Chapter 15

XV

They called ahead, and had the Busted Flush moved back to Bahai Mar. A week had passed since the night of McGee's rescue. He was laid out on his big round bed, feeling worse for ware, and not looking much better. Meyer and Sue sat stretched out on the big sofa in the houseboat, sipping a farewell drink with M and Angel. On the table in front of them was her father's book. M had recovered it from the main lodge.

Meyer looked thoughtfully across the lounge. "There are a few things I still don't understand M."

"What can I tell you?"

"For starters, tell me how you arranged for a flying saucer."

"Easy. I leased it from the Los Angeles Olympic Committee. Anything else?"

"Yes. What happened to the skinheads that were abducted?"

"Well. Two of them showed up in a bordello in Tijuana. They claim to have been abducted by aliens. Another pair was found sleeping in a window display at Macy's in Chicago. They say they don't know how they got there. Then, there were half a dozen who woke up naked in front of the Crystal Cathedral in LA. Nobody seems to care why."

Angel laughed. "I'm curious too. Were there any casualties from that night?"

"That would depend on how you define casualty. I understand there were no less than twenty religious conversions. Then, when the FBI showed up two days later to investigate, they arrested Berg and the mayor."

"Were they caught indelicto?"

"No. They weren't doing anything wrong. They were just the only ones left to arrest. It seems that the Feebs were upset. They sent a crime scene unit up to where Doc had his trailer parked to gather evidence. You know… a strand of hair, DNA from a cigarette butt, that sort of thing. Well, when they got up there, one of them walked through a trip wire. Ninety thousand pounds of brown fecal mater were then expelled under great force from an abandoned mineshaft behind the site. Covered the investigators and about everything else with four inches of pig shit. Kind of cut their investigation short."

"Where is Doc now?"

"I believe he took a week off to go fishing."

"What will you do now M?"

"Me? Well, I'll head back out West. I've re-stocked Trav's hiddie-hole with cash. Doesn't seem to be much more need for my services. How about you Angel, are you headed back?"

She blushed. "No M. I have a patient to care for. It might take a long time to make him whole again."

Sue stood up then and stretched. "Well, if anyone cares, I'm going with M. Anywhere he goes I'm going."

"Whoa! Wait a minute there young lady."

Angel cut him short. "Don't argue with her M. She's exactly what you need."

Meyer smiled "Yeah."

"Well shoot. I'm old enough to be your father."

"Good. Maybe you'll have some interesting things to teach me. When I talked to Doc on the phone, he said you were wild about Yak butter and rubber sheets."

"Don't talk that way. It isn't lady like."

"Sure, you and my analyst. I suppose you'll have issues with my fixation on oral sex too?"

"God!" M said raising his face to the heavens, "What have I done to deserve this?"

"Do I need to get my pistol out?"

Meyer chuckled at them. "Admit it when you are overpowered M. Just go with the flow. But, before you two leave, I would like to know what was in your father's book Sue."

"Sure. Take a look at it."

Meyer opened the first pages, expecting to find notes about criminal activity. What he saw instead were pages covered with poetry.

To Sue: Some of my favorite poems

"For in and out,
above, about, below
tis nothing but a magic shadow show

played in a box
who's candle is the sun
round which we phantom figures come and go

From the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam