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James sent Kath on an errand and took the opportunity
to sneak downstairs to the deli. Sue was already there,
looking enviously at the food.
"Would you like something?" James asked.
He bought coffee and chocolate croissants for them both,
and for a while they sipped the drinks and ate the food,
each thinking their own thoughts.
Sue was thinking about the food. She would have liked
a sandwich too, but she didn't want to seem too greedy.
James was still recoiling from shock, but strangely
he thought about the food too. He had probably once
contemplated the idea that he might meet a superhero,
but that was when he carried only a third of his current
weight, and half the height. That he might one day buy
a superhero a bun was something too surreal ever to
have sprung up in his imagination.
"I thought of a plan," Sue began. "We'll
head out of here. I'll turn invisible, and then you
can take me into the office and show me where the boardroom
is. I need to take a look and work out how to get in
and out. Then you can just leave it to me."
"Will you be OK?"
"Of course. How long will the meeting be?"
"Hard to tell. Sometimes they're short, sometimes
they're long."
"Well, if I get bored I'll slip out."
"What time do you leave?"
"I did promise to be home early tonight."
"That's OK. I'll meet you here tomorrow morning
to tell you what I've found out. Are you going to eat
that?" She had finished her croissant and was now
looking at the remains of his.
"Are you always hungry?" he joked.
She nodded and he felt a sudden wave of sympathy sweep
through him. He could still remember his student life,
when groceries always seemed expensive. "Is it
that bad?"
She nodded again. "I'm a little behind on my rent,"
she confessed. "I'll be OK."
He pushed his plate across to her. She looked awkward
for a fraction of a second and then grabbed the food.
It was heartbreaking. James drew some bills from his
pocket and offered them.
"There probably isn't time to eat much more before
the meeting but will you take this and buy dinner afterwards."
"No," said Sue firmly. "I can't take
money. But thank you."
"Why not?"
"It wouldn't be right."
"A loan?"
She thought for a moment and then said "No,"
again.
"Look. You're about to give up two hours of your
time for me. I want to pay you for," he thought
for a moment. "For Investigative Services,"
he declared.
She smiled and then slowly reached out a hand and took
the money. "Investigative Services," she repeated.
"I like that. Thank you."
James dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "Ready?"
"Not quite," said Sue. "That coffee
went right through me. Don't you hate being stuck in
a meeting when you can't pee?"
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