Maybe she’d try to get her infamous last-century bank robbers story published somewhere else. Maybe there was a historical society somewhere that would relish the possibility of new information in that regard. She perked up as she stepped across the threshold into her apartment but went cold the moment she closed the door. Something seemed off.
Was someone here? Waiting for her? Half-eaten apple in hand ready to throw?So foolish not to lock the door.
“Hello,” she called out, desperately hoping no one answered.
She dropped her purse and the unwanted article on the table behind the sofa just as she realized what was wrong.
The alien story was not on the table where she’d left it. Where was it? She looked all around and saw nothing. Juliana dropped to her knees to search the floor, beneath the sofa, every inch of the living room. It was not anywhere in the room. She shifted furniture and chairs just to ensure the pages hadn’t slipped through some hidden place. Nothing.
A very horrible thought suddenly occurred. What if the apple-throwing, poison pen menace had gotten hold of her article? What if they’d come inside her home and found it? What if they’d taken it to be publically distributed?
Wait. Surely her nemesis wouldn’t distribute it to the public. But if this person took it to Diesel and said, “Look want Juliana did,” that would seal her doom with regard to their relationship. Wouldn’t it? What could she do?
Then again, what if ithadbeen taken by someone else? Dread ran down her spine in a dark rush of fear at the possibility Mr. Harriman had somehow gotten his hands on it or sent someone to retrieve it from her apartment.
Juliana grabbed her purse. All she could do was warn Diesel and hope he’d agree to speak with her, even if it was only to ensure he knew she hadn’t intended for the alien article to get out in public.
Diesel looked at the picture and did his level best not to react. Pete wanted horror and shock and denials. Diesel did the exact opposite. He laughed out loud as if totally amused by Pete’s lame attempt to try to prove aliens were hiding in plain sight with this foolish picture.
Pete looked dismayed. “What at you laughing at? I don’t think seeing a horrible alien creature roaming around hurting people is a laughing matter.”
Diesel pointed to the picture. “That’s not a horrible alien creature roaming around hurting people.”
“Oh? What is it then?”
Cam walked over to the desk and looked down at the picture. He chuckled as well. Diesel glanced at his typically very serious brother and together they laughed once more.
“What is so hilarious?” Pete demanded.
Cam cleared his throat and said, “That is a fake alien created as an update to our space-themed marketing strategy to possibly take the place of Maxwell the Martian on our billboards.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Diesel shrugged. “Well, you don’t have to, but I’m warning you that you’ll look very foolish if you don’t.”
“Show me. I want to see the fake costume.”
“Are you from Missouri or something?” Cam asked. “Missouri is the Show Me state, you know, not Arkansas.”
“Ha, ha. Very amusing,” Pete said, sitting straighter in his chair. “You will either show me this fake costume right this second, or I’ll go public with my suspicions. We can let the readers decide the truth of the matter.”
Diesel pushed a button on his intercom. “Nova, would you call Jack and Wheeler into my office? Tell them to bring the latest mascot costume with them, okay?”
“Will do,” Nova said, adding, “Also, Gage wants to speak to you about some test results you asked for and Alice has been waiting all day to talk to you about something personal, but very important, according to her.”
“Send in the mascot costume first. Everything else has to wait until later.”
Nova pushed out a long sigh and replied, “Okie dokie, Smoky.”
Diesel closed his eyes. He knew that was Nova shorthand and it meant Gage and Alice had what she considered important news to impart. He noted her concerns mentally, but it was more important to get rid of Pete and his pet project of discovering that aliens truly did exist. It was Aliens Hiding in Plain Sight 101.
A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Cam opened it and a half octopus-half man entered through the doorway, two of his tentacles waving in the air. “Take me to your leader or I’ll bite you really hard!”
Pete stood up and screamed, backing away from the creature. “Stay away from me!” He rushed around the desk to Diesel’s side. “Use the weapon! Use the weapon!”
The creature waved his tentacles again and said, “I’m just kidding. I don’t bite very hard, if ever.” He then pulled the blobby octopus head off, revealing the face of Diesel’s youngest brother, Jack. Behind him, Wheeler walked into the room with a satisfied smile on his face. Wheeler, his artistic brother, and Jack, hisI’m-up-for-anythingbrother, had completed the project Diesel had assigned them.
