“Harmony Gardens,” Blayne helped.
“That’s it. Don’t make Mr. J. have to look for you.”
“Aye, aye, captain,” Ethan joked as he opened the door to the SUV. Blayne slid across and followed Ethan out. Blayne stood for a second on the sidewalk, and Ethan closed the door. “Where to, Mr. Tour Guide?”
Blayne turned in time for Ethan to see the over-exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Why do I feel like I will regret letting you come with me?”
“Oh, you didn’tletme do anything.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Blayne said with a smile. “Stay close. I don’t want to lose you.” Sure enough, they were almost immediately swept away by the crowd. Thankfully, they got to the entrance of the Harmony Gardens without losing each other.
Ethan was surprised that Harmony Gardens lived up to its name. It was like being transported into a lush green space more reminiscent of the East Coast than Texas.
“Wow, the gardeners here do an amazing job,” Ethan remarked.
“Yeah, I’ve always been impressed myself. They have huge retractable shade devices for some parts of the garden to prevent some plants from overheating during the summer. I swear, the campus takes better care of this little part than the students who live in the dorms. One dorm finally got AC like two years ago. Can you imagine living in the Houston heat and humidity and not having central air?”
“Hey!” Ric’s voice cut through the crowd. “About time you two showed up. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it.”
“What the hell are you three wearing?” Blayne asked.
Ric wore holey jeans topped off with a purple and yellow Aloha shirt. He had a giant pair of reflective sunglasses that covered half his face. Then there was Orr, who had opted for a mismatched yet oddly coordinated outfit. He sported a pair of baggy patchwork jeans featuring various fabrics and patterns, each panel telling its own story. The jeans looked like they came from the stage closet of a musical from the seventies. He topped it off with a vintage band T-shirt, layered with an oversized red blazer. He wore a pair of blue sunglasses. Then there was Zach, who donned a pair of high-waisted, wide-legged trousers in a vibrant shade of teal, paired with a form-fitting, vintage-style graphic T-shirt. And by form-fitting, you could see every one of his ab muscles through the T-shirt. He wore stylish shades and topped the ensemble with a Pennington University baseball cap that had clearly been purchased recently.
“You guys look like three rejects from clown college,” Ethan remarked, holding back a laugh.
“Wow, just…wow,” was all Blayne got out of his mouth.
Blayne
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly retrieved it to read a text message.
Check your other pocket. Give the second one to Ethan.
He reached into his pocket to find two objects the sizes of pencil erasers. Blayne turned his back to the group.
They go in your ear, a follow-up text message.
He was about to ask how they got in his pocket when he remembered bumping into a goth girl in the crowd. She’d done the usual angsty teen, “Watch it,” and shot him a glower, but he’d really paid attention to her. In retrospect, how he hadn’t realized it had been Denzili in the black lipstick and thick mascara was mindboggling.
He took one device and put it into his ear.
“And good afternoon.” Dr. Hennigan’s voice came through the earpiece. “Don’t respond. I know this can be a little disconcerting. You need to pull Ethan aside for thirty seconds and give him the other earpiece.”
Blayne turned around. The guys were still talking as Ethan further mocked their clothing choices.
“Hey, Ethan,” Blayne interrupted, “can I borrow you for a minute? I want to show you something in the garden. We’ll be right back.”
Without waiting for an answer, Blayne reached out and grabbed Ethan’s hand and pulled him behind him. After a couple of turns in the garden around a few six-foot tall hedges, Blayne stopped and looked around to ensure they hadn’t been followed.
“What’s up?” Ethan asked.
“Here,” Blayne said, holding out the earpiece.
“Is that?” Ethan said as he took the device. “Damn, it’s small.” He placed it in his ear and said, “Hello?”
Blayne heard Ethan’s “Hello” in his ear.
“Good afternoon, boys,” Dr. Hennigan’s voice came through the earpiece. “I’ve set these to a personal channel. You’ll hear crosstalk between different police agencies, but we’ll only hear each other when you speak. Your job is to stay alert. If you see anything, say something, and one of us will investigate. Is that clear?”
