Barbara took the early plane. She checked her notes again and analyzed all the information she had. Suddenly, she got it; she knew how Selina was going to steal the paintings; as soon as she arrived to NY, she picked up the phone. She knew the manager of the JFK Airport, the place where the paintings would be for half a day.
She could stop her.
Alfred took Helena to the movies, Barbara told him it was a good way to keep her entertained, but afterwards she had started with her usual questions; sometimes it was hard to deal with her 'logical' way of thinking. Trying to distract her, he took her to a store where he could check some books and the girl could look at toys and candy.
"Why do you work with Barbara?" she asked walking at his side; Jaçques on her backpack.
"Because I have my own job," he answered gently.
"You cook for her too?"
"For him."
"He doesn't know to cook either? Because Barbara's cooking awful, Barbara told me I must stay with her a week because Mommy is traveling, but she cooks terribly. Jaçques is scared. Are you going to stay with us?"
He smiled. "No, as soon as Miss Barbara returns, I must get back to my work. I don't think Master Jaçques should be scared, he is a cat, he eats cat food."
"He doesn't like eating that mushy chicken and fish, he likes ice cream. Have you ever tasted what Barbara cooks?" Helena looked at him.
"No, I want to live a long time." Alfred pointed toward the toys, "Why don't you go over there while I check some books?"
She nodded and he began to check for a book; after a few minutes he found it. He checked a few more titles and he turned to look for Helena, the girl was standing up in front of the candy, he saw the fast movement of Helena's hands. He raised his brow and he walked toward her; he patted her back and she followed him, imitating his way of walking, he noticed it and smiled lightly.
"Good afternoon," he said to the cashier.
"Did you find everything you needed?" the young woman asked.
"Yes, thanks so much, I want to pay for this book and the girl's candy."
Helena turned to look at him. The cashier smiled at Helena.
"I don't…" the girl mumbled.
"In your left pocket, remember Miss Helena?" the butler interrupted.
Little blue eyes blinked. He pointed to her pocket and she blushed, lowering her head to look inside her pocket and took out the candy out.
The cashier took it with her hand. Alfred smiled gently at her, "I always tell her to keep the candy in her hands until we pay, but she always forgets."
"She picked up a lot of cand, impossible to get in one hand." The cashier smiled.
Alfred paid and gave her the bag of candy. He would talk about it later. Helena followed him without say a word.
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"Wonderful!" Barbara couldn't avoid her amazement looking at the paintings of Goya when the guards opened the box inside the plane where it had arrived at JFK airport.
"Are you sure of this?" the Director of the Louvre museum asked the manager of the airport.
The manager looked at the redhead a few seconds in silence, then looked at the old French man. "Yes, she is trying to help. I trust her. But if you want to put the paintings at risk, go ahead."
"You won't be sorry. I promise." Barbara said, "I don't know how they are planning to do it, but they will do it. So the best plan is to change the paintings before you move them to the basement of the airport."
"All right, let's move guys," the man ordered, "we don't have much time."
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She moved stealthily through the dark corridor, not wanting to be seen. She knew he was lurking somewhere... Soft steps, barely audible to the human ear took her through the place. Cat pupils looked in the darkness. The place was empty.
Her meta skills were useful, very useful… especially at times like these. She walked a few steps more and crouched, looking at the furniture a few meters from her.
Not a single clue. She remained still, trying to hear him, trying to figure out where he was. Without think she held her breath too. The place was silent. Just the wind outside could be heard.
Nothing.
Her steps took her toward the next room. The door was closed. She put her hand over the lock and slowly she opened it. She didn't want to warn him of her presence, he wasn't fast, but he was very smart, and knew where to hide.
She felt he was inside.
She crouched on the floor and looked around; she didn't want him to see her, he would hide again. Yes, he was a stealthy one...
She heard a noise.
Finally.
He had committed a mistake.
A big mistake.
She moved as fast as she could. He was trying to run away from her again. No way he would do it again. She tripped on a box creating a big noise.
Damn, he could escape.
She jumped and fell on top him.
"I've got you!" she shouted.
The light in the room turned on.
Helena crouched on the floor and turned to see him, smiling. "I found him!"
Alfred smiled, looking at the girl holding a small turtle, "I see, finally you found Master Leroy."
"Yes, he likes to hide under furniture."
"I need you buy you a special aquarium lid for your turtles. They seem to escape frequently." He took the turtle in his hands, "Well, now go to wash your hands and we can have dinner."
"All right," she said smiling and running to the bathroom.
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Selina pounded her fist against the wood door breaking it. Furious, she paced around the place. Damn Batgirl, she had screwed up everything. She was poised to steal the valuables paintings of Goya and when she had opened the boxes holding them, she had found a note from the irritating vigilante: 'Good luck next time.´
Selina kicked a table angrily.
Her mobile phone rang with a ´meow´ sound. She picked it up.
"It's me…. Sorry, I failed…." She growled, "I said I'm sorry… why? Batgirl. It was a trap…. Yes…" She paced again around the place. "I'm sorry, but I promise she will not interfere again. I never expected her in New York…. Yes, yes… Yes, I know how much we lost. Don't worry, I know how can we recover this money. I'll return tomorrow to New Gotham." She pressed the "off" button.
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The bell announcing the end of the class made the child cheer happily. Helena closed her notebook and spoke to Gibson from her seat next to him.
"Can we play? You hide and I'll find you."
"No way, you smell me and easily find me."
"Helena, may I talk with you a minute?" the professor said from his desk, checking some papers.
"See you later, Gibson," the girl said to her friend.
She walked toward his professor and gave him her homework. He took it and removed his glasses. He was an old man.
"You are a very smart girl, do you know that, Helena?"
The girl looked at him without saying a word.
"The comments in your exam were excellent, but… some things that you wrote, well they are unusual, and I'd like to ask you some questions." He put his glasses on. "You wrote in your exam that Egyptian hieroglyphs were written with picture signs."
"Yes."
"But you also wrote that it was too a way of recording the sounds of the ancient Egyptian language." He frowned and looked at the girl, "Where did you read that? That is not in the book."
"It's true… for example, the word for cat' has the letters miw. You can pronounce it as 'miew'."
"What?"
Helena took a pencil and drew four symbols on a sheet of paper on his desk. "Mom told me each symbol is a sound and the last one is cat."
The professor looked at the paper and narrowed his eyes, looking at the girl.