Part 12 (2/2)

'Excuse me, sir,' sir,' Martha chewed, 'but this isn't any place for my little girl. You want to tell me what she's doing in here with you all in the first place?' Martha chewed, 'but this isn't any place for my little girl. You want to tell me what she's doing in here with you all in the first place?'

Makenzie laid a protective hand on her shoulder, 'It's okay.

Martha. She's going to help with a few questions, is all,' he told her. 'Five minutes. Morgan promised.'

Martha had shaken off the touch before he'd finished. 'Like h.e.l.l she is!'

'Martha has kindly agreed to let me conduct an interview with the child,' explained Melody in such sweet tones that Martha wanted to slap her. Melody took a step into the room.

'All due respect, miss, but who the h.e.l.l are you?' That was Makenzie's brother, putting Melody under the microscope now.

Melody smiled pleasantly and produced her ID with a practised flourish. 'Agent Melody Quartararo. My partner and I have been a.s.signed as supervisors on this investigation.'

Morgan Shaw circled away, then came right back to study her sideways, like a bird looking for a meal to peck. 'Are you sure you don't want some other investigation down the road somewhere? Because my last orders were I was taking pole position on this one. n.o.body mentioned any supervision.'

The tall hobo sauntered into the melee, clapping a hand on Morgan Shaw's shoulder. It was plainly not a welcome move.

'Ah, Captain, you must be delighted. More people to argue with. How do you do. Agent Melody? Welcome aboard. I'm the Doctor.'

He had shaken Melody's hand before she was entirely ready. Next thing, the Doctor was thrusting out a hand to Martha.

'And you must be Martha Mailloux, Amber's mother. She's told me all about you.' Martha somehow doubted that. She rated herself as better than Curt, h.e.l.l yes, but she wasn't a parent worth boasting about. This Doctor character was pumping her hand though and she'd somehow lost her power to answer back. 'You know. I'm a lot happier now that we have some of the people from Fort Meade on our side.' he confided.

'She's from Langley.' Morgan Shaw corrected him pointedly.

'Really?' The Doctor was suddenly fascinated with Melody.

'What's the weather like down there this time of year?'

A few grains of the agent's confidence seemed to have slipped behind her shades, 'Captain Shaw is perfectly aware that the CIA has a vested interest in this project,' she toughed it out. 'My partner and I have been in close liaison with the people at Fort Meade from the outset.'

'Well, what's a few miles between government departments?' The Doctor beamed around at his audience.

'I've heard a lot about the CIA too and I'm sure they have a great deal of experience in dealing with extraterrestrial forces.'

'Sorry, Doctor, but this is hardly the time or-'

'The time or place?' The Doctor cut Melody's quiet protest dead. In an instant he was swooping in, full of foreboding, the way Amber's grandpa told his ghost stories at Halloween; too scary for kids, Martha had told him year after year. 'Agent Quartararo, if you know anything at all about alien menaces, you'll know that they choose the time and the place. All we can do is have the decency to show up. Now. I'm afraid I can't be sure what these particular aliens might have come looking for, other than the Stormcore, but I do know there are extraterrestrial forces at work.' He dispelled the doom and gloom as quickly as he'd cast it. 'And I think that's rather a good start, don't you?'

Martha could only wonder why the CIA or the Army would hire such a lunatic. Melody fidgeted behind an uncertain smile. 'Um, sorry,' she said, inspecting her watch, 'Doctor, Captain. You'll have to fill me in later. My partner's been a h.e.l.l of a long time at the store and I'm sure you won't want to give your report twice. I'd better go see what's keeping him.'

She held the door open for a second, then made her exit.

Her departure left the whole room temporarily stunned.

The Doctor's gaze followed her out through the hall, some time after he could no longer see her.

This Doctor and the CIA Agents were plainly as weird as each other. Probably came with the job. some need to act mysterious and make out they were more complicated than they really were. h.e.l.l, her life might be a mess, but she didn't have the range of hang-ups like some.

Making like the soldiers weren't there, she pushed her way into the room to fetch Amber.

'Pydych, how's the lab coming?'

'That Meeks woman has a couple of staff clearing another room now, sir.'

'Well, go help them. Colgan, Kurzyk, Morgan spoke to his NCOs, a fine-featured brunette and a guy with a hide of tanned leather. 'Grab some guys and make sure it's set up within the next thirty minutes, tops.' Salutes exchanged, he was moving over to intercept Martha. 'Miss Mailloux, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask that your daughter stays a short while longer. Just to answer a few simple questions, that's all.'

Makenzie wanted to go to Martha's rescue. His brother could be a pain in the a.s.s, most especially when he was trying to take charge of everything. Makenzie had enjoyed seeing him lose it when the CIA woman showed up.

Ideally, he should rescue Martha and take her and Amber out to the hall at least. But in the first place, he'd made a deal with Morgan for those men. And in the second place, he wanted to stay and hear more talk about aliens and psychic a.s.saults, precisely because of how nuts it all sounded. The more fantastic the threat, the less real the danger seemed to Laurie and those other folks.

Martha had a hold of Amber's hand. She dared Morgan to stop her.

Makenzie stepped forward, but the Doctor guy interrupted him. 'Actually, Captain Shaw, that really won't be necessary.

Amber told me the full story and she might even be able to show us where to find the parachute if you have a map handy.'

Martha looked surprised to hear support coming from that angle. She used it to sh.o.r.e up her stance against Morgan.

'Right. And even that won't be necessary, because those CIA people brought your precious chute with them. It's out in their car. Maybe you want to go talk to them, because Amber has to meet her Daddy.'

'He's here? Daddy's here? Mom?'

Martha started towing Amber across the room and she almost reached Makenzie before the news had fully congealed He barred Martha's exit with his arm. 'Curt's in town? Well, that means-' Christ, he didn't know what it meant. 'He can't be.'

'What're you talking about, he can't be?' Martha planted her free hand on her hip, her features trembling with the promise of tears. 'Mak, he called me. I spoke with him on the phone. He's going to see Amber and go. Now you can be with me on this, or you can-'

'Martha, listen.' Makenzie was acutely aware of Amber following every word, but it had to be said. 'The - guy drove his car into a tree. But he wasn't there. He vanished. Martha, like those other folks. Like-' But he couldn't say the name.

The Doctor slipped into view beside Amber. 'What other folks exactly?'

Makenzie sounded hoa.r.s.e as he said, 'Out on 109.' He gave a summarised account of everything he and Laurie had found, and everything they had not. The Doctor kept a hand on Amber's shoulder, as though to cus.h.i.+on her from what she was hearing. The little girl looked lost, unsure of what face she should show. Makenzie focused on Martha, watching her trying to get her head round it. He finished up, adding, 'All the other cars were just parked up in the road.

But he'd been drinking. Martha. He was drinking and he drove himself into a tree.'

That set Martha ablaze. 'Take the moral high ground. Mak.

but I don't think my baby girl needs to hear that kind of stuff about her Daddy.'

Amber's eyes darkened as they fell. Makenzie felt like a heel. 'It's the truth,' he said.

As he led Martha and Amber outside, he noted that the Doctor had left the family group to sort out their own problems. The guy clearly wasn't as crazy as he made out.

Melody hurried her pace along the street, taking care not to slip in the snow, and wondering if she was being unnecessarily paranoid. Not over Parker: she could picture her partner trapped in a dilemma over whether to buy Recce's Peanut b.u.t.ter Bars or a couple of Twinkles. No. that had just been the best feint she could think of to get herself out of there.

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