“Oh, I’m sort of a wild spirit. I love to visit new places. I only stayed for the minimum required time in Alienn, Arkansas before heading here to see what Nocturne Falls was all about once I heard where Max had likely landed.
“By the way, are there any hunting or big-game sport clubs in town? Ones that aren’t exclusive, where I could maybe get a guest membership to and tromp around in the local woods while I’m here?” His zeal to hunt seemed enthusiastic. More so than his desire to discover if she’d found Max.
“No. I don’t think so.”There were absolutely no big-game sports clubs nearby.“At least none that I know of. But I could try to find out.”
“Dandy.” He pulled a cell phone out of his inner front jacket pocket, handling it like a toddler with a new toy and unsure of how it worked. “Got one of these newfangled cell phones back in Arkansas.” He handed the phone to her. It was a very high-end smartphone. “Can you get my number off it and put yours in there so we can contact each other more easily?”
Ruby nodded. He didn’t have a lock on his phone, but she declined to say anything, simply sending a text from his number to hers to get his number and adding her cell phone to his contact list, which only had one other number. She assumed it was his valet, Hayward, as the number only had the letter H next to it. She quickly sent herself another text including H’s number to check later.
She handed Milo his phone and showed him the contact list with her name and cell number.
“Dandy,” he said again, seeming genuinely delighted.
Ruby pointedly looked at the clock on her wall. “I hate to shoo you out of here, but…”
“No, no. Not a problem. Not at all. Thank you for talking to me.” He started to head to the door, but turned back, bunching his hat between his beefy fingers. “Would it take too long to tell me if you found Max?”
She inhaled, suddenly realizing that was likely what he’d wanted to know from the start but was afraid to discover Max didn’t want to talk to him.
“Ididfind him.” She wondered if Max would appear, but he remained hidden. That was fine. Not a big surprise for someone who’d been so maligned by his family. It would be difficult for him to give anyone his trust quite yet.
“Is he okay?” Milo seemed to hold his breath, as if waiting for terrible news.
“In my personal opinion, yes, he’s fine.”
Milo stared into her eyes for a slow five count before he blinked, nodded and looked down at the floor. “I’m glad. Really glad that I sent you…to find him. Thank you.”
She sensed more than heard Max enter the front reception area behind her. “Did you mean what you said in your letter?” he asked.
Milo’s mouth dropped open in shock, but he rebounded quickly with a wide grin. “Which part?”
“The part where you said you’d help me if I needed it.”
He cleared his throat. “Yes. I did mean that, of course I did. What do you need? How can I help?”
“I need to find out who is trying to frame me. Is it you? Is that why you wanted to find me here on Earth? Did you want to finish the job that you started on Alpha-Prime?”
Max had listened to Ruby and his uncle Milo chatting only a few feet from his spot in the hallway out of sight. He fidgeted in place like he had ants in his pants—a phrase he’d learned from Aunt Dixie Lou Grey back at the Cosmos Café in Arkansas.
Should he go out there? Should he wait to be on home turf, as Ruby initially advised? Did Ruby’s office count as home turf, or did he have to invite Uncle Milo to his apartment? No, he simply couldn’t wait that long to get some answers.
Milo’s eyes widened in shock at his accusation. “No! Of course I didn’t frame you. Why would I?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that an Alpha is most likely involved. And whoever framed me on Alpha-Prime seems to be using the same tactics here in Nocturne Falls. And then, out of the blue, suddenly here you are trying to find your long-lost nephew. I’ve learned to be wary during my short stint with the United Galactic Gulag folks.”
His uncle, who looked very much like his father with the exception of the color of his hair, ducked his head. “I can certainly understand why you feel that way.”
“And?”
Milo straightened, looked straight at Max and said very clearly, “And I pledge to you on my honor that I didn’t have anything to do with framing you on Alpha-Prime or here in Nocturne Falls. Further, I’ll do whatever is needed to ensure you are found innocent of any and all crimes.”
Ruby perked up. “Should we show him the video?”
“Video? What Video?” Milo asked.
“Of the person committing the crime,” Ruby offered. “Do you have the ability to shift into other forms?”
