Chapter Eighteen
Juliana drove back to her apartment, disappointed that Mr. Harriman hadn’t cared for the article she turned in. He wanted aliens. His heart had been set on proof of extraterrestrials and nothing else, it seemed, would do.
The secret source he’d referenced—but wouldn’t put her in contact with—had been the driving force in his zeal to prove aliens did exist.
Instead, Juliana had given him infamous bank robbers from the last century robbing a bank no one in history had ever heard of, really only proving that they’d been seen and photographed drinking in a speakeasy in the same building.
She felt it was compelling enough and worthy of print.
If Mr. Harriman had seen the alien article she’d written on the proof she had, likely he would have been ecstatic and handed over the chunk of money she was promised to use for the research trip she wanted to take.
But when push came to shove, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t betray Diesel and his family, no matter what he’d done to her heart.
Juliana hadn’t been able to deliver the article Mr. Harriman wanted that stated aliens had been living in Alienn, Arkansas for decades. She also hadn’t brought him the pictures she’d stolen from Diesel’s secret office because she knew it would be disloyal to his whole big family. She just couldn’t do it. It wasn’t her style to hurt others to further herself or her career.
Standing in front of the two articles, Juliana knew that even if Diesel had used her horribly, she couldn’t use him in return.
A slim part of her hopeful soul still believed that perhaps it was a misunderstanding. She hadn’t spoken to him all week, but she hadn’t tried to call him either. In fact, Juliana still loved him even if he was no longer interested in a future with her. How foolish and pathetic was that? Maybe a lot, but she wasn’t going to blow things up forever until she spoke to Diesel in person or on the phone to discover his intentions or lack thereof.
She’d made her decision, snagged the bank robber article and ultimately consigned herself to being turned down by Mr. Harriman. She’d have to wait much longer to finance a research trip to the northwest in search of her family. Any story not containing proof of aliens was never going to be accepted. She’d known that the moment she selected the bank robbers article to deliver.
Mr. Harriman told her he was quite disappointed with her non-aliens article. After listening to him go on about why she hadn’t discovered what was truly going on, he’d gone off on a tangent regarding her career, telling her that basically it was over as far as Finder’s was concerned. At the end of his rant, he’d dismissed her and told her to take her foolish article about bank robbers with her.
Juliana had been rather discouraged after being ripped up one side and down the other by her former instructor.
But one other thing had happened that gave her renewed hope as far as her relationship with Diesel was concerned.
In her effort to perk herself up without caffeine, she’d thought about Diesel and the events of the past week. Every single one of the recollections she’d thought were dreams after being blasted with the Defender those two times had come back as full-fledged memories. Even when she’d been slack in Diesel’s arms, she remembered hearing the conversations between Diesel and Cam.
She didn’t even resent Cam for being the shooter. He was only trying to protect his family and the enterprise they ran. Diesel had been upset by the means necessary, but had gone along for the greater good. She understood. The phrase blood is thicker than water was accurate for a reason.
The letters she’d read on Diesel’s secret desk regarding Adele and her poor treatment became the thing that was suspect. What if someone, like possibly the apple-throwing menace, had set her up? What if she’d been meant to find those possibly fake letters to get her to leave Diesel and never look back? Wasn’t that what the mild threat was aiming for this whole time? Leave my love interest alone or else?
Juliana needed to ensure exactly how Diesel felt about her before she made any decisions about their relationship. She planned another trip to the Big Bang Truck Stop. She would wait until he spoke to her in person to glean his true feelings.
Her heart was in danger of being further trampled, but she had to know firsthand and not through someone’s poisoned pen letter scheme or from apples hurled at her door.
Diesel had been protective of her both times the Defender had been used on her. Would he be so concerned if he only planned to use her and dump her?
Miss Penny poked her head out of her apartment as Juliana approached her door. “I heard you race out of here earlier. Did you make it in time to turn in your article?”
“Yes. But he didn’t want it.”
“Don’t worry, dear. It’s his loss,” Miss Penny stated plainly and then closed her door.
