Chapter 9

"How did he die?" Monique asked.

"Someone shot him in the head," Vee said.

"Did you do it?"

"Nope ... the Bosnians ... we think," Said Vee

"You think? You don't know?"

"No ... Junior had just opened the door in the bubble and he stepped through and his head pretty much disappeared. Someone shot an RPG at the door and Junior shut it before it hit. She sucked all the air out of a bubble she put over the car..." Monique interrupted.

"Wait? Sucked the air out of what?"

"Junior?"

"Vee?"

"Show her a bubble."

"Wow! so Daddy was trying to get in one like that? Why did you open a door?"

"I asked her to."

"Why?"

"Because he knew we had you and he loved you more than life itself ... He told us he'd confess all if we'd give you back. We never got to find out what he knew."

"Oh."

That led to another crying jag ... Junior was trying to get her pad back because she could hear it vibrating on the ice ... she had a call coming in ... Vee couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to hug Monique or slap her silly. The detective was reading the manual for his new watch and Nick was wondering what was going on at the party.

The Powers that Be had melted an area of snow and planted some palms and heated up a section of the beach. They'd imported a Reggae band, a bamboo bar with a dusky busty bartender, an assortment of island type alcohol and were getting down with it.

Since Seven hadn't come back, the Six decided she had a headache and stayed home to sleep. One might say they were partying up a storm...

Everywhere else but right where they were, it was snowing like it snows when the Lake effect is in operation ... it really snows.

There was a hole in the clouds that followed the sun as it started it's journey to the west ... the sun was shining on the party. For a bunch that claim they aren't Gods ... they had the act down pat.

"Damn it, Junior," said Wendy. "Just call it to you. What good is being a Princess if you don't do a little magic now and then."

"Oh ... right. Come here pad." She gestured magically.

"Witchcraft to the ignorant, ... Simple science to the learned," Wendy said.

Junior's magical gesture was similar to calling a recalcitrant cat. Fingers pointing down and making a scratching motion. Very similar to tootling goodbye ... but not.

The pad slid across the ice ... it seemed like it was reluctant ... but it was just the wind.

"Got you," said Junior and pounced. "Hello? Hello?" She started mumbling about 'missed call' and the steps the pad made her go through to retrieve it.

"Damn it. Wendy? You're a teenager ... you kids know how all this stuff works."

"Junior ... I never saw one of those in my life ... My mother is your daughter ... you know she won't spend money on the family. Millions for neighbor aid but not one dime for me."

"I can do it," said Monique.

"Wait ... show me. Do it again ... ok ... my turn ... push this," she did ... the back fell off the pad and the battery dropped out.

"No! Not like that." Monique scraped around and found the missing parts, put the pad back together. "You do know that the memory got wiped when the battery fell out."

"You mean, I lost my lists?"

Monique nodded.

Junior looked it it ... and skipped it across the channel, "Fucking thing." The fucking thing fell in the crushed ice and water from the last fishing boat to come it ... there was a flash and a little smoke as it sunk to the bottom of the lake.

"One good thing ... the Proctors won't be calling from 2064."

"What?" exclaimed Monique.