Alien in the House

now.”
    “You think they’re going to do a Jack Ruby on him?”
    “What?” Jeff and Christopher asked in unison.
    “Jack Ruby assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald before he could stand trial,” Raj replied without missing a beat. “Then Ruby was killed. It’s one of the reasons a conspiracy theory surrounds President Kennedy’s death.”
    “Raj, did you also go to human schools?”
    “No, we just really like the History Channel at New Delhi Base. Along with all the other channels. But I believe you’re correct to worry.”
    “So, what do we do?” Christopher asked.
    “We do what Kitty wanted, and think about what’s going on, determine what our options are, and plan accordingly.” Jeff was back to full on Commander Mode. Which was alright with me.
    “The way I see it, we have the usual three different plans going on,” Christopher said. “Whatever’s going on with the assassins and why they’re really here, whatever Clarence—if it’s really him Kitty saw—is up to, and the murder tonight and whatever else might be going on around it.”
    “Trust me, it was Clarence. I’m sure of it.” Well, I was pretty sure, and my hunches were usually right, so I was sticking with Clarence unfortunately being alive and well. “What about Colonel Hamlin’s warning, and Buchanan and whatever’s happened to them? And we also have this emotional inhibitor that someone planted on Jeff. Even if it’s related to Eugene’s insanity tonight, that indicates a much higher level of tech savvy than I know Eugene’s capable of. And that makes, what, five different plans?”
    “I’m sure they’re connected in some way,” White said.
    “Well, yeah, Richard, they usually are. But which is related to the other and in what way?”
    “Does it matter?” Raj asked. “There are five of us, that means we can each explore one of the situations and see where it leads.”
    “Not alone,” Jeff said firmly. “Whatever’s going on, it’s deadly. We just lost a friend less than two hours ago. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
    “We’ve already lost Buchanan and Hamlin,” I pointed out.
    “We’ll find them,” Jeff said confidently.
    “Potentially not without help.” I wasn’t being Polly Positive right now, but facts had to be faced.
    “But we can’t trust anyone else, can we?” Christopher asked. “I mean, based on what Kitty was told.
If
it was true, that is.”
    “Let’s assume it was,” White said mildly. “At least until events prove otherwise.”
    “Richard, you sound really calm.”
    “It’s part of my charm, but yes, I’m not as panicked as you sound, Missus Martini.”
    “Do I sound freaked? I don’t feel freaked.”
    “Yes, you do, baby,” Jeff said, as he pulled me to him and hugged me. “You’re handling it really well, but we just went through a hugely upsetting experience, and you had a busy day well before then. Your stress is off the charts—you’re the main reason I had to put my blocks back up. Though, no one else in the entire Embassy or Zoo is feeling a hundred percent normal.”
    “You’re sure? About everyone else.” I knew he’d be sure about me. “I’m asking because if someone’s feeling triumphant or too relaxed, it could identify our Mister Big.”
    Jeff and Christopher looked at each other. “I could kill two birds with one stone,” Christopher said.
    “Take Uncle Richard with you,” Jeff said.
    Christopher walked over to the cloaked switch that turned the basement into the Jolly Green Giant’s elevator. We started moving down.
    “Is now really the time for Christopher and Richard to search the tunnel system?”
    “We’re here and I can do it faster than anyone else,” Christopher snapped.
    “That you can, son. But I can’t.”
    “Good point,” Jeff said. “I can handle the faster speeds, but that defeats one of the purposes of Christopher going into the tunnels in the first place. And I have to insist that I don’t want any of us doing anything alone right now.”
    Considered our options. They seemed slim. If I wanted to focus only on humans or A-Cs. But it was me, and I didn’t.



CHAPTER 26
    “H ANG ON A MOMENT.” Concentrated. In a few seconds, Bruno appeared, along with Harold, who was the male half of Christopher’s set of Peregrines.
    Jeff jumped. “Geez, I hate how they do that. And just where the hell were you when people were being murdered?” he asked Bruno.
    Bruno ruffled his feathers and warbled.
    “Ah. Um, none of us