~Norm~
The front door opened and closed, and Nock walked into the living room. "Guys? I think he's back."
I got up from the couch and went to the front window to look out, Nissi and Wendy close on my heels. The black BMW from two days before was rolling up the long driveway. We had all agreed that if the FBI were going to show up, it would happen within a few hours of Dan leaving. Two days had gone by since then, and seeing him back here was unexpected and worrisome. "I'll go talk to him," I said.
Nissi grabbed my arm. "Be careful, Norm."
I nodded, patting the lump of the gun and holster behind my hip out of habit as I went for the door. I stood just outside, waiting, until the car came to a stop. Dan got out and waved. He was wearing a business suit this time, and a pair of sunglasses, but that black fedora was perched on his head as before. I had to admit that it looked far more appropriate than the last time I had seen him. He went around to the trunk, which was already swinging open. "Can I get some help?" he called.
I moved toward him, wary but hopeful. "What brings you back so soon?" I asked.
"Well," he said, "I made a stop after work yesterday at dad's cabin, where he keeps our stash of food. I thought that this could help." He stepped back and gestured at the contents of the trunk. Inside were four large, open-topped boxes filled with mason jars. He picked one up to show me. "Canned peaches," he said. He replaced it and picked up another. "Apricot jam. There's pears, apples, and blackberries in here, some whole, some jammed or pureed."
"Blackberries?" I asked.
"Yeah, they grow out behind the orchard, down near the creek."
I laughed. "I thought that was just wild brush."
"Oh, well you get a lot of that around here too. People don't bother trying to cut it back when the land is next to useless. We used to get a good crop of strawberries on a big plot next to the house, but the Rot kills those. Nobody really knew at first what crops it hit and which ones it would leave alone, but blackberries are apparently on the no-kill list."
"You didn't have to do this, Dan," I said.
He shrugged. "You guys need help, so I'm giving it."
I helped him carry one of the big boxes to the kitchen. By the time we got back, Stan, Nissi and Nock had just picked up one box each, leaving the trunk empty. Dan started to reach to close the trunk, but stopped and snapped his fingers. "Oh! I almost forgot." He fished in his jacket pocket and pulled out a cell phone. "I used some of the cash you gave me. It's got a few hundred minutes on it. They don't expire, though, so I suggest you save it for when you really need it. The house phone is set to be connected early next week. Let me know if you run out, though, and I can put more minutes on it at the store."
I took the phone. It was cheap, disposable really, but it was priceless, given our current predicament. I shook my head. "Everything you've done, I don't know what to say."
Dan shrugged. "'Thanks' is the usual response, at least where I come from."
I held out my hand to him. He took it and I pumped it once. "Thanks, buddy."
"Any time. If you guys are still here in a couple of months, we're going to need to figure out what we're going to tell my mom and dad. Or maybe we can lock you all in the cellar until harvest is over."
"Very funny," I answered, smiling.
"Hey, I'm only partly kidding. I don't know what Dad will do if he finds out he's got genemods squatting on his farm. I would seriously consider how we're going to deal with that."
"You want to come inside?" I offered. "We didn't get much chance to talk the last time. We could discuss it."
Dan shook his head. "I've got to get back. I had to visit a client at the university, so I thought I'd use the excuse to drop by. It's good to see you're doing well here. I'll come visit again when I have more time. Tell Claudia, Tilly and Wendy I said 'hi'."
"Hi, yourself," Wendy said from the door. "Looking good, Dan. Love the suit. Tres chic, monsieur."
"Merci beaucoup, mademoiselle," he said, making a show of straightening his tie and puffing out his chest. "My suit jacket brings all the girls to the yard."
Wendy laughed. "Hey Norm! I think you finally found someone who's a bigger dork than you!"
Dan tipped his hat to her. "Thank you, my dear. 'Always aspire to be the best at what you do', that's my motto. Good day to you, mademoiselle." He nodded to me. "Monsieur."
I watched him hop in his beamer and drive off, shaking my head in amusement. Dan's gift wasn't enough to feed us by itself, but it would extend our supply by many days, maybe weeks. It was worth hundreds of dollars, easily. When he turned onto the road, heading for the highway, I started for the house. "Does he know you're forty-six?" I asked Wendy when I drew close.
"No," she said, grinning. "And if you tell him, I'll rip out your trachea and bludgeon you to death with it." She thought for a moment. "Or, I might just pin your testicles to the floor and crush them with a hammer, if I'm in a more forgiving mood."
I winced and put a protective hand over my crotch. "Damn, I hate it when you threaten in specifics."
Nissi pushed the door all the way open behind Wendy. "She likes him," she said. "So I suggest you do what she says. I'm rather fond of your testicles."
"Ew, gross!" Wendy said, and pretended to vomit.
"You got nothing to worry about, sugar," Nock called from the kitchen. "Even if Norm told him the truth about your age, he'd never believe it."
"Are you saying I'm immature, you cosplay reject?" Wendy said, marching over to confront Nock from the kitchen doorway.
"Pipsqueak."
"Insomniac werecat."
"Pollyanna." He spoke in falsetto, "Oh, we should all play the 'glad' game."
"That's it. You die." Wendy disappeared into the kitchen, followed a few seconds later by cursing and yelps of pain from Nock.
Nissi sidled up to me in the doorway and pulled me against her. She breathed in my ear. "Mm, you know, the sound of human suffering always gets me horny."
"And everything else," I said, and gave her a kiss. "I wonder if Tolkien knew you guys were so wanton."
Nissi gave my lip a playful bite before drawing back with a chuckle. "You know, the beard is starting to grow on me," she said, running her hand over my stubbled cheek. I had decided to start growing it out a week ago in the hopes that it would make me harder to recognize from the police sketches.
The scuffle in the kitchen suddenly rose in pitch and volume. "Ow! Hey, that's my. . . Ow, ow!"
"I better go save Nock," I said.
I found him lying on his side in the kitchen, kicking futilely. Wendy had her feet across his neck and one of his arms in a lock at her chest. I had to admit that Wendy did somewhat resemble the Pollyanna from that Disney movie, but I wasn't about to say that our loud. "Wendy," I said in a warning tone.
"Hi, Norm," she said, grunting with the effort of holding the bigger man down.
"Let Nock go, Wendy."
