DUKE

Chapter Eight: That Fateful Burglary

Chapter Eight: That Fateful Burglary

Duke's townhouse dwelling, in the den, days thereafter, Duke is confronting Brenda, who stands with her shoulders hunched up, rubbing and wringing her hands, extremely tense. Duke is offering her a small shot glass of Scotch whiskey. The newspaper with its headline reading, POLICE CHIEF ESCAPES FLYING BOMB, is unfolded over a coffee table in the background.

Duke speaks in a smooth reassuring tone.

"Brenda, this is going to be only temporary.---I simply need to be away for, say, one month. If you can understand..."

"Oh, I understand perfectly. Look at me, how I got taken for a fool about the Caboot family."

Brenda turns her back toward Duke, clenching her hands tightly together and swallowing hard.

"So wait, I'll make you proud of me yet. I'll do my part in your operations."

She does not take the Scotch from Duke, who keeps holding the glass of it extended and offered to her.

"Some of these things I get involved in are very important,---for us today, for our children in the future."---He pauses.---"I won't go out of my way looking for danger. Question is, do you have what it takes to stand by me?"

Brenda, her back still toward Duke, answers him.

"I have it!"---Hushed but intense she speaks.---"I'll show you!"

"Okay. Relax. I hate seeing you worked up. I've never seen you like this.---Are you sure you're all right?"

Duke and Brenda both keep their awkward positions, Brenda with her back turned to Duke, and he still holding out the glass of the Scotch.

For a time they stand like that, unchanged and saying nothing. Brenda takes one deep breath, which seems to help her relax.

<<<>>>

After several silent seconds, the background sound of a flying propeller-driven airplane starts approaching. Soon the sound is as loud as it would be inside the aircraft itself.

The sky over river delta terrain, a twin engine propeller-driven commuter airplane is in flight.

Inside this airplane, flying, are four businessperson passengers,---Duke, occupying a seat by a window, wearing dark sunglasses and reading a newspaper. Seated beside him is Dornell, plain clothes, shooting wary glances around the passenger compartment:---no signs of anything sinister.

In the sky over a coastal bay area, the airplane continues on its flight. Below, the great ocean is spread out.

Downtown in the inland city, some landmarks are seen.---Including the police station with the damaged interior and window of Chief Ghoon's office.

And at the Caboot mansion, inside a chamber, meanwhile, Studs, Sharker, Zellie and Hart are seated around a large table.

Vivien yells.

"Idiotic!"

She storms in, gesticulating and angrily waving a copy of the newspaper with the headline reading:---POLICE CHIEF ESCAPES FLYING BOMB.

"Who pulled off this idiotic thing?"---then, after a furious pause---"Without any okay from me?!"

Hart fidgets in his seat. He fans the pages of the thick book of his formulæ with his thumb a couple of times, clutching this book like the most precious object in the world.

"How should we know?" he says. "Nobody knows."

And Zellie remarks, "Somebody got mad."

"Look what that raid cost us, Vivien." Hart speaks, rapping his knuckles on his book.