The Secret of Spring (16 page)

Now he remembered. His dream. Green hair on the pillow, and the sweet scent of honeysuckle. Moon's perfume. In the dream, it was Lily. He thought he had found her.

"Lily," he said.

"All we can do is
wait
, Herb. When they want us, they will get our attention, you can be certain of that. They won't give up until they have me,"
Spring
said.

Whether from loss of sleep, or anxiety over Lily, Herb felt incredibly tired. He looked at the beckoning bed sheets and agreed.

"You're right. We need our rest. Not that I will sleep until we know something," he added. "But it would feel good to stretch out."

He went to the opposite side and lay down stiffly at the edge, careful not to touch any part of
Spring's
apparel.

"Oh for Pete's sake," exclaimed
Spring
, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the center beside her.

"Who is Pete?" asked Herb. He had a cousin, Pete. Pete Moss.

"Never mind. Relax. You feel like a stick. I promise I won't break if you touch me, and I seriously doubt if either of us feels romantically inclined tonight. Try to get some rest now, okay?"

Herb recalled how different it had been when he last lay in bed with a beautiful girl. He had not been shy with Holly, his playmate on Avocado. What was it about Moon that made him so uncomfortable?

True, she had not come looking for a romance, but he enjoyed her letters and thought she was very beautiful. He was strangely attracted to her, despite all the problems she represented, and despite the fact he was in no position to be. There was Lily, his fiancée. And for Moon, there was the memory of that other man who had been untrue to her. In a way, she also had ties, if only in her heart.

He stole a sideways glance in her direction and saw that she reclined on her back with an arm flung over her head. She was breathing evenly in sleep. As he lay noting the rise and fall of her breasts, he wished he could fall asleep. He never would with that distraction!

Reluctantly, Herb turned over and away from the pleasant view. Much better with his back toward her. He shut his eyes and counted pussy willows.

The shrill buzz of the
communiline
broke the silence. Herb awoke abruptly, realizing he had indeed fallen asleep. Groggy, he reached for the speaker, afraid of what he would hear. "Yes?" he said. His voice sounded strange and hollow in his ears. The sound of fear.

A muffled voice spoke thickly. "I won't repeat this Moss, so write it down."

Herb groped about the bed stand for a writing quill and lily pad. Spring sat alert at his side and handed him what he needed. The voice gave him an address in a seedy side of town.

"Daybreak. Got it?" the voice said.

"Got it," Herb agreed, swallowing as he replaced the
communiline
.

"What did they say?" Spring asked.

"We go there at daybreak," Herb said, indicating the address.

"Smart. Gives us no time to change our minds about the Patrol. But Herb, the more I think about everything, I don't see how we can do it alone. Don't you have some other private organizations, like detectives? Or-" she paused as she read the confusion on Herb's face. "No, of course not," she said in disgust. "This is such a law abiding planet."

"No, wait. I do know someone who might help us. He isn't a professional in the way you mean, but he is a friend and runs a Julep-so school."

"Julep? Like Mint Juleps?" she asked, perplexed.

"No, Julep-so. He is very proficient in that ancient art of defense. We are not a violent people, but this is a weaponless form of combat with throws and holds. It is more for exercise, and he is very fit. We've known each other since university."

"He sounds perfect. But-" She hesitated. "Do you think he would help?"

"I don't know, but I think so. He likes adventure. He is always watching Vision Plays."

"Vision Plays? Oh, yes, I know about those. Hologram tapes you play on home viewers, only in these you can enter
astrally
with the action and experience the story with the images. But there was a problem with addiction. An electronic drug. Many users could not tell fantasy from reality after a while. I thought they were outlawed." She raised a fine brow.

"They are," Herb agreed. "But my friend is, well, adventurous. There is not much of an outlet on this planet for that sort of nature. He knows all about offworlders, too."

"You've convinced me. Call him now."

Herb punched the
communiline
and was soon speaking with his friend. After Herb explained the urgency of the situation, it was agreed that his friend would assist them. Perhaps he thought it was a chance to participate in a real life adventure instead of a hologram? Herb gave him the address where they were to go. It was decided Cling Ling would go now and look it over. They would meet later and determine how to proceed from there. There
was
still a few hours until dawn.

"Cling Ling will help," Herb said to
Spring
. "He looks like the bush people you were expecting to see when you arrived here. He is a full
Vinese
."

Spring laughed in spite of herself. "A
Vinese
named Cling Ling? Do you have plant folks of Irish descent as well? Sharon Begonia? A bit of the Old Sod?"

Herb looked at her blankly. That only served to send her into additional peals of laughter. Herb decided not to comment.

"Sorry. This is no time for jokes. When I get nervous, I get giddy. But I, more than anyone, realize the danger we face."

Herb was certain she meant no disrespect to Lily. It was a trying time for both of them. Also, the sound of her laughter had fallen pleasantly on his ears.

"I understand, Moon. We may as well return to bed. I will set the timer so we can meet Cling. It is not far from here."

Herb turned out the
flowerbulb
and they were left in darkness once again. He shut his eyes but all his thoughts were on the morrow and what it would bring.

Spring's voice broke the silence as he turned over. "Herb?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you? I'm just so restless. I'll get up so you can sleep." He moved to rise, but her hand clutched at his arm.

"Don't be ridiculous. Do you think I could sleep any more than you? Come here." She pulled him against her breasts and cradled him in her arms.

"
Spring
," he protested, shocked.

