Chapter Twelve

Pam had a booth saved for them at Ruby's all night diner, and welcomed their entrance with clear excitement. She and the few other night owls present gawked at the disarray of his bloodied, torn suit. Bill growled "Mind your own business" to the strangers, and then reaffirmed he was fine to the Counselor, secretly pleased at her evident concern. He sat down and promptly ordered a large cheeseburger, without tomatoes, and coffee. Ralph got a turkey sandwich and Pam a salad.

As they sat eating Ralph filled Bill in on his amazing flight to Palmdale carrying Bill in his arms, concluding less glamorously with his unsuccessful activities after Bill was in the healing chamber. Finished with the summary, Ralph asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Bill took a couple of pieces of paper out of his pocket. "I've got a couple of things to try. First, you might try holographing on these. It's the mug sheets for Karen Englewood, the woman in the truck, and David Hartman, the fellow who had the metal suitcase. They have pictures on them, which always helps you out a bit."

Ralph grabbed the papers and by reflex started undressing in the diner.

"Ralph, not here," Bill whispered harshly. "In the car."

"Oh," Ralph mouthed, his wife helping to get his jacket back up over his shoulders.

"If those don't do the trick, after you took off from the Bakersfield storage facility, I went back in and discovered another piece of glass…with blood on it. Maybe the blood will keep the vibes longer than the one with only fingerprints."

"Great, Bill. That could work," Ralph agreed. "Where's that piece of glass?"

"In the glove compartment."

Ralph sulked a little. It had never dawned on him to check the nooks and crannies of Bill's car to see if any hidden clues were inside it.

They finished eating and paid the bill. Leaving the restaurant, they piled into Bill's car, Bill and Ralph in the front, the Counselor taking her usual third string utility back-up position in the rear seat. Ralph took off his jacket and shirt and then put the piece of bloodied glass on his lap and the rap sheet on David Hartman on top of his head.

"Double whammy," he said to Bill and Pam.

Ralph squinted at the windshield as he saw the holograph pop into view. "I see it!" he said. Bill put his hand on Ralph's arm and joined in seeing the round, shimmering vision. Pam put her hand on Ralph's shoulder and saw nothing. What about Bill made him able to see when Ralph's own wife couldn't? Something arranged by the green guys, no doubt. Sometimes they seemed paired closer than her and Ralph. Frustrated, she removed her hand and sat back waiting to be told what they were seeing.

"Look, Hartman's in Studio City, 12339 Carver Rd. They've got supplies stored in a backyard garage. Four males," Bill reported.

"Bingo," Ralph said.

Ralph exchanged Hartman's rap sheets for Karen Englewood's. Suddenly they saw the truck parked in a hotel parking lot: Holiday Inn in Century City on West Olympic Blvd. The scene switched to a banqueting room inside and they saw a man fiddling with wires behind an electrical outlet, while Karen took out a canister of some chemical and began slowly pouring a thin line of a chemical around the edges of the room.

"They've already got the room halfway prepared to go!" Bill said.

Bill had seen enough. They explained everything to Pam. "Counselor, what do you want to do? Stay with us or go home?"

"What are we going to do?" Ralph asked. "It's nearly 3 a.m. Can't we catch them after some sleep?"

"No, Ralph, we can't sleep. These guys almost made crunchy peanut butter out of me, are planning to bonfire god knows how many people, and I don't like them. We're going after them now. Counselor? You in or out?"

Pamela had a large brief to finish tomorrow, but briefs were a dime a dozen. She could handle one lost night of sleep and still get her work done. "Are you kidding," she said, "look what happens when I let you two work on your own. I'm staying."

Bill giggled. "That's my girl. Trooper to the end."

"We'll have to get my car when this is over."

"That white bug? Why not leave it here and buy a grown up person's car instead? You are over twenty-one."

Pam's eyes narrowed as they sent evil invisible rays at an oblivious Bill.

Pulling his keys out of his pocket, Bill put them in the ignition but nothing happened when he turned them. "Oh, no," he said. "Not the green guy energy drain thing again. From two miles away?"

"Oh, ah, the ignition may be acting funny because I've been turning over your car with my mind," Ralph explained. He aimed a finger and swirled it around. The car started right up. "Viola!" Ralph said, blowing out the imaginary fire on his finger.

"Great, how am I going to tell Carlisle my ignition only wants to work by telekinesis now?"

"Not my problem," Ralph declared playfully, shrugging his shoulders. Pam smiled in the back seat.

Bill grumbled as he pulled the car onto the highway.