Orchid Blues (Holly Barker 2)

"What service?" Ham asked.

"I wasn't in the military," the man said. "You might say I served another master."

Ham started to ask what master but thought better of it. He nodded and continued with his lunch.

"I wonder," John said, "if you'd like to give some of our people a little instruction in the finer points of shooting?"

"Sure," Ham replied. "What sort of shooting?"

"The kind you were doing a few minutes ago," he said. "We've got some good shots in our outfit, but none as good as you."

"If they've got talent, I can train them," Ham said. "They'll have to work at it, though."

"Oh, they'll work at it," John said, "or answer to me. After lunch, we'll take a little trip down to another range we've got out in the pines, and you can watch our people shoot."

"Be glad to," Ham said. "This is damn fine barbecue, Peck. You folks sure do eat well."

"We do that," Peck replied. "John always enjoys our ladies' cooking, too, don't you, John?"

"I do," John replied. "Your women are the best cooks in the group, and that's a fact."

And just what group is that? Ham wanted to ask, but didn't. He sat, ate his barbecue, which really was sensational, and listened to John talk to the men, apparently about nothing. The others were reverentially quiet.

33

Holly had just come home from work when Ham let himself in through the beach door.

"Hey," she said, giving him a kiss.

"How you doing?"

"I'm okay. I got your message."

"Then where is Harry?"

"Come with me," she said, leading him out the door to the beach Daisy padded along behind, running through the dunes, sniffing out dune mice. Holly led him down the beach a hundred yards, then turned down a path through the dunes to the house next door.

"Whose place is this?" Ham asked.

"Just follow me, Ham." She rapped sharply at the door of the house and let herself in. Harry and two other men were sitting in the living room, drinking beer.

"Hi there, Ham," Harry said.

"You're living next door now?" Ham asked, shaking his hand.

"What you've found out so far about the people out at the lake has made me commit to a full investigation. We rented the place. It's convenient, and it keeps the heat off Holly."

"Good idea," Ham said.

"Ham this is Doug, one of our agents, and this is our ace techie, Eddie. Eddie the Hacker we like to call him."

Ham shook their hands, then he noticed that the dining-room table was filled with computers, printers and some equipment he didn't recognize.

"You want a beer?" Harry asked.

"You betcha," Ham said, accepting a cold Heineken.

"I want to hear about this John character," Harry said, "and Eddie is going to do up a computer-generated face for us."