Juliana smiled and shook her head. She turned the knob of her unlocked door, knowing she’d forgotten to lock it in her zeal to make it to the meeting with Mr. Harriman, which had been a complete waste of time, as it turned out.
Maybe she’d try to get her infamous last-century bank robbers story published somewhere else. Maybe there was a historical society somewhere that would relish the possibility of new information in that regard. She perked up as she stepped across the threshold into her apartment but went cold the moment she closed the door. Something seemed off.
Was someone here? Waiting for her? Half-eaten apple in hand ready to throw? So foolish not to lock the door.
“Hello,” she called out, desperately hoping no one answered.
She dropped her purse and the unwanted article on the table behind the sofa just as she realized what was wrong.
The alien story was not on the table where she’d left it. Where was it? She looked all around and saw nothing. Juliana dropped to her knees to search the floor, beneath the sofa, every inch of the living room. It was not anywhere in the room. She shifted furniture and chairs just to ensure the pages hadn’t slipped through some hidden place. Nothing.
A very horrible thought suddenly occurred. What if the apple-throwing, poison pen menace had gotten hold of her article? What if they’d come inside her home and found it? What if they’d taken it to be publically distributed?
Wait. Surely her nemesis wouldn’t distribute it to the public. But if this person took it to Diesel and said, “Look want Juliana did,” that would seal her doom with regard to their relationship. Wouldn’t it? What could she do?
Then again, what if it had been taken by someone else? Dread ran down her spine in a dark rush of fear at the possibility Mr. Harriman had somehow gotten his hands on it or sent someone to retrieve it from her apartment.
Juliana grabbed her purse. All she could do was warn Diesel and hope he’d agree to speak with her, even if it was only to ensure he knew she hadn’t intended for the alien article to get out in public.
<^> <^> <^>
Diesel looked at the picture and did his level best not to react. Pete wanted horror and shock and denials. Diesel did the exact opposite. He laughed out loud as if totally amused by Pete’s lame attempt to try to prove aliens were hiding in plain sight with this foolish picture.
Pete looked dismayed. “What at you laughing at? I don’t think seeing a horrible alien creature roaming around hurting people is a laughing matter.”
Diesel pointed to the picture. “That’s not a horrible alien creature roaming around hurting people.”
“Oh? What is it then?”
Cam walked over to the desk and looked down at the picture. He chuckled as well. Diesel glanced at his typically very serious brother and together they laughed once more.
“What is so hilarious?” Pete demanded.
Cam cleared his throat and said, “That is a fake alien created as an update to our space-themed marketing strategy to possibly take the place of Maxwell the Martian on our billboards.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Diesel shrugged. “Well, you don’t have to, but I’m warning you that you’ll look very foolish if you don’t.”
“Show me. I want to see the fake costume.”
“Are you from Missouri or something?” Cam asked. “Missouri is the Show Me state, you know, not Arkansas.”
“Ha, ha. Very amusing,” Pete said, sitting straighter in his chair. “You will either show me this fake costume right this second, or I’ll go public with my suspicions. We can let the readers decide the truth of the matter.”
Diesel pushed a button on his intercom. “Nova, would you call Jack and Wheeler into my office? Tell them to bring the latest mascot costume with them, okay?”
“Will do,” Nova said, adding, “Also, Gage wants to speak to you about some test results you asked for and Alice has been waiting all day to talk to you about something personal, but very important, according to her.”
“Send in the mascot costume first. Everything else has to wait until later.”
Nova pushed out a long sigh and replied, “Okie dokie, Smoky.”
Diesel closed his eyes. He knew that was Nova shorthand and it meant Gage and Alice had what she considered important news to impart. He noted her concerns mentally, but it was more important to get rid of Pete and his pet project of discovering that aliens truly did exist. It was Aliens Hiding in Plain Sight 101.
A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Cam opened it and a half octopus-half man entered through the doorway, two of his tentacles waving in the air. “Take me to your leader or I’ll bite you really hard!”
Pete stood up and screamed, backing away from the creature. “Stay away from me!” He rushed around the desk to Diesel’s side. “Use the weapon! Use the weapon!”
