Chapter Ten

Tally sat in McPhee's office the next morning, watching the security footage from the security office from the previous night. "Care to explain this to me, or am I supposed to already know?"

"Okay, look, in my defense, I didn't know there was a camera in there. Also in my defense, I had a rough night, and Ahk was the only one alive who was at least psuedo-decent."

"The tape also shows you talking to yourself."

"Not myself. Cecil's ghost."

"Oh, Cecil has a ghost now."

"He is a ghost, you idiot. I showed you how the tablet worked, and you tried to rationalize it. You see this tape, which I now want, and you think I'm crazy."

"You think you can get your hands on this tape?"

"What do you want for it?"

"What do I want for it? Twenty dollars and a certificate from a psychiatrist telling me you're sane."

Tally fished out a twenty, handed it to McPhee, and said, "I'll see if I can get an appointment." McPhee hit the 'eject' button on the tape player and handed the tape to Tally. "Pleasure doing business with you, good sir." After Tally walked out of McPhee's office, she pulled the film from the casette, wrapped it around the middle of the casette, and snapped the casette in half. She found the nearest trash can and tossed the casette into it.

"Actually," McPhee called from the threshold to his office, "scratch the part about the appointment. Only a sane woman would throw out a sex tape."

"You know this how?"

"My wife did the same thing."

"I may still want to arrange something, if you're up for it."

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"I really can't-"

"That's okay. Then I'll see you tonight."

"As usual."

Tally clocked out and headed home, where she found Brunden. "Couldn't get out of there fast enough, could you?"

"Why would I stay? It's a freakshow."

"Look, if you don't like the museum, you don't ever have to go back, but it's my museum, and nobody calls it a freakshow."

"Or what?" Tally roundhouse kicked Brunden in the side of the head, knocking him to the floor. "Okay, okay, I'll shut up." Brunden held up his hands in surrender and looked up at Tally.

"Good."

"Can I stay here?" Brunden got to his feet and rubbed his head.

"Don't you have to go back to D.C.?"

"Yeah, but not for a few days."

"'Kay. Now, find something to do with yourself."

"You first."

"You're the one taking a vacation. Seriously, go sightseeing or something, maybe take a tour or two of some of the historic buildings or something."

"Okay, yeah, I'll do that."