“Is this the part where I tell you I never reveal a source?”
“I thought you were a humble writer working on an article for a book, not an investigative reporter.”
“True, but I still don’t have to reveal anything.”
Diesel grinned. “Cool. Then neither do I.”
“Oh, come on. Tell me about the Boogieman Affair.”
“There’s nothing to tell.” Boy howdy there wasa lotto tell, but not to any humans.
“Give me your spiel then. What’s the company line?”
Diesel pushed out a sigh and recited their standard response. “It was a gas leak.”
She laughed out loud. “Is that so? Does anyone still fall for that?”
He shrugged. “No comment.”
“I see.” She looked disappointed in him.
He felt the need to explain. “You asked for the company line and I gave it to you.”
Juliana’s eyes livened with unanswered questions. She was likely very dangerous, but also completely stunning. “So you admit there is more to the story?”
“No.”
“You just said it was the company line.”
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”Liar, liar, pants on fire.
“Of course it does. That’s whatcompany linemeans. It is the lie the public is told to keep them in the dark about what really goes on to protect our delicate sensibilities.”
“Or it’s the truth and nothing important happened.” He threw his hands up, feigning exasperation to help sell his point. “We just sell fuel and snacks. How does that translate into some dark conspiracy?”
“What made you say the words ‘dark conspiracy’?Isthere a dark conspiracy here in Alienn? Is that what the Boogieman Affair was?”
“No.”There is a light conspiracy gently cascading over all the area and there has been for several decades, with a singular dark incident in the recent past that I choose not to explain.
“Really?” Her tone dripped with sarcasm.
“There is no dark conspiracy,” he insisted.It’s totally a conspiracy and a very dark incident I can never share with you, no matter how pretty you are.
“So you say the ‘Boogieman Affair’ was nothing, but you also said the company line stated it was a gas leak.”
“Yes. So what?”
“Well, isn’t gas leaking a rather important incident?”
“What are you really asking me?”
“There were rumors of a dark entity skulking through town and part of the truck stop, causing mischief and mayhem to anyone or anything it encountered. First of all, it doesn’t sound like a gas leak kind of incident. Second of all, a gas leak? Really? It’s kind of cliché as an explanation, if you ask me.”
“Luckily, I didn’t ask you.” Diesel frowned. He didn’t mean to be so terse, but only the extraterrestrial residents of Alienn had been privy to the events of that dark night and, truthfully, not all ofthemwere fully apprised of every detail in that matter. And absolutely no humans had been told anything. “Who have you been talking to about this…incident?”
She put her fingers up to her lips, made the universal tick-a-lock gesture and threw away an imaginary key.
He focused on her face, specifically, her beautiful eyes. He stared deeply, trying to search her mind for the information he sought. The only message he received was the seemingly very strong and growing attraction she felt for him.
