I said, “We took a little detour through the Middle East first.”
“The Middle East? Israel?”
“No, but in the general neighborhood.”
Derek said, “They worked mostly in Afghanistan, with a few side trips into other places, if I remember what Archie told me.”
Troy said, “I didn’t know we fought in other places.”
I said, “We had to go into a few neighbor’s backyards for a bit.”
Troy said, “I should have gone to war and won a bunch of medals. Did you win the Congressional Medal of Honor, either of you?”
Troy was getting tiresome very fast. I said, “No, neither of us. That medal is reserved for heroes.”
Troy said, “I’d have won one, maybe two or three if I’d gone over there.”
“Why didn’t you go, then?” Hondo’s voice had some frost in it.
“Asthma. I didn’t try to volunteer because I knew I had asthma. So, I went into acting, portraying soldiers and other heroes.”
“Almost the exact same thing,” Hondo said.
Troy said, “Yes it is. No difference at all, really.”
On that one, Hondo stood and said, “I’m hitting the rack.”
I said, “Me, too,” and walked out of the Oil Baron Suite with him. “Troy has a way, doesn’t he? Like a piece of gravel in your shoe.”
Hondo said, “If we get a chance, we need to split off from him. Either that or I’m going to duct tape his mouth shut.”
We reached my room first and I opened the door, saying, “In the morning.” Hondo nodded and continued down the hall. I couldn’t sleep, and tossed most of the night thinking about Bodhi and Amber, especially Amber. Around four AM, I drifted into a restless sleep, awakened minutes later by a text from Jericho Moon. Casa Loma in Bakersfield. Sorry no address. Peace. What do you know, I thought.
I rose at dawn and left my room to find some coffee. I saw Troy exit his room, so intent on talking on his iPhone he didn’t see me. I closed the distance until I was six feet behind him and heard him say into the phone, “We’ll make it work.”
I stepped up beside him in another few strides and he appeared startled, then put up his phone and grinned, “I didn’t hear you coming.”
“You don’t have to hang up on my account.”
He waved that off, “No, it was nothing. I was through talking anyhow, but I have good news.”
“What’s that?”
“I received information that Bodhi is in the Casa Loma area, near the airport. TJ did some investigative work for me.”
“Did you get an address?”
“A general area is all, but it’s more than we’ve had.”
I said, “Are the others awake?”
“Downstairs, I think. I was on my way to tell them.”
I gestured for him to lead. We met Hondo and Derek in the lobby where Troy filled them in on what he’d learned. He added, “TJ is here, and going with us.”
Hondo said, “Are we going to split up to cover more houses? That would be faster.”
Troy said, “I’ll go with TJ.”