"Oh, quiet. Shut your eyes. You don't have to sleep. Just shut your eyes." The fingers of one hand wandered to the back of his neck and caressed with small round strokes.

Herb basked in the warmth of the embrace. It did help to be with someone. Perhaps she was just afraid as he was. She always seemed so independent that he took her strength for granted. She really was a caring girl.

He adjusted to put his arms around her as well, but he didn't feel the way he usually did in a similar situation. It was just a contented feeling. Just to lie there and nothing more. It was complete the way it was. He sighed deeply and slept.

The next thing he knew the timer rang. The quiet moment had ended. Spring was already up, bustling about, putting on her
Veganette
disguise. She did it very well. Even though Herb knew what she really looked like underneath-did he ever!-he would not have known the difference seeing her with the eyes of a stranger.

Herb splashed water on his face, and drank a hot cup of coffee beans that
Spring
had brewed for them. She was becoming quite handy in his little kitchenette. In a few minutes they were ready to leave the safety of the apartment and venture into the darkness toward their rendezvous with Cling Ling.

The address turned out to be an old deserted greenhouse. The glass was cracked and dirty, and it had not been used for many a season by the look of it. It was a setting tailor-made for kidnappers.

As agreed, they met Cling Ling a short way down the street. He had scouted the area and climbed onto the roof of the fragile structure to look for signs of Lily. He reported that there was only one guard attending her, and that the other parts of the building appeared empty for the present. If they could entice the guard outside for a minute, someone could sneak in through the back way and free Lily.

Their loosely conceived plan was to have
Spring
bait the guard. Herb would then go to get Lily, while Cling Ling covered him in case of trouble. In her
Veganette
disguise it was unlikely anyone would recognize
Spring
as the girl they were seeking. She would simply knock at the front door and pretend to be lost.

The plan would fail if the guard decided not to answer the door, but they were betting he wouldn't want undue attention called to the hideout, and would attempt to quiet whoever was there.

They guessed correctly. The
Vinese
signaled from his post on the roof to let her know the goon was approaching the door. As agreed,
Spring
removed a shoe and used it to bash in some of the glass, covering the noise of Herb breaking in from the opposite direction in back.

The guard opened the door and glared out. He looked about eight feet tall.

Spring tried to act innocent and smiled up at him sweetly. "Oops. Guess I knocked too hard," she laughed nervously. "Is this the residence of Mr. Smith?"

The guard stared at her in disbelief. "How did you get out?" he growled, reaching for her with his hairy arms.

"Hey. What are you doing?" she gasped as he pulled her inside and slammed the door behind them. That wasn't part of the plan. How could he have possibly recognized her? She was totally green. Struggling in vain to escape his grip, she saw Herb making good his escape with Lily out the back. And now she understood.

For some reason, she and Lily were dressed exactly the same. No wonder this idiot had grabbed her. He thought she was Lily. Damn that Herb Moss. He had dressed her up like his girlfriend. She should have known the outfit showed too much taste for a man to have selected on such short notice. Just her bad luck that Lily had chosen to wear it that day.

The goon thrust
Spring
down in the chair Lily had just vacated and began binding her wrists. At least Lily was free and
Spring
took satisfaction from that. The plan had worked like a charm except for that one little flaw.

"Looks like our day for unexpected company,
Trog
."

Spring looked up as a well-dressed woman entered, herding Lily and Herb ahead of her with the deadly vapor gun pointed at their backs.

"Miss Eloise,"
Trog
said. "You're back."

Eloise? Spring looked directly into Elton's steely eyes. The Ki was dressed like a female now, but she would know "him" anywhere.

"Elton," she corrected for the others present. Make
that
two little flaws.

16

Lady Be Cool

Elton had great timing and a big gun. It was hard to argue with a winning combination. Spring and Lily looked each other over with cool appraisal. Herb looked upward to the heavens, but no miracle was forthcoming.

"Don't bother with the rope,
Trog
. Throw them in the cage," Elton ordered, "her" manicured hand motioning with the slim handle of the vapor gun.

"Uh-huh," answered
Trog
, typical of Elton's intellectual hirelings of late. He yanked
Spring
up roughly and pushed the others ahead of him. They were quickly routed out into a small room at the back of the greenhouse. It really was a cage.

Herb explained to
Spring
that it was where the wild flowers had been kept at one time; they tended to wander about unless confined. Then the goon locked them inside and positioned himself on an old crate nearby. Elton stood gazing at the two identical green ladies.

"Twins. How very original. But your
warpaint
is wearing a bit thin, my dear," he sneered to
Spring
.

It was true. There were long smears of white skin showing through the makeup where his goon had grappled with her. The stain she'd used for the lightship trip had been much more reliable. It seemed the masquerade was over. Not to mention the party.

Lily had begun to realize who her look-alike was, as well.

"The foreigner," she exclaimed, looking nettles at Herb.

"I'll explain later," Herb said miserably. If there was a later, he thought.

The shock of capture had worn off at last and
Spring
spoke up now. "Let the others go, Elton. I'm the only one you need. They don't know anything about all this."

"How noble," Elton said sarcastically. "But you should have thought of that before you chose to involve innocents. Master Zygote has plans for you, so I can't take the chance. You could be right about the little flower there, but you've been
cozied
up with your boyfriend for several hours now. I'm sure he knows the score, right hero?"

Herb only glared.

"You're wrong. I didn't tell him anything,"
Spring
protested.