The creature waved his tentacles again and said, “I’m just kidding. I don’t bite very hard, if ever.” He then pulled the blobby octopus head off, revealing the face of Diesel’s youngest brother, Jack. Behind him, Wheeler walked into the room with a satisfied smile on his face. Wheeler, his artistic brother, and Jack, his I’m-up-for-anything brother, had completed the project Diesel had assigned them.
The costume looked exactly like the visitor from Moogally who’d instigated Juliana getting zapped by the Defender that first time. Diesel was very impressed with the workmanship Wheeler had put into the costume. It looked real. He’d commissioned it to show to Juliana in case she remembered the incident, but it also worked perfectly in this case.
“Great costume, huh?” Jack said, tucking the octopus head under one tentacle. “We worked for hours and hours on it.”
Pete’s face went from the color of ash to fire-engine red in seconds. He picked up the picture, glanced at it and then at Jack, his frown deepening.
“Problem?” Cam asked.
“No,” Pete said after a long pause. “It looks exactly like the picture.”
Diesel stood up from his desk. “Sorry to cut this meeting short, Pete, but I have a full schedule today.” He extended his hand.
Pete shook his hand limply, walked a wide path around Jack, and exited the room as if his butt was on fire. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Diesel said, “Great job you two. Truly above and beyond the call of duty. I’m grateful.”
“Thanks. This was a great project,” Wheeler said.
Cam turned to Jack with a smirk. “Take me to your leader, Jack? Really?”
Jack laughed. “It was the first thing that came to mind.”
“It was funny, Cam. Lighten up,” Diesel said as Jack and Wheeler left his office.
Cam shut the door behind them, but there was an immediate knock. Nova opened the door without invitation and entered. Right behind her was Alice with an anxious expression on her face.
“Nova. Come on in.” Diesel tried not to sound sarcastic, but didn’t think he pulled it off.
“Alice really needs to talk to you. And Gage wants to bring you the results of some test he did for you and he seems rather excited about it.”
“Gage doesn’t often get excited about stuff,” Diesel said.
Nova nodded. “That’s why I think you should talk to him next.”
Diesel remembered what he’d asked his brother to test and wondered if what Alice was about to tell him would confirm it. “Call him up and send him in when he gets here.”
“Will do.” Nova left the room. Diesel signaled Cam to stay.
“What can I do for you, Alice?”
She glanced at Cam before turning her attention to him. “I might have some information about something that is going on.”
“What info, and regarding what going on?” Cam asked. “There is lots of stuff going on right now. Could you be a bit more specific?”
Alice looked like she was terrified of Cam and clammed up. Her lips flattened like she’d rather run screaming from the room than speak again.
Diesel asked, “Is it in regard to who might be throwing apples at my girlfriend’s doorstep?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes. That’s right. How did you know?”
Diesel smiled. “I know things.”
Cam, seeming rather impatient with the whole process, asked, “Are you the one who has been doing this?”
Alice’s face turned tomato red. “No! Not me! My cousin Adele…um…might be the one doing it.”
“Adele?” Cam’s brows creased. “She works for me in security downstairs.”
“Yes.” Alice nodded. “And for as long as I can remember, she’s had a huge crush on Our Fearless Leader.”
“Really?” He pointed a thumb at Diesel. “Him?” Cam looked shocked.
Alice nodded solemnly.
“I’ll try not to be insulted by your amazement,” Diesel said to Cam.
“What do you think she did?” Cam asked Alice.
“I can’t prove it, but I heard her threaten to toss a bushel of apples on Our Fearless Leader’s girlfriend’s doorstep to scare her off.”
Diesel and Cam shared another look.
“I know she followed her home the first night she came here, so Adele would know where she lived.”
“Anything else?” Cam asked.
Alice hesitated. “She’s broken into your house, Fearless Leader. I’m sorry not to have come forward sooner with the apple thing, but when I heard her bragging that she broke into your house and could get in there any time she wanted, I realized she’d gone too far with this whole crush thing.”
“What did she break into my home to do?” Diesel didn’t remember noticing anything out of place or missing.
