Eliot Strange and the Prince of the Resistance

16) Escape From Mr. Thomas

"It was the explosion that distracted my captors," begins Jack Taylor. He has a strand of hair in his eyes. He needs a haircut. He has what mom and I used to call a "wiggy tail" around the length in the back, but a strand has escaped. That accent and that strand of loose hair makes you want to brush it back for him, and that is what Carli does.

"The one that ended the battle?" asks Carli.

"No, it was early in the battle. The one that blew the bleachers to bloody hell. Shrapnel and what I believe was some recording equipment nearly took off the fat man's head. I could see he was stunned and surprised, and I almost got away then.

"I would like to have seen that," I say. "Mr. Thomas is a stinking, lying traitor."

"Yeah, what on earth happened to him?" asks Carli. "I always thought Mr. Thomas was a good guy. A good neighbor. He used to help your mom out some, didn't he? And he grew the best tomatoes I have ever had."

"His are the best," agrees Steven. "But, he's a real bad dude now, I think greed got him. Eliot found out he was hoarding food and supplies. And obviously, he had been communicating with the enemy for some time."

"Probably years before this all began," says Jack Taylor. "The destruction of a country would take years of planning and many people who are hiding in plain sight, sort of undercover, embedded in real jobs and circumstances. Essentially, spies. Traitors to their country."

I don't want to hear anymore because I feel like Jack Taylor is talking about my mother too. I don't want her to be a traitor or a spy, but it is certainly a big possibility. I am in denial so I change the focus and ask, "So, how did you get away from the traitor?"

"The explosion knocked us all to the ground, and I guess that is when Mr. Thomas decided that maybe he should not have carried most of the soldiers away with him, so he ordered most of them back to the fight. He and two others forced me towards the parking lot."

"Did you overpower them then?" asks Steven. "I know from my fan club days and research that you are a highly trained soldier. Did you use your tactical skills and maybe some karate to escape?"

Steven sounds like he is interviewing a Hollywood stunt double.

Jack Taylor grins and hangs his head a little and, I swear, almost looks embarrassed which I know is impossible because he is so damn cocky. He looks directly at Steven. "Did you use to be one of those kids in the fan club for Prince Torin?"

And now, Steven looks embarrassed.

"Yes," I say. "He did belong to a fan club. Steven Lindquist was the president of the Prince Torin AND the Jack Taylor Fan Club back in high school."

Steven looks like he can kill me with his bare hands right now. "It was a long time ago. I was young then."

"Well, Steven Lindquist, I am quite flattered. And as always, dumbfounded by the attention. Though I will say that those fan clubs full of screaming girls and the occasional handsome lad caused me much grief when I was the Prince's chief of security."

"I am sure they did," I say as sarcastically as I can muster. "What with all the phone numbers and underwear thrown your way."

"Ah, yes, those were the days. Lingerie thrown at us. Really ridiculous."

"Aha, that explains why you love my undies so much," says Carli matter-of-factly.

"Yes, yes indeed," laughs Jack Taylor who picks up Carli and twirls her around in a circle and then plants a kiss on her that leaves her a little drunk. "Yes. I do love your under garments."

"Ok, Romeo," I say. "Back to your escape story. How'd you get away?"

"The explosion. The tank. When Mr. Thomas heard the tank and then the noise of the machine gun, he wanted to return to the battle. He said something about watching people being blown to pieces. He said something about taking the credit for the victory. He said his boss, the One, would promote him because he had proven now that he could lead men in battle. We went back to the fight to view it from the top of the hill, and that is when I saw your most heroic display of selflessness, Steven.

Steven, by now, is so starstruck that he is not even able to blush again. He just looks like he might be in love with Mr. British Full-of-Shit.

"So, then you used your karate on him?" Steven asks.

"No, while I do have some skills. I do not know karate and even if I did, my hands were tied. When the grenade was thrown and the tank exploded, that is when I made my move. I ran as fast as a man can run with his hands tied behind his back."

Carli reaches to put that damn stray hair back in place again. "And that is how we found each other. Later that night. I almost ran smack into him. Downtown. It was really a happy reunion. I was so glad to see my Jack."

"What happened to Mr. Thomas?" I ask. "You know, the stinking, lying traitor?"

Jack Taylor shrugs and says, "I don't know."

"Mr. Thomas is a despicable person," says Carli. " And a good liar. And damn, he was the best gardner ever. I didn't even know I liked tomato sandwiches with lots of mayo and pepper until I had one of his tomatoes. He seemed real close to your mom, Eliot. I always thought he had a crush on her."

"Yeah me too. But he turned out to be the enemy. And I think, maybe, just maybe my mom is the enemy too."

"Your mom is not the enemy," says Carli.

"She might be," says Steven. "Sorry, Elie, but from what you said you found. She just might be the enemy."

And then both Jack Taylor and Carli shake their heads at the same time, and Jack Taylor says, "Do not worry. Your mother is not the enemy. She just may be the one to save us all."