Alien Proliferation

grandchild.”
    “Yeah. Prejudice and bigotry’s hard to fight.” We hung up, and I turned back to Jeff. “Seriously, which of your brothers-in-law work with or near the Diplomatic Corps?”
    He shrugged. “All of them, in a way.”
    “Want to explain that?”
    “They’re like Paul is to Richard, the adjuncts for each of our main Diplomats.”
    “Who are all lobbyists,” Chuckie added. “What’s their loyalty to your family over their own interests, man by man?”
    Jeff shook his head. “Baby, I know where you two are going with this, and Christopher and I can’t stand them, but I’ve never picked up traitor from any of them.”
    “Yeah? Let’s go visit Clarence and see what you pick up, okay?”

 
    CHAPTER 34
     
    I GRABBED MY PURSE and left the hospital room. Had a vague idea of where the elevators were from here. Sadly, Jeff was right—I had no idea where I was in most of the Science Center.
    He caught up to me and grabbed my hand. “How is this getting Tim, or the other agents, back safely?”
    “Not sure, just know it is. I don’t think we want to descend on the Embassy unless we know for sure that Tim’s there.”
    He headed us to the elevator banks. Everyone was coming along, including Emily and Melanie. “Why didn’t Tim go to the Martinis’ with Alicia and the other agents?” Kevin asked as the elevator doors closed.
    “No idea.” Well, that was a lie. I had an idea. Just wasn’t sure if it was right yet.
    Jeff gave me the hairy eyeball, so I knew he’d picked up that I was hiding something. But he didn’t push it. “What are we doing, besides descending on my oldest sister and her husband like a lynch mob?”
    “I’d love to lynch someone,” Chuckie muttered.
    “Amy’s not the damn mole, okay?”
    “We’ll see.” He stretched. “Of course, at the moment, we’re spoiled for choice.”
    Kevin looked at me. “How many are working on the same plan?”
    I managed a laugh. “God alone knows.”
    “Yeah.” Kevin shook his head. “Reminds me of Florida. Too much.” It did me, too, but I chose to keep that to myself for this moment.
    Reached the transient floor, got out, headed toward Tim’s room. Heard the fighting before we got halfway there. Wow, Doreen hadn’t been kidding. Sylvia and Clarence were in full-on domestic dispute.
    “You know, my first superbeing was making a scene like this one. Guess we should be relieved we took the ozone shield down on Alpha Four.”
    Jeff’s eyes were narrowed. “I hope he doesn’t talk to her like this in front of their kids.” He was growling, already at “rabid dog.”
    I hoped my grandparents were in the library. I’d never heard my Papa Abe raise his voice to Nana Sadie. My father never raised his to my mother or me. Jeff bellowed, but never at me. He bellowed orders, warnings, and my name, but out of protection, not anger. Even when we were fighting, he didn’t scream at me.
    I let go of Jeff’s hand and grabbed Chuckie. “Did you find out if anyone’s been pushing that drug?” I kept my voice low. Kevin moved up next to us.
    “Not that we can tell.” He kept his voice low, too.
    “We’re still searching, all covert ops, all Centaurion Bases,” Kevin added. “But it’s hard to do fast without alerting the people you want to catch that you’re after them.”
    Chuckie cocked his head at me. “You thinking Clarence is trying to enhance himself?”
    “No idea. But I should think Alfred would have done something about this if it was ongoing.”
    “Never assume that. Families are different.”
    “And what a man says in front of his wife’s father and when he’s alone with his wife can be very different.” Kevin wasn’t smiling. I got the impression hearing the Valentinos fight was upsetting him as much as Jeff. “What’s behind closed doors is very different from what the public sees, many, many times.”
    “True.” Left my Feds and went back to Jeff. He was in front of the door, and I could tell he was furious.
    “Why are you always taking their side?” I could just recognize this voice as Clarence’s. I’d only talked to him a couple of times, but it was a safe bet since it was coming from the room they were in.
    “Because they’re my family! You know, Jeff has never said a bad word about you to me, and neither has Christopher. Why do you think you can just sit here and insult them to me?” Sylvia’s voice, for sure.
    “Oh, God! Yes, yes, Mister Wonderful and his sidekick, Mister the