collect the bill, "Bessy, you marvelous woman, marry me!"
"Oh, sugar, that pie has gone straight to your head." She giggled and blushed like a teenager. "Don't let my man Bubba hear you talking like that. He's the cook here and he's got one of them temperamental attitudes, if you know what I mean."
"I shall have to content myself with eating here every chance I get," Max said, fixing her with a devilish grin. For a brief moment, Bessy forgot she was a middle-aged woman with bunions and two kids in high school as she waved them out the door with a smile.
CHAPTER FOUR
B essy's smile was still in place the next afternoon when a battered old motorcycle spewing steam careened into the parking lot. The short but curvy young woman riding it whipped off her goggles and helmet and charged up to the door as the steamcycle sputtered to a stop.
"Bessy, where are they? Did Bubba chop them up for steak? Did they give up and go home? We told everybody to be nice to them. Real Nice. Extra-special nice. So where are they?" she cried. Bessy put a cup of coffee and plate of smoked chicken in front of the girl as though she hadn't spoken.
"Now, Miss Kalliope, you need to not get so fussed. Those boys seemed real happy with life when they left here, so I imagine they are still poking around somewheres." The blond woman shot Bessy a look as she took a bite of broccoli casserole. "Oh now I'm sorry, Miss Clio, I forgot you gone and cut your hair. What are you doing, tearing across the countryside on your sister's contraption like that?"
"My scooter sprang a leak," Clio grumbled, pulling out her handheld, "Kalliope's fixing it."
"Well that girl can fix anything and if she doesn't add any of her little inventions to it, you should have it back right quick," Bessy replied sympathetically, "And how's your Momma?"
"She's fine. She and Joanna are stuck talking to those damn Malsanto people this afternoon, so I'm supposed to roll out the red carpet for these visiting computer geeks. What were they like, anyway?" Clio seemed to relax under the soothing spell of smoked chicken and coffee.
"Well, they was real nice for poor, uncultured Yankees. Imagine not knowing what chicken-fried steak was! A little standoffish but they had some real pretty manners. Not too bad looking, but they were peaky like they needed feeding up." Bessy beamed, happy to give her opinion.
She leaned closer to Clio conspiratorially, "So why are we being so nice to these boys?"
Clio smiled mysteriously and mock-whispered, "These boys are looking to set up a satellite office for Omerta Corp. They specialize in computer security. They are very good at helping people keep secrets. And between worrying about the government and the terrorists, we sure do need some security. I'd explain more, but I've got a zillion things to do today and now I've got to figure out where these guys went."
"Well, sugar," Bessy said, producing a slice of apple pie like a rabbit out of a hat, "You could have just called, you know."
"If I'd called, I would have missed out on your apple pie," she laughed. Clio's handheld chirped and she answered it. After listening for a few minutes, she flicked it off and paid Bessy.
"Mom says Dan Martinez called to tell her that aliens are camped out in his south pasture, scaring his goats. So I think I found my missing geeks." Clio cranked up the steamcycle and roared off.
An hour later, she was hiking through the tall brush to get to a large black tent in the middle of a field with a hovercar parked next to it. The tent looked like it could comfortably hold a maharaja and most of his harem. She noticed a collapsible satellite dish and two large fans built into one side.
"Hello in there," she called. "I'm Clio. My friend Joanna was supposed to meet with you gentlemen today, but she's stuck doing something very boring so here I am to help you out. You all need a local guide?"
After a minute, a man called back, "Of course, please come in." When she did, she found
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