Tangle in the Dark - Kassidor

continue his analysis, so he updated his notes and then shutdown. It was barely after 9:00 when he got out of the lab.That was good, he had promised Ava that Friday eveningswould be hers. It was as close as he could come to thebishop’s admonition to keep Ava satisfied.She was not on the verandah or in her lab. She wasn'teven in the kitchen, though she dialed out all her meals butsocial occasions. He wondered if she had already gone out,thinking he was going to stand her up again. He would havebeen out before dark if the Colonel had not delayed him. Shehad not left a note on their bulletin board, but he found heralready in the bedroom."I understand Colonel Samrova stopped by today," Avasaid as he came into the bedroom. She was sitting up in bedpoking at a one-sided screen. She had on a set of loose andsoft P.J.'s and was surrounded by a pile of satin pillows. Theeffect should have been sexy but her demeanor wasbusinesslike."She just left," Thom wondered how she knew."She's working late," Ava said, "What did she want?""She forbid me to tell you.”“I can look it up if I have to,” she said.He knew he had no chance of keeping it from her andsighed, “It was about some cherub from Alan's universe thatsomeone was driving. They found a way into the back doorof my lab and unlocked one of my screens."174