Leaving the Scarecrow in the trunk for now, Al walked up the steps to her friend Hugh's apartment. He and his roommate answered the door together, and she smiled at them.
"Hey," Al said brightly. "Can you guys do me a little favor? Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"We don't want your cherry," Hugh laughed.
"Well, I might," Caleb added. Al gave them both a very serious look.
"Seriously, you guys. I need you to keep a guy for me."
"A guy?"
"Yeah, he's in the trunk of my car."
"What have you been doing?" Hugh demanded. "You disappear for a week, don't tell anyone where you're going, miss out on all the holiday fun we had planned, and come back with some guy in your trunk! Is this the new job you were talking about?"
"New job? I didn't know you had a job," said Caleb. Hugh shushed him.
"I can't really talk about it right now. I just need to keep him somewhere for a little while, quietly, and you two are the only ones I can trust for this."
"That important, huh?"
"Well…that, and I know you have a spare room. I mean, it's not like you're using yours."
"Actually, we have a guy of our own staying in Caleb's room," Hugh said. "But I think we can work something out."