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.“We’ll drink from the can,” Michael said.“We’re not girly men.”Having already chugged half a bottle of beer, Vicky said, “What happened back there? Who was Randal? Who were those two that switched off my lights? You said Arnie’s safe, but where is he?”“It’s a long story,” Carson said.“They were such a cute couple,” Vicky said.“You don’t expect such a cute couple to squirt you with chloroform.”Sensing that Carson’s It’s a long story, though containing a wealth of information, wasn’t going to satisfy Vicky, Michael said, “One thing those two were is professional killers.”No longer in danger of puking, Vicky acquired that red-bronze hue of Asian anger.“What were professional killers doing in our kitchen?”“They came to kill us professionally,” Michael explained.“Which is why you’ve got to get out of New Orleans for a few days,” Carson said.“Leave New Orleans? But they must have come to kill you, not me.I never antagonize people.”“She never does,” Liane agreed.“She’s the nicest person.”“But you saw their faces,” Carson reminded Vicky.“Now you’re on their list.”“Can’t you just get me police protection?”Michael said, “You’d think we could, wouldn’t you?”“We don’t trust anyone in the PD,” Carson revealed.“There’s police corruption involved.Liane, can you take Vicky out of town somewhere, for a few days?”Addressing her sister, Liane said, “We could go stay with Aunt Leelee.She’s been wanting us to come.”“I like Aunt Leelee,” Vicky said, “except when she goes off about the planetary pole shift.”“Aunt Leelee believes,” Liane explained, “that because of the uneven distribution of population, the weight imbalance is going to cause a shift in the earth’s magnetic pole, destroying civilization.”Vicky said, “She can go on for hours about the urgent need to move ten million people from India to Kansas.But otherwise, she’s fun.”“Where does Leelee live?” Carson asked.“Shreveport.”“You think that’s far enough, Michael?”“Well, it’s not Tibet, but it’ll do.Vicky, we need to borrow your car.”Vicky frowned.“Who’s going to drive it?”“I will,” Michael said.“Okay, sure.”“It’ll be a hoot spending a few days with Aunt Leelee,” Liane said.“We’ll drive up there first thing in the morning.”“You’ve got to leave now,” Carson said.“Within the hour.”“It’s really that serious?” Vicky asked.“It really is.”When Carson and Michael left, the four of them did the hugs-all-around thing, but the humiliated cat remained in seclusion.In the street, on the way to the car, Carson tossed the keys to Michael, and he said, “What’s this?” and tossed them back to her.“You promised Vicky that you’d drive,” she said, and lobbed the keys to him.“I didn’t promise, I just said ‘I will.’”“I don’t want to drive anyway.I’m sick about Arnie.”He tossed the keys to her again.“He’s safe, he’s fine.”“He’s Arnie.He’s scared, he’s overwhelmed by too much newness, and he thinks I’ve abandoned him.”“He doesn’t think you’ve abandoned him.Deucalion has some kind of connection to Arnie.You saw that.Deucalion will be able to make him understand.”Lobbing the keys to him, she said, “Tibet.I don’t even know how to get to Tibet.”“Go to Baton Rouge and turn left.” He stepped in front of her, blocking access to the Honda’s passenger door.“Michael, you always moan about me driving, so here’s your chance.Take your chance.”Her surrender of the keys suggested despondency.He had never seen her despondent.He liked her scrappy.“Carson, listen, if Arnie was here, in the middle of the New Race meltdown—if that’s what’s happening—you’d be ten times crazier with worry.”“So what?”“So don’t get yourself worked up about Tibet.Don’t go female on me.”“Oh,” she said, “that was ugly.”“Well, it seems to be what’s happening.”“It’s not what’s happening.That was way ugly.”“I call ‘em as I see ‘em.You seem to be going female on me.”“This is a new low for you, mister.”“What’s true is true.Some people are too soft and vulnerable to handle the truth.”“You manipulative bastard.”“Sticks and stones.”“I may get around to sticks and stones,” she said.“Gimme the damn keys.”She snatched them out of his hand and went to the driver’s door.When they were belted in, as Carson put the key in the ignition, Michael said, “I had to punch hard.You wanting me to drive—that scared me.”“Scared me, too,” she said, starting the engine.“You’d draw way too much attention to us—all those people behind us blowing their horns, trying to make you get up to speed limit.”Chapter 70Deucalion stepped into Father Patrick Duchaine’s kitchen from the Rombuk Monastery, prepared to release the priest from this vale of tears, as he had promised, even though he had already learned of the Hands of Mercy from Pastor Laffite.The priest had left lights on.The two coffee mugs and the two bottles of brandy stood on the table as they had been when Deucalion had left almost two hours ago, except that one of the bottles was now empty and a quarter of the other had been consumed.Having been more affected by assisting Laffite out of this world than he had expected to be, prepared to be even more deeply stirred by the act of giving Duchaine that same grace, he poured a generous portion of brandy into the mug that previously he had drained of coffee
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