The murderous look on Harry’s face turned even more dangerous. Jack quickly scooped up the car fob and beat feet to the door, calling over his shoulder for Harry to get in touch with Charles to find out what the hell was going on.

Harry’s foot shot out, knocking over a chair the minute the front door closed behind Jack. “Chicken soup, my ass,” he muttered as he turned on the television set on the kitchen counter. A commercial for repairing broken windshields set his teeth on edge. He hated television. He looked around the state-of-the-art kitchen, comparing it to the kitchen in his apartment over the dojo. Yoko would love this kitchen even though she said she loved their cramped apartment with its outdated kitchen. Women were known to lie. At least according to Jack, who said he knew everything there was to know about women. Harry didn’t believe it for a minute. Men, and that included Jack, were dumb as dirt when it came to women.

Harry rummaged in his pocket for a handful of the seeds and sprouts that he nibbled on constantly and pulled out a little pouch with his special brand of tea. He put water on to boil and waited until he saw the bubbles before he dropped the mixture into the little pot he found in one of the cabinets under the counter. He stirred it, waited for all the bits and pieces to sink to the bottom, then let it steep for five minutes before pouring it into a cup.

Harry turned down the volume on the TV and pulled out his cell phone. He punched in the number 3 and waited for Charles to pick up. He explained about Lizzie and Jack’s going for the soup before he asked if Charles had any information on Cosmo Cricket’s condition. He listened for a solid ten minutes, his eyes widening from time to time at what he was hearing. He was so caught up in what Charles was saying that he had let his tea cool to the point where he grimaced when he took a sip.

The moment Charles wound down, Harry said he would explain everything to Jack on his return, and the moment Lizzie was good to go, they would head for Babylon and meet up. “How are my boys doing?”

“Ted and Espinosa are showing them around Vegas. Ted’s going to incorporate their impressions in the article he’s writing for the Post. They love playing the slot machines and spending their winnings from the trials.”

“Did Abner arrive yet?”

“Yes, but I haven’t seen him yet.” Abner was always the last to arrive because he couldn’t fly due to eardrum problems and drove wherever he needed to go. “Young Dennis has volunteered to stay here with Fergus and me until Dr. Wylie has time to sit down with us for a long talk.”

Harry broke the connection and stared at the gleaming Sub-Zero refrigerator. Even from where he was sitting, he could see his reflection. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He needed to think.