Page 28 of Simon Says

He wondered if he looked as sheepish as he felt. “Curiosity?”

“Did what?”

He could have reprimanded her for insubordination, but decided to give her the play of chastising him a little. She was owed that. “Killed the cat.”

“That’s right. You’ve been a bad, bad boy.”

“What’s done is done.”

“Uh-huh. And what’s your plan?”

“My plan is to ask you how we’re going to find out what happened to Sorcha.”

“So I’m your plan.”

“Yes. You are.” He paused. “Well, and I was going to get a room for the night. I need money.”

Rosie turned to Deliverance, who said, “I thought you didn’t approve of shoplifting.”

“Stealing money from banks isn’t shoplifting. It’s bank robbery,” she said.

“Okaaaaaaaay,” Deliverance replied. “Be right back.”

“Don’t take much,” she added, but he was already gone.

“He’s not really going to rob a bank, is he?” Simon asked.

Rosie cocked her head. “Did you think I was going to manifest money from thin air?”

“Well, no. I guess I thought that…”

“What? That I maintain bank accounts in every dimension?”

Simon pursed his lips. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

She laughed. “You didn’t really think that. Don’t worry. The Bank of Scotland can afford to put you up for the night.”

“That’s not really the point.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Director. If youchooseto step into another dimension and become abeggar, then you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.”

“I grasp the logic of that.”

“Excellent. Bottom line, you can take the moral high road another day. Or sleep on a park bench.”

“Point taken. Next topic. Finding Sorcha.”

“Is there a reason why you came straight to Edinburgh? The last place you saw her was Orkney. Do you have some reason to think she’s here?”

“She worked here. Or in the Edinburgh where she, I, we, live. You know what I mean.” Rosie nodded. “At the university. I thought she might seek out what’s familiar.”

“Good guess. That’s what I thought about you, too, and here you are.”

“Here I am. Do you think you can track her?”

“No. I’d have to have something that belonged…”

Simon was pulling his wallet out of his pocket before she could finish the sentence.

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