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Stadler nodded. “It certainly sounds plausible. When you first told me about the abductions, and how Garrison refused to take action, I assumed he just didn’t believe you. I believed you, but you know how it sounds…”
I nodded. “We laugh at people who claim to have been beamed aboard a spaceship and probed.”
“You’re levelheaded and grounded, not the kind of person who manufactures crazy stories. In hindsight, I realize Garrison, who knows you far better than I do, should have at least kept an open mind. That he didn’t seems suspicious now.”
I nodded. “Exactly what I thought.” I felt sad. I’d liked and respected my boss, and to find out he betrayed our people hurt as much as finding out Maxx was a scumbag.
Stadler strolled to the other side of her desk and tapped a touch screen.
“Yes, Madame President?” a voice boomed into the office.
“Locate and take Mr. Garrison Keller into custody for questioning. He may not be in the Jericho building yet. He may be en route or still at home.”
“We’ll get him. We can track him through his badge.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
We could be tracked through our badges? During my entire tenure, I could have been under surveillance. I felt violated, like my government had been spying on me. When the president had taken office, everyone working for her had been given a special badge distinct from other employees in the Jericho complex.
From across the desk, the president sought my gaze. “We must not rush to judgment. It could be Garrison is merely closed-minded, but his conduct must be investigated to ensure the safety of New Terra—and your safety. You were kidnapped twice. Your apartment was burglarized. I’m going to assign you a protective detail.”
“I won’t refuse.” Some of my tension eased. I hadn’t realized until now how scared I’d been.
She smiled reassuringly and said, “And send a bodyguard for Jessie Sayles to my office. She’ll require round-the-clock protection.”
“Right away, Madame President,” the disembodied voice said. I hadn’t realized the comm line was still open. I’d assumed she’d closed out the communication after ordering Garrison’s arrest. You know what they say about assuming.
“That will be all,” she replied, and this time I heard a click.
Stadler rounded her desk again. “Who besides Garrison and myself have you shared your information with?”
“Nobody. Only you two. I figured the matter needed to be handled at the top. I came straight to your office after escaping from Maxx. I walked all night.”
“Good. We don’t want to panic people.”
“Do you think there’s a chance you’ll be able to locate the ship?” I set my empty coffee mug on the desk. Nobody was more capable than Erika Stadler with the full resources of the government at her disposal, but locating the ship had to be akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.
“I’m certain we’ll find it,” she said emphatically.
Certain? Wasn’t that a tad overconfident? “The ship may be invisible—” I’d started to explain about shimmer technology when her office door opened.
A muscle-man in a dark suit with a sidearm on his hip marched in.
That didn’t take long. As I rose to my feet, I noticed his lapel pin. It reminded me of Stadler’s broach. I glanced at her.
How did the president know my apartment had been burglarized? I never mentioned it. I’d meant to, but I’d forgotten.
My gaze shifted to the guard’s sidearm. The hilt stuck out of the holster. My antique revolver aside, I knew very little about weapons, but I recognized that grip. The blaster I’d tossed into the bushes had had one just like it.
Why does a presidential bodyguard carry an alien weapon?
I felt the blood drain from my face. “Oh no…no…”
A confirming smile teased the corner of Stadler’s lips. “I always like to know who I’m dealing with. Perhaps you’re the same.” She unpinned her broach and dropped it onto the desk. It had no sooner left her hand than her entire being morphed.
A furred, horned Copan female stood in front of me. “I believe you’ve heard of me. I’m Crown Princess Imana.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
