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“Do
you mind if I pop in and change my clothes? It’ll only take a
minute.”
    “No problem. I was
waiting with bated breath to see what befell your dress-up clothes
this time.”
    I snorted. “Usually
it’s just dirt. I’m trying to quit with the blood.”
    “Good choice.”

Chapter 5
    Back on the highway, I
drove in silence for a few miles before I turned to Kane again. “So
tell me more about this party. What’s the story?”
    “It’s being held at
the home of a local businessman, Lawrence Harchman. He owns a
drilling company with interests locally and internationally. He
came up on our radar because he has financial ties to Fuzzy
Bunny.”
    I raised a cynical
eyebrow. “Petroleum drilling and children’s toys. Seems like a
natural combination.”
    Kane shrugged. “It may
be pure coincidence. Harchman has very diverse business
investments. But I just spent the last four months tracing a
complex web of connections through central Europe, and I think this
is worth following up. Webb has been monitoring the chatter, and we
don’t like what we’re hearing.”
    I drove in silence for
a few minutes, watching the fields roll by outside the window.
“What’s the reason for the party?”
    “Harchman’s company,
Osiris Drilling, has developed some new drilling control software.
They’ve invited all the movers and shakers in the petroleum
industry, along with various consultants, to a party to launch the
new product.”
    I nodded
understanding. “Gee, and you just happen to be an energy
consultant. At least as far as they know. So you’ll be going as
yourself.”
    “Right,” he agreed. “I
don’t think you should go as yourself, though.”
    “You said oil and gas
industry.” I considered for a few moments. “I did business in
Calgary for quite a while, but I was never directly involved in oil
and gas. I probably won’t see anybody I know. But I do know a lot
of people in the business community generally. It would be pretty
embarrassing if I was pretending to be somebody else and got
recognized.”
    Kane frowned. “I still
think this is a bad idea. I got blindsided by this whole issue. If
I’d been here, I would have steered it in a different direction
entirely.” He paused. “If you got sick tomorrow afternoon, you
wouldn’t be able to go at all,” he said slowly.
    I sighed. “You know I
can’t do that.”
    “Why not?”
    “I just can’t. You
wouldn’t bail out of an investigation just because you were afraid
for your own skin, would you?”
    “No. But I’m a trained
agent. It’s my job. You’re a civilian. It’s not your job.” I felt
his eyes bore into me. “Right?”
    “Yes, I’m a civilian.
But apparently nobody else can use the key to access the network.
That leaves me. Whether I want to or not.”
    I gave him a cheerful
grin. “Besides, I’m getting paid this time. The extra cash will be
nice.”
    He let me change the
subject. “How is your bookkeeping business going, anyway?” he
inquired.
    “Fine. I’m working for
the seamy underbelly of Silverside.”
    Kane raised an amused
eyebrow. “How so?”
    “I lucked into a
perfect setup when I moved in March. There were originally two
bookkeepers in town, and one had moved away in January. The
remaining bookkeeper is quite religious, so she won’t touch any
business that has any overtones of booze, sex, or gambling. That
leaves all the good stuff for me.”
    He laughed. “So that’s
what Blue Eddy meant about seeing you Tuesday.”
    I nodded. “I love
having Eddy for a client. He’s such a nice guy. And it’s a great
excuse to go to the bar and listen to blues once a week.”
    I returned to the
point. “I still need to figure out how to introduce myself at the
party. God, I hate small talk.”
    “Could you use your
maiden name?” Kane asked.
    “I never changed my
name when I got married. I’ve always been Aydan Kelly.”
    We lapsed into silence
again, thinking. He scrubbed his knuckles through his hair.