Page 32 of Stone Blind

“Yes, if you want to track their movement for the day, or if you want to track their movements over the course of a week, it will give you patterns, as long as the phone is on,” he said, watching her face. “Use it wisely, Cranberry.”

“Me, take advantage of software that allows me to track the movement of people and know what time they leave home, the route they take to go to work, and where they are sitting having coffee? Never!” she said waving her hand as she sipped the coffee with her eyes wide. It made Yield chuckle a little.

“Tell him I said hi when you find him,” he said. “It has been truly a strange experience meeting you.”

“I found confidence in my instincts in spending time in your light,” she told Yield. “May we depart as friends and meet again as family?”

“Family, eh? And you would be the weird cousin with the cats who all have names from Shakespearian characters,” Yield said, stopping himself.

“No, that would be I think, Rest Stop?” she said, grinning at him.

“Damn, I like you ? you scary little woman,” he said, taking note of the reference to Bleu Neary’s love of Shakespeare. She did know the family. “You know I’m going to make the call to find out about you.”

“You can, but it is doubtful he will tell you much,” she said. “Be safe and get home in one piece.”

Apple entered the kitchen at the same time Yield picked up the carafe of coffee. He pointed at it, looking at Helen. Apple frowned at her, wanting to know why she was giving away his coffee carrier.

“You can get another one; he has a long drive to get home. Plus, he did you several favors in coming, locating the warehouses, and shutting them down. He can have the carafe,” she said. “I will go and get you another.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled, looking at Yield. “Thanks.”

Yield replied, “Fuck you and we’re even.” He pointed at Ricky, who also entered the kitchen, Yield’s good eye on Helen.

She arched her eyebrows, looked at Apple, and smiled. Yield crinkled his forehead, looked at Ricky, then at Apple, and arched his eyebrows. Helen nodded, Yield cocked his head. Helen smiled. Yield shrugged, and Ricky clapped his hands.

“I don’t appreciate you two talking in Technician code about me in front of my face while I’m standing here, not understanding what you’re saying about me,” Ricky claimed. “Apple, what did she say?”

“You don’t want to know,” he said, offering Yield a handshake of thank you.

Helen watched him walk to the door, and he looked back at her with his good eye, gave a mock salute and took off. She couldn’t tell if he was a good man or a man who did good things for the right reason when the wrong reasons would get him caught. She knew he had a family, and the way he looked at the go bag, his wife hadn’t mastered the art of preparing his food stores for long riding assignments.

“Hmmp,” she said, looking at Apple. “What’s next, oh great trainer?”

“Two weeks off,” he told her.

“Who has two weeks off?”

“You do. I am done with you Cranberry,” Apple said.

“Have I failed? Did I do something wrong? I will get you another coffee carafe,” she said, feeling out of sorts.

“No, you haven’t failed. My job was to assess you to see where your strengths lie and suggest the course of action for you as a Technician,” he said. “You are great with kids and doing intake for children, making them feel comfortable in a new environment. You can set up a safe house and know how to budget for long term planning. The job of setting up the window defenses with interlocking fields of fire worked well. You were able to achieve a critical understanding of tracking, shut down three warehouses, and still managed to make a go bag for a traveling Technician. We are done here. Enjoy the time off and report to Lemon in two weeks.”

“Well, that is rather abrupt,” she said. “Just like that, I am free to go for two weeks?”

“Use the down time well. Lemon is all about chemistry and poisons, so you need to be fresh and rested,” he explained.

“Okay, let me go pack and say goodbye to the kids,” she said, rising slowly.

Apple and Ricky watched her leave. Ricky spoke first when she was out of earshot. “What did she say to Mr. One Eyed Willie about me?”

“She said you and I were together,” Apple said.

“How does she know about us? I mean, I was ogling her too,” he said, feeling some kind of way for being outed by Helen when he was certain Apple and he was hiding it well.

“Yeah, but you spend more time ogling me,” Apple said.

“You are rather fine,” Ricky said.

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