When I peeked over the parapet at the back, Tara and Joe were below, cupping something hot in Krakatoa’s distinctive paper cups. Their breath fogged the air around them. I scanned up and down the alley, then checked out the side street as well. All seemed clear. I appeared behind Joe, lifted the edge of the mask and said, louder than necessary, “Ready?” “Shit!” he said, jerking around. For a second it looked like he would drop his cup, or maybe squeeze it so hard it would pop the top off and spill his mocha, but to my disappointment, he managed to hold onto it. Tara put one hand over her mouth. After a second she said, “Ready.” I jumped her to Cory’s lab where she burst out laughing. “That was mean.” I said, through the mask, “Who’s doing the laughing? Were you there long?” Did you talk about me? What did he say? Tara tilted her head to one side and studied me. “We were inside for fifteen minutes but we’d walked out back about five minutes ago. You should go get him.