Alice shrugged. “I’m not certain. All I know is that after the first two attempts with the apples didn’t work, she moved on to a plan to break the two of you up. I don’t know the details just that she planned to plant evidence for your girlfriend to find.”
“What evidence did she have to do that?”
“I don’t know, but she seemed rather proud of herself. After the UFO crash in Georgia, she said her plan was working. And she came back with flowers that apparently you sent to your girlfriend on Monday.”
“What?”
“She saw the delivery guy walking to your girlfriend’s door and intercepted him, pretending to be your girlfriend. The guy gave Adele the flowers and the note you sent.”
Diesel shook his head. Juliana hadn’t gotten the flowers and that was likely why she never called to comment on them.
Alice continued, “I don’t know what she planted in your home, but she said that if it didn’t work, she was going to use a still picture she’d swiped of your girlfriend seeing that drunk Moogally resident and send it to someone to make her look so bad that you’d have to remove her from your life. And again, I’m truly sorry I didn’t come forward sooner.”
Diesel tilted his head to one side. “I appreciate you coming forward with this, given that Adele is your cousin, but I’m confused. Adele has never once approached me in any romantic way.”
“Really?” Alice looked surprised. “Didn’t you go out with her once?”
Diesel shook his head. “Nope. Never did.”
“Huh. I got the impression that you had eaten with her at the Cosmos Café once. She used to talk about it all the time.”
Diesel cocked his head, trying to remember any contact with Adele, a person he might not even recognize if he fell over her. Cam spoke up. “You sort of had lunch with Adele.”
“When?”
“About eight months ago or so. I was eating at the Cosmos Café with a couple of my people and you came in and sat with us.”
Diesel scanned his memory. “Oh. Right. Yes. I do vaguely remember that. You had two new employees with you, but I sat across from you and we discussed security of the lower level, as usual. Then I recall you also wanted permission to work on a Defender bomb.”
“Yep. That’s the time. Adele was sitting next to you. I guess you made a bigger impression than either of us was aware of.”
Diesel remembered a girl with dark hair and that was about it. “I never even spoke to her beyond, ‘Hello, nice to meet you,’ though.”
Alice said, “She was in love with you from that moment.”
“She never said anything to me.”
“I think she wanted you to make the first move,” Alice said. “You were always busy, but you also never seemed to be involved with anyone else. There are rumors it was because of an arranged marriage.
“But when the earthling came in asking about aliens in town and everything, Adele was on duty and she saw all the camera footage. She saw you kiss the earthling and she’s been a little strange since.”
Cam said, “Thanks for telling us, Alice. I’ll talk to Adele and see what else she’s done in the name of love. She should never have swiped the photo of the Moogally visitor to give to a human for any reason.”
“You aren’t going to fire her, are you?” Alice asked. “Please don’t fire her because of me.”
Cam put a hand on her shoulder. “Your name won’t come up, I promise. But I can prove that a picture from our surveillance was given to a human outside of this facility and Adele had access to that file. She’ll have to face the consequences of her actions, whatever they are.”
Alice pushed out a long sigh. “All right. But keep in mind she was just a girl with a crush on a guy.”
Diesel saw Cam roll his eyes. Not surprising for Mr. I’m-never-getting-married.
“Thank you, Alice.” Diesel said. “I appreciate that you stepped up to do what’s right.”
Alice nodded and left the room.
Cam said, “I’ll take care of this. Also, I’m sorry your girlfriend was threatened.”
“Thanks, Cam.” His brother walked out, too.
He expected Nova to be right in with Gage. When seconds stretched into a minute, Diesel figured she must have had to fetch Gage from downstairs.
Fine with me. Diesel could use a couple of minutes to himself. He reseated himself behind his desk and noticed that Pete had left his picture of the Moogally resident behind.
Little did he know he’d had the real deal. Diesel smiled.
He reached for the picture, but before he touched it there was another quick knock at his door. He expected Gage with a report, ready to explain the detailed DNA analysis Diesel had requested on one of the apples thrown at Juliana’s doorstep. The report was moot now. Adele had been responsible.
Diesel didn’t even have a chance to tell the knocker to enter when someone slipped inside, and it wasn’t Gage.
“Juliana?”