Page 19 of Klora (Mates of the Mylos #6)
CHAPTER 19
KLORA
“Come on!” I held out a plate to McDuffie. “Let’s sit outside and enjoy the view while we wait!”
He snorted, shaking his head at me. “Yeah, okay.”
He followed me out to the balcony where we quickly situated ourselves at the small table there.
“So, what am I eating?” he asked, poking at a piece of his chicken.
I quickly pointed to each thing on his plate, telling him what they were.
“Ah, okay. Sounds good,” he took a bite of the chicken, chewing thoughtfully. A smile lit up his face. “This is really good.”
“It is!” I agreed, already thoroughly enjoying my own meal.
“So, you are a fan of Hawaii Five-Oh, huh? The new one, right?”
“Oh, I've watched the original too. I decided if a series had a reboot, it would be best to watch the original and then the new one. I’ve done the same with Magnum. Lots of the cop shows from the sixties and seventies are really good! Have you watched Kojak?”
He chuckled quietly. “No, can’t say I have. I know who he is, kinda. Bald headed detective who likes those Chupa Chup lollipops right?”
I leaned forward. “Is that what brand they are? I wondered, because I was thinking earlier that I should try some.”
“Well, there are other brands. Dum Dums, for example.”
I frowned. “Isn’t a dumb-dumb a stupid person?”
He laughed louder this time. “It is, but I don’t think it’s spelled that way!”
“Hmm.” I didn’t think the person who’d named that particular candy brand had thought things through very well.
“Is it just cop shows you watch?”
I shrugged. “I watch a few other things as well, but mostly detective shows. I just started watching a British one set in the Caribbean. It’s more what I’m told is a cozy type, which I find is more of a relaxing watch than a more exciting one.”
“So, sort of like the pace of life on the island it’s set on? Less tire squealing car chases and explosions, I’d imagine.”
I pointed my fork at him. “Exactly. Mostly rich dead people by the pool of their villa or a tourist who was in a love triangle, that sort of thing.” I chuckled. “The detective is very funny. He’s from London and was sent against his will by his bosses and insists on wearing a suit and dress shoes, even on the beach.”
He laughed along with me, and I was struck by how his eyes lit up, sparkling in the afternoon light. The stress lines fell away from his face and I found myself wanting to stroke the faint traces of scruff now peppering his cheeks. To my dismay, I discovered I was leaning towards him from across the table and I reared back. Whoa, the medication and the whole hormonal influence of my scales thing was out of control. I needed to watch myself!
Obviously, the best way forward was to put us on a more professional footing. I had questions that needed answering anyway, ones relating to the case and not what vids I liked to watch.
“So, how did you come to take part in the Friendship Day picnic event?” I drawled.
He blinked, looking startled at the change of direction our conversation was suddenly taking.
“Well, the city put out a memo to all the schools, telling the teachers and school principals about the events. It encouraged us to participate in classroom activities or book a space at the picnic. I personally like taking my kids out to experience things first hand as much as possible. So, interactive museums, nature walks, that sort of thing, as I feel it has more of a lasting, personal connection and they learn and remember more from it. The picnic felt like a great opportunity. They’d get to meet Mylos who were on hand to run games and there were the big screens so they’d get to see and hear kids in the Fleet who were enjoying their own picnic high above, and in a much nicer environment than cooped up in our classroom with just a single large screen and some word finds and food or whatever. So I approached our principal and asked permission to book one of the spaces.”
“Hmm, and you came to invite some of our young to come down to join you, how?”
He licked his lips. “That actually came about when the school secretary let me know we’d been approved by your Publicity Office for one of the picnic spots. She made an offhand comment about how it was a shame the Mylos kids would only be able to see the park and our kids via a screen, while our kids got to see and interact with Mylos warriors working the event. So I got the bright idea to reply to the confirmation with a thank you and asked if any of the warriors attending had children they might wish to bring along as our guest. A guy named Kailirex then contacted our superintendent, asking for assurances of safety if some of the Fleet’s fourth graders attended as our guests and asking for field trip slips to include a signed form allowing footage from the picnic to be used later in a new children’s educational show they’re planning. I seriously hadn’t thought we’d get anything like that, just maybe a kid or two of one of the Mylos working the picnic that day.”
“So, the school secretary suggested it and the superintendent’s office arranged it?”
“Yes.” He finished his salad and began attacking his shrimp. “Mm. This is all so good.”
I was not to be deterred. “And you found out when they’d set it all up?”
“As soon as they finalized the arrangements. But I didn't know about where we’d all park or anything until we actually arrived. That was set up with our transportation people. In fact, all I knew, and those from my school knew, was some children would be our guests. It wasn’t even mentioned in the field trip information as it was to be a surprise and we were all sworn to secrecy.”
Ah. I hadn’t realized that. In which case, there was no possible way he could have informed anyone where to park the kidnappers’ bus for ease of grabbing him as well as one of our young. At most, if he or someone at his school broke confidence, all they could have told anyone was that some Fleet young would be attending. Not where and how they would be arriving or who was going to be with them. In fact, it sounded as if they assumed they would be protected by their own group of warriors, in a larger number than they had been. The weak link seemed to be at the superintendent’s office or perhaps someone who worked for the park and knew where they’d decided to park both of our groups.
Shit. He was innocent, wasn’t he?
I stabbed a piece of shrimp in frustration. Just to make sure, I needed to wait for Xeranos to complete his deep dive into McDuffie and his known associates. But I had a feeling that perhaps my gut had been wrong, which was galling, that McDuffie had nothing to do with Humans First and had simply been in the right place at completely the wrong time.
And damn it, the itching was kicking up a small notch again. Damn his pretty eyes and kissable lips.