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Troost considered this while he took a long draw on the handarette The paper crinkled, burned, and flicked away to ash "To Middlesboro? Nowith the travel arrangements The rest of the way? Another couple of days Shouldn’t be too bad, once we’re past the bluegrass"

"Travel arrange by air?"

"Unless you know a better way to get there in less than a week The train lines don’t run that way, not since Sherh the place in the seventies But I’ve got a sia side of Lookout Would’ve rather coive theements So I’m here on my own"

Henry’s left eyebrow lifted "Your own crew? You’re not an air captain these days, are you?"

"Captain? Who wants that kind of responsibility? Not h The kind who don’t mind if I keep my head down"

"Pirates," Maria said flatly

"Unincorporated merchants," he corrected her "Nobody worse than anyone you already know, ht as possible, these days Her captain wants out of the nasty side of the business Got a lady to i before"

"So what’s he running now?"

"Supplies," he said vaguely "Now, Henry, where e put our cargo when it arrives? Are we headed for the Land of Lincoln, or does the uncle have other ideas?"

Henry knew he meant DC Softly, he said, "Baltimore for now Details are in the packet So’s the money and their free papers Get ’e for you Our good uncle knows you really bent over backwards to get here"

"I guess he kno I feel about the District, too"

Henry cleared his throat "You "

"Nah This is e agreed, and it’s enough This one’s important"

Maria asked, "Because of the scientist?"

Troost nodded "That er brain than anybody I ever met, and if you knew the crew I run with, you’d know that’s saying so If it’s true what he says about his toy, and what it’s told hi else, and he wasn’t very happy about it

"You know about his ht it was of the uthed, and a puff of s to me, Cleopatra I collect them like some men collect butterflies, except I don’t put ’em in a case for show I live on theood ones"

"I do at that"

She pushed "The kind that have kept you away from the District?"

"That kind, yes" For a moment he looked irritated, but it quickly passed "And this kind, too On the house, all right?" he said to Henry, in a voice dripping with conspiracy "I understand you’ve got Miss Haymes involved in the situation"

Henry’s eyes narrowed "You understand correctly"

"She’s trouble, that one Worse trouble than this one" He cocked his thu up your Secretary of State in a real friendly way"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>