A Fistful of Trouble (Outlaws of the Galaxy Book 2) Paul Tomlinson (reading strategies book .TXT) 📖

I was too tired to know if she was kidding me. I don’t remember much about what came next, but hopefully I didn’t let the side down.

Chapter Twelve

When I staggered downstairs on Monday morning, I wasn’t surprised to see a sign on the dining room doors that said ‘Closed for Repairs’. I was surprised when Horace greeted me with a smile rather than giving me the stink-eye.

“Good morning, Mister Quigley,” he said brightly.

We had trashed part of his hotel last night. Why was he so chipper? He passed no comment on the state of my cut and bruised face. Horace held out a folded piece of paper.

“There is a message for you.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the paper. “Is there any coffee?”

“I can have a pot sent up to your room,” he said. “If you’d like breakfast, they’re serving it down at Miss Fifi’s this morning.”

“The whorehouse?”

Horace nodded.

“Has Harmony gone down there for food?” I asked.

“Oh, no, sir. Miss Harmony checked out earlier.”

“She’s gone?”

“Before sun up. Paid her bill, made a generous contribution towards our repairs, and off she went.”

That explained Horace’s good cheer.

“Where did she get the money?” I wondered aloud.

“From a wealthy gentleman friend is what she said.”

I felt my stomach lurch like when an elevator drops unexpectedly. “I don’t think he’s wealthy anymore,” I said. “Please tell me that she left on the coach.”

“No, sir. Miss Harmony drove herself.”

I dashed out of the hotel and ran around to the parking area at the back. Where my Trekker had stood there were just tyre tracks in the dust. I couldn’t make myself believe it. Floyd had been right about her. How could I have fallen for her gooey romantic schtick? I didn’t know whether to be angry, laugh, or cry. But there was no point beating myself up about it. I might as well go and find Floyd and let him do it.

I was still clutching the folded message Horace had given me. A farewell note from Harmony? I opened it. It was from Danny. Must speak with you. URGENT.

I glanced down at my watch – and then remembered why it wasn’t on my wrist. It had been one of the first things Harmony took from me. Today was the day of the robot auction. Danny had promised to pick up Floyd on his way. Floyd had been hiding out in a cave in the hills just outside town. It was a place where Danny had played when he was a kid. We’d fitted Floyd’s cannon – in case anyone came looking for him. If I was going to go after Harmony, I would need Floyd’s help. I headed off towards Danny’s repair shop.

Quincy’s Fifth Law is Don’t look back – You can’t change the past. This is my attempt to try and convince myself that it is pointless having regrets. You can’t go back and undo what is done, so you’re better off looking forwards and deciding what to do next. You are where you are, so live with it. Obviously, this is easier to do when time has passed and you have a little perspective on things. Can you even remember what it was that you were getting all worked up about five years ago? Or even a year ago? ‘Time heals all wounds’ is a cliché, but there is some truth in it. Though I think the full quotation is ‘Time heals all wounds. Except the fatal ones.’ At this precise moment, Harmony’s betrayal felt like a fatal wound. A stab in the heart. It was going to be a while before I discovered it wouldn’t kill me.

A flicker of movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. Without turning my head, I looked across the street. A scrawny old man dressed like a hobo was staring at me. It made me uncomfortable. It might have been that he was just curious about my wounded face. But my gut instincts were telling me it was something more than that. I’d seen this old guy before without really being aware of it. And despite his shabby appearance, he was wearing new boots. Was he following me? A spy? I turned my head and he faded back into the shadows. I would have to keep an eye out for him in future. Though if he worked for O’Keefe, the bounty hunter would already have been tipped off about where I was. Just one more reason to get out of this town.

As far as I could tell, Danny’s shop hadn’t been targeted overnight. Some of the graffiti might have been new, but there was no physical damage. The little bell above the door dinged as I entered.

“Danny?”

“Back here!” He was in the workshop area. It looked like he was working on Floyd.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I don’t know, he won’t tell me,” Danny said. “When I went to collect him at dawn, he was just sitting there. Without a head.”

“His head is missing? The yellow one?” My stomach was riding the elevator again. I knew what must have happened. But I couldn’t figure out how. How had she even known?

I looked around the empty repair shop. An image popped into my head. Harmony rapping her knuckles against Floyd’s head. A casual gesture. But she had been testing to see whether or not it sounded hollow. She’d guessed where the money was hidden. But how had she learned where Floyd had been hidden?

I glanced towards Danny. Had she charmed it out of him? No. She didn’t need to. She’d told me yesterday. She had been tailing me. And she knew every trick I did about how to lose a tail. She’s anticipated my every move, sticking with me without me even suspecting she was there.

This also explained why she’d opposed my selling Floyd to Colonel Hodge. She didn’t want Floyd gone before she’d had chance to snatch his head. Did she know that the other half of our cash was hidden