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They had a little time to kill so they had made their
way to the Circle Line pier at the end of West 42nd
Street where the ferry docked. James had never visited
the statue but today seemed the ideal time to give thanks
for liberty. He had arranged to meet Debbie, Ben and
Kath for the magic show later, and there was no point
in heading home only to turn around again right away.
They arrived just as the ferry pulled out.
"Dammit, will nothing go my way today?"
"What do you mean?" Sue asked. "This
is a good thing."
"A good thing? Why?"
"I'll show ya! Hold tight." She vanished
and he felt strong firm hands grab him from behind and
lift him gently into the air.
He cried out but it was from shock, not real fear.
She whisked him across the 30 yards of the Hudson River
that separated them from the ferry and set him down
on deck as far from other people as she could.
"Now, this is the hard part," she warned.
"Don't say anything. We have to pick just the right
moment to turn visible again, otherwise people might
start to get interested. Once in a while I mess up and
someone spots me. If that happens, just look totally
normal and relaxed and hope whoever saw you thinks they're
going crazy." She paused, and James guessed she
must be looking around, checking who was looking.
"You really get away with that?"
This is New York," she said, as if that explained
everything. "OK, turn around and lean on the rail.
Ready?"
James stood very still and then turned slowly to see
Sue beside him enjoying the view.
"We made it?"
"Sure. Better than paying, isn't it?"
"If I don't get a job soon I might be needing
your services again."
She didn't answer right away and when she did, her
voice had changed. "Well, if things get really
bad we could always set up that detective agency."
James knew her well enough to recognize the involuntary
stiffening when she was anxious about something. She
had spoken very casually but he guessed the truth was
different. He looking into her eyes and saw something
expectant in them. He wasn't sure what to say.
"Were you serious about that idea? I thought you
might have been joking."
"Well, I guess I was joking to begin with, but
the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to make
sense."
She was looking up at him, giving all of her attention
and suddenly he understood she had been working towards
this moment all day. An opportunity, hoped for but not
expected, had fallen into her hands and she wasn't sure
what to do next.
"Were you joking?" she asked.
"I was, really," he admitted. "I guess
the idea isn't as outlandish as it sounded at first
but it's out there."
"Why?"
"Well, if you're in business for yourself you
don't get a regular income. I have Debs and Ben to think
of. I need a paycheck every two weeks. And we'd have
all the setup costs: office, telephone, insurance, advertising."
She nodded. All this was undeniable though none of
it had occurred to her. Why was it always so difficult
to go out and do anything?
"I guess you're right. Maybe it's best to collect
unemployment and find a regular job."
"I'm not sure about that," he said, telling
the truth out of habit and then fearing that he might
have given her false hope. "I don't think I've
been in the country long enough to get unemployment."
"Is that how it works?"
He nodded. "They let me pay taxes though. They're
pretty insistent about that part."
She was looking sad. "So if I tried to set up
an agency you wouldn't want to get involved, is that
what you're saying?"
James' answer surprised them both. "To be honest,
yes, I might want to get involved. It's going to be
real hard to find work in an office just now. I know
people who've been looking for months, even a year.
Maybe the agency would be a smart move. I can't see
how I'd get Debbie to agree, though."
"Working with me?"
"Yes. She wouldn't be comfortable. Not comfortable
at all."
Sue had only one card left. "What if Kath joined
us?"
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