“I love you, Hutch.” It wasn’t the first time he’d said that, but somehow, there was more warmth in his voice than she’d ever felt before. “I don’t ever want to lose you.”

She could feel the emotion. And she wasn’t sure how to respond. “I’m sorry it happened,” she said finally.

“So, tell me about the flight.” His disappointment was evident. “What was the waterfall all about?”

She explained about Calliope and the ice world and Tarka, and when opportunity presented itself, she asked about Tom’s new career as a detective. “I just got a new assignment today. There’s a corporate guy who’s been stealing millions. A woman who had to have known about it was found dead at the bottom of a staircase a few days ago. The injuries weren’t consistent with what you’d expect from a fall.”

“That sounds intriguing.”

“Says the lady who helped solve the strange case of the missing star. My life’s not quite as exciting as yours. When you get home, Hutch, I’d like to take you out to dinner. Can we do that?”

“Sure, Tom. I’ll be on the run for a couple of days, but I’ll give you a call when things calm down.”

•  •  •

There were only about a dozen people in the cabin. None of them looked like someone who might be tracking her. Well, one woman who sat behind her did. But when they landed, the woman wasted no time disappearing into the crowd.

Hutch got a taxi, climbed in, and called her mother. “Welcome home, love,” she said.

“Mom, you got the package?”

“Yes. I couldn’t find a number for Crispee, so I just sent it to Cosmic Broadcasting. With his name on it.”

“You just sent it? What took so long?”

“I’ve only had it a couple of days. I wasn’t aware there was a rush about it.”

“I guess not.” She’d assumed her mother would realize. “It’s all right. Sorry. My fault.”

“I watched it before I sent it out. It’s an incredible show. It’s real, right? You actually had aliens on board?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll tell you, you should have been a talk show host, Priscilla. Are we going to be able to save them?”

“I don’t know. I hope so.”

“It’s terrible, that black hole thing. They sure look funny, but they seem nice. How come they speak English?”

“They worked on it a lot.” It was good to hear her voice again. She sat back in the cab, watched the trees go by, and they talked about Arin and Kwylla, and her confrontation with Zhang.

Hutch was assuring her everything would be okay when Mom broke in: “Hold on a second.” She was gone for a moment. Then: “I’ve got company. Just pulled up in the driveway. Looks like official types.”