Free Spy High by Diane Henders Page A

what would set
off the explosives.
    “I’m sure you’d know him better than I
would,” I prevaricated. “We work together occasionally, but that’s
about it.”
    “No. We don’t know.” Moonbeam’s voice
sounded tight, but I couldn’t tell whether it was anger or some
other emotion. “Please…” Her voice broke and she swallowed before
continuing, “Please tell us about him.”
    “Well, uh…” I racked my brain for
something to say besides ‘he’s a manipulative snake-faced
dickhead’. “Uh, he’s, um, very dedicated to his work…”
    “Is he good at it?” Moonbeam eyed me
pleadingly.
    “Absolutely.” At least I didn’t have to
equivocate on that. “He’s excellent at his work. I couldn’t imagine
anybody else doing a better job.”
    “Oh…” Moonbeam’s smile trembled on her
lips. “Oh, that’s wonderful. What else?”
    “Well, he’s, um…” Inspiration struck.
“…very trustworthy. In fact, I’d trust him with my life.”
    And I did, every single day. If he
leaked the secrets he knew about me, I’d be dead in short
order.
    Looking at Karma and Moonbeam leaning
forward with their hands clasped like eager children, I cast about
for some other small detail.
    “Uh, he likes houseplants and he’s
really good at growing them,” I offered. “You should see his
hibiscus trees and cyclamens. A whole house full of plants and
flowers…”
    “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Moonbeam’s eyes
were bright with unshed tears. “He was always so close to the Earth
Spirit as a child. I’m so glad he hasn’t lost that connection. What
else can you tell us?”
    “Well, um…” I shifted uncomfortably.
This was weird. “He’s, um… a good neighbour. He plays cribbage with
the elderly man who lives across the street from him, and they look
out for each other…” I frowned. “Why are you asking me? I’m really
not that close to him.”
    She and Karma exchanged a glance, and
Karma laid a gentle arm around her shoulders before turning to me.
“We had a… falling-out. Decades ago, when he was eighteen. He left
the commune and never returned.”
    “But you talk to him, don’t you? You’ve
visited him…”
    “We talk on the phone, but not
frequently.” Moonbeam’s lips trembled. “Inconsequential things.
Small talk, like strangers. We used to visit him whenever we could,
but… several years ago…” Her voice faded into silence and Karma
took over.
    “He had been in a car accident and had
to move shortly afterward,” he said. “We went to help him, but… it
was as though we were intruding. He didn’t come out and say it,
but…”
    “But his aura was… in turmoil,”
Moonbeam quavered. “Oh, my poor boy, he was so… so damaged. And the
only time his aura calmed was when we mentioned leaving…”
    “So we left,” Karma finished. “And we
haven’t been back. We didn’t want to upset him further. We keep
hoping he’ll find his way back to us…”
    He trailed off and Moonbeam wrapped her
arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder before
turning to me. “Before he left at eighteen, we had argued about the
Earth Spirit. He didn’t… doesn’t believe. All these years we’ve
tried to tell him that we love him regardless of his or our
beliefs, but…” She seemed to fold in on herself, looking her age
for the first time since I’d met her. “…perhaps it’s too late.”
    My heart wrenched. “Oh, no, it’s not
too late! He loves you! He wouldn’t have sent me out here if he
didn’t!”
    That hadn’t come out quite right, but
the hope in their faces made me forge on. “He said you’re very dear
to him. ‘Despite our ideological differences, they are dear to me’.
That’s what he said.”
    “Oh…” Tears overflowed Moonbeam’s eyes.
“Oh, my boy…”
    “And I know he was glad to have you
there after his car accident,” I went on recklessly. “I know that
meant a lot to him.”
    I bit my tongue before I could blurt
out that he’d