodded. ”That's really smart.”
”Thanks.” He put his palm on the b.u.t.t of his revolver and looked at her with a suspicious expression.
”This place is great,” Aaron said. ”Is there anything else we can see?”
”Later,” Stan said. ”Why did you come here?”
”We have questions. You might be the only guy on the planet who can answer them.”
Stan stood up straighter. ”Go on.”
”We read your book...”
”How? It's been out of print for a decade.”
”We found it in a used book store,” Aaron said. ”I think destiny placed it in our hands.”
”Did you like it?”
”It was a revelation. In your book you talk about the three crowns of the Apocalypse.”
”That's right.” Stan smiled for the first time. ”The first is the pa.s.sage of the cosmic giant.”
”Comet McNaught in January, 2007.”
”Yes! Exactly! I wrote that in my blog.”
Which is why I mentioned it, Aaron thought. ”And the second is the unmasking of the queen of lies.”
”Mary Sarandon.”
”Obviously. Anybody with a clue can see that. The third crown is why we came here. You called it the 'unnatural plague.' I believe I know what it is, and it's happening in your own back yard!”
”What?”
”The tuberculosis outbreak,” Aaron said in the most ominous tone he could manage. ”Have you been over there? The feds turned Saint Athanasius into a maximum security fortress. The whole thing smells like a giant cover-up.”
Stan's eyes opened wide. ”You're right! The third crown! I thought I would never live to see it.” He rubbed his hands together and grinned.
Aaron put a hand on Stan's shoulder. ”I'm glad you agree. Finally, somebody else who understands! What have you heard about this disease? We want the truth. It could be a matter of life or death for the whole world.”
”I don't know anything.” Stan shrugged. ”I saw the reports on the news but the media always lies. I'll have to look through my books. I'll check Nostradamus first.”
”You meet people, right? Have you heard rumors? This is huge. Everybody must be talking about it.”
Stan frowned. ”I don't get into town much these days. The cops...”
”We both know how important this is. The third crown! We have to prepare for the end. Think, man! Who should we talk to?”
”Well, if you're looking for rumors... Never mind. She's completely unreliable.”
”Who?” Aaron said.
”Madame Shen. She's the queen of idiotic gossip in Naperville. She hears about absolutely everything.”
”Then we should meet her. Where is she?”
”Madame Shen's beauty salon,” Stan said, ”but she won't see you. She never talks to strangers.”