Free April 6: And What Goes Around by Mackey Chandler Page A

to inquire what
evenings were less solidly booked before taking a table. Their host and
maître d'
Phillip Detweiler hadn't wanted
to answer her at first, firmly insisting they would accommodate her at any
time. He'd been equally stubborn when she had earlier suggested she wasn't poor
and in fairness to the other owners she should pay for her service. He'd
pointed out that he was one of the other owners and he'd see it paid out
of his share before he's present her with a bill.
    April didn't know
if he'd ever reserved a table for himself. He was an owner to do so, but a
minor one and didn't get as large an offsetting cut of the profits. Allowing
him to pay for her would be even less fair so she dropped it. April couldn't
figure out why he felt so obligated to her. She'd never done anything special
for him personally as far as she knew.
    She was an owner
but hadn't even been in from the start. She'd inherited it from her brother.
She'd had the sign out front made, and other little suggestions, but Phillip
was here every day making it work. As far as she was concerned what he was
doing was much more valuable, but he always treated her like she was special.
    April inquired of
the accountant finally and found out that Wednesdays and Thursdays late in the
month were the slowest days. That appeared to be accurate since there were
three empty tables, something she hadn't seen other days. She was certain there
wouldn't be any open on a weekend. Even though everybody she asked had a
commitment, she didn't want to cancel at the last minute on a slow night. She
took a table for two against the wall. The wall side was a nice upholstered
seat and the other side empty because they brought a folding chair if somebody
sat on that side.
    The Caprese salad
was a light appetizer. It would leave her hungry enough for the seafood
fettuccine she'd had before and knew to be ample even for her appetite. A
reduced alcohol dry white wine went perfectly and left her clear of mind even
if she started on it before the main course. Her waiter tonight was Jesse
Duval. She'd first met him and his wife Helen almost a year ago. They'd been
visiting Home for life extension therapy, something not legally available at
home in Spain. They had returned to Home recently but insisted they were now
Jesse and Helen instead of James and Elena Alphonses. They never broke their
cover identity with her or anyone else as far as she knew. She knew they
couldn't do that with their doctor, but that was an entirely different matter.
    There had been
confused news reports after their return to Earth about high Catholic officials
infected with something and a hunt for terrorists wanted for spreading an
infectious agent. Since some of the common life extension therapies were
administered using a viral carrier she and Gunny suspected the couple had
somehow broken quarantine. If so, they were smart to flee. The crazy Earthies
felt inflicting a longer healthier life on somebody to be a heinous crime.
    Jesse had applied
to the Fox and Hare and gotten a serving job with ease. Not even mentioning
April as a reference. He was good looking and projected good humor without it
seeming strained. The host had confided in her that Jesse had already turned
down a couple job offers from customers impressed with his manner. If they only
knew he'd been responsible on Earth for managing a major charity. He was way
over qualified to be a server and would make more from the sort of tips that
were quiet confidence and overheard conversations than cash on the table.
    April thought his
wife the brains of the couple at first, but changed her mind and appreciated
him more now. She had the sudden thought she should tell Chen, who was running
Jeff's intelligence efforts, to recruit Jesse. His wife Helen had landed a job
with a small firm that did PR and advertising on Earth for space based clients.
It would surprise her if they both continued working for others long term. They
were smart enough